400 Net Calories for the Day: Scary Behavior

Cristofori44

I see far too many people pushing the reasonable bounds of weight loss--they are eating like 700 or 1,000 calories and then burning off 500 through exercise, and they come out some days with 400 or 800 net. I've seen as low as 200 or 300 net.

In my view, this is simply dangerous. I don't think a lot of folks understand that "net calories" already have the acceptable range of weight loss figured in, and that you need to eat back to get yourself close to your net. Now I know this is somewhat of an art--if you're full, no need to eat, maybe you overestimated exercise and underestimated food calories--but really: 400 net?

Unfortunately, because they are losing a lot of weight, they keep up with this ultra-low calorie regime. In the short term all is great--they lose weight. In the long term, they lose muscle mass, thus decreasing their overall metabolic rate; perhaps bone strength as well; and I wonder what kind of health problems they will develop later on because they deprived their body of the necessary energy and nutrients for so long. Bad teeth, brittle hair, organ complications; general weakness; lack of strength and energy to carry out basic tasks---the list could go on.

Worried about a lot of scary short-term thinking.

Nerdy_Rose

I was on 1200 calories per day for most of my major weight loss, but I ate every single calorie, AND every single over-estimated exercise calorie. I would have fainted had I not, I think. I don't know how people do that shiz.

Prudiddy

Question, What if the person is like me, and we do our work out at the end of the day, I'm talking 7-8pm, the food cut off for me is no later than 7pm. What to do?

Nerdy_Rose

Question, What if the person is like me, and we do our work out at the end of the day, I'm talking 7-8pm, the food cut off for me is no later than 7pm. What to do?

Eat more before your workout to fuel it, so you work harder. Preferably protein.

Also, there's no reason you *can't* have a protein shake after your workout. I consistently ate dinner at 10 or 11 p.m. while I was losing weight (night classes for grad school) and it didn't impacted me negatively.

Goal_Line

It possible people with 200-300 net just aren't logging everything. One I had a good feel for the cal value of different foods, when I had a cal surplus due to exercise, I didn't log everything.

HornsUT32

I will be honest, I tried that for about 2 weeks. By the end of it, I had gained 2.6 pounds, after consistantly losing 2 pounds a week before that. I thought I could push it a bit harder and maybe lose 3 or 4 pounds a week, and instead it backfired. I am now back to a healthy diet..and plan on staying there.

NamibianRose

I saw someone who consistently netted 200 calories and less, and one day actually netted a NEGATIVE number.

What can you do though? Some people are set on doing it this way. All we can do is provide support, advice, and information. The rest is up to them.

mcarter99

The MFP plan is very conservative. I wouldn't worry too much about other peoples' diets. Most of us at 1200 are at shallow deficits of 500 or so, so I don't believe there's anything wrong with using exercise to up your deficit to 1000-ish, when you feel like.

How do you guys even know what other people are doing? Monitoring friends or something? I waste a lot of time here but I can't imagine perusing diaries counting up 'net' calories and vegetable 'servings' and all the other things I see threads here about.

Prudiddy

The MFP plan is very conservative. I wouldn't worry too much about other peoples' diets. Most of us at 1200 are at shallow deficits of 500 or so, so I don't believe there's anything wrong with using exercise to up your deficit to 1000-ish, when you feel like.

How do you guys even know what other people are doing? Monitoring friends or something? I waste a lot of time here but I can't imagine perusing diaries counting up 'net' calories and vegetable 'servings' and all the other things I see threads here about.

Wow, I was thinking it, but you said it!

Sasha2211

Two words: Peanut. Butter.

Two of my favorite words! lol

AmyFett

i don't understand it either! i'm set at 1300, and try and net 1300 no matter what! Some days i don't because i have hardly any appetite, but it's also not like i'm running marathons anyway. At my lowest i think it's been 1000

imaginaryplaces

The MFP plan is very conservative. I wouldn't worry too much about other peoples' diets. Most of us at 1200 are at shallow deficits of 500 or so, so I don't believe there's anything wrong with using exercise to up your deficit to 1000-ish, when you feel like.

