Too much of a calorie deficit?

[jg757]

Probably a rookie question but here it goes:

So I've been trying to really cut out all belly fat before I start putting on muscle mass. I've been doing interval training 4 times a week for 30 minutes where I'm losing probably right around 400-450 calories per session. Then for 3 days a week I go to the gym after and do a full body workout because I want to at least maintain if not gain strength throughout this process.

Nutrition wise I'm getting about:

200 calories out of breakfast (egg beaters omelet)
300 calories out of lunch (salad, no protein)
600-800 out of dinner (varies by night - lean beef, chicken breast, etc but still healthy)

No protein shakes or snacks. Just pounding water and coffee throughout the day and a preworkout before the gym to keep that energy up.

Probably not the healthiest thing in the world but I feel that if I can keep it up for a few more weeks I will have met my goal. Anything I should be aware of that you think might interfere?

5'11/175lb

[schaaferic]

So you are eating 1100-1300 calories a day? That seems really, really, really low.

[InItForFitness]

Factors to consider when dieting in such a manner ;

1. Extreme deficits can be very taxing mentally + physcially
2. Lack of adequate protein intake will create much more risk of lean mass/strength loss
3. Doing anything drastically in the world of fitness & nutrition is a bad idea



If your goal is to maintain mass/strength throughout your cut, you should be keeping your deficit small, protein adequate, and training following a proper strength based program.

[jg757]

Factors to consider when dieting in such a manner ;

1. Extreme deficits can be very taxing mentally + physcially
2. Lack of adequate protein intake will create much more risk of lean mass/strength loss
3. Doing anything drastically in the world of fitness & nutrition is a bad idea



If your goal is to maintain mass/strength throughout your cut, you should be keeping your deficit small, protein adequate, and training following a proper strength based program.

Thanks for the response... Yea I wasn't planning on doing this for more than a few weeks but I'm thinking I should at least up the protein intake. I originally dropped the protein shakes to create more of a deficit but I might add those back in to keep it more balanced. Maybe a shake & a Quest bar per day will do the trick? Or are those things not as healthy as advertised on different threads I read throughout my research?

[InItForFitness]

Thanks for the response... Yea I wasn't planning on doing this for more than a few weeks but I'm thinking I should at least up the protein intake. I originally dropped the protein shakes to create more of a deficit but I might add those back in to keep it more balanced. Maybe a shake & a Quest bar per day will do the trick? Or are those things not as healthy as advertised on different threads I read throughout my research?

No food/supplement in it's individual context is neither 'healthy' or 'unhealthy'.
The health of your dietary intake is determined by OVERALL diet composition throughout the day.

If you'd like to add in a Quest bar or protein shake you are free to do so.



Personally, if I'm cutting (especially drastically), I will not be getting ANY calories from supplementation as I'd prefer to eat them VIA whole food sources. This offers greater satiety throughout the day and creates less desire to overconsume due to hunger.

[saw7988]

I've done these types of deficits many times. Not as bad as many people here will have you think, but you should definitely understand the risks and cons, as IIFF said, and not do it for a prolonged period of time. You may want to have a look at Lyle McDonald's RFL book if you want to do this kind of thing optimally.

However, with calories so low, protein is even more important, so yea I'd def add in something. Throw some chicken in that salad, wtf is the point of having a meal without protein!?

[ResearchWins]

Probably a rookie question but here it goes:

So I've been trying to really cut out all belly fat before I start putting on muscle mass. I've been doing interval training 4 times a week for 30 minutes where I'm losing probably right around 400-450 calories per session. Then for 3 days a week I go to the gym after and do a full body workout because I want to at least maintain if not gain strength throughout this process.

Nutrition wise I'm getting about:

200 calories out of breakfast (egg beaters omelet)
300 calories out of lunch (salad, no protein)
600-800 out of dinner (varies by night - lean beef, chicken breast, etc but still healthy)

No protein shakes or snacks. Just pounding water and coffee throughout the day and a preworkout before the gym to keep that energy up.

Probably not the healthiest thing in the world but I feel that if I can keep it up for a few more weeks I will have met my goal. Anything I should be aware of that you think might interfere?

5'11/175lb

Hello OP.

As someone who has attempted several times to cut fat and finally found what 'appears' to be working for me, a caloric deficit seems to be highly individualized. For example, I have slowly worked my way from my personal maintanence (~3000) (14-15x my bw at the time), stayed there for a month or two, and then reduced calories by ~500 (or, ~2500). From there, I watched the mirror, scale, my measurements and clothes. I have worked my way to a caloric intake of 1700 calories (8-9 calories/lb) per day (with 1 calculated refeed every 7 days) over 12 weeks. I subtracted 100 calories whenever I felt progress stalled, and added in 1 day of HIIT. Currently, I lift 2 consecutive days with some tabatas mixed in, followed by 1 day of HIIT cardio, and then repeat. The last day of each cycle involves a rest day.

Throughout my cut, I have tried to stay close to 1g/lb of protein (or, 40-50% protein), 30-40% carbs, and the rest fats. I might recommend that you also up your protein around the 1g/lb mark, supplementing with a mixed protein powder if need be. I am glad you posted and you are definitely in the right place to get great information.

Therefore, I personally believe you might have started out with too few calories and too much cardio. Although you did not mention how long you have been attempting to cut bodyfat, it might be worthwhile to slowly add calories back in, staying around maintenance for a month or so, then begin to slowly reduce again. It is definitely important that you approach this as a marathon not a sprint, and not overdo anything from the start.

[jg757]

Hello OP.

As someone who has attempted several times to cut fat and finally found what 'appears' to be working for me, a caloric deficit seems to be highly individualized. For example, I have slowly worked my way from my personal maintanence (~3000) (14-15x my bw at the time), stayed there for a month or two, and then reduced calories by ~500 (or, ~2500). From there, I watched the mirror, scale, my measurements and clothes. I have worked my way to a caloric intake of 1700 calories (8-9 calories/lb) per day (with 1 calculated refeed every 7 days) over 12 weeks. I subtracted 100 calories whenever I felt progress stalled, and added in 1 day of HIIT. Currently, I lift 2 consecutive days with some tabatas mixed in, followed by 1 day of HIIT cardio, and then repeat. The last day of each cycle involves a rest day.

Throughout my cut, I have tried to stay close to 1g/lb of protein (or, 40-50% protein), 30-40% carbs, and the rest fats. I might recommend that you also up your protein around the 1g/lb mark, supplementing with a mixed protein powder if need be. I am glad you posted and you are definitely in the right place to get great information.

Therefore, I personally believe you might have started out with too few calories and too much cardio. Although you did not mention how long you have been attempting to cut bodyfat, it might be worthwhile to slowly add calories back in, staying around maintenance for a month or so, then begin to slowly reduce again. It is definitely important that you approach this as a marathon not a sprint, and not overdo anything from the start.

Appreciate the responses guys. I'm definitely going to take the advice and at least up my protein intake to get close to that 1g/lb mark going forward. I'm leaning more towards staying away from the Quest bars and adding shakes & whole foods. Again, appreciate the help and quick responses.

[GTmauf]

So you are eating 1100-1300 calories a day? That is really, really, really low.

Lemme help you just a bit.

Especially for someone your height/weight..

InItForFitness outlines some very good info.

[gbullock32]

A rational deficit for most would be 10-20% less than TDEE, so yes that is likely far too low for you.