Is 1000 calories REALLY too little?

suziecue66

resistance training minimizes muscle loss. I wouldn't recommend staying at such a low caloric amount long-term.

EbbySoo

Also FWIW, everyone should ask themselves when they start a weight loss journey "Is this sustainable and do I want to eat like this for the rest of my life?" If you can fathom restricting your dietary intake that much, for the rest of your life, want to end up lethargic, malnourished and deprived, then you go with your sacrificing self. This is real life. EAT FOR LIFE.

blasiansrus

At 5'1" & 115lbs, my bmr is ~1390, so 1000 probably is too little for you no matter your weight.
Calculate your bmr & you should have AT LEAST that every day since it's the amount you'd need if you laid still all day.
1000 calories isn't enough for your body to just function & even if you don't have any ill effects now, it's not good for you in the long run.
Take care & stay healthy! xx

joejccva71

resistance training minimizes muscle loss. I wouldn't recommend staying at such a low caloric amount long-term.

Resistance training + sufficient calorie intake from adequate protein intake minimizes muscle loss you mean.

IvoryParchment

You need less calories, but the same amount of most other nutrients. You aren't allowed as many "empty" calories. So if you go to 1000 calories, it has to be a very strictly proportioned diet to get all the proper nutrients. It's just hard to do if you're not a nutritionist. Going for more calories and making it up with more cardio is just a more forgiving way to get your proper nourishment every day.

Acg67

my only concern would be that I am losing mostly fat and not muscle. So at that low calorie amount I would make sure I ate at least my minimal amount of protein.

In this study they ate 800 calories with no muscle loss for those that did resistance training, post by fitness black book
http://fitnessblackbook.com/dieting_for_fat_loss/maintain-muscle-mass-on-800-calories-per-day/

I wouldn't do it long term. Like suggested in the link do it for 2-4 weeks, multiply your goal weight - yours is 115 x 10 = 1150 calories.

Did you read that study?

http://www.jacn.org/content/18/2/115.full

The criteria for participation in the study were no involvement in a regular exercise or weight loss program for at least 6 months prior to the first visit and no known cardiovascular, endocrinologic or orthopedic disorders.

Each group experienced a similar reduction (p<0.05) in body fat (C+D: 40.8±9.1 to 28.0±6.5 kg, R+D: 44.9±10.9 to 30.4±5.3, kg), fat percentage (C+D: 44.5±7.0 to 37.1±6.0, R+D: 46.2±6.8 to 37.6±4.8), and BMI (C+D: 35.2±3.9 to 28.6±2.8, R+D: 35.5±2.0 to 29.7±1.7).

And when can you build muscle or better maintain it on a deficit? If you are coming off a long layoff to lifting or obese, which the participants both qualify as.

Also they used hydrostatic weighing, which can be off up to 6% or so

Measurement of body fat in young and elderly women: comparison between a four-compartment model and widely used reference methods. Br J Nutr. 1996 May;75(5):649-57.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8695593

Captain_Tightpants

Since the thread is heading in this direction I would like to add this article:
http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/fat-loss/why-big-caloric-deficits-and-lots-of-activity-can-hurt-fat-loss.html

born2bskinny

One of my coworkers started the diet for people 5'4" and under. She consumes 1100 calories a day for two or four days then bumps it up to 1600 for a single day. Since January 1, she has lost 21 lbs. I think the program is called the short peoples diet? Good luck.

Evelyn_22

This is not true. 1500 is the low end for men not women.

I'm not saying to eat 1500, I'm saying that a diet of less than 1500 calories for any adult really doesn't supply what you need and should be supplemented by vitamins and minerals on a daily basis. Talk to a doctor about it.

I personally think you can get plenty from 1000-1200 by eating real foods. Nothing processed because that removes nutrition. Just keep the carbs low and your fine. It's really hard to stick to because you have to be strict about what you eat to make sure you get what you need. I did it for about a week and lost 4 pounds. I need to go back to it. I was getting around 60g protein (240 calories), 40g mostly healthy fats (360 calories), 100g carbs (400 calories). I was also getting plenty of vitamins and fiber. Iron i had to take a supplement because i don't eat red meat.
Just my opinion an personal experience.

becoming_a_new_me

Hello all, relative newbie here.

The TL;DR is that I'm very short, and if I stick to the minimum of 1200 calories a day net, I don't even make a 500 cal/day deficit; therefore, I do 1000 calories a day--is this REALLY too little?

