Week Days In The Negatives

Polygontus

So, during the week my Net Calories are usually in the negatives by 100-200.
Due to swim practice after school every day I burn off 1200-1600 ((Plus whatever other exercises I decide to do at home)), but I only eat about 1000 Calories throughout the day.
Since the season started I've had a lot more energy despite burning off nearly everything I eat. I'd imagine that I would be exhausted most of the time. It seems weird to me.

Do you think that this is a bad thing or what?

Random info that might be relevant:
Height: 5' 10"
Current Weight: 122 lbs

HannahAliHealth

I think it's not good to burn all what you eat during the day! Try to add something you like! Maybe a protein bar! You are tall and very fit! Try to gain muscles and you'll look very nice!

jennifer_417

It is a bad thing. Please eat more, for the sake of your health.

ebayaddict0127

I'm concerned you may have an eating disorder.

MelodyandBarbells

It's easy to eat little on big exercise days due to the time spent away from generally lazing around, and also sometimes I find I have reduced appetite. I wouldn't do this on a regular basis though. What is your weekend eating like? Are you then chowing down 5000+ calories on Saturday and Sunday? :laugh: if you're not , I would add calorie dense foods to your weekday meals and snacks , if you want to avoid feeling like you're choking down food. Nuts, nut butters, oil, avocados etc come to mind!

Polygontus

It's easy to eat little on big exercise days due to the time spent away from generally lazing around, and also sometimes I find I have reduced appetite. I wouldn't do this on a regular basis though. What is your weekend eating like? Are you then chowing down 5000+ calories on Saturday and Sunday? :laugh: if you're not , I would add calorie dense foods to your weekday meals and snacks , if you want to avoid feeling like you're choking down food. Nuts, nut butters, oil, avocados etc come to mind!

On the weekends my net Cal is between 1200 and 2000.
I have some difficulty eating, when I do it usually makes me sick. I just get this feeling that I'm going to throw up.
I have swim practice Mon-Friday and we get in trouble for missing days without a reasonable excuse like a death in the family.

I like peanut butter...

Polygontus

I'm concerned you may have an eating disorder.

I've thought that for the past two months, but I haven't been properly diagnosed with an eating disorder.

AmyRhubarb

I'm shorter, less active, and over twice your age and I eat 1800-2000 cals a day - and I lose weight.

Negative net cals = out. of. fuel. :noway:

What kind of foods do you eat? I find it hard to fathom that you can swim well on so few cals. Eggs, toast with butter, oatmeal with honey, yogurt and nuts, peanut butter on toast or with jam or honey in a sandwich, avocado, avocado, avocado on nearly everything, bananas, cheese, full fat dairy, use olive and coconut oils in cooking.....cheeseburgers? LOL Seriously, at your age and activity level, seems like you ought to be able to eat almost anything you want.

But try adding more of those calorie-dense foods listed here and in other posts - they add up quick with small portions.

Polygontus

I'm shorter, less active, and over twice your age and I eat 1800-2000 cals a day - and I lose weight.

Negative net cals = out. of. fuel. :noway:

What kind of foods do you eat? I find it hard to fathom that you can swim well on so few cals. Eggs, toast with butter, oatmeal with honey, yogurt and nuts, peanut butter on toast or with jam or honey in a sandwich, avocado, avocado, avocado on nearly everything, bananas, cheese, full fat dairy, use olive and coconut oils in cooking.....cheeseburgers? LOL Seriously, at your age and activity level, seems like you ought to be able to eat almost anything you want.

But try adding more of those calorie-dense foods listed here and in other posts - they add up quick with small portions.

I had thought the same, having a negative Net Cal, I would be out of energy, but I have even more energy. It just doesn't make sense.
I usually have a fruit in the morning, go to school, eat some crackers if anything at all during lunch, swim, then come home and eat whatever is for dinner. I also drink a lot of water.
Oh, and I'm vegetarian.

healthygreek

I know you are very young and probably won't listen to me but you are doing yourself harm by eating so little and even though I don't know you, it makes me sad for you.
You are looking at:
Heart problems from losing heart muscle.
Bone loss (osteoporosis).
Hair loss.
Thinning nails.
Body fuzz.
Bad breath.
Tooth loss.
Anemia.
Loss of periods and fertility.
Depression.
Loss of energy.
Dehydration.
The list goes on and on and affects all your bodily systems.
Please seek help and don't stop till you get it.
You are worthy of living a vibrant and healthy life.

Polygontus

I know you are very young and probably won't listen to me but you are doing yourself harm by eating so little and even though I don't know you, it makes me sad for you.
You are looking at:
Heart problems from losing heart muscle.
Bone loss (osteoporosis).
Hair loss.
Thinning nails.
Body fuzz.
Bad breath.
Tooth loss.
Anemia.
Loss of periods and fertility.
Depression.
Loss of energy.
Dehydration.
The list goes on and on and affects all your bodily systems.
Please seek help and don't stop till you get it.
You are worthy of living a vibrant and healthy life.

I am aware of these factors, typical results of Anorexia Nervosa.
I go to a friend of mine for help when I need it and my parents are making me go to a psychiatrist every so often, for a different reason, but we still acknowledge this issue.

I appreciate your concern, but do not feel saddened over a young girl like me.

brianpperkins

A net intake below zero with a BMI in the underweight category = recipe for disaster.

Polygontus

A net intake below zero with a BMI in the underweight category = recipe for disaster.

Thanks... ._.

Polygontus

Thank you everyone for your input.

brianpperkins

A net intake below zero with a BMI in the underweight category = recipe for disaster.

Thanks... ._.

I only stated the obvious. Your BMI is currently in the underweight category. You then couple that with a negative net caloric intake. I'm willing to bet that your protein intake is too low to sustain your lean mass with the amount of exercise you claim to do which means that you are probably losing muscle, not just fat.

drkarlpt

Start with this outlook, Nikola: NOTHING you do is "bad," nor even "wrong." But eating less than 1200 calories for the average woman (1800 for the average male) is, most certainly, unhealthy. That is how many calories your vital organs need to function normally every day. If this goes on for too long, you are looking at long-term organ damage.

It is very important to note that when you look at the statistical correlation between BMI and premature death from natural causes, that death rate probability is exponentially higher for those who are "underweight" than those who are "overweight." And everyone acknowledges that being overweight raises your risk of a variety of diseases that contribute to premature death.

I am glad that you are already seeing a therapist and apparently already addressing this issue with them, among any other issues you are facing that trouble you. But I hope that you start to recognize it is something you need to do for yourself and hopefully grow to WANT to do it for yourself (feel free to ask to see a different therapist, and keep asking until you find one that you actually enjoy seeing and makes you feel great every time you see them).

Yes, it is rather odd that you seem to have the energy to get through swim practice fine, but I seriously doubt that at this rate, you are going to see as great of improvement on your personal bests week to week until you start eating enough. The regular workouts at least are helping you maintain some muscle mass, as otherwise your constant low quantity of nutrition would surely lead to your body seeking fuel from muscle tissue on an equal basis with whatever tiny bit of (necessary) fat you still retain.

I think that, just like I need to make slow changes to my diet to work up to eventually being as close to a vegetarian as I can, since right now I'm an omnivore but find it appalling how we allow our food industry to treat other intelligent beings on our planet in order to fee us; YOU neeed to make slow changes to your diet to work up to eating more and more.

Just remember that, while he is of course an extreme, this is a typical example of what USA Olympic gold medalist Michael Phelps would eat on his biggest training days in preparation for the 2008 Olympics (TWELVE thousand calories in a single day!): http://www.110pounds.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/michaelphelps.jpg

Riders like Lance Armstrong, while competing in the Tour de France, though they are actively on their bicycles 6-8 hours during the day, manage to put away over 9,000 calories for each of the 21 days of the race.

Frak whether you have an eating disorder or not. You need to eat more, plain and simple. Find a way to start doing so. Don't worry about doing this gradually. Any step in the right direction is a healthy step. Believe in yourself.

And stop looking in the mirror and hating what you see. You are hiding yourself in your photos, but your legs look attractive! I would expect to see more muscle since you swim, but that is not the same thing as saying you don't look good.

Addicts of a large assortment of drugs also seem to have endless energy even as they consume negative calories, but they always ... always crash and burn at some point. This is a biological absolute. It will happen to you. You need to change your habits before it does.

I am not saddened for you. I'm optimistic. You recognize that there IS some sort of problem here. Now it is just time you started doign something about it. Do it for your love of swimming, if nothing else, because otherwise, eventually, you WILL get kicked off the team. I guarantee it. So start right now. Make a plan. Baby steps. Then start to follow it. Right here; right now.

Hugs,
Karl in San Diego

drkarlpt

I need to stress that the 1,200-calorie minimum your vital organs (brain, heart, kidneys, liver, etc.) require to function normally is for the average woman who is getting virtually no exercise at all. So you should be eating enough for 1,200 calories plus whatever your swim workouts burn. Though I think you are overestimating the calorie burn. Swimming a breast stroke for an average speed for someone who is 120 pounds would only burn 300 calories if you did 60-minutes without stopping.

Still, whatever your calorie burn, you need to match that many calories PLUS the 1,200 minimum for your organs to function properly.

Polygontus

Start with this outlook, Nikola: NOTHING you do is "bad," nor even "wrong." But eating less than 1200 calories for the average woman (1800 for the average male) is, most certainly, unhealthy. That is how many calories your vital organs need to function normally every day. If this goes on for too long, you are looking at long-term organ damage.

It is very important to note that when you look at the statistical correlation between BMI and premature death from natural causes, that death rate probability is exponentially higher for those who are "underweight" than those who are "overweight." And everyone acknowledges that being overweight raises your risk of a variety of diseases that contribute to premature death.

I am glad that you are already seeing a therapist and apparently already addressing this issue with them, among any other issues you are facing that trouble you. But I hope that you start to recognize it is something you need to do for yourself and hopefully grow to WANT to do it for yourself (feel free to ask to see a different therapist, and keep asking until you find one that you actually enjoy seeing and makes you feel great every time you see them).

Yes, it is rather odd that you seem to have the energy to get through swim practice fine, but I seriously doubt that at this rate, you are going to see as great of improvement on your personal bests week to week until you start eating enough. The regular workouts at least are helping you maintain some muscle mass, as otherwise your constant low quantity of nutrition would surely lead to your body seeking fuel from muscle tissue on an equal basis with whatever tiny bit of (necessary) fat you still retain.

I think that, just like I need to make slow changes to my diet to work up to eventually being as close to a vegetarian as I can, since right now I'm an omnivore but find it appalling how we allow our food industry to treat other intelligent beings on our planet in order to fee us; YOU neeed to make slow changes to your diet to work up to eating more and more.

Just remember that, while he is of course an extreme, this is a typical example of what USA Olympic gold medalist Michael Phelps would eat on his biggest training days in preparation for the 2008 Olympics (TWELVE thousand calories in a single day!): http://www.110pounds.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/michaelphelps.jpg

Riders like Lance Armstrong, while competing in the Tour de France, though they are actively on their bicycles 6-8 hours during the day, manage to put away over 9,000 calories for each of the 21 days of the race.

Frak whether you have an eating disorder or not. You need to eat more, plain and simple. Find a way to start doing so. Don't worry about doing this gradually. Any step in the right direction is a healthy step. Believe in yourself.

And stop looking in the mirror and hating what you see. You are hiding yourself in your photos, but your legs look attractive! I would expect to see more muscle since you swim, but that is not the same thing as saying you don't look good.

Addicts of a large assortment of drugs also seem to have endless energy even as they consume negative calories, but they always ... always crash and burn at some point. This is a biological absolute. It will happen to you. You need to change your habits before it does.

I am not saddened for you. I'm optimistic. You recognize that there IS some sort of problem here. Now it is just time you started doign something about it. Do it for your love of swimming, if nothing else, because otherwise, eventually, you WILL get kicked off the team. I guarantee it. So start right now. Make a plan. Baby steps. Then start to follow it. Right here; right now.

Hugs,
Karl in San Diego

Thank you, very much. :sad:

Polygontus

I appreciate everyone's input.

grandmothercharlie

I can only ditto what almost everyone else has said. Remember that one of the symptoms of extreme hunger is nausea. So when you might think your body is saying don't eat, it is actually trying to tell you something else.