please explain the problem with low calories...

MadeLyndoNolan

I don't get all these posts saying 1200 is too low, I set mine to 1000. I eat things like omelots, sandwiches, salads, tuna, salmon, veggies, fruit, cereal, cheese and I don't feel hungy at 1000. I think I'm getting a good mix, but I don't get why that is so low. Shouldn't it be about what you are eating, rather than just looking at the number itself? Not trying to be defensive, but I just don't get it. I'm losing weight and I definitely need to incorporate exercise, but my food calories will remain at 1000, maybe 1200 on the weekends. Is this just horrible? I don't feel starved at all and once I get to my goal, I of course will increase the calories but keep a healthy diet and also exercise. I'm 5'7" and weigh 157 right now, trying to get to 135.

sunsetzen

Because its lower than your bmr, which is the basic calories to run your body without any other action (as in, a comatose state). If you eat below that, you run a high risk of losing muscle mass and damaging your organs and functions.

1PatientBear

Your body needs a certain number of calories just to maintain normal function. It's like having gas in the gas tank. Half full, you might be able to drive to Temple from San Antonio, but you aren't getting back without refueling. If you are 5'7" and 157, 1000 calories is WAAAAAY too low. You may not have any ill effects immediately but you will. Do yourself a favor and educate yourself about why eating too little is so dangerous and PLEASE feed yourself.

ThickMcRunFast

Not being hungry doesn't mean you're getting the right nutrition. At 5'7", I cannot imagine that you are getting enough protein to maintain your lean body mass at 1000 cal/day. You will lose weight at such a low deficit, but you will lose muscle (and probably hair after a while). You may get down to 135 with this, but you will not look the way you want. Eating at this low of a level is what causes saggy skin and the dreaded 'skinny-fat' (though I hate that term). Its not about losing weight as fast as you can, its about doing what is healthy and sustainable over the long haul.

you don't have that much to lose, you should find you TDEE and eat -10% from that.

For the record, I am 5'9, 148ish, and I maintain on 2400 calories a day (that accounts for my normal exercise activity). I also did the whole 1100 cals a day thing (while training for a marathon, so it was even worse). At my lowest, I was about 10 lbs less than I am now, and I looked AWFUL. Weighing more but with more muscle, better definition, and eating in a way that makes me happy is definitely better.

aelphabawest

At 1200, for most people, you're not eating enough. Your body goes into starvation mode, which then means it struggles to hold onto every single pound and it's harder for you to lose weight. When you do lose weight, it tends to be muscle mass, not fat. Bad all around.

I_mustacheU4pancakes

You lose muscle faster and you'll plateau faster the lower your calories are.
If you lose muscle you'll still lose weight but end up regretting it when you realize
How good muscle is and how HARD it is to put on.
Eating less..and less for faster results isn't the route to take,imo.

delicious_cocktail

It's sort of like the problem with low Oxygen. Do you really want to find out where that limit is, and to discover the damage that's done to your mind and body along the way? Or would it perhaps be better to ensure you get plenty of Oxygen without hyperventilating?

PikaKnight

It's sort of like the problem with low Oxygen. Do you really want to find out where that limit is, and to discover the damage that's done to your mind and body along the way? Or would it perhaps be better to ensure you get plenty of Oxygen without hyperventilating?

Holy crap. Best analogy EVER. I need to remember this one.

BusyRaeNOTBusty

Adherence
Nutrient intake
Metabolic damage
Muscle loss
Food is yummy

Hauntinglyfit

Aside from all the (correct) answers you'll get about it being damaging to your body long term, because you can eat more and still lose weight. And because food is delicious.

Melissa22G

It's sort of like the problem with low Oxygen. Do you really want to find out where that limit is, and to discover the damage that's done to your mind and body along the way? Or would it perhaps be better to ensure you get plenty of Oxygen without hyperventilating?

3dogsrunning

Adherence
Nutrient intake
Metabolic damage
Muscle loss
Food is yummy

That pretty much sums it up.