How do you guys even know what other people are doing? Monitoring friends or something? I waste a lot of time here but I can't imagine perusing diaries counting up 'net' calories and vegetable 'servings' and all the other things I see threads here about.

Well said.

jealous_loser

Depending on the day, I might net below 1000, but that is using MFP exercise numbers for calories. I try to take it with a grain of salt. If I am feeling fine, I don't worry about it.

That being said, I am eating at a good rate (1600 goal) so I am not worried about it. THen if I do "go over" (I try not to eat back calories) then I don't feel bad.

paintlisapurple

Well there is absolutely nooooooo wayyyy I could net my goal on exercise days... I can't eat thaaaaat much...Today for instance my net was 359...my goal is 1290...I have trouble getting there most days. Before I started this program, I didn't even realize how little I was eating. Now I snack on purpose! I've never been thin, but never super big either. I think its a shock to my body to be eating this much in a day. (I know it is to my stomach) If I get hungry, I'll eat more...but if not, I won't stuff myself either.

knk1553

Question, What if the person is like me, and we do our work out at the end of the day, I'm talking 7-8pm, the food cut off for me is no later than 7pm. What to do?

I work out at the end of my day as well (well after work, but pretty close to the end of my day) and while I'm busy at work I don't think about eating, and usually if I have to work through lunch I don't really eat much, not my fault, I eat when I'm hungry, I don't eat when I'm not. So my calorie goal 1400, and say by the time I go to the gym at 5:30 I'm at around 1000 of my 1400 calories, I go and burn between 600-800 calories, depending on what I'm doing and how long I decide to stay, I all the sudden have 1000-1200 calories to eat between 8-10pm, and after a protein shake, shoving down dinner is really hard because the protein did its job, and filled me up. I don't say I net 400 on a regular basis, but I've had those days, I'm a stress non-eater and a stress work-out person, which means when I'm stressed, I don't eat and spend extra time at the gym, not on purpose, just what ends up happening.

If you're concerned about those people, talk to them, if they don't want to change their habits or listen and you don't like it, defriend them, its pretty easy.

MoreThanMommie

I'm guilty of this. Well not this extreme. This week I've been trying to watch my sodium. But after working out (300 - 400) and eating 1300 - 1400 calories, I've hit my limit of sodium before I eat back to net over 1200. I'm trying to fix it. But I need to find more low sodium food choices...

But I agree, people should not be doing this on purpose.

ShreddedTweet

Really....this... again... Yes, we know it happens, yes we know it's wrong, is there anything you can do about it? Nope. Concentrate on yourself.

Naely

It really depends on the individual person. My goal is 1250 and most days I dont eat that many calories. Adding my exercise, my usual net is like 500-800 cals. Sometimes lower on the good exercise days.
It's not like I actively try to keep my numbers there, it's actually the opposite. Some days I have to pretty much force myself to have a snack to get over 1000. I've heard a bazillion times I need to eat more but realized that I need to just listen to what my body tells me.
When I get hungry, I eat. When I eat, I eat until I'm not hungry anymore. I never go to bed hungry, energy levels are better than ever, losing weight...what's the problem here?

Cristofori44

I was on 1200 calories per day for most of my major weight loss, but I ate every single calorie, AND every single over-estimated exercise calorie. I would have fainted had I not, I think. I don't know how people do that shiz.

Yeah I just wonder about the long-term complications for people: low blood sugar, their body feeding off itself and reducing lean muscle mass, or else their teeth, hair and organs. I don't think people realize the net number is already built in with a weight loss.

sarabluebell

IM on 1200 a day, and I do eat that but I choose not to eat back my exercise calories...I know that will upset some but Im almost always right around 1200

Nerdy_Rose

I was on 1200 calories per day for most of my major weight loss, but I ate every single calorie, AND every single over-estimated exercise calorie. I would have fainted had I not, I think. I don't know how people do that shiz.

