High protein, low calories and "starvation mode"
cherriegh
Posts: 196 Member
Hi, so i have a question we were debating about with friends..... take a 140lbs, 5"2 person with 24% body fat....
If this person were to eat less than 1000cals a day through protein shakes and protein rich food and veggies to meet their macros plus strength exercise 3X week..... Then maybe once or twice a week up calories to 1600 using a low carb, high protein and fat diet.....What effect will it have on the body and body fat %age?
I understand one needs protein to preserve muscle mass but if you get enuf protein with less calories how will this affect ur metabolism and muscle mass?
If this person were to eat less than 1000cals a day through protein shakes and protein rich food and veggies to meet their macros plus strength exercise 3X week..... Then maybe once or twice a week up calories to 1600 using a low carb, high protein and fat diet.....What effect will it have on the body and body fat %age?
I understand one needs protein to preserve muscle mass but if you get enuf protein with less calories how will this affect ur metabolism and muscle mass?
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Replies
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Hi, so i have a question we were debating about with friends..... take a 140lbs, 5"2 person with 24% body fat....
If this person were to eat less than 1000cals a day through protein shakes and protein rich food and veggies to meet their macros plus strength exercise 3X week..... Then maybe once or twice a week up calories to 1600 using a low carb, high protein and fat diet.....What effect will it have on the body and body fat %age?
I understand one needs protein to preserve muscle mass but if you get enuf protein with less calories how will this affect ur metabolism and muscle mass?
I seriously doubt the person will be able to make it through the week.
It will affect many people differently if they make it to week 2.0 -
That sounds like it would kill their metabolism for sure. Also 24% body fat percentage for a female would not generally justify a drastic 1000 cal diet. Anything thing under 1200 is probably way too low. Might result in a short term loss but regain I would have thought. Better to aim for higher cals and keep it off.0
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They'd lose in the range of 8 to 14 pounds of fat in a two week time span. Resistance exercise is important for this type of diet so that your body doesn't use your muscle as energy. Low cal diets like this are meant for short term goal and not long term. Day two and three will be the hardest as that is when your body will be converting over to using fat as energy. You'll feel tired and grouchy. To brush this off, you should make sure you have something planned the entire two days to forget the hunger. If you don't have anything planned, try staying in the gym longer or going twice. If you are a female, you'd lose your period until you start eating more again.
Link below to someone who ate 500 calories for 14 days straight and lived to tell the tale. Make sure you get enough potassium and take a vitamin supplement when doing this. Not enough potassium can cause an irregular heart beat.
http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=121060001&highlight=psmf
Edit: On second thought, if you eat the full 1k calories it probably won't be that bad. You should still have your period if you eat 1k calories.
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It is very dangerous to drop daily calorie intake below your basal metabolic rate (BMR), assuming this person's BMR is around 1300-1400 calories, dropping their calorie intake to around 1000 calories will be detrimental to their body. Once you drop your calorie intake below your body's BMR, the body is unable to perform very basic life sustaining processes. The body will then enter "starvation mode" and since this person is not eating sufficient calories or carbohydrates (the preferred fuel for the brain), their body will begin catabolizing muscle mass for fuel and therefore their body muscle mass will decrease and their fat % will increase.0
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That sounds like it would kill their metabolism for sure. Also 24% body fat percentage for a female would not generally justify a drastic 1000 cal diet. Anything thing under 1200 is probably way too low. Might result in a short term loss but regain I would have thought. Better to aim for higher cals and keep it off.
How will it kill the metabolism? Is it about calories or nutrition? "calories vs macros'.... They get enough protein, vitamin supplement and strength train only calories are on the <1000
obviously this isnt sustainable for long term purposes maybe 3weeks to kickstart the fat loss but preserving muscles, and when stopping this plan they up the calories by using a low carb, high protein and fat diet and add good carbs back slowly....0 -
Well I've been eating less then 1000 calories for 7 months while doing strength training four times a week and cardio everyday for 40m and It's completely ruined my body. It's not worth it.0
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It is very dangerous to drop daily calorie intake below your basal metabolic rate (BMR), assuming this person's BMR is around 1300-1400 calories, dropping their calorie intake to around 1000 calories will be detrimental to their body. Once you drop your calorie intake below your body's BMR, the body is unable to perform very basic life sustaining processes. The body will then enter "starvation mode" and since this person is not eating sufficient calories or carbohydrates (the preferred fuel for the brain), their body will begin catabolizing muscle mass for fuel and therefore their body muscle mass will decrease and their fat % will increase.
