I Burn More Calories than I consume... safe?
MrOlympia95
Posts: 4
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.....
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Replies
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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.0
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You need to eat. Don't go down that road. It isn't worth it. Slow and steady...0
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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.0 -
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.0
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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..0
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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.0
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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.0
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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.0
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What are you eating that could be considered dinner for 250 calories?0
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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.0 -
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-sexypants0 -
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!0
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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.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..0 -
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-targets0 -
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.0
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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.0
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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!!0
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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.0 -
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.0
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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.0 -
Thank you everybody for all the help, consulting, and advice! It means the world to me that so many people responded so quickly. I'm just a very impatient person and want to lose it fast. I'm tired of feeling crappy. I don't want to be miserable forever for just one goal. Thanks again!0
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Bro, starving yourself will help you lose weight fast, but what kind of weight? With that high a calorie deficit, you're GOING to lose lean muscle, which will only lower your metabolic rate even more. Guess what happens after that? When you try to eat regular, you'll gain more fat in higher amounts (due to a higher surplus from a lower metabolism).
You won't look that impressive and you'll feel like crap. Do it right. Start at the VERY least by eating your BMR.
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
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Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness industry for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition0 -
Your going about this wrong. You need to eat.0
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If you are incredibly incredibly motivated, then eat a normal amount of food and increase your exercise. Go insane with the exercise and eat your 2000 calories each day. I bike, so I burn 1500+ calories in 80 minutes of cycling at 16MPH. Today, I ate just over 1650 calories. I was never hungry all day, and I split those calories up into 5 tiny meals just hours apart. That is the way to do it if you are that set on a goal. If you continue to fail to nourish your body, then it will go into starvation mode and you will have more problems losing the weight. Feed your body. Work the fat off through exercise. Yup, use your incredibly motivated to do more exercise.0
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At a minimum you need to eat 1,200 calories. Eat up to your minimum, then burn your calories by working out. Eating 400 calories a day is crazy and it's going to hurt your body. You're not going to lose fat, you're going to lose muscle, so you're going to lose form. Your body fat can only take so much, if you create too big of a deficit you're going to severely destroy your muscles. Also, when you're on such an extreme limitation, you can't work your body out.
You need to change the way you look at things. Work on creating a more fit body, not a thin body.0 -
Thank you everybody for all the help, consulting, and advice! It means the world to me that so many people responded so quickly. I'm just a very impatient person and want to lose it fast. I'm tired of feeling crappy. I don't want to be miserable forever for just one goal. Thanks again!
So what are your plans? You said you are tired of feeling crappy, and you don't want to be miserable forever, just for one goal. What does that mean?0 -
Take it from someone who was where you are right now, at the same age you are now. I did the exact same thing, and I know the results are misleading but you're making a mistake not losing the weight at a slower and more healthy weight. When I did it I lost all my muscle, had loose skin, hair was falling out, and the only time I had energy was when I got so mentally unbalanced I saw red and went into fits of rage. When I wasn't raging I was lethargic and depressed. That **** will take its toll over time man, and it's really not worth the vanity gained by 10-20 pounds you want to lose.
Speaking of which do you really want to like like ****/sickly when you get down to that weight or would you rather look healthy and more toned?0 -
First off, welcome to MFP. :flowerforyou:
Secondly, everything they said: you need to eat more, what you're doing is unhealthy, etc. :sick:
Don't eat less than 1200 cal per day. That's plain total calories, not calories minus exercise. When you don't eat enough, it's harder to lose weight, and MUCH harder to control your eating. Also, you'll eventually start burning muscle, which will slow your weight loss even more. Instead, do muscle-building exercise, even if it's just with your own weight, or lifting bags of kitty litter. Muscle uses more calories at rest than fat does, so building muscle will spiral into losing more weight.
A healthy rate of weight loss for most people is 1-2 lb per week.
1 lb of fat is 3500 calories, which is an average of 500 calories per day to short yourself, through eating less & exercising more. (But eating properly is the most important part. It can take an hour on the elliptical for me to burn 700 calories, but I can eat more than that in much less time.)
So where do you start? :ohwell:
1 - Let's figure out what you "should" weigh, so you have a healthy goal.
How tall are you? Because that's used to determine your body mass index (BMI). A healthy BMI is between 19 - 24.9.
This page has a BMI calculator, as well as charts: http://www.shapeup.org/bmi/bmi_index.html
I think the charts are more informative, easier to see where you are and where you need to be. One side has height, the other has weight. Where they intersect is your number. Now look to the left to see where it changes to green. Look up to see your goal weight.
In January, I was at 39. Right now, I'm at 36. Down 25 lb. :bigsmile: For me, at 5'10", the top end of that range is 173 lb.
2 - Then figure out how many calories you need.
2a - The simplest way to figure out your calorie needs is to take your healthy goal weight and add a 0 on the end. (This is the method my doctor & dietician use.)
For me, that would be 1700. That's my goal calories for the day, and will eventually, slowly, in a healthy way, get me to my goal weight.
(Then if you feel hungry, you can add 1/3 - 1/2 of the calories you used in exercise.)
2b - Another way is to find your resting metabolic rate, or basal metabolic rate, then add part of the calories you use in exercise.
Here's a RMR calculator: http://www.shapeup.org/resources/rmr1.html
Again using me as an example, it says my current RMR is 1850 cal, and at my goal weight it will be 1468. If I eat what's required to support my goal weight, I'll eventually weigh that much. Today MFP says I did 652 cal of exercise, so I'd add 200-300 to that 1468, to get about 1750.
2c - Another way is to take your current weight (200), add a zero (2000), and subtract 500 (1500). If you eat 1500 cal per day, in a week you should lose 1 pound. Don't go below 1200.
Look at what MFP says you're using in exercise, and add about 1/3 - 1/2 of those calories. Walking a mile takes about 100 calories, so if you're walking 2 miles a day, you could eat 1600 cal per day.
As you lose weight, you'll have to recalculate & eat less.
Using this method on me, I should have 1900 calories for now, and eventually drop to 1200 when I'm nearing my goal weight but still need to lose. That seems awfully low, though I won't have to do that indefinitely.
3 - Now eat healthy meals. Include protein at each meal & snack so you feel full longer. Choose whole grains, usually avoiding simple white starches. Eat vegetables of all sorts, fruits. Don't drink your calories! (I used to go through several quarts of gatorade every day! EEK!!)
This page has sample meal plans for 1200,1400, and 1600 calories.
http://www.choosemyplate.gov/preschoolers/meal-snack-patterns-ideas/1600-calories-patterns.html
For more nutrition resources:
http://www.choosemyplate.gov/
http://www.shapeup.org/
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If you are incredibly incredibly motivated, then eat a normal amount of food and increase your exercise. Go insane with the exercise and eat your 2000 calories each day. I bike, so I burn 1500+ calories in 80 minutes of cycling at 16MPH. Today, I ate just over 1650 calories. I was never hungry all day, and I split those calories up into 5 tiny meals just hours apart. That is the way to do it if you are that set on a goal. If you continue to fail to nourish your body, then it will go into starvation mode and you will have more problems losing the weight. Feed your body. Work the fat off through exercise. Yup, use your incredibly motivated to do more exercise.
Are you trying to say you net 150 calories a day? That's no better than what the OP was doing.
http://www.eatingdisorderhope.com/information/orthorexia-excessive-exercise0 -
what kind of hormonal imbalances did you have? I know off topic, but I am curious0
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