What if you were really malnourished but still work out hard?

[Muskle]

What would a person look like(average male) or what their body would be like of course genetics aside if they only ate 1,000-1,300 calories per day, less than 80 grams protein and not counting macros, but still in the gym 3-4 times a week giving full effort, lifting hard like Arnold? I would imagine they would be skinny/ ripped in the long run? Or would the lack of nutrition simply cancel out the hard workouts causing a skinny-fat look? Thanks!

[paulinkansas]

They would get sick and look like German POW's. That's the reason those special vitamins were created. To help the liberated POWs get their muscles back.

[SuffolkPunch]

At that calorie level you would be burning muscle. Given that most people don't naturally have enough muscle mass to get ripped even without extreme diets, it's very unlikely.

[DougyF7]

What would a person look like(average male) or what their body would be like of course genetics aside if they only ate 1,000-1,300 calories per day, less than 80 grams protein and not counting macros, but still in the gym 3-4 times a week giving full effort, lifting hard like Arnold? I would imagine they would be skinny/ ripped in the long run? Or would the lack of nutrition simply cancel out the hard workouts causing a skinny-fat look? Thanks!

Well technically 80g of protein is over the RDA already, so they would be getting sufficient protein. But the lack of calories over the long term I think would lead to fat loss at first, then muscle loss since it would be the only thing left to consume.

Also, lack of nutrients - the amount of calories we eat also carries over to the amount of vitamins and minerals we also need, so by eating enough calories and the right foods you should be getting in adequate vitamins and minerals.

I don't think there would be very much energy to lift though. Just probably not a good idea long term, or short term to go that low as a male I would think.

[desslok]

Have you ever watched The Machinist?

[paulinkansas]

Have you ever watched The Machinist?

I've seen "The Mechanic".

[TolerantLactose]

Something tells me this isn't just a thought experiment by OP.

[air2fakie]

Average male eating 1,000 cals/day for the long run lifting hard like Arnold. Something doesn’t add up.

Seems like a recipe for hair loss and impotence though.

[desslok]

Something tells me this isn't just a thought experiment by OP.

Yeah a lot of questions here are basically “What happens if you do what I recently did?”

Kind of like when you are a kid and you ask your parents “mom, what would happen if someone dropped a Hot Wheels in the toilet?”

[AdamWW]

What would a person look like(average male) or what their body would be like of course genetics aside if they only ate 1,000-1,300 calories per day, less than 80 grams protein and not counting macros, but still in the gym 3-4 times a week giving full effort, lifting hard like Arnold? I would imagine they would be skinny/ ripped in the long run? Or would the lack of nutrition simply cancel out the hard workouts causing a skinny-fat look? Thanks!

You end up emaciated and close to death. I've done it.... you can't be skinny-fat if you don't eat enough to store fat.

[paulinkansas]

Kind of like when you are a kid and you ask your parents “mom, what would happen if someone dropped a Hot Wheels in the toilet?”

There was a big cistern in the back yard of a house I stayed in in college. I dumped a gallon of gas in there and waited a few minutes. I put the manhole back over the top opening. I lit a bottle rocket and launched it through a hole in the manhole cover. The blast removed the manhole and there was a flame shooting up in the air that resembled a flame from a fighter jet taking off from an aircraft carrier.

[air2fakie]

I've seen "The Mechanic".

Have you seen “Mechanic: Resurrection”?

[desslok]

I've seen "The Mechanic".

Sure, but have you seen Mike and The Mechanics? Try not to cry:

[gbullock32]

Did that in my early 20s, did not go over very well.

[AdamWW]

Did that in my early 20s, did not go over very well.

Same…

I probably got worse tho… it was scary shyt

And I also relapsed back and forth multiple times

[gbullock32]

Same…

I probably got worse tho… it was scary shyt

Yep, not fun; still pissy I lost 30 pounds from my ankle surgery and sitting on ass, almost got to 200 pounds in April, at 168 now and working back up. Much nicer (and healthier) to not try to be as lean as possible. Left leg is more twig status than normal.

Shoulders and abs lost the most, sat on ass for 9 straight weeks haha.

[paulinkansas]

Have you seen “Mechanic: Resurrection”?

No, but I have about a dozen prints of Arnold in about a dozen rentals. They all have a phrase written to me, and they are signed. I signed them.

I'm going to write a letter to Arnold and ask if I could have some real signed memorabilia. They will send 1 of 3 things:

1. Nothing.
2. Signed memorabilia.
3. A cease and desist order from their attorney. In which case I will make copies of the letter and frame them. I'll place the framed letters next to the stuff I signed.

[AdamWW]

Yep, not fun; still pissy I lost 30 pounds from my ankle surgery and sitting on ass, almost got to 200 pounds in April, at 168 now and working back up. Much nicer (and healthier) to not try to be as lean as possible. Left leg is more twig status than normal.

