Calorie Intake Problems

Question
Hello, Im 19 years old I weigh 140Lbs and I am 5'5". I know the average calorie intake a person should consume is 2000. Some how I thought it would be ok to restrict that to 200 calories a day. Ive done this for the past week and my energy level has not decreased and I am noticing rapid weight loss. This is probably really ignorant, but how long can I continue this "harsh" diet without doing damage to my body? Could you possibly explain a sane and safe way to lower my weight without starving? :(Thank you.

Answer
Hi Vanessa,

Many important things depend on the calorie source, on how accurate you track you calories, how you exercise, sleep, coup stress, etc.

Also, you must monitor your body fat percent instead of just being concerned with your scales. Let me explain. For the week you created the 200 x 7=1400 Calorie deficit, right?

To lose 1 pound of body fat, you should burn 3500 Calories. This means, you lost 0.4 pounds - right? If your scales showed a greater loss, the rest is water.

What do do? Know your numbers! Use this calculator to monitor your body fat:
http://www.dietandbody.com/plan/measuring.html

There, you can find some useful information about one of the ways you are asking about: "safe way to lower my weight without starving."

If you'll have more questions, don't hesitate asking.

= TZ

1. Prev:want to Gain Weight
2. Next:nutrition on a budget