I'm about 5'1", and was close to 140 at the start. I'd like to be 115, so that's a 25 pound difference. I've been eating 1000 net most days (some more, some less) for the past month and I've lost about four pounds. So the 1000/day seems to be working, and I rarely feel deprived or hungry. I do an hour of cardio once a week and and hour of yoga, plus briskly walking all over campus all day, every day (comes to 40-100 minutes per day).

I'm happy right now, but everyone who mentions cutting down to 1000 calories seems to get an instant reprimand. Shouldn't I just stick with what works and adjust from there?

If you are Sedentary (little or no exercise), Your Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) with TDEE is 1753.68 calories per day. To lose 1 lb a week (average), you would cut 500 a day putting you at 1253 calories per day. If you eat back your exercise calories, then you shouldn't have a problem.

maremare312

Talk to a nutritionist and see what they recommend. Is 1000 calories a day something you can stitck to the rest of your life? Maybe you just need more exercise and then eat a little more.

watboy

Same here I eat about 1400-1500 a day but after hitting the gym I end up netting like 700-800 on most days. I'm not hungry and I've been building muscle. and before people ask how I know I'm building muscle simple answer I had no bulging bicep nor bulding pecs now I do and my shirts are tight around my arms from the biceps. I've been eating this way for years I just never kept track of calories so I had no idea that I always ate so little. If you can't eat anymore you can't eat anymore. Don't force yourself. Losing weight is not worth making yourself sick whether its eating to little or eating more than you can physically handle. Try to eat nutrtious foods and add little things to get you closer to what your net is supposed to be. I personally havent been using MFP for weightloss I've been using it to track protein and carbs since I'm weightlifting now. So i don't go by the calories or suggestions. Basically I don't follow the program nor have the intention of doing so. This does'nt mean I don't think it's a useful program for some people I think it is. For me however I never hit the net and apparantly since I've always eaten this way and I never would have before.Just do what you can to follow the program if you do intend of fully trying it out and see if it works for you. I find it for me I just need to exercise and cut out fried foods and salty snacks and that works fine for me. And like many have said be prepared for people to beat you up for saying you are eating 1,000 calories the support you may get may be very little so find strength in your own will. For some reason the internet makes people think they are experts.

Good luck, eat healthty and be kind to yourself.

I'm still trying to figure out what works best for me. I think that a lot of days I would have to force myself to eat the extra calories to make it to 1200--and not in a healthy way. I may try upping to 1200 for a few weeks and see if I''m still losing/losing more/staying steady/gaining.

I'll see if I can make an appointment with a dietician here on campus and see what he/she says.

ninerbuff

I personally think you can get plenty from 1000-1200 by eating real foods. Nothing processed because that removes nutrition. Just keep the carbs low and your fine. It's really hard to stick to because you have to be strict about what you eat to make sure you get what you need. I did it for about a week and lost 4 pounds. I need to go back to it. I was getting around 60g protein (240 calories), 40g mostly healthy fats (360 calories), 100g carbs (400 calories). I was also getting plenty of vitamins and fiber. Iron i had to take a supplement because i don't eat red meat.
Just my opinion an personal experience.

Short term diets lead to short term weight loss. It's not rocket science to figure out that once carbs are restored on a regular basis that weight will climb back up.


A.C.E. Certified Personal Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 28+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

ninerbuff

Same here I eat about 1400-1500 a day but after hitting the gym I end up netting like 700-800 on most days. I'm not hungry and I've been building muscle. and before people ask how I know I'm building muscle simple answer I had no bicep nor pecs now I do and my shirts are tight around my arms from the biceps. I've been eating this way for years I just never kept track of calories so I had no idea that I always ate so little. If you can't eat anymore you can't eat anymore. Don't force yourself. But try to eat nutrtious foods and add little things to get you closer to what your net is supposed to be. I personally havent been using MFP for weightloss I've been using it to track protein and carbs since I'm weightlifting now. So i don't go by the calories or suggestions. Basically I don't follow the program nor have the intention of doing so. this does'nt mean I don't think it's a useful program for some people I think it is. For me however I never hit the net and apparantly since I've always eaten this way and I never would have before.Just do what you can to follow the program if you do intend of fully trying it out and see if it works for you. I find it for me I just need to exercise and cut out fried foods and salty snacks and that works fine for me. And like many have said be prepared for people to beat you up for saying you are eating 1,000 calories the support you may get may be very little so find strength in your own will. Good luck

You're not building muscle. Practically impossible to do on calorie deficit. Regular weight lifting keeps your muscles "full" by retaining more water for repair, and storage of glycogen. If you stopped working out and ate the same, your muscle would deflate because the body would sense no exercise and stop storing the water and glycogen.


