1000 calories to lose weight? How can this be right?
http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/public/heart/ obesity/lose_wt/calories.htm
Am I missing something here? This official site states:
In general:
- Eating plans that contain 1,000–1,200 calories each day will help most women lose weight safely.
- Eating plans that contain 1,200–1,600 calories each day are suitable for men and also may be appropriate for women who weigh 165 pounds or more or who exercise regularly.
How can the calorie count website guidelines be different than this official one? 1000 calories to lose weight? Will that not put you in starvation mode?
*Just in case I am misunderstood, I am in no way advocating a weight loss plan of 1000 calories. I am not even looking to lose weight. I just found this website and was shocked by it saying that 1000 calories was okay to lose weight, when I'd only ever heard otherwise, that 1000 calories was a starvation diet. I wasn't sure what forum to put this in so feel free to move it.
It reminds me of something I heard on TV. Last week on Heavy, they said they have to stick to 1200 calories a day, but they are working out like crazy, I think 5+ hours a day! And on I used to be fat, the girl said the exact same thing and she's working out about the same time. Is it normal?
I know this sounds like I should be wearing a tin foil hat, but the federal government's dietary advice is downright awful, and I just ignore it. They have been criticized by numerous researchers in the field for making recommendations that are not supported by the current science. Here is just one example of many.
In general, I think it's pretty obvious that collectively, we don't know **** about weight loss - in the study "Successful Weight Loss Maintenance" (Annual Review of Nutrition, vol. 21, no. 1, July 2001), only 20% of obese people were able to lose 10% of their body weight and maintain that loss for over a year - and that was considered a vast improvement over the past!
So, I'm going to continue believing exactly what I did before. After a couple years of this, it seems that the most successful formula for weight loss aims to preserve the body's metabolic health: maintaining a relatively small deficit to lose weight gradually, thoroughly nourishing your body to maintain overall health by eating a nutrient-dense diet, and taking measures to prevent loss of lean mass (like doing some strength training and getting adequate protein). For me, the proof is in the results: following those principles, I've been able to maintain a loss of over 25% of my body weight, and I can do so while still eating plenty of food. Much more pleasant than starving myself on 1000 calories per day.
