Is undereating going to backfire on me?

arcticfox04

I really recommend you talk to a nutritionist. I think you're going to do more harm than good in the long run. Your on the short path to an eating disorder.

juicy_cat

Yes. Feed your body. The end.

This

MarlinWil

I think you have gotten very clear answers, here!! Matey, you really need to stop eating so little. The less you eat, the more muscle you will burn, and your fat will cling tighter than ever until you start to eat more, and then the food you eat will be immediately converted to fat and stored until this time of famine is past. You can't defeat the body's survival mechanisms. You are eating much less than your BMR, which means you are starving yourself.

Probably you are not getting anywhere near the nutrients we all need each and every day. You may not feel the effects now, but if you maintain this type of diet, as you get older your body will start to show the deficiencies. Think long term. Listen to the incredibly great advice available on this site.

Educate yourself. This is harsh, but true. What you are doing is ignorant and dangerous. Stop it. We all wish you the very best, which is why we are bombarding you with exactly the same advice and opinions. Arguing with the answers to your question and defending your decision just begs the question - do you want honest answers, or are you just going to continue doing this anyway? Hope you do the sensible thing. Not to make us happy, but for your health - both now and in the future.

daisukiyaotome

To answer your question, yes under eating will backfire on you. I've been there and done that and several of my friends as well. You see just because your not feeling hungry, or just because you feel satisfied doesn't mean that your body is getting all the food it needs. So I just say eat, that's it. Maybe see an expert who can help you.

From my experience, it's really not good. Nobody can really stop you, but just do some more research and try out different ways of eating like lower carbs, higher protein, or whatever. Just exhaust all options before resorting to something drastic, and maybe even risky.

Btw, I know how you feel about the muscle, but after much research, muscle is what helps you burn throughout the day, and it's what makes you leaner and tighter. Maybe do some stretching types of work out, it helped me, and if your lifting weights take it easy, like what was written earlier resistance is good. Do what you have to do, but be smart about it. Take care and good luck!

nicadee

Will totally backfire.
Slow and steady wins the race!

swat1948

Everyone has given you great advice here and I think they are right. Just remember that what we are doing here is not just another diet but a change of lifestyle, learning how to eat properly instead of indulging our every whim, which is exactly what I did before I joined MFP.

mmapags

More than likely, yes it will backfire. The less weight you have to lose, the more fuel you need to provide or your body will catabolize lean body mass. The issue with this is two fold; first, your body will adapt and burn less calories and decrease your metabolic rate and second, you will probably not be happy once you get to your goal weight as you will lose muscle and still be flabby. Why don't you aim for a moderate deficit (20% below TDEE) and start heavy weight training so you cut fat.

Ding, ding, ding!! We have a winner!! This is the correct answer.

Love_flowers

Yes. Feed your body. The end.

This!

mmapags

Yes it absolutely will. I never listened to all the advise of "don't go under 1200 calories" and all that.. i averaged about 700 calories a day for almost a year. It has completely backfired. Of course I lost the weight fast, but your body and mind will revolt. I can't even imagine going back to that amount now. I developed a binge eating disorder because I wouldn't let myself eat.. so now when I get food I just go overboard and eat everything in reach. I have gained some weight back.

My advise is don't diet for quick results. Lose weight slowly and learn how to keep it off. You cannot survive for long on 800 calories a day. It may seem easy now, but it will be VERY VERY hard later on. Good luck!

Thanks for sharing this Kate! I wish you would post on every thread where someone wants to eat at a very low level!! Most people don't realize that the results of adaptive thermogenesis can be fairly permanent. The downregulation of the metabolism in very difficult if not impossible to reverse.

mmapags

You must have a large amount of bone mass and/or be extremely tall to weigh 163 and be 20% bf - that's a lean body mass of 130 lbs.

One of the worst things about chronic calorie restriction is decreased serum leptin concentration levels. Leptin is the hormone responsible for satiety and drops when you restrict food intake or net too little. Basically, your body will want and need more energy in the form of calories but, because your satiety signaling is messed up, you won't get the message. This will continue the cycle of chronic calorie restriction and potentially other health issues.

Got some great and knowledgeable posters in this thread!! Great job on this one!!

Mels707

Lots of good answers on here, but regarding fertility/amenorrhea

1) you're 22. You may (or may not) feel differently about having children in 10 yrs.

2) a women's cycle is important for our long term health...it's not just about fertility. I understand that in your 20s and even 30s it's hard to really worry about it...but amenorrhea is a fast track to really unfortunate conditions such as osteoporosis. Even if you never want kids, I assume you want to live a long, healthy life.

monicalosesweight

Well, I have been rather solid and athletic my entire life. I did track and field as a thrower, and I never "bulked up" but I felt large and rather masculine. I'm tired of feeling that way.

