Will it work itsself out??

I went on a very extreme diet to lose a certain amount of weight in a certain amount of time, under supervision a BARE minimal 800-1000 calories a day. plus we dance for about an hour+ every day..

im 5'7 1/2" and at first i was 145lbs and got down to 127.5 in 2 months, which is a little under 9lbs a month, obviously id hit a wall earlier on. but we decided that i looked too skinny for my frame, so i upped my calories... it went one week up to 28.5 then up to 29.5 then up to 131.5 and then back to 129.5 and ive upped my calories to like 1200 atleast... maybe 13-1400  some days.. but im afraid that my harsh dieting (however necessary) before effected my metabolism and that ill gain weight... because i want to maintain between 128.5 and 129.5... is this possible? i feel like im gaining weight but the scale isnt that dramatically different yet...... but i dont want it to gain up on me!

what should i do? i dance every night and soon we will be doing ab workout routines and sometimes i take walks.... whats the best way to break a diet without putting the weight back on? i feel like sometimes im splurging with my new freedom...... which makes me very self concious.

also, how long will it take for my metabolism to restore back to a maintaining level? i think to maintain i should technically be eating about 1500-1700 calories a day with my height, weight, and activity level if not more... but obviously if i ate that ill gain weight.. but if i gain weight will it be for good? or just temporarily as my body re-adjusts??... i dont want to eat like a bird forever!!!! lol. but image is VERY important for what im doing.

sorry i know its an earful but its really stressing me out... i just ate more calories yesterday then i ever have and im about to do some aerobics to burn some off just in case.

Yes, you screwed up your metabolism.  But, yes, you can unscrew it.  You should probably be taking in 2400+ calories if you get your metabolism where it should be.  Eat a great high-protein, healthy breakfast; drink a large glass of water first thing in the morning.  Whatever you do, don't restrict yourself to so few calories.  You will be doing your body great harm.  You are active with dance, so if your metabolism is where it should be, you will not gain weight.  But you don't need to lose any, either.  I proved last month for the entire month, that because I got my metabolism revved up, I could take in a whopping 3200 calories and NOT gain weight.  Trust me!  You can take in a heck of a lot more calories and not gain weight.  No one should have been telling you it was OK to only take in 800 calories or even only 1000.

yeah it was very extreme circumstance though, and i made sure i got my nutrients and everything. and i know i could potentially be eating a lot more, but after 2 months of lowwww calorie intake, obviously if i jump back up to 2000 calories a day ill gain weight... but will the weight stay on if i continue a balanced diet? i did a calculator thing and i should be eating about 1700 calories a day. more depending on my activity.. but.. whats the best way to get there without gaining?

im already sticking with very healthy foods.... i dont eat out, and i eat like.. cottage cheese, a little granola, some yogurt, fruits, tofu...etc. not so much meat, but i eat tuna and cottage cheese and these western bagel things for protien.... and i make sure i get a lot of fiber.

im just really paranoid that ill gain weight... i already gained a couple pounds eating still less than i "should" be but, it seems to be maintaining so far... how long should i take rebuilding my metabolism? should it be restored in a couple weeks? or will this take longer...?

Eat the high-protein breakfast.  Eat several healthy snacks and a couple of larger meals, including your fruits, veggies, nuts, legumes, beans, whole wheat, etc.

Yes, you can jump right into eating more.  I am assuming that you are staying active with dance.  I think your metabolism will kick in really fast.  Go for it.  I can only base this comment on what happened to me.  I found I could slow my metabolism down to where I was content to only take in 1500, and I could speed it up to where I took in over 3200 daily. 

I just am not comfortable with your 1700; I assume that would only be true for a completely sedentary person. 

Being healthy is the most important thing. Why was it so dire that whoever it was put you on that harsh diet? I am so mad that someone would pressure an already healthy young woman to do that.

But I agree with Pilgrim. You need to eat more, and try to enjoy the food and to not worry about weight gain. That is not as important as making sure you have a healthy body and metabolism so that you can stay fit for life, instead of putting your body through cycles that can possibly cause you damage, and affect your relationship with food.

Hello diet_gurl,

When you eat too few calories on a dit your body thinks it is starving so the metabolism slows, making it even harder to lose weight.

