How many cals is too low?
sophiejanec_mfp
Posts: 1 Member
Hi everyone.
I'm sorry if this has been asked before but I couldn't find anything relating to it.
I've recently cut my calories to 1500 a day as I'm in serious need of losing weight for health reasons and I felt that 2,150 was too many.
Straight away I get people saying to me "Oooooh that's far too low. You won't lose weight as you're not eating enough" and "your body will go into shock and you won't lose weight" etc.
So what I'm basically asking is if this is true? And whether people have experienced problems with limited calories or whether it hasn't ever affected weight loss.
My sister started on 1400 and lost 5 stone, so that's why I'm wanting to do the same. I just don't want to do anything that won't actually help if that makes sense.
Grateful for any comments/experiences.
I'm sorry if this has been asked before but I couldn't find anything relating to it.
I've recently cut my calories to 1500 a day as I'm in serious need of losing weight for health reasons and I felt that 2,150 was too many.
Straight away I get people saying to me "Oooooh that's far too low. You won't lose weight as you're not eating enough" and "your body will go into shock and you won't lose weight" etc.
So what I'm basically asking is if this is true? And whether people have experienced problems with limited calories or whether it hasn't ever affected weight loss.
My sister started on 1400 and lost 5 stone, so that's why I'm wanting to do the same. I just don't want to do anything that won't actually help if that makes sense.
Grateful for any comments/experiences.
0
Replies
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Yeah no to the starvation mode myths your friends are quoting. No one got fat from eating too little. The minimum for women is 1200 net. You want to be sure you're meeting all your nutritional needs, not giving your body too little so it burns muscle rather than just fat and you have room to decrease calories as your weight decreases.9
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If 1500 has you at a deficit - and if you 'need' to lose weight then it almost certainly does - and you can eat enough food to feel satisfied/satiated/energetic: then go for it. Judge by results. If you are feeling lethargic, lack of energy or similar: then you may need to change something.
Personally I lost most of my weight (~50 pounds) by eating 1400-1600 per day.2 -
That's a reasonable but what is your current weight? If the app has you at 2150 and all the settings are correct then yes, 1500 could be too low and unnecessary at this stage. I'm always an advocate of eating more while you can and easing yourself down as your weight lowers.10
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Some people find that a too-restrictive goal makes it harder to stick with it / increases binging / triggers disordered eating. Some people aren't bothered by it. You do you.
It's probably wise to aim for a smaller deficit as you get closer to your goal, both to preserve your muscle mass and to develop good maintenance habits.4 -
VintageFeline wrote: »That's a reasonable but what is your current weight? If the app has you at 2150 and all the settings are correct then yes, 1500 could be too low and unnecessary at this stage. I'm always an advocate of eating more while you can and easing yourself down as your weight lowers.
This. I always try and aim for the highest calories I can to still lose... depending on your start weight you may lose on more. I was really active at 240 and I cut easily on 2100 but now that I only have 10lbs to lose, I'm down to 1450... if it were me i'd advise you to work your way down vs do it all at once since it's an adjustment from going from 3500 cals/day to 1500
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I second the method of easing yourself down to 1500. Right now it would probably be a mental shock as much as a physical one (I'm talking hunger not anything serious). If the app gives you 2150 eat 2000 for a week or two depending on your results and how hard it is for you to stick to. Then cut another 100 cals out each week until you get to your desired intake.
If you do decide to be significantly below what MFP recommends (1500-1600 vs 2150) I would recommend eating back at least 75% of any exercise calories you burn. Focus on nutrient dense foods to make sure your body has what it needs and at least 1 small treat each day to avoid any feelings of deprivation. When I was attempting 2 lbs/week I was alternating sweet and salty so I could have a larger portion of each and still hit my calorie goal.
Invest in a food scale to properly weigh your food for the most accurate logging possible.2 -
i've had really good luck just eating the amount the app tells me to eat in order to lose 2 pounds a week. it started around 2000, like yours, and it has since lowered to around 1700. i understand the desire to cut it even more, but i think you might be setting yourself up for failure, frustration, binge eating, and more.3
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My daily intake is set to 1,391 calories. It was hard at first but after a week my body got used to less food. I sip a protein shake in the morning, for lunch I have a low cal low sodium soup and for dinner I cook and weigh out dinner from a paleo recipe. My first week I lost 5lbs which surprised me because I thought I was eating too much since I was hungry.
