If I cosume only 700calories/day will it affect my health?

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  • freemind990
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    you guys scared the **** out of me that I instantly ate some food
  • robot_potato
    robot_potato Posts: 1,535 Member
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    Get thee a sandwich, post haste!
  • MelanieKer14
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    If you do this your body will go into starvation mode. You will not lose the weight safely. If you really want to make a change in your life, you should only lose 1 - 2 pounds a week. This will ensure that you are eating properly and still losing weight. If done right you are never hungry!
  • tracieangeletti
    tracieangeletti Posts: 432 Member
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    700?!?! I can burn that during a good trip to the bathroom. I'm well over that by lunchtime. How are you even upright?

    LOL!!! :laugh:
  • EatClean_WashUrNuts
    EatClean_WashUrNuts Posts: 1,590 Member
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    Your body will adjust. My recommendation, stop eating now. Go Ghandi. You be skinny in no time....
  • ladymiseryali
    ladymiseryali Posts: 2,555 Member
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    My breakfast was almost 700 calories

    On lifting days, I eat about that much for breakfast. Couldn't imagine trying to live off that much a day.
  • tracieangeletti
    tracieangeletti Posts: 432 Member
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    you guys scared the **** out of me that I instantly ate some food

    MUCH better for you in the long run!! Trust us serial dieters when we tell you low cal doesn't work. It just doesn't.
  • Stronger_Diva
    Stronger_Diva Posts: 149 Member
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    jzammetti nailed it. The most immediate down side of sever calorie restriction is that your body will selectively hold onto fat tissue, and will instead burn muscle tissue to make up for the difference between caloric intake and the requirements of your organs and regular body functions. So while the *weight* will come off fast, your overall body fat % isn't going to shift as much as it would if you fuel yourself with a balanced diet. At the end of the day the goal is to lose *fat* not just pounds, for that you need to be eating enough calories to fuel your body, while maintaining a slight deficit and doing strength training and other exercises to maintain lean muscle tissue.

    Long term, sever calorie restriction can cause organ damage. The effect of the body burning muscle tissue for fuel applies to your heart -> can cause serious heart related complication in addition to a myriad of other things.

    I'd recommend checking out Fat 2 Fit radio's pod casts, and nerdfitness.com. Both sites have a lot of information about how to set goals to achieve fitness, health and body composition goals. At the end of the day, the important thing is to be strong and healthy. Starving yourself isn't the way to get there.

    Very well said.

    In general, very slight cut back (-300 calories per day) on calories vs. BMR and burn the rest on physical activity.

    Ever since I've been doing it the right way, my hair has thanked me.
  • Benloree
    Benloree Posts: 1
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    Yes it will cause damage in the long run.

    I found that if I eat less than 1200 caleries a day for more than two days. I start having really bad cravings and am so hungry that I will binge with 3000 or more calories for two or three days. Defeating the two days my calorie intake of less than 1200.

    Do the calculations on Myfitnesspal.com. Set a goal of only losing 1 pound a week. (yes, I know, but have patiences It didn't take you two months to put the weight on) You'll feel better, have more energy, no food cravings, and no hunger pangs)

    Eat the foods you normally would eat. Not someone elses idea (DIETS) of the foods you should eat. Myfitnesspal.com has so many ways to track your food intake and your portion size and any exercises you do.

    I've learned to watch my sugar and salt intake which was way too high before Myfitnesspal.com.
    I have lost 7 pounds in just 3 weeks, I know the weight loss will slow down.
    BUT! What I like most is I"M NOT HUNGRY ANYMORE.
  • Sactown900
    Sactown900 Posts: 162 Member
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    I have did this and lost 24 lbs since 1/1/13, but I have no energy (I LOVE lifting weights). I am supposed to eat 1860 calories a day, but lowered it to 1700 with 400-650 a day of aerobics. I suffered the next day when I realized I ate only 1200 calories the previous day and did 500+ calories of exercise.

    Instead of going to the gym or the 2nd 40 minute walk with the Lab at home, I dozed off on the couch after work. By 8pm I was in bed.
  • Espressocycle
    Espressocycle Posts: 2,245 Member
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    Yes. You will lose muscle, become a weakling, risk damaging your body and probably end up messing up your metabolism. At the very least, you will be deficient in nutrients.
  • Toddahlie
    Toddahlie Posts: 116 Member
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    Why you don't eat!!!!???

