Posts praising eating very little. What?

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Losingthedamnweight
Losingthedamnweight Posts: 535 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I just saw a reddit post and wanted to talk to you guys about it. That's what friends do right? Wink

I see posts all the time on reddit's progress pics from people talking about how they lost all this weight...by basically starving themselves. I saw one just the other day about a guy that lost like 80lbs eating 1000 calories while lifting hard in the gym, and he was praised for his progress. Nobody mentioned any concerns about how unhealthy it might be or anything.

And this goes on all the time. Just this one thread I was looking at a few minutes ago of a guy that was still a bit overweight...and eating 1200 calories a day while being active. He was asking if it was ok and everybody commented "yeahhh sureeee why not? I'm a guy and I eat even less. 1000 calories and I feel great!"
http://www.reddit.com/r/loseit/comments/36rnlk/im_a_man_and_i_ate_1200_calories_yesterday_and/

Whaaaat? I know it might seem rude to nitpick, but at the same time shouldn't we help people that are on the verge of disordered eating? I never see anybody say anything so is there some unspoken rule I don't know about?
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Replies

  • barbecuesauce
    barbecuesauce Posts: 1,779 Member
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    So help them? Make a thread about it there? I don't go on reddit but I guess that's the culture there. There are certainly pro-ana corners of the internet.
  • RuNaRoUnDaFiEld
    RuNaRoUnDaFiEld Posts: 5,864 Member
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    I must be reading the link wrong as lot's of people say not to do it and warn of drops in testosterone and things.
  • tanklifetj
    tanklifetj Posts: 184 Member
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    If you are looking to burn fat then you have to be in a calorie deficit in order to do so. While it may seem unhealthy or worrisome to you that the guy you saw on reddit was only consuming 1200 kcal, if he body is cannibalizing his fat stores then he is accomplishing his goals.

    So long as both protein and carbs are met, the majority of other nutrients can be filled in very low calorie methods. The main concern with this type of weight loss is sustainability. If you are above the weight you want and use a restrictive diet, you are still not learning healthy eating habits and are far more likely to return to your original poor eating habits once you have accomplished your goal.

    The best approach is always one you can sustain. Good eating is more about building habits than it is about fad diets and gimmicks.
  • Losingthedamnweight
    Losingthedamnweight Posts: 535 Member
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    MrM27 wrote: »
    Did you give your opinion there?
    I have before and gotten down voted to hell for it
  • eeeekie
    eeeekie Posts: 1,011 Member
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    barbecuesauce wrote: »
    So help them? Make a thread about it there? I don't go on reddit but I guess that's the culture there. There are certainly pro-ana corners of the internet.


    There are Pro Ana groups on MFP.
  • barbecuesauce
    barbecuesauce Posts: 1,779 Member
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    eeeekie wrote: »
    barbecuesauce wrote: »
    So help them? Make a thread about it there? I don't go on reddit but I guess that's the culture there. There are certainly pro-ana corners of the internet.


    There are Pro Ana groups on MFP.

    Yeah, I accidentally joined one once when I was still eating 1200 calories.

    Still not sure what we're meant to do with the original post. A board raid? Upvote the sensible comments? Just gawk at the train wreck?
  • joepratt503
    joepratt503 Posts: 191 Member
    edited May 2015
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    Everybody has their own journey...I honestly am surprised how many people provide completely unsolicited feedback on someones food diary or "program". If someone wants to go that route, let them. If they are a close personal friend OR they are specifically asking for it then fire away otherwise there is no need for unsolicited critique.
  • Losingthedamnweight
    Losingthedamnweight Posts: 535 Member
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    barbecuesauce wrote: »
    eeeekie wrote: »
    barbecuesauce wrote: »
    So help them? Make a thread about it there? I don't go on reddit but I guess that's the culture there. There are certainly pro-ana corners of the internet.


    There are Pro Ana groups on MFP.

    Yeah, I accidentally joined one once when I was still eating 1200 calories.

    Still not sure what we're meant to do with the original post. A board raid? Upvote the sensible comments? Just gawk at the train wreck?

    My entire post wasn't a call to arms of "let's mobilize and hit reddit hard! That'll show em" my post was simply asking whether it's acceptable when someone puts themselves out there, to comment on the low low calories they're eating. I see most people don't say much of anything and quite a few actually encourage them to do whatever they have to do to lose weight. Health or not. I was on a board that was supposed to be like this place that's all about health where someone said they feel great eating 500 calories a day and most didn't say anything about it. Am I crazy here?

    I don't know. I don't like being an *kitten* but at the same time, shouldn't we (meaning just me. Or commenters. Whoever) say something when the opportunity presents itself? Since I see so little criticism, I was just...wondering I guess if there was some social etiquette people are living by that's stopping them from saying something.
  • missomgitsica
    missomgitsica Posts: 496 Member
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    That is the tip of the iceberg as far as online communities for weight loss with extreme calorie restriction. Google pro anorexia sites, it's terrifying, and it'll make those 1000 or 1200 calorie a day people look perfectly sane.
  • Losingthedamnweight
    Losingthedamnweight Posts: 535 Member
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    joepratt503 wrote: »
    Everybody has their own journey...I honestly am surprised how many people provide completely unsolicited feedback on someones food diary or "program". If someone wants to go that route, let them. If they are a close personal friend OR they are specifically asking for it then fire away otherwise there is no need for unsolicited critique.

