VLCD v's 600 cals

shelz

Silver Member
I am trying to limit my food intake to under 600 calories a day. Is this wise or would it be recommended I try a VLCD instead?
 
Erm I'm not sure you are understanding the term "VLCD" :confused:

FYI a VLCD is any diet of less than 800 cals per day iirc.

It doesn't have to be a food replacement diet.

All I would say is that there is no reason why you can't eat as many or as few calories as you want each day, but to do it in a way that does not guarantee you your basic nutritional needs or without medical supervision could be dangerous.

Oh and looking at your stats, no you shouldn't be doing a TFR diet, or indeed a 600-cal a day diet, your BMI is way too low.
 
The first thing I'd suggest is that you find somewhere that has a set of scales that measure not just weight but body fat percentage. Gyms, leisure centres and chemists often have them, and they print out your results for you to keep. Get your stats from that. If your current body fat percentage is less than about 25 forget losing wieght, you don't need to and will make yourself ill if you try to.

If it's more, Google somewhere where you can find out what your Basal Metabolic Rate is - this will tell you approx how many cals per day you need to maintain your current weight.

Drop this figure by a couple of hundred calories a day and you should gradually get down to where you want to be. Use an online calorie counter such as sparkpeople or fitnesspal to keep a track of what you are eating.

Oh and remember that especially at your weight/height that if you get plenty of excercise you may lose inches without losing any weight!

Continue to weigh in on the same scales if you can, and remember to keep checking that body fat percentage. No matter what the scales or your mirror are telling you, if that says you are OK you need to work on your head and accept who you are, not punish your body for not being what you want.

HTH. :)
 
"No matter what the scales or your mirror are telling you, if that says you are OK you need to work on your head and accept who you are, not punish your body for not being what you want."
i agree totally
please make sure your not going to starve yourself, your height weight ratio are on the low side, you need to take extra care hun, check out your stats again and have a chat to a dietition, what ever you decide take care
 
An online calculator said this:

You have 19.6% body fat.
You have 25.5 Pounds of fat and 104.5 Pounds of lean (muscle, bone, body water).
 
No matter what the scales or your mirror are telling you, if that says you are OK you need to work on your head and accept who you are, not punish your body for not being what you want.
:worthy::king: :0clapper:


I'm going to keep that somewhere for future ref. There's never been a truer sentence said.


That aside, with the hugest amount of love and respect, if you've only got 4lb to lose to your goal weight you should not be considering starvation rations to do it. There are many more fun and interesting ways to burn enough calories to lose 4lb... ;)
 
Online calculators can be a bit dodgy.

If you can find somewhere with body fat scales it usually works by sending little tiny electrical impulses (don't worry you don't feel anything!) through either your feet or your hands and it measueres your body fat by the signals it gets back. This tends to be pretty accurate.

But based on what you've posted I think maybe you need to look at why you feel you need to lose weight, especially the amount you have mentioned. Is there a particular part of your body you're not happy with for any reason? Is it something that could be changed by excercise and toning rather than diet?

You are not overweight, in fact you're not far off being underweight for your height and your bodyfat %age is also lower than the recommended (25-30 for women depending on age and frame size). This means if you diet, especially if you do a VLCD, you will lose lean tissue not fat cos you don't have the fat to lose and you may well damage your health.

I second what cambscrafter said, it may well be worth you asking your doc for a referral to a nutritionist/dietician so you can have a chat face-to-face with someone about exactly what you want to achieve with your body.

Good luck! :)
 
I am trying to limit my food intake to under 600 calories a day. Is this wise or would it be recommended I try a VLCD instead?
I can't believe you posted this after all our advice on your other threads.:confused: :eek:
You are going to make yourself seriously ill if you carry on, and in my opinion are well on the way to developing a serious eating disorder. You need to get medical advice if you carry on like this. I understand you want to look your best for your wedding, but if you want to live for a long time afterwards, you need to get help. Seriously.:sigh:

For the record- the VLCD's referred to on this forum are regulated, nutritionally complete meal replacements. It would be almost impossible to replicate these diets nutritional content with real food on so little calories.
 
I am merely trying to get a wider range of opinions. I do feel like I am in a mixed up place at the moment. I was looking for a wider range of comments. A wider range of opinions and they are all coming back with the same result.

I'm sorry if you feel that I have ignored your opinions, but I did want a wider range of opinions. I now know I am wrong in trying to eat so few calories. I am upping these to 1000 a day at least. I *want* to be healthy and happy.

Apologies if I caused any offence.
 
It's no problem, I really thought you'd conquered this fear of eating more, but it IS hard, I know believe me!
Thank God everyone's still coming back with the same advice? I'm sure your hubby-to-be wants you around for a few years to come yet! :p
Though you know what I'll say about your target (minimal) cal intake & exercise output won't you?;)
 
Yes I do. As of Monday my scales are going away for a month, I am going to eat a minimum of 1200 calories a day and I am going to start doing the Hannah Waterman DVD 4 out of 7 days of the week. We will see where I end up at the end of March and take things from there.

Its my aim to not go below 1200 the whole of the month. I am going to start posting my fitness pal diaries. This is more so I have people to account to and do it for.

Thanks for all your help, it is appreciated and Yes, I am still scared of food.
 
Yes I do. As of Monday my scales are going away for a month, I am going to eat a minimum of 1200 calories a day and I am going to start doing the Hannah Waterman DVD 4 out of 7 days of the week. We will see where I end up at the end of March and take things from there.

Its my aim to not go below 1200 the whole of the month. I am going to start posting my fitness pal diaries. This is more so I have people to account to and do it for..

Good luck! I'm a chronic weigher so I know that'll be hard! ;)
Try to learn to enjoy your food? Plan your meals ahead of time so you know you're getting the 'best' nutrients for your calories, experiment with herbs & spices, and try new kinds of fruits & veg & meats. If its gets boring you're more likely to crack?
LOL! Hark at me- the diet guru of minimins!! Hardly, but I've been there, done it all, and it's not easy. It's easy to say, not so easy to do- I'm guilty of 'off-days' too (which is why I'm still on here!)
Thanks for all your help, it is appreciated and Yes, I am still scared of food.
You're not alone.:hug99:
 
Back
Top