Shoulders and abs lost the most, sat on ass for 9 straight weeks haha.

[IMG]https://i.imgur.com/p7qb0OV.jpg[IMG]

Damn son those traps are crazy... you seem to hold the weight really well too... your waist seems stay really tight.

I've actually really been enjoying being over the 10-12% mark... I spent so much time sub-10% that I don't think hovering in the 10-12% range really made me feel any different. I still was hungry, tired, and not recovering very well.

I'm somewhere between 13-15% now I think, and I still look pretty darn lean, but im not experiencing nearly the recovery issues I was before. I'm probably going to keep gaining up to closer to 20% but it'll probably take several months.

[desslok]

Rocky Balboa called. He wanted his shorts back.

[xsquid99]

What would a person look like(average male) or what their body would be like of course genetics aside if they only ate 1,000-1,300 calories per day, less than 80 grams protein and not counting macros, but still in the gym 3-4 times a week giving full effort, lifting hard like Arnold? I would imagine they would be skinny/ ripped in the long run? Or would the lack of nutrition simply cancel out the hard workouts causing a skinny-fat look? Thanks!

You think someone would have the energy to "lift hard like Arnold" on 1000-1300 calories a day? At some point you're not even going to have enough energy to do basic human daily chores, much less actually workout hard. Your body would definitely start eating muscle, and you would gradually become weaker and weaker. You would not be skinny-ripped or skinny-fat, you would just be skinny. And since thats below BMR for almost everyone, you would eventually start to have serious health/organ function issues.

[gbullock32]

Damn son those traps are crazy... you seem to hold the weight really well too... your waist seems stay really tight.

I've actually really been enjoying being over the 10-12% mark... I spent so much time sub-10% that I don't think hovering in the 10-12% range really made me feel any different. I still was hungry, tired, and not recovering very well.

I'm somewhere between 13-15% now I think, and I still look pretty darn lean, but im not experiencing nearly the recovery issues I was before. I'm probably going to keep gaining up to closer to 20% but it'll probably take several months.

Yeah, fat usually goes to love handles and chest first, none ever goes to my ass which sucks, I'd love to have dat ass. I also do a lot of shrugs because it's my heaviest lift and moving heavy things feels good.

Rocky Balboa called. He wanted his shorts back.

Space Jam jersey and shorts, you know you're jelly.

[Muskle]

You think someone would have the energy to "lift hard like Arnold" on 1000-1300 calories a day? At some point you're not even going to have enough energy to do basic human daily chores, much less actually workout hard. Your body would definitely start eating muscle, and you would gradually become weaker and weaker. You would not be skinny-ripped or skinny-fat, you would just be skinny. And since thats below BMR for almost everyone, you would eventually start to have serious health/organ function issues.

Ahh gotcha, that makes absolute sense how about 1500-1700 cals?

[gbullock32]

Ahh gotcha, that makes absolute sense how about 1500-1700 cals?

Given that would still be under maintenance for most, very drastically so for many, the results would be the same just slower.

[xsquid99]

Ahh gotcha, that makes absolute sense how about 1500-1700 cals?

Read up on the Minnesota Starvation Experiment, where volunteers were fed a controlled/monitored 1570 calories for 6 months straight. They all ended up looking like nothing but skin and bones, and many of them suffered from psychological effects as well.

[paulinkansas]

I'm doing about 4000 cals a day. Not gaining or losing weight.

[AdamWW]

Ahh gotcha, that makes absolute sense how about 1500-1700 cals?

Why are you asking these questions…?

[desslok]

Read up on the Minnesota Starvation Experiment, where volunteers were fed a controlled/monitored 1570 calories for 6 months straight. They all ended up looking like nothing but skin and bones, and many of them suffered from psychological effects as well.

Didn’t that basically give many of them a legitimate ED?

[xsquid99]

Didn’t that basically give many of them a legitimate ED?

I wouldn't be surprised, but I don't fully recall reading that or not. There were some reports of self-mutilation due to hunger, but not entirely sure if that was ever fully substantiated.

[air2fakie]

I wouldn't be surprised, but I don't fully recall reading that or not. There were some reports of self-mutilation due to hunger, but not entirely sure if that was ever fully substantiated.

Those are some dedicated volunteers.

[DougyF7]

Well technically 80g of protein is over the RDA already, so they would be getting sufficient protein. But the lack of calories over the long term I think would lead to fat loss at first, then muscle loss since it would be the only thing left to consume.

Actually after rethinking what I wrote here, I think you would have fat loss and muscle loss at the same time since the protein amount exceeds the RDA but not the amount needed to maintain muscle mass (i.e. minimum of 0.7g per pound lean body mass).

Maybe you would end up skinny fat before being just skinny.