Eating 1200 calories a day?

You clearly have an eating disorder

Honey, you told us you have issues. And you asked for feedback.

You want to know how to eat more? Eat more. Ok, more words so it isn't snarky: Try eating more than toast for breakfast for starters. And maybe eat lunch rather than drinking it. And try adding meat. If you are vegetarian and insist on remaining vegetarian despite clear physical issues on top of the mental issues you self disclosed (BDD is a mental disorder, you demonstrated other issues), then add more plant proteins.

And consider, while you are starving your muscles away with a brain that cannot be relied upon to give accurate feedback (again, you told us this with your BDD diagnosis), consider all the vital organs that are also damaged in the process.

A bit of body love might be a much better choice for you.

And don't minimize people by calling them "beefcakes" it is rude. Body hate towards anyone is ugly.

I would just like to say that the reason my calorie intake is low is BECAUSE I eat healthy. For breakfast I have 100kcal toast and a 10kcal spread, then have a 50kcal smoothie for lunch then for dinner I'll have a chicken breast 200-ish kcal, something starchy such as three Maoris piper potatoes mashed or boiled or whatever that's 100kcal and some veggies that are around 50kcal again then that rough daily template comes out at 510kcal.

What constitutes a smoothie that is only 50 calories? The fruit and veggies necessary to make smoothie thick, blended only with water, would be more then 50 calories?

Hemp seeds taste great in smoothies, add good fats that are great for making your hair shiny and your skin smooth, they have a bit of protein in them, and add some good calories.

i eat a jr.baconator, I think that's what I log.

No such thing. Here are your choices from the Wendy's website:

Son of Baconator™ 700 calories (closest thing to "jr" and "baconator")

Baconator® 970 calories

JBC (Jr. Bacon Cheeseburger) 400 calories

Realize if you say "baconator" they aren't going to give you the thing off of the value meal that costs much less in money (and calories.) So you're logging the sandwich that is about half of the lowest of the two other possible calorie counts you were actually getting.

Stop stealing the OP's thread. Who cares what fat filled filth she is/was eating...

I agree with the complaint about stealing the OP's thread, and actually chastised the bacon-burger eating person for the same reason. The reason I'm engaging her is because she came into a thread with a person who may well be dangerously undereating and is saying "yes its true you can totally gain weight on not much calories!" which is the height of irresponsible. I feel that things like that need to be debunked when they could be confirming disordered thinking and egging on dangerous food behaviors.

the thing is guys, i dont restrict.
i've posted what i eat, it's a normal amount, i have two full meals a day and snacks during the day and treat myself at weekends.
yes, i do hate how my body looks and i've tried coming to terms but it isn't happening.
what i worry is that if my body's used to eating about 700 cals a day, surely eating more than twice that means i'll start gaining weight because at about 1000 i find that i maintain my weight and i have never been diagnosed with an eating disorder, looked slim, fainted through lack of food or anything. i don't suffer from how little i eat, i never have.

Lets not throw basic physiology out the window.

A person with maintenance or TDEE of 1000 is sedentary and 2 foot tall and probably 117 years old.
You meant to say "I gain water weight above 1k because of stupid dieting. If I eat at 1600-2200 daily ill fix my metabolism and be happier!"

I don't think ppl are trying to attack you, or say your messed up or crazy or anything at all. I think ppl are probably pretty concerned bc of these statements you have made:
"I'd probably be described as having disordered eating
and accepting it isn't going to help either, i've hated how big i am most of my life tbh
yes, i do hate how my body looks and i've tried coming to terms but it isn't happening.
I honestly thought I was fat (and still do) until I was diagnosed with BDD years ago"


Taking that into consideration, if you have furthur health and dietary concerns I would suggest printing out a questionaire such as this http://highered.mcgraw-hill.com/sites/dl/free/007352963x/230059/ww_85.pdf and bringing your results to the Dr. I can't tell you how much to eat, your dr should. You could also take your food diary to a nutritionist and see what that professional says. I'm not telling you to go see a Dr bc i think you're messed up.. I just think it would be irresponsible for me to assume I (not a dr) knows whats best for your health

Seriously what kind of food are people eating that they can't get to 1200 calories? Are you like, eating a tomato and calling it a day? An apple alone has about 130, put some food in your mouth! Peanut Butter, nuts, meat, they're all calorific.

