How little food does the body need?

[AndStilliRise]

Been trying to get my weight down, through a series of running/cycling/gym and by limiting my food intake. Seems to be working however want to try and reduce my food intake even further without endangering my health and was wondering how much food does the body actually need?

[MitchT]

Don't just eat as little as possible - if you're exercising you need fuel. It's not so much a case of how little you eat, as WHAT you eat. Some of the most physically perfect people I know eat tons, but what they eat is the right thing.

In simple terms ...
Put less fat and sugar in = reduce body fat.
Put more protein in and work hard = build muscle.

[Evolved]

Basically cut out st and train harder. If you're not losing fat/weight you're not doing enough of either.

[Welshbeef]

Try 2 months of no carbs at all.

No bread pizza pasta rice potatoes fruit - literally the weight drops off. You can replace potatoes with sweet potatoes, rice with cut corgette, sandwich with a chicken salad etc.


Oh and use coconut oil to cook it's £5 a tub but so healthy


I was very unbelieving that doing zero additional exercise no cutting down on booze not quantity of grub that weight would fall but my god does it. And bowel movements are even better happy days indeed

[stuthemong]

If you're doing a medium amount of training (hour a day max) I'd stick to no fewer than 2000 cals a day, spread out well - 5 meals is better than 3 in terms of balancing hunger / providing energy.

I just have a whey protein drink (about 200cals - make sure you just get 100% protein and no card loading beefcake products) between lunch & dinner and one at around 9pm if I'm being well behaved. It keeps you energised and feeling full throughout the day.

You really want to avoid eating too little and not doing heavy lifts IMO. You want to force your body to burn fat, not muscle.

If you eat too little you go into a starvation mode where you burn muscle first so your fat is the last thing to go (you'd live longer in nature). Not good.

So eat a sensible amount of low GI food and protein, many times a day, and don't try to cut too fast. Keep on compound weights (look up 5x5 stronglifts) to use the muscle so your body keeps it!

Good luck.

You're inspiring me to do better too, just ate a whole bag of chocolate coins. D'oh!

[popeyewhite]

The body needs as little food as it takes to maintain basal metabolic rate.

[a7girl]

Less food does not always = good or weight loss

You need to eat at least as many calories as you are burning in a day, if you drastically cut your calorie intake then it simply won't be sustainable long term and you are more likely to put weight back on long term. There are plenty of online forums and resources (although they also often contradict each other) to read up on Base metabolic rate and total daily energy expenditure.

Edited by a7girl on Monday 4th January 00:16

[DukeDickson]

a7girl said:

Less food does not always = good or weight loss

You need to eat at least as many calories as you are burning in a day, if you drastically cut your calorie intake then it simply won't be sustainable long term and you are more likely to put weight back on long term. There are plenty of online forums and resources (although they also often dictate each other) to read up on Base metabolic rate and total daily energy expenditure.

Not quite true, though not entirely wrong either .

Changing the composition of your body on a long term basis is something slightly or very different though.

[a7girl]

DukeDickson said:

Not quite true, though not entirely wrong either .

Changing the composition of your body on a long term basis is something slightly or very different though.

Should have ended my post with 'but I'm not an expert' ?

To be fair, I was talking in general terms about sustainable weight loss and I don't think minimum calories (even with the 'without affecting my health' caveat) is the way to go.

Edited by a7girl on Monday 4th January 00:18

[DukeDickson]

a7girl said:

DukeDickson said:

Not quite true, though not entirely wrong either .

Changing the composition of your body on a long term basis is something slightly or very different though.

Should have ended my post with 'but I'm not an expert' ?

To be fair, I was talking in general terms about sustainable weight loss and I don't think minimum calories (even with the without affecting my health caveat) is the way to go.

Nor am I, in many senses, just someone who lost a lot if heft mostly by diet initially .

However, what I do know is that there is no single answer for all, what works in the longer term is not necessarily what works in the short term and, of course (which is where you're partly coming from), diet alone is not going to get 99.99% of people to the magazine/film star ideal that the majority crave. Or anywhere close. Lots of changing factors in reality.

[Hoofy]

Here's a quote I read the other day: diets are temporary like their results.

1) eat at a mild deficit
2) keep your protein levels up
3) lift heavy objects

It's slow but effective. Do extra cardio to burn calories.

If you go down the low cal route, you'll very likely feel awful plus your health may suffer - hair loss, lethargy, short temper, low immunity (colds, flu etc).