I agree with TheCupcake^0 -
If you can lose weight on 1500 and sustain if after the weight is gone, than it sounds good to me. However, if you're hungry on 1500 and can still lose on a higher number, why not?1
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Are you weighing food with a scale?
It's always best to start with as many calories as possible.3 -
sophiejanec_mfp wrote: »Hi everyone.
I'm sorry if this has been asked before but I couldn't find anything relating to it.
I've recently cut my calories to 1500 a day as I'm in serious need of losing weight for health reasons and I felt that 2,150 was too many.
Straight away I get people saying to me "Oooooh that's far too low. You won't lose weight as you're not eating enough" and "your body will go into shock and you won't lose weight" etc.
So what I'm basically asking is if this is true? And whether people have experienced problems with limited calories or whether it hasn't ever affected weight loss.
My sister started on 1400 and lost 5 stone, so that's why I'm wanting to do the same. I just don't want to do anything that won't actually help if that makes sense.
Grateful for any comments/experiences.
What are your stats? Mfp gave you 2150 for a reason...
The winner is the person who gets to eat the MOST and still lose weight... not the least.9 -
This content has been removed.
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TavistockToad wrote: »The winner is the person who gets to eat the MOST and still lose weight... not the least.
Think of weight loss like the Price is Right. The winner is the one who comes closest without going over
4 -
I think the question isn't really "how many calories is too few" but rather "how fast a weight loss rate is too fast".
Everyone's appropriate calorie goal varies based on a bunch of variables: Age, weight, height, activity, exercise, twitchiness, macro composition of eating, stress, sleep, and who knows what else.
But losing weight "too fast" is always a Bad Plan. But what is "Too Fast"? Here are some elements (IMO):- If you find yourself feeling fatigued or weak, lacking energy for your daily activities, not able to work as hard in workouts, or discover you're slowly ramping down on daily activities without fully realizing it (not feeling like doing as much as you'd usually do).
- You start seeing bad symptoms like brittle fingernails, dry/brittle hair, getting sick more easily (these are slow to develop, but truly serious - you'd prefer to catch and correct the situation before you reach this point!).
- Your calorie allowance is so small that you're finding it difficult to get appropriate nutrition. (My personal definition of appropriate nutrition is 0.6-0.8g minimum protein per pound of healthy goal weight, 0.35-0.45 minimum fat per pound of healthy goal weight (as much of it as feasible from healthy sources like nuts, avocado, olive oil, etc.), and a minimum of 5 servings of fruit/veg daily.
- You find yourself eating over goal frequently, without really planning on it, i.e., a "falling off the wagon because IDGAF", rather than intentionally deciding to eat over goal on a rare occasion because it's your birthday or somesuch special thing.
- One rule of thumb is to avoid losing more than 1% of your current body weight per week.
- A different rule of thumb uses these guidelines:
If you have 75+ lbs to lose 2 lbs/week is ideal
If you have 40-75 lbs to lose 1.5 lbs/week is ideal
If you have 25-40 lbs to lose 1 lbs/week is ideal
If you have 15 -25 lbs to lose 0.5 to 1.0 lbs/week is ideal
If you have less than 15 lbs to lose 0.5 lbs/week is ideal
Eating too little won't mean you don't lose weight - if it did, no one would ever starve to death, and sadly people all over the world starve to death every day. However, eating too little can make you fatigued or lethargic to the point that you lose more slowly on X calorie level than you would if you could keep your energy/activity level constant.
Also, eating too little for a long time can greatly increase your risk of losing more than minimum lean tissue (including muscle and bone!) alongside the fat loss. That in itself reduces your calorie needs slightly (because muscle tissue requires more calories to sustain than fat tissue does). Also, muscle and bone tissue are at best slow and difficult to regain. For those reasons alone, losing weight too fast is not a healthy plan at all!17 -
I think the question isn't really "how many calories is too few" but rather "how fast a weight loss rate is too fast".
Everyone's appropriate calorie goal varies based on a bunch of variables: Age, weight, height, activity, exercise, twitchiness, macro composition of eating, stress, sleep, and who knows what else.
But losing weight "too fast" is always a Bad Plan. But what is "Too Fast"? Here are some elements (IMO):- If you find yourself feeling fatigued or weak, lacking energy for your daily activities, not able to work as hard in workouts, or discover you're slowly ramping down on daily activities without fully realizing it (not feeling like doing as much as you'd usually do).
- You start seeing bad symptoms like brittle fingernails, dry/brittle hair, getting sick more easily (these are slow to develop, but truly serious - you'd prefer to catch and correct the situation before you reach this point!).
