Hey everybody. I started my low cal diet about a month and a half ago to lose body fat. I was told to take off say 200 calories below my RDA. Now the very vague RDA of calories for a male is 2500. Since I started my diet I've been having 1500 calories a day max. It hasnt even been very difficult, I have been eating less but I was eating far too much anyway. Plus I've changed the foods I eat. Now I'm 6'2 and about 200lbs. I do a short amount of running and weightlifting twice a week. I was told if I dont have enough calories then I'll burn muscle instead of fat, makes sense. The bizaare thing though is that on this 1500 calorie a day diet I've lost around 8lbs so far and lost pretty much no muscle. Well I dont know that for certain but I have not lost any strength at the gym. Whats very strange is I've actually GAINED strength. It's not unusual though since I was gaining strength steadily on my previous diet, it's just continued through this one. The only difference I can see is that because I've lowered my Calories I've started having a very high protein diet. Lot's of fish, chicken and eggs are common now. I've also started taking Omega 3 supplements. How about that?
1500 kcal diet is usually given to a person who needs to lose a good amout of weight. you can lose muscle you have'nt yet but it's only been dieting for a short period. do a 3 day long of what you normally eat and then add the kcal intake for each day. if you cut out 250 kcal by diet or by exercising them off you should lose the weighht in a healthy manner.a wt lose of 2-5 lbs a week is good but htere will be times when you lose more and less good luck
only 1500kcal a day? im on a low calorie diet also and i average around 1800 and im using a MRP for my lunch. Either add a protein shake such as mucle milk or simply add milk to one of your shakes for the extra calories and vitamins or add some extra fruit because you will start burning muscle if you continue like that.
I get between 1600 to 2000, which includes 2 Whey Shakes a day, and thats on a roughly 4 meals a day thing. Ive lost fat and T-worded my overall physique. Not 100 percent happy yet though (friggin gut fat is still there...) 1500 is really low, I didnt even go that low when I first started dieting for weight loss, and i was 17st back then!
Why would you loose muscle before fat on a calorie restricted diet. Fat, is stored energy, right? So why would your body neglect stored energy reserves and start catabolism? Does not make much sense to me. I have not been lifting consistently for around 9 months, and about 4-5 month in to not lifting I lost about 6 kg of muscle, that’s without any diet. I’ve been on a calorie restricted diet, around 1400-1700 a day, for the past 2-3 months, I initially lost some fat from my gut, the only place I really had it, but that’s it. I’m still on the diet now just cause it seems that it is not necessary to eat more, I feel good and energetic, my strength has not changed, muscles have not shrunk (since the shrinkage due to not working out as aforemntioned), stamina has gone up and I have more time as I eat less. I don’t really know what to make of any of the above, but it seems to me that the body adapts to reduced calorie intake and works just fine, perhaps the only muscles that waste away are the unnecessary large ones that will reduce if you stop training, and not necessarily anything to do with diet, but who knows. What do you reckon?
I do 1300-1500 calories per day. I am very meticulous about what I eat, and have lost a good amount of weight since I was able to get back into training after surgery. In the last month or two I've lost 2 inches around the waist and am back to wearing pants I haven't worn in almost 2 years... my overall loss has now gone up to 32 pounds and about 3.5-4 inches off the waist. But remember, it's not just about dieting in terms of eating less foods. You have to make sure you eat a balanced diet, and not just 1500 calories of junk food. This also includes hitting the gym at least 4 times a week in addition to my MA training 3/week. And a lot of cardio. Used to hate it, but bought an MP3 player, and my time on the eliiptical machine is much more pleasant because of it. And no, I haven't burned any muscle, either. If anything, I'm more solid and have a better shape now as I've lost more fat off the upper torso area (I can actually see my pectorals now!).
To be honest 1500 cals isnt even that hard to stick to. I can still have 4 or 5 meals a day and hit 1500. Usually I have: -8am: Porridge : 200cals. -1pm: Protein such as tuna with salad : 300 cals. -5pm: Maybe egg or chicken/tuna sandwich. It can sometimes be many other things: 400 cals. -I then wont eat for quite a while until around 7-9pm where I'll have whatever food I fancy, it varies a lot. Sometimes it can be a couple of hundred calories or it can be 300-400. -Protein shake: 300 cals. On this diet it also means I can cheat now and again and still stay under my limit. I've just treated myself to chips and pizza which is probably around 1000 cals and I'm still only on about 1600 cals so far. I guess time will tell whether my muscle really will start to reduce.
to those questioning my post what is your validation for your assumptions. i have a degree in nutrition so i know my post is correct.
Doesn't a lot depend on the size of the person? I'm only 5' tall, and female, 1500 cal a day seems quite reasonable to me.
