Effects of over restriction/undereating

pie_eyes

I undereat but can't say I'm anorexic. Whenever I eat I look for the most nutritious options.

middlehaitch

@Blankly4200, one does not need to be anorexic to do irreparable damage to ones body by consistently under eating.
Please eat the amount of food that will nourish and fuel your body.

You are not only possibly hurting yourself, but by making that statement on a public forum you are condoning and encouraging under eating. This could encourage others to follow suit and hurt themselves.

MFP recommends a 1200 cal minimum, most members of this forum agree, and respect that that number is relevant for all but a few. ( short, older, disabled, out lying medical condition, under the supervision of a medical professional)

Cheers, h.

tulips_and_tea

robertw486 wrote: »

lilaclovebird wrote: »

RuNaRoUnDaFiEld wrote: »

katie1318 wrote: »

So I think most of us can agree that "starvation mode" is generally not what our bodies are susceptible to when we strictly diet or undereat. But what exactly does happen to our bodies if we restrict calories too much (like less than 1000-1200 for a woman)?

It is awful in reality. I did this for over 10 years and it stopped my periods, weakend my teeth, my hair wouldn't grow and my nails split in to layers all the time. My skin was always dry and I looked like a skeleton with skin.

Fast forward to my late 30s and I have been in recovery for 11 years. The problems I am left with is brittle bones due to lack of nourishment during my developing years, weakened teeth and gums where they don't think I'll keep my teeth for many more years. Constant pain due to my l1 and l2 crumbling. I face spinal realignment on a monthly basis and I'm fighting to keep my bone strength and keep the muscle strong around it to help. My hair is much better but my nails still aren't.

I look a million times better than I did when I under ate now that I maintain a healthy BMI.

@RuNaRoUnDaFiEld You are so beautiful and so strong. Thank you for sharing your story and this information to satisfy our, sometimes horrifying, curiosities. It is deeply appreciated.
Congratulations on your excellent work in recovery.

Does anyone else feel like the OP of this thread was asking as if to see if it would really be worth it to over restrict their caloric intake, or is that just me?

Completely agree on the comment from @RuNaRoUnDaFiEld - if more people with a history of EDs would come out and speak up like that it may help others avoid the long term damage and seek help earlier. Well done!


As for your second comment, I sort of assumed that as well, and then realized that my assumption could be way off base. Maybe the OP was asking to stop themselves from taking that route, for general knowledge, or to help prevent someone else from doing something unhealthy. But I did assume at first.

X2. I agree with @lilaclovebird regarding the courageous and helpful post and with @robertw486 as far as trying to not assume or judge. Thank you both for your comments and all the other helpful posts on this thread.

tulips_and_tea

middlehaitch wrote: »

@Blankly4200, one does not need to be anorexic to do irreparable damage to ones body by consistently under eating.
Please eat the amount of food that will nourish and fuel your body.

You are not only possibly hurting yourself, but by making that statement on a public forum you are condoning and encouraging under eating. This could encourage others to follow suit and hurt themselves.

MFP recommends a 1200 cal minimum, most members of this forum agree, and respect that that number is relevant for all but a few. ( short, older, disabled, out lying medical condition, under the supervision of a medical professional)

Cheers, h.

Agreed, particularly since @Blankly4200 is a 22 yr. old male. Under eating now will affect your final growth and brain development. Lots of other bad effects, too. Don't mistreat your body - you've only got this one and it needs to last you the rest of your life! Just trying to be helpful and encouraging. Please don't take it as criticism.

robertw486

RuNaRoUnDaFiEld wrote: »

Thank you very much for the comments, they really do mean a lot

I wrote that post in haste on Sunday morning. I was in agony at the time and lacing up my trainers to go to run 5k. (Running helps keep bone density) It was one of my very rare self pity moments.

If it helps one person see that under eating is not a good idea, I'll be happy.

Hug to the other posters on this issue, I hope your posts stop someone else going through this too x

Just for the record, but to me your post read much more like "please don't do the thing I learned the hard way" rather than a self pity statement. But I'm not about to argue with your feelings on the issue.

In either case, I thought it was a very helpful statement.