I think the problem here involves your self image. You need to stop saying "I'm large and rather masculine". I looked at your picture and I certainly did not see that - I see a young thin woman. I think the majority here are giving you great advice, but you don't want to hear it. That's something we can't fix.

We've all seen so many images of famous people like Twiggy that we have chosen to believe that this is the image of beauty. I suspect most of the men here have not noticed any sort of masculinity in your picture. Frankly, some of the women here (like me) are waiting to hit the point of your skinniness and would be thrilled to be at 15% body fat. You definitely need to get over that and stop saying you're big and masculine - you are not!

If you want to drop the fat and become more athletic, you're going to have to eat more and you'll probably need to go get a fitness expert to help you train. Olympian athletes tend to have low body fat BUT I suspect they eat like mad and exercise like crazy (weight lifting, aerobics and more). If that's your goat, get a trainer whose used to training people to become triathletes and who might have knowledge on how to lower your body fat. Unfortunately (there may be some people here who do the triathletes route who could jump in here), I suspect you're going to be totally surprised at the food levels you'll need to eat to change that fat to lean muscle. I also suspect this process will take a while - it's not something that is a quick fix.

nxd10

You need to keep it off too. What's the rush? You're setting your body up to rebound because it thinks you've been sick.

Don't you think people have done this before?

santanna935

I have been in your shoes and have to warn you, it will backfire. In high school I was really overweight, did Atkins and lost 60-70lbs. I became a vegetarian for 2 years and a runner and got thin and muscular. Im 5'10 and weighed about 160lbs when I was 21-22. I kept comparing myself with people who were thinner than me and I felt very self-concious about how I looked. I started eating a lot less and dropped another 10lbs. With my frame (large one) I looked super thin with protruding hip bones but very muscular arms and legs. I still felt fat so I ran more, excercised at the gym longer and slowly developed an eating disorder. I was bulimic for a year or so, my teeth became ruined and still I pushed myself. I'm 26 now, gained a lot of the weight back (thanks to pregnancy) but my objective for weight loss has changed. I'm no longer comparing myself with others who are thinner and smaller than me. I want to be thinner yes but I want to feel healthy and strong and set a good example for my kids. There is times where I struggle with the weight and feel self-concious but that's life.
Long story short ask yourself why you want to be thinner. Is it for yourself? Yes eating less will allow you to lose muscle as well as fat, but what happens when you get there? Will you be satisfied? There are healthy alternatives to your goal.

DizzyLinds

I underate and overtrained. I was skinny fat....i was tired, moody and generally obsessive. I've started eating more, lifting heavier and have gained weight. However, i feel better in myself, i'm stronger and happier. I think to cut bodyfat now for me is harder as i spent so long undereating. I'm a PE teacher so generally on my feet for a lot of the working day. I was originally eating max 1000 calories a day. I have a heart rate monitor now and have realised i was probably burning 500-600 calories 5 times a week and eating 1000 calories. No wonder i was skinny....i was burning out. I now try and aim for at least 1500 caloires and am doing a 24hour fast one day a week. I'm still not sure i'm eating enough but i'm defo better at fueling my body. My body shape has changed a bit, more muscle for sure and not so 'weak' looking. When i realised how little i was eating before to suit my lifestyle it actually scares me.

Lyra89

Your body WILL rebel, by holding onto fat and eating away your muscle mass for energy, OR by sending out overpowering urges to binge on dense calorie foods.

Eat a sensible diet. Change your lifestyle. Its not a race!

elizak87

You seem to have made up your mind what you want to do because you have a response to everyones answer.
By the way the vitamins your taking can actually be found.... IN FOOD!!

jesz124

I have to agree with the poster who mentioned body image issues. I looked at your profile pictures and you look healthy and in proportion. You don't look 'bulky' or 'manly'. I am not just saying this to try and make you feel better or tell you what you want to do is stupid or dangerous, I am just saying it how I see it. You will always be a tall woman, that you cannot change, but you are not overweight, you don't look even anywhere near bulky too me. I think loosing muscle would be a bad bad idea and I don't think overall it will give you the look that you expect anyway.

dad106

I'm an inch shorter then you, and I currently weigh 150 with around 20% bodyfat. I lift 2-3 times a week, plus and I run, and I def. don't look big and manly.

The reason why you do, is because of extra body fat. So you need to preserve what muscle you do have, so that when you stop losing you can maintain better.

I lose eating between 1500-2000 calories a day... and could not imagine trying to live on 800 a day being that active and being taller.