I Burn More Calories than I consume... safe?

MrOlympia95

Hello. I'm 18 years old and overweight. At my peak I hit 210 and began developing lots of nasty stretch marks that make me feel uncomfortable in public and just staring at myself. So I before using MyFitnessPal, I began jogging on the treadmill for 20 minutes twice a day, then walking 2 miles on a track. I barely ate. Soon, I went from 210 lbs. to 204 lbs. in a week! I found MyFitnessPal and it made things a lot easier. In 3 days since May 19th I've lost 4 pounds. I now weigh 200. But for breakfast I drink a BodyFortress Protein Shake with almond milk, for lunch I eat a 15 calorie serving of salad with just 45 in the dressing. For dinner, I limit my calories to 250 or less. Usually I'm still hungry right after, but I shower up and go to bed so the hunger won't drive me insane. I hate this, but I'm trying to lose 20 more pounds by the end of the summer. So I want to keep doing this! MyFitnessPal says that I should weigh 179.9 in 5 weeks. I want to keep doing this and am determined. But I haven't had a bowel movement in 2 days, I'm always hungry and aching, my legs are tired constantly, it's hard to move sometimes, and it's hard to sleep. What should I do ? Because I desperately want to lose this weight before July, but don't know if I'm killing myself.....

kmash32

You need to eat more period. In the beginning due to water weight your lose will be a little above average, but on average you should be losing no more than around 2lbs a week. You need to calculate your BMR and TDEE to know how many calories to eat, you are starving yourself when you don't need too.

kdiamond

You need to eat. Don't go down that road. It isn't worth it. Slow and steady...

kgeyser

But I haven't had a bowel movement in 2 days, I'm always hungry and aching, my legs are tired constantly, it's hard to move sometimes, and it's hard to sleep. What should I do ? Because I desperately want to lose this weight before July, but don't know if I'm killing myself…..

What should you do? You should eat. EAT. You probably need at least 1800 calories a day just to function in a coma at your age and weight. Reread what you wrote. Yes, you are damaging your body. Go eat something. Now.

Caper88

I'm no expert but if you're feeling that tired, sore and lacking proper bowel movements then I'm guessing what you're doing is very unhealthy. I would be worried that your weight loss might not be from loosing fat but muscle mass.

MrOlympia95

According to my BMR, it's 2040.5. So far I've lost the 10 lbs. I feel like crap obviously, but I'm incredibly incredibly incredibly determined to meet my goal..

kmash32

Oh and you are most likely not having a bowel movement for one of two reasons, either you haven't eaten enough at all or you need to increase your fat intake with healthy fats.

craziedazie

I've been where you are. I did that for about 3 months and I reached my goal. However, my hair fell out in clumps, I fainted a lot, I was an emotional wreck and I developed a hormonal imbalance that I'm still dealing with 5 yrs later. Please consider eating more. It's unsustainable long term and I'm telling you it's not worth it. I gained it all back plus some.

fooninie

You want to make sure you are eating enough to feed your body. Losing weight is more than watching the scale. It's about change, progress and measurable successes. Anything under 1200 calories per day can be dangerous. If you are exercising on top of it you need to add calories. 20lbs in a month may be feasible, but it most likely won't last and you could damage your body. Kdiamond said it best, you need to eat ... and slow and steady.

KseRz

What are you eating that could be considered dinner for 250 calories?

kmash32

According to my BMR, it's 2040.5. So far I've lost the 10 lbs. I feel like crap obviously, but I'm incredibly incredibly incredibly determined to meet my goal..

We are all determined to meet our goal but if you don't do it the right way you will just put it all back on when you start eating. And what good is meeting your goal if you give yourself some serious health issues along the way.

Branstin

The key to a successful weight loss plan is to be able to maintain for the rest of your life. Are you prepared to do this for the duration? You aren't doing your body any good with that plan. In fact, your body will not be able to support lean muscle with that little bit of food.

Here is a great starting place:

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1080242-a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants

pakko091

Hey man, you need to eat. When I was 17, I weigh about 190lbs. Then I started going to the gym everyday and monitoring what I eat, and I eat A LOT. At that time, I would do 30 mins of cardio workout to get a nice appropriate heart rate. After that, I will do weight training. Increasing muscle mass helps burning calories through out the day. And you need nutrient to keep all those work out going. Just eat health, eat till you are around 70% full, and keep working out everyday!

Keepcalmanddontblink

According to my BMR, it's 2040.5. So far I've lost the 10 lbs. I feel like crap obviously, but I'm incredibly incredibly incredibly determined to meet my goal..

I am determined to meet my goal too. However I am determined to enjoy doing this and eating foods I love in moderation. Please, eat more food. A smaller size isn't worth being sick all the time. Just eat.

kgeyser

According to my BMR, it's 2040.5. So far I've lost the 10 lbs. I feel like crap obviously, but I'm incredibly incredibly incredibly determined to meet my goal..

