ok im having trouble

[smdrdd]

i only took in 572 cal yesterday i did not work out at all but today im so tired could this be becaus e i took to little in or is it ok to only take in 572 cals a day?

another thing how do you take in cal with out fat im trying to stay away from the fat as much as i can i need help to get this right!

[Skailark]

Hi there! 572 calories is way too less when you are trying to lose weight...I would recommend you stay in between 1200- 1500 calories a day in order to lose weight and have the energy to exercise. 572 is never recommended. If your caloric intake is too low your metabolism will slow down and the chances are you will not lose weight and feel weak.

When you are trying to lose weight a good ballanced nutrition is needed. Am not too sure skipping fat totally is good. You may want to try healthier sources of fat and include them in your diet.

[StarryNight23]

Yes like Skailark said, 572 calories is WAY too low. That's essentially starving yourself so no, you definitely cannot eat that little.

I think you should focus more on eating *real* food rather than worrying about how to consume virtually no fat. Certain fats are good for you and necessary for good health. Stay away from processed stuff with trans fats (thats the only fat you need to worry about avoiding) and limit your intake of saturated fats when possible (some is ok though and naturally occurs in certain foods) Healthy fats include fat from olive and canola oils, fish (especially salmon, trout and herring), avocados, nuts, flax seeds etc. Focus more on your calorie intake because losing weight comes down to basic math, calories in vs calories out. Just make sure you're consuming higher quality calories and higher quality "good for you" fats. If you end up eating a completely fat free diet but you're still consuming too many calories, you'll still gain weight. If you eat a healthy balanced diet, you'll end up eliminating excess fat without really even trying to, but again, you must include some fat in your diet. 30-60g a day is considered "low" but still a healthy range for most women. You could even go a bit higher than that to be honest with you, especially if you don't have any risks of heart related issues.

[Elyz1214]

I have found that eating MORE calories helps weight loss more as well. You need to take in protein or you will lose muscle mass.

Before I had my lap band surgery, I had to take a nutrition class and they advised us against eating too little. The instructor said that it puts the body into "starvation" mode and it ends up trying to hang on to every single ounce it can.

FOr me, the optimum weight loss caloric intake was about 1000-1200 calories. Still now I try to keep an eye on my calories and if I find Im not eating enough I will have an extra piece of fruit or some skim milk or something.

Besides, if you end up eating too little you will be more hungry and then more apt to eat a "wrong" food later.

[Barb135]

They said it all - 572 calories is way too low and extremely unhealthy.  In addition, as the others said - you need some healthy fats in your diet.  It's not good to completely give up one food group as your body needs all of them!!

It's ok to vary your calorie intake a bit once in a while (like eat an extra 200 calories one day, then drop back to your regular calories; or eat 200 calories less than usual for one day, etc), but I've been told by several doctors that it is not safe to go below 1000 calories/day.  

You probably got tired because you didn't eat enough, but don't forget that exercise helps improve your energy levels too.  It's important to get SOME exercise every day - even if it's going for a short walk, etc.

[lucindamartinez]

I agree with everyone above.  One way to think about searching for healthy foods at the grocery store that is something that I have found easy to remember is this....Make as many of your food purchases around the edges of the store as possible.  These tend to be the areas with produce, meat, bakery (whole grain bread, etc.), and that sort of thing.  The bulk of the processed foods that you want to avoid can be found in the aisles and you will want to use these sparingly.  

I have personally found that too few calories makes my body hold onto every last ounce that it can as mentioned above.  When I find myself not loosing, if I carefully examine my calories in I usually find that I have been too busy and not eating enough.