I've been eating between 600-800 calories a day and running on the treadmill for about an hour, burning about

Question

500 calories, and on top of that doing about 150 crunches everyday. I'm 5'6, 20 years old and about 150 and want to be 120. I've been eating meal replacement bars for lunch, apples for snacks, drinking only water, and having light dinners, such as salads with skinless chicken breasts, or vegetable stir frys. I dont eat after 7pm. I was wondering if;
a) this is healthy
b) how long it will take me to get down to the weight I want to be

I know that exercising builds muscles and not to depend solely on my scale, I just want to be toned again and have a cute bikini body this summer.

Answer 1

you are consuming less calories then your BMR requires and exercising regularly on top of that. you will lose more muscle than fat if you continue this practice.

at 150 lbs your BMR is roughly 1600 cals a day. eating 50% of that will basically cause your metabolic rate to slow to a craw. your body will not burn much fat at all and utilize more energy from sugars and muscle proteins

Answer 2

1

Answer 3

First of all, no this is not healthy. You absolutely need to be eating 1500-2000 calories a day (I say 1500-2000 instead of 1200 calories because you exercise SO much, you absolutely need the extra calories), especially since you are so active. When you eat that few calories a day, you are considered anorexic. If you're having difficulty choosing what foods to eat to get to 2000 calories a day, see a dietitian or a therapist, or go on a diet where it makes it much easier to count calories like Weight Watchers (which I highly recommend: I lost weight quickly, was always full, felt great, and learned how to eat healthfully). If you can't do any of these options, just eat according to the food pyramid, and try to eat a good bit of fiber and vegetables.

Secondly, if you continue starving yourself, you will lose very little weight. This is because you are eating so few calories that the body thinks it is starving and it will go into panic mode and store every calorie it can that comes through your body. This way, you may actually GAIN weight, and not muscle mass kind of weight, FAT weight. Trying to lose weight unhealthfully is just not worth it in the long run. Eating a diet with far too few calories over a prolonged period of time can cause heart failure, along with a lot of other painful and serious health problems. Not to mention it will probably take you twice as long to lose the weight you want to!

Answer 4

THIS IS NOT HEALTHY! EAT MORE! You are flirting with seriously damaging your health! With your activity level, add about 1000 more calories. Or go to a dietitian and she can figure out how many calories you need. 600-800 calories a day won't even support your basic body functions-digestion, sleeping, elimination, etc.

You need enough carbs for energy-forget about those low carb diets. They will hurt you. You need enough protein to build and maintain muscle. You need enough fat (good fats) to help satisfy and provide the essential fatty acids your body needs. Without fat your hair and skin will break down and look and feel bad.

I did what you are doing right now for about 35 years. I ate a little bit more-200-300 calories more. I kept gaining weight until I was over 200 lbs by eating so little and overtraining. My body shut down. I wound up with high blood pressure, hypoglycemia (low blood sugar), asthma, severe allergies, NO energy-not even enough to take care of myself, chronic bronchitis, acid reflux, GERD, to name a few. AND LOTS of medical bills. I didn't even have enough energy to drive a car 6.5 miles to get groceries. It took me several years of eating much more to start to get well.

Now, after nearly 6 years of working to get well, I'm almost there. I NEVER want to see or hear about someone doing the same thing I did and YOU ARE DOING IT! I'm very distressed. PLEASE STOP what you're doing and start doing something more healthy.

Your exercise is fine-just eat more to support your body functions and activities. With that activity level and your weight you could eat around 2800-3000 calories to maintain. So a calorie deficit of 1000 calories will make you lose about 2 lbs per week. Don't take away more than 1000 calories or you will pay dearly for it. I sure did.

Just below you will find a couple of websites to eat more healthy for your activity level. Three meals a day and at least 2 snacks will be very healthy.

Answer 5

WHOA!! only 600-800 calories a day! stop asap. your body is starving itself. if you go under 1200 cal a day your body will eventually go into starvation mode and wind up storing fat as well as getting rid of lean muscle, so therefore you'll look flabbier. being 150 isnt very overweight (and i bet you look great in any bikini)

if you want to lose 30 pds i suggest that you eat 1200 cal. a day and continue with working out. you'll lose it slower and wont be as flabby and feel a lot better since you'll get your vitamins and nutrients. You'll probably lose about two pds a week so in 15 weeks you'll be at 120 pds. you'll keep it off better too. remember once that you get to 120 pds you probably shouldnt eat over 1500 or 1600 calories a day to maintain your weight. good luck!

Answer 6

No, this is not healthy. You should be taking in twice the amount of calories. Your body is very efficient and will see this low caloric intake as starvation. A slower weight loss is better and you should not use the scale as much as how your clothes are fitting. Try focusing on just being healthy and feeling good, rather than aiming for a number.

Answer 7

You need to increase to about 1300-1500 calories a day because 800 is way too low, and it will slow down your metabolism, making it even harder for you to lose weight. I think you are doing great with the exercise, just make sure you are still getting all the nutrition you need (calcium, iron, ect.) You should be able to reach your goal in about 3-4 months. Good luck & don't give up =)

Answer 8

the least you should ever go to is 900 calories, otherwise its considered a crash diet and your body will go into hiberation.
a reasonable weight loss rate is 1-2 pounds a week.

calorie-count.com is a good tool to help you and track your progress.

good luck :)