We are pleased to announce that as of March 4, 2025, an updated Rich Text Editor has been introduced in the MyFitnessPal Community. To learn more about the changes, please click here. We look forward to sharing this new feature with you!

Is eating under 600 calories good for you?

barkleyjeffl
barkleyjeffl Posts: 21 Member
edited November 2024 in Health and Weight Loss
I have had a few friends tell me that they are only eating 600 calories a day. I want to lose weight but not at the risk of my body failing. So, does anyone know is this ok to do?
«1

Replies

  • samgamgee
    samgamgee Posts: 398 Member
    No, it is not. The rough rule of thumb to go by is not to eat under 1200 for women and 1500 for men.
  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
    Not unless you're doing it under the advice of a doctor (who is monitoring you for health issues).
  • GsKiki
    GsKiki Posts: 392 Member
    Definetely not. Your body will be malnourished and barely surviving.
    Diets like this are only done under medical supervision in extreme cases.
  • MelaniaTrump
    MelaniaTrump Posts: 2,694 Member
    I would start looking at my cats as food if I had to eat under 1,200 a day. And I'm a short female.
  • missblondi2u
    missblondi2u Posts: 851 Member
    I don't think your friends really know how many calories they're eating.
  • snowflake930
    snowflake930 Posts: 2,188 Member
    No.
  • Therealobi1
    Therealobi1 Posts: 3,262 Member
    a definate no here
    i mean when i think about it some meals i eat total that or more.
  • cmjohnson53
    cmjohnson53 Posts: 61 Member
    No.
  • sanfromny
    sanfromny Posts: 770 Member
    http://www.webmd.com/diet/low-calorie-diets?page=1
  • williams969
    williams969 Posts: 2,528 Member
    That is the opposite of good. I eat triple that to lose, and I'm a relatively slim woman. In your friends' cases, I really hope they're grossly underestimating their intake, and are really eating much more than that. Malnutrition has some horrid, long lasting effects on bodies.
  • Pawsforme
    Pawsforme Posts: 645 Member
    No, it's not good for you. A day of low calories now and then (like when you're sick) isn't a problem at all. Doing it for longer periods of time is. I too wonder if your friends really know how much they're eating. It would be extremely difficult for almost anyone to sustain that low of an intake for very long.
  • shabaity
    shabaity Posts: 792 Member
    As part of a say a fast diet like 5:2 or every other day the low days aren't that bad once you're used to em. As an everyday thing NO its bad unless it's supervised by a doctor.
  • ilex70
    ilex70 Posts: 727 Member
    Are these friends doing a 5:2 diet? There are a lot of people doing that now. My husband has done it and his best friend.

    Basically you eat normally 5 days of the week, but only 600 calories on two non-consecutive days, usually weekdays if you are off on the weekend.

    And, no, not good for you on a daily basis. I've done a Very Low Calorie Diet (VLCD) supervised by a doctor, and the lowest is 800 calories a day, mostly protein.
  • dbanks80
    dbanks80 Posts: 3,685 Member
    edited January 2016
    This thread will be closed 5,4,3,2....1
  • emmycantbemeeko
    emmycantbemeeko Posts: 303 Member
    No, absolutely terrible for you. In addition to making you sluggish and miserable, it will cause your metabolism to slow and your body to break down muscle as well as fat for energy, causing long term problems. It's also very easy to miss key micronutrients when eating that little, causing nutritional deficiencies. Even if someone could sustain if for long enough to see weight loss, as soon as they started eating more (which they would have to, or die) they would gain that weight back faster than before due to the slowed metabolism and lowered muscle mass, and find it harder to lose it in future.

    For purposes of comparison, 600 calories is the physician-ordered amount in one meal for an average-size diabetic when bed-bound (so doing practically no exercise) in the hospital. It is absolutely not enough to sustain an active person for an entire day, and trying to do so will cause serious health problems.
  • jemhh
    jemhh Posts: 14,261 Member
    JanetYellen wrote: »
    I would start looking at my cats as food if I had to eat under 1,200 a day. And I'm a short female.

    Ha!

    600 meals is a meal, not a day's worth of food.
  • dbanks80
    dbanks80 Posts: 3,685 Member
    Considering you've had 2 heart attacks, eating 600 calories and under is extremely dangerous for you! DO NOT DO THAT!
  • CooCooPuff
    CooCooPuff Posts: 4,374 Member
    edited January 2016
    No. I'd recommend trying to get medical help for that friend if they genuinely think consistently eating that little is healthy.

    Unless you're very sick or doing some form of IF, where the low calorie day is offset by much higher days, it is NOT a good idea.
  • MelaniaTrump
    MelaniaTrump Posts: 2,694 Member
    edited January 2016
    @dbanks80 catching the 2 heart attacks pretty much closed this discussion. Well done.
    Eat healthy. No more games with your life.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    Really?
  • Lounmoun
    Lounmoun Posts: 8,423 Member
    No, that would not be safe or healthy to eat only 600 calories a day. You should be very concerned about these people.

    1200 is the minimum recommended amount for adult women and 1500 is the recommended minimum for adult men.

    If you want to know a safe, healthy amount of calories for you to eat and lose weight then tell MFP your height, weight and activity level and eat the amount it tells you.
  • BeckyyyXxxx486
    BeckyyyXxxx486 Posts: 20 Member
    I will hunt you down if you actually live on 600 calories a day ... that's insane!
  • Serah87
    Serah87 Posts: 5,481 Member
    HELL NO!!!!!!
  • JackieMarie1989jgw
    JackieMarie1989jgw Posts: 230 Member
    No. Please dont do this. Not safe at all.
    When I lost weight the first time (before gaining again in pregnancy), I got to my goal weight on 1450 calories a day. I tried 1200 and felt sick because it wasnt enough. And I am an average size woman, I was 5'5" and 147lb when I started my weight loss, so my calorie needs are relatively low compared to many others. You can lose weight much easier on a more reasonable calorie count. You want a diet that isnt too extreme, so you can maintain it long term. Otherwise that weight will come right back.
  • tcatcarson
    tcatcarson Posts: 227 Member
    Here's an interesting link...

    http://www.nhs.uk/chq/Pages/how-many-calories-do-children-need.aspx?CategoryID=51

    600 calories a day is 3 times less than a 9 year old CHILD needs... that's your answer right there!
  • kimny72
    kimny72 Posts: 16,011 Member
    OP, I find it difficult to believe that you have "a few friends" who say they are eating 600 cals a day. That is a ridiculously low # of cals, less than most medically supervised VLCDs. It would be very unhealthy, and certainly bad for your heart. Plug your stats into MFP and eat the calories it gives you. You are correct to be concerned about the health of your eating plan. Losing weight in a healthy manner requires patience, but you can do it - lots of people here have.
  • Jonna13
    Jonna13 Posts: 288 Member
    No.
  • sgthaggard
    sgthaggard Posts: 581 Member
    I eat that for breakfast.
  • dbanks80
    dbanks80 Posts: 3,685 Member
    Itreadlightly wrote: »
    I am a 61 year old woman with an eating disorder that I can trace back to my teenage years eating less than 500 calories for weeks...

    And what is your point?

  • kimny72
    kimny72 Posts: 16,011 Member
    dbanks80 wrote: »
    Itreadlightly wrote: »
    I am a 61 year old woman with an eating disorder that I can trace back to my teenage years eating less than 500 calories for weeks...

    And what is your point?

    I think she is saying she developed an ED from eating that low. I took it as a cautionary tale.
This discussion has been closed.

Categories