I suggest you start eating 1800 calories a day minimum, maybe a little more and that you get most of these calories (say 50-60percent of your calorie intake) from animal fats (like lard, butter and dairy in cream and full fat cheese) and olive oil, whilst avoiding bread, white flour, white rice and most other carbs. Don't be afraid of eating 1-3 pieces of fruit a day (as long as they are not bananas - berries like strawbs and rasp and blackberries are best) and eat loads of green leafy vegetable, sliced green beans, salad leaves. Each day with your main meal eat a small scoop of mash potatoe or roast potatoes (as long as they are done in lard, not sunflower or vegetable oil) and even a few chips (again they have to be done in lard, not vegetable oil or sunflower oil - ask your local chippy if they use lard or not or if you have someone experienced in the kitchen like your mum ask her to deep fry a few for you and show you how to do it safely).

Don't shy away from eating fatty meat. So a nice roast dinner is ideal:

For breakfast:

AVOID CEREAL OR TOAST

some FULL FAT natural yoghurt with a tiny amount of natural honey and/or some fruit like berries (frozen blueberries/blackberries/raspberries are really nice). But if the yoghurt is not ful fat (try greek yoghurt 8-10percent natural fat) you will be hungry later in the day. Seriously if you eat 150g-200g of 10percent yoghurt you will not feel hungry until lunch time.

OR

scramble 4 eggs with real natural butter. eat alone, or with a single thin slice of toast or a slice or 2 of fried bacon. Always fry using lard for a high heat or butter if you are just scrambling eggs.

FOR LUNCH:

a roast dinner is ideal:have a LARGE serving of roast beef or lamb (with gravy made from fatty meat juices and with fat visible on the meat), eat with it a few roast potatoes (meat juices or lard, not vegetable oil!) OR a spoonful of mash, with loads of broccoli,green beans, maybe a few carrots. A large meal like that will be about 100 calories if you eat enough of the animal fat. This will be the ONLY large meal your body will feel it needs in a day because the fat will (unbelievably so) make you feel full and healthy.  

OR

salad - get a glass mixing bowl and put in a full bag of salad leaves, thin sliced onions (to add to this I either add toms,cucumber,green pepper with full fat feta cheese and maybe some chicken or bacon and eat with white wine vinegar and copious amounts of olive oil OR I add boiled green beans, chicken, white wine vinegar, loads of olive oil and some grain mustard for a different kind of salad)

If you are having a salad you may not reach the 1000 idea unless you include loads of cheese and olive oil. You need lots of natural fats to sustain you and stop you being hungry so adding fatty meats like streaky bacon to your salad will help also.

IN THE EVENING (try to eat it a few hours before you go to bed):

Your last meal of the day should be a smallish portion of fatty food to help your guts digest while you sleep. Try some full fat yoghurt or better still some fresh double cream poured over some tinned fruit (rinse it thoroughly if it was canned in syrup). Or you can gently heat single cream with a piece or 2 in of 80percent cocoa chocolate and a teaspoon of honey and splenda if needed and pour it over stewed pares or other fresh fruit like strawberries or raspberries.

SNACKS AND ADDITIONAL FOODS THAT YOU MAY WANT:

hot chocolate made with single cream, cocoa and aritificial sweetner like Splenda tablets:get 1 tsp of proper cocoa powder (not drinking choc) and mix it inot a dribble of single cream in the bottom of a mug, smooth it with the teaspoon until not lumpy then fill up the mug with single cream, heat gently in a microwave until it it warm to drink then add sweetener/honey to taste.

There are more but you won't need them... once the fat sits in your belly you feel totally satieted. And you could easily (especially with a high metabolism that you have when you dance etc) consume more cals on this diet and not gain weight. Only cut the carbs drastically to loose weight. To maintain weight eat 100g+ of carbs each day (maybe you can add more carbs and still not gain weight, you just have to try it and see what your body likes). But one thing is for sure, wheat is toxin. Our bodies were designed to burn fat as our main energy source, not carbs. How could any primitive person get anything done if they had to be constantly feeding their face with carbs to maintain energy levels? Fats are fab, they just got a bad press is all.

