Uh... Is this healthy?

I noticed myself switching from 900 to 2000 and back to 900 calories again. This means I'm averaging around 1400 a day per week, which is all right, right? Or is going under 1000 for a day going to mess up my efforts?

Haven't stepped on a scale in a while, so I can't tell if it's had any effect.

I'd say no.  Not healthy.  

If your switching from 900 and 2000 without really trying to hit these two numbers then obviously your body is needing more food because its craving more substanance the higher days.  When you deprive your body it will eventually come back to bite you in the butt.  I would aim for atleast 1200-1400 calories a day and even more on days that you do moderate-high exercise. Try increasing to that range and see if it helps.  Eating 2000 calories a day every once in awhile wont ruin all your efforts.  I think it's good to keep your body/metabolism guessing.

Having such a wide range of intakes suggests that you're not really managing your eating habits... you're just going with the flow.  You may lose weight or  gain weight short-term but ultimately you could find it difficult to maintain any loss.  Aim for 1400-1500 as a steady intake... if that's where it should be for your size/activity level....  and try to get into a good routine of portion-controlled healthy foods.  Develop a good eating habit and you'll find weight-loss is much easier to keep going with and much easier to sustain.

yeah i DOUBT it's healthy.. but then again, that's how i lived my life for 6 years of college, i was thin then, but 3 years later when the 2000 happened more and more.. lol 15lbs more than i was then...my calorie goal is only 1200 a day so i hardly find myself going too far below, but i think you definately should try to keep a bit more steady

How do you even eat 900 cals in a day only?? I eat 1000 cals from Breaky-Dinner, then another 300-400 cals of snacks after dinner/early eve (could include a glass of wine..)

 

Some days I have a very hard time staying around 1500....

I would DEFINITELY staty above 1200 calories on ANY day.  What is your activity level?  You may need more calories some days and less on others, which may help you balance this a little better.

By starving yourself on the 900 calorie days, your body is trying to store all of the energy it can, so to be consistent, try to stay above 1200 calories so your body does not go into "store" mode. 

Below is a great post that I found, and I'm not exactly sure, but maybe you can try this out for a little while.  You may find that if you adjust things respectively, you might be able to eat less on some days, more on others, and STILL lose weight.  It's just a suggestion :)

Read on.....and good luck!!!

Cheating On Your Diet To Increase Fat Loss.

Coach Dee PFT - Accepting Fitness and Wellness questions via CC e-mail coachdee
Jun 13 2006 15:16
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Quote  |  Reply Howdy folks.... no I have not lost my mind. I have come only bearing gifts! The gift of knowledge. Okay, that sounds totally corny, but this might have you smiling all the way back to the fridge.

So many people hit plateaus. The fat will not go anywhere, and your measurements and scale weight at the same.  My longest plateau was 7 weeks long. Depressing yes, but in my quest for the truth about fat loss, I discovered something..... Cheating once or twice a week, actually helped with moving beyond that plateau.

A fluke? Wishful thinking?  Nope... it is actually based in medical science. It has to do with Neuroendocrinology. Seriously!

We talk about insulin, we talk about testosterone, we talk about estrogen, but have we every talked about LEPTIN?

Leptin? What the, who the huh?

Yup Leptin, a hormone. There not just for sex anymore.

Named after leptos, the Greek term for "thin," leptin is a hormone released by your fat cells. Although it has a number of functions, one of leptin's main roles is to let your brain know how fat you are.  It actually controls your metabolism. Yes I am serious. Leptin is produced by fat tissue and is secreted into the bloodstream where it travels to the brain and other tissues. Leptin causes fat loss and decreased appetite. It also plays a very important role in calorie intake and calorie burning. Hmmm, that sounds pretty important to all this hubbub we are all going through doesn't it?

The bottomline is that by mastering Leptin hormone in your body you will be mastering your body weight. Why?

Leptin causes you to burn stored fat; most fad diets, or unrealistic dieting robs the body of both fat and muscle. When you diet, your body compensates for reduced calorie and fat intake by lowering your energy and metabolism. Leptin can actually enhance your energy and metabolism. What does this mean, well what it means is best diet and exercise plan in the world will not work unless the Leptin levels are correct. Something Nutrisystem does not share with it's customers I assure you.

Leptin levels are related to a number of things, including insulin, your caloric intake, and your current level of bodyfat. Think of it as one of the big ?fat-loss decision makers.? Generally speaking, the leaner you are, the lower your baseline levels of leptin are. Under normal conditions, though, leptin is plentiful. However, while your calorie intake is at sub-maintenance levels, and particularly if you're on a low-carb diet, which lowers your levels of circulating insulin, leptin levels drop.

Decreased leptin levels cause a number of other regulatory changes ? namely, decreased thyroid output and metabolic rate and increased catabolic hormone activity and appetite. In an attempt to become more efficient, your body will try to slow down to make that lowered caloric intake its new maintenance intake. That is, it'll try to do the same amount of work with less energy. And unfortunately, this usually means having to continuously lower calories to maintain your progress, which inevitably makes it very hard to hold on to all your hard-earned muscle. None of this sounds too good to me. However, periodic days of high calorie and carbohydrate intake may help with this.

Remember our bodies want to adapt. That is a good thing and a not-so-good thing when trying to lose body fat. So how do we increase levels of leptin enough to kick start the fat loss again. (exercise is still required here people)

Researchers have identified a system that 'senses' nutrient flux (flux = what's going in versus what's going out) through both fat and muscle cells.  This affects a lot of process. When dieting, more calories are leaving the fat cell than are going in (negative flux). This nutrient sensing system  'senses' this and affects many processes, one of which is leptin production (decreasing leptin production).  So leptin drops.  When overfeeding, more calories are entering the fat cells than are leaving (positive flux). The system 'senses' this and  affects many processes, one of which is leptin production (increasing leptin production).  So leptin increases.  Hence the need for cyclical dieting: when dieting, leptin drops and your body fights back. 

What is cyclical dieting... well to make a long story short. A cheat day. Now I do not mean go nuts with the KFC, I mean, eat more carbs, protein and fat, don't worry. Meaning try 4 days of dieting per week.  Meaning consume 500 -800 Calories less than your Maintainance Level, and then have 2 days at the maintainance level, and one day with maybe an extra 500 calories above your maintainance level.  Keep working out, drink plenty of water... try this for a couple of weeks, and see if this works, remember change it up each day.  mix it up.

Your plateau will start to vanish.  It did for me.