    Before I did that and it was the worst thing that I ever do!! It's very bad for you healthy!
  • LessMe2B
    LessMe2B Posts: 316
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    You should totally do it. Natural selection will do the rest.

    :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh:

    :flowerforyou: For the poster of this comment!!
  • sk_pirate
    sk_pirate Posts: 282 Member
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    what are your recommendations

    Eat more.

    QFT
  • socialkombat
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    Yes - your body will go into starvation mode, will start cannibalizing muscle and other tissue, and while you may lose a lot at first, your body's metabolism will eventually slow waaaaay down TO KEEP YOU ALIVE. Meanwhile, you will feel like crap.

    What everyone else said - ya gotta eat to lose, no two ways about it.
  • Stronger_Diva
    Stronger_Diva Posts: 149 Member
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    I don't want to alarm you but this is very dangerous. You could be setting yourself up for an eating disorder. That is the worst case scenario, if that doesn't sound serious you must not be aware of all the implications. It will not only impact your physical health, but it is a mental health issue as well a serious one.

    Best case scenario, you lose the weight. Which it sounds like you don't have much to lose maybe 30 lbs. But, you have no idea now how to eat healthy how to add calories back in. Your body is angry now because you have been starving for several months. You have lost muscle tone, your metabolism is in the crapper. You may have issues with depression now, because you body is going to want to slow down to conserve calories and that will effect your mental health. But, since you have lost the weight you are motivated enough to see a doctor and get your health back on track, it will probably take a year or more, you most likely will not be able to do it, but you are highly motivated and you add calories back slowly and you learn to eat healthy and exercise and maybe that loose skin starts to firm up a bit. But, most likely you will gain everything back, bodies have a way of making you do things that you would really rather not do. The drive to eat is primal.

    So since it will take a year or more to fix your health if you haven't done any permanent damage, why not take the time to do it right. If you have 34 lbs to lose 68 tops, then what is the rush. You aren't morbidly obese. You might not even be obese at your height. So, just being overweight not a huge deal. Most people in this country are 66% according to most sources. You are one of the lucky ones as a matter of fact. You can take control of your diet and your health now before developing serious issues like diabetes and heart disease. Shoot for one pound a week, two at the most. It's very doable, it doesn't have to be all that painful. But, you will have to make changes and gradual is better and will be much less a strain emotionally.

    Add some fiber to your diet. Get a bit of exercise like an hour a day or at least a half hour. Cut out processed foods gradually and replace them with a homemade versions provided the home version is actually healthier. Switch from white potato french fries to sweet potato ones for one example of a healthier switch. Drink more water or herbal tea. But, what ever you do don't do anything drastic. Bodies don't like drastic measures.

    Excellent!! Great post.
  • persistantone
    persistantone Posts: 59 Member
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    Can anyone explain WHY the body would use muscle before the fat stores are low? I just don't think that it makes much sense.

    Your body burns muscle first because it thinks you are starving and wants to stave off death for as long as possible. Fat is the body's best source of stored energy, so it saves it for last. And when you start eating again, the body is like holy crap, let me save up (fat) just in case there's another famine.
  • krhn
    krhn Posts: 781 Member
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    What you re basically doing is mimicking (intentionally or not) those from the biggest loser show - as everyone knows after they come off the program they just pack back on the weight !
    Short answer is yes, it will affect your health in that you haven't got all your macro nutrients let alone micro! It will also lower your metabolism so it could potentially have the reverse effect as your body may go into starvation mode where it just keeps your fat and use your lean muscle to survive!

    Now reading that your 5'9, I would expect you to eat at least double the amount you currently consume!

    Good luck :noway:
  • LauraDotts
    LauraDotts Posts: 732 Member
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    Don't forget, your heart is a muscle. A super low calorie diet can damage your heart. Increasing your calories after that damage is done won't fix it.
  • ILiftHeavyAcrylics
    ILiftHeavyAcrylics Posts: 27,732 Member
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    As far as the "I can regain the muscle later" comment-- it's a lot harder to build muscle than I think you realize. It's much easier (and better IMO) to hold on to the muscle you have while you lose fat.