Body Myths

Unhealthy caloric intake?

I'm taking a nutrition class. We documented what we ate for 3 days. For one day, I was around 1,100cal (lol, that was when I had burger king), and for the others, it was around 800. Generally speaking, I don't do much aside from going to class and being on the computer, and my BMI is at 19. However, something else on the program we're using to examine our eating habits for the class pretty much had my average net gain/loss for calories as being negative 344. I'm 19, and weigh 109lbs and am 5'3", but this is how I've been for the whole summer, and I usually go up a few lbs once school starts back up. It worries me that my recommended caloric intake for someone in my position was 1,847, but my average intake was only 961. While this was only a 3-day thing, it does pretty much demonstrate how I eat on a day to day basis. Am I really unhealthy? I'm not on a diet, and I don't starve myself or anything like that, but I guess I'm kind of concerned after seeing those results. Is this dangerous? Hm, this makes me think that a) I entered things into the charts incorrectly, or b) I did the math wrong on the serving amounts to begin with. I'll have to double check this. Also, if any of you have knowledge in working with printers, I have a problem related to printing out this nutrition thing in another question.

Public Comments

1. I find it hard to believe you only had 1100 calories when you ate burger king... unless you didn't have a burger or fries. Are you sure you factored in all calories? Did you count any caloric beverages you ate? That is a dangerously low calorie intake. When you don't eat enough calories, your body will slow down the rate at which it burns calories too.
2. Yes, your caloric intake is too low. Eat healthy foods (fruits and veggies, etc.) more often during the day. :)
3. The only thing that comes to mind is that maybe your metabolism is slower than most people's due to the fact you don't eat enough. I'm sure you've heard of the "starvation mode" concept. If your body doesn't get enough calories, it thinks it's starving and slows down. You retain whatever it is you eat.
4. Your body does need a certain amount of calories to work right. It is just the basic amount of calories that your body needs for its natural process. I is usually around 2000 calories give or take for different people. When you don't get these calories your bodily functions slow down. I would recommend that you get more calories sense 1000 is defiantly not enough for someone who is 19.
5. Your body, no matter what, needs at least 1,200 calories a day in order to function properly. The BMR you are getting of 1,847 calories sounds like it is calculated for an active individual (example: working out 3 times a week with a job that keeps you constantly moving). Being in a nutrition class you should learn the importance of taking in the recommended amounts of not only calories but also fat, carbs, protein and vitamin values. It is dangerous to eat less than 1,200 calories because you put your body into a starvation mode. In this starvation you body will begin eat away at your muscle and other healthy aspects you have. If you find you don't have time to eat enough. Then have a protein shake. They have a lot on the market that taste really good and are packed with not only a good source of protein but also vitamins.
6. Yes, you are unhealthy. Although you may not appear to be unhealthy from the outside, when you take in that few amount of calories, or metabolism is becoming lower and lower and although you say you are not starving yourself, your body will think it is starving and slow down your metabolism even more. I have IBS-C and I cannot eat very much. My wife is on the Transformations diet and was told to consume about 800 calories per day but that is with taking a shot to make the body think it is pregnant so that she does not go into starvation mode. I thought that was a rediculously low number but when I compared what she was eating and what I was eating, I was still coming in below her. I have a job where I sit down all day long, I barely eat, and I am never hungry. My body is completely in starvation mode..my metabolism is shot. If I could eat more, I would. If you don't have any problems taking in food, you need to increase your caloric intake by 100 calories every one to two weeks, so that your body can adjust your metabolism and not put on much weight. You may gain a few pounds initially but once your metabolism has stabilized, you will still be able to maintain your weight and still be healthy. If you try to dive right into the 1800 calories a day, you are going to put on a ton of weight because it takes time for your body to adjust.