Eating "too few" calories

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healthyliving4mee
healthyliving4mee Posts: 63
in Food and Nutrition
Does it really matter? If you take a look at my food intake I just didn't snack today or have time for a breakfast.
Edit: only low by close to 200 calories. I also exercised, which took off 104 calories through indoor bicycling...
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  • foleyshirley
    foleyshirley Posts: 1,043 Member
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    I can't see your food intake.
  • AngInCanada
    AngInCanada Posts: 947 Member
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    Can't see your diary.
  • obsidianwings
    obsidianwings Posts: 1,237 Member
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    I doubt one day will hurt.
  • pkw58
    pkw58 Posts: 2,038 Member
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    Yes, it matters. I have the same thing where I am just not hungry and you can really get run down feeling fast. I now make sure I eat at least my minimum. I don't always eat my exercise calories back, but I really make an effort to eat my minimum food calories.

    That being said, I agree, just one day will not hurt.
  • crimson521
    crimson521 Posts: 3
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    Hey! I'm in a bit of a low calorie predicament, actually....

    Essentially, this is my situation in a nutshell.. I'm going through a lot of life changes, (just moved 3000 miles over to the US from the UK) and am busy busy busy all day every day. I can't eat in the mornings, it makes me feel really ill.. so I just have a coffee and that makes me last until about 1pm. I eat a decent sized and healthy meal at 1pm and then I'm work work work until about 8-9pm. By that time, I'm so tired that I don't really eat and just want to sleep. I'm not even hungry at that point. Further, I am training about twice a week in soccer (really intense cardio) and will be at the gym about three times a week for about 1.5 hours, time split 50:50 between cardio and strength training. According to my food diary on here, I'm averaging about 500-700 calories a day but I easily work that off in exercise. I don't feel tired.. I don't feel run down. I look healthy and am not suffering from headaches, shakes, stomach ache, any other aches or anything else bad for that matter... but I feel this can't be too healthy.. I don't know :S
  • jennifermaffei17
    jennifermaffei17 Posts: 158
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    Yes eating too few calories can hurt you more than doing good. Breakfast is very important so I'd start by making time for it. :-)
  • obsidianwings
    obsidianwings Posts: 1,237 Member
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    Hey! I'm in a bit of a low calorie predicament, actually....

    Essentially, this is my situation in a nutshell.. I'm going through a lot of life changes, (just moved 3000 miles over to the US from the UK) and am busy busy busy all day every day. I can't eat in the mornings, it makes me feel really ill.. so I just have a coffee and that makes me last until about 1pm. I eat a decent sized and healthy meal at 1pm and then I'm work work work until about 8-9pm. By that time, I'm so tired that I don't really eat and just want to sleep. I'm not even hungry at that point. Further, I am training about twice a week in soccer (really intense cardio) and will be at the gym about three times a week for about 1.5 hours, time split 50:50 between cardio and strength training. According to my food diary on here, I'm averaging about 500-700 calories a day but I easily work that off in exercise. I don't feel tired.. I don't feel run down. I look healthy and am not suffering from headaches, shakes, stomach ache, any other aches or anything else bad for that matter... but I feel this can't be too healthy.. I don't know :S

    I used to feel ill eating before 11am ish as well. I started having a cup of soup every morning, not particularly nutritious, but a step up from a coffee as far as getting your body used to food goes. Once you get used to that start eating a little more. Now I feel sick if I don't have my big bowl of porridge in the morning.
  • skeeter2584
    skeeter2584 Posts: 34 Member
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    Females need at least 1,200 calories per day while men require at least 1,500 (I think, anyhow). Eating less than the minimum calories you require puts your body into "starvation mode" and makes it less inclined to lose fat. A short time ago, I got a message saying that I had consumed too few calories for the day. I was lazy with entering my food in a timely manner and I wound up falling short by 23 calories. It won't plow you under if you mess up one day, but be extremely careful to not let that happen again. :frown:
  • meeper123
    meeper123 Posts: 3,347 Member
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    Does it really matter? If you take a look at my food intake I just didn't snack today or have time for a breakfast.
    Edit: only low by close to 200 calories. I also exercised, which took off 104 calories through indoor bicycling...

    Think of your body as a sports car. If your wanting to go fast and furios you can't expect it to go with out gas right? You have to make sure that your eating enough that your body doesn't go into starvation mode which will derail your diet real quick and in a hurry. You might lose for awhile but you will reach a point where that scale just won't budge. Prevent this so you don't have to get yourself back on track with some preventiative meassures. You can do it, but not without fuel.
  • rcthale
    rcthale Posts: 141
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    One day won't make a difference, maybe even two. But, you can end up malnourished even if you're overweight, and that can affect your energy, muscle strength, and immune system.

    Just don't make it a habit to under-eat.
  • lloydkr2
    lloydkr2 Posts: 3 Member
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    If you continuously eat 'too few calories' it will be harder to lose weight and your body will go into starvation mode more easily as that short paragraph states. when it does this your body will start to store what you eat as fat thinking that it may be along time before it has 'energy sources' again..thus you will be defeating the purpose. Also not getting enough essentials and calories in your body can lead to vitamin deficiencies and muscle loss and degenerative health over time...You may feel 'ok' now but that doesn't mean long term you will still feel the same way or that it wont be detrimental to your health...hence the side effects of eating disorders like anorexia and bulimia and I'm not just talking about the ones cause by throwing up your food....you don't have to eat the ones you work off...but you need to eat at least 1200 calories a day (that's overall before you even subtract what you burned off) is you've set your profile to lose weight you're already operating of a deficiency....eating to far below it for extended long periods of time can even cause heart problems in the long wrong.....if you want to know what will happen Google it so that you understand the importance of getting what is required to function....sometimes side effects are immediate...they take a awhile to happen and happen only because of continuous misuse or abuse....
  • healthyliving4mee
    healthyliving4mee Posts: 63
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    Does it really matter? If you take a look at my food intake I just didn't snack today or have time for a breakfast.
    Edit: only low by close to 200 calories. I also exercised, which took off 104 calories through indoor bicycling...

