Not eating makes you fat

dedflwrs

I was reading the post about fitness misconceptions (very fun) and also looking at many other posts here, I'm shocked by how many people sincerely believe that if you eat one or two small meals a day, say a salad, for example, you will wreck your metabolism and it will make you morbidly obese.

I'm not sure how such a belief started but, if you believe that, how do you explain anorexics? I have a cousin who suffers from anorexia (she is, luckily, in recovery now) and this is what she use to eat: Breakfast: a small piece of mozzarella (under 1 oz) and a cup of rice crispies. Lunch: a salad with no dressing. Nothing else. No dinner, no snacks, etc. She did not get fat. In fact, she lost so much weight that she stopped menstruating, started having brittle bones (at 18 years old) and looked like a cadaver. At no point she was fat. She did not first become obese and then lost weight. She went from normal to skeletal. And no, she's not the exception to the rule. If you don't eat you get skinny. Sometimes too much. There's no such thing as not eating and getting fat. That's what people who are closeted eaters like to tell themselves and their friends. "I only eat one hard boiled egg every day so I don't know why I need to lose weight". Nope. No such thing?

Can someone explain to me how anyone actually believes such a thing?

parkscs

People believe all sorts of nonsense.

meshashesha2012

yep because so many people want to truly believe that they got obese and beyond by not eating.

meshashesha2012

the other ones that get me are

1. if you eat "healthy" foods then you can eat whatever you want. i'm like hello look at sumo wrestlers, those guys are eating healthy food just a lot of it


2. if you exercise you can eat anything you want. Nope

CathReese33

The problem occurs when the person who has been surviving on a couple of hundred calories a day starts to eat again.
I myself have suffered from an ED for many many years and have lost and gained a lot of weight. I noticed this particular issue myself after surviving on 400 cal a day for about a year. I lost lots of weight and then started to introduce food again. I can honestly say I was consuming no more than 800 cal a day yet weight gain was happening. Many argue that this should be impossible and that I must have been underestimating my calories. But I did weigh and measure everything. From the years of low calorie intake, my body and metabolism had adjusted and slowed down (been damaged) and there was nothing I could do. It has taken 2 - 3 years of steady weight gain to repair my metabolism so that I can now start reducing and lose some of the weight gained (62lb).
I am now focussing on nutrition and have read a lot on CRON calorie restriction with optimal nutrition and that principle explains why this would happen.
So in summary, no an anorexic will never be obese whilst they are actively practicing, however if they are in recovery they will see weight gain very quickly. Unfortunately many do not get the psychological support they need and will be unsuccessful.
Hope this helps explain it a bit better?
Cat

CathReese33

Should add that I do not suffer with anorexia, but binge eating disorder and bulimia. But metabolism principles don't differ