Weight loss effects on immune system?

lilawolf

Being fit is good for your immune system, but are you at more risk while losing weight?

Even with lots of fruits, veggies, and "healthy" food, I find that averaging under 1500 calories a day (maybe ~1.25lb/week loss) just runs me into a wall and I get sick. 1lb/week is sustainable for me. The only time I was ever able to manage to keep up with a progressive lifting program AND martial arts (6x total a week) was when I was attempting to bulk at 2250 net calories a day (6 weeks of .5lb gains later I lost all my gains plus another 2, but thats another story)

Basically, does anyone have scientific articles/links about the relationship between healthy calorie restriction and immune response? (Not looking to debate whether this is any more necessary currently than usual).

kshama2001

lilawolf wrote: »

Being fit is good for your immune system, but are you at more risk while losing weight?

Even with lots of fruits, veggies, and "healthy" food, I find that averaging under 1500 calories a day (maybe ~1.25lb/week loss) just runs me into a wall and I get sick. 1lb/week is sustainable for me. The only time I was ever able to manage to keep up with a progressive lifting program AND martial arts (6x total a week) was when I was attempting to bulk at 2250 net calories a day (6 weeks of .5lb gains later I lost all my gains plus another 2, but thats another story)

Basically, does anyone have scientific articles/links about the relationship between healthy calorie restriction and immune response? (Not looking to debate whether this is any more necessary currently than usual).

How are you defining "healthy" weight loss? No more than 1% per week (on average)?



I have nothing scientific, but it stands to reason that losing weight too quickly could be stressful for the immune system.

Were you active when you were on 1500 calories and were you eating back those calories?

NovusDies

I don't know and I do not recall anyone reporting that problem in a thread but I have only been here a couple of years and I certainly do not read every thread. It could also be that if it does happen to other people they may not realize being in a deficit increases the frequency of their illness.

It has not been a factor for me. I had a bout of digestive wonderland a few months into my weight loss but I never concluded whether that was food related or a "stomach bug". Before that the last time I was sick was in 2017 before I started losing weight. I very seldom get sick and that was unchanged through 2 years of being in a calorie deficit.

I suspect that it might be an individual response. I am not saying it is unique to you just that it may not be common. We do know that a deficit alters hormone levels and lowers BMR.

The question I would ask is it related to weight loss or related to the other things you do while losing. If you go to the gym is it standard for people to wipe down the equipment?

If you do think it is the deficit you might consider a lower amount. Maybe shoot for 375 per day (.75 lbs per week) or do something like have a maintenance weekend every 2 weeks. I am only guessing here though.

Wendyanneroberts

I was on a NHS diet plan, but not counting calories. But kept accurate logs, weighing & tracking all I ate.

Spent 3 months dieting, fell of track for a few weeks. But then started diet again. I was advised to follow a low fat diet for my heart condition. My concern was my fat intake was to low, but told this wasn't a problem. That in todays world, we were eating far more fat than we realise.

Fast forward 12 weeks, my body was already under stress from other physical disability & health conditions.

Then I became really unwell. Had tests & needed to see other hospital consultants. Long story, but edited for this post. I was diagnosed with an auto immune disease.

During this time (but after becoming really unwell) I found & started using MFP. For accurate logs of calorie & macros.

It transpires my average calorie intake was around 900 calories per day. My protein was extremely low. My total fat intake averaged around10g per day.

I don't know if my poor diet caused my autoimmune disease. But I'm certain it didn't help. Thats why large deficits are not recommended.

PAV8888

Usually both an infection and fighting off the infection will draw on our energy reserves.

Anecdotally (MFP friends observation) proportionally larger deficits (especially for people who are leaner) increase susceptibility and time to recovery.

I prefer to look at deficits as a % of tdee and view 20% as aggressive (25% while obese)

lilawolf

Should have been more clear: all calories in my post were NET. I eat back all of my exercise calories. I'm currently on 1650 net (and my weekly averages are damn close), trying for 0.75lbs loss a week. I've lost a lot faster than that over the last month for some reason. Libra has me at 1.8 lbs/week for the last month. Very strange since I've done this several times before and have always been consistent. I'm taking a couple of medications right now that might be throwing this off though.

Probably more detail than you want, but I have somewhere between 8 and 20lbs to lose. I want to drop one size. The first time on here I started at 172, us size 14 pant. Leveled out at my desired look at 145 size 6. Got strong, recomped, got fit. Maintained for about 5 years (mostly without logging) before coming down with migraines and gained up to 179, size 10 pant. When I got back to 172, I was a size 8. THREE SIZES SMALLER AT THE SAME WEIGHT! So anyway, want to get back to my size 6s, but no idea what weight that will happen at. So .75 is probably a little but not too aggressive. 1% would be 1.8lbs.

Gym doesn't get cleaned nearly enough and neither does my martial arts studio . I've stopped doing martial arts for now and I'm wiping down everything with lysol wipes in the gym.

Either way, I was considering upping calories a bit just to reduce stress on the body. Is anyone else doing that?

Why "smaller" can be heavier

Wendyanneroberts

Having read your update, following good advice on mfp, from my own experience. Learning to recognize early symptoms. With lower calories seeming to affect neat as well.

I think upping your calories would make sense, especially as you are noticing the difference (through your own experience & accurate data).

A slightly slower weight loss but staying healthy is much preferable to succumbing to illness. Especially at the moment.

Plus if your losing faster than expected, increasing calories, would put that closer to your target. I suggest trying something between 250 to 500 extra calories per day (1/2lb to 1lb a week less weight loss, I believe.) Should put you closer to losing 1lb a week and staying healthy.

Especially if tracking, using a trend weight app, means you can monitor progress.

