Eating 1500-1600 Cal/day for extended periods of time healthy?

snipeemflo

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I'm doing cardio 4-5 times per week for 30 minutes to a hour, and also lift 1-3 times per week.

Would it be fine to eat this amount below maintenance for ~2-3 months?

I'm down to ~200 lbs and ~23-25% BF
 

saggy321

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You should switch your training around so your doing more weights and less cardio or at the most equal. Dropping your calories that low for a prolonged period isn't healthy nor is it the most expedient manner of losing fat. I'm about 30 lbs lighter than you and when I went low as 1200 to 1500 calories for an extended period my health and weight loss suffered.
 
Whacked

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To add to what saggy said, it is not so much a lowered health status as that's debatable (and actually life extensionists have "proven" via studies that it is one of the most effective ways to add years to your life and thwart disease).

So, in context and with respect to a bodybuilder's needs, you will wreck your metabolism (downregulate thyroid and leptin levels) and thusly, screw yourself royally in the end as you create a new "set point" with regard to daily caloric intake. Example: You will lose weight (some muscle) with the low calorie regimen but you will have to THEN maintain that bird-eating for the remainder of your life or you will invariably GAIN WEIGHT at only "1,800/day".

Additionally, and from a more acute perspective, as underlined above, such dieting/eating strategies will cannibalize your muscle thereby also lowering your daily metabolic "needs" (then lowering resting BMR = lowered "resting" calorie burning).

It's a multi-pronged dead-end road IF you plan to carry any muscle on your body.

If your goal is to simply lose weight and be built like a skinny runner with garden hoses for arms, then go for it.
 

snipeemflo

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What would you guys recommend? Just dont do it for over a month- month and a half?

I plan to increase lifting once I get down to ~15% BF, and move to more HIIT rather than endurance, and then increase calories to basically maintenance levels. I'm 3.5 weeks into it now and I've lost around 7.5 lbs. I've been bulking my whole lift, and wouldn't even mind a little muscle loss because my legs are too damn big haha.

I'm going for 6-7 weeks for this cut, then will get into a cutting/bulking combo cycle like I stated above for about 2 months until the end of summer.
 
Whacked

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This is verry "general" but for MANY, sensible dieting revolves around manipulating carbohydrate levels and keeping/upping clean protein sources. Spend some time in the dieting section as there is a ton of useful info there. Good luck buddy :)
 

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