Trying to eat 1200 cals but feeling fear...

I'm trying to loose weight, but maintain health and energy. I've grown used to eating under 1000 calories, without even thinking about it. I haven't been loosing weight, in fact I feel as though I've gained a couple of pounds.  I feel fearful that if I motivate myself to eat 1200 calories that I'll end up gaining weight. I don't want to starve, or have my body go into starvation, but I also don't want to overeat.

How should I go about this? What knowledge can you give me to help me gain the confidence to eat? I've heard eating 1200 calories is a perfect goal, and that if I eat this much  I'll loose weight. I don't want to sound unaware, or dumb, I just thought possibly someone could help me, and provide me expertise and support.

If it helps, I'm 16, 5'5 and currently weigh 122 pounds..

Thank you dearly! Look forward to you replies...

xo

5'5 and 122 sounds like a fine weight, but if you want to lose then you should. 

You should definietly up your calorie intake up to 1200, and with exercise you should start losing. 

If you keep going with your under 1000 calorie diet, your body will go into starvation and you will end up gaining.  This will be caused by malnutrition which will cause your stomach to bloat up severely.

you are 1 years old and you are in a perfectly healthy weight range with no need to gain. you shouldn't even consider eating 1200 calories as that is much too low for you. At moderately active you burn over 2000 calories a day and being that you are still growing you should be eating a MINIMUM of 1500 calories. Your BMI is right at 20...the perfect weight. so i'd say stop focusing on the numbers and just get healthy. your mentality is not conducive to your long term health and you should not be encouraged to lose weight, you look great i'm sure so take care of yourself by eating more!

No one should have an intake of less than 1200. I've always heard, read, and been told that if you increase your exercise at the same time you increase your cal intake, you'll lose weight.

However, at your age, you should be intaking way more cals than just 1000. Your body is still growing! How active are you? Do you play sports or do some sort of exercise regularly?

If you're not looking to lose weight though, just maintain your health and energy, bump up your calories by eating nutritional foods and increase your level of activity.

lul, WUT?

You can't over eat if you're already starving.

You, as a 16 year-old girl and still developing, need 1500 BARE MINIMUM! More if you're exercising (and by exercising, I mean anything that's not you just sitting in one position not fidgetting or anything like that.)

CC's tools aren't made for kiddos under 21.  BEHOLD!:

http://www.bcm.edu/cnrc/bodycomp/bmiz2.html

The BMI chart for us younginz. You're at an incredibly healthy weight right now, and you should consider weight training if you feel you're "flabby" or got any "pooches" I hear a lot about. Muscle goes omnomnom at fat when you're at rest, and makes you look lean and tone. Deffo check out the fitness forum for some great ideas on that.

But seriously.

Up your cals. Your body is omnomnoming at your muscles, and by undereating you're at risk for osteoporosis, losing hair, stunting your growth, etc etc. Not fun stuff. You will gain your energy back, and you'll be able to maintain on a larger amount of food later on.

Stay away from the scale for atleast a week and a half. The extra food will make you retain some extra water or something.. I dunno, but the scale will say "hoho you've gained weight!" but in reality, you haven't. If the weight does stay however, don't use that as an excuse to drop your calories below 1500. Why? Because it'll be only temporarily. Eat a healthy deficit and you'll feel better and once your body is all regulated after coming out of starvation mode, you'll drop weight faster.

Personally, I still think eating maintenance and strength training so you can build some lean and sexy muscle (no not like body builder muscle.. think Jessica Biel kind of muscle) will make you look a lot leaner then what the scale says, AND with that extra food, you'll feel better which will make you look better.

You want to look good, you gotta eat. You want to feel good, you gotta eat. So please, pleeeease start eating more food starting.. Today!

Hey girl! So as stated above you will gain water weight when you start eating normally again but trust me it goes away like that *snaps fingers* I used to be really scared about uping my calories too. I used to only eat 1,200 and I walk everywhere and I work out for about 2 hours everyday...I was hungry all the time and I didn't have as much energy...but trust me since you will be eating more you will have more energy to get through your workouts and in turn burn more calories.

Want to know what else is great about eating more? You get to actually eat when you go out with friends or family and you can actually enjoy your food more and feel satisfied...trust me on this one. If I were you I would eat about 1,600...and then see what happens. Honestly some days I eat a bit more some days a bit less, it just depends on how hungry I am.

There is no way that on so few calories you are fuelling your body with what it needs. The minimum intake for a sedentary female under 21 is 1500 per day. And believe it or not, that’s only the sedentary minimum. Unless you are very, very short and small, and/or if you are working out it is very likely you will need even more calories than those minimum guidelines.

As you are under 21, CC's tools are inaccurate and you should use this calculator instead: http://www.bcm.edu/cnrc/bodycomp/bmiz2.html as you are still growing. Yes, even in the later years - there's more going on inside of you that you simply can't see.

Eating too low a calorie intake, or having a deficit from your BMR greater than 1000 results in something called "survival mode", where your body holds every last thing it can get in expectance of a famine. Water, food, calories. Explained:

• Dieting & Metabolism - This article explains starvation mode and why undereating is counter productive.
• The Body Neglected - This is what happens when you undereat for an extended period of time. 
• "Obesity on 700 Calories" - A tale of starvation mode's devistating effects, and proof you don't have to be underweight to be starving.
• From Ask Mary, the segment provided by our CC nutritionist Mary Hartley: On the dangers of undereating and what it does to your body.

The physical dangers that come with undereating are numerous. You put yourself at risk of osteoporosis, of loss of fertility if you lose your period, hair loss, electrolyte problems, a weakening of the immune system, low blood pressure, blood disorders such as anemia, heart problems, and even death. The mental woes that come alongside can be just as devestating. Depression is common in undereaters, as well as distorted perceptions and problems like Body Dysmorphic Disorder.

You are describing a disordered eating pattern and this is something you need to talk to your doctor about even if just to hear a professional opinion on top of CC. Crash dieting will do nothing to help you lose weight as the weight will likely come straight back on, and undereating can easily do more damage than good. Think about it - your health or your vanity? Weight is easily lost if you do it in a healthy and sustainable manner which is what CC is all about. 

If you want some online support try http://www.something-fishy.org, and take a look through CC's Eating Disorders Health, Resources and Info Thread. But your most immediate concern is your health - and for that that means you need to talk to your doctor before you begin dieting again as your mentality should be your priority. But know this: Calorie Count's mission is to promote healthy and sustainable weight management and if you are not seeking to manage your weight healthily we cannot and will not help you.

Posting Guidelines

Calorie Count's mission is to promote healthy and sustainable weight management. Please help our moderators follow this vision and respect the following guidelines.

• Your post is subject to modification or deletion by our moderators. Repetitive, off-topic, disruptive, and frivolous posts will be removed. We will take down any posts that violate either the letter or the spirit of any of these rules.
• Promotion of starvation diets or habits that exhibit signs of an eating disorder ("pro-ana", "pro-mia", etc.) is prohibited.

- Ellie
Calorie Count Volunteer Moderator