A.C.E. Certified Personal Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 28+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

watboy

"You're not building muscle. Practically impossible to do on calorie deficit. Regular weight lifting keeps your muscles "full" by retaining more water for repair, and storage of glycogen. If you stopped working out and ate the same, your muscle would deflate because the body would sense no exercise and stop storing the water and glycogen. "




Practically impossible. It's also praticably impossible for a human to lift a car but I've seen it. It's also praticably impossible to win at the roulette table seen that too lol. hmmmm funny i need bigger shirts cus my arms dont fit in the shirts i have now... and... they were skinny lanky things before. If seeing is believing I believe. But everyone is entitled to their opinion ,beauty of it all:) SO we can disagree and be agreeable I'm sure.

ninerbuff

Practically impossible. It's also praticably impossible for a human to lift a car but I've seen it.

People don't lift cars on a daily basis.

It's also praticably impossible to win at the roulette table seen that too lol.

Luck isn't needed in gaining muscle, it's actually a science unlike roulette.

hmmmm funny i need bigger shirts cus my arms dont fit in the shirts i have now... and... they were skinny lanky things before. If seeing is believing I believe. But everyone is entitled to their opinion ,beauty of it all:) SO we can disagree and be agreeable I'm sure.

Illusion of building muscle comes with loss of body fat. We hear it all the time on the forums. We can disagree, but actual facts I speak of are from peer reviewed clinical study. So as you can see I don't state opinion.


A.C.E. Certified Personal Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 28+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

JanieJack

Shorter people require less calories, but it's not as much less as many people think. Your BMR is 1347.

Everyone's different. Based on my frame and lifestyle, I've had nutritionists tell me I need to eat between 1800-2000 calories a day. The only way I can do that and still lose weight is if I'm burning 500-800 extra beyond my daily work schedule. I know many pro-ana folks are on here eating too few calories, but that's not always the case with lower calorie diets.

Like others said, if you feel great (no headaches, dizziness, ditzyness, or other health problems), and aren't hungry, then my non-medical opinion, lol, is it shouldn't be a problem.

watboy

Yeah people don't lift cars every day exactly my point just because something is praticably inpossible doesn't mean it is. and yes luck has nothign to do with gaining muscle but it serves as a point that just because something doesn't happen all the time it doesn't mean it doesn't happen. I think most people can agree with that. I'm not trying to argue about what has happened to me cus I see the change and I feel the change in my clothes. I'm also not condoning eating very low calories. What I'm saying is I eat low calories not because I chose to but because I can't physically eat anymore and I have not had any negative results. I think it's fair to say that some people can eat very little and be fine and some can eat a ton also be fine. I personally don't want to make myself sick just to lose weight by eating way to much. Again losing weight is not worth hurting yourself over so if you can't eat anymore don't do it and make yourself sick to lose weight. Anywho going to go buy some new shirts for my illusions. good luck in your battles everyone

"You're not building muscle. Practically impossible to do on calorie deficit. Regular weight lifting keeps your muscles "full" by retaining more water for repair, and storage of glycogen. If you stopped working out and ate the same, your muscle would deflate because the body would sense no exercise and stop storing the water and glycogen. "




Practically impossible. It's also praticably impossible for a human to lift a car but I've seen it. It's also praticably impossible to win at the roulette table seen that too lol. hmmmm funny i need bigger shirts cus my arms dont fit in the shirts i have now... and... they were skinny lanky things before. If seeing is believing I believe. But everyone is entitled to their opinion ,beauty of it all:) SO we can disagree and be agreeable I'm sure.

Captain_Tightpants

Watboy, I'm interested to know your SW and CW. Building muscle while on a caloric deficit is indeed possible, but only in unusal cases where the individual has a significant amount of weight to lose.

For the vast majority of people, ninerbuff is exactly right, muscle gain on a calorie deficit is practically impossible. Muscle revelation, however, due to them being uncovered of the fat that previously hid them, is the norm and this can lead to the illusion of muscle gain.

watboy

sw was 250 cw 207. I did get down to 193 at one point. I however think I look my best around 200.

Captain_Tightpants

sw was 250 cw 207. I did get down to 193 at one point. I however think I look my best around 200.