Your BMR is the amount of calories your body needs to function in a coma. You are supposed to eat more than your BMR.

Do you want to know the truth about what you are doing to your body? Because you admit you already feel like crap. In addition to that, you're losing lean body mass (muscle) along with fat. That means when the weight comes off, you'll be a thinner, flabby mess. Not to mention that you don't get to choose where that muscle comes from. Your heart is a muscle.

So if you continue this, you'll continue to feel crappy like you are now. You'll also experience impaired mental function (fogginess, inability to concentrate), nutrient deficiency, and hair loss. You'll put your body through hell and you'll hit goal and be unhappy with how your body looks.

Read these links. Set your MFP goal to lose 1 lb per week. Eat your calorie goal. Drink water. Lift weights and add in some cardio. Lose weight without putting yourself through agony.

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1080242-a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/819055-setting-your-calorie-and-macro-targets

aliakynes

You feel like crap because your body doesn't have enough fuel to burn so it's leeching nutrients from your muscles and organs. Yes, that can kill you.

SamMorBelsmom

You are dangerously close to being anarexic. If you really are working out that much, you need to be eating at least 1800 calories. I have lost 70 lbs eating all my calories that MFP has given me. It took me a year, and you need to figure out if this 20 lbs is work it because if you loose it too fast, I would bet 100 bucks it comes back over the holidays. Put your activity level on sedentary, for a 2 lb loss and log half your calories burned and eat all of them back. That will be 8 lbs a month, times 3, that will be 24 lbs by August. You can do it.

MTBr0x

Please don't kill yourself. Not eating enough can cause permanent damage to your body, including your heart, kidneys, digestive system, etc. You can screw up your metabolism to the point of making it impossible to ever maintain a healthy weight. Seriously, it's not worth it. Stick to a modest, healthy diet and be patient. You can do it!!

MrOlympia95

What are you eating that could be considered dinner for 250 calories?

I usually consume 2 servings of salad which is 30 calories, 4 tbs of light balsamic dressing which is 90 calories, , then throw in a 1/4 cup of cheese in there. That's been my dinner every night since this journey began.

373102378

No, this is not safe at all. You need to eat a minimum of 1200 calories a day, and that is usually for someone who is less weight. To began for you, I would eat around 1600. Eat healthy food, such as oatmeal and fruit for breakfast, a salad with lean meat for lunch, and a piece of chicken or fish with brown rice and cooked veggies for dinner. For snacks, stick to nuts, yogurt, fruit, and veggies. If you continue to eat like this, your body will go into starvation mode and actually hold onto the fat because it desperately needs the energy. It will dramatically slow your metabolism and as soon as you start eating normally, you will gain the weight back, and possibly more. Weight loss is not something that happens quickly, it is a slow process. It is more about changing habits into healthy habits and maintaining them. You need all the basic nutrients to survive! For activity, continue the running/walking a few times a week, but also add strength training. A really good activity is kettle bells. It burns twice as many calories as running in the same amount of time, and works/tones wayy more muscles. Go to youtube and do bootcamp videos, filled with cardio and other strength training that do not require equipment. Do not starve yourself!! It will backfire and hurt your body. It is not worth it! It is frustrating to wait on losing weight, but be patient. I promise with daily activity and a healthy diet, you will lose the weight in a much healthier way, and it will stay off a lot easier than it would if you starve yourself.

redhotsc

I am total agreement with all of the answers above me...eat! However, don't just eat anything. Make sure you are getting plenty of protein and fiber (i.e. some meat with fruits and vegetables), some healthy carbs will also be helpful. You need more than a 250 cal dinner and 60 cal lunch. Try a double serving of the salad with some grilled chicken breast on it. Sure, this will be roughly 300-400 calories for the meal, but you will feel satiated, get the calories you need, and prevent your body from breaking down the muscle you have to use for energy. Your body is hurting form 1) the sudden change in exercise level and 2) lack of proper nutrition to keep it running. Make sure you are drinking plenty of water.

For exercise, make sure that you are getting some strength training in as it will help you build more muscle (which has a higher calorie burn), and trim you up faster than running by itself.

Please be careful with your health. You only get one life- there is no point in being miserable because you made a terrible decision as a method to meet one goal. I personally feel the long term is more important. You may be able to be satisfied with the trimmer body at your specific goal date than to be miserable and not get the scale to tell you a specific number.

As for the bowel movements, I suspect it is from not eating enough- there is not enough in there to help push the old stuff out and your body is trying to hold on to it because it needs more energy. This can become a serious problem over time. Make sure that you eat enough in total and enough fiber throughout each day to get this under control. If you bring your diet up to 1500-1800 calories a day and are still not defecating regularly, please consult your doctor.