How few calories is it safe to eat per day?

maidentl

You guys are being SO RUDE to this girl... she asked about a HEALTHY diet, because if you read her first post you will see that she had some ideas about nutrition, began researching it, and saw that her ideas were wrong/too low... and came here to ask for advice.

And now a bunch of you are attacking her, asking why she even needs to lose, telling her not to promote eating disorders, telling her to get educated... that's what she is TRYING to do here. Holy smokes. Very few people actually provided useful information without somehow attacking or insulting her.

I find this fascinating as I just read the entire thread and didn't see anyone attacking her or being rude at all. You realize that concern or disagreement, differing opinions, those things are all OK and are not "mean."

red_hatorade

I find this fascinating as I just read the entire thread and didn't see anyone attacking her or being rude at all. You realize that concern or disagreement, differing opinions, those things are all OK and are not "mean."

AMEN!

ilookthetype

You guys are being SO RUDE to this girl... she asked about a HEALTHY diet, because if you read her first post you will see that she had some ideas about nutrition, began researching it, and saw that her ideas were wrong/too low... and came here to ask for advice.

And now a bunch of you are attacking her, asking why she even needs to lose, telling her not to promote eating disorders, telling her to get educated... that's what she is TRYING to do here. Holy smokes. Very few people actually provided useful information without somehow attacking or insulting her.

I find this fascinating as I just read the entire thread and didn't see anyone attacking her or being rude at all. You realize that concern or disagreement, differing opinions, those things are all OK and are not "mean."

You will find that if you exercise more, eat HEALTHY calorie dense foods (avocado, nuts, REAL yogurt not low/non-fat yogurt) you'll do better, you'll hit your macros (those matter, who knew?!) and you will look better. Lifting and exercising will cause you to gain muscle, which can add weight but it will be lean and sexy weight and not "skinny fat" weight. The scale doesn't matter, it's how you look nekkid that matters, well, that's my goal anyway.

LorinaLynn

The "promotion undereating" comment was, I believe, directed at the girl who thinks it's ok to eat 750 calories.

Ethereaal, wow, do you sound like me at your age! Same height, and I was always thin, but gained a teensy bit of weight and though it was fat. (Actually, I was ok with it, but my then boyfriend was a d-bag!) If I knew then what I know now (but alas, MFP and the interweb was not around yet), I'd have become more active and eaten a better. Maybe then I wouldn't have had to wait until I was 38 before I realized how much I enjoy running, and just how GREAT this feels!

Check this group on here: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/groups/home/17-women-eating-2-000-calories-per-day It's chock full of women who eat a healthy amount of food (not all eat 2000, but definitely more than 1200!) with phenomenal bodies.

Newfiedan

Bottom line is that if you are gaining weight on a caloric limit that you should be shedding on then your metabolic rate is very slow. It is not uncommon to see this among men/women whom have tried shedding weight by excessively cutting cals over extended periods. The body is far to smart when it comes to surviving extended periods on low cals. What you need to consider is your body composition, even though someone may be small it is what the bodyfat % is rather than the scale weight. There are lots of skinny fat people out there. I would try to learn about proper nutrition, proper caloric intake, and when you are ready learn to reshape your body into what works for you, not what society says is the "ideal" body shape for men or women. Every woman/man can be sexy in their own right if they take the time to look after themselves and get healthy. Unfortunately today in society they promote a very unhealthy ideal which leads to poor self confidence. Do not think for one minute that that ripped dude or super slim chick is actually cramming the crap they sell down their throats, they sell whatever they are paid to sell not what they actually use.

jsuaccounting

1100 is the lowest anyone is advised to go. Until you are 22 your brain is still growing some and there are a few additional metabolic differences in teens. So you would need to eat more than 1100. Google a teen BMR calculator, figure out how much you burn per day then reduce that by 500. If you exercise and burn additional calories make sure to eat the additional calories. Cut calories from sugar, crackers, pasta, and bread first before cutting any from your fruits, vegetables, and meat.
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Edit - you said you were 119 and tall? I missundrestood, at that weight at your age, you should not be restricting calories. Are you trying to gain weight? Then find your BMR and eat that PLUS whatever you walk off. To increase appetite, try some healththy fats and whateveryou tolerate well including carbs/dairy if they work for you. When I was young and a little underweight, eating regular healthy meals helped me gain more than eating candy and junk foods (those were the days).

Hyperspace

All you need to do is go to a gym about 3 times a week and do some general strength training and some cardio. At 5'5" and 119 lbs, you're not fat-- if you're flabby, you're just under-muscled.


