What's the difference between a 500cal diet and..

Angellore

being anorexic?

I'm not being rude or anything, but surely that sort of restriction is the same thing that anorexics do?

Sorry if I offend, this is a genuine question though. Surely MFP should not be a place to discuss these sort of extreme diets, after all isn't that a step away from pro-ana stuff?

mrsdollox

here here

mrsdollox

or should that be hear hear

mrsdollox

whatever. lol

lenwie

Think thats more a mind set thing rather than a diet thing, I have been on a VLC plan before to shift weight quick to bring my BMI down to a safer level, where upon went back to normal eating. Lots of people do this under medical supervision like myself, anorexics, well thats more secretive.

catwrangler

From what I have read there are some anorexia sufferers posting here.

Also, there are several here on the HCG diet.

Not everyone is here to lose, many want to gain or just maintain.

No two lifestyles are the same. We are like little self-absorbed snowflakes :laugh:

Oh, I forgot the juice "fast" folks! Now there's an intriguing lifestyle!

billsica

Hey hater! its not being ano if your drinking preggy pee.

AlyRoseNYC

Anorexia is a psychological medical condition. It is daignosed by doctors. Just like alcoholism, an anoroexic displays symtoms of a dengerous condition. One of the main problems with diagnosing it is that most people suffering tend to hide what they are doing. They probably would not announce it on MFP.

A 500 calorie diet is a diet which has a calorie restriction of 500.

That's the easiest way I can think of explaining the difference. Of course, anorexia nervosa is a lot more complicated than making the decision of eating 500 calories a day, but you can find out more about it by going to your local college library and checking out a DSM IV book which is a catalog of psychological diagnoses.

SeasideOasis

From a previous Psych major...

Anorexia actually isn't a eating disorder in reference to amount of food eaten. Technically, it is a displaced way of thinking about your personal body image. An Anorexic person can be 500 pounds, to be honest.

HCG is just a body starvation diet. Many people that do the HCG diet are looking to lose lots of weight, or at the very minimum, know that they are getting themselves into.

Anorexics aren't not eating because they don't like food, they aren't eating because they have a problem with their body (mentally), but on a more extreme level.

Most HCG dieters don't need major counseling to go back to eating normal amounts and so forth.

Hope that helps clarify Anorexia versus Starving yourself for a diet....

sugarbone

500 is restrictive and could be part of an eating disorder. Although when I was anorexic I was scared of going over 99, anything triple digits caused anxiety attacks. My heart really goes out to disordered people :-(

It is up to the person what food goes in their body, but I don't know why anyone without an eating disorder would eat so little... when it has been proven time and time again that you can eat a healthy amount of food and lose weight. I see it as a sign of desperation or laziness, but I guess I can't make assumptions and maybe there is something to this diet I don't understand! (muscle cannabalism? lol)

rml_16

If you ever figure out the answer to that, I'd like to hear it!

hpsnickers1

I know that a lot of doctors will do this to patients. Like the ones promoting that HCG thing. But medical school doesn't focus on nutrition (just a few hours spent on it). I would never trust a doctor to give me nutritional advice. Heck, most of them still think that dietary cholesterol affects serum cholesterol (it doesn't). They also still think saturated fat is evil (it's not).

I think with Anorexia it's more of a psychological issue.

But what happens when the weight has been lost? Eventually that kind of diet will hurt health and will hurt body composition so it isn't sustainable. Eventually the person has to go back to eating normally and the body's metabolism will be so screwed up by that point that any increase in food/fuel will cause weight to come back - healthy food or crap food.

jesshall281

well i wouldnt say Anorexia (thats a mental disorder) but starvation, yes, its pretty much the same.

Angellore

OK, I get what's been said - Anorexia is a psychological condition versus starving yourself to lose weight. Could one not lead to the other? Someone who has psychological issues could use this as a way of hiding the fact that they are actually anorexic etc.

I really was not being flippant when I asked the question, I asked it out of genuine concern.

rml_16

I know that a lot of doctors will do this to patients. Like the ones promoting that HCG thing. But medical school doesn't focus on nutrition (just a few hours spent on it). I would never trust a doctor to give me nutritional advice. Heck, most of them still think that dietary cholesterol affects serum cholesterol (it doesn't). They also still think saturated fat is evil (it's not).

Amen!

When my cholesterol came back high, my doctor straight out told me he didn't know enough about nutrition to counsel me on it and referred me to an RD. (Problem is, I already eat right. Stupid genetics.)

Either way, I don't think you have to have a degree in nutrition to know that 500 calories a day isn't enough.

billsica

What is wrong with someone wanting to look what they consider beautiful? If a chubby person loves how they look, would you call it a disorder? If someone wants to be slim and thin, even to the extreme that the human body can sustain. When I see someone with a lot of tattoos, I don't call it a drawing disorder.

Kalrez

OK, I get what's been said - Anorexia is a psychological condition versus starving yourself to lose weight. Could one not lead to the other? Someone who has psychological issues could use this as a way of hiding the fact that they are actually anorexic etc.

I really was not being flippant when I asked the question, I asked it out of genuine concern.

Anorexia isn't about food. It's not necessarily about being thin and beautiful. It's about control. Control of what goes in and what comes out.

