1k Calorie Diet, Downside?

mangofish44

Greetings,

Everything I've been reading has suggested to keep the calories around 1,200 + for a male, which I am.

However, i'm about a month in and have been fairly successful keeping the cals during the week in the 800- 1k range. Was wondering if there are any downsides to a prolonged lower than 1k cal diet?

A typical day is oatmeal with strawberries, salad with chicken or egg whites / fruit for lunch, dinner varies from grilled chicken with veggies / white fish sauted / or salad.

Snacks include carrots / hummus / blue berries or other fruit products.

I was wondering if the weight loss will continue at the same rate as long as I'm keeping the calories at the same level? Trying to lose another 40 lbs by March.

Thoughts?

malibu927

Muscle loss, hair loss, brittle nails, fatigue, organ breakdown...the list goes on. And minimum calories for a male on MFP is 1500.

Ainadan

Also, losing weight slowly is better. You only need to lose a lb or two a week to meet your goal by March, why are you trying to abuse your body to get there? It will turn out poorly in the long run.

rachelpauline93

Men typically need more calories. 1200 calories is usually the minimum amount for women to consume. I suggest you google a TDEE calculator. It will tell you how much you need to eat in order to lose weight and a promise it will be more than 1200 calories. You would probably be able to lose that 40 by March if you upped your calories and you'll be more energetic too.

timtam163

Hmm, I mean obviously you do you, and nobody can tell you what your body's caloric needs are especially without knowing anything about your body type; but as far as I can tell it's near impossible to get all the nutrients you need through extremely low calorie diets. Monitor your body for signs it's not getting enough fuel: fatigue, irritability, anxiety, sleeplessness, lack of focus, etc. Not to mention, losing weight too quickly can lead to all sorts of health issues, and can make relapse more likely. Additionally, being at a super low body weight can cause a whole slew of health issues from lowered immune function, to reduced sex drive, to organ failure.

Lastly, looking at your diet it looks like you have almost zero fats in there. Fats, especially "good" fats in moderation, are not only good for you; they are essential to a well-balanced diet. Some vitamins are only soluble in fat, and can therefore only be found in fatty foods. (Macros technically don't matter for weight loss, but they sure matter to your body.)

Also I'm a short sedentary female so I have to eat 1100-1200 calories on sedentary days to see the scale move, but it is probably excessively low for others. It's great to be eager to lose the weight by March, but even if you lose 5 lbs a month you'll get there. It's a marathon, not a sprint.

Anyways without additional information, nobody can tell you for sure. But it sure sounds like yes it's low.

mangofish44

Energy levels have been good actually. The hardest part has been sleeping as I'm typically a bit hungry when I go to bed.

I've been finally working out again and just up to 3 miles at a 11 min pace. It's slow, but on my way. Perhaps, I'll up the cals a tad, but it's the best feeling in the world to get on the scale and see a .4 + weight loss in a day. Just trying to get back to my old self. Took a very long time to get into the mental state to be able to diet and just want to charge all steam ahead!

womanisadevil

I knew a girl lost her weight too fast and got gallstones. Big ones. She had to get surgery and it was extremely painful.

Plus your muscle loss.
You want that to be there when you lose your weight. Easier to maintain than to get back once it's gone.

Extreme strain on you're heart and other organs.

All the things the previous poster listed...
1500 min for males.
Plus creating healthy habits now will make it easier for you to maintain.
Unparrallel eating conditions will just lead to you regaining the weight after the "diet".
You have to make better lifestyle choices.

Also, the faster you lose the higher chance you have of having loose skin, especially with the muscle loss.

Be safe OP.

lynn_glenmont

mangofish44 wrote: »

Energy levels have been good actually. The hardest part has been sleeping as I'm typically a bit hungry when I go to bed.

I've been finally working out again and just up to 3 miles at a 11 min pace. It's slow, but on my way. Perhaps, I'll up the cals a tad, but it's the best feeling in the world to get on the scale and see a .4 + weight loss in a day. Just trying to get back to my old self. Took a very long time to get into the mental state to be able to diet and just want to charge all steam ahead!

At that pace, you're likely burning lots of muscle with the fat.

timtam163

mangofish44 wrote: »

Energy levels have been good actually. The hardest part has been sleeping as I'm typically a bit hungry when I go to bed.

I've been finally working out again and just up to 3 miles at a 11 min pace. It's slow, but on my way. Perhaps, I'll up the cals a tad, but it's the best feeling in the world to get on the scale and see a .4 + weight loss in a day. Just trying to get back to my old self. Took a very long time to get into the mental state to be able to diet and just want to charge all steam ahead!

That's great, and I TOTALLY get it, but whenever I do this to myself I always relapse. I've been up and down the same 15 lbs for close to a decade now. If hunger interferes with sleep you definitely aren't getting enough calories... and especially with all that running.

It can be so addicting to see results fast, but please take your time with weight loss. Again, 5 lbs a month will have you down to your goal by March, without any extreme dieting.

kimny72

Unless you are 400 lbs, losing 4 lbs a week means losing a good amount of muscle along with fat. And eating 1000 cals or below makes it almost impossible to get enough protein, fat, and micronutrients.

