Tuesday, September 29, 2009

[fast5] Re: Daily Calorie Requirements

 

Jody, I have the same problem about half the time, where I let myself eat crap toward the end of my window and justify it by saying, "Well, I still need more calories today!"

Per my understanding of digestive physiology, there's a big difference between dieting calorie reduction (mild to moderate) and starvation calorie reduction (extreme). Consuming that few calories, i.e. only 500 per day, will send your body into what's known as "diet shock," which is a metabolic state in which the body sort of goes into emergency protection mode because it thinks you're starving to death. Your body starts redirecting energy and nutrient supplies to only the most vital organs and processes and away from more peripheral support systems (like your immune system), so you'll feel fatigued and exhausted, become sick and injured more easily, and generally feel like crap.

Also, I'm skeptical that you can get enough and a good balance of nutrients in only 500 calories per day, such as a complete balance of amino acids (a big concern for me personally, as I'm vegetarian). My advice to you would be to focus on nutrient-rich foods, and make sure you're eating enough of all the necessary vitamins, proteins, whole grains, enzymes, etc. I think you'll find that if you make sure to get enough nutrients, you'll get plenty of calories, and you won't be tempted to supplement them with junk food. When I really focus on the nutritional content of my diet, my thought usually is, Holy cow, how am I supposed to eat all this food? The eating window will limit your caloric intake naturally, so I find that focusing on eating enough nutritionally-rich foods helps make a good balance.

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