Low calorie diet

[24oVL]

Hi there

Wanted to go on a low calorie diet, possibly 800 calories a day to lose around 8kgs

And just wondering if there is any risk of nutrient deficiency

if there is risk of nutrient deficiency just wondering if the risk is the same between low calorie diet (no exercise) and normal calorie diet (with strenuous exercise) ( exercise burning 1600calorie a day)

The reason i want to go on low calorie diet was because i couldnt do the exercise anymore

also my nutrients level were normal when i was doing strenuous excercise


Thanks

[Barb135]

Your profile says you’re a male, but could you, please tell us how old you are?  Annie is right that 800 calories to not enough for most people.  

Annie mentioned Vitamin C and scurvy, but there’s also a chance of too little Vitamin B-12, D, Selenium, Zinc, Magnesium, Calcium and other vitamins/minerals.  It will depend on what foods you’re eating to make up the 800 calories, but there’s a good chance it’s still not enough to be healthy without supplementing.  

The problem with weight loss and no exercise is that we lost muscle mass (use them or lose them), which can, ultimately be as bad as not losing the weight.  

Also, losing large amounts of weight without exercise to build muscle can leave us with a lot of saggy skin that’s as unsightly as being over weight.  

All of that said - and 800 calorie/day diet is not healthy for adults.

[24oVL]

Thanks for the explanation
im 35 years old

[AnnieBrooke]

It seems like this is too few calories in general, and probably along with that it would be natural for you to not get enough nutrients. Others in this community can tell you better than I, but in short, if you cut back food that much, you're likely to gain it right back.

[24oVL]

thanks for explaining

just curious does nutrient deficiency happens straight away? or does it take a couple months before it happens?

[AnnieBrooke]

What it sounds like you are asking about are the effects of a deficiency, not a "deficiency" itself. Those don't happen instantly (unless you are malnourished) but over a longer time period can be very serious. For example, in the age of sailing ships, they didn't know about the link between a diet deficient in Vitamin C and getting ill with scurvy. (They probably didn't know what Vitamin C was.) A person who doesn't have vitamin C could get scurvy, but it doesn't happen the first day (or first week) of being deficient in the vitamin.

A person who is not eating enough risks the lack of important nutrients, and electrolyte imbalances, and many other problems. If you want to cut the amount you eat, try cutting 10% or 20%, not the extreme amount you propose. Stick with a balanced mix of healthy foods. Just try smaller portion sizes.

[24oVL]

oh i see, thanks

just curious what is defined as a long period?

[AnnieBrooke]

Are you asking what I meant by a "longer period of time" above? If you are on 800 calories a day, you'll start to have negative results in a couple of weeks to a month. I don't recommend you taking this information and deciding it gives you a week and 6 days to starve yourself and it will all be OK -- everyone is different and you could really send things in your body into a tailspin.