Low Calorie Diet?

Tevez101

I started going on a diet recently and lost 11 pounds in the last 10 days.

I was nearly 19 stone but now im17.9 stone.

I'm eating on average around 700-900 calories a day, very low in carbs.

Basically, I have 2 eggs at around 12(when I get up) with slice of brown bread, 2 slices of ham during the day and a bowl of special K with some slimline milk for my final meal of the day.

I do around 2 hours of decent exercise a week and drink plenty of water and the odd cup of tea.

I'm just slightly worried that my diet will lead to me losing muscle rather than fat and I do not want this at all.

Could somebody put my mind at rest please?

TestTransmission

You are currently putting your health at great risk imo

Tevez101

jackncoke wrote: »

You are currently putting your health at great risk imo

What would you reccomend?

Mellor

Eat more and do more excercise

RacoonQueen

Mellor wrote: »

Eat more and do more excercise

+1

If you're not taking in more than 900 calories a day it is HIGHLY likely that you are losing muscle. Are you not absolutely starving?

TommyKnocker

Hi Tevez101

I will add my endorsement of what the other posters have said.

I am no expert and what is posted below is what I have read on the internet while researching nutrition for myself.

I believe that a diet that calorie restrictive will seriously impact your health over time. I have read that you should never go below yoru Base Metabolic Rate (BMR) while trying to loose weight.

Try out this equation (known as the Harris Bennidict Formula) to work out a more realistic daily calorie intake to help you loose weight in a healthy manner. If you know your body fat % then look up the "Katch McArdle" formula which will give you a more accurate calorie count as it takes lean body mass into account.

Harris Bennedict Formula

Non Metric BMR formula

Women: BMR = 655 + ( 4.35 x weight in pounds ) + ( 4.7 x height in inches ) - ( 4.7 x age in years )

Men: BMR = 66 + ( 6.23 x weight in pounds ) + ( 12.7 x height in inches ) - ( 6.8 x age in year )

Metric BMR Formula

Women: BMR = 655 + ( 9.6 x weight in kilos ) + ( 1.8 x height in cm ) - ( 4.7 x age in years )

Men: BMR = 66 + ( 13.7 x weight in kilos ) + ( 5 x height in cm ) - ( 6.8 x age in years )

Then take your exercise into account

Harris Benedict Formula To determine your total daily calorie needs, multiply your BMR by the appropriate activity factor, as follows:

1. If you are sedentary (little or no exercise) : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.2
2. If you are lightly active (light exercise/sports 1-3 days/week) : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.375
3. If you are moderatetely active (moderate exercise/sports 3-5 days/week) : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.55
4. If you are very active (hard exercise/sports 6-7 days a week) : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.725
5. If you are extra active (very hard exercise/sports & physical job or 2x training) : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.9

Then to loose weight at a steady, sustainable and above all in a healthy manner subtract about 500 calories form this figure. This should give you about a 1lb weight loss per week which hopefully will be mostly from body fat and not lean muscle as long as your diet is reasonably good!!! Ditch the Special K cereal. It loaded with sugar. Change it for Oats with some berries or a unsweetened Musili at least.

You should aim to eat your calories over 5 or 6 small meals per day. For instance if you are eating 2,400 calories per day, you should have 6 meals around 400 calories each.

Then up the amount of time you spend working out and you should be on the way to getting where you wnat to go.


Best Regards,

M

metamorphosis

You know what you are doing is wrong or else you would not have posted- so that's a good step.

Work out your needed calorie intake form bb's post and EAT THAT. Limiting yourself to 900 kcal is asking for you to put it back on and then some.

This is A LIFELONG CHANGE AND NOT A QUICK FIX. If you want to keep the weight off and be healthy do not do anything you cannot envisage yourself doing for the rest of your life.

Decent exercise and more food will set you up long term. You should not be losing more than 2lbs a week for healthy sustainable loss.

Hooked

ULstudent wrote: »

This is A LIFELONG CHANGE AND NOT A QUICK FIX. If you want to keep the weight off and be healthy do not do anything you cannot envisage yourself doing for the rest of your life.

Couldn't agree more! I lost 3 stone over about 4 months in late 07 and once I'd achieved this (mainly through excessive running and weight training) I knew I had to change my "routine" or else it would all go back on as soon as I stopped training so hard.

I no longer have a gym membership but play 5 a side 3 nights a week and do weights at home maybe 2 or 3 times a week (if that).

But my diet has changed completely. I eat 5 portions of fruit and/or veg a day, if not more - religiously! 2 litres of water, grapes, an apple, an orange and a kiwi accompany me to work every day. Porridge with a spoon of jam or a poached egg on soda bread for brekkie and eat my fruit at 11, 1, and 3pm.

I'm in the fortunate position that I can go home and cook my dinner every day at 1pm - which is usually a pork and veg stir fry. I never used to eat veg... Now I have 9 or 10 different veggies in the stir fry. Or else I'll have a chicken and veg salad, homemaded burger, or some veg and fish the rest of the weekdays.

I eat and drink what I like on a saturday - which I feel I have to allow myself. I'm 6' 2" and a constant 14 stone for the last 2 years.

You simply HAVE to adopt a routine that you can stick to in the long term, let the weight come off gradually and stop surviving on a calorie deficit.

HTH