840 calories/day for a guy?

Question

I asked another question a while back that focused more on the exercise part of fitness. I'm curious about the dieting part. I'm a 22 year old guy, 5'9" and 250 lbs, and I'm very frustrated about healthy eating. I'll hear one thing from someone and something completely different elsewhere. I recently restricted myself to 840-850 calories/day just to take charge of this healthy eating thing. I'll usually have cheese & an apple for breakfast, a cheese sandwich on whole wheat bread & broccoli for lunch, and usually a protein drink for dinner (since I go to the gym right after work, and it's too late to eat when i get back) I look to burn that 850 calories when I work out at the gym. So I am wondering is that healthy, and if not, what is?

Answer 1

First of all, you know that's not enough regardless of your height. I recommend that you eat raw fruits and vegis that have high water content if you want to 'fill up' without a lot of calories. Broccoli is great, dark green and high in vitamin 'C'; but switch it up and be sure to eat foods of different colors and stuff that is in season. Keep some dry roasted, unsalted almonds handy for a quick pick-me-up but don't pig out on them. [10-12 a day are all you need] The protein shake is OK but cut out the cheese and eat cooked (not instant) oatmeal with cinnamon, boil a diced apple in the water first for about five minutes to add sweetness and flavor. If you must, use honey not refined sugar. Learn to make yourself a stir-fry of different stuff and allow yourself to have rice noodles or brown rice in moderation to round out the meal. If you keep depriving yourself (believe me your body/metabolism feels deprived) you may lose a little but you will gain it back as soon as you eat something heavy again. Make sure you use some soy based non-hydrogenated butter substitute like Earth Balance [no genetically modified stuff] and get some flax seed oil capsules. You body will store fat if you deny it any so remember to do all things in moderation. Be gentle and patient with yourself and look for lasting, long-term results rather than the quick fix; THAT'S HEALTHY (and give yourself a day or two off from the gym each week, you'll feel stronger)

Answer 2

I would say that dropping down to 850 cals a day is OK for a couple of days, but you should raise your intake back up to a minimum of like 1200-1500 a day to be safe. Here's why:

*Over time, dropping down so low will only cause your body to go into "starvation" mode and it will catabolize (burn) muscle instead of fat- then you'll not only be putting yourself at risk of major damage (including heart damage), but you won't have as much muscle to use in burning fat!

*It will be easier to maintain mentally as you will not feel so terribly deprived all the time. You won't be risking a binge or large indulgence as much if you lose weight at a more reasonable rate.

I am 28 and am 6 feet tall. I was once at a high of 230 lbs, and got down to my current weight of 195 by eating about 1600 cals a day. I also cut out almost all fat except for what is naturally contained in yogurt and lean meat. I also avoided all sugar and ate at least 5-6 servings of fruits and vegetables a day. I also worked out about 4 days a week, and did crunches daily. Also, drinking only water or skim milk helps - aim for 2-3 liters a day, more if you're exercising strenuously.

Answer 3

At your hight, 850 is extremely low. You body needs, at least a couple of hundred more, just to maintain it's daily functions. Still, you should be able to see significant weight loss.

What I might worry about is that you are receiving the proper nutrients, such as vitamins and minerals that might be missing from such a restrictive diet. I wouldn't simply trust any over the counter supplements, or even non medical advice from strangers on this forum.

Get a doctor's advice, based on the calories taken in, and KINDS of foods you eat. Let a doctor advise you on what kind of supplements you MAY need to stay healthy. He may actually congratulate you on having the strength of will to keep yourself at 850 calories!

Answer 4

wow. Be careful with that. I've gotten down to 1000 a day and I felt like I was going to pass out. I don't think it's healthy.

I shoot for 1500 a day with 18-30 minutes of exercise. Works for me.

On the weekends, I usually shoot up to 2000 a day, both Sat and Sun.

Remember, you don't want to trigger the body's starvation response. 850 might trigger it. It'll work against you. You need to eat while losing weight.

Update: One other thing, it's really better to lose it slowly to let your skin shrink back. If you're losing 1-2 lbs a day, you might end up with excess skin.

Answer 5

I read the book 'I can make you thin' by Paul McKenna - he explains that when you dont consume enough calories, your body goes into starvation mode as it doesnt know when its going to get its next meal. This means that when you do eat a tiny bit of fat or food it takes all the fat from that piece of food and stores it just in case theres a famine. This is what is in a camels hump - when a camel eats, its body takes every tiny bit of fat from its food and stores it so it can make the long trek across the desert. This is what your body will do if you eat barely anything it will store fat! Not good

Hope this has helped

Answer 6

Stick to about 1500, eating only 850 for an extended period of time will backfire on you, because your metabolic rate will drop so low, and even once you lose the weight, you will have to eat almost nothing to maintain the weight loss, plus you will only be skin and bones, you will lose your muscle mass, and that is not overly attractive for a man.

Answer 7

at 5'9 250 you probably burn somthing like 2500 cals a day. I woudlnt go much below 1500 if I was you and 1800 might best. 850 is definently not healthy.

Answer 8

That a little overdoing it buddy. 850 for a guy is really unhealthy even if your eating all health foods. you probably don't get enough fresh foods. here is a tip: Work out a the gym a lot more, and eat more.

Answer 9

I agree with the other posters. 850 calories is a starvation diet, which will trigger fat storage and organ deterioration. It even causes you to loose brain cells from ketone consumption (you body is missing carbohydrates so it switches to other fuels). Please talk to a nutritionist or doctor. Its not healthy to try and do this yourself. Even if you are loosing weight now, its not under normal circomestances and you won't keep the weight off.

Answer 10

That is VERY VERY unhealthy! If you keep this up, you will lose more and more muscle, and your organs will start to deteriorate. I am not kidding. You should eat at LEAST 1600 calories a day. If you burn too much, your body will burn out and it will again be detrimental to your vital organs (heart, lungs, kidneys). You will slowly waste away and be in even worse shape than you were when you thought you were overweight. Please save yourself now!