- Your calorie allowance is so small that you're finding it difficult to get appropriate nutrition. (My personal definition of appropriate nutrition is 0.6-0.8g minimum protein per pound of healthy goal weight, 0.35-0.45 minimum fat per pound of healthy goal weight (as much of it as feasible from healthy sources like nuts, avocado, olive oil, etc.), and a minimum of 5 servings of fruit/veg daily.
- You find yourself eating over goal frequently, without really planning on it, i.e., a "falling off the wagon because IDGAF", rather than intentionally deciding to eat over goal on a rare occasion because it's your birthday or somesuch special thing.
- One rule of thumb is to avoid losing more than 1% of your current body weight per week.
- A different rule of thumb uses these guidelines:
If you have 75+ lbs to lose 2 lbs/week is ideal
If you have 40-75 lbs to lose 1.5 lbs/week is ideal
If you have 25-40 lbs to lose 1 lbs/week is ideal
If you have 15 -25 lbs to lose 0.5 to 1.0 lbs/week is ideal
If you have less than 15 lbs to lose 0.5 lbs/week is ideal
Eating too little won't mean you don't lose weight - if it did, no one would ever starve to death, and sadly people all over the world starve to death every day. However, eating too little can make you fatigued or lethargic to the point that you lose more slowly on X calorie level than you would if you could keep your energy/activity level constant.
Also, eating too little for a long time can greatly increase your risk of losing more than minimum lean tissue (including muscle and bone!) alongside the fat loss. That in itself reduces your calorie needs slightly (because muscle tissue requires more calories to sustain than fat tissue does). Also, muscle and bone tissue are at best slow and difficult to regain. For those reasons alone, losing weight too fast is not a healthy plan at all!
One of the best posts I've ever seen about the risks of rapid weight loss. I would love to be able to use this again, with your permission and crediting you for the thoughtfulness of these words!2 -
WinoGelato wrote: »I think the question isn't really "how many calories is too few" but rather "how fast a weight loss rate is too fast".
Everyone's appropriate calorie goal varies based on a bunch of variables: Age, weight, height, activity, exercise, twitchiness, macro composition of eating, stress, sleep, and who knows what else.
But losing weight "too fast" is always a Bad Plan. But what is "Too Fast"? Here are some elements (IMO):- If you find yourself feeling fatigued or weak, lacking energy for your daily activities, not able to work as hard in workouts, or discover you're slowly ramping down on daily activities without fully realizing it (not feeling like doing as much as you'd usually do).
- You start seeing bad symptoms like brittle fingernails, dry/brittle hair, getting sick more easily (these are slow to develop, but truly serious - you'd prefer to catch and correct the situation before you reach this point!).
- Your calorie allowance is so small that you're finding it difficult to get appropriate nutrition. (My personal definition of appropriate nutrition is 0.6-0.8g minimum protein per pound of healthy goal weight, 0.35-0.45 minimum fat per pound of healthy goal weight (as much of it as feasible from healthy sources like nuts, avocado, olive oil, etc.), and a minimum of 5 servings of fruit/veg daily.
- You find yourself eating over goal frequently, without really planning on it, i.e., a "falling off the wagon because IDGAF", rather than intentionally deciding to eat over goal on a rare occasion because it's your birthday or somesuch special thing.
- One rule of thumb is to avoid losing more than 1% of your current body weight per week.
- A different rule of thumb uses these guidelines:
If you have 75+ lbs to lose 2 lbs/week is ideal
If you have 40-75 lbs to lose 1.5 lbs/week is ideal
If you have 25-40 lbs to lose 1 lbs/week is ideal
If you have 15 -25 lbs to lose 0.5 to 1.0 lbs/week is ideal
If you have less than 15 lbs to lose 0.5 lbs/week is ideal
Eating too little won't mean you don't lose weight - if it did, no one would ever starve to death, and sadly people all over the world starve to death every day. However, eating too little can make you fatigued or lethargic to the point that you lose more slowly on X calorie level than you would if you could keep your energy/activity level constant.
Also, eating too little for a long time can greatly increase your risk of losing more than minimum lean tissue (including muscle and bone!) alongside the fat loss. That in itself reduces your calorie needs slightly (because muscle tissue requires more calories to sustain than fat tissue does). Also, muscle and bone tissue are at best slow and difficult to regain. For those reasons alone, losing weight too fast is not a healthy plan at all!
One of the best posts I've ever seen about the risks of rapid weight loss. I would love to be able to use this again, with your permission and crediting you for the thoughtfulness of these words!