If you start eating a diet like this (getting 50-60percent of your cals from natural fats like animal fats and olive oil at the same time as avoiding all unnatural carbs like sugar, bread,pasta,flour) you WILL experience the following benefits:

1)eating zero refined carbs (like white sugar,white flour, pasta) will make you feel better. You will get zero gas or bloating, no digestion noises signalling discomfort in your digestion areas and you won't get constipation as long as you eat lots of fat in your diet. If you have any yeast infection (candida) it will die and problems you never even realised were solvable will disappear in a matter of days and weeks)

2)You will lose weight by cutting carbs. If you extremely cut carbs you will lose weight fast atkins style by going into ketosis. You don't need to cut many calories to do this. You just eat normal size portions of everything apart from sugar and carbs. But one thing atkins enthusiasts don't tell you is that you need to eat alot of fat to avoid getting malnourished. You will only feel energetic and healthy on atkins if you eat more fat than a typical wstern diet doesn't even think of. Think double-cream, 10percent fat greek yoghurt. This works. I lost alot of weight on this. And it is easy too because while you are eating lots of fat you never feel hungry. You don't have to be in ketosis all the time, only it helps with weight loss if you have a lot to los. If you don't have a lot to lose (you obviously don't) stay out of ketosis (gives you bad breath and smelly pee and sometimes muscle ache so not the best state to be in day after day) just consume enough carbs to stay out of ketosis. Ketosis only means your body is utilising a different metabolic pathway to digest the fats because there are no carbs, it isn't dangerous but it isn't necessary unless you want to lose a few stone in which case it is really helpful)

3)general health will be better - arteries and veins will be repaired and your good cholesterol count will go up, lessening your chance of heart disease.

If you want more info on hi fat diet and how it has greatly improved not only weightloss but also your general health i can come back and give more discussion and links....

Original Post by bamboobam:

Hello diet_gurl,

 

When you eat too few calories on a dit your body thinks it is starving so the metabolism slows, making it even harder to lose weight.

I suggest you start eating 1800 calories a day minimum, maybe a little more and that you get most of these calories (say 50-60percent of your calorie intake) from animal fats (like lard, butter and dairy in cream and full fat cheese) and olive oil, whilst avoiding bread, white flour, white rice and most other carbs. Don't be afraid of eating 1-3 pieces of fruit a day (as long as they are not bananas - berries like strawbs and rasp and blackberries are best) and eat loads of green leafy vegetable, sliced green beans, salad leaves. Each day with your main meal eat a small scoop of mash potatoe or roast potatoes (as long as they are done in lard, not sunflower or vegetable oil) and even a few chips (again they have to be done in lard, not vegetable oil or sunflower oil - ask your local chippy if they use lard or not or if you have someone experienced in the kitchen like your mum ask her to deep fry a few for you and show you how to do it safely).

Don't shy away from eating fatty meat. So a nice roast dinner is ideal:

For breakfast:

AVOID CEREAL OR TOAST

some FULL FAT natural yoghurt with a tiny amount of natural honey and/or some fruit like berries (frozen blueberries/blackberries/raspberries are really nice). But if the yoghurt is not ful fat (try greek yoghurt 8-10percent natural fat) you will be hungry later in the day. Seriously if you eat 150g-200g of 10percent yoghurt you will not feel hungry until lunch time.

OR

scramble 4 eggs with real natural butter. eat alone, or with a single thin slice of toast or a slice or 2 of fried bacon. Always fry using lard for a high heat or butter if you are just scrambling eggs.

 

FOR LUNCH:

a roast dinner is ideal:have a LARGE serving of roast beef or lamb (with gravy made from fatty meat juices and with fat visible on the meat), eat with it a few roast potatoes (meat juices or lard, not vegetable oil!) OR a spoonful of mash, with loads of broccoli,green beans, maybe a few carrots. A large meal like that will be about 100 calories if you eat enough of the animal fat. This will be the ONLY large meal your body will feel it needs in a day because the fat will (unbelievably so) make you feel full and healthy.  

OR

salad - get a glass mixing bowl and put in a full bag of salad leaves, thin sliced onions (to add to this I either add toms,cucumber,green pepper with full fat feta cheese and maybe some chicken or bacon and eat with white wine vinegar and copious amounts of olive oil OR I add boiled green beans, chicken, white wine vinegar, loads of olive oil and some grain mustard for a different kind of salad)

If you are having a salad you may not reach the 1000 idea unless you include loads of cheese and olive oil. You need lots of natural fats to sustain you and stop you being hungry so adding fatty meats like streaky bacon to your salad will help also.