It's not true to say that it's dangerous to eat a low cal diet, especially if it's only 1k calories. There is no known disease to impact someone's health on a low cal diet. I'm not talking about mental disorders. I'm talking about diseases that impact one's metabolism and eventually causes death. There's no such thing. However, there are real life threatening diseases that people die from every day by eating more such as Type 2 diabetes, Heart disease, High Cholesterol, and even cancer.0 -
I don't know much about a protein rich diet, but I do know something about going into starvation mode.
When I first started dieting I did the VERY unhealthy ABC diet. Stupid, I know, but I was impatient about losing weight slowly and so I went to an extreme. Anyway, I managed to do it for 29 days and lost 23lbs before my metabolism finally died. It took a LONG time to get myself back on track. My advice is to not go under your recommended calories - it might make you lose weight fast but it'll eventually screw up your body and waste more time trying to get it back to normal
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i odnt understand the 'kickstart' part?
why the rush?
why not just eat to TDEE with a small deficit and lose body fat in a slow but HEALTHY way that is sustainable...0 -
Well I've been eating less then 1000 calories for 7 months while doing strength training four times a week and cardio everyday for 40m and It's completely ruined my body. It's not worth it.
That sound anorexic. Were u taking in enough protein or supplements to preserve muscle or ate anything as long as u didnt exceed 1000 calories?
its a question of low calories with strength training and high protein diet, vitamin supplement which i doubt u were doing at that time for 7 months.
I've been reading about PSMF/VLCD and that it works with before and after pics. Basically u reduce calories but eat lots of protein and lift heavy to preserve muscle.0 -
Well I've been eating less then 1000 calories for 7 months while doing strength training four times a week and cardio everyday for 40m and It's completely ruined my body. It's not worth it.
Eat more, you're body's fine. Also, there's too many unknowns about what you did. Was your goal to eat 1k cals every day or was your goal to eat as little as possible which would end up netting you 100 to 300 calories a day? We also don't know your height and body fat percentage. Knowing when to stop is also key and it doesn't sound know you knew when to stop but don't fret about it. All you have to do is eat more with the right type of food combinations.0 -
It is very dangerous to drop daily calorie intake below your basal metabolic rate (BMR), assuming this person's BMR is around 1300-1400 calories, dropping their calorie intake to around 1000 calories will be detrimental to their body. Once you drop your calorie intake below your body's BMR, the body is unable to perform very basic life sustaining processes. The body will then enter "starvation mode" and since this person is not eating sufficient calories or carbohydrates (the preferred fuel for the brain), their body will begin catabolizing muscle mass for fuel and therefore their body muscle mass will decrease and their fat % will increase.
It's not true to say that it's dangerous to eat a low cal diet, especially if it's only 1k calories. There is no known disease to impact someone's health on a low cal diet. I'm not talking about mental disorders. I'm talking about diseases that impact one's metabolism and eventually causes death. There's no such thing. However, there are real life threatening diseases that people die from every day by eating more such as Type 2 diabetes, Heart disease, High Cholesterol, and even cancer.
Actually, anorexia is a disease that impacts a person's metabolism and eventually cause death. It is DANGEROUS to drop your calorie intake too low because the body is then not getting enough fuel to maintain health at a cellular level. I would definitely categorize limiting your body's ability to sustain the proper functions of life as being DANGEROUS. Also, I never said that it isn't dangerous to have a high calorie diet. Having a calorie surplus is also dangerous.0 -
It is very dangerous to drop daily calorie intake below your basal metabolic rate (BMR), assuming this person's BMR is around 1300-1400 calories, dropping their calorie intake to around 1000 calories will be detrimental to their body. Once you drop your calorie intake below your body's BMR, the body is unable to perform very basic life sustaining processes. The body will then enter "starvation mode" and since this person is not eating sufficient calories or carbohydrates (the preferred fuel for the brain), their body will begin catabolizing muscle mass for fuel and therefore their body muscle mass will decrease and their fat % will increase.
