Question about being under 1000 calories?
Replies
-
One day probably won't hurt. Every day does not have to be the same. Your body will tell you when you are hurting yourself, usually with a binge, and that isn't the end of the world either. If you eat too low for too long your hunger hormones will increase and there is no such thing as willpower. So if you reach the eat low binge cycle you will then know that you have to break out of it. It also isn't the end of the world and you learn to eat a little more.
When you have significant body fat the your body has the fat reserves to help you survive, when you reach 12% fat and under you can't eat quite so low without ill effects.0 -
And this thread will be locked in 3...2...1...0
-
It is possible to feel very satisfied on less than 1000 calories. Today I ate an egg, some chicken and veg (carrots, green beans, and potato) soup, mashed white beans, peas and basil leaves, and butternut squash. I also ate egg, lentil, and carrot muffins. All of this weigh in under 900 calories. I normally have 3 eggs a day, but we ran out of eggs so I had to make do with just one measly egg.
0 -
californiagirl2012 wrote: ».
It is not true that it is safe to eat under 1,000 cals until your body rebels and makes you binge. There is no reason to wait until you get into a binge/restrict pattern to change the way you are eating, that's how people develop EDs.
Besides, many of us got overweight because we were not good at listening to our body's signals.
And 12% fat is actually much lower than most women's body fat will ever be. One would have negative effects from eating 900 cals per day way before they got down that low!
0 -
Your body will eat it's own muscle under eating
Less muscle equals burning less calories
Your periods will stop effecting your fertility
As said if your here it's most likely to lose weight so you can eat more life's much to short to starve yourself
lol. Pretty silly to think a body stores fat in times of surplus and then draws upon muscle in times of deprivation.0 -
sault_girl wrote: »Your body will eat it's own muscle under eating
Less muscle equals burning less calories
Your periods will stop effecting your fertility
As said if your here it's most likely to lose weight so you can eat more life's much to short to starve yourself
lol. Pretty silly to think a body stores fat in times of surplus and then draws upon muscle in times of deprivation.
There is a limit to how much energy your body can recover from stored fat in a day (roughly 30 calories per pound of fat per day). If you create a deficit that exceeds your ability to recover energy from stored fat, that energy has to come from somewhere (meaning lean body mass). (Plus, your body doesn't work perfectly to preferentially tap out glycogen stores first, then fat stores, then muscle -- there's always a mix going on.)0 -
lynn_glenmont wrote: »sault_girl wrote: »Your body will eat it's own muscle under eating
Less muscle equals burning less calories
Your periods will stop effecting your fertility
As said if your here it's most likely to lose weight so you can eat more life's much to short to starve yourself
lol. Pretty silly to think a body stores fat in times of surplus and then draws upon muscle in times of deprivation.
There is a limit to how much energy your body can recover from stored fat in a day (roughly 30 calories per pound of fat per day). If you create a deficit that exceeds your ability to recover energy from stored fat, that energy has to come from somewhere (meaning lean body mass). (Plus, your body doesn't work perfectly to preferentially tap out glycogen stores first, then fat stores, then muscle -- there's always a mix going on.)
You are correct, there is a limit. But even at 30 calories per pound of fat per day, for a person who has 20 pounds to lose, that's still 600 calories. The idea that you have to eat lots or your body will eat muscle instead of fat is usually pretty overblown.0 -
sault_girl wrote: »I think trjjoy may be very petite so under 1000 calories might not be so outrageous.
There's the catch. The "average" female is calculated at 5'7, in US standards. Going by those numbers, even I'm petite at 5'4. The 1200 minimum is calculated by the "average" woman, meaning I could probably go a tiny bit lower, but someone who's 4'9 could probably go under 1000 easily without feeling detrimental effects.
On the other hand, it's irresponsible, and possibly dangerous to tell someone "You can do 1000 and be fine" without knowing their stats. A 5'10 woman, especially one who might have a few extra pounds on her, should definitely be eating more. It's all about the stats (which is why it bugs me when people post requesting calorie intake advice and then won't share their height or weight).
