Should I increase my calorie intake?!
Question: Lately I've been getting under 500 calories a day. Most of the time it is under 400 calories a day. I've been on the treadmill for half an hour usually every two days, and today while exercising I kept getting incredibly dizzy and fell. Is this because of change in calorie intake? Should I increase?
Answers: Lately I've been getting under 500 calories a day. Most of the time it is under 400 calories a day. I've been on the treadmill for half an hour usually every two days, and today while exercising I kept getting incredibly dizzy and fell. Is this because of change in calorie intake? Should I increase?
That is pretty low, regardless of your height or weight (maybe if you were a midget I don't know but...lol). Yes you should definitely increase it. You can calculate your bmr (basal metabolic rate) which is how many calories you need just to function; it isn't pin-point but it should be around there. You're body is going to start breaking down fat AND muscle for energy.
Having some body fat is essential to living (the minimum for women is higher than men, google it), it's pretty much a variable backup energy storage. Fat is normal and necessary, just excessive amounts is not healthy. The more calories you eat than you can burn/metabolize, it goes to fat storage. Some people have faster metabolisms so they can eat more without gaining weight (sometimes called ectomorphs), but if you notice for a lot of those people they eat a lot of small meals which speeds up metabolism.
An FYI: In complete starvation, once there is not enough fat/muscle, your body starts breaking organs down, basically eating itself to feed itself.
If you're passing out when exercising - that's a definite sign of severe lack of energy.
http://www.bmi-calculator.net/bmr-calcul...
You should never eat less than 1200 calories per day.
a female needs at least 1200 calories per day to maintain normal body functions.
Are you on a diet? Bit too low kcals to say the least!
I would say 800kcal to 1000 is better- that is what I do. And spread it over breakfast, lunch and dinner and try and get fruit or snacks in between.
YES! 400-500 cals a day is wayy to low. If you are trying to loose weight keep it anywhere from 1200-1600 cals a day. Really, any less is just bad for your body. You will actually go into "calorie saving mode" and your body will slow down it's metabolism. And then you will just mess it up for good.
Yes you should!
Your body will actually shut down so that you do not burn the calories you do take in. If your trying to lose weight, starving yourself is not the way to do it.
A simple calculation I've used is to multiply the desired weight by 10 to get how many calories you should be eating. But to stay within 20lbs of your current weight. For instance if you weigh 200lbs and wish to drop to 120lbs go in stages of 20 lbs. Eat 1800 calories a day till you drop to 180, then 1600/day, etc.
KCE's advice is a bullseye.
You are making a mistake trying to cut out all your calories like that. You can really harm yourself by malnourishing the body, then working out on top of it. Find your BMI, find a chart to figure out the appropriate amount of calories to cut, and by god, if your going to starve yourself, eat the highest-quality food you can find(whole grains, meats.)
500 callories a day?and you have energy to go on the treadmill?wow thats interesting. You are feeling dizzy and fainthing because your body doesnt have sufficient ammount of energy(calories) to run on the treadmill...its like trying to go fast in a car without any fuel in the tank...you should deffinitely increase your calorie intake by at least 500 callories..at least
You're cannibalizing muscle tissue at that daily calorie level, and your body MUST and WILL feed your brain first. The danger is, if you're fainting, your body is sending you signals that your brain is not getting enough to keep the whole system running, therefore to protect itself, you are "shutting down". Before this goes to a more dangerous metabolic level, get help by seeing a doctor IMMEDIATELY. If you do not have one, go to a day clinic, or the ER. Get help NOW and BE WELL before you damage yourself permanently.