Do you agree with many who say not to go below 1200 calories? I'm no expert!

[peteyobiggest]

Hi Guys,

I see all these expert opinions saying don't go below 1200 calories. They say it's not safe to go below this. But my wife consumes between 800 and 2000 per day, and it's often 1000 and I really don't think she's being unreasonable. She ways 118 and has a rockin bod, (She's my inspiration) but she is reasonable, she never gives the feeling that she's consuming too little and she is not famished because I would know!

Me, on the other hand, I more often eat around 1000-1200 on the low end and have occasionally eaten down into the 5-600 but only for short periods of time then raised up to 1200ish for sustained periods of time.

I did this competition thing a while back before my wedding with some coworkers on a weight loss competition site and it spurred me to these levels and it really helped me to lose the weight.

Anyway your thoughts?

 

[peteypablo]

first off - good name, my name is pete, too - second, yes i think it's...

Yes i absolutely think you should stay above 1200 calories/day otherwise it seems like (in my case and apparently in thy experience and wisdom of the experts) you'll have troubles that will cause you to get off track or even become dangerously unhealthy like anorexic

 

[Steve]

Well the 1200 calorie rule is rubbish. There's no stock standard minimum that each and every one of our bodies adheres to. Human physiology and metabolism is far too complex and individual for this to be the case. A better rule might be to not eat below one's BMR for too long of a time period.

From the 30,000 foot view, it really comes down to this - the less you eat, the more likely it becomes that i) you don't meet your bodies nutritional needs, ii) you set yourself up for a rebound since strict dieting is a) unsustainable and b) causes numerous biological backlashes, and iii) you're likely screw up body composition in favor of losing weight, which leaves most people frustrated.

The real question is, why do you feel you have to eat so few calories? And how do you know you're actually eating that few? Are you weighing each and every morsel of energy that crosses your lips?

The long and short of it is going really low here and there isn't likely to cause any trouble. It's the average calorie intake over longer time continuums that matters most. But if you are going to shoot for very low calorie intakes, you better make sure you've the essentials covered (lots of protein, essential fats, fibrous veggies, and fruit). It doesn't leave any room for nonsense.