getting under 1,000 calories?

Alright, I never posted one of these things before but here it goes haha.

Well i'm 15, 4"11, and weigh 119.
3 years ago I weighed 165, and I've just lost weight over time from sports and eating well.

But now that season is over for both sports, I have the tendency to tell myself "well you're not exercising or doing any sports right now, why do you need to eat that much anyway?"

I know you're supposed to get over 1000 calories, but I don't understand why,

help?

1200 calories - Females

1500 calories - Males

If you go anything below that, your body will enter starvation mode, which will halt weight loss. Your body needs the minimum of those calories to survive and function properly.

Your needs are different because you're a teen, you need a heck of a lot more calories than an adult because your muscle mass, bone dencity, and brain are still growing.

Just my organs, nothing else, needs 1200 to function.  My heart, breathing, digestion, ect.  Now add moving, sitting, sleeping, showering, eating to that.    If I ate less than 1200, I'd be seriously harming my body.  I'll try to find a kids needs site.

Ah, well today I was really upset with what I ate yesterday ( I ate terrible yesterday.) So all I've had so far is 750 calories, do you think I should eat still even though its 7? And if I should, what foods would be good since it's late?

Fortunately, food doesn't magically turn into fat just because it's night time.  Please go ahead and eat what you're in the mood for. =)

thank you :)

It is only a myth that when you eat late it stores as fat.  It doesn't matter when you consume the calories, just how many in a 24 hour period.  Most people don't like to eat late because they have had their daily calorie intake already and don't want to snack around and exceed their limit =)  I bet you will still be pretty active this summer.  Really think 1200 is still too low for you, 1400 would be better for maintaining your weight.

Though Oprah and Bob swear you shouldn't eat past 7 or whatever it is...most wouldn't agree.  My trainers have always told me to eat.  If you don't eat after 7 and you sleep until 7...that's 12 hours your body is starving.  As previously stated...starvation mode isn't good when trying to lose weight. 

When you don't eat you will lose at first, but after a while your body freaks out thinking this is a trend.  Thinking you are on a deserted island and might not get another meal for months.  So, the very next thing you give it it's like "Holy crap, food...better store this...I say we put it in her thighs."  It will continue to store food like a chipmunk until you've convinced it that all is right with the world and you are eating again.  It's the same thing with water.

The body is a tricky lil thing.  If you give it the same amount of calories every day it will get used to it and you will lose less.  If you do the same exercises every day it will get used to it and you will lose less.  You always have to keep it on it's toes.  However, my trainers have always recommended eating 5 or 6 small meals a day and keeping to a schedule for the same reasons I listed about starvation.  Your internal clock will be like "Tight, we're getting another meal at 10:00...we don't need to hang on to this stuff."