Yeah I just wonder about the long-term complications for people: low blood sugar, their body feeding off itself and reducing lean muscle mass, or else their teeth, hair and organs. I don't think people realize the net number is already built in with a weight loss.

A girl who was on a VLCD for extended periods of time posted her side effects on a thread once -- hair loss, bad breath, etc. I only did 1200/day for like 4 months. If you keep it up for long periods of time hair loss and other weird stuff does kick in.

wftiger

First off why is it your business.
Second do you wonder if any of these people are on Doctor recommend diet/exercise programs? Guess what that kind of diet is needed when you are morbidly obese.
Third it isn't any of your business in case you were wondering.

horrorghoul

I'm at -471. I really don't understand the whole net crap but I like working out at night since its cooler and I ate all my 1200 calories. I'm never hungry past my calories. The heat kills my hunger and I make pizzas for a living so smelling food all day makes me less hungry.

SomeoneSomeplace

Question, What if the person is like me, and we do our work out at the end of the day, I'm talking 7-8pm, the food cut off for me is no later than 7pm. What to do?

To be blunt you stop buying into stupid rumors about how anything you eat after 7 PM turns into fat

Because frankly it is BS. If you eat 300 calories at 7 AM it is the SAME exact thing as eating and 9 PM. But if you are like me and work out at night it's actually BETTER to eat late at night because most people will tell you eating up to an hour after your work out is the best time

If you refuse to eat after 7 PM even, which unless you have some health reason, there is no reason to...then you need to eat more during the day or at least drink a protein shake after you work out.

---

You guys who are in the NEGATIVE are NOT helping yourselves. You cannot maintain this life style. YOu're putting your body in starvation mode. You are STARVING your body. Yeah you'll lose a bunch of weight but you'll only enjoy it for so long before you A. End up in the hospital with a heart attack or organ failure or severely low blood pressure. Or B. Stop being able to maintain that life style and start eating normally again and gain back a ton of weight.

I've been there and I've done that .

I actually had a diagnosed ED so it just pisses me off when I see these people actually TRYING to "become anorexic" this isn't some crash diet. Starving yourself isn't some way to feel better about yourself or look good or control your life. If you honestly feel like you have to starve your body for whatever reason get help right now.

No doctor would EVER *EVER* recommend someone eats less then 1200 calories a day. It would NEVER happen. That would be a doctor telling someone to STARVE themselves.

Believe me. I've seen girls come up with excuses you wouldn't even believe to eat nothing. But the fact remains simple. Anything less then 1200 is not enough and if you're at negative calories you are headed down a very long, dangerous miserable and life threatening path.

RobynMWilson

Question, What if the person is like me, and we do our work out at the end of the day, I'm talking 7-8pm, the food cut off for me is no later than 7pm. What to do?

Don't rely on that 7pm as religion. I've broken that rule in the entire 20 yrs I've maintained my weight loss!

Shannota

First off why is it your business.
Second do you wonder if any of these people are on Doctor recommend diet/exercise programs? Guess what that kind of diet is needed when you are morbidly obese.
Third it isn't any of your business in case you were wondering.

Yep. I am under a doctor's care. I go to his office every 2 weeks. Yes, he has the certificates on his wall dealing with nutrition, etc. So, yes, he knows what he is doing. And he put me on 1200 calories a day. I exercise a lot, and I do not eat those calories back. As much as I HATE the phrase, I am "morbidly obese." In other words, I have plenty of stored energy to use up...that is what it is there for. But thank you for your concern.

RobynMWilson

Question, What if the person is like me, and we do our work out at the end of the day, I'm talking 7-8pm, the food cut off for me is no later than 7pm. What to do?