I'd also like to add that hunger isn't a reliable indicator of whether you are eating enough. Anorexics often don't experience hunger and they can literally be starving. Hormones can affect hunger signals and eating too low can affect hormones. Some people who are overweight report constant hunger and they do not need more food.

cwolfman13

In addition to what everyone else is saying, it's really hard to actually get all of your proper nutrition with such paltry calories. Of course, most people in your position fail to understand that dietary fat is an essential nutrient and go all low fat/no fat to keep calories to a minimum...they think just **** tons of fruit and veg is "healthy"...all the while, malnourishing their bodies of needed dietary fat. I would imagine your protein intake is rather lacking as well.

vorgas

If I told you I could reduce your weight, but to make it happen I would drill microscopic holes in your bones, so they would be a little more fragile, would you do it?

If I told you I could reduce your weight, but in exchange your metabolic process would slow down, so you would take longer to recover from illness and burn fewer calories each day, would you do it?

If i told you I could cut your weight, but in doing so you would probably experience long term damage to organs that may or may not amount to anything, would you risk it?

If I told you I could lower your weight, but you would have to give up some cognitive ability instead, would you do it?

Probably not. At least, I hope not. All of these things and more is what happens if you don't eat enough food. It won't happen in one week. It may not even happen in a month. But keep it up, and it will happen.

AlongCame_Molly

I don't get all these posts saying 1200 is too low, I set mine to 1000. I eat things like omelots, sandwiches, salads, tuna, salmon, veggies, fruit, cereal, cheese and I don't feel hungy at 1000. I think I'm getting a good mix, but I don't get why that is so low. Shouldn't it be about what you are eating, rather than just looking at the number itself? Not trying to be defensive, but I just don't get it. I'm losing weight and I definitely need to incorporate exercise, but my food calories will remain at 1000, maybe 1200 on the weekends. Is this just horrible? I don't feel starved at all and once I get to my goal, I of course will increase the calories but keep a healthy diet and also exercise. I'm 5'7" and weigh 157 right now, trying to get to 135.

Yes, you are

bacitracin

http://www.bmi-calculator.net/bmr-calculator/

Your BMR is probably around 1500.

If you eat less than that, your organs get mad at you.

diannethegeek

Additionally, part of losing weight slowly is learning to build healthy habits that will carry you over into maintenance when you reach your goal. Jumping from 1000 calories to maintenance overnight can not only leave the body confused, with a slow metabolism, but it also means that more people just don't know what maintenance is supposed to look like. They either chronically undereat (freaked out by the water weight gain they'll see) or go back to their old eating habits and put the weight back on. Eating at a smaller deficit (like, say, 1500 calories) still lets you drop the weight, but it lets you increase your calories much more easily when you reach your goal.

nomeejerome

OP:
You are getting a crap ton of awesome information. I hope you listen to it.

archoo_letsdothis

HI, could some one please link any study that supports this or otherwise? That a 1000 cal diet would be harmful to muscles. I would really like to know. Thank you.

vorgas

HI, could some one please link any study that supports this or otherwise? That a 1000 cal diet would be harmful to muscles. I would really like to know. Thank you.

On the phone right now so not going to do a bunch of research, but eating at a calorie deficit puts the body in a catabolic state, which means (in terms of muscle) that muscle will get broken down. Remember that your body is a balancing machine. If it's not getting enough food it will do things to limit the amount of energy it requires on a daily basis. Muscle requires more energy than fat to keep around.

Now this does depend on your overall body fat amount. Obviously if you have 35% body fat your body will go to these stores first. But if you only have about 15% body fat, you can expect muscle loss.

Simply do a search for "muscle catabolism" and you can see study after study.

Any body builder can verify this. I'm eating at slight caloric deficit right now (500 calories per day) and it's hard for me to even maintain my strength, let alone gain.

suziepoo1984

Everything has been said above, but why eat so low while you can eat a lot more and still lose weight? I eat an average of 1700+ calories a day and at 5'5, i am still losing weight. I don't even do a ton loads of exercise too.
I want to enjoy maintenance when it comes. Also, i get to eat whatever i love in moderation. I know i am not going to binge eat any-day soon because i incorporate everything in my diet.

ETA: Currently weigh 148 lbs

TavistockToad

If I told you I could reduce your weight, but to make it happen I would drill microscopic holes in your bones, so they would be a little more fragile, would you do it?

If I told you I could reduce your weight, but in exchange your metabolic process would slow down, so you would take longer to recover from illness and burn fewer calories each day, would you do it?

If i told you I could cut your weight, but in doing so you would probably experience long term damage to organs that may or may not amount to anything, would you risk it?