I completely agree with this. Wow. And second yes my dear it sounds like you should talk to someone. Even if it is just a nutrionist....

Ok Seriously, this is for all of you, if the OP is short, like me.. WE HAVE SMALL STOMACHS!! I had chicken wings today and I had to stop at 8 because I was so full I hurt. That's only 600 calories. AND I'm still not hungry. If us short people take a multivitamin and have extra body fat, starvation mode won't be an issue.

Think of it this way, the average height for men in this country is now 5'10. I'm 5 complete inches below that, and a lot of women on here are below the average female height of 5'7. If this site and most guidelines are written with "average" in mind (and yes I know it factors in height, but I still think short people are being overfed) then I'm pretty sure that when eating healthy, medium calorie foods (as opposed to breaded and fried calorie dense foods) you'll hit 1000-1200 cals a day and be stuffed. I usually am.

I'm just not that hungry. the only time I get over 1300 calories a day is when I eat sh.it, like fried stuff. If I stick to steamed vegetables, one head of broccoli and half a chicken breast makes me FULL.

You guys need to open your minds JUST a bit. Not everyone is 5'7-5'10. We are just a little bit different than you.

Short people on those survivalist shows (like the alaska experiment) had a MUCH easier time on very low cals, just because they were smaller. The tall people had to be taken off because of chronic weakness and illness.

That being said, the OP does sound like she has some issues with self image.

Nonsense.
Your body needs specific base nutrients that body fat cannot supply.
You need essential fatty acids, protein and some carbs.
Also dieting that low has negative effects on hormones as well as LBM loss.

A guy eating 1200 is like a woman eating 700.
It's not good.

As for feeling hungry you should look into leptin/ghrelin balance.
You aren't balanced.

I'm 5'6" and maintain 2k-3k depending on work.

In response to her ORIGINAL message, I agree that maybe you should go talk to a dietician or maybe a therapist if you get a chance. I've struggled with body image issues since age 9 and depression since age 14. I'm 20 now. I know that sometimes it's embarrassing or a hassle or "below" you to go ask for help, but sometimes you have to swallow that pride and seek help. You say you have big boobs and a big butt and "thick" thighs. You say your stomach is slim and has defined muscles. I see absolutely no problem with that. I saw from your profile you are 18, which may or may not just be a lie to be able to get an account on here, but I don't know a single male who likes a stick figure girl with no butt or no boobs. An hourglass body is probably the most desirable shape there is. And "underwear models," like the ones who model Victoria Secret Pink brand underwear??? Those girls are ridiculously skinny. For starters, they are taller than you. A model has to be AT LEAST 5'9". If you do your research, those VS models also only weigh around 115 pounds. I am 5'9". Due to a lot of things, my weight has unfortunately gotten out of control, but at one point I was around 150 and I was not fat at all. If I try to picture myself weighing 115, I just get disgusted. I would have NO boobs, NO butt, NO curves to my body whatsoever. I would be straight up and down & have to wear ridiculously padded push-up bras just to appear to have an A cup. That's what those models do. NONE of them have the boobs that you see in their advertisements or on the runway. They have a good two inches of padding inside those bras that make them look like "Oooh look at me, I am skinny as a bone and STILL have big boobs!" It's impossible. It's unrealistic. If your body (which you admit is not fat or even slightly overweight at all) is naturally shaped with a WOMAN'S figure, then why are you trying to change what is inevitable?? You should be thankful that you have a shape to your body and a butt and boobs. People pay thousands and thousands of dollars to BUY a butt or boobs. Some of the most beautiful and sought after women in Hollywood have *kitten* the size of the moon. Kim Kardashian for example. Her butt is so massive yet boys want her and girls want to look like her. Then there's people like Kate Moss (I admit she is a good model sometimes) who is skin and bones. I've never heard anyone say "Omg she has the sexiest body. I want to look just like her." Because it's virtually just a taller version of a little girl's body. And also, she does DRUGS. And it's safe to say that the majority of the "skinny" celebrities you see all over the media do drugs too. Lindsay Lohan's body in Mean Girls was a good body. She was normal weight and had curves and boobs. People loved how she looked. Then she got into crack and heroine and whatever else, and got really skinny. There is no possible HEALTHY way to get rid of your WOMANLY body and turn into those crack-addict bodied girls UNLESS you starve yourself or do drugs. I don't recommend either one. Why?