The main difference that I would say between people with ED and folks drinking preggo pee is that the HCG people know when to stop. They have the ability to see themselves as they really are. They have a quantifiable goal and can stop when they hit that goal. People with anorexia don't see themselves as they really are. They may be dangerously thin but still see themselves as fat. Their goal is not quantifiable; it changes and fluctuates. The goal is the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.

While it may seem that HCG would foster anorexia, that just isn't the case. The majority of HCG users do not have a disordered body image like someone with ED.

HCG - Physical
Anorexia and other EDs - Mental

While someone could be anorexic and be on HCG, I would wager that it is unlikely. It's also exceptionally unlikely that people on HCG develop anorexia, seems as how the two are vastly different.

I guess in theory that someone suffering from anorexia could use HCG as a cover, but that's not likely. It would draw too much attention from others to that person's eating habits. Coming from someone in recovery from an ED, I much preferred that no one even think about what I ate. I did not want to draw any attention to how much I did or didn't eat. Openly going on a popular diet wouldn't be my cup of tea, as everyone would ask questions about what I'm eating, how much weight I lost, etc.

rml_16

What is wrong with someone wanting to look what they consider beautiful? If a chubby person loves how they look, would you call it a disorder? If someone wants to be slim and thin, even to the extreme that the human body can sustain. When I see someone with a lot of tattoos, I don't call it a drawing disorder.

Unless the tattoo artist uses a dirty needle, it's unlikely that a person will die from getting a tattoo. Not a very good analogy.

AlyRoseNYC

OK, I get what's been said - Anorexia is a psychological condition versus starving yourself to lose weight. Could one not lead to the other? Someone who has psychological issues could use this as a way of hiding the fact that they are actually anorexic etc.

I really was not being flippant when I asked the question, I asked it out of genuine concern.

Hmm I see what you are saying. I only briefly studied addiction disorders in college, so I am no expert. Hopefully someone with more knowledge will chime in. When someone allows themselves to become consumed with something, danger can follow. I remember a case study where a woman was addicted to exercise. She would work out at least 6-7 hours a day, and sometimes would call out of work if she knew there would be no other way to get her workouts in. When things start having a negative effect on your life-whether it be gambling eating or drinking-then there is definitely a cause for concern. Personally, I don't see a major problem with someone who decides to do 500 calories a month, and follows through it-FOR ONE MONTH. If they have the mental capacity to walk away from it, and closely monitored their health, then who cares? Of course, I am no expert and only studied psych as an undergraduate. I don't think three years of dabbling into many different areas of psych can prepare someone to work in the psych field IMO, so take my statements with a grain pf salt

HollyTsiaussis

Anorexia is a psychological condition, just like all other eating disorders. It's more than just the food. It's more than starvation. There is psychological damage and trauma along with a poor or dysmorphed self-image that causes people to not want to eat. It is a fear of food and an even bigger fear of gaining weight.

The HCG diet and other diets similar to it is a quick-fix to lose weight. It is not "anorexic." People return to normal ways of eating afterwards.

SeasideOasis

What is wrong with someone wanting to look what they consider beautiful? If a chubby person loves how they look, would you call it a disorder? If someone wants to be slim and thin, even to the extreme that the human body can sustain. When I see someone with a lot of tattoos, I don't call it a drawing disorder.

Horrible analogy. I hope you are just trying to stir an already full pot of soup with those types of answers.

Should a person be chubby if it is going to kill them? Should someone starve themselves to the point they will die? No, either person should live this way. Health is the overall key to weight loss (or gain). I want every person to love themselves inside and out. However, if death (due to poor health or too low of weight) is the possible outcome, then that person needs help.

My very close friend was hospitalized for this disease (well, anorexia, bulimia, followed by horrible binging (sp) and purging...depending on the time of her life) and thankfully, she is 'better' now. Its not as easy as just looking beautiful. Usually, there is deep root reason for their thought process to lead them to where they are at.

LilMissFoodie

OK, I get what's been said - Anorexia is a psychological condition versus starving yourself to lose weight. Could one not lead to the other? Someone who has psychological issues could use this as a way of hiding the fact that they are actually anorexic etc.

I really was not being flippant when I asked the question, I asked it out of genuine concern.

My personal opinion, based on nothing but my experience (as a dietitian and also as a human being) is that any diet or any focus on nutrition can lead to an eating disorder. So can being abused. So can walking down the street and seeing a distorted image of yourself in a shop window. So can failing your exams at school.

I guess my point is, no I don't think it is likely to 'lead to an eating disorder' (although, I do not approve of the approach to weight loss).

navjhaj

a 500 net diet is not necessarily a starvation diet, if you work out a lot and have hundreds of thousands of net fat calories stored up that can make up the gap. Isn't it when you have less than 5% body fat that your body goes into starvation mode?

Obviously, over time a 500 net diet may mean your body's metabolism slows down a bit. But still. If you have all that fat stored up, it will get utilized.

LilMissFoodie

a 500 net diet is not necessarily a starvation diet, if you work out a lot and have hundreds of thousands of net fat calories stored up that can make up the gap. Isn't it when you have less than 5% body fat that your body goes into starvation mode?

Obviously, over time a 500 net diet may mean your body's metabolism slows down a bit. But still. If you have all that fat stored up, it will get utilized.

I would still say it was starvation. You may not be starving yourself of calories but you are still starving yourself of nutrients.