How bad are 1000 cal deficits, really?

2

Replies

  • EzRemake
    EzRemake Posts: 128 Member
    Went from a conversation, to me suddenly being a 16 year old emo troll.

    Looks like this thread is over. Nothing to see here folks.
  • Sabine_Stroehm
    Sabine_Stroehm Posts: 19,263 Member
    Went from a conversation, to me suddenly being a 16 year old emo troll.

    Looks like this thread is over. Nothing to see here folks.
    You're not? ok. I can't think of any reason a grown man would want to be 5'8" and 130LBS. But perhaps I'm missing something.
  • DeguelloTex
    DeguelloTex Posts: 6,652 Member
    I've been on at least a 1000 calorie deficit since 4/22. And I don't eat back any exercise calories. It's been fine. I'm progressing on my lifts and have maxed out the leg press machine, such as it is.

    I have about 47 pounds left to go. My daily calories have come down due to my weight loss and I'm within 200 or so calories of reaching the floor of how much I'm willing to cut. Since it appears that what it would take to maintain a 1000 calorie deficit is dropping faster my appetite, at some point -- probably in the next month or so -- my deficit will drop under 1000.
  • yopeeps025
    yopeeps025 Posts: 8,680 Member
    Went from a conversation, to me suddenly being a 16 year old emo troll.

    Looks like this thread is over. Nothing to see here folks.
    You're not? ok. I can't think of any reason a grown man would want to be 5'8" and 130LBS. But perhaps I'm missing something.

    We be trolling. I think someone got some issues. 5"8' 130 male. Nope I don't understand. Please tell us OP. Are you trying to make weight for something?
  • lemonsnowdrop
    lemonsnowdrop Posts: 1,298 Member
    What I'd like to know is what's wrong with eating calorie dense foods?
  • MKEgal
    MKEgal Posts: 3,250 Member
    I've been running a 1000 calorie deficit for a month and a half now and overall I feel great and have more energy than I ever have! I am only consuming 1600 calories a day, and generally take in 100g of protein, 54g fat, and around 130-150g of carbs.

    I keep reading that people are referring to 1000 cal deficits as "starving yourself", but truthfully I just don't understand it. Are these people not eating enough protein?
    It depends a lot on how heavy you're starting out.
    With lots of weight to lose (like, say, over 60 lb), losing 2 lb per week is fine & healthy.
    But with less to lose people shouldn't be at such a deficit.
    Personally, I'm not looking forward to slowing down my rate of loss, but I understand why it has to happen... and I'm actually kinda happy to be getting down to the "not as much to lose" range.

    My doctor started me off with a 1000 cal deficit, and told me not to eat exercise calories, so it was actually more than that.
    (10x weight) - 1000 is one way to calculate calorie goal
    Or you can do 10x (healthy goal weight).
    I started with the first and am now on the second, still losing.
    If you're actually eating 1600 cal, you'll get to 160 lb.
    How would you classify 5 days a week in the gym lifting weights for an hour each day?
    If that's all the exercise you do, I'd call it light. Moderate would be someone like a teacher or nurse who's on her feet moving most of the day. Strenuous would be someone who does heavy physical labor, or possibly weights & cardio for several hours a day.

    Going by BMI, at 5'8" you should be 125 - 160.
    http://www.shapeup.org/bmi/bmi6.pdf
  • rachiealx
    rachiealx Posts: 36
    It's his choice if he wants to weigh 130lbs, and as it's still in the healthy weight range for his height I suggest you stop criticising. Just a suggestion.
  • WalkingAlong
    WalkingAlong Posts: 4,926 Member
    Jeez, no kidding. No one's asking you to go down to 130, folks. :indifferent:
  • yopeeps025
    yopeeps025 Posts: 8,680 Member

    Going by BMI, at 5'8" you should be 125 - 160.
    http://www.shapeup.org/bmi/bmi6.pdf

