Should I eat more sugar?

I am trying to eat less... I lost a lot of weight already (down to 129, now higher because of my period, from 156.... want to get to 120) at just under 5'5. Small frame.

I have been practically eating no (artificial) sugar for months, and I had a meltdown today.  All I ate were some veggie chicken nuggets, some inatant breakfast thing way earlier at 6am and... well, that was it. I was driving my dad home. When I got in the driver's seat, I started hyperventilating. I started driving erratically so he made me pull over, needless to say... I went nuts when he was driving, Ididn't mean to... I screamed and grabbed the wheel.

I had to start taking vitamins on my diet because my fingernails were turning yellow and my skin was getting really pale. It isn't like I'm starving myself though - 1,200-1,700cal a day. I'm 16 by the way...

I got home and ate something with chocolate in it and a few minutes later felt fine. Do I have low blood sugar? I am trying to avoid sugar, but should I eat a little, because that wasn't good...

It's a possibility. I get that way too.

You don't need to eat chocolate or anything like that, it's probably because you just need to eat SOMETHING. Perferrably something with natural sugars in it, like fruit.

1200 calories is not nearly enough for a 16yo... you had a meltdown because you were HUNGRY!

1200 cal/day seems a bit extreme, since you are only 16 years old and still "growing." Although I understand that you are still trying to lose weight, I think a healthier option would be to increase your food intake and add in some exercise. Also, since you have lost a lot of weight already, you might soon reach a plateau, which might cause you to eat less in order to lose any more weight. Also, if you are showing such extreme side effects, I think that your body is trying to tell you something. The way you acted was simply a survival instinct. I reccomend that you do not decrease your food intake any further, to eat every 2-3 hours, and to add in some extra exercise. It's not about the weight. It is about being healthy. You can be skinny as a stick but be less fit than someone who has a bit more meat on the bones. Focus on being healthy, not the number on the scale. Good luck!

Original Post by kajikit:

1200 calories is not nearly enough for a 16yo... you had a meltdown because you were HUNGRY!

Yup.

Do some research.

And no, Wikipedia is not a legitimate source.

The Estimated Energy Requirement for the average 16-year-old female is 2368 kcal per day, vastly more than your estimated intake. Simple answer ... eat more (preferably good things).

PS. If you do your research here then you can say that you've been to Harvard (sounds much more impressive than "I looked it up in Wikipedia").

The minimum CC recommends for a 5'0" sedentary teen for weight loss is 1500 calories. If you are taller than that and don't sit in bed all day, you need more calories.

Original Post by allykins:

Do I have low blood sugar? I am trying to avoid sugar, but should I eat a little, because that wasn't good...

Yes, you had low blood sugars because you don't eat enough food.  You don't get enough energy and you are malnourished.   To avoid this happening again, eat regularly (don't skip meals), get a more sensible daily calorie intake and get a better balance of different foods.   Because you're a perfectly healthy weight already, if you want to shape up a little then don't cut calories at all but instead do more exercise. 

 http://www.bcm.edu/cnrc/bodycomp/bmiz2.html  If you're normally active... you need anything from 2100 - 2500.   Crash dieting is unhealthy so don't do it.

Congrats on your weight loss but I agree, since you are so young, you need to consume no less than 1500 calories a day as a bare minimum. Overall, eating so little won't benefit you in your weight loss goals and may lead to yo-yo dieting or bingeing. Plus, since you are growing you simply need more calories to be healthy and sustain the growth you are experiencing!

Also please remember that Calorie Count's calculators are not designed for teens so therefore you should use different calculators to determine your energy needs.

Here are a few sites that should help but feel free to PM me if you need more info:

calculator and calorie information for Teens 

Nutrition, Exercise & Weight Management for Teens

More Nutrition & Health for Teens

By the way have you also considered that you could be hungry because you have lost enough weight. You are in a healthy weight range, quite slim actually, and maybe your body is resisting losing more weight and wants you to eat more. Listen to your body, you are probably hungry because you are growing!!