If you starve yourself, which you are at this point...eating 800 calories a day is absolutely not enough to get the nutrients your body needs to live...you might get skinny. But you'll lose your boobs. They won't just get small though. If you lose weight super quickly and in an unhealthy way, your once big boobs will just turn into pancake-flat, saggy boobs. That's not cute. Your butt will be saggy and flat, and even your 000 pants will be loose on your butt like you just took a crap in them. Ya know how the area by your rib cage is nice and slim then curves out around your hips? It makes you look like a woman. Take that away and you're just going to look like a really tall 6-year-old little girl. Then one day once you're all nice and "small" and skinny "like your friends" and you think it's safe to just eat what you want, I wouldn't. Because going so long on so little calories will shock your body and make you lose weight. But instead of getting rid of the fat and the nasty stuff, it will eat away at your muscles. Then if you start eating normally again, your body, which is undergoing "starvation mode" will cling onto any bit of food it gets and store it as FAT. You'll start to gain back all the weight you lost plus a LOT more. Take it from me...chronic Yo-yo dieter since age 12. For example, one particular diet I just wanted results so fast that I obsessed over it and was skipping meals a lot. I lost 20 pounds. It was great. Until I stopped doing that and gained back the 20 pounds. Plus 20 more. Plus 20 more from a bad reaction to a medicine. And now I've dug myself a nice little fat ditch that I have to crawl my weigh out of SLOWLY and HEALTHY.

I know you said that losing your muscles is what you want, but let's face it. Nobody in their right mind wants their body to eat away their muscle mass. Once that happens, you'll just look unathletic, scrawny, and SOFT. You might think you'll look like Marisa Miller or Adriana Lima, but you need to remember that those girls were born with naturally slim bodies. But with the help of professional trainers, personal chefs, and million dollar paychecks, they work out and are extremely athletic to get those toned hard bodies that they flaunt. Everyday, all day, for their entire life is dedicated to their bodies. But in your case, just starving yourself will result in something more like Lindsay Lohan or Courtney Love a la their crack days. You can weigh 160 and be more in shape than a girl who weighs 100. But muscle is absolutely 100% necessary. On top of looking awful, you will feel awful. If your body had to resort to eating away all your muscles, there is no way you could participate in anything athletic. You won't have the energy to workout. You won't have energy period. Your heart rate will slow down and be in danger of stopping. I've seen it for myself. A girl I went to school with who tried to coach ME on healthy weight loss was actually eating only a few hundred calories per day and running 8 miles. She ended up being submitted to the hospital for over 2 months because her heart was too weak to even BEAT. You probably didn't think of all that, did you? Do you want that? Probably not.

I am not trying to be harsh whatsoever or make you feel bad about yourself. I'm trying to help you. Because I know how much it hurts and how unfair you think it is to look around at girls who happen to be smaller than you. But there are girls who look at YOU and are envious of your healthy, toned body that STILL has boobs and a butt! Remember, people pay SO MUCH money to look like that. Go talk to somebody. If you go to college, there are free psychiatrists, therapists, and dietitians that you can talk to. But your mindset absolutely has to change or you're going to end up on a really bad path. Please go get help.

Seriously what kind of food are people eating that they can't get to 1200 calories? Are you like, eating a tomato and calling it a day? An apple alone has about 130, put some food in your mouth! Peanut Butter, nuts, meat, they're all calorific.

I completely agree with this. Wow. And second yes my dear it sounds like you should talk to someone. Even if it is just a nutrionist....

Ok Seriously, this is for all of you, if the OP is short, like me.. WE HAVE SMALL STOMACHS!! I had chicken wings today and I had to stop at 8 because I was so full I hurt. That's only 600 calories. AND I'm still not hungry. If us short people take a multivitamin and have extra body fat, starvation mode won't be an issue.

Think of it this way, the average height for men in this country is now 5'10. I'm 5 complete inches below that, and a lot of women on here are below the average female height of 5'7. If this site and most guidelines are written with "average" in mind (and yes I know it factors in height, but I still think short people are being overfed) then I'm pretty sure that when eating healthy, medium calorie foods (as opposed to breaded and fried calorie dense foods) you'll hit 1000-1200 cals a day and be stuffed. I usually am.

I'm just not that hungry. the only time I get over 1300 calories a day is when I eat sh.it, like fried stuff. If I stick to steamed vegetables, one head of broccoli and half a chicken breast makes me FULL.