Random; I thought it was pretty well known that you lose lean muscle mass when you eat at a deficit? How is this not common knowledge? Googling it brings up pages of people saying that it happens, with very few adding that it's only possible to NOT lose LBM on a deficit if you've very carefully balanced your protein/caloric intake.0 -
sault_girl wrote: »lynn_glenmont wrote: »sault_girl wrote: »Your body will eat it's own muscle under eating
Less muscle equals burning less calories
Your periods will stop effecting your fertility
As said if your here it's most likely to lose weight so you can eat more life's much to short to starve yourself
lol. Pretty silly to think a body stores fat in times of surplus and then draws upon muscle in times of deprivation.
There is a limit to how much energy your body can recover from stored fat in a day (roughly 30 calories per pound of fat per day). If you create a deficit that exceeds your ability to recover energy from stored fat, that energy has to come from somewhere (meaning lean body mass). (Plus, your body doesn't work perfectly to preferentially tap out glycogen stores first, then fat stores, then muscle -- there's always a mix going on.)
You are correct, there is a limit. But even at 30 calories per pound of fat per day, for a person who has 20 pounds to lose, that's still 600 calories. The idea that you have to eat lots or your body will eat muscle instead of fat is usually pretty overblown.
It's total pounds of fat, not how many pounds you think you have to lose, that is the relevant number here. If someone only has 20 pounds of fat on their body, and is not a very short person trying to get down to competitive athlete BF%, they don't need to be losing weight anyway.
But this thread is about being under 1000 calories. Let's say the person has a TDEE of 2000. Then she needs 33 pounds of fat to sustain that deficit, at least, since we don't know how much under 1000 calories we're talking about here.
You said "pretty silly to think a body stores fat in times of surplus and then draws upon muscles in times of deprivation." I was just trying to point out that it matters what level of deprivation, and that in fact for people doing extreme things like eating under 1000 calories, especially if they're already close to ideal weight (or perhaps some body dysmorphic idea of what would be an ideal weight), then it's really not that "silly" an idea.0 -
What people on here fail to understand is that most of your calorie intake doesn't actually go towards physical activity. Seriously. Most of it goes towards running your brain or your heart or other important internal organs needed to survive. In all honesty it doesn't matter if you don't feel deprived or weak eating a low calorie diet, you need to eat to survive.0
-
I just started eating healthier so i'm having trouble balancing what i need all i'm saying is i want to eat more than what i am on this new way of eating my issue is i feel full on what i am eating currently and i'm not eating enough. Maybe i'm just adjusting, of course i didn't get fat eating under 1000 calories lol i just signed up again and i'm trying figure things out.Some really good non angry suggestions on here though. Nuts and more protein are very viable i didn't think of nuts.Sorry to upset anyone not at all my intention0
-
Keep in mind that when you first start trying to lose, a lot of people have enthusiasm, excitement and adrenaline that carries them through the first few weeks. If you're all fired up about your new eating plan, it's easy to blow past hunger cues in the short term. (It's even easier if you started eating a ton of fiber from fruits/vegetables that you might not have been getting before). If you under-eat for a few weeks, even if you're excited about it and maybe don't necessarily feel that hungry, you're setting yourself up for a crash (at least), and maybe a binge. Take care of your body and feed it the 1200+ calories it needs. (That's assuming your intake is accurate; if you're not using a food scale, there's a very good chance you're eating more than you think).0
-
Oh i think maybe my post was advocating trying to eat lower than 1200 cals someone did answer my question about the logging thing i'm so terrible at this, i eat too much or too little i'm very much an emotional eater so i'm trying to find a balance i am by no means trying to stave myself. well, thanks for everyone's help i really don't know how to eat a healthy and balanced diet so i'll take some of these suggestions.Good night0
-
Oh i think maybe my post was advocating trying to eat lower than 1200 cals someone did answer my question about the logging thing i'm so terrible at this, i eat too much or too little i'm very much an emotional eater so i'm trying to find a balance i am by no means trying to stave myself. well, thanks for everyone's help i really don't know how to eat a healthy and balanced diet so i'll take some of these suggestions.Good night
It's okay to ask; nobody is good at this stuff right from the beginning, and lots of people have this same question. If you know you're an emotional eater, that's all the more reason not to trust how you feel about food, at least not right now. Give logging a chance; eat what MFP tells you to, and try to be as consistent as possible for 4-6 weeks. But under-eating and then bingeing eventually is the last thing you want to do.0 -
OP, are you only eating fruits and veggies? If you are, you are probably not getting all the nutrients you need. And if you are eating any meat or fish, grains, legumes, dairy, nuts, cooking oil etc it is unlikely you are really eating less than 1,000 cals.