 

IN THE EVENING (try to eat it a few hours before you go to bed):

Your last meal of the day should be a smallish portion of fatty food to help your guts digest while you sleep. Try some full fat yoghurt or better still some fresh double cream poured over some tinned fruit (rinse it thoroughly if it was canned in syrup). Or you can gently heat single cream with a piece or 2 in of 80percent cocoa chocolate and a teaspoon of honey and splenda if needed and pour it over stewed pares or other fresh fruit like strawberries or raspberries.

 

SNACKS AND ADDITIONAL FOODS THAT YOU MAY WANT:

hot chocolate made with single cream, cocoa and aritificial sweetner like Splenda tablets:get 1 tsp of proper cocoa powder (not drinking choc) and mix it inot a dribble of single cream in the bottom of a mug, smooth it with the teaspoon until not lumpy then fill up the mug with single cream, heat gently in a microwave until it it warm to drink then add sweetener/honey to taste.

 

There are more but you won't need them... once the fat sits in your belly you feel totally satieted. And you could easily (especially with a high metabolism that you have when you dance etc) consume more cals on this diet and not gain weight. Only cut the carbs drastically to loose weight. To maintain weight eat 100g+ of carbs each day (maybe you can add more carbs and still not gain weight, you just have to try it and see what your body likes). But one thing is for sure, wheat is toxin. Our bodies were designed to burn fat as our main energy source, not carbs. How could any primitive person get anything done if they had to be constantly feeding their face with carbs to maintain energy levels? Fats are fab, they just got a bad press is all.

 

If you start eating a diet like this (getting 50-60percent of your cals from natural fats like animal fats and olive oil at the same time as avoiding all unnatural carbs like sugar, bread,pasta,flour) you WILL experience the following benefits:

1)eating zero refined carbs (like white sugar,white flour, pasta) will make you feel better. You will get zero gas or bloating, no digestion noises signalling discomfort in your digestion areas and you won't get constipation as long as you eat lots of fat in your diet. If you have any yeast infection (candida) it will die and problems you never even realised were solvable will disappear in a matter of days and weeks)

2)You will lose weight by cutting carbs. If you extremely cut carbs you will lose weight fast atkins style by going into ketosis. You don't need to cut many calories to do this. You just eat normal size portions of everything apart from sugar and carbs. But one thing atkins enthusiasts don't tell you is that you need to eat alot of fat to avoid getting malnourished. You will only feel energetic and healthy on atkins if you eat more fat than a typical wstern diet doesn't even think of. Think double-cream, 10percent fat greek yoghurt. This works. I lost alot of weight on this. And it is easy too because while you are eating lots of fat you never feel hungry. You don't have to be in ketosis all the time, only it helps with weight loss if you have a lot to los. If you don't have a lot to lose (you obviously don't) stay out of ketosis (gives you bad breath and smelly pee and sometimes muscle ache so not the best state to be in day after day) just consume enough carbs to stay out of ketosis. Ketosis only means your body is utilising a different metabolic pathway to digest the fats because there are no carbs, it isn't dangerous but it isn't necessary unless you want to lose a few stone in which case it is really helpful)

3)general health will be better - arteries and veins will be repaired and your good cholesterol count will go up, lessening your chance of heart disease.

 

If you want more info on hi fat diet and how it has greatly improved not only weightloss but also your general health i can come back and give more discussion and links....

i don't agree with this advice in the slightest. I think it's more important to eat a balanced diet. eat more whole grains. fruit. vegetables. lean protein. and dairy products. If you're eating healthy and eating enough then your weight will stabilize at a healthy level.

While I agree w/bamboobam that your body metabolism has been negatively affected by the starvation diet and that 1800 calories a day would be reasonable, the suggested proportions given (with the high fat recommendation) is just exchanging one unhealthy faddish diet for another.  Agree w/poster who suggested diet heavy on fruits and vegetables, lean meat and dairy and whole grains.

I switched over to this diet and weight loss was easy while keeping me full. rarely hungry, and lots of energy. 

Cereal products with fruit and non-fat organic milk are my breakfast 95% of the time.  I love the Kashi line of cereals for being whole grain, high fiber, high protein, low fat and low sugar and tasting yummy.  My current favorite is their "U" cereal but I also love Kashi GoLean Crunch.

