NakedandAfriad??

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I know there is a lot of talk about going below 1200 calories to lose weight, stay healthy or whatever...Idk if anyone else does, but does anyone else watch the show Naked and Afraid?..Clearly those people are going below 1200 calories a day (yes I know it a TV show)..If the concept is accurate (being it's a tv show), how is that possible if they are going less than 1200 calories a day? This is simply some thoughts and questions of mine..any other opinions?
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  • rml_16
    rml_16 Posts: 16,414 Member
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    They are not undereating for a prolonged amount of time.
  • delicious_cocktail
    delicious_cocktail Posts: 5,797 Member
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    What RML said. (BTW I also loved 50 shades!!! I'm hoping to find someone just like the female protagonist to mold into my very own mate.)

    But yes, some days, very rarely, I won't have much appetite because I'm sick or what-have-you. Nothing terrible happens if you undereat for a day. As a means to lose weight, under-eating for a prolonged period of time has all kinds of extremely dangerous ramifications.
  • naynaytater
    naynaytater Posts: 13 Member
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    They are starving for 21 days. They lose a large percentage of their original weight, as well as energy, strenght and mental focus. This to me proves starvation mode (i.e. gaining weight) is a myth and also proves that proper calories and nutrition benefit you. Just my opinion .................
  • Laurenloveswaffles
    Laurenloveswaffles Posts: 535 Member
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    nvm
  • srslybritt
    srslybritt Posts: 1,618 Member
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    Isn't the premise of the show that they're put under extreme duress? Why would that justify eating less than 1200 calories if they're demonstrating how difficult it is to survive under those conditions? I guess I'm confused by your question...

    ETA: Also, writers, scripting everything, and producers to push the storyline along make a lot of difference. We don't have that here in real life land.
  • njmark72
    njmark72 Posts: 99 Member
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    I watch it, but for a different purpose. It helps me not OVEREAT. I see how little they need to survive and when I am at my calorie max and feeling like more this helps me not overeat.

    Works for me.

    Mark
  • ballwindawn
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    That is too funny--my husband and I were just talking about that last night. I have to assume that their bodies really do go into "starvation mode" and then we they get back and start eating again they gain back whatever they lost.
  • rml_16
    rml_16 Posts: 16,414 Member
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    (BTW I also loved 50 shades!!! I'm hoping to find someone just like the female protagonist to mold into my very own mate.)
    Weren't Ana and Christian just the most amazing characters EVER??!!! I don't blame you. She would be the most awesomely perfect wife in the history of wifedom.
  • kimberlyblindsey
    kimberlyblindsey Posts: 266 Member
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    Oh emmm geee, I think I've watched every epi and they drop an average of 20 lb, one guy lost 40lb. Obviously, not a recommended diet, lol, but it really flies in the face of the myth that a human body will go into starvation mode hence holding onto that weight, because clearly those people were shrinking in each and every episode, and they were eating next to nothing. Mind you I don't think it's an ideal diet, but it also makes me realize that we can survive on eating less than we do; I'm not going to starve if I skip a meal or even a day of food.
  • jmc0806
    jmc0806 Posts: 1,444 Member
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    Half the days they lay there without moving because they are so malnourished from lack of food and water. They usually end up losing 20-40lbs in 21 days from starving during that show.
  • Escloflowne
    Escloflowne Posts: 2,038 Member
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    wow people miss the point completely, going under 1200 calories per day isn't a healthy lifestyle. They eat under 1200 calories a day for the duration of the episode because they have no alternative. They lose a lot more than just fat over the course of the 21 days....
  • SunofaBeach14
    SunofaBeach14 Posts: 4,899 Member
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    I'm simply not following your logic, OP. Yea, they starve themselves and lose weight. Is that a surprise? I'd be interested in seeing how much lean mass they lose because they get so few calories and a tiny amount of protein.
  • Veil5577
    Veil5577 Posts: 868 Member
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    :huh:
  • Texusmc
    Texusmc Posts: 129 Member
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    they are survivalists (most are pretty good some aren't) who are out there to test their own physical and mental limits. yes they go into starvation mode due to lack of calories, but it is not a perm thing. they push themselves but have medics standing by in case of injury, hypothermia or other unforseen issues. watch the show and you will realize that they aren't doing the under eating on purpose. they do look for food...and do try to eat as much as they can.
  • Jim_Barteck
    Jim_Barteck Posts: 274 Member
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    5 days out of every 14 I intentionally drop below that net calorie threshold because of heavy exercise. The body is well equipped to handle going under occasionally without maladaptation. It just can't sustain that for an extended period of time without adapting by slowing metabolism, eating muscle tissue for fuel, etc.

    As I heard someone else say once, "You can do pretty much anything for 21 days. It's what happens on the 22nd day that matters."
  • Galatea_Stone
    Galatea_Stone Posts: 2,037 Member
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    They have medical staff check their vitals every morning to make sure they aren't too ill to continue. There's a camera crew with them during daylight hours.

    Naked and Afraid It puts the body through extreme duress, and they lose a lot of lean mass.

    I am not like that Anawhatever Gray. Sorry.
  • wibutterflymagic
    wibutterflymagic Posts: 788 Member
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    [/quote]

    It's a tv show. It's not real. It's for entertainment and to sell products. Everything about reality tv is staged and scripted.
    [/quote]

    Seriously? You think that these people starving is scripted? Yes, many reality shows are but this show is not. What you see is what is happening.

    To OP
    the reason they lose weight is because they are starving
    not just eating a few calories less then normal. They are losing fat, muscle and brain function. They are in the hospital for days at the completion of the 21days. And the reason the show chose 21days is because that is the timeframe in which a body can go without food. So if the contestants aren't able to find food sources they would be done with the show right at the point that it becomes absolutely critical for them to get food.
  • slomo22
    slomo22 Posts: 125 Member
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    Naked and afraid is a new weight loss show...it's basically The Biggest Looser meets Survivor! The show sends 2 people to a remote location for 21 days and whoever loses the most weight wins some new luggage! A typical person loses 20-30 pounds. That's over 1 pound per day! This is already a big weight loss fad in Hollywood. I believe they call it the anorexia diet (That’s French for “don’t eat anything diet”).

    ....Seriously though those people can barely stand the end of the 21 days. I highly doubt it's good for you haha.