To be blunt you stop buying into stupid rumors about how anything you eat after 7 PM turns into fat

Because frankly it is BS. If you eat 300 calories at 7 AM it is the SAME exact thing as eating and 9 PM. But if you are like me and work out at night it's actually BETTER to eat late at night because most people will tell you eating up to an hour after your work out is the best time

If you refuse to eat after 7 PM even, which unless you have some health reason, there is no reason to...then you need to eat more during the day or at least drink a protein shake after you work out.

---

You guys who are in the NEGATIVE are NOT helping yourselves. You cannot maintain this life style. YOu're putting your body in starvation mode. You are STARVING your body. Yeah you'll lose a bunch of weight but you'll only enjoy it for so long before you A. End up in the hospital with a heart attack or organ failure or severely low blood pressure. Or B. Stop being able to maintain that life style and start eating normally again and gain back a ton of weight.

I've been there and I've done that .

I actually had a diagnosed ED so it just pisses me off when I see these people actually TRYING to "become anorexic" this isn't some crash diet. Starving yourself isn't some way to feel better about yourself or look good or control your life. If you honestly feel like you have to starve your body for whatever reason get help right now.

No doctor would EVER *EVER* recommend someone eats less then 1200 calories a day. It would NEVER happen. That would be a doctor telling someone to STARVE themselves.

Believe me. I've seen girls come up with excuses you wouldn't even believe to eat nothing. But the fact remains simple. Anything less then 1200 is not enough and if you're at negative calories you are headed down a very long, dangerous miserable and life threatening path.

What she said!! I can't feed into eating disorders and if I see someone who could easily be influenced by unhealthy 'dieting" I don't recommend MFP to them b/c I just see too much of that on here! And I ALWAYS eat after 7pm...I usually don't eat dinner till 7:30pm so maybe it's because I'm Eastern time it doesn't affect me? lol I've maintained my healthy weight loss a LONG time and don't buy into that myth b/c it's proven to be absolutely untrue in my case...

dellashanks

Ok, so my net cals are at 377 today. I know this sounds unreasonable however, I simply could not fit any thing else. I did think about adding in a serving of peanut butter just to get something in. I had a large and healthy dinner and am stuffed. I don't do this every day but it does happen sometimes. I am a busy single Mom so I have time and planning issues. I think my diary is viewable to all so feel free to critique away. Please be kind though I'm asking for help not a scolding.:happy:

zaithyr

Whether or not you believe in a magical starvation mode number, it's clear that there are very dangerous potential consequences with being on a VLCD for extended periods of time. Usually VLCD's are only supposed to be for a short time, under a doctor's supervision, and for the super obese. But there are risks involved, including those associated with malnutrition. My mom had these issues after having gastric bypass, which limited her calories to very low numbers. Medical direction aside, often eating extremely few calories is the first sign among many of an eating disorder (whether the person realizes it or not). So I understand why OP is concerned when he sees it (and also why I try to avoid looking at diaries because I get extremely worried!).

Here is one article among many that list some potential complications: http://drsuetalks.blogspot.com/2011/04/dangers-of-very-low-calorie-diet.html

This is why MFP discourages eating too little.

bikebanditandy

What if your eating a lot of fruit and veggies, that do not take up a lot of calories

Bobby_Clerici

These people will fail with this approach.
Starvation diets don't work.
Why?
Because if your calorie deficit is too great, you can easily suffer from
loss of muscle mass (slows down your metabolism) and impaired general progress.
You have to find what is right for you but you also need to remember that your body
is a machine and without the right type and amount of fuel there could be problems
either with loss of muscle, loss of energy, less weight loss/plateaus, etc.

Check out this topic:
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/238282-700-calories-a-day-and-not-losing-redux?hl=700+calories

Don't fall into the crash diet trap. Stick with the MFP recommendations.
Here's a great group right here on MFP:
Eat More To Weigh Less
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/groups/home/3817-eat-more-to-weigh-less

Join up and connect with other for support.
Good Luck :flowerforyou: