Is there a way to eat less calories but get enough nutrients?

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  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 27,996 Member
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    JemmaRae98 wrote: »
    @MKEgal Thanks for all the info! Since I've struggled with eating too little in the past I know some of the bad effects of eating too little I was just hoping to avoid them this time! I will definitely try doing the more plant based diet!

    And I'm 5'4" around 115 (still live with my parents and not allowed to have a scale but that's what I was last time I went to the doctors) and I AM 18 for those who were wondering, and before I started dieting again I was probably eating around 1,500 calories a day. Not sure if you were actually asking me to say all that so hopefully you were!

    Your posts concern me. I suggest you seek treatment with an eating disorder specialist.
  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 34,120 Member
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    I agree, it sounds like an obsessive thinking problem with underlying anxiety issues.

    Jemma, at 18 you need to eat. Your bones and brain are still developing. Please get some counseling.
  • JemmaRae98
    JemmaRae98 Posts: 8 Member
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    @cmriverside why would anxiety affect my eating? Not trying to be rude, just curious what you ment:)
  • upoffthemat
    upoffthemat Posts: 679 Member
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    People are concerned because they have gone through various unhealthy relationships with food and health in their lives and know how dangerous it can be, not to mention how it can keep you from living and enjoying life.

    It is awesome that you are concerned about yourself and your weight at your age, but it seems you are focusing on the wrong thing. Your weight is only a small marker of your overall health and focusing on that to the exclusion of other things is dangerous. Most of us have been there in one way or the other and don't want to see you go down this road.

    Focus on your total health, nutrition, exercise, everything. A body that can perform is so much better than a body that meets some specious aesthetic criteria. Being healthy is important and should be a priority, but it is easy to cross the line into unhealthy obsession and you seem really close to that line.
  • Gamliela
    Gamliela Posts: 2,468 Member
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    MKEgal wrote: »
    JemmaRae98 wrote:
    Lately I've cut my calorie consumption way down and I know from past experience that if you eat less than 1000 calories a day you won't get enough nutrients but if I take vitamins and make sure that the food I eat has lots of nutrition will I be able to prevent the side affects (sic) of under eating?
    No, you won't.
    One of the worst side effects of long-term starvation (which is pretty much what you're describing,
    unless you are very short, so that being 100 lb or less would put you at a healthy BMI)     is loss of muscle
    mass... which not only means that you look sickly & unattractive, but you are physically weak so you don't
    want to exercise to rebuild that muscle.

    And rebuilding muscle is much harder than maintaining it.
    Eat at a sensible calorie level for your age & goal weight, add weightlifting to your exercise routine, and
    I'll bet in a few months you will look and feel awesome, even if you don't lose lots of weight you will likely
    lose inches and get strong, which is a great boost to self-confidence!

    AND, to make matters even worse, starvation lowers your RMR (resting metabolic rate) even after you
    start eating sensibly again. It carries over for months, sometimes years, so you'll have to eat even less than
    a healthy person of the same weight.


    ***********************


    BTW...
    Define "way down"? What are your current stats (height, weight, true age, average daily calorie intake)?
    What had you been eating before this change?

    You have to realize that carbs, protein, and fat are nutrients.
    If you're eating food, you're eating some combination of those.
    You need them all to be healthy.

    If you want to get the most nutrition with the fewest calories, lean heavily toward a plant-based diet
    (in this case meaning "food intake"), with a wide variety of colors. Choose unrefined grains, fresh whole
    fruits & veggies. Get healthy fats from fatty cold-water fish, avocados, eggs.


    **********************


    Here are some posts you need to read before you do serious damage to your body.
    See your doctor/pediatrician for more detailed explanations, and to be sure that your goals are healthy.
    They might even give you a referral to a dietician or eating disorder specialist.

    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1080242/a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants

    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10012907/logging-accuracy-consistency-and-youre-probably-eating-more-than-you-think

    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/819925/the-basics-dont-complicate-it/p1

    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/872212/youre-probably-eating-more-than-you-think/p1

    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/833026/important-posts-to-read/p1


    This is a blog post I did about goal setting, including weight, calories, and macros
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/MKEgal/view/2014-06-08-setting-goals-667045
    It has links to lots of useful info.

    I would like to read the science on RMR decreasing from low calorie intake, could you post some links please? :)

  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 32,863 Member
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    I'm an inch taller than you are, around 5 pounds heavier, and more than 40 years older . . . and I still lose weight while eating 1700 calories daily while sedentary. (I do get exercise, but I eat back all those calories.)

    I'm certain that at your age & height, you can and should eat at least the 1500 in order to be healthy. You may even need to eat more.

    And please do talk to a professional about your concerns, you're already quite light for your height, and it's important to be sure you stay healthy.

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