Under 1200--- how do ye do it? o.O

you ask how they have the energy to live - they get it from the fat reserves they are burning up.

Energy can come from food you ate last year or whenever, it doesn't have to come in through your mouth alone.

They also adapt to eating less, so don't see it as an issue unlike how say a persistent overeater would view it. With filling foods rather than rapidly processed carbs the food they do eat is more satisfying for longer.

so true, i eat lots of veg i dont eat much carbs what i do eat is real healthy foods. i am burning fat. im 5 and half stone down and fitter than ive been for years. even tho im an old age pensioner.i tend to eat between 700 to 900 ish. yes odd days i go over and may even go under, it suits me.

I don't know how they do it, and it's extremely dangerous. If you're classed as morbidly obese and are on a strictly medically supervised diet I've heard some can go as low as 700-800cal/day (not 500), but this is when a doctor is following you closely and has determined that your excess weight is more detrimental to your health than the extreme lack of calories. In any other situation I would call it an eating disorder, your body is surviving but it's not getting what it needs to be healthy. Slow and steady wins the race.

I'm technically clinically obese at 5'6" and 214lbs (down from 251lbs a few years ago) and I set my goal to the recommended 1lb/week which puts me at a net calorie goal of 1690, now most days I net 1200-1450 but always try to net the minimum 1200, on rare super active days I may be slightly lower but I really try not to.

I think people *are* reading your original post correctly, the people that are objecting are not thinking you're eating 500cal, they're saying that if you're at the 1200 you said you are and you're weak/dizzy/super hungry then you need to up your calories a little bit. Listen to your body. I found 1200 way too harsh at first and adding one or two 100cal snacks made a world of difference and the weight came off just as fast. I was just happier. I think if you're faking your diary to get people off your back that may be a warning sign of developping an eating disorder, even if you're not completely starving yourself yet you're hiding your eating behavior so people who care about you won't be worried, be careful and take care of yourself, it's better in the long run to make your changes bit by bit.

Water, water, water! I was not a huge water drinker (averaged 1 glass a day). I increased my water intake to 6-8 glasses and I feel much better. I'm averaging around the 1200 mark for calories. I'm not hungry and I have tons of energy. I also try to stay away from empty calories as they make me feel horrible (tired, hungry). Just up the water intake, eat nuts & fruits (roasted almond 100 calorie packs are my new best friend).

I don't, and I never have done. The lowest I've been before is 1500 net (eating those exercise calories!)

As someone else said, no diet should leave you feeling like that. It's not impossible to lose weight on a higher amount, and you'll feel better in the long run for it. These people who are on 500 a day etc are just setting themselves up for failure, and so many health problems that go with it!

I don't have an eating disorder and I average about 550 calories a day and have for over a month now. It started because of a surgery and as I recover from said surgery I am slowing increasing my calories but I'm getting really sick of all these know it all's who say if you're eating that little you're unhealthy. I am healthier than I have been in over a decade. My diabetes is in remission, I've dropped a lot of weight. I have plenty of energy for exercise, gardening, playing with the kids and as it happens I'm healing faster than the doctor expected. I would hope that I'd be eating upwards of 1000 calories by the end of July and maybe netting 1200 by August but if it takes longer no big deal. To answer the question about feeling hungry or having no energy, the key my nutritionist and doctor both stressed to me and that seems to be working is... keep your protein intake at 60+, take a multi vitamin, B12, iron and calcium because you're probably not eating enough to get all your vitamins. I'd say that it took about a week for my body to adjust.

MFP has a pretty sizable group of men and women who have had weigh loss surgery or some other surgery or health condition which limits their caloric intake. You can't judge a person, or their health, by their food diary alone so please get off your high horses because frankly if someone did have an eating disorder belittling them and telling them how wrong they are or how bad it is isn't beneficial.

You're probably going to hear this a thousand times but everyone's body is different.

Alright, everyone take a shot!

*pours up the whiskey*

If you eat plenty of low calorie foods it doesn't actually feel as though you're not eating much food. For example you can have an entire bowl of chicken and veg for just a couple of hundred calories, and there are plenty of fruits that are low cal as well. If you eat things like a big burger that packs in 800 cals, then you're going to find you have nothing left for the rest of the day.

At 20 and 5'8", 1200 calories isn't enough. Have a look at TDEE and the Eat More to Weigh Less group.

Great Group. Read up on this you'll have much more energy and not feel so hungry all the time.

I can't do 1200 calories per day. That's the minimum, not the standard. Figure out your BMR and TDEE and eat between them. Weight will still come off, but it will be slower. You'll have a LOT more energy.

She seems to already know her BMR and TDEE, as they're listed on her profile as 1417 and 1700 respectively. No wonder why she felt horrible eating 1200.

--

As for the original question: People who think they're doing the right thing by starving themselves put up with it because of just that - they think they're doing the right thing by starving themselves. I have family who do it. They just don't seem to get that it's not how you lose weight properly and keep it off in the long term.

I've been taking in about 1200 calories a day for the last two months. And it has left me soo weak, starving, exhausted, dizzy.....

I understand why some people missed the point of your question when you start your post like that.

As to your question: how do people survive and have energy on 500 calories? The body adapts and starts getting used to it. The less you eat, the less hungry you get. They survive, but not in a healthy way. Plus, the minute they up their calories to a healthy number, the pounds will often start piling back on. Until the body adapts again to the healthy number.