Losing 0.5 to 1 pound per day...Health Risks?

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  • MissFitee
    MissFitee Posts: 106 Member
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    It's easy to lose quite a bit of weight fast when you first start out. Especially if you're obese(and therefore have a pretty high daily kcal for maintenance) but it's definitely not a healthy choice in the long run. If you look at VLCD its usually recommended to do it for a max of 3 weeks OR with the help of a dr. Being on such a high defict puts alot of stress on your body as it has to work extra to free the energy needed by taking from your energy storage(muscles and fat cells). If you look at anorectic or borderline anorectic people they usually have heart-problems and are therefore not allowed by their drs to exercise for a very long time until theyve recovered.

    That being said:
    I'm not overweight. I've never been extremely overweight either, but I have been on deficts for long periods of time. For a long time an average day would be 8-900 kcal(which I think would compare to what you want to do since my daily need is only 1500 to begin with) on top of this I exercised almost every day - cardio, strength, hiit, you name it. I felt great, light, clean, energetic, and parts of me looked it too. However most parts of me looked saggy and nomatter how "skinny" I got, I never achieved any abs or visible leg muscles - only my arms, but they were always my leaner body part to begin with. In short - the only thing i really achieved was SKINNY FAT.
  • HisangelG
    HisangelG Posts: 96 Member
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    My husband made a comment about the OP that makes me wonder. He asked if it is unusual to see anorexia in a man. I have to wonder if the OP is in fact displaying anorexia signs. Not wanting to eat more than 1200 calories for a man, unless he is only about 4 ft tall and about 100 pounds is extremely unusual in my experience. The OP needs to figure out his TDEE and BMR and work with that. This is what I have been doing and it really does work. I have 28 pounds lost to show it does. I'm not starving, nor am I stuffed so full I'm afraid I'll never be able to take another bite. I'm learning to eat more veggies rather than fruit to get the calories and the fullness. It takes time, energy and determination.

    There is no reason to rush losing weight, without a Dr.'s supervision. I am under Dr. supervision while losing so much so quickly, and it is only for a very limited time and reason. It's not just because I want to lose weight fast.

    I have lost 28 pounds in 6 weeks. At least 10 pounds was water weight. (I had severe problems with meds in Dec that caused me to gain 20 pounds in 2 weeks. Documented.) At this appointment, my Dr gave me clearance to lose 20 pounds in 30 days, if possible. I started at a very high weight. (338) I have health issues that makes losing this 38 pounds quickly necessary to keep me alive. My Dr has already made it clear that after March 15, I will be needing to lose it at a much slower, more reasonable rate. I eat at about 15-1600 calories a day. I admit, I struggle to meet that most days, but I do because I know that eating at 1200, while very easy for me, would also prove to be counter intuitive to my losing weight permanently.

    I am slowly adding more exercise and strength/resistance training to my regiment. I recognize that I can really only safely gain muscle while in a surplus, so for now, I'm working on losing fat and at certain times during my weight loss, I will go into a surplus and concentrate on gaining muscle instead.

    I would love to be at 130 pounds in 12 months, but there is no way to safely do it. I've estimated that to do this safely, will take about 24-28 months. I'm okay with that. I am learning to eat properly, how to exercise while being in a wheelchair and still lose weight, and gain muscle. I would rather be alive and still losing weight in 2 years than to be skinny and dead in one.
  • Jademadeley
    Jademadeley Posts: 21
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    I have lost 7 lbs in a week before and am not aware of any permanent damage! It always went back on again and I know it's not the healthiest way of doing it, but my staring weight was 158 lbs. and the bigger you are to start with the faster you can lose it right? I mean some people can lose like 30 lbs in a week on the biggest loser! I actually lost 5 lbs last week, just from eating 1200 calories a day and exercising (sometimes eating back my exercise calories, sometimes not) and there was nothing unhealthy about that as far as I can see.
  • davidrip1
    davidrip1 Posts: 70 Member
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    Bump. Don't have time to read the full thread at this time.
  • Markguns
    Markguns Posts: 554 Member
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    I forgot to mention that I am going to be doing strength exercises (I saw this on here, and I'm trying to follow this plan: http://www.fitness666.com/p/bodyweight-666.html). Therefore, there will be little to no muscle loss (likely gain). If I am gaining muscle and losing fat, it is essentially impossible to calculate a daily calorie intake.

    Sorry but false. You will not gain muscle when you are only eating 1200 calories a day. You will be losing it regardless of if you lift weights or not. Sure, lifting will help lower the amount you lose but you will still lose a large amount. You will not gain any muscle eating so little. You need a surplus of calories to gain muscle along with lifting heavy weights and lots of protein. Don't forget, your heart is a muscle as well.