The affects of malnutrition and underfueling your body take time to show up and by then the damage has been done. Things like hair falling out, splitting nails, organ damage and fatigue happen once your body is so stressed out it can't deal anymore. You just hit a wall one day. And losing so much muscle due to fast weight loss means a better chance of looking flabby and a better chance of a lowered metabolic rate that will make it easier to gain the weight back.

You should be eating a min of 1500 cals and losing a max of 2 lbs per week. If your health is even slightly important to you, you should be losing more like 1 lb per week, strength training to try to preserve muscle, and probably be eating more than 1500. Please take care of yourself.

Theo166

You need to seriously broaden your reading since I've not seen anything semi legit that tells overweight men to eat <1200 calories. Why not just use the tool here to give you a calorie target, just target a max of 1% loss a week.

If you have 40lbs to lose, doing so by next march should be easy, target 1.5lbs off a week and you will have some wiggle room near the end.

Blitzia

Have you heard of the Minnesota Starvation Experiment? Men were put on a diet of about 1560 calories per day (so almost double what you eat on your lowest days) and in addition to the physical side effects people have already warned you about, their side effects also included "severe emotional distress and depression." My favorite line: "one subject amputated three fingers of his hand with an axe, though the subject was unsure if he had done so intentionally or accidentally."

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minnesota_Starvation_Experiment

That's great that you feel fine now - it's a honeymoon phase. In the long run, eating 800-1000 calories a day is not sustainable and it's going to hurt you physically and psychologically.

VintageFeline

Yikes. With the running your body literally has zero fuel to sustain even basic bodily functions.

Eat more. A lot more. Eat fat, a lot more.

Alatariel75

Going to bed hungry and losing sleep sounds like a downside to me

Unknown

This content has been removed.

Francl27

suzannesimmons3 wrote: »

As a man there are two biggies.....hair loss and impotence.

And muscle loss... kinda a biggie for everyone.

MsHarryWinston

Francl27 wrote: »

suzannesimmons3 wrote: »

As a man there are two biggies.....hair loss and impotence.

And muscle loss... kinda a biggie for everyone.

*snicker* yeah "Love" muscle loss. Cause you know, he's worried about impotence. Lol. Dont hate me, I've been up all night on a graveyard shift and found this hilarious.

moonstroller

You're going to get a ton of advice on this site, some good, some bad, but you should consult with your physician, and do some research beyond simply asking a question on this site. Check medical journals and university studies.

Therealobi1

mangofish44 wrote: »

Energy levels have been good actually. The hardest part has been sleeping as I'm typically a bit hungry when I go to bed.

I've been finally working out again and just up to 3 miles at a 11 min pace. It's slow, but on my way. Perhaps, I'll up the cals a tad, but it's the best feeling in the world to get on the scale and see a .4 + weight loss in a day. Just trying to get back to my old self. Took a very long time to get into the mental state to be able to diet and just want to charge all steam ahead!

Take your time and do it safely. You can eat more and still lose weight
Good luck

kokonani

You are starving yourself. Especially for a guy, that's way too low. I'm a petite female and I eat way more than you. You're not getting enough protein and fats therefore you could be losing muscle along with fat. Wouldn't want that.

cwolfman13

mangofish44 wrote: »

Greetings,

Everything I've been reading has suggested to keep the calories around 1,200 + for a male, which I am.

However, i'm about a month in and have been fairly successful keeping the cals during the week in the 800- 1k range. Was wondering if there are any downsides to a prolonged lower than 1k cal diet?

A typical day is oatmeal with strawberries, salad with chicken or egg whites / fruit for lunch, dinner varies from grilled chicken with veggies / white fish sauted / or salad.

Snacks include carrots / hummus / blue berries or other fruit products.

I was wondering if the weight loss will continue at the same rate as long as I'm keeping the calories at the same level? Trying to lose another 40 lbs by March.

Thoughts?

1200 is the minimum for a sedentary and short female...the minimum for a male is 1500, and that's pretty stinkin' low.

ayuri17

You absolutely do not need to go that low to lose. Let me give you a personal example. I am 5'2 female, 109 lb and mostly sedentary. I am only trying to lose about 3-5 more vanity pounds. I eat around 1300 calories per day and have already lost 4 lb (started at 113 lb).

Since you are male, probably taller and heavier, and have more to lose, you can eat way more than that and still lose. As others have mentioned, you will run into all kinds of health issues if you eat too little. I would recommend sticking to at least the 1500 minimum for men.

tinkerbellang83

In addition to all the information you've been given, you said you're aiming to lose 40lbs by March, so why have you dropped your calories so low? You could lose 40lb in approx 40 weeks weeks by eating 500 calories less than your total daily burn. Please do some proper research on weight loss. Start by understanding the mechanics of weight loss and how the calorie allowance MyFitnessPal provides is calculated.




To answer your questions prolonged effects of under-eating can cause organ damage amongst other things, what is the point of losing weight and getting fit if you cut your life short by doing it in an unhealthy manner?

H_Ock12

There will most likely come a point when you will crash at that rate of intake and exercise. A sustainable calorie intake plus exercise will benefit you much more in the long run. Can you add weight training in to your routine to allow you to retain muscle mass while you lose? At a loss of 1-1.5lb per week, you could easily drop 40lbs by March 2018.

snickerscharlie

Dude, eat more. Please.

inertiastrength

binges and regains and lost lean mass due to both