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Eating 700 cals/day without Noticeable Affects

MarkisMe
MarkisMe Posts: 3
edited February 10 in Food and Nutrition
A friend and I enjoy keeping track of what we put in our bodies (I actually got her into it because I was worried about her diet). She doesn't eat very much, that's obvious. But, she basically lives off of 700 calories a day without any changes to her body weight. She lives a sedentary life, but occasionally plays tennis, fit enough to touch her toes and run a mile, etc. Nothing noticeable about her hints lack of energy, she's often happy, optimistic. Does she just have an extremely slow metabolism? Is she just used to the low intake? I'm just curious and amazed, but a little concerned.

Additional information: Filipino girl, 17 years old, 5'1", 110 lbs or so

Thanks for taking the time to read this, any thoughts or ideas are appreciated. :)

Replies

  • Achrya
    Achrya Posts: 16,913 Member
    No help to offer but in. Because...Well. You'll see.
  • ztaitaifufu
    ztaitaifufu Posts: 77 Member
    Did she diet before? Or has she basically always eaten this way?
  • Hauntinglyfit
    Hauntinglyfit Posts: 5,537 Member
    How certain are you that she only eats 700 calories a day? does she weigh, measure and track everything?
  • DeadliftAddict
    DeadliftAddict Posts: 746 Member
    Are you or her correctly tracking how much she is eating? If so, and it's coming out to 700 calories. Have her up them to TDEE for a while. There are TDEE calculators online. Google search it. A good one is on IIFYM.com. They are only an estimate since it can be different for every situation. Have her eat at what the calculator says for a couple of weeks and see if anything happens to her weight. If she starts to gain or lose then adjust from there till she is maintaining. Now she will know what she needs to maintain her weight. Cutting and bulking will be easy from there. Hope this helps.
  • ILiftHeavyAcrylics
    ILiftHeavyAcrylics Posts: 27,732 Member
    How certain are you that she only eats 700 calories a day? does she weigh, measure and track everything?

    This is my question also.


    When I joined this site I believed I was eating 900 calories per day. Now I am convinced it was likely twice that, because I was really really bad at estimating portions.
  • QuietBloom
    QuietBloom Posts: 5,413 Member
    How certain are you that she only eats 700 calories a day? does she weigh, measure and track everything?

    Or rather, does HE weight, measure and track her food.

    OP, if you aren't doing the above, you have no way of knowing how much she is truly eating. Chances are very good she is eating at least TWICE that.
  • MarkisMe
    MarkisMe Posts: 3
    I guess I could always double check how exactly she tracks everything, last I checked she was doing it fine. But, in any case, doesn't hurt to check again.

    She's not dieting, and has not dieted before.

    The site IIFYM.com gave me a BMR of 1222 and TDEE of 1467, so it would make sense if she had the incorrect portions and was getting around 1200 or even 1400 calories. But, still, my Spidey Sense is going off here. Any other possibilities to look for before I get the chance to check about her portion measurements?

    Thanks for the input! Especially IFFYM.com, thanks Deadlift.

    EDIT: I'm not doubting the fact could be measuring incorrectly, but I've eaten with her a ton. She doesn't eat nearly as much as I do in a meal. Again, I will check, because it's the most common culprit before I start playing doctor and diagnose her, haha.
  • MyChocolateDiet
    MyChocolateDiet Posts: 22,281 Member
    My concern is that keeping track of what you put in your bodies is making her self conscious about her food. I HOPE that she is neglecting to tell you everything she eats out of modesty. I FEAR she is adjusting her calorie intake to something she thinks is more lady like and it can lead to problems later.

    Are you sure she thinks of you as only a friend? Ask her about her views on food in general? Do you ever hear her say ,"oh no, I'll just have the ___________" and giggle modestly?
  • Cranquistador
    Cranquistador Posts: 39,744 Member
    mmk
  • ILiftHeavyAcrylics
    ILiftHeavyAcrylics Posts: 27,732 Member
    My concern is that keeping track of what you put in your bodies is making her self conscious about her food. I HOPE that she is neglecting to tell you everything she eats out of modesty. I FEAR she is adjusting her calorie intake to something she thinks is more lady like and it can lead to problems later.

    Are you sure she thinks of you as only a friend? Ask her about her views on food in general? Do you ever hear her say ,"oh no, I'll just have the ___________" and giggle modestly?

    That's a real possibility, hadn't thought of that.

    But yeah, if a male friend of mine starting talking about being concerned about my diet, I might fudge things a little.
  • tiptoethruthetulips
    tiptoethruthetulips Posts: 3,373 Member
    And she needs to lose weight because???

    She is 17 and sounds like the ideal weight for her height currently.
  • meshashesha2012
    meshashesha2012 Posts: 8,329 Member
    she's eating more than 700 calories and either doesnt realize it or is not being 100% honest with you about her food.
  • YoungDoc2B
    YoungDoc2B Posts: 1,593 Member
    Has anyone ever told you that you look like Raj ( Kunal Nayyar) from Big Bang Theory?
  • goodbyefreshman15
    goodbyefreshman15 Posts: 71
    Has anyone ever told you that you look like Raj ( Kunal Nayyar) from Big Bang Theory?

    that's what I was wondering haha..
  • MarkisMe
    MarkisMe Posts: 3
    My concern is that keeping track of what you put in your bodies is making her self conscious about her food. I HOPE that she is neglecting to tell you everything she eats out of modesty. I FEAR she is adjusting her calorie intake to something she thinks is more lady like and it can lead to problems later.

    Are you sure she thinks of you as only a friend? Ask her about her views on food in general? Do you ever hear her say ,"oh no, I'll just have the ___________" and giggle modestly?

    Ah, yeah. I get what you mean, but no, I just found out today that she's still keeping track. I remember last year she ate very little and today, she's still keeping track, and it's still just as little. I wouldn't imagine anything secretive going on here, since she'd only be lying to herself with the records she took for herself. (Again, top reason could be miscalculation.)

    She does NOT diet, she's only keeping track for the fun of it. She's not trying to gain or lose weight.

    Has anyone heard of people with very low metabolisms like hers before? Could it just be the way she's born? Like, she can't eat more without her stomach hurting. I'll trust her opinion on that.

    EDIT:
    Has anyone ever told you that you look like Raj ( Kunal Nayyar) from Big Bang Theory?

    Hahaha, now that you mention it, a little bit, a little bit.
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