You guys need to open your minds JUST a bit. Not everyone is 5'7-5'10. We are just a little bit different than you.

Short people on those survivalist shows (like the alaska experiment) had a MUCH easier time on very low cals, just because they were smaller. The tall people had to be taken off because of chronic weakness and illness.

That being said, the OP does sound like she has some issues with self image.

Nonsense.
Your body needs specific base nutrients that body fat cannot supply.
You need essential fatty acids, protein and some carbs.
Also dieting that low has negative effects on hormones as well as LBM loss.

A guy eating 1200 is like a woman eating 700.
It's not good.

As for feeling hungry you should look into leptin/ghrelin balance.
You aren't balanced.

I'm 5'6" and maintain 2k-3k depending on work.

*twitch*

I knew I was going to get roasted for saying it, but mindlessly repeating the same thing that salesmen say just isn't cutting it anymore. I come from a family of shorter people, and ALL of my uncles are overweight, and they eat like me, around 2000 calories a day before I started cutting, and they all have bellies.

Shut your mouth if you don't have experience with what you are talking about.

Because infiniquotes are irritating, and I snipped out what I was responding to. I read the rest of it and as *fascinating* and *special* as I find your difficulty in getting a minimum of calories without filling your stomach, I'm really not wanting to derail from the OP's stuff AGAIN. Seriously, though, how do you get overweight if you cannot possibly eat ALL THAT FOOD to get to 1300 calories.

I got to 210 pounds by eating entire boxes of cheeze its and snack crackers that were so calorie dense...

And I only ate maybe 2 or 3 times a day. Now that I am eating healthy, like vegetables and rice and chicken.. it's hard to hit 1300 calories. Once I cut out the processed crap.. I mean let me put it this way: X amount of food in my stomach makes me full. If it's healthy, then I have trouble getting to my calorie goals. If it's breaded crap, then it's easy for me to go over.

Does that make more sense?

I would just like to say that the reason my calorie intake is low is BECAUSE I eat healthy. For breakfast I have 100kcal toast and a 10kcal spread, then have a 50kcal smoothie for lunch then for dinner I'll have a chicken breast 200-ish kcal, something starchy such as three Maoris piper potatoes mashed or boiled or whatever that's 100kcal and some veggies that are around 50kcal again then that rough daily template comes out at 510kcal.

What constitutes a smoothie that is only 50 calories? The fruit and veggies necessary to make smoothie thick, blended only with water, would be more then 50 calories?

Hemp seeds taste great in smoothies, add good fats that are great for making your hair shiny and your skin smooth, they have a bit of protein in them, and add some good calories.

Who says I drink a lot of smoothie? :P

I thought you did when you said you eat toast and a small amount of spread for breakfast, only a smoothie for lunch and then a small amount of food that did not seem to contain any meat for dinner. Maybe that wasn't you, though. Maybe it was the bacon burger girl, but I thought her deal was she ONLY ate a bacon burger all day. I know it was't the short guy cuz he just showed up, so I'm pretty sure it was you. You suggested that that was a typical day. That would have led me to believe that it was a regular occurance, and given how little you eat, anything you eat regularly would be a large percent of your diet.

Ok Seriously, this is for all of you, if the OP is short, like me

5 foot 3 is *not* Lilliputian It is NOT particularly short. To excuse undereating in the presence of a self-disclosed eating disorder is really quite irresponsible. 5'3" is well within average height for a woman. 800 calories is not.

No disrespect, but read my entire post before retorting. GAWD. why oh why do people love taking ONE fu**ing sentence out of a whole big thing and point to that as evidence of being wrong!

Exactly! This is exactly it. Also, I'm still pretty young compared to some people here and I never have been fat, meaning that my belly never has been stretched out much. I am doing what every dietician recommends which is creating a calorie deficit from what I normally eat. I took out one meal that would normally be about 200kcal which is only 200kcal less than I've lived my whole life on. You wouldnt think it's unhealthy if you saw how much I ate and how full I was after.

And this is why I really didn't like the short guy handing the person with a diagnosed body image disorder an excuse that didn't apply to justify her possibly-disordered eating.

I know it was't the short guy cuz he just showed up

Oh gee thanks.

GAWD way to just quote a small portion and miss the biggest point!! Oh EMM GEEE!!!

Hey I said that because you took a snippet out of my big post and MISSED my disclaimer at the bottom that said OP has self image issues!!