Aha, did your muscle gain become most apparent when you were going UP from 193 - 207?

ercarroll311

I'm 5'2" and stopped losing weight when I went below 1200 because of the metabolism drop, so you should stick to the higher level to be healthy and actually achieve your goal, ESPECIALLY if you're working out.

watboy

"Aha, did your muscle gain become most apparent when you were going UP from 193 - 207? "

just recently actually cus I just recently started weight lifting by recently I mean a month. I lost 13 lbs doing about 45 mins cardio 6 days a week and about 35 -40 mins weight lifting 6 days. I was losing weight and my arms were getting bigger and so was my chest.


I'm not saying that anybody is wrong here just saying what my experience has been I read some studies and some articles where people have gained muscle on a calorie deficit and it can be done and does happen. I agree its not common just don't want to make a statement saying it cant be done. If it's glycogen or water and that's why my shirts are super tight around my arms i'm okay with that lol. Best they've ever looked. I'm also not saying any of this was done on purpose perhaps I can more accurately say it was happestance. I'm happy with the results so far and I really wish everyone the best in finding a method or stumbling upon some good results, whatever the case may be we should all try to agree there's no reason to get all bent out of shape when something contradicts your own experiences or knowlegde. Some people just have freaky things happen that don't conform to usual norms.

StarryEyed500

At 5'1" & 115lbs, my bmr is ~1390, so 1000 probably is too little for you no matter your weight.
Calculate your bmr & you should have AT LEAST that every day since it's the amount you'd need if you laid still all day.
1000 calories isn't enough for your body to just function & even if you don't have any ill effects now, it's not good for you in the long run.
Take care & stay healthy! xx

This is a great reply!

Andromeda173

One last reply (I'm the OP),
I'm netting around 1000. I usually eat 1200 a day, or even more on my workout days, but the total (calories-exercise calories) is around 1000.
It's not like I'm eating only 1000 a day and then burning 400 or more from exercise.
I basically feel like MFP would tell me daily that I need to eat more calories, and that I'd simply eat a cookie or two to satisfy the necessity to keep it at 1200.
On the other hand, it's possible that the metabolic slowing from eating 1000/day counteracts any benefit I'd get from having a higher deficit. So I'd lose 1 lb/week eating 1200, or eating 1000.

watboy

Personally I don't think 200 calories will make such a huge difference. However you voiced some concerns so maybe add a protein shake if you like to try those. Or add some wheat crackers or peanut butter or nuts. I find that I also can't eat alot but having a protein shake to sip on helps get you closer to your net.

Matt_Wild

Find out that what works for you!

If 1000 cals a day work, good for you - it will however waste fat AND muscle. If you aren't bothered about muscle (I would be, I want a higher BMR) then fine, do it if it works for you.

If 1500 cals works for you, good for, it's more likely to hold onto muscle, esp if nutrient intake is higher in protein and will allow anabolism if you are lucky.

susannamarie

One last reply (I'm the OP),
I'm netting around 1000. I usually eat 1200 a day, or even more on my workout days, but the total (calories-exercise calories) is around 1000.
It's not like I'm eating only 1000 a day and then burning 400 or more from exercise.
I basically feel like MFP would tell me daily that I need to eat more calories, and that I'd simply eat a cookie or two to satisfy the necessity to keep it at 1200.
On the other hand, it's possible that the metabolic slowing from eating 1000/day counteracts any benefit I'd get from having a higher deficit. So I'd lose 1 lb/week eating 1200, or eating 1000.

I sure wouldn't recommend eating a cookie to put it to 1200 -- an extra couple ounces of chicken, some nuts, something like that :P

Alixemt

It depends how much you weigh. even if you're 5'2" ... if you're 300 pounds you should NOT be only eating 1000 caloires a day... however if you're 120-130 pounds then that's fine.

It's unfortunate that all these diets exist saying you should eat 2000 calories, 1200 calories, no carbs, no fat. If you're not working out i'm guessing you aren't overly concerned with body fat. If you are then I'd say work out and eat more. But as most people said... eating clean is what counts and if you eat 1200 calories of really clean food (clean meaning real protein and fibre and veggies) then you shouldn't gain weight. If you are gaining at 1200 healthy calories a day, you should see a doctor about it for sure because there is something probably wrong with your metabolism.

On the other hand if you remain the same and you're not losing weight, it could be that you're actually already skinny! :O! And I can almost bet if you have to eat 1000 a day to lose weight than you're probably skinnier than you think!! Bonus!

Keep at it either way! It sounds like you have it under control! As long as you feel good and you have energy don't worry about it! Whatever your body tells you is what is most likely right!

magerum

Unless you're 4'10", yes.