PAV8888

Confused slightly as to your confusion

Here you are, feeling somewhat stressed, your weight trend is going down even faster than you want, you think, and probably it is a safe assumption to make, that a smaller deficit means less stress on your body, and did we already mention that your weight trend is going down even faster than you want?... so what is there to think so much about?

You're trying for a 375 calorie deficit and you're having an effective 900 calorie deficit. The difference is about 525....

We all *SHOULD* adjust and *keep adjusting* based on reality's feedback (over meaningful timetables)!

lilawolf

PAV8888 wrote: »

Confused slightly as to your confusion

Here you are, feeling somewhat stressed, your weight trend is going down even faster than you want, you think, and probably it is a safe assumption to make, that a smaller deficit means less stress on your body, and did we already mention that your weight trend is going down even faster than you want?... so what is there to think so much about?

You're trying for a 375 calorie deficit and you're having an effective 900 calorie deficit. The difference is about 525....

We all *SHOULD* adjust and *keep adjusting* based on reality's feedback (over meaningful timetables)!

That wasn't my question at all. I think this has been derailed, by superfluous details that I'm working on separately.

The question was: Is there any science linking a healthy rate of weight loss, even with a good diet, and the immune system?

PAV8888

I didn't come up with any specific human studies you doing a quick search other than to confirm that fighting off an infection requires additional energy which will have to be provided by your body.

Maxxitt

lilawolf wrote: »

Being fit is good for your immune system, but are you at more risk while losing weight?

Even with lots of fruits, veggies, and "healthy" food, I find that averaging under 1500 calories a day (maybe ~1.25lb/week loss) just runs me into a wall and I get sick. 1lb/week is sustainable for me. The only time I was ever able to manage to keep up with a progressive lifting program AND martial arts (6x total a week) was when I was attempting to bulk at 2250 net calories a day (6 weeks of .5lb gains later I lost all my gains plus another 2, but thats another story)

Basically, does anyone have scientific articles/links about the relationship between healthy calorie restriction and immune response? (Not looking to debate whether this is any more necessary currently than usual).

If you put this search term into Google (I usually use Go Duck Go but Google sometimes yields a wider result) you'll find some interesting links: research deficit eating immune system

kshama2001

lilawolf wrote: »

PAV8888 wrote: »

Confused slightly as to your confusion

Here you are, feeling somewhat stressed, your weight trend is going down even faster than you want, you think, and probably it is a safe assumption to make, that a smaller deficit means less stress on your body, and did we already mention that your weight trend is going down even faster than you want?... so what is there to think so much about?

You're trying for a 375 calorie deficit and you're having an effective 900 calorie deficit. The difference is about 525....

We all *SHOULD* adjust and *keep adjusting* based on reality's feedback (over meaningful timetables)!

That wasn't my question at all. I think this has been derailed, by superfluous details that I'm working on separately.

The question was: Is there any science linking a healthy rate of weight loss, even with a good diet, and the immune system?

Here on MFP we often answer the question that should be asked, not the one that was asked

lilawolf

kshama2001 wrote: »

lilawolf wrote: »

PAV8888 wrote: »

Confused slightly as to your confusion

Here you are, feeling somewhat stressed, your weight trend is going down even faster than you want, you think, and probably it is a safe assumption to make, that a smaller deficit means less stress on your body, and did we already mention that your weight trend is going down even faster than you want?... so what is there to think so much about?

You're trying for a 375 calorie deficit and you're having an effective 900 calorie deficit. The difference is about 525....

We all *SHOULD* adjust and *keep adjusting* based on reality's feedback (over meaningful timetables)!

That wasn't my question at all. I think this has been derailed, by superfluous details that I'm working on separately.

The question was: Is there any science linking a healthy rate of weight loss, even with a good diet, and the immune system?

Here on MFP we often answer the question that should be asked, not the one that was asked

I've lost weight, maintained, bulked, recomped, gained and lost weight again successfully. I know the answers to the questions you're trying to answer instead of the one I asked

This was a curiosity that no one seems to have any well sourced links or articles about, so I guess I'll either give it up or ask Dr Google depending how bored I am.

xxzenabxx

lilawolf wrote: »

Being fit is good for your immune system, but are you at more risk while losing weight?

Even with lots of fruits, veggies, and "healthy" food, I find that averaging under 1500 calories a day (maybe ~1.25lb/week loss) just runs me into a wall and I get sick. 1lb/week is sustainable for me. The only time I was ever able to manage to keep up with a progressive lifting program AND martial arts (6x total a week) was when I was attempting to bulk at 2250 net calories a day (6 weeks of .5lb gains later I lost all my gains plus another 2, but thats another story)

Basically, does anyone have scientific articles/links about the relationship between healthy calorie restriction and immune response? (Not looking to debate whether this is any more necessary currently than usual).

I don’t know about scientific data but I do know about myself. To answer your question, yes, I was definitely getting more coughs and colds when I was in an aggressive deficit (miscalculated my TDEE). Now I’m losing about 0.5 lb a week and I haven’t been sick so far! I believe it’s to do with the thyroid? If the thyroid slows down due to undereating and aggressive dieting then the immune system is compromised. Also cortisol is jacked up which creates inflammation which, in turn, compromises the immune system too.

peggy_polenta

sorry no studies as you asked about.....but some things to consider? you didn't mention what your illnesses are that you are getting and not aware of you woe but could it be keto flu? for me, during the fat adaption phase, my flu is more like a cold...runny nose and sore throat...which is a bit uncommon/not the standard. also, have you considered not wiping everything down with lysol and just following normal cleaning and hand washing and hygiene? i have no studies, but my personal experience is the more i use sanitizers, disinfectants on every day things the more likely i am to get sick. I feel like we should be exposing ourselves to germs every once in a while so our bodies build the immunity. (i would not recommend licking the equipment or anything) maybe do some research on that.