[alyssarof2012]

Okay, so If I take a multivitamin daily, plus eat low calorie and exercise, will it matter if I start consuming too little calories since I'm taking the multivitamin.??

I know many people will express their opinions and assumptions towards this question, but could you at least answer the question during your answer/rant.?

[mommyfat]

No rant here.

Short answer, yes, it will matter. Your body needs a certain amount of calories (different for everyone based on activity level, body fat, etc.) everyday in order to function well. Even if you are supplementing with multivitamins, you should be careful not to go too low. If you are consistently eating too low of calories, your body does not have the energy and nutrients necessary to build muscle. Yes, you might burn fat more quickly, but you also need to build muscle to burn energy efficiently in the long run.

[alyssarof2012]

Is 1000 too low if I'm supplementing? im 16, female, pear build.. i dunno what other stats to give.

[Passionista]

Sweetie, you're still growing. Only a doctor/RD can tell you what a safe number of calories is for you.

Taking a multivitamin and eating a well rounded diet aren't the same thing at all. Most will benefit from doing both.

[mandalinn82]

I believe that in a 16 year old body, going that low will cause damage. How much damage will depend on the quality of food you get, but I believe it is too low, period.

The issue is that a vitamin supplement, while it has some micronutrients (vitamins, minerals), it doesn't have macronutrients (carbs, fat, protein). Without adequate protein, your muscles waste away. Without adequate fat intake, your hair can fall out.

I'd advise you to talk to your physician about a good level for you.

[Vladadog]

The thing is, there's a lot of debate whether or not over-the-counter multi-vitamins really do much of anything for you at all. The probably can't hurt but they might not really deliver much useful to your body. And I'm saying this as someone who still takes them because I figure they *might* help. The potassium you get from a banana is different than the potassium in a pill and in the banana it is combined with bunches of other micronutrients that work together to help your body make use of all a banana has to offer. Fruit is great for you but it's better if you have some protein with it at the same time. A salad is lovely but you'll absorb the nutrients better if there's some fat involved (a fat free salad dressing not only taste lousy but keeps you from absorbing important nutrients from the salad). There are so many weird things like that - our bodies are complicated machines and that tiny pill (probably) doesn't deliver everything the machine needs to run optimally. And when you are trying to lose weight you really want a well running machine to burn those calories.

The other problem is if you plan on doing this long term. Because what you might do for a week here or there where you know you just aren't going to be getting what you need is one thing. But if you're thinking of this as a way to jumpstart increased loss then the other big problem is you're much more likely to crash and burn on a big ol' binge. Slow and steady sucks because we want to be thin and we want to be thin now. But slow and steady is more likely to get you where you really want to go and help you learn how to stay there.

Look at me. We started about the same place. I'm over 50 and I can tell you a 50 year old woman just doesn't lose like a teen-aged girl. You are young and have every advantage of metabolism and hormones. I'm losing like gangbusters on about 1500 a day (cycling between 1300 and 1800 really). If this old body can do it then your young one should do much much better with a healthy amount of calories and you won't be impairing your future health like you would with a VLC diet.

[aliquot]

Consuming a multi-vitamin is NOT the same as consuming ENERGY. Like I JUST wrote in a post over in the weight loss support forum, if you don't eat enough, your body won't have the energy to power your heart/brain/and general body maintenance (making new blood cells, growth, wound healing, etc). Vitamins are important, but you need energy (calories) in order to USE the vitamins in cellular processes. When you don't have enough energy, not only will your body start burning fat, which is good, it will also start breaking down your muscle, which is NOT good. Seeing as how your heart is a muscle, you don't want to cause yourself any heart damage.

Especially since you're still growing, you need plenty of energy to finish developing.

The answer: Yes, it does matter.

[junebug41]

Yes, it will matter that you are consuming too few calories no matter what kind of vitamin you are taking.

[etali]

I see you have a fitday account. Fitday has a tool that will help you calculate your base metabolic rate, and your maintenance calories based on your lifestyle.

I suggest you put your current height / weight / age into Fitday, and see what it says. Then, if you want to lose weight, either eat at maintenance and then exercise to burn more calories, or eat slightly below maintenance (around 250 calories below is an achievable goal long term).

I agree with what other people have said 1000 calories / day is far too low for someone that's still growing. If you go that low you'll probably do more harm than good.

I'm shorter than you, older, and weigh a lot less, my BMR is 1360 and my maintenance is 1600ish (I have a sedentary job). I'd expect that you would be able to eat more calories than me and still be able to lose weight in a healthy fashion.

Good luck with your goals!