I'm sorry but that is complete BS. Having a degree does not mean you are always correct. I'm not going to join the debate on the actual issue at hand but I feel the need to address this. 1. Things change. Back in the day I'm sure they taught that the world was flat when everyone else thought it was, which has changed. A more recent example would be the theory that lactic acid gives the "burn" felt when exercising, which we now know it doesn't. 2. Did you get 100% on every exam you did at uni? If you did then maybe you should go and teach it, but if not then you obviously aren't always right. I have a degree in anatomy and I'm a teacher, but you don't see me claiming to be right just because I have credentials.
The thing about a low cal diet is if you drop it to low your bodies metobolisim will slow down and go into "survival mode" Ive heard its anywhere from 1kcal - 1500kcal Im not to sure. Anyway when in this survival mode doesnt matter what you eat your body will store it as fat and burn off whatever else it can find instead, in most cases...muscle is where it will get the calorie deficit it needs to keep going.
no i did not get 100% on every test but the of nutrition has'nt changed. i am not claiming to know everything, but most people read an article and then give advice. i'm schooled in this field and from what i am involved with on a day to day basis leads me to believe that most people understand that moderation is the key. i work with alot of diabetics and their health is first mosr effected by their diet. so for someone to deprive there body of kcal, whether it be from carbs,protein,or fat is just unhealthy. i do believe i have a better understanding of this topic because i went to school for it and i deal with it everyday so i don't appreciate why or how you've come down on me for trying to educate someone who seemed to be looking for advise. i've spent alot of time learning about nutrition and if i can help someone i will.
I dont think anyone questioned your post or argued with it g-bells... they just added their own comments from their own research and knowledge, good thing about a forum with lots of people reading different things is we can all read each others comments and come to our own conclusions from it... and its a quick way for us to get the jist of information from articles we may not have read. The other good thing is we find out about the attitude of people and whether we want to read another word they say or just ignore them because they flash their credentials at every opportunity and think their word is law. Well done on your degree... Im sure it will make no difference to anyone else commenting and adding their own opinions.
It's not a matter of "questioning your post" as much as it is "here's my experience, and I find it works for me". I'm being supervised by professionals I trust. When they tell me to fix something, I do. They don't have issues with my diet, and since someone asked, I gave an answer based on my own experiences as a fellow "low-cal"-er. That's the other thing, Reakt. Make sure you've got someone you can ask besides posting stuff on MAP.
i agree with that it is better to sit down with a proffesional and get a face to face consultation. i don't think i know it all or even half of it all. sorry for those i offended it was not my intention to come off as a know- it- all.i was trying to give a lttle help. i'll be more critical about how i word things from now on. except my apologies.
I'm 6'2 and 200lbs though. According to some charts I should be having over 3000-3500 cals a day. Thats why I'm so confused about the results. You are right Xpose, or thats what they say at least. Thats why I made this thread, I've pretty much went against that survival mode theory completely and I've still lost body fat and even gained strength in my usual manner. Plus I appreciate all the posts so far but to be honest I'm not really looking for any advice inperticular on what to do since I'm going to continue with what im doing regardless, it's evidently working (for anyone whos using that in their argument). I'm just posting my results to dispute the theory of 'survival mode'.
The question is, how do you make it through your day only eating 1500 kcals a day? I sometimes eat that much in one meal (5' 8" 162lbs). But then, I guess it depends on your activity level.
I'm actually fairly active. I go to college everyday, must walk at least two miles, run twice a week and weightlift twice a week. Dont forget, males are generally recommended to have at least 2500 cals a day. At your weight you could even be having too many calories (unless you're 162lbs of muscle). Everyones different I suppose.
g-bells, it isn't about apologizing. The big trick is not saying stuff like "I know X because I went to school for it" or "The nutition hasn't changed." I went to school for philosophy and international studies, and if I learned one thing it was the limits of what I know. Furthermore, as McG said, the nutrition does change! The lactic acid study that he referred to was released within the last year (I posted it but can't remeber when ), and there was reduced calorie study reported by the NY Times a few days ago (everyone should check it out. I'll start a thread). Overbroad statements get you burned online 9/10 times. @original question I'm dieting right now as well, after not worrying about it for about 18 months. I'm a big guy (6'1", 235 lbs now, hopefully about 215 soon) and I'm getting around 1500 calories/day. The only thing I'll say is this: (1) Tons of people have been where you are now- half of t-nation is practically devoted to losing weight without catabolizing muscle. Do some reading and avoid mistakes other people have made. (2) It is really hard to lose fat and not muscle on 1500 cal/day. Like, really hard. I'm V-Dieting and I like it, but if you don't pay pretty close attention to both total calories and macronutrient ratios (the ratio of protein:carbs:fats) it will be tough. Okay, I'm ranting. If this helps, then great; if you have more questions, someone around here can help. Good luck!
