Eating 500 calories/day vs 2000 calories?

[JEDI]

is there any difference between the two?

1) eating 500 calories, but burning 1500
2) eating 2000 calories, but burning 3000

in both cases, you are burning 1000 more calories than you take in. So why is it bad to only eat 500 calories but it's ok for 2000?

 

[LSUfan]

Originally posted by: JEDI
is there any difference between the two?

1) eating 500 calories, but burning 1500
2) eating 2000 calories, but burning 3000

in both cases, you are burning 1000 more calories than you take in. So why is it bad to only eat 500 calories but it's ok for 2000?

yes you won't get the nutrients you need with 500 calories a day

 

[Kaervak]

When you eat only 500 calories a day your body thinks it's starving and kicks into survival mode slowing down your metabolism and basically rationing it's energy.

 

[dafatha00]

Originally posted by: JEDI
is there any difference between the two?

1) eating 500 calories, but burning 1500
2) eating 2000 calories, but burning 3000

in both cases, you are burning 1000 more calories than you take in. So why is it bad to only eat 500 calories but it's ok for 2000?

Ever heard of the Basic Metabolic Rate (BMR)? If you intake less calories, your metabolism slows down. You will lose much more weight by eating 2000 calories spread throughout the day and burning 3000 calories than eating 500 cals and burning 1500.

 

[StageLeft]

1: bad idea

 

[RagingBITCH]

Your body goes into a catabolic state at 500 calories and starts to eat itself (in essence). If you want to die then sure, eat 500 calories a day, let us know how that works for you.

 

[LSUfan]

Originally posted by: RagingBITCH
Your body goes into a catabolic state at 500 calories and starts to eat itself (in essence). If you want to die then sure, eat 500 calories a day, let us know how that works for you.

I don't think you would die but it's definately unhealthy.

 

[RagingBITCH]

Originally posted by: LSUfan

Originally posted by: RagingBITCH
Your body goes into a catabolic state at 500 calories and starts to eat itself (in essence). If you want to die then sure, eat 500 calories a day, let us know how that works for you.

I don't think you would die but it's definately unhealthy.

It alone would not cause you to die I don't think but the associated health problems that come along with it would kill you.

 

[StageLeft]

You can live for a long time on 500 calories/day, but it will, after a while, cause long time permanent health problems to you. Look at anorexics, or ex-POWs. The body just doesn't do well on that, and it can cause organ damage.

 

[SludgeFactory]

If you're hugely fat (morbidly obese) you can get away with a very low calorie diet for a while as your bodyfat drops, but as your fat levels decrease, eventually you'll start losing an increasing percentage of body protein. And that type of diet must be done with a physician and frequent checkups. You're effectively going on a concentration camp diet.

A few other practical problems with eating so little:

a) one relatively small indulgence and your diet is NUKED for the whole day, which encourages some people to just give up. The margin for error on 500 cal is nonexistent.
b) on 2000 calories, if you eat a lot of fiber and protein, you can keep your stomach somewhat full through a good portion of the day and maintain your sanity. Not happening at 500 calories.
c) you need fanatical dedication, or better yet, a psychological disorder to subsist on 500 cal/day for a signficiant amount of time.

Here's a question -- how do you plan to expend only 1500 cal/day, are you an elf, or just a tiny woman that plans to spend the whole day in bed? 😕

 

[StageLeft]

SludgeFactory Good post - emergency diets that some people undergo when they're quite fat rarely work, because they require even more comittment than a regular diet, and the person has proven that long-term they already have comittment issues with limiting food intake, so they're just dooming themself if they go nuts out of the gate. This isn't ALWAYS the case, but generally it is. I had a friend back in highschool who dropped 60 pounds in several months by cutting his food down to unhealthy levels, and he actually kept it off for a few years, but since then has had some limited weight issues (bouncing back and forth).

 

[SludgeFactory]

Originally posted by: Skoorb
You can live for a long time on 500 calories/day, but it will, after a while, cause long time permanent health problems to you. Look at anorexics, or ex-POWs. The body just doesn't do well on that, and it can cause organ damage.

When anorexics die, it's usually from heart failure IIRC. You lose too much muscle tissue from the heart.

A steady diet of 500 cal/day would do that, but you have to be cuckoo to carry on with it long enough if the option to eat is present.