    Think of your body as a sports car. If your wanting to go fast and furios you can't expect it to go with out gas right? You have to make sure that your eating enough that your body doesn't go into starvation mode which will derail your diet real quick and in a hurry. You might lose for awhile but you will reach a point where that scale just won't budge. Prevent this so you don't have to get yourself back on track with some preventiative meassures. You can do it, but not without fuel.

    Good point. :laugh:
  • samuraistephanie
    samuraistephanie Posts: 5
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    Do you have time for protein shakes?
  • Rynatat
    Rynatat Posts: 807 Member
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    One day won't make a difference, maybe even two. But, you can end up malnourished even if you're overweight, and that can affect your energy, muscle strength, and immune system.

    Just don't make it a habit to under-eat.

    Just to bump a little off the above: I was eating very low years ago - it started as here & there and turned into everyday since I didn't seem to have any adverse effects. I lost weight, I didn't feel nauseous or shaky, etc. I didn't eat breakfast either. The weight I lost was not fat. It was pure muscle. Really sad when I realized at age 30 I looked fantastic but couldn't lift a 20 pound box without feeling like I was lifting the world and unless I'm Atlas, that is impossible.

    I started eating regular meals - very worried I would gain this weight back. I did gain weight, but I started working out with more strength training and the scale went up because I now had muscle. I am now working on a more extreme muscle building program to really define what I have, and a 20 pound box is like air now to me.

    The moral of this story: eating low once is fine, we all wake up late, go to sleep early, don't feel too well, etc. on occasion. But I make it a point to always balance whatever I do no matter the circumstances, and if I do have a low day once in a green moon, it is one day and I can't remember the last time I saw a green moon...

    (PS - this is not a bash, just concern as I've been there. Don't let a low day turn into any more than just that: 1 day, 1 time, that's it)
  • tmauck4472
    tmauck4472 Posts: 1,785 Member
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    If you continuously eat 'too few calories' it will be harder to lose weight and your body will go into starvation mode more easily as that short paragraph states. when it does this your body will start to store what you eat as fat thinking that it may be along time before it has 'energy sources' again..thus you will be defeating the purpose. Also not getting enough essentials and calories in your body can lead to vitamin deficiencies and muscle loss and degenerative health over time...You may feel 'ok' now but that doesn't mean long term you will still feel the same way or that it wont be detrimental to your health...hence the side effects of eating disorders like anorexia and bulimia and I'm not just talking about the ones cause by throwing up your food....you don't have to eat the ones you work off...but you need to eat at least 1200 calories a day (that's overall before you even subtract what you burned off) is you've set your profile to lose weight you're already operating of a deficiency....eating to far below it for extended long periods of time can even cause heart problems in the long wrong.....if you want to know what will happen Google it so that you understand the importance of getting what is required to function....sometimes side effects are immediate...they take a awhile to happen and happen only because of continuous misuse or abuse....

    Going to disagree here. You will not put your body in "Starvation Mode"(if it really does exist) until your body fat get's below 6% or so. You will not scare your body into thinking your starving to death therefore causeing your body to store fat instead of using it for fuel. Your going to use all the fat up first before you start eating muscle.

    With that being said one day or two days isn't going to hurt you. But in my reality don't eat if your not hungry, so silly to force eat just because you need to fill the gap. I don't eat my exercise calories back unless I'm hungry.
  • fairestthings
    fairestthings Posts: 335 Member
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    A friend of mine on here rarely eats breakfasty foods, and often will eat miso soup for breakfast. That's an easy way to get hydration, some calories and a tummy adjusted for breakfast :)

    I don't think it's a big deal for one day, especially if you've been over for a few days prior because I feel sometimes my body balances it out like that naturally. Some days I'm ravenous and have to eat over what I'd prefer, and other days I can't stuff another bite in. Be smart about your calories, but also listen to your body :)
  • zaneychic
    zaneychic Posts: 1
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    Well, my personal experience is that when I was not eating breakfast, and was not necessarity eating bad, but could not lose weight. When I began to eat breakfast and the rest of my meals along with exercise, I began to lose. I eat my calories and try to eat atleast a bit of what I gain back through exercise. I eat what I want, within reason on the weekends. I feel better when I do. I feel bad when I do not eat enough. I have lost 38 lbs. in 7 months with this.
  • healthyliving4mee
    healthyliving4mee Posts: 63
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    Can't see your diary.

    I adjusted my privacy settings, any tips on improving my food intake are appreciated.
  • healthyliving4mee
    healthyliving4mee Posts: 63
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    Do you have time for protein shakes?
    Do you have any good recipes of what you might recommend?
    I've heard they can compensate as a meal in some cases...
  • mscoco10
    mscoco10 Posts: 527 Member
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    one day won't do too bad; plus depending on your weight you should be fine.

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