Original Post by diet_gurl:

I i think to maintain i should technically be eating about 1500-1700 calories a day with my height, weight, and activity level if not more... but obviously if i ate that ill gain weight.. but if i gain weight will it be for good? or just temporarily as my body re-adjusts??... i dont want to eat like a bird forever!!!! lol. but image is VERY important for what im doing.

 

That would be the maintenance amount for an 80 year-old woman sat in front of a TV all day....   The average young woman needs 2000... a very active dancer needs a lot more than that to function normally and be well-nourished.  Yes you'll gain some weight short-term but it will be temporary.  

This isn't about 'eating like a bird'....   'Image' is one thing, but if you don't want to hit 40 crippled by osteoporosis and the other side-effects of chronic malnutrition you'll see the sense in getting to a more balanced and sensible diet.

Original Post by gi-jane:

Original Post by diet_gurl:

I i think to maintain i should technically be eating about 1500-1700 calories a day with my height, weight, and activity level if not more... 

That would be the maintenance amount for an 80 year-old woman sat in front of a TV all day....   

...or for a 35-year old woman, 5'2", 125 lbs, walking 20 miles per week.  That's me, and my burn is ~1650.  And I have a healthy, normal metabolism.

Original Post by generator8:

...or for a 35-year old woman, 5'2", 125 lbs, walking 20 miles per week.  That's me, and my burn is ~1650.  And I have a healthy, normal metabolism.

Bully for you.   I may have exaggerated to make a point but the OP is much younger, much taller and much more active than you..... so the advice still stands.

ok, so if i went from 800 up to 1200 will my metabolism go back to normal without too much weight gain? and also after i gain some back.. will my body snap out of it and lose it again? but the "right" way?

its just really stressing me out. i weigh in tomorrow... eek.. lord be with me.

oh also.. as ive been upping my calories.. we ended up having nights off, so i havent been active like at all the past few days... will i gain less because my body isnt as stressed as it was? or more because my body feels like it has a break to collect eeeeeeevery little thing? also will it be Better after we start dancing again after a few days, and ive upped my calories to lose the weight normally?

im afraid that by upping my calories my body will get too "comfortable" and only maintain the weight that i gained BACK which i dont want...i want to stay below 130 oh well. we will have to see..

Original Post by gi-jane:

Original Post by generator8:

...or for a 35-year old woman, 5'2", 125 lbs, walking 20 miles per week.  That's me, and my burn is ~1650.  And I have a healthy, normal metabolism.

Bully for you.   I may have exaggerated to make a point but the OP is much younger, much taller and much more active than you..... so the advice still stands.

Wow gi-jane, have I offended you in some way? I certainly didn't mean to and if I did I apologize.

We've all worked very hard to get where we are. Imagine your efforts reduced, almost daily, to "anorexic behavior" or "eating as a hundred-year old, nearly dead, comatosed woman." This is what I see on CC very often (not usually by you, of course). I know that my stats are very different from the OP's (I am much older, shorter, and less active, as you pointed out), but she's not the only one reading these boards.

I just wanted to make the correction for once, but apparently I've called out the wrong person. I almost always agree with your well-informed posts, btw. Again, my sincerest apologies.

Original Post by pilgrimdude:

I proved last month for the entire month, that because I got my metabolism revved up, I could take in a whopping 3200 calories and NOT gain weight.  Trust me!  You can take in a heck of a lot more calories and not gain weight. 

how did you do this? how fast did you do it? how long- exactly- did take to rev up your metabolism that much, and how much weight did you gain in the process (i assume at least a little before the higher number became your maintenance)? aaaah, that's exactly what i want to do!

ok! so ive upped my calories to like 1200-1500 a day.. and no weight gain yet! a littttle pudginess and im a lil bigger cuz i have more in my stomach but, it seems to be adjusting pretty well!! lets hope it stays like this! im at 129.5 so if i can maintain like 1200-1500 calories a day, plus stay active, hopefully ill go back to 128. :) thats my ideal weight.

however i amm happy at 129.5!! :p yayyyy.. ill post and keep you all updated...

