Eating to little?

justaguyman

Im a male that is about 5"11 and 173 lbs. On average per day I eat about 600 or less calories and have done so for the last 3 and a half weeks. So far I have lost about 16 pounds on an Egg whites/Chicken/Salad. Basically I eat 2 fried egg whites at 11:00AM and drink water until about 6pm where I then either eat Chicken or a salad. I snack sometimes and my calories will increase but I am quite good about it. I then workout at night and lose around 500 - 600 calories which eliminates all the calories I ate that day. Is it bad that I am not eating a lot??? I'm not starving my self, because I feel perfectly full until the time I go to sleep (Which is around 2 Am due to my messed up sleep schedule). I feel great on this many calories and I don't think it is causing a lot of harm. I'm still trying to lose about 20 more lbs so I would like to know if this will cause more harm then good? Thanks in advance.

Gemma010383

Yeah that's WAY to little for a guy to be eating! I'm a girl, 5ft 1inch and I eat 1200-1400 (including excerise cals eaten) cals per day. Saying that, I am not an expert

RachelSteeners

OP, this doesn't sounds very good. My understanding is that 1200 is the minimum we should be eating per day. This may also be higher for men.

What's the big rush to lose weight?

Maqneta

I had the same problem I was never a heavy eater my only problem was when I did eat I ate garbage (hence why I gained weight)

try eating calorie heavy foods (peanuts)

justaguyman

OP, this doesn't sounds very good. My understanding is that 1200 is the minimum we should be eating per day. This may also be higher for men.

What's the big rush to lose weight?

No big rush. I used to eat a ton of calories a day (around 2500) I'd like to slim up because im tired of being fat. I just don't desire more calories then what I take in.

SnuggleSmacks

It is, indeed, causing a lot of harm, although it is slow and will take a while to show up to where you'd notice it. Basically you're going to experience the same side effects that an anorexic would. If you Google anorexia and look at those effects, they're pretty scary.

You'll lose bone mass, muscle mass (including the heart) and hair. Your skin and nails will get dry and brittle. Your digestion will become irregular, stomach acid will cause ulcers, and if you keep it up long enough, your body will stop producing enough leptin to monitor your metabolism and how you store fat.

Seriously, Google anorexia or Very Low Calorie diets and read up on the side effects.

larrodarro

I'm also 5' 11", and I weigh 175. But 176 was my goal weight. I'm on 2080 calories a day to maintain that. Eating so few calories over a long period will do serious harm. You need to eat more.

justaguyman

Ill start eating around 900 -1000 calories a day. So probably a couple more eggs in the morning and an extra salad here and there. I just don't eat a lot and I'm not hungry.

HDCANDYZ

Ill start eating around 900 -1000 calories a day. So probably a couple more eggs in the morning and an extra salad here and there. I just don't eat a lot and I'm not hungry.

Take it from someone who has eaten at this amount and did an hour of calisthenics every other day, yup, you'll lose a lot of fat and muscle fast. I too am 5'11", Male, this is not good for a male. You should be at 1500-1800 calories. The reason you feel fine and aren't hungry is because your body has become acclimated to your current diet. This will destroy your metabolism over the long run. I'm still recovering 4 years later after rapidly losing weight like what you did. Don't dive into 1500-1800 instantly, perhaps 100 or so calorie increments weekly.

justaguyman

Ill start eating around 900 -1000 calories a day. So probably a couple more eggs in the morning and an extra salad here and there. I just don't eat a lot and I'm not hungry.

Take it from someone who has eaten at this amount and did an hour of calisthenics every other day, yup, you'll lose a lot of fat and muscle fast. I too am 5'11", Male, this is not good for a male. You should be at 1500-1800 calories. The reason you feel fine and aren't hungry is because your body has become acclimated to your current diet. This will destroy your metabolism over the long run. I'm still recovering 4 years later after rapidly losing weight like what you did. Don't dive into 1500-1800 instantly, perhaps 100 or so calorie increments weekly.

Alright. How does 1200 Calories a day work for a diet. I probably eat more than that and log it incorrectly any way. Even if I am losing 1 pound a week I am happy

HDCANDYZ

Ill start eating around 900 -1000 calories a day. So probably a couple more eggs in the morning and an extra salad here and there. I just don't eat a lot and I'm not hungry.

Take it from someone who has eaten at this amount and did an hour of calisthenics every other day, yup, you'll lose a lot of fat and muscle fast. I too am 5'11", Male, this is not good for a male. You should be at 1500-1800 calories. The reason you feel fine and aren't hungry is because your body has become acclimated to your current diet. This will destroy your metabolism over the long run. I'm still recovering 4 years later after rapidly losing weight like what you did. Don't dive into 1500-1800 instantly, perhaps 100 or so calorie increments weekly.

Alright. How does 1200 Calories a day work for a diet. I probably eat more than that and log it incorrectly any way. Even if I am losing 1 pound a week I am happy

If you're Sedentary (which it doesn't sound like you are), as in, doing much of nothing, 1200 calories is still too low, I would be around 1400-1500 calories. If you're doing exercise, absolutely eat more, perhaps 1700 calories or even 1800, the exercise will create a deficit. Exercise is important, sure, but DIET is a golden ticket to success. If you eat too low, get to your weight you want to be at and then start eating a lot of food, it's super easy to just put it all back on. As unfortunate as it is for us to track, tracking is a VERY useful tool to reach goals. You sound like you exercise, so put your stats at lightly active, and a 1 to 1.5 pound weight loss. Just follow it, seriously, for 1 week and weigh yourself then. You will be better off. Set your macros to .8 grams of protein per pound of your weight, followed by 40-45% fat and the rest from carbs. Try and stick to that. Consistency!

I'm not a doctor or dietitian, but I do a lot of research and I've been in your shoes, so take it from someone who has been there.