    I guess that's the best way to go about it. Maybe I'm just a little peeved because I remember having my own eating disorder and nobody corrected me. Nobody said anything. My own girlfriend let me put my health at risk and I wish SOMEONE would've said something to stop me from damaging my body so much.

    I just want to be of help but I don't want to be pushy, ya know?
  • gypsyish
    gypsyish Posts: 78 Member
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    I'm on r/loseit quite a bit and my experience is that the community overall is pretty against starving yourself. I constantly see males being told there to never go below 1500. But there are always going to be those people who either don't know or think it's a good thing to be so low, and will share their opinion.
  • ChelsMorrell89
    ChelsMorrell89 Posts: 11 Member
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    I've also noticed that posts on MFP when people are under their calorie goal in their food diary get more likes and attention in general. Most of the time it's best to hit your calorie goal right on target if you count them. Going under isn't helping you in the long run if you're trying to make weight loss sustainable. I prefer to keep calories as high as possible.
  • PeachyCarol
    PeachyCarol Posts: 8,029 Member
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    ChelsMorrell89 wrote: »
    I've also noticed that posts on MFP when people are under their calorie goal in their food diary get more likes and attention in general. Most of the time it's best to hit your calorie goal right on target if you count them. Going under isn't helping you in the long run if you're trying to make weight loss sustainable. I prefer to keep calories as high as possible.

    I think you misinterpret "under". If I come within 40 or 50 calories of my goal, is that terrible? It's pretty hard to hit it exactly, and I think most people like to leave a buffer to account for errors.

    This isn't because of rampant disordered eating, it's that most of us know that we tend to have unreliable information we're basing our data on and we're hedging our bets.

  • sweetdixie92
    sweetdixie92 Posts: 655 Member
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    I have usually been eating 1500-1600 a day, but yesterday I missed a meal and went with only 1200, but went to bed not feeling that bad. It is almost tempting now to skip a meal and only do 1200 more often.

    Quote is from the reddit thread. He doesn't eat 1,200 on a regular basis, so what's the big deal? It's kinda like I have days that I only consume 800/900 calories, while generally I eat more like 1,200. It's perfectly normal to have days you just aren't as hungry, or so busy you consume less. I'm pretty sure it's not the end of the world when you do so, and doesn't mean you have an eating disorder.
  • crazyjerseygirl
    crazyjerseygirl Posts: 1,252 Member
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    mamapeach910 wrote: »
    ChelsMorrell89 wrote: »
    I've also noticed that posts on MFP when people are under their calorie goal in their food diary get more likes and attention in general. Most of the time it's best to hit your calorie goal right on target if you count them. Going under isn't helping you in the long run if you're trying to make weight loss sustainable. I prefer to keep calories as high as possible.

    I think you misinterpret "under". If I come within 40 or 50 calories of my goal, is that terrible? It's pretty hard to hit it exactly, and I think most people like to leave a buffer to account for errors.

    This isn't because of rampant disordered eating, it's that most of us know that we tend to have unreliable information we're basing our data on and we're hedging our bets.

    This! With 27kcal left in just going to bed. I'm sure I miscalculated something!
  • allyphoe
    allyphoe Posts: 618 Member
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    ChelsMorrell89 wrote: »
    Most of the time it's best to hit your calorie goal right on target if you count them. Going under isn't helping you in the long run if you're trying to make weight loss sustainable.

    I have a high variance in my intake, which works well for me. (I also have a theoretical target that's a lot higher than most people with my stats.) Trying to hit my goal exactly would make me nutso.

    I do make an extra effort to "like" statuses that don't say under. Better to log every day than only the low ones.

  • bbontheb
    bbontheb Posts: 718 Member
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    ChelsMorrell89 wrote: »
    I've also noticed that posts on MFP when people are under their calorie goal in their food diary get more likes and attention in general. Most of the time it's best to hit your calorie goal right on target if you count them. Going under isn't helping you in the long run if you're trying to make weight loss sustainable. I prefer to keep calories as high as possible.

    Yes, this. I have noticed people under by 1500 calories a day because of their exercise (hours and hours of it) and then getting a lot of praise.
  • strong_curves
    strong_curves Posts: 2,229 Member
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    I see that here on MFP, I don't comment on it tho.
  • GetThatRunnersHigh
    GetThatRunnersHigh Posts: 112 Member
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    I follow /r/1200isplenty for snack ideas, and once in a while threads that reeks of ED pop up. I once got downvoted for suggesting working out more to create a deficit instead of cutting more calories, telling me that not everyone has the time or means to exercise. Well excuse me for making a healthier suggestion.

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