    BMI is such a bad measurement to talk about someone being healthy.
    Do you still follow the food pyramid?
  • Sevendust912
    Sevendust912 Posts: 122 Member
    I do it, but that's because I go over my calories by about 4,000 on Fridays and Saturdays. Does the job for me and helps me maintain.
  • Sabine_Stroehm
    Sabine_Stroehm Posts: 19,263 Member
    It's his choice if he wants to weigh 130lbs, and as it's still in the healthy weight range for his height I suggest you stop criticising. Just a suggestion.
    Anyway you look at it his 1000 calorie deficit to lose 20 pounds is not a good idea. He can do what ever he wants, sure, but he asked for advice.
  • RHachicho
    RHachicho Posts: 1,115 Member
    The answer is ... depends. For someone with like 50lbs plus to lose it's probably ok. For you .. not so much. I do notice you say you eat more at the weekends. So it's not disastrous. But if you can even out your eating habits a bit more your body will thank you.
  • LifeWithPie
    LifeWithPie Posts: 552 Member
    The answer is ... depends. For someone with like 50lbs plus to lose it's probably ok. For you .. not so much. I do notice you say you eat more at the weekends. So it's not disastrous. But if you can even out your eating habits a bit more your body will thank you.

    OP never said he ate more on weekends. That was another poster.
  • BoatsnHose
    BoatsnHose Posts: 120 Member
    It's his choice if he wants to weigh 130lbs, and as it's still in the healthy weight range for his height I suggest you stop criticising. Just a suggestion.
    Anyway you look at it his 1000 calorie deficit to lose 20 pounds is not a good idea. He can do what ever he wants, sure, but he asked for advice.

    Umm, why is it a bad idea? Seems fine to me....
  • yopeeps025
    yopeeps025 Posts: 8,680 Member
    It's his choice if he wants to weigh 130lbs, and as it's still in the healthy weight range for his height I suggest you stop criticising. Just a suggestion.
    Anyway you look at it his 1000 calorie deficit to lose 20 pounds is not a good idea. He can do what ever he wants, sure, but he asked for advice.

    Umm, why is it a bad idea? Seems fine to me....

    At his low weight he will more likely be burning muscle for energy.
  • RHachicho
    RHachicho Posts: 1,115 Member
    The answer is ... depends. For someone with like 50lbs plus to lose it's probably ok. For you .. not so much. I do notice you say you eat more at the weekends. So it's not disastrous. But if you can even out your eating habits a bit more your body will thank you.

    OP never said he ate more on weekends. That was another poster.

    Ah pardon me. Then OP is a silly billy. And needs to slow down if he doesn't want to look like Christian Bale from the Machinist.
  • sullus
    sullus Posts: 2,839 Member
    1000 cal deficits .. at 150 lbs - very bad. At 300 lbs - very good.
  • TeaBea
    TeaBea Posts: 14,517 Member
    1000 calorie deficit is 2 pounds per week. It depends how much you weigh. You only have 20 pounds to lose so let us know how much if any muscle is lost with this deficit?

    This ^

    A 1,000 calorie deficit for an obese person is different than a 1,000 calorie deficit for someone that is merely overweight. These are two totally different things.

    I'm merely overweight so a 1,000 calorie deficit would mean fat and muscle loss. Not acceptable. I want to REDUCE my body fat %.
  • Liftng4Lis
    Liftng4Lis Posts: 15,151 Member
    For a month now, and you've lost 0 pounds??? It's not working.
  • rachiealx
    rachiealx Posts: 36
    It's his choice if he wants to weigh 130lbs, and as it's still in the healthy weight range for his height I suggest you stop criticising. Just a suggestion.
    Anyway you look at it his 1000 calorie deficit to lose 20 pounds is not a good idea. He can do what ever he wants, sure, but he asked for advice.

    I agree that a 1000 calorie deficit it too aggressive for his goals, yes. Constructive advice though guys, not criticism.
  • Sabine_Stroehm
    Sabine_Stroehm Posts: 19,263 Member
    It's his choice if he wants to weigh 130lbs, and as it's still in the healthy weight range for his height I suggest you stop criticising. Just a suggestion.
    Anyway you look at it his 1000 calorie deficit to lose 20 pounds is not a good idea. He can do what ever he wants, sure, but he asked for advice.

    I agree that a 1000 calorie deficit it too aggressive for his goals, yes. Constructive advice though guys, not criticism.
    A matter of perspective, really.
  • WalkingAlong
    WalkingAlong Posts: 4,926 Member
    The personal insults chased him off but I don't think given all the evidence he was actually achieving 1000 calorie deficits. So all the advice to eat more isn't very applicable because no one really knows how high his deficit is because he never admitted how fast he was losing.