It's not true to say that it's dangerous to eat a low cal diet, especially if it's only 1k calories. There is no known disease to impact someone's health on a low cal diet. I'm not talking about mental disorders. I'm talking about diseases that impact one's metabolism and eventually causes death. There's no such thing. However, there are real life threatening diseases that people die from every day by eating more such as Type 2 diabetes, Heart disease, High Cholesterol, and even cancer.
Actually, anorexia is a disease that impacts a person's metabolism and eventually cause death. It is DANGEROUS to drop your calorie intake too low because the body is then not getting enough fuel to maintain health at a cellular level. I would definitely categorize limiting your body's ability to sustain the proper functions of life as being DANGEROUS. Also, I never said that it isn't dangerous to have a high calorie diet. Having a calorie surplus is also dangerous.
I can agree with you that anorexia is dangerous but that is not what I was talking about as I specifically said it is a mental disease. Looking up the definition of Anorexia will even tell you that it is a mental disease. Do you have access to something that says otherwise? Any symptoms of a low cal diet can always be corrected by eating more. The reason i brought up Type 2 diabetes and other diseases related to eating more is to give you an example of a disease that is known to destroy your metabolism. Type 2 diabetes literally means your body can't process sugar anymore, as in a destroyed metabolism. An anorexic's body can still process food.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anorexia_nervosa
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Why dont you omit the supplements and just eat proper healthy food that give you what you need? Bloody faddy diets do my head in!!0
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Why dont you omit the supplements and just eat proper healthy food that give you what you need? Bloody faddy diets do my head in!!
obviously if u limit ur calories to like 800 a day you wont get enough from food alone without exceeding the calorie limit. Also this is a debate on "how will it affect the body and body fat percentage" your not the one doing it anyways so dont worry I'm looking for input to question.0 -
Maybe for some people the way to sustainable dieting is a good chunk of loss at the start to convince themselves it's "worth it".why not just eat to TDEE with a small deficit and lose body fat in a slow but HEALTHY way that is sustainable...0 -
Hey im 5'1" and previously weighed 132lbs
3 months ago I started alternating . .like take in 1400-1500 calories on one day and then 1000-1200 calories the next ...
Now I am down to 126lbs but I've sorta hit a plateau ...
just to shake things up I'm taking in 900-1000calories per day and lost 2 lbs this week so I guess it does work.
however I've noticed my muscles are really sore after my workouts . . . take a longer time to heal
I guess dropping down to around a 1000 calories isn't that big a deal for short gals cos our BMR is around 1500-1900 cals anyways.
Few Tips-
when you aim for 1000 calories or less try and get as many calories from fruit and vegetable sources.... Since they are not as calorie dense you can graze on them through the day without feeling like ur starving urself
My Fav snacks under 100 calories-
1) 1/2 cup yogurt with a spritz of honey (add some berries in if u like)
2) 1 cup cauliflower + 1/2 cup peas with a bit of vinegar+pepper
3) 3 potato wedges with a tsp of ketchup
4) 10 almonds with a bite of any dark chocolate
5) 1/2 cup skim milk and 3 cookies to dip into it
:flowerforyou: hope it helps!!best of luck:happy:0 -
Hey im 5'1" and previously weighed 132lbs
3 months ago I started alternating . .like take in 1400-1500 calories on one day and then 1000-1200 calories the next ...
Now I am down to 126lbs but I've sorta hit a plateau ...
just to shake things up I'm taking in 900-1000calories per day and lost 2 lbs this week so I guess it does work.
however I've noticed my muscles are really sore after my workouts . . . take a longer time to heal
I guess dropping down to around a 1000 calories isn't that big a deal for short gals cos our BMR is around 1500-1900 cals anyways.
