How do you explain to someone that 875 cals a day and exercise everyday is not healthy?

My co-worker has started dieting again like 2 weeks ago. I was talking with her yesterday and she was complaining that she has only lost 6 pounds in 2 weeks. She is about 5 foot 2 inches and I would estimate her at 165 pounds. (I started at 163 pounds and I am 5 feet 3 inches) I tried to explain that 1 - 2 lbs per week would be a healthy rate of weight loss but she just shrugged it off and said that wouldn't be fast enough. Then she was asking about how much I've lost and how long I've been at it. I told her 36 pounds and almost a year. "That is ridiculously way too long! I want fast results" was her response.

We talked a bit more about calorie consumption and exercise. It turns out she bought a Bow Flex and is using their diet plan only she has modified it to less food and more exercise. Apparently the Bow Flex plan calls for 1200 cals per day and 3 sessions per week for 30 mins on the Bow Flex with no other exercise or cardio during the week. Well she has decided that 875 cals per day would be better and she is also doing the elliptical for 30mins the other 4 days during the week.

I really want to help her understand that she is going to hurt her body and that what she is doing is really unhealthy. I want to get her to do some research to learn more about calorie counting and the effects of eating too few calories. The last time she was on a diet I gave her the address to CC but I don't think she even came here. She is really a know it all type of attitude, even though she doesn't know anything about how to loose weight healthy or calorie counting she acts like she does and it drives me mad. Does anyone know of any websites or you videos on the net from reputable sources that sum it up quickly. Maybe if I could get her to a site that would give her a quick answer, since that's what she seems to be about, maybe she would understand.

Any other ideas of how I can talk to her about this without sounding like I am judging her or sounding like I am a know it all?

I don't think there is any way you can help her. It seems like you tried a lot already.. but she's just too stubborn.

Leave it be, she'll learn about proper dieting on her own.

Sounds very frustrating to be around. The sad truth is, she is going to have to figure it out for herself. You're obviously a good resource for her to go to if she decides she WANTS advice and help, but right now she's just not going to listen-- because you aren't promising her those fast results she wants.

Personally I would just stop talking to her about it. If she brings it up to you, tell her that you already gave her your opinion. She's free to break down all her lean muscle mass by bad dieting if she so chooses. =/

People don't learn until they're ready.

After yo-yo dieting a few more times, she might get smart and notice that even though your weight loss was more gradual, it was a permanent weight loss.

We all, myself included, yearn for quick results ... but we have made the wise decision for gradual and sustainable weight loss.

Or you can ask her if she knows anyone that has lost all that huge amount of weight very fast and is keeping it down after months/years, in good health.

I am sure she doesn't.

Or if she does then I am sure we all want to meet that person!

You can start by asking her how many diets she's tried and how many she's managed to do successfully.  The point being that in general diets don't work because once you go off of them you go back to your old eating habits and pack the weight right back on.  It requires a lifestyle change to avoid the yo-yo dieting.  Losing 6 lbs in the first two weeks is not unusual, typically in the first few weeks of any program a lot of water retention is minimized.  It's not fat loss, but we've been conditioned by the media to think it is.

From Mary Hartley, Calorie Count's Director of Nutrition: "By eating only 800 calories, you will not get enough energy, protein, fiber, vitamins, minerals and other components of food. In time, you could become malnourished, which can cause severe health risks such as respiratory infections, kidney failure, blindness, heart attack and even death."

Here is a brief reason why never less than 1200 from the Advice section of Calorie Count Plus, under the Q&A tab:

Why must I eat at least 1,200 calories a day when I want to eat less?

In order to get the daily food servings you need for a balanced diet, it takes about 1200 calories a day. With careful planning, you could have a balanced diet on 1000 calories, but the restrictiveness of a very low calorie level can lead to binging and weight cycling, which will take you further from your weight loss goal. What's more, very low calorie diets can cause excessive muscle breakdown and metabolic adaptations, which can drive down your calorie requirements. In the end, you'll need fewer calories to maintain a higher weight

Your body needs at least 1200 calories per day to survive.

Here is a very rough scientific break down provided by a dietician for a 5' 2", 19 year old female weighing approximately 100 pounds, sitting around all day and doing nothing:

-The heart needs 12% of the calories (144 cals)
-The kidney needs 12% of the calories (144 cals)
-The Liver needs 23% of the calories (276 cals)
-The brain needs 23% of the calories (276 cals)
-The skeletal muscle needs 30% of the calories (360 cals)

As the old saying goes, trying to teach a pig to dance just wastes your time and irritates the pig.

If she's convinced she's doing things right, there's not much you can do.

I have similar problems with my sister, who thinks that exercise machines and skipping lunch are the way to go.

Nobody learns unless they want to.

There have been studies about fast weight loss vs. slower weight loss and how people are more likely to gain back the weight if they lost it faster because if they lost it fast, they didn't have enough time to really change their habits. Maybe you could google around and show her that.

But in the end, if she thinks she knows what's right for her, nothing you tell her is going to change her mind.

Thanks for the advice everyone.  I guess I just need to forget about it and hope she figures it out before she does any serious damage.  It's just so hard when you see someone doing exactly the opposite of getting healthy and they think that they are on the right path :|

She sounds stubborn and a bit ignorant. She'll probably end up gaining weight in the end.

Most people I come across that claim to eat such low cal diets are usually eating tons of hidden calories, and if that really is all she's consuming with vigorous exercise, she'll be in the hospital soon , or start having fainting spells. Not that that is something to look forward to, but maybe she'll see that there isn't a short cut.

You could try mentioning the fact that her hair could fall out starving herself. Who wants to be thin and bald?.... I actually knew someone that happened to. She was about 5 feet tall and only ate 800 calories a week for a couple months. Literally her hair started coming out in small handfuls, and she had a lot of hair. That was scary...but she learned her lesson.