The problem is that with good nutrition comes high calories. So, as you reduce the calories, you reduce your nutritional intake which means that in order to maintain your nutritional intake you end up having to be careful with what you eat. So it is easier to not cut down the cals too much and bust your arse in the gym, on the pitch, in a class or on a court. You'll feel better for it, have more energy and look better (muscular not gaunt).

I've done the VLCD thing in the past and it was frankly an awful experience.

[throt]

If your not training eat no more that 1800 cal, 1500 if you have a sit down job. If you are training ( 5hr properly a week, cardio and lightish weights ) eat 2500 cal..

Do the above and you will loose. Its really that simple, like simple arithmetic.

[lemmingjames]

stuthemong said:

If you're doing a medium amount of training (hour a day max) I'd stick to no fewer than 2000 cals a day, spread out well - 5 meals is better than 3 in terms of balancing hunger / providing energy.

I just have a whey protein drink (about 200cals - make sure you just get 100% protein and no card loading beefcake products) between lunch & dinner and one at around 9pm if I'm being well behaved. It keeps you energised and feeling full throughout the day.

How many cals are you consuming normally as youve just suggest 600 cals in a 2000 cal diet being protein shakes which is just over 1/3 of your gda (if your on 2k a day).

If so, how small are your portions of normal food?

[tankslappa]

Plenty of online resources available to take all the guessing out of it. Here's two as an example: -

http://scoobysworkshop.com/accurate-calorie-calcul...

http://www.iifym.com/iifym-calculator/

But you need to be honest with your training/activity info for your TDEE, and recalculate it as and when you're losing weight.

If it's purely weight loss your interested in then just track your calories at a deficit from your TDEE.

If you are trying to recomp your body then track your macros as well.

Consistency and honesty with your diet are usually the biggest hurdle, you can't out train a bad one.

[AndStilliRise]

I have managed to lower my calorie intake by missing one meal a day out. Does not sound that drastic in all honesty. I will always eat breakfast and either miss out lunch or the evening meal, replacing them with fruit.

At the same time i am keeping up with regular exercise. I am trying to get away with the minimum whilst keeping my performances in tact (i.e. can i lift the same weight on the bench press, can i run miles as fast as usual).

It does seem to be working. I am leaner than i what i was and my weight seems to be more static. However as i said - i don't want to endanger health or cause myself long term issues.

60kg
5'7

[Hoofy]

AndStilliRise said:

60kg
5'7

Seems like you don't need to lose any more. I weigh 70kg and am 5'8, pretty much eat what I want but make sure I keep the training up. Might have another packet of crisps in a bit.

If your bodyshape isn't how you imagined it would be at 60kg, then focus on the lifting and it will come.

[popeyewhite]

AndStilliRise said:

i don't want to endanger health or cause myself long term issues.

You won't. It's almost an internet myth, along with dieting so much your body resynthesises (eats) muscle for energy. You'd feel exhausted long before this happened. There's only 2/3 b/builders on the forum who might diet and train to ill-health and they know their bodies well enough to recognise the signs and stop before that point.

Edited by popeyewhite on Monday 4th January 16:46

[AndStilliRise]

popeyewhite said:

AndStilliRise said:

i don't want to endanger health or cause myself long term issues.

[quote]
If your bodyshape isn't how you imagined it would be at 60kg, then focus on the lifting and it will come.

You won't. It's almost an internet myth, along with dieting so much your body resythesises (eats) muscle for energy. You'd feel exhausted long before this happened. There's only 2/3 b/builders on the forum who might diet and train to ill-health and they know their bodies well enough to recognise the signs and stop before that point.

That's what i wanted to hear. I want to try and reduce sugar to a minimum.

[popeyewhite]

AndStilliRise said:

That's what i wanted to hear. I want to try and reduce sugar to a minimum.

No problem, but keep eating a small/reasonable amount of carbs in the form of fresh veg. You need carbs for the reaction to occur whereby the body burns fat for energy. Before anyone else says 'Ketosis' - you could, but the vast VAST majority of dieters and fitness trainers do not bother.

[AndStilliRise]

popeyewhite said:

AndStilliRise said:

That's what i wanted to hear. I want to try and reduce sugar to a minimum.

No problem, but keep eating a small/reasonable amount of carbs in the form of fresh veg. You need carbs for the reaction to occur whereby the body burns fat for energy. Before anyone else says 'Ketosis' - you could, but the vast VAST majority of dieters and fitness trainers do not bother.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ketosis

Right then, just read a little more about this. Running marathons is a good example of this if i understand it correctly. i.e. The body runs out of glycogen and resorts to burning fat. Burning fat means i am loosing weight.

Right now - i missed lunch, had some fruit. I will eat tonight and hopefully will go to bed hungry.