1200 calorie diet for teenager

cassidy94
cassidy94 Posts: 14
edited November 10 in Food and Nutrition
im 17, 105 pounds, 5 ft 2, and looking to get down to about 100 pounds. i had been doing really well on a 1200 calorie diet for about 2 or 3 months but then lost my period. i took that as a bad sign and told my mom about it. i then decided i had better lay off the whole 1200 calorie thing and started eating more. As crazy as it seemed i lost a pound or two more after raising my calorie intake. i got down to 101. here recently i weighed myself at 107, so i started back at the whole 1200 calorie thing. its not working out as well this time. i'll do good for 3 or 4 days and then totally binge on everything bad, and after feeling guilty eat very little the next few days! its been this really bad cycle and i don't know what to do. i know i probably have an eating disorder or body image problems but i can't help it. I've figured out that i think what i want is to be toned but i don't know how to do that and can't help but pay attention to the numbers on the scale. Any tips for a teen trying to to lose a pound or two and toning up?

Replies

  • tabi26
    tabi26 Posts: 535 Member
    Please see a nutritionist or a dr before dropping to calorie intake that you KNOW is bad for you! You said you lost your period when eating only 1200 calories a day, which means your body is shutting down the processes it figures it has too just to SURVIVE! You need to see a professional!
  • EuroDriver12
    EuroDriver12 Posts: 805 Member
    you are probley going to get ripped apart here as people hate it when skinny ppl ask for weight loss advice...

    but honestly at 105lbs 5'2 and your age you are VERY light already.. if your problem is you still feel "fat" or not firm then instead of concetrating on a calorie deficit, eat your maitnance calories and start training/lifting weights. trust me this will get you firmer, toned, better shaped, and all your friends will be jellous and envy you! asking you how you did it n if you can help them!

    ps. you can lift heavy weight and train hard it will not make you "bulky" or big.. you dont have testostrone like men do so you wont grow big... my wife trains with me n shes a tiny little thing with very nice tone of muscle.. she gets alot of attention n questions from other girls..
  • Magster0830
    Magster0830 Posts: 2
    Hi! I totally understand what you're going through....It's definitely not fun, or healthy. It does actually make sense that you ended up LOOSING weight when you ate more. Consuming more calories, as long as they're healthy ones, speeds up your metabolism making you expend more energy doing everyday activities, therefore loosing more weight. When you eat 1,200 calories (which is probably not enough if you're at least mildly active), you're body goes into "starvation mode" limiting its calorie burn and storing extra energy than normal because it thinks you don't have access to enough food. I would up your intake to around 1,600 which may seem like a lot, but it's not. Also, try to go for a brisk walk for at least 15 minutes 5 days a week or a moderate run for the same amount of time 3 days a week. This will also rev up your metabolism while torching more calories (yay!) Also, I think you can check out my diary and see all the yummy and healthy things that I indulge in :) Hope this helps and good luck to you.
  • cassidy94
    cassidy94 Posts: 14
    thanks for the advice everyone!
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