Is 1000 calories REALLY too little?

Also FWIW, everyone should ask themselves when they start a weight loss journey "Is this sustainable and do I want to eat like this for the rest of my life?" If you can fathom restricting your dietary intake that much, for the rest of your life, want to end up lethargic, malnourished and deprived, then you go with your sacrificing self. This is real life. EAT FOR LIFE.

resistance training minimizes muscle loss. I wouldn't recommend staying at such a low caloric amount long-term.

Resistance training + sufficient calorie intake from adequate protein intake minimizes muscle loss you mean.

One of my coworkers started the diet for people 5'4" and under. She consumes 1100 calories a day for two or four days then bumps it up to 1600 for a single day. Since January 1, she has lost 21 lbs. I think the program is called the short peoples diet? Good luck.

Hello all, relative newbie here.

The TL;DR is that I'm very short, and if I stick to the minimum of 1200 calories a day net, I don't even make a 500 cal/day deficit; therefore, I do 1000 calories a day--is this REALLY too little?

I'm about 5'1", and was close to 140 at the start. I'd like to be 115, so that's a 25 pound difference. I've been eating 1000 net most days (some more, some less) for the past month and I've lost about four pounds. So the 1000/day seems to be working, and I rarely feel deprived or hungry. I do an hour of cardio once a week and and hour of yoga, plus briskly walking all over campus all day, every day (comes to 40-100 minutes per day).

I'm happy right now, but everyone who mentions cutting down to 1000 calories seems to get an instant reprimand. Shouldn't I just stick with what works and adjust from there?

If you are Sedentary (little or no exercise), Your Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) with TDEE is 1753.68 calories per day. To lose 1 lb a week (average), you would cut 500 a day putting you at 1253 calories per day. If you eat back your exercise calories, then you shouldn't have a problem.

Same here I eat about 1400-1500 a day but after hitting the gym I end up netting like 700-800 on most days. I'm not hungry and I've been building muscle. and before people ask how I know I'm building muscle simple answer I had no bulging bicep nor bulding pecs now I do and my shirts are tight around my arms from the biceps. I've been eating this way for years I just never kept track of calories so I had no idea that I always ate so little. If you can't eat anymore you can't eat anymore. Don't force yourself. Losing weight is not worth making yourself sick whether its eating to little or eating more than you can physically handle. Try to eat nutrtious foods and add little things to get you closer to what your net is supposed to be. I personally havent been using MFP for weightloss I've been using it to track protein and carbs since I'm weightlifting now. So i don't go by the calories or suggestions. Basically I don't follow the program nor have the intention of doing so. This does'nt mean I don't think it's a useful program for some people I think it is. For me however I never hit the net and apparantly since I've always eaten this way and I never would have before.Just do what you can to follow the program if you do intend of fully trying it out and see if it works for you. I find it for me I just need to exercise and cut out fried foods and salty snacks and that works fine for me. And like many have said be prepared for people to beat you up for saying you are eating 1,000 calories the support you may get may be very little so find strength in your own will. For some reason the internet makes people think they are experts.

Good luck, eat healthty and be kind to yourself.

I'm still trying to figure out what works best for me. I think that a lot of days I would have to force myself to eat the extra calories to make it to 1200--and not in a healthy way. I may try upping to 1200 for a few weeks and see if I''m still losing/losing more/staying steady/gaining.

I'll see if I can make an appointment with a dietician here on campus and see what he/she says.

Same here I eat about 1400-1500 a day but after hitting the gym I end up netting like 700-800 on most days. I'm not hungry and I've been building muscle. and before people ask how I know I'm building muscle simple answer I had no bicep nor pecs now I do and my shirts are tight around my arms from the biceps. I've been eating this way for years I just never kept track of calories so I had no idea that I always ate so little. If you can't eat anymore you can't eat anymore. Don't force yourself. But try to eat nutrtious foods and add little things to get you closer to what your net is supposed to be. I personally havent been using MFP for weightloss I've been using it to track protein and carbs since I'm weightlifting now. So i don't go by the calories or suggestions. Basically I don't follow the program nor have the intention of doing so. this does'nt mean I don't think it's a useful program for some people I think it is. For me however I never hit the net and apparantly since I've always eaten this way and I never would have before.Just do what you can to follow the program if you do intend of fully trying it out and see if it works for you. I find it for me I just need to exercise and cut out fried foods and salty snacks and that works fine for me. And like many have said be prepared for people to beat you up for saying you are eating 1,000 calories the support you may get may be very little so find strength in your own will. Good luck

You're not building muscle. Practically impossible to do on calorie deficit. Regular weight lifting keeps your muscles "full" by retaining more water for repair, and storage of glycogen. If you stopped working out and ate the same, your muscle would deflate because the body would sense no exercise and stop storing the water and glycogen.


