Is 1000 calories too little?

KristinL19

Hi there,
I really want to lose weight, and I do want to do it right with a proper diet and exercise. I set my calorie intake to 1000 instead of 1200 to help me lose weight. But I've been looking around and some people say 1000 is too little, is that true? I really don't know. Not sure if stats are needed, but here goes: I'm 5'8, and currently 180lbs. Until just recently I wasn't getting very much exercise, but now I've started doing about 30 min a day of cardio, with some weight training. Thank you for your help!!

SunLovin1

Yes. It's not nearly enough to fuel your body.

emd0019

1000 calories will be way to little calories for you and will put your body into starvation mode.

scarlettgirl10

I would check with your doctor to make sure before you do anything! I am pretty sure it depends on your health and some other things....be careful! too few calories can make your body think it's starving and slow down your metabolism and slow down your weight loss...

Heather75

You should try to consume a net of 1200 calories per day, minimum. More if you are exercising, which you are...

Pebble321

Yes, it is too little for almost everyone, and as you are quite tall, it probably isn't going to be enough to keep you healthy.
Remember that your body needs good nutrition just to get through the day (breathing, pumping blood, digesting, that kind of stuff) before you even get out of bed and start moving around.
Creating a very large calorie deficit (which is what you are doing eating 1000 cals) is not a healthy long term weight loss strategy.

If it helps - I'm 5'4", 166 pounds and eat around 1500 cals per day plus almost all of my exercise calories. I've lost 37 pounds so far doing this, so dropping really low cal just isn't necessary and is no fun at all.

LorinaLynn

A car without fuel in the tank can only run downhill.

Please eat more. Personally, I got best results on about 1350 a day, plus eating my earned exercise calories. It gave me enough to eat that I didn't feel deprived at ALL, and I had enough energy to stick with it.

I tried eating less during previous attempts to lose weight. I thought eating less was the answer. It just left me drained and frustrated at my lack of results, so I ended up quitting.

Remember... you don't just want to lose weight, you want to lose FAT. And in order to keep your muscle, you need to feed it.

I'm currently pretty much at my goal weight, but maybe looking to get to 130 long term. I'm eating 1500 a day plus exercise calories Monday through Friday, then playing it by ear on weekends, and still losing a half pound a week.

dmest

I would say it's definitely too low, especially for someone of your height. I'm 5' 7" and when I was about to get married (over 10 years ago) I was keeping my calories between 1000 and 1200 and exercising on top of that, so my net was most likely under or at 1000 on most days. I didn't really lose very much before the wedding and ended up gaining weight over the next year even though I worked out every day and ate well most of the time. Now my net calories are 1200 and I'm losing weight pretty easily.

brandiuntz

1000 is WAY too little. It's about eating a calorie deficit, but at a healthy deficit, which MFP already sets for you.


I am 5'8", 172lbs. I eat 1700-1800 calories a day, net (after exercise is considered). With this, I'm losing about .5 - 1lb a week.

When I tried eating less, like 1500, I was starving all the time and I plateaued.

In order to lose weight over the long haul, you have to eat...learn to enjoy eating a healthy amount of food. Not too little or too much.

rileysowner

You are 5'8" you need more than 1000 calories. The key to weight loss is a moderate calorie deficit, not a huge one. I would suggest setting your MFP goals and leaving it at the default for now, although I would suggest something less than a 2 pound per week goal.

ladyhawk00

A car without fuel in the tank can only run downhill.

Love this!

To OP: As others have said, no, 1000 is not enough. While you may lose weight faster at that level, what you will likely lose a lot of is muscle, rather than fat. It simply doesn't provide enough fuel for the basic functions, let alone daily activity and working out. For where you're at, you will probably do best with a loss per week goal of about 1 lb. Yes, it may be slower, but it will help you avoid the "skinny-fat" look. Fuel yourself properly and you'll see great results in weight loss AND health.

May help to read these:

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/186814-some-mfp-basics

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/230930-starvation-mode-how-it-works

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/175241-a-personal-view-on-exercise-cals-and-underfeeding

rileysowner

I agree with the above post. According to your BMI you are overweight, not obese. 2 pounds per week will be a little more than your body will handle well and it will hinder your weight loss. Go to 1 pound per week.

KristinL19

Thanks everyone, I really wasn't sure, but everything you've all said really makes sense. I want to lose weight the proper way, not hinder my weight loss. Im going to change my calorie intake to 1200 at least, and see how that goes.
I really do appreciate all the time and effort you all take into creating your replies. It helps so much!!
THANK YOU!
-Kristin

KevDaniel

Are you feeling hungry? I know the typical response is of course it is too little, but some metabolisms are really slow and your body burns foods at a slower pace. If you feel you going hungry then yes try to hit that mark. I do have days where I struggle to hit 1200 calories and I am a man, but I just don't feel hungry sometimes.

ladyhawk00

Are you feeling hungry? I know the typical response is of course it is too little, but some metabolisms are really slow and your body burns foods at a slower pace. If you feel you going hungry then yes try to hit that mark. I do have days where I struggle to hit 1200 calories and I am a man, but I just don't feel hungry sometimes.

Actually, chronic lack of appetite is often a signal of decreased metabolism ---- due to underfeeding. Once you've been undereating (even slightly) for a significant time period and your metabolism slows, the hormones that regulate metabolism and appetite (ghrelin and leptin) are no longer balanced. So you won't get a "feed me I'm hungry!" signal when you should. The same thing happens with overeating in the other direction - when someone overeats, the hormones are imbalanced and because the body is used to the higher intake, it sends hunger cues even when the body doesn't need more food. There are also huge psychological components in both of these scenarios. When you get used to it, you FEEL like it's time to eat - or not - based on your routine, and just the conscious knowledge of that and the anticipation of it, can make you feels hunger pangs (or not feel them, if you are used to not eating breakfast, etc). This is how we train babies to sleep through the night and/or get on a feeding schedule. Similar to Pavlov's Dog theory... We train ourselves when to get hungry and eat, and much of it is dependent on eating at the right cal levels to properly regulate the hormones that control appetite.

Also, FYI, while 1200 is the lower limit provided by health experts for the average woman to receive adequate nutrition, the lower limit for the average man is 1500. Unless you are MUCH smaller than average, you will not be receiving adequate nutrition below that level and will likely lose a significant amount of lean mass (muscle.)

Rae6503

I'm 5'9" and currently 160. I started at 180 after my last kid. My goal for 1 lbs / week is about 1500 without exercise calories, 1800-2000 with them. It works for me. I've lost weight at that rate before and it was easy to keep off...

withchaco

Depends on your body. I eat 1000 net calories on a typical day (yes, that does mean I "eat back" my exercise calories) and my metabolism is much better than how it was before I started working out/ eating less.

Ladyhawk00 is very right, though, that "I'm not hungry" doesn't necessarily mean you're eating enough. Lack of appetite may be an indication that your metabolism has slowed down because of insufficient nutrition, insufficient activity, etc.

ItsLessOfMe

everyone is right...too low...but I'm struggling loosing with what they say is the right amount so who knows

ladyhawk00

everyone is right...too low...but I'm struggling loosing with what they say is the right amount so who knows

You may have your settings incorrect, or may not be as accurate with your logging as you need to be. Are you weighing/measuring your food? Are you using realistic exercise burn numbers? Are your loss per week goal and activity level appropriate for your situation?

Alternatively, for smaller women, it can be more difficult to find the right cal levels, because you have much less leeway with your deficit than someone who is larger. Sometimes, it can be appropriate for a petite woman to have a cal goal under 1200, but it requires a pretty clean intake that ensures adequate macros and micros.