If I told you I could lower your weight, but you would have to give up some cognitive ability instead, would you do it?

Probably not. At least, I hope not. All of these things and more is what happens if you don't eat enough food. It won't happen in one week. It may not even happen in a month. But keep it up, and it will happen.

I love this...

vorgas

I'd also like to add that hunger isn't a reliable indicator of whether you are eating enough. Anorexics often don't experience hunger and they can literally be starving. Hormones can affect hunger signals and eating too low can affect hormones. Some people who are overweight report constant hunger and they do not need more food.

Very true. One of the side effects of not getting enough food is your body begins to control the ghrelin/leptin process so you aren't distracted by hunger. From an evolutionary standpoint this effect allows you to focus more on securing food. If you were distracted by hunger when the sabertooth was about to attack, it probably wouldn't work out so well.

harleygroomer

I don't pay much attention to the number. I eat now WHEN I am hungry and I rarely come near the 1000 mark much LESS the 1200 or above. I am still losing, my trainer and Dr aren't upset, soooooooooooooooooo..It is a number

TeaBea

Even if muscle loss doesn't scare you ..... there's this.

When you are on a very low calorie diet you have much more of a tendency to plateau. So you start out losing fairly quickly, but then you plateau ..... then lose a pound..... then plateau again .....frustrating as hell.

ladynocturne

When you net less than your BMR, your brain is unable to use fat stores from your body. It must convert lean muscle mass into energy so it can run, and your brain uses more calories than you think.

I cannot tell you how many people I've personally tried to help prevent from going towards this path, they always regret it later and usually have to spend upwards of an entire year repairing the damage done to their bodies (the stuff they can see anyway). It's frustrating and horrible because it means they have to gain weight, thus making their rush to an extreme diet to get to their goal weight, completely useless.

I say NET your BMR because it's not okay to eat 1500 calories and then go spend an hour at the gym burning off 500. That's the same as not working out and eating 1000 calories. No one can stop you from doing whatever you want. But I will tell you that we will be here when you need support from ruining your metabolism.

1PatientBear

I don't pay much attention to the number. I eat now WHEN I am hungry and I rarely come near the 1000 mark much LESS the 1200 or above. I am still losing, my trainer and Dr aren't upset, soooooooooooooooooo..It is a number

Ok. Do us all a favor. Save this post of yours and as you get closer to maintenance and realize that all the information in this thread is accurate and useful, reread your post. Then, come back and tell us your reaction.

TeaBea

I don't pay much attention to the number. I eat now WHEN I am hungry and I rarely come near the 1000 mark much LESS the 1200 or above. I am still losing, my trainer and Dr aren't upset, soooooooooooooooooo..It is a number

What's hunger got to do with proper nutrition? You rarely meet 1000......you know this but don't pay attention to the number (?). I'm guessing your diet is low fat and high fiber ..... not a recipe for maintaining muscle mass.

vorgas

When you net less than your BMR, your brain is unable to use fat stores from your body. It must convert lean muscle mass into energy so it can run, and your brain uses more calories than you think.

Actually, your brain doesn't use fat at all. It's strictly a glycogen consumer. And since it can't store glycogen on its own it taps into the approx 30g of glycogen stored in your liver to provide fuel.

At least, that's what I found out a year ago when I did a search for "What does the brain use for energy."

her4g63

.

Achaila

Well..I'll just give my input even thought I'm sure it won't be held up as much as everyone elses;

I have an eating disorder. I have to go to the doctor twice a week to watch my blood pressure, that runs around 70/50 because if it gets lower than that, something could go wrong with my heart and I could die. My pulse is also extremely low. My oxygen saturation is low. My body temperature runs around 96 (where a normal body temp is 98.6). I have to regularly get blood test to check and make sure that there is no damage to my kidneys or liver and a slew of other things (There is an order for blood work sitting right beside me right now, the orders on it are TSH, CBC, CMP (chem 14), ESR (Sed Rate), A1C) because what I have done to my body. How did I get said eating disorder? Eating less than 1000 calories a day. Dropping weight quickly. Deciding since I was dropping weight so quickly I would drop down more and more and more. Now my teeth are falling out, my hair is coming out in handfuls, and there is something wrong with my kidneys.

But good luck with your "healthy" low calorie diet.