    You will be starving yourself and it will not be lasting weight loss. When you lose muscle your metabolism decreases making it so much easier for you to gain back weight.

    Do it the right way. Don't rush it. Losing so quickly will also lead to much more loose skin that if you were to lose slowly.

    Your body needs more than 1200 calories a day just for your organs to function. Trying to lose so much is only going to lead to muscle loss, injury, tons of loose skin and hurting your body.

    As a male 1200 is not even half of what you should be eating.


    Bump! --- Slow and Steady Wins the Race! --- 1200 daily is the min for women, 1500 for men. Then the additional calories needed to support exercise. If you don't intake enough to build muscle, you will actually get weaker as your body consumes your mussel tissue and eventually slows down you metabolism to make it harder to lose weight!
    Read this:
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/10589-for-those-confused-or-questioning-eating-your-exercise-calo
  • DavPul
    DavPul Posts: 61,406 Member
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    dawesome_zps678c8fde.jpg

    this goes to everyone that contributed on this thread. solid advice given, personal experiences shared, and to the OP for hearing what people were saying and recognizing good advice. i like days when the forums work the way they should.








    brb gotta go nuke another hcg tread
  • LishieFruit89
    LishieFruit89 Posts: 1,956 Member
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    I have lost 7 lbs in a week before and am not aware of any permanent damage! It always went back on again and I know it's not the healthiest way of doing it, but my staring weight was 158 lbs. and the bigger you are to start with the faster you can lose it right? I mean some people can lose like 30 lbs in a week on the biggest loser! I actually lost 5 lbs last week, just from eating 1200 calories a day and exercising (sometimes eating back my exercise calories, sometimes not) and there was nothing unhealthy about that as far as I can see.

    Most of that was water if you just started.
    And since you're only trying to lose 22lbs, it's definitely going to slow waaaaaaaay down.

    Also, Biggest Loser "weeks" aren't 7 days. They vary from 7 days to 15 days, there are some articles about.
    Plus those people are very obese, working out hours & hours a day, and eating only 1200 calories.
    They are harming themselves for your entertainment.
  • LishieFruit89
    LishieFruit89 Posts: 1,956 Member
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    Thanks for all of the on-topic posts.

    I'm not going to post to this thread anymore. Anyone who wants to follow my progress is welcome to add me as a friend.

    Nah....I won't be following the "Mom on a mission."

    Thank you for noticing that as well!!
  • Jademadeley
    Jademadeley Posts: 21
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    I haven't just started I've been dieting since the beginning of December, I've just stepped up my exercise for the last couple of weeks. I know it's going to slow down as I haven't got that much weight to lose, that was my point - that he will be fine! And you say on the biggest loser they are harming themselves but they are a lot healthier at the end of it than they were to start with.
    I have lost 7 lbs in a week before and am not aware of any permanent damage! It always went back on again and I know it's not the healthiest way of doing it, but my staring weight was 158 lbs. and the bigger you are to start with the faster you can lose it right? I mean some people can lose like 30 lbs in a week on the biggest loser! I actually lost 5 lbs last week, just from eating 1200 calories a day and exercising (sometimes eating back my exercise calories, sometimes not) and there was nothing unhealthy about that as far as I can see.

    Most of that was water if you just started.
    And since you're only trying to lose 22lbs, it's definitely going to slow waaaaaaaay down.

    Also, Biggest Loser "weeks" aren't 7 days. They vary from 7 days to 15 days, there are some articles about.
    Plus those people are very obese, working out hours & hours a day, and eating only 1200 calories.
    They are harming themselves for your entertainment.
  • triciab79
    triciab79 Posts: 1,713 Member
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    I lost an average of 2.5lbs a week and it had no permanent damaging effect. I took a multivitamin and came out of it just fine. I dropped 90lbs this way in about 8 months.
  • MissFitee
    MissFitee Posts: 106 Member
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    It's been a while since I studied, but IIRC orthorexia is more common than anorexia in men. I have to say not everyone who wants to eat very little are anorexic. Some are just very eager and motivated to reach their goals. They usually either learn the hard way, or they listen to trained or experienced people. =)
    A few of them will fall hard though...
  • SanteMulberry
    SanteMulberry Posts: 3,202 Member
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    I lost an average of 2.5lbs a week and it had no permanent damaging effect. I took a multivitamin and came out of it just fine. I dropped 90lbs this way in about 8 months.

