Negative side effects of dieting

Hey guys! Thanks for all the replies. I would like to clarify that I feel that I do eat enough i.e. I do not feel hungry during the day and eat pretty normally but my calorie intake is about 850kcal. I know that sounds dangerously low but comparing to what seemed like a diet plan, I feel that I am eating much more than that. I am not sure if I am entering correct portion sizes though....

850 calories isn't enough for your organs to function. It seems that your brain has already been affected. Please seek help.

Also, what can I eat to boost my calorie intake?

Anything. You can eat anything you like. Add butter and brown sugar to your oatmeal. Add a spread to your sandwich. Have an extra cookie at some point. Saute or roast veggies in oils. Have nuts and nut butters. Cheese is good or go out for french fries occasionally.

Edit: Also a multi-vitamin to help as well.

OP, if the past few days are typical your hair loss is likely a symptom of too little calories and specifically too little fat. Cutting fat is a quick way to cut calories, but fat is necessary for proper body function.

Best advice I can give is stop crash dieting and eat a balanced diet and exercise.

At 18 years old, you should probably be eating double what you are eating now. Adding stuff like nuts, eggs, cheese, cooking food in olive oil, protein bars, protein shakes, ice cream or going to town on a peanut butter jar all work.


BTW, the only side effect for me, is I can't eat 3000 calories until I get the body I want. I hate only being on 2500 calories.

I took a look at your food diary, and you seem to be eating a relatively healthy diet with the exception of two things:

1.) Not quite enough calories, which an lead to malnourishment or nutritional deficiencies. I think your goal of 1200 kcals is okay, especially if it is leaving you feeling full, but you should really try to meet it and not fall under.

2.) Not quite enough colorful vegetables and oils.

I think working towards solving #2 will help with solving #1.

I noticed you like Asian food (particularly noodle soups). Try adding just a bit more vegetables to your soups - a handful of mushrooms, carrots or turnips, or something dark and leafy like bok choy or spinach. The cabbage you have been adding is good, but you will get more nutrition out of something leafy that's a darker green. If you live near an Asian grocery, that can be a great place to find a huge variety of dark leafy greens for very cheap.

Something else to try is to just increase your portion size, even just a little. For example, your diary says that a few days ago you had 0.5 cups of homemade chicken/turkey/veg. stew over 0.33 cups or rice. If you were to have even just 0.25 cups more of the stew and up your amount of rice to an even 0.5 cups (which volume-wise isn't really that much more), you could add around 100 kcals to the day.

I agree with some of the other posters that you could use a little more fat in your diet. Just a tablespoon of olive or canola oil will add around 120 kcals and be good for you heart and cardiovascular system. Don't be afraid to cook with it or to drizzle a little on a meal. Just don't go overboard with it.

I hope this is helpful. You are welcome to friend me. My calorie goal is 1500 and I eating back most of what I exercise, but I tend to log my stuff as recipes, so it can be difficult to get a good feel for what I am actually eating for some meals.

*Edited because a teaspoon is not a tablespoon.