Is it healthy to eat 1700 cals but exercise 1000 cals off?

Question

I'm trying to lose about 40 lbs and i started yesterday and i'm trying to count calories for the first two weeks to see how it goes....i counted mine for yesterday and it added up to about 1700. but i also went to the gym and lost 1000+ calories in an hour (it stopped counting after 1000) so that leaves me with 700 calories eaten really. is that healthy? and if not tell me what i should fix or do. thanks

Answer 1

Yes!  You are doing great!  The only way to lose weight is to burn more calories than consumed.  However, you need to make sure that you are providing your body with proper fuel.  Make sure how that the calories you are consuming are high in protein and nutrients (and not, say, Burger King).

Additionally, you need to make sure you schedule rest periods for your body (do not work out full blast 7 days a week).  Muscle is at first broken down then reformed so make sure you are taking care of yourself!

Great job and keep it up for as you can!

Answer 2

I'm going to speak candidly here, and I don't mean to be rude.

First of all, how the HECK are you losing 1000+ calories in an hour? That's nearly unheard of unless you weigh a LOT. (I used to, so I know.)

If you don't weigh a lot, then that is pretty questionable. Some exercise machine manufacturers increase their caloric rate meters so you think you've used more calories than you have, so... not saying it totally couldn't happen, but I'd be wary. If you're fudging a bit in your question and are really exercising for a ton of hours per day to get those kind of results, I would say be careful because you're bordering on the over-exercising form of bulimia (depending on eating habits, of course). And if you've just gone from no exercise to that kind of exercise in one day, I would suggest slowing down and building up to it gradually. Regardless of whether it's healthy metabolically, it's hard on your body to jump-start like that.

If you do weigh a lot, then good on you for working out for the hour and yes, it's healthy, since that's how much your body really uses up in one hour. Just watch your heart rate to make sure you're not doing too much, too soon. And listen to your body. If your joints hurt (not muscles, but joints), give them a bit of a rest now and then. If you've started working out this hard too fast (and depending on the activity), make sure you have good footwear and be careful--you don't want to develop a stress fracture and end up not being able to work out for months. That would totally defeat the purpose.

Regardless, make sure that the 1700 calories you are eating are from a nutritious source and think about taking a multivitamin. You want to make sure that you're getting all the nutrients you need. Also make sure you're hydrating properly (but not overhydrating). The heavier you are, the more you need since you have more cells generating waste and the like.

Also, make sure you use the weights some as the more muscle you build, the more calories you burn. It also has been shown to get rid of subcutaneous fat better than cardio and dieting, which work more on the visceral.

Otherwise, rock on.

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Addendum:

Again, as far as the calorie deficit goes, that IS okay as long as you're getting the appropriate amount of nutrients per day through what you're eating. Your body will make up for the CALORIE deficit by burning from its internal stores (fat, etc), but it cannot make up for a NUTRIENT deficit in all cases. So as long as you keep the right kinds of food coming in, you're okay.

The only problem I'm seeing here is that you could be overtaxing yourself physically while working out.

Now that you've added your weight, I'm a little more skeptical about you burning that many calories per hour. You do not weight what I would consider to be a LOT. If I knew what exactly you were doing, I might be able to make a better guess about what's really going on.

Let's make a comparison. Essentially, if you were running, then at your weight you'd have to be running approximately a 6.5-minute mile to burn that many calories per hour. Olympic runners run between a 5 and 6-minute mile (and only for up to 4 miles at a time, usually--under 30 minutes). My husband, a military guy who runs 5 miles every morning and has for years, runs a little over a 7.5-minute mile. At 17, as a muscular beanpole-type on the varsity track team, he could run a 6.45-minute mile (faster than everyone else), but only for maybe one to two miles before exhaustion. To make the varsity basketball team at my sister's high school, you had to run at least an 8-minute mile.

