Is there such a thing as being too low on calories if your macros are good?

(Preston Broesche) #1

I am a 5’7", 45 year old male that is lightly active. (walking and swimming). I have been on keto going on 10 weeks now and have lost 28 llbs. My starting weight was 235 and I am at 207 today. I am also doing IF. I have a bullet proof coffee in the morning and then fast until dinner that night. My wife is worried that I am taking in too few calories like this. According to MyFitnessPal app I am taking in less than 1000 calories a day, however my macros are right on the mark. I don’t feel bad at all. My blood pressure has already come down and my doctor has put me on a half dose, with the idea that I might be able to quit altogether. I just want to be able to reassure her that this is safe.

Thanks,

PSB

(Liz ) #2

So curious about the answers to this because every time I read about it I get conflicting information. Someone will talk about “starvation mode” due to restricted calories slowing metabolism while I thought that only mattered in traditional SAD CICO restriction diets. I thought that those of us who are overweight & fat adapted make up the missing calories by metabolizing our own fat stores thereby not risking slowing our metabolisms?

I also hear “Eat only when you are hungry” & by that score I sometimes have 1,000 or fewer calories in a day.

So…tracking this thread!

(Jeremy Storie) #3

Eat when you are hungry. You body will tell you when it needs more fuel. It may be a 1000 calorie Day or a 2000 calorie Day. The great thing about this WOE is that there is no rule book as long as you are in ketosis.

(Louise ) #4

Ultimately you need to be aware of what is your basal metabolic rate. You need to be able to access from your own body fat or plate (food) this amount of energy to keep your vital functions supplied. You can work this out using the formula and post that Richard made out calculating your energy requirements while fasting. If you send your body into ‘starvation’ mode, yes, your BMR reduces and becomes compromised.

(Crow T. Robot) #5

“Starvation mode” is so often misunderstood, I think it might be time to retire it as a term. :grinning:

Here’s the thing, if your insulin is cranked down low, (as in a fasting person, or non-hyperinsulinemic person eating LCHF), then you are accessing your body fat easily and even low calories shouldn’t cause the body to turn down the fires too much. That’s the theory. I think it holds water, but everyone is a bit different, and it’s especially hard to know how much insulin a person is secreting (it might be a lot more than you think).

In the end, I think if you are eating keto and eating to satiety, then you are probably safe, since it’s not likely that the body would naturally prompt you to undereat and then punish you for it.

(LUCAS KRAUSE) #6

I will add that I got a fitness test and dexa scan last year, here is a screen shot of the results, this gives you your VO2 max and resting metabolic rate.

It might be worth looking into it. I think it was about $75 for each test, $200 for all three ( dexa, vo2 and resting metabolic rate.).

I think if you lack energy or endurance it might show your general capacity.

I got these through dexa fit in Atlanta.

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(Preston Broesche) #8

Thanks… I will see if I can find it.

(Preston Broesche) #9

Intersesting…thanks for the info Enigmae.

(Edith) #10

I’ve been only following this way of eating for about six weeks so I am no expert. When I first started, I had a hard time eating a lot of calories. Now, six weeks in, I am eating more calories in general. Some days I am low but sometimes I have a bottomless pit day. I think your body will tell you when you need to up your calories. Unless, you are feeling hungry all the time, then you are not eating enough.

Congrats on the weight loss.

Edith

(Preston Broesche) #11

I don’t feel hungry while fasting so I took that as a good sign. My fingers get cold (which is not the norm) while fasting but that is the only change I have seen.

(Louise ) #12

If you notice those sorts of changes, then heed the sign and fuel your body. The key thing that the other poster provided was a report calculated for the DEXA scan of lean body mass which you can then calculate your BMR. If you can only access so much body fat per day, then you’ll know if you have to add further supplementation when fasting.

#13

I follow Dr Fung and Megan Ramos from Intensive Dietary Management. She provides incredibly down to earth advice. She talks frquwntly about the need to not constantly be in a calorie deficit. It is okay to be low some days (or even fast) but you also need to have days of high calorie intake. This keeps your body from going into preservation mode where it draws down your metabolic rate which of course is not helpful for any desired weight loss. But in general eat when your hungry, don’t eat if your not. It should balance out. If you are constantly under-eating add fat…and focus on it first.

(Preston Broesche) #14

Thanks to everyone for your advice and suggestions. It looks like I have more homework to do.

#15

This is not true. I eat generally 800-1000 calories a day and when I do my body goes into starvation mode. I track my macros too and I eat 10-20 carbs a day.

Your body definitely can and I’m proof!

I had to up my calories because my deficit was way too extreme. Yes maybe this works for a first time dieter but not someone w a slow metabolism who has been on diets on and off their entire life.

Starvation mode is real. I wish it wasn’t! I would be 95 lbs if it wasn’t real.

#16

Continue to fast; it’s great for your mitochondria but up your calories because you don’t want to mess your metabolism up making it harder for you to lose weight in the future.

Eat when hungry! I made this mistake and it has slowed my weight loss down dramatically!

#17

It’s a good thing metabolic slowdown is real and evolution is there to save us from ourselves.

(Edith) #18

Well, that’s a good way to look at it. :grinning:

(Windmill Tilter) #19

I’ve had the same experience.

Folks often advise that eating to satiety is the best strategy. I believe that is true in most cases. That doesn’t mean that if eating to satiety for somebody is 500kcal, and their daily caloric needs are 2000kcal, that their metabolism won’t get monkey hammered as a result over the course of 2 months. It’s not the end of the world, but it will slow weight loss down considerably when your resting metabolic rate is running 20% lower than it should be seven days a week.

I have yet to see any scientific evidence that continuous calorie restriction under keto is more protective of one’s metabolic rate than continuous calorie restriction under SAD. If your satiety signals are messed up from years of SAD, I think following them will lead you astray.

That’s my two cents. Having said that, if there are controlled studies that show that continuous calorie restriction under keto does not lower metabolic rate, I’ll happy change my mind and my eating pattern.

#20

Sadly I wish it was a myth because I would look like a Victoria secret model if it wasn’t real :joy:

#21

This is so true! I’m proof of this! My whole life for the most part I’ve always been under my calories!

Not all calories are equal and it’s not calories in, calories out bs! I wish it was that simple.

My metabolism has slowed so much from such low calorie diets. I don’t really have much of an appetite though and food isn’t a priority to me so I have to make it one! Each day I have to remind myself eat more calories or you won’t lose weight!

Because the days I am busy with work and just don’t eat are often the days that I’m up a few pounds on the scale the next day!

I wish it was a matter of calories in and calories out. I would be 100 lbs and light as a feather if it was. But sadly the body is a very complicated thing. We need to eat more, keep our metabolisms higher and keep as much junk out including dirty keto or anything that is not Whole Foods! I’m not saying neglect yourself of the occasional keto treat but keep these in moderation because our body needs micronutrients and real foods from veggies, fats and protein more than anything else!