Originally posted by: Skoorb
This isn't ALWAYS the case, but generally it is. I had a friend back in highschool who dropped 60 pounds in several months by cutting his food down to unhealthy levels, and he actually kept it off for a few years, but since then has had some limited weight issues (bouncing back and forth).

yeah, it's essentially a fast and you're setting yourself up for the classic yo-yo. If you have the knowledge and discipline to build your body back up with muscle after you reach that low point, it can work out alright. But that's a rare breed of person, the typical pattern would be to just add fat on top of fat until you get back where you started on the scale, only with less muscle.

Another note the low calorie diet, there was a guy going around literally almost every bodybuilding forum, posting fantastic before and after shots where he lost 80 or 90 lbs in something like 4 months and ended up ripped, before he wore out his welcome at most of those places. His diet was a 750 cal/day PSMF for the first 2 months, bumping up in calories after that, all done with a doctor. Crazy stuff. I could almost believe his claims of being natural, except for his 2+ hrs, 6 days/wk schedule in the gym.

 

[Regs]

You have to consider the benefits of working out.

More nutrients get used, muscle builds, cholesterol burns, arties get cleaned out etc...

If you're not active, exercise is very important to anyone. Exercise is a normal function of life. Body building is not.

 

[JEDI]

so i have to eat enuf to at least equal my Basic Metabolic Rate (BMR)? <bmr=the amount of energy or calories your body burns to maintain itself in its resting state>

How do i figure out what mine's is? or is 2000 calories a good general # for a person of 5'9" and somewhat avg build?

edit:
found this- "A rough estimate to use in trying to determine your minimum caloric or energy needs is 9 calories/pound, if you are a sedentary person"

So i need about 1500 calories/day min. and anything i burn above that is considered "good?"

 

[Martin]

First, there is a BMR calculator: http://www.weightlossforgood.co.uk/bmr_calculator.htm

Your body burns ~1500 a day, that means you must eat 1500 a day to stay the same. Consider also that 1 pound =~3500cals. So if you eat 1500 a day (normal), but spend 1hr on threadmill and burn 1500, you will be losing about 1 pound every 2-3 days.

If you're looking to lose weight, the best thing would be to eat slighly less than your BMR (for example, I try to eat ~2000, and I need ~2300) and excercise a lot.

 

[Regs]

Doesn't it also depend on the age? A heard a teenager can easily burn 2000k a day. A active teen who works a physical demanding job (other than sitting by a desk) can easily burn 2500k a day.

 

[WinkOsmosis]

Why don't you just eat 0 calories and burn 1000?

 

[JEDI]

Originally posted by: WinkOsmosis
Why don't you just eat 0 calories and burn 1000?

apparently you have to meet BMR, else your body goes into starvation mode, and your metabolism slows down. plus the body starts canabilizing muscle.

 

[fizmeister]

Want to lose weight? Just eat about 1500 - 1800 calories a day. I bet you burn more than that without any exercise.

You'd be burning maybe 200-300 a day, but it would be manageable, you'd stay on the diet, and you'd lose weight (over time). I did something similar, and I'm down to a waste 29 from a 33.

 

[JEDI]

Originally posted by: fizmeister
Want to lose weight? Just eat about 1500 - 1800 calories a day. I bet you burn more than that without any exercise.

You'd be burning maybe 200-300 a day, but it would be manageable, you'd stay on the diet, and you'd lose weight (over time). I did something similar, and I'm down to a waste 29 from a 33.

how long did it take you?

and how can i estimate how many calories i'm taking in at dinner at a restaurant? ie: steak dinner

link for site that shows how many calories per oz in common foods?

 

[Dunbar]

You can use the calorie calculator at www.caloriescount.org . Also, for packaged foods look at the nutritional information on the container. Same thing with fast food/restaurants, a lot of their websites give nutritional information. You have to be motivated to want to learn calorie counts for various foods. It's not very straight forward or easy to do (it takes time.)

 

[DuffmanOhYeah]

Originally posted by: dafatha00

Originally posted by: JEDI
is there any difference between the two?

1) eating 500 calories, but burning 1500
2) eating 2000 calories, but burning 3000

in both cases, you are burning 1000 more calories than you take in. So why is it bad to only eat 500 calories but it's ok for 2000?

Ever heard of the Basic Metabolic Rate (BMR)? If you intake less calories, your metabolism slows down. You will lose much more weight by eating 2000 calories spread throughout the day and burning 3000 calories than eating 500 cals and burning 1500.

Its "Basal Metabolic Rate"

Idgit.