Didn't eat enough yesterday - will it impede my weight loss?

[Anonymous]

I'm on a weight loss journey. I don't have a whole lot to lose - I've lost 5lbs already and have 10-15 to go. Yesterday I ran a good distance and so I had earned some extra calories (My Fitness Pal allows me 1300/day, and more if I burn it). But I had a busy day at work, and on top of that I didn't feel very well, so I only ate about 900. That's 700 less than I was allowed yesterday after running - and MFP doesn't give me credit for the day if I eat less than 1000.

I know you have to eat calories to lose calories. Fuel your body so that it doesn't go into starvation mode. Will this hurt my progress or is it not a huge deal? It was just one day.

Thanks!

[Kiwedin]

Hate to break it to you, but according to the World Health Organization, you're eating enough calories for a girl in between the ages of 4-8. For a female aged 18-24 who works out, you should be eating a minimum of 2000 calories per day. It's a little too late to be concerned about going into starvation mode, you're already in it.
This is why I hate the diet industry, they tell you to eat less and workout more in order to lose weight, but all it gets you is short-term results. If you want to be thin for the rest of your life, and not have to diet over and over again, you have to consistently feed your body a sufficient amount of calories. The only thing that should change is where those calories are coming from. Eat whole, plant foods, and eat until you're satisfied and satiated. The body naturally burns off excess fat through a process called thermogenesis, but this only happens after the body realizes it isn't starving anymore and if you've been consuming less than 1800 calories for more than a few days, my guess is that you're already suffering damage to the endocrine system which is then going to slow your metabolism, which can honestly take months, or in extreme cases, years to heal. I mean, right now you're young, but just think about anyone overweight people in your life who've been through "yo-yo" dieting. They just get bigger and bigger, because they keep damaging their endocrine system over and over every single time they diet.

https://youtu.be/J9DQltKxTWA

[Xfitchick]

Not if you do once, but be careful not to burn muscle. Loosing weight by burning muscle is not the good way, you should only burn fat.

[Asker]

Good to know! Yeah since starting, I've gotten noticeably thinner so I'm pretty sure I gained muscle which is why the scale is only showing a 5lb loss.
So what burns muscle? So I can be sure to avoid it

[Xfitchick]

You burn muscle if your calorie intake or buffer is not enough to cover your needs

[super_k_c]

Yeah, not eating will definitely hurt you. I know you said "but it was only for one day" but sometimes it could lead up to a habit. I know by not eating and working out you burn calories and if you dont eat you feel like, yeah i should lose weight faster. But really, you're only hurting yourself. if you dont have time to eat a regular meal, its always good to have something small to eat if its feasible to have it near you or in your purse or pocket. Having something small like an apple or orange, or even some health bars would be good, just so your body has the nutrients it needs to burn calories when you do workout. Plus eating something small every couple of hours will help you not feel as hungry when it is time to have a normal meal. Keep up the good work and good luck on your weight lose. You're almost there :) don't give up and remember to eat hehe

[SirenDep]

Not if it was just one day