Get a food scale.
Weigh all solids.
Log for a week. If you are truly eating less than 1,000 calories, look at your macros each day. Are you getting enough protein? Enough fat? These are both essential.
Long story short, there is a reason it is suggested that most women eat AT LEAST 1,200 calories, unless they are very short and small.
Thank you so much this is very helpful my balance is way off i need to re evaluate i had had two miscarriages recently and i'm trying put myself first again it is harder than i thought so i appreciate the thoughtful response.I hope you have a good night and you reach all your goals0 -
davoiscool wrote: »Maybe reduce your fruit and veg intake so you feel like eating more calorific foods, as these are absolutely vital. Nuts and lean meats as identified above are a good choice!
Yup this!0 -
Oh i think maybe my post was advocating trying to eat lower than 1200 cals someone did answer my question about the logging thing i'm so terrible at this, i eat too much or too little i'm very much an emotional eater so i'm trying to find a balance i am by no means trying to stave myself. well, thanks for everyone's help i really don't know how to eat a healthy and balanced diet so i'll take some of these suggestions.Good night
It's okay to ask; nobody is good at this stuff right from the beginning, and lots of people have this same question. If you know you're an emotional eater, that's all the more reason not to trust how you feel about food, at least not right now. Give logging a chance; eat what MFP tells you to, and try to be as consistent as possible for 4-6 weeks. But under-eating and then bingeing eventually is the last thing you want to do.
Yes, Thank you AliceDark this actually happened to me in the past and of course i would lose weight but start to binge and gain it back and then some but i think when i try a weight loss program i become afraid of food like just being the same room will make me gain weight lol so MFP is a very good tool just got to learn how to use it effectively.0 -
It all depends on your height and current weight. I'm losing 2 lbs. per week while consuming 1400 calories per day and very little exercising. I Used this calculator to figure out how many calories per day . http://www.calculator.net/calorie-calculator.html0
-
tonypabonjr wrote: »It all depends on your height and current weight. I'm losing 2 lbs. per week while consuming 1400 calories per day and very little exercising. I Used this calculator to figure out how many calories per day . http://www.calculator.net/calorie-calculator.html
Exactly...I'm just under 5'3 and very small framed...but I'm still losing almost a pound a week while eating at 1460....I think by eating too little, you are way more inclined to binge. I'm actually finding it hard to make myself go all the way up to 1460 now, and there really isn't much of a chance of binging, everything fits into my caloric goals!0 -
JustMissTracy wrote: »davoiscool wrote: »Maybe reduce your fruit and veg intake so you feel like eating more calorific foods, as these are absolutely vital. Nuts and lean meats as identified above are a good choice!
Yup this!
Great ideas thank you kindly
0 -
Oh i think maybe my post was advocating trying to eat lower than 1200 cals someone did answer my question about the logging thing i'm so terrible at this, i eat too much or too little i'm very much an emotional eater so i'm trying to find a balance i am by no means trying to stave myself. well, thanks for everyone's help i really don't know how to eat a healthy and balanced diet so i'll take some of these suggestions.Good night
This is a helpful site about what healthy eating is (beyond just eating vegetables and fruit): http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/healthy-eating-plate/
The site doesn't address it, but one reason to not cut too low is that eating sufficient calories (and especially protein) can be helpful in maintaining your muscle mass when dieting. The MFP default protein number is probably good enough if you have a lot to lose, but if you want to do what you can to maintain muscle mass there have been found to be benefits at least to the .6-.8 g per lb of healthy (goal) bodyweight.0
This discussion has been closed.
Categories
- All Categories
- 1.4M Health, Wellness and Goals
- 393.6K Introduce Yourself
- 43.8K Getting Started
- 260.3K Health and Weight Loss
- 175.9K Food and Nutrition
- 47.5K Recipes
- 232.5K Fitness and Exercise
- 431 Sleep, Mindfulness and Overall Wellness
- 6.5K Goal: Maintaining Weight
- 8.6K Goal: Gaining Weight and Body Building
- 153K Motivation and Support
- 8K Challenges
- 1.3K Debate Club
- 96.3K Chit-Chat
- 2.5K Fun and Games
- 3.8K MyFitnessPal Information
- 24 News and Announcements
- 1.1K Feature Suggestions and Ideas
- 2.6K MyFitnessPal Tech Support Questions