(Blush) Gosh, thanks! Feel free to use as you wish - I'm just repeating what I think of as collective recommendations that have helped me, so it's public domain AFAIK.3 -
I think the question isn't really "how many calories is too few" but rather "how fast a weight loss rate is too fast".
Everyone's appropriate calorie goal varies based on a bunch of variables: Age, weight, height, activity, exercise, twitchiness, macro composition of eating, stress, sleep, and who knows what else.
But losing weight "too fast" is always a Bad Plan. But what is "Too Fast"? Here are some elements (IMO):- If you find yourself feeling fatigued or weak, lacking energy for your daily activities, not able to work as hard in workouts, or discover you're slowly ramping down on daily activities without fully realizing it (not feeling like doing as much as you'd usually do).
- You start seeing bad symptoms like brittle fingernails, dry/brittle hair, getting sick more easily (these are slow to develop, but truly serious - you'd prefer to catch and correct the situation before you reach this point!).
- Your calorie allowance is so small that you're finding it difficult to get appropriate nutrition. (My personal definition of appropriate nutrition is 0.6-0.8g minimum protein per pound of healthy goal weight, 0.35-0.45 minimum fat per pound of healthy goal weight (as much of it as feasible from healthy sources like nuts, avocado, olive oil, etc.), and a minimum of 5 servings of fruit/veg daily.
- You find yourself eating over goal frequently, without really planning on it, i.e., a "falling off the wagon because IDGAF", rather than intentionally deciding to eat over goal on a rare occasion because it's your birthday or somesuch special thing.
- One rule of thumb is to avoid losing more than 1% of your current body weight per week.
- A different rule of thumb uses these guidelines:
If you have 75+ lbs to lose 2 lbs/week is ideal
If you have 40-75 lbs to lose 1.5 lbs/week is ideal
If you have 25-40 lbs to lose 1 lbs/week is ideal
If you have 15 -25 lbs to lose 0.5 to 1.0 lbs/week is ideal
If you have less than 15 lbs to lose 0.5 lbs/week is ideal
Eating too little won't mean you don't lose weight - if it did, no one would ever starve to death, and sadly people all over the world starve to death every day. However, eating too little can make you fatigued or lethargic to the point that you lose more slowly on X calorie level than you would if you could keep your energy/activity level constant.
Also, eating too little for a long time can greatly increase your risk of losing more than minimum lean tissue (including muscle and bone!) alongside the fat loss. That in itself reduces your calorie needs slightly (because muscle tissue requires more calories to sustain than fat tissue does). Also, muscle and bone tissue are at best slow and difficult to regain. For those reasons alone, losing weight too fast is not a healthy plan at all!
QFT!0 -
sophiejanec_mfp wrote: »Hi everyone.
I'm sorry if this has been asked before but I couldn't find anything relating to it.
I've recently cut my calories to 1500 a day as I'm in serious need of losing weight for health reasons and I felt that 2,150 was too many.
Straight away I get people saying to me "Oooooh that's far too low. You won't lose weight as you're not eating enough" and "your body will go into shock and you won't lose weight" etc.
So what I'm basically asking is if this is true? And whether people have experienced problems with limited calories or whether it hasn't ever affected weight loss.
My sister started on 1400 and lost 5 stone, so that's why I'm wanting to do the same. I just don't want to do anything that won't actually help if that makes sense.
Grateful for any comments/experiences.
Are you under a doctors care for the health reasons that you are experiencing? If so...What has your doctor told you to do? Depending on those health reasons it might be more advantageous to be a little more aggressive than what you might be otherwise.
Many people have lost weight eating 1500 calories and you can certainly meet your nutritional needs. Without knowing you stats nor your health issues it is hard for anyone to give an accurate answer.
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From being close to people with bad relationships with food, I can definitely say that you will lose weight (mostly muscle, from what I've heard) on very little calories.0
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I got tired of listening to people, so I went to a doctor. I don't have any health issues, other than being overweight. She put me on 1200 calories/day. If I work out (40 min on level 10 on elliptical usually) I burn roughly 450 calories, but (if I want to) I could go to 1400 on those days.
Note that this is *under* what non-doctors say (1200 net min).
I have about 30 # to lose. Hope that helps!0 -
I got tired of listening to people, so I went to a doctor. I don't have any health issues, other than being overweight. She put me on 1200 calories/day. If I work out (40 min on level 10 on elliptical usually) I burn roughly 450 calories, but (if I want to) I could go to 1400 on those days.