I find it hard to believe you're outdoing all of these people in both speed and endurance when you've just started exercising and aren't totally in shape. Sure, there are some activities that burn more calories than running, but not many more and most aren't machine-based. Honestly, I would suspect that whatever machine you're using to calculate calories is making some sort of error--either because the manufacturer was overly optimistic in its calculations or because there is some sort of error in the inputs to the machine. (Of course, if that really IS what you are burning, please let me know what you're doing so I can cut my workouts in half. Optimism reigns supreme... :) )

That said, if you are somehow killing yourself and barely making it to get that many calories burnt when you haven't been exercising prior to now, I'd be extra vigilant about checking heart rate. You could be killing yourself literally.

Seriously, when it comes to weight loss, slow and steady (and maintainable!) wins the race.

Answer 3

That's safe. I exercise for 11 hours a week, and eat 1600 calories a day. I lost weight and my doctor says that what I'm doing is healthy.

And the girl who answered below me is wrong. 2000-2500 calories will actually make you GAIN weight. You should only be eating THAT much calories if you are VERY active like a construction worker.

Answer 4

people who say it's not healthy have no idea what they're talking about

it's alright, good luck

Answer 5

Your gonna be real dizzy  

Answer 6

It has to do with where you get the calories. If you get them from meat or dairy, your body wants to store those. If you get them from plants, your body wont. This can be traced way back if storing fat for winter is through animal fat, but during the summer months they ate mainly plants and you lose all that fat.

In todays society we dont need to eat the meat to store for winter (unless you live somewhere special).

Also, take your ideal weight (not what you wish to be, but what your body expects to be at), and times by 10. That is how many calories you should be eating. Someone who is around 150 lbs should be eating around 1500 calories AT LEAST. If you eat less, you are starving yoru body which causes your body harm and will cause you to over eat when you finally break down and you will gain back all that weight.

Answer 7

that perfectly fine. the way to actually lose weight is to burn more calories than eaten. don't try to lose weight by counting pounds if counting calories is to hard. it wont work. counting calories and burning around the same as eaten or more is the best way to lose weight.  

Answer 8

That is not healthy for the body. An adult body needs 2000 calories a day and you arent giving it half that. Try eating healthier foods with more calories and you will lose weight because it doesnt turn into fat inside of you. Dont bother counting the calories to exact 2000, just make sure you eat 4 or 5 smaller meals a day instead of 3 medium sized ones.

Good luck,

Seinna

Answer 9

No Way

Answer 10

DEAR LORD NO!

that's 700 calories a day

growing bodies and adults

need about 2000-2500 calories a day!

that's anorexic and when you stop

[if you can stop] you will just gain the weight back

Answer 11

actually, you're doing a good job...

just be careful not to overdose yourself

Answer 12

It can be hard to know how much is too much.  I found a program that solved all my problems.  It is a software that will break down everything you need.  You can set a goal say for October 1st to lose 15 lbs and it will tell you exactly how many calories you can have in a day.  It takes into consideration: s*x, age, height, weight, the level of activity you have each day along with tracking for what you eat and your exersie.  , ie. Bed, Sitting, Standing, Walking, etc.  So you can set a goal to lose 40 lbs by a certain date and it will tell you exactly how and as you lose weight it will adjust accordingly to keep you on track.  I love the program.  They have it for some phones and also for windows.  It worked for me.  Anyways here is their website. http://www.keyoe.com/ There might be some free sites that have some of this info but this was the best and most complete one I have found.  Good luck!

Answer 13

To be blunt, you might shock your body's metabolism and it might go into what people call "starvation mode." This is when your body biologically thinks that food sources are running low and it will try to conserve energy (as fat) so that the body does not starve, or lasts longer under the conditions.

One of the healthy things to do to keep weight off is to exercise everyday and try to balance your food intake. The healthy calorie level lost per day is approximately 500. It should look like: (Food Intake Restricted) + (Exercise) = 500 Calories.

For example, you used to eat 2200 Calories. Now eat 2000 Calories and do 300 Calories of Exercise.

In a week, you should lose one pound that is considered completely gone, since 3500 Calories is approximately 1 pound. This is the healthy alternative.