What problems do people face eating at a defict for a long period of time

[Time1]

say a year plus!

not day in day out tho, sometimes taking a bit of time off plus eating whatever you like. But for most of the time

i have been doing it and i believe i may be running into some health problems. Looking foward to my lean bulk soon

[ac guy]

depends on the deficit. Say 500 under your maintenance, no biggie, 2000 under maintenance, you'll have trouble. I went 3 months at 800 calories a day, riding a mtn bike 4 days a week. Lost 80 lbs, but had kidney pains, heart palpitations, dizziness. It worked, but it was stooooopid.

[RescuesPitbulls]

depends on the deficit. Say 500 under your maintenance, no biggie, 2000 under maintenance, you'll have trouble. I went 3 months at 800 calories a day, riding a mtn bike 4 days a week. Lost 80 lbs, but had kidney pains, heart palpitations, dizziness. It worked, but it was stooooopid.

What was the reason for going so much under maintenance?

[cj111]

500 under maintenance would lead to problems.. you cant just look at it as "500 for 1 day"
that's 3500 cals a week you are undereating, a month of 800 cals a day? That's ludicrous man, why do people sacrifice their health to look good. Theres smarter ways to lose weight than an extreme deficit

[ac guy]

What was the reason for going so much under maintenance?

I was pushing 400 lbs. Looked in the mirror one day and was disgusted with my self. Lost 5 years of my life to gluttony and alcohol. Took loosing weight to a dangerous extreme, but in my mind it was what Ihad to do at the time.

[gbrice75]

Aside from the aforementioned health concerns, running a caloric deficit (specifically, a severe deficit) for an appreciable length of time will, over time, slow your metabolism. Basically, your body will adjust to the lowered energy intake in an effort to maintain homeostasis. I wouldn't go more than 16 weeks in a deficit without then spending at least 4 weeks at or above maintenance.

[CookiesNCream]

Speaking from experience, long term caloric deficit isn't a good idea (unless you have copious amounts of weight to lose). It took me 10 months to lose 60 pounds and then once I hit that mark, I plateaued. Due to stress and other unforeseen circumstances, my weight went from 170-150 in just over a year (see the time difference?). Lost 60 in 10 months but after that, was only able to lose 20 in about 14 months (mind you my diet wasn't dialed in, ate good, but not enough). It's been a real struggle to get down to the weight that I want to be at. My best advice if you're concerned about health, is to determine what your TDEE is and go from there. Ensure that you are splitting your macros properly, balancing out your meals and timing of them as well, and try to stay active. The most important thing you need to do is come terms with the fact that you won't be making any progress (on the scale that is) for a bit. Operation Metabolism Repair ... and go! Let your body just be. Eat healthy, workout out, and give yourself a bit of a break. That way when you want to start back with a weight loss program, your body should be g2g from the rest you gave it. I did this and through the help of my bf and a few other very knowledgeable people on this site, I was able to find a diet + training program that works for me. Good luck!!