Note that this is *under* what non-doctors say (1200 net min).
I have about 30 # to lose. Hope that helps!
What kind of a doctor?1 -
I got tired of listening to people, so I went to a doctor. I don't have any health issues, other than being overweight. She put me on 1200 calories/day. If I work out (40 min on level 10 on elliptical usually) I burn roughly 450 calories, but (if I want to) I could go to 1400 on those days.
Note that this is *under* what non-doctors say (1200 net min).
I have about 30 # to lose. Hope that helps!
So did your doctor say that you could safely be at 750 calories or am I reading this incorrectly?0 -
I am sure others have said, but i would say this could depend on your activity level. I have very low, so i dont eat back calories. If you eat 1500 a day, but you burn a 1000 working out you will only net 500 calories, so you would want to eat back some calories. I try not to net less than 1000. If you watch weight loss shows though with people that weigh 600 pounds they reduce them to 1200 calories a day and they don't go into starvation mode. So, again i think it depends on lifestyle. Water intake is also big. I have an open diary and have calories set to 1500 (don't judge too much last weekend though i had the flu
) and i have been losing consistently for the 52 days i've been logging. 1 -
WinoGelato wrote: »I got tired of listening to people, so I went to a doctor. I don't have any health issues, other than being overweight. She put me on 1200 calories/day. If I work out (40 min on level 10 on elliptical usually) I burn roughly 450 calories, but (if I want to) I could go to 1400 on those days.
Note that this is *under* what non-doctors say (1200 net min).
I have about 30 # to lose. Hope that helps!
What kind of a doctor?
An MD of Internal Medicine0 -
indigoblue9572 wrote: »I got tired of listening to people, so I went to a doctor. I don't have any health issues, other than being overweight. She put me on 1200 calories/day. If I work out (40 min on level 10 on elliptical usually) I burn roughly 450 calories, but (if I want to) I could go to 1400 on those days.
Note that this is *under* what non-doctors say (1200 net min).
I have about 30 # to lose. Hope that helps!
So did your doctor say that you could safely be at 750 calories or am I reading this incorrectly?
1400 - 450 = 9500 -
So 950 x 4 + 1200 x 3 = 7400/week0
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indigoblue9572 wrote: »I got tired of listening to people, so I went to a doctor. I don't have any health issues, other than being overweight. She put me on 1200 calories/day. If I work out (40 min on level 10 on elliptical usually) I burn roughly 450 calories, but (if I want to) I could go to 1400 on those days.
Note that this is *under* what non-doctors say (1200 net min).
I have about 30 # to lose. Hope that helps!
So did your doctor say that you could safely be at 750 calories or am I reading this incorrectly?
1400 - 450 = 950
But you said this: If I work out (40 min on level 10 on elliptical usually) I burn roughly 450 calories, but (if I want to) I could go to 1400 on those days.
That's assuming you'd want to bump it up to 1400, which is why I asked if the doc said it was ok to be at 750. You didn't say you were at 1400 on your workout days.0 -
Yeah, some days I am not. I am very inconsistent. I am usually a little under but make up for it a bit on weekends. I think I watch my carbs too closely, so they are way under, and if I make up the calories in low carb (usually higher fat) foods, there isn't a lot of room until I hit 1200.
This is an adventure for all of us. I am not giving advice, but sharing what I have been told so that people can make informed decisions. Hope that helps!1 -
I'm usually under my 1200 daily allotment because I know I want a few extras on the weekends. I don't think I've ever gone as low as 750 though, which is another reason I asked about what your doc had said. You're right in that it is an adventure for us all and what works for one may not work for another 0
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I got tired of listening to people, so I went to a doctor. I don't have any health issues, other than being overweight. She put me on 1200 calories/day. If I work out (40 min on level 10 on elliptical usually) I burn roughly 450 calories, but (if I want to) I could go to 1400 on those days.
Note that this is *under* what non-doctors say (1200 net min).
I have about 30 # to lose. Hope that helps!
Doctors who know study after study shows people are terrible at accurately logging calories might lowball you.
Doctors who know patients are terrible at compliance might also lowball you.
Doctors who know little about nutrition would also lowball you.
Doctors who are meticulously monitoring a patient's bloodwork and think the risks of being morbidly obese are greater than the risks of rapid weight loss might also give a lower net calorie amount. However, with only 30 pounds to lose, this wouldn't apply to you. I'm thinking of the patients on 'My 600 Pound Life'.4
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