A.C.E. Certified Personal Trainer
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Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 28+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

Practically impossible. It's also praticably impossible for a human to lift a car but I've seen it.

People don't lift cars on a daily basis.

It's also praticably impossible to win at the roulette table seen that too lol.

Luck isn't needed in gaining muscle, it's actually a science unlike roulette.

hmmmm funny i need bigger shirts cus my arms dont fit in the shirts i have now... and... they were skinny lanky things before. If seeing is believing I believe. But everyone is entitled to their opinion ,beauty of it all:) SO we can disagree and be agreeable I'm sure.

Illusion of building muscle comes with loss of body fat. We hear it all the time on the forums. We can disagree, but actual facts I speak of are from peer reviewed clinical study. So as you can see I don't state opinion.


A.C.E. Certified Personal Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 28+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

Yeah people don't lift cars every day exactly my point just because something is praticably inpossible doesn't mean it is. and yes luck has nothign to do with gaining muscle but it serves as a point that just because something doesn't happen all the time it doesn't mean it doesn't happen. I think most people can agree with that. I'm not trying to argue about what has happened to me cus I see the change and I feel the change in my clothes. I'm also not condoning eating very low calories. What I'm saying is I eat low calories not because I chose to but because I can't physically eat anymore and I have not had any negative results. I think it's fair to say that some people can eat very little and be fine and some can eat a ton also be fine. I personally don't want to make myself sick just to lose weight by eating way to much. Again losing weight is not worth hurting yourself over so if you can't eat anymore don't do it and make yourself sick to lose weight. Anywho going to go buy some new shirts for my illusions. good luck in your battles everyone

"You're not building muscle. Practically impossible to do on calorie deficit. Regular weight lifting keeps your muscles "full" by retaining more water for repair, and storage of glycogen. If you stopped working out and ate the same, your muscle would deflate because the body would sense no exercise and stop storing the water and glycogen. "




Practically impossible. It's also praticably impossible for a human to lift a car but I've seen it. It's also praticably impossible to win at the roulette table seen that too lol. hmmmm funny i need bigger shirts cus my arms dont fit in the shirts i have now... and... they were skinny lanky things before. If seeing is believing I believe. But everyone is entitled to their opinion ,beauty of it all:) SO we can disagree and be agreeable I'm sure.

sw was 250 cw 207. I did get down to 193 at one point. I however think I look my best around 200.

I'm 5'2" and stopped losing weight when I went below 1200 because of the metabolism drop, so you should stick to the higher level to be healthy and actually achieve your goal, ESPECIALLY if you're working out.

At 5'1" & 115lbs, my bmr is ~1390, so 1000 probably is too little for you no matter your weight.
Calculate your bmr & you should have AT LEAST that every day since it's the amount you'd need if you laid still all day.
1000 calories isn't enough for your body to just function & even if you don't have any ill effects now, it's not good for you in the long run.
Take care & stay healthy! xx

This is a great reply!

Personally I don't think 200 calories will make such a huge difference. However you voiced some concerns so maybe add a protein shake if you like to try those. Or add some wheat crackers or peanut butter or nuts. I find that I also can't eat alot but having a protein shake to sip on helps get you closer to your net.

One last reply (I'm the OP),
I'm netting around 1000. I usually eat 1200 a day, or even more on my workout days, but the total (calories-exercise calories) is around 1000.
It's not like I'm eating only 1000 a day and then burning 400 or more from exercise.
I basically feel like MFP would tell me daily that I need to eat more calories, and that I'd simply eat a cookie or two to satisfy the necessity to keep it at 1200.
On the other hand, it's possible that the metabolic slowing from eating 1000/day counteracts any benefit I'd get from having a higher deficit. So I'd lose 1 lb/week eating 1200, or eating 1000.

I sure wouldn't recommend eating a cookie to put it to 1200 -- an extra couple ounces of chicken, some nuts, something like that :P

Unless you're 4'10", yes.