Don't cut calories, and don't go hungry. Once you start exercising you will naturally want to eat more. All you need to do is make sure the "more" is good stuff like fruits and vegs and lean protein. Don't fill up on junk. And be sure to drink a lot of water.


I guarantee that if you strength-train 3x a week , you'll see a difference in a month. That's just 12 gym visits. Just do it.

jsuaccounting

2000 calories per day is the average for a female to maintain her weight. If you entered your information properly when you signed up, myfitnesspal would figure out what your body needs to maintain your current weight based on your age, height, etc. For you to lose weight, they will put you at a 500 calorie defecit. Meaning, if your body requires 2000 calories per day to maintain your current weight, your calorie goal for each day would be 1500 to lose weight. Eating 900 calories per day would cause you to hold on to fat to keep your body functioning. Try staying within 100 calories of whatever number myfitnesspal suggests for you. It works. Trust me. I've been eating anywhere from 1200 to 1400 calories per day for almost a year and am down over 40 pounds.

here is where you start, and FORGET everything you saw on "Biggest Loser".

amen to that

LorinaLynn

Just say your question about whether there's something the opposite of appetite suppressants.

There are appetite stimulants, but really... good food and regular exercise is the best thing for a healthy appetite! If, after you've made an effort to eat more balanced meals and snacks, you find it's too difficult, then you can talk to your doctor about your eating habits.

KayteeBear

Since others have pretty much said everything, I want to add if you're looking to add muscle you're going to need to be eating a lot more. than when you're just trying to lose weight because your muscles will need fuel.

Have you gone through the steps here for it to give you your calories? If not that would be a great start.

agthorn

Okay, so you are NOT petite. 5'5" is a perfectly average height for a woman. I'm 5'5" and have a smaller frame, and I weigh 130.

So, a 5'5" 18-year old currently weighing 119 has a maintenance level of 1651 calories (assuming you're sedentary, and before any exercise). IF you felt the need to lose weight, which you probably don't since you're already on the low side of a healthy BMI, you shouldn't be eating below 1400 calories plus your exercise calories.

I think you would probably be better off eating at maintenance and lifting weights though, if you're unhappy with your body at 119. I sincerely doubt losing a few more pounds is going to make things any better, and losing 20 would almost certainly make you look emaciated.

mikeyrp

Good for you for coming here looking for advice and an open mind. Please excuse the sharper responses. There are a surprisingly large number of people who use the forums who do have eating disorders and try to justify / promote unhealthy low calorie intake. As you can tell - the wider MFP community tends to jump on this quite quickly.

Agthon just posted some really sensible advice - The only thing I will add is, if you are under eating right now you should increase your calorie intake by a combination of increased portion sizing and healthy 'grazing' - Personally I eat about 50g (a large handful) of dried fruit and nuts a day in addition to meals - this is about 225 Cals. (My reasons are very different - I do a lot of long distance running and for me, food = fuel).

Good luck

Manthafl

Sounds like you need to gain some muscle tone to achieve the outcome you desire. As a dieter for 20 years (since I middle school), I know all about losing and gaining weight, fitness and what not to do. Speaking of that, I tried some crazy starvation plans and the results were only temporary and set me up for more difficulty later on and more weight to lose. It sounds like you will have little success if you continue to restrict calories, we are built to survive and your body will adapt!

Having worked with many personal trainers as a client I learned that muscle tissue burns calories!!! It is a great technique for anyone who wants to look better because they are noticing flabbiness even when they are near the ideal wight. As a woman you need not worry about bulking up, that is a myth. In order to build muscle you will need to eat more calories that what you are eating currently - from healthy, whole food sources to feed the muscle growth. Smaller meals as already mentioned are important so you don't feel stuffed (you will be eating more than you are accustomed to) and it will help your body recover from the cycle of starvation you are now in, it will learn to release the fat!

When you gain a pound of muscle that will increase your metabolism by 50 calories. So you can actually eat more and the fat melts off. You basically may weight the same (or more) but you will be smaller and firmer. I recommend that you take your body measurements and body composition if you have that equipment ... and stay away from the scale as your measure of success. I like to set out my favorite dress or jeans that are just a little too tight and try them on each week - I can tell it's working when I fit in them more easily!

In terms of your caloric needs, I would start with the basal metabolic rate - the minimum calories you need for proper organ function - and go up from there depending on how active you are each day. Gaining muscle can be as easy as using resistance bands, doing push ups, pull ups, steps ups or can be achieved through resistance classes at gyms or in the weight room!

Samantha - Pro Dieter