Low calorie diet bad in any way?

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rg101
rg101 Posts: 1 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Hello guys,

I have been on a low carb diet (around 20g a day or less) for 3 and a half weeks now, I started off at 100kg (220lbs) and I'm now 94kg. (207lbs) with a goal of reaching 80kg (176lbs) by 1st of July.

I'm 23 and 6'1, I have quite an active job and would weight lift 4 times a week, don't really do much cardio as I prefer weight training but I am going to start doing HIIT training from next week to burn as much fat as possible.

My calorie intake is around 800-900 calories which is basically chicken for breakfast, lunch and dinner with nuts for fat and I feel fine, don't feel tired or hungry as I'm drinking a lot of water to fill my stomach.


My biggest question is; does this have any serious effects on my body and will I lose a lot of muscle mass by keeping this up until july?

Help and suggestions would be amazing.

Replies

  • WBB55
    WBB55 Posts: 4,131 Member
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    I urge you to eat more. I'm going to assume you're male.

    Doing HIIT on 800 calories is a recipe for disaster. If you lose 44 lbs in that short of time, half of it will probably be lean mass. It does have serious effects on your body including extremely hard to reverse damage to your bones.

    Whether or not you're hungry is not a good indication that your eating plan is good for you or healthy.
  • lemur_lady
    lemur_lady Posts: 350 Member
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    You'll find it hard if not impossible to get decent nutrition on that few calories. Plus like the PP said you'll lose lean muscle mass. You dont want that.

    Eat sensibly and cut at a reasonable deficit.
  • diannethegeek
    diannethegeek Posts: 14,776 Member
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    1200 calories is the minimum recommended for a sedentary woman. You appear to be neither of those things and should be eating more. The 1200 calorie minimum is more about making sure that you're getting adequate nutrition. It's very hard to get enough of the nutrients you need when you're eating so little.

    Yes, you are risking a loss of lean muscle mass at this level. You might also see fatigue, lethargy, reduced gym performance, brittle nails, saggy skin, etc.

    Remember that hunger isn't always the best indicator that you're getting enough to eat. The hormones that control your hunger cues can be suppressed by too many things. And hunger won't always tell you if you're, for instance, losing muscle mass or bone density.
  • thatonegirlwiththestuff
    thatonegirlwiththestuff Posts: 1,171 Member
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    Holy hell, you NEED to up your calories. Probably to around 2000+. Manipulating your macros is fine, but dropping your cals to 800 a day?! You're going to be skin and bones. Quite literally skin and bones, you're burning off so much lean muscle doing that and probably severely damaging your metabolism. I am not trying to scare you, but at 6'1'', your age and gender, plus working out, you have got to consume a great deal more calories than that.
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
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    Chicken and nuts?

    No fruit, veg, potatoes? Ice cream? Doughnuts? Beer?
  • donyellemoniquex3
    donyellemoniquex3 Posts: 2,384 Member
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    I urge you to eat more. I'm going to assume you're male.

    Doing HIIT on 800 calories is a recipe for disaster. If you lose 44 lbs in that short of time, half of it will probably be lean mass. It does have serious effects on your body including extremely hard to reverse damage to your bones.

    Whether or not you're hungry is not a good indication that your eating plan is good for you or healthy.
  • AbsoluteFittest
    AbsoluteFittest Posts: 19 Member
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    What happens with a extreme low calorie diet is your body will shut down the digestive system. What this means is that you will store fat for the next time you eat because your body is in starvation mode. Furthermore, your body will utilize protein first and take from the muscle. Causing a decrease in muscle and less energy.

    Try maintaining a diet of eating more frequently of 6 times a day every 2 hours. This will speed up the metabolism and help the body burn fat but feed the muscle. Also, Amino Acids will also help build and maintain muscle.

    -Ryan
  • Paco4gsc
    Paco4gsc Posts: 119 Member
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    My biggest question is; does this have any serious effects on my body and will I lose a lot of muscle mass by keeping this up until july? .

    Yes and yes.

    Also, your plan was to lose ~44 pounds in about 2 months? Where's the fire?
  • WBB55
    WBB55 Posts: 4,131 Member
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    I just have to say this, and I'm basically trying to scare you:

    If you do HIIT, this means your heart will be working as hard as it can to pump blood to your brain and body. Your heart requires calcium (among other things, like amino acids) to beat each beat. If you aren't eating enough food that contains nutrients, like amino acids and calcium, your body will cannibalize the nutrients your heart needs from other parts of your body. Your heart is so important that your body will indiscriminately cannibalize anywhere it can. Including dissolving your own bones and muscles (4 orthopedic surgeries, 3 bone plates, 2 bone grafts later, I can tell you THIS. IS. NOT. FUN.)

    If you're doing HIIT, and you aren't eating enough nutrients, and you torment your body to the point where it can't cannibalize itself fast enough to meet the needs of your heart muscles, YOUR HEART WILL GET DAMAGED. It is the only heart you have.

    Please eat more.
  • diannethegeek
    diannethegeek Posts: 14,776 Member
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    Here are some threads that will help you to set healthier goals:
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1235566-so-you-re-new-here
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1080242-a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/819055-setting-your-calorie-and-macro-targets
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1234699-logging-accurately-step-by-step-guide
  • firestation12
    firestation12 Posts: 21
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    Wouldn't it be a good idea to see a doctor before starting any diet?
    I did and can stay on the 1200 calorie diet.
  • ThickMcRunFast
    ThickMcRunFast Posts: 22,511 Member
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    what_could_possibly_go_wrong_here_540.jpg
  • richardheath
    richardheath Posts: 1,276 Member
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    If you weigh 80 lbs or less, you might not lose muscle mass. According to something I just read*, you need to be taking in about 10 cal/lb to maintain LBM while dieting (as long as you are also getting sufficient protein). So, if you are 200 lb now, that means you are actually on about 4 cal per pound. WAY below the safe level for maintaining muscle mass.

    Plus - just no. Whatever made you think that was a good way to diet?

    The only way to safely lose 30 lb in a few months is to invent a time machine and start sooner.


    *http://www.leanbodiesconsulting.com/articles/the-protein-interview-an-interview-with-dr-stuart-phillips/


    ETA: to get enough protein, you would need to be eating about 5-600 calories worth of protein per day - almost your entire daily calorie intake!
  • jofjltncb6
    jofjltncb6 Posts: 34,415 Member
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    Hello guys,

    I have been on a low carb diet (around 20g a day or less) for 3 and a half weeks now, I started off at 100kg (220lbs) and I'm now 94kg. (207lbs) with a goal of reaching 80kg (176lbs) by 1st of July.

    I'm 23 and 6'1, I have quite an active job and would weight lift 4 times a week, don't really do much cardio as I prefer weight training but I am going to start doing HIIT training from next week to burn as much fat as possible.

    My calorie intake is around 800-900 calories which is basically chicken for breakfast, lunch and dinner with nuts for fat and I feel fine, don't feel tired or hungry as I'm drinking a lot of water to fill my stomach.


    My biggest question is; does this have any serious effects on my body and will I lose a lot of muscle mass by keeping this up until july?

    Help and suggestions would be amazing.

    OP, what have you been doing between June 2012 and April 2014?
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