    But everyone sees claims of 1000 deficit at normal BMI and envisions a muscle-free skeleton with sheets of skinny fat hanging off it. I have never seen that or anything to suggest it exists. I've never seen anyone at normal BMI drop 2 lbs/week regularly eating 1600 calories, either. Maybe it happens, though.
  • Sabine_Stroehm
    Sabine_Stroehm Posts: 19,263 Member
    There were two not so positive comments. One was me, saying he was probably an emo teen. That's who mostly aims for really low weights on here... And the poster who called him a troll. Otherwise, folks gave him good advice.
  • yopeeps025
    yopeeps025 Posts: 8,680 Member
    There were two not so positive comments. One was me, saying he was probably an emo teen. That's who mostly aims for really low weights on here... And the poster who called him a troll. Otherwise, folks gave him good advice.

    I stand by my comment. This poster stands by his comment. I also ask why he wanted to be low body weight. Not he a troll and leave it at that so I gave him benefit.
  • Kalikel
    Kalikel Posts: 9,603 Member
    It's his choice if he wants to weigh 130lbs, and as it's still in the healthy weight range for his height I suggest you stop criticising. Just a suggestion.
    Anyway you look at it his 1000 calorie deficit to lose 20 pounds is not a good idea. He can do what ever he wants, sure, but he asked for advice.
    He didn't ask for you to call him names and then try to start fighting about whether he was an emo teen and make comments about not understanding why he wants to weigh what he wants to weigh, et cetera.

    He did nothing to deserve the harassment he got.
  • RGv2
    RGv2 Posts: 5,789 Member
    I'm 5'8 and weight around 150 lbs. I haven't weighed myself in a few months so I could be lower than that, I wanted to give myself some time between weighs.

    I suppose I'm coming from a weird place, as even before this calorie watching I wasn't eating a lot of food, the food I was eating was unhealthy and high in calories however. Now that I've changed the quality, I seem to have no problem with the quantity. Being 150lbs at 5'8 doesn't really put me at much weight to lose, so I don't plan on doing this forever.

    My goal is to combine this with intermittent fasting to get the fat off, and then I'll be looking to bulk.

    And trying to drop 20 more lbs?
  • JVClubs
    JVClubs Posts: 139 Member
    MFP says i should eat 2450 cals but i never go over 2k, hell sometimes i never go over 1750, im pretty strict on how i eat. and it does work, and i always make sure my biggest meal is breakfast and workour 6 times a week
  • Sabine_Stroehm
    Sabine_Stroehm Posts: 19,263 Member
    It's his choice if he wants to weigh 130lbs, and as it's still in the healthy weight range for his height I suggest you stop criticising. Just a suggestion.
    Anyway you look at it his 1000 calorie deficit to lose 20 pounds is not a good idea. He can do what ever he wants, sure, but he asked for advice.
    He didn't ask for you to call him names and then try to start fighting about whether he was an emo teen and make comments about not understanding why he wants to weigh what he wants to weigh, et cetera.

    He did nothing to deserve the harassment he got.
    Fair enough. But the suggestion that everyone did it is also unfair. It was ME and one other person. And when he said he was not 16, i said "ok". And asked him what I was missing. Why a grown man would want to be so low.
    So yes. I made ONE snarky comment. And one other person made ONE snarky comment.
    And I've owned that snarky comment.

    ETA: I stand by my assessment that an adult should not do a 1000 calorie deficit to lose 20lbs to be at a LOW weight.
  • WalkingAlong
    WalkingAlong Posts: 4,926 Member
    I almost hit Report Post on the troll accusations last night and decided to just go to bed because apparently no one else uses that button. But I've reported a few insults today and I think they've been removed. I'm going to use it more and I wish others would. There's no reason people can't disagree civilly without accusing people of being liars and trolls.

    If you think you're being trolled, why not report that post or just leave the thread. Trolling is against the rules, too, along with insults.
  • Sabine_Stroehm
    Sabine_Stroehm Posts: 19,263 Member
    Yup and if you think my post crosses the line, feel free to report it. Wouldn't bother me a bit.

    On the plus side the young man got a LOT of good solid advice. Before he abandoned thread, and after. So he has info...

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