i was told to not workout on a low calorie diet..how does this make any sense??

Question

someone told me that if i am on a very low calorie diet i will loose more weight not working out ... how does this make any sense??

Answer 1

Whoever told you that seems to not know the whole story.

Sometimes, a physically active person on a low calorie diet who also works out will go into "starvation mode," which is what happens if your blood sugar, fat intake, or your bodyfat percent gets too low.

You need to burn more than you take in but you still need to take in enough basic nutrients for your body to function and remain healthy. Otherwise, your body will go into starvation mode and lower your metabolism. This lowered metabolism will make it hard or even nearly impossible to lose weight.

Some exercise programs can dramatically increase one's caloric need. If the exercise program causes your body's need for calories to substantially exceed the amount of calories you are consuming on the low calorie diet, then "starvation mode" can easily result.

If you're on a low calorie diet, it is important not to over-do exercise. Carefully done, exercise will usually help someone lose more weight. It helps you keep lean muscle mass, and muscle mass speeds up your metabolism.

With exercise you might also find that your weight loss will slow down after awhile because you will gain muscle mass and muscle is heavier than fat. But trading muscle for fat is a good thing! It will make you stronger, healthier, and inches will come off of places where fat is stored such as the rear end, belly, etc.

However, a mistake people often make when trying to diet is to over-exercise. Another one is to starve themselves. That's why it is best to figure out how many calories you need given your activity level and exercise program, and then only underconsume by 500 calories per day.

We lose more weight consuming a small amount of healthy unsaturated fat such as olive or canola oil, sugarless peanut butter, or Smart Balance margarine. If a person consumes no fat at all, their body will enter starvation mode to hang onto the bodyfat it has stored.

Hope this helps.

Answer 2

It doesn't make any sense at all. I lost 100 pounds in one year by eating a proper diet and exercise five days a week which I built up to slowly. As I lost weight my energy level increased. You have to make sure you eat at the right times of the day when working out and eat the right foods. To lose weight you need fuel. Low carbs worked for me but everyone is different. You will find that your weight loss will slow down after awhile because you will gain muscle mass. This doesn't mean you are not losing fat. Your just getting into shape.

Good luck. Your health is important.

Answer 3

You should first figure out what your daily caloric intake should be and then decrease it by about 500 calories either by not eatting or by working out. Doing this will yeild an average of 1 pound lost per week.

Think of calories as fuel for your body. To loose weight you need to burn more than you take in but you still need to take in enough to fuel your bodily and daily functions. If you do not, your body will go into starvation mode and start holding back calories and storing it. This storing of calories will make it so you do not lose weight.

To lose weight properly you should cut calories from eatting less and from burning them off through exercise. many times peolple make the mistake of just cutting too many calories and their body starts to waste muscle instead of fat. The term for that is "skinny-fat". You may look thin but without lean muscle, your body fat percentage is still high and unhealthy. Exercise will help keep lean muscle mass and burn fat.

Answer 4

Whoever told you that didn't know what they were talking about. If you're on a low calorie diet, you don't want to over-do exercise. Making yourself sick won't help anything; but exercise will help you lose more weight.

However, one mistake people often make when trying to diet is to starve themselves. You WILL lose more weight if you take in a small amount of fat in your diet. If you take in NO fat, your body will panic and try to conserve what it has.

Answer 5

it simply doesn't.
very low calorie diet is not that great to. It will mess up your metabolism so once you get out of the diet the weight will creep back on or more...

Answer 6

well the only way to lose weight is to burn calories, but the low cal diet will help diminish effects i believe you do have to do some cardiovascular activity

Answer 7

I think they don't want you to over exercise on a low cal diet because your blood sugar level could drop and you could pass out or even die. (it happened to my ballet teacher)