How to convince a family member that her 800/day calories TOTAL (not net) is very unhealthy

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  • yopeeps025
    yopeeps025 Posts: 8,680 Member
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    minties82 wrote: »
    yopeeps025 wrote: »
    minties82 wrote: »
    She will figure it out. I was on 800kcal or less earlier this year I realised how dumb it was.

    You assume that she will figure it out?

    I assume that she is an adult who is capable of thinking. I don't know her obviously...people assuming she won't figure it out are not being singled out?

    That because no one worded it like well I figured it out so will they. Single you out. Fine when I get home from the gym I will ask every single person in this thread the same question. Would that make you feel better?
  • Therealobi1
    Therealobi1 Posts: 3,261 Member
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    minties82 wrote: »
    yopeeps025 wrote: »
    minties82 wrote: »
    She will figure it out. I was on 800kcal or less earlier this year I realised how dumb it was.

    You assume that she will figure it out?

    I assume that she is an adult who is capable of thinking. I don't know her obviously...people assuming she won't figure it out are not being singled out?

    unfortunately just because someone is an adult doesn't mean they make grown up sensible decisions.
    if this was the case we would have less people obese, less people with eating disorders, less people in jail and so on...
  • segacs
    segacs Posts: 4,599 Member
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    Case in point: Plenty of people on MFP will come here and say that they crash-dieted or were on VLCDs in the past, but now they know better and they're here to do it the right way. You don't see them coming on here saying, hey, I was crash-dieting in the past, but then my friend or relative told me I was wrong so I changed my mind.

    Telling someone how to diet is like telling someone to diet. Even if you're concerned for their health, if they're an adult, it's usually best to keep your mouth shut. They'll either come to that conclusion themselves and do it for themselves, or they won't.
  • jaga13
    jaga13 Posts: 1,149 Member
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    This thread seems to have deteriorated into "it takes a village" vs "adults can manage themselves". It's useless to argue. OP, if you think you need to talk to her, talk to her. Show her your MFP goals and find some reputable sites with articles if you really think it needs to get that far.
    If you don't think it's your business at this point (which I doubt, since you're here asking for help, but maybe you changed your mind), then just model healthy behavior and see what happens over time. Either way, I wish you (and your relative) lots of luck.
  • minties82
    minties82 Posts: 907 Member
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    She will know full well that it's a silly low amount of food to eat. If she is eating in a disorderly fashion, one gentle comment from a friend won't make a difference, at all. This comes from my 18 year dealings with an eating disorder. Do you have any idea how our brains work? Someone pointing things out often sends us into a panic where we want to eat even less.

    Or...maybe she is just on a silly restrictive diet and will tire of it.
  • sofaking6
    sofaking6 Posts: 4,589 Member
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    enterdanger wrote: »
    TheLegendaryBrandonHarris wrote: »
    You said she was at 160 pounds and 5'3. That's kinda rotund...she has the weight to lose.
    So, how long has she been consuming 800 cals per day and exercising 5 days a week? For two weeks? A month? 3 days?

    Wow, You are a real charmer, huh?

    I got the feeling he was trying to say that while the person may be undereating, they don't seem to have anorexia or body dysmorphia which lessens the concern somewhat, since in the absence of an eating disorder a short term VLCD has not been proven to have negative effects other than possible dampening of the metabolic rate due to lean muscle loss. (I'm about the same height and weight so I get your objection though!)

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