Concerned about not eating enough - muscle loss

carlhussey88
carlhussey88 Posts: 1 Member
edited December 2024 in Health and Weight Loss
My calorie goal is 1840 @ losing 2lbs per week. I eat around 1,000 calories due to work life balance and cross fit during the week. Most of the time I tend to eat food even when I'm not hungry to get closer to the calorie goal. I walk/run an average of 20,000 steps per day which is a difference of ~2,000 calories earned from exercising.

My concern is if I don't eat enough, I will start to lose the little muscle I am starting to gain. However, if I'm not hungry, I don't feel like I should be eating for the hell of it.

I am losing weight which is a good thing but I don't know how much of that could be muscle which is what concerns me. I understand most people intentionally under eat in effort to lose weight but there is a difference between not wanting to and my body not being hungry.

Thoughts?

Replies

  • rsclause
    rsclause Posts: 3,103 Member
    That's not much more than my breakfast and I can lose weight. I run 5 - 8 miles most mornings and needed the calories. I think you want a slight deficit to lose and keep as much muscle as possible. In the end I think you will lose both fat and muscle in deficit. I wouldn't stop working out though.
  • Maxematics
    Maxematics Posts: 2,287 Member
    I'm going to guess you've just started doing this recently because there is no way you'd be able to function otherwise. Your workout performance would suffer and your energy levels would plummet. If this has been going on for a while, you're either not feeling the effects as much due to a high body fat percentage or you're eating more calories than you think. In any case, it's not healthy. I'm 5'3" and 112 pounds and I can't even function on any less than 1800 calories per day.
  • Spliner1969
    Spliner1969 Posts: 3,233 Member
    Sabine_Stroehm wrote: »
    You're going to hurt yourself. Period. Not gonna sugar coat it. You're eating 800 calories LESS than the most aggressive weight loss. AND you're exercising a ton.

    All a huge set up to something bad.

    FOLLOW MFP's guidelines. Don't eat like a short 70 year old woman.

    I'd have to agree. That's what happened to me. I set myself at a 2lb/wk loss then exercised a LOT and didn't eat back those calories, or very little, and ended up injuring myself a couple times. Muscle gain was 0, and muscle loss was getting bad as well.

    If time is a factor, go buy protein bars at the store and eat one a day for a snack. You can easily add 30g protein and 400ish calories with one of the larger ones. Hell some of them taste really good (some suck.. your mileage may vary). Also, consider buying protein powder. It comes in many flavors and will help you add back in protein to your diet as well as some calories. If what you describe is true, you need to eat at the level MFP sets you, and you need to eat back part (not all) of your exercise calories. I say not all because exercise calorie estimates are usually inflated a bit. So don't eat back 100%, maybe 60% instead. It will seem like you're eating too much, and the weight go up slightly the first few days, but you will start to gain muscle over time and then drop weight by losing fat. Consider trying the calculator at iifym.com. Be honest with the things it asks you about exercise and see where it sets you. That'll give you an idea of what you should be eating overall daily.
  • jennifer_417
    jennifer_417 Posts: 12,344 Member
    edited June 2016
    You have to think more long- term. Yeah, you might feel ok right now, but that won't last forever. The body is amazingly resilient, but you can't abuse it indefinitely and expect positive results.
  • cgrout78
    cgrout78 Posts: 1,628 Member
    throw in protein shakes if nothing else, a person can usually drink something even if they don't feel hungry. I usually have at least one, and sometimes 2 if I feel full and can't "eat" in order to keep my calories up
  • AnvilHead
    AnvilHead Posts: 18,340 Member
    carlhussey88 wrote: »
    ...My concern is if I don't eat enough, I will start to lose the little muscle I am starting to gain.
    ...
    Thoughts?

    Your concerns are valid. You're not eating enough to properly sustain an 8-year old child, let alone an active grown man. Not only do you increase the risk of losing lean body mass, your workout performance (and overall health) is going to crater at some point. What you're doing isn't sustainable, nor is it healthy.
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
    Open your diary
  • lauraesh0384
    lauraesh0384 Posts: 463 Member
    Eat more calorie dense foods to get your calories higher. I'm 5'6" 161 lbs and I eat around 2000 calories a day with my net being around 1600. I would be tired all day long if I ate that little. You should think of a sustainable long term plan. Chances are you didn't become overweight by eating so few calories. You need to fuel your body for workouts and every day activity.
  • VintageFeline
    VintageFeline Posts: 6,771 Member
    I think if you are truly eating that little and exercising that much muscle loss is the least of your worries.
  • mitch16
    mitch16 Posts: 2,113 Member
    How tall are you? How much do you weigh currently? What are your weightloss goals? How many pounds per week are you losing currently?
  • kimny72
    kimny72 Posts: 16,011 Member
    How are you measuring? 1,000 calories is not much food, and considering your activity level, you would be starving if you were regularly eating 1,000 calories. I am a 43 yr old, 130 lb female lightly active, and if I eat less than 1500 cals I get mega hangry.

    If you really are eating 1,000 cals regularly, you will lose muscle. You'll also lose hair, weaken your immune system, and a host of other issues.
  • EvgeniZyntx
    EvgeniZyntx Posts: 24,208 Member
    Yep. If you are really eating like that you aren't eating enough.
  • Sabine_Stroehm
    Sabine_Stroehm Posts: 19,251 Member
    Please read all the comments you're getting.
This discussion has been closed.

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