    You're very fortunate. The first time I had a rapid weight loss, I lost 60 pounds (in 5 months) and I looked and felt good at the end of my diet (I was 22 years old). But I gained it all back plus more because I learned only that I could lose weight--not how to lose body fat healthfully. Then I did a myriad of stupid weight loss junky crash diets (you name it--I've done them all). The result was that I lost my health and I gave up. I figured that I just had to accept being obese. Then, one day, a couple of years ago, I got mad at feeling so crummy and I decided to learn about what I needed to do to lose body fat while retaining what health I have left. Ultimately, it brought me here and I will never go back to stupid again. Slow and steady wins the race for the long haul. :smile: (And I've lost 53 lbs. to date over almost 3 years--and I have not regained during that time.)
  • stephgas
    stephgas Posts: 159 Member
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    i read the whole thread and think i am entitled to a reward.

    also, consult your doctor. that's a lot of weight to lose in a short time, and i think that calorie deficit is way too low for a male trying to build muscle. HOWEVER each individual person is different - there is no one size fits all for losing weight. talk to your doctor, have him recommend a dietician/nutritionist to work with, and determine what is the best, healthiest, safest way for you to lose that amount of weight.
  • taiyola
    taiyola Posts: 964 Member
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    Well, you answered your own question in a way. How did it work out for you last time? You gained all the weight back. What do you think is going to happen this time?

    Why not take a sensible approach and more importantly - use that approach on a PERMANENT basis so you're not gaining and losing weight constantly. If you "felt great" on 1200 calories then why did you regain all the weight? Because you didn't feel great on 1200, you needed (and wanted) to eat a lot more. And you did, resulting in the destruction of your previous losses.

    Moderate deficit, lots of time. Give yourself a year at least. Even better - two.

    :drinker:
  • taiyola
    taiyola Posts: 964 Member
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    Also, just to add a tiny point. I starved and treated my body badly for 12 years with eating disorders. Now I'm "healthy" I am left with a high body fat percentage, and I'm fat without being fat. If I eat over 1500 calories, I gain weight and balloon.

    So, IMO, you do damage your metabolism through starvation. Long-term, anyway. I do think you can repair it though, as I used to gain if I ate 1000 calories - so there's a definite improvement.

    My friend was drunk and poked me saying "you've got a lot of fat for a skinny person" - is that how you want to be?

    Just a thought. :)
  • LishieFruit89
    LishieFruit89 Posts: 1,956 Member
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    I haven't just started I've been dieting since the beginning of December, I've just stepped up my exercise for the last couple of weeks. I know it's going to slow down as I haven't got that much weight to lose, that was my point - that he will be fine! And you say on the biggest loser they are harming themselves but they are a lot healthier at the end of it than they were to start with.
    I have lost 7 lbs in a week before and am not aware of any permanent damage! It always went back on again and I know it's not the healthiest way of doing it, but my staring weight was 158 lbs. and the bigger you are to start with the faster you can lose it right? I mean some people can lose like 30 lbs in a week on the biggest loser! I actually lost 5 lbs last week, just from eating 1200 calories a day and exercising (sometimes eating back my exercise calories, sometimes not) and there was nothing unhealthy about that as far as I can see.

    Most of that was water if you just started.
    And since you're only trying to lose 22lbs, it's definitely going to slow waaaaaaaay down.

    Also, Biggest Loser "weeks" aren't 7 days. They vary from 7 days to 15 days, there are some articles about.
    Plus those people are very obese, working out hours & hours a day, and eating only 1200 calories.
    They are harming themselves for your entertainment.

    They are not necessarily healthier - they just weigh less.

    Read this:
    http://popwatch.ew.com/2010/06/18/biggest-loser-allegations-kai-hibbard/
    http://www.bodylovewellness.com/2010/06/09/kai-hibbard-biggest-loser-finalist-part-1-of-3/ (3 parts)
  • dixiewhiskey
    dixiewhiskey Posts: 3,333 Member
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    I don't have the patience to read through this entire thread, first page says enough.

    You will not find anyone here who will recommend this absurd weight loss regime. Not to mention, you may weigh less but have less muscle which you need to burn fat. You will just become "skinny fat" with sagging skin that will cost thousands to fix with surgery.

    NOT worth it.
  • dixiewhiskey
    dixiewhiskey Posts: 3,333 Member
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    i read the whole thread and think i am entitled to a reward.

    :laugh: :laugh: :laugh:
  • Pinkylee77
    Pinkylee77 Posts: 432 Member
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    My only suggestion would be to do this under the supervision of a physician. This would make sure you are getting enough micro nutrients and do not suffer any deficiencies. There are some very good bariatric physicians out there. Good luck

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