Few Tips-
when you aim for 1000 calories or less try and get as many calories from fruit and vegetable sources.... Since they are not as calorie dense you can graze on them through the day without feeling like ur starving urself
My Fav snacks under 100 calories-
1) 1/2 cup yogurt with a spritz of honey (add some berries in if u like)
2) 1 cup cauliflower + 1/2 cup peas with a bit of vinegar+pepper
3) 3 potato wedges with a tsp of ketchup
4) 10 almonds with a bite of any dark chocolate
5) 1/2 cup skim milk and 3 cookies to dip into it
:flowerforyou: hope it helps!!best of luck:happy:
Thanks, but the calories here come from mainly lean protein to make up the <1000 calories and for muscle repair combined with supplements to reach macros goal and vitamin deficiencies which might occur.
This is a scenario debate I'm not saying anyone or myself is doing it just some research and getting peoples input...
http://people.bu.edu/sobieraj/nutrition/obesity.html
Always nice to shake things up!
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HNNstyle - I'm 5'9, 120lbs. I'm in a treatment center for recovery trying to get the help I need! it's slow but it's gonna be worth it 0
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HNNstyle - I'm 5'9, 120lbs. I'm in a treatment center for recovery trying to get the help I need! it's slow but it's gonna be worth it
take care dear :flowerforyou:
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1000 calories is not really enough for anyone TBH. Esp with exercise on top. If you are dropping carbs, at least keep fats in for a a good energy source once in ketosis.0
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Sounds similar to Lyle Mcdonald's 'Rapid Fat Loss Handbook'
I tried it earlier this year; was curious.
Basically, I ate 1000-1,200 calories every day for 10 days.
Macros =
Protein, 190-220g
Carbs, 15-25g
Fat, 10-20g
^Most carbs and fat came from trace sources in the meat I was eating, plus vegetables.
Meal 1 consisted of an egg white omelette with shredded ham and mushrooms.
Meal 2, 3 were large cans of tuna.
Meal 4 was chicken and vegetables, or 98% lean beef with very low fat cheese melted on top and veggies.
and a snack was sugar free jelly, totalling 30kcal and consisting entirely of protein from beef gelatin.
The results?
A massive loss of 6kg in 10 days. There was a huge spike of 3kg in the beginning due to water loss, then a steady loss from then on. I gained 3kg back afterwards when I had a massive pig out, but it was to my calculations a loss of 2.25kg fat and .75kg muscle.
I was extremely grumpy, tired, run down. Weights were almost impossible due to no energy, but I still did my compound lifts every 3 days. Couldn't concentrate on anything.
My bowels were royally messed up; going from one spectrum to the other in a day.
Starvation mode? Nah. Just in an extreme caloric deficit.
It's good if you're a fitness model with a shoot in 2 weeks and too high bodyfat%, or perhaps a pro bodybuilder aiming to lose that last bit of fat before a competition if you've messed up your time frame and aren't at the goal yet.
But would I recommend it?
No way in hell.0 -
I find that i bulk up my thighs when i do strength training, i been doing stronglifts 5x5 and my thighs are getting bigger not sure if they swollen or its muscle but they tighter
I want to trim them and look thinner not bigger, will cardio and calorie deficit work or shud i continue do strength?0 -
Actually I think the comment on Anorexia was very valid. Too often are there posts asking "if I drop my calories to x amount, what will it do to my metabolism" but not enough of us consider what it does to our minds, as much as we consider starvation mode. Eating disordered people don't necessarily have eating disorders when they start a diet. It's often the weightloss + lack of nutrition + compliments about weightloss that fuel the spiral of anorexic thoughts that eventually leads to a more and more extreme version of "dieting". It's not just the body that gets starved but the brain too, and that's a vicious cycle. O.k it doesn't happen to everyone, but not everyone who smokes gets cancer, I just think that if you can't do it long term, it isn't worth doing. I'd rather not see results for a while, it doesn't go on quick, so it doesn't come off quick and all that. Things that take time and patience are much more rewarding anyway I think. Just my 2pennies though. 0
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