ALSO this week i slipped.. and ate some of a bloomin onion LOL... i had like a little over a quarter of one... and it was atleast 800 calories.. i havent had annnnnything fried in forever.. and probably wont again for a lonnng time.. but DAMN it was good haha. :P... still not gaining! <3333

i appreciate you guys' support.

Original Post by real_life:

Original Post by pilgrimdude:

I proved last month for the entire month, that because I got my metabolism revved up, I could take in a whopping 3200 calories and NOT gain weight.  Trust me!  You can take in a heck of a lot more calories and not gain weight. 

how did you do this? how fast did you do it? how long- exactly- did take to rev up your metabolism that much, and how much weight did you gain in the process (i assume at least a little before the higher number became your maintenance)? aaaah, that's exactly what i want to do!

I can increase or decrease my desire for food easily.  I went on an eating orgy out East for 8 days.  Now, for the last 3 days, I have been quite happy eating 1/3rd of what I was eating out there.  I can decrease or increase, jumpstart or slowdown, my metabolism in a matter of a couple of days.

I have found that--and this has been proven to me by me several times--if I want to rev up my metabolism I do the following:

• I drink a large glass of water to start the day.
• I eat a high protein breakfast from such foods as egg whites or eggs, salmon, Naturally More Peanut Butter, whole wheat breads/wraps, nonfat cheese, small red beans, lean ground beef, etc, etc. I try to get in around 50-60% of my protein in that first meal.
• I eat several smaller meals/snacks during the day, but I have one more higher-protein meal within 30-40 minutes after my most intense exercise of the day--it could be from walking, spinning, lifting etc.
• Instead of eating a bulky meal within an hour or two of going to bed, I eat something light such as fruits, vegetables, or toast, or some nuts.  I find that I wake up hungry, not starving, and ready for another high-protein breakfast
• I recommend, if at all possible, to include some weight-lifting (I only do 15-30 minutes a day) a few times a week.  I feel this really utilizes the protein and keeps the metabolism going.

Now, here is the very significant, interesting part:  For me, I have found that both in losing weight by taking in fewer daily calories--and by maintaining weight and taking in a daily average of 3200 calories--that the high-protein breakfast works in both cases.  I can easily lose weight by eating a great breakfast, just a few fruits and/or vegetables the rest of the day, and getting in some good exercise.  And, importantly, I don't feel hungry or deprived of food. The only difference I make for maintaining is to eat more during the day.  But, as far as I am concerned, breakfast is the key.

The other thing I do, and I do not recommend this, is drink extra strong coffee which helps curb my appetite on occasion, if it needs curbing.

Note:  I don't pretend to be an expert in any way about how others should lose weight or jumpstart their metabolism; I am simply relating what works for me--and it works every time.

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.

• Promotion of starvation diets or habits that exhibit signs of an eating disorder ("pro-ana", "pro-mia", etc.) is prohibited.

nowhere on this thread is anyone promoting that though...? lol so i dont understand why youd post that

Original Post by diet_gurl:

nowhere on this thread is anyone promoting that though...? lol so i dont understand why youd post that

You went on an 800 calorie diet, and you're still seriously undereating at 1200-1500 calories a day despite advice to up your calories.

yeah but theres a difference between promoting any undereating and saying that i WANT to eat morre! haha yeah i was eating 12-1500 then.. (and i looked up my bodyweight and height vs caloric intake.. and it said about 1700-1800 calories a day.. so i want that dramatically under)  and now im eating like 1500-1700 and i gained a little a couple times, but always end up back at 129.5... and i have 2 days off a week now from dance.  lol in no way was i promoting what i was doing....

but seeking help on how to correct what ive been doing WRONG... its not motivating to hear the same hopeless thing over and over again "u shouldnt do that!!" doesnt help whats already been done... i was simply seeking advice on how to get back to normal :) i dont see anything wrong with that.... sry...

and it was a process.... u cant just JUMP back into eating so much again... my body was holding onto every little calorie for dear life! and if i put on all the weight again, id have been forced to go back to starving..... but im happy where im at, and eventually i want to be at a steady 2000 calories a day :) and be able to keep off all the weight.... yayyy. and if i ever need to diet after that .

and caloric intake is different for different people... some people dont need more than 1500 calories a day..... ? im 5'7 and 130lbs.... im struggling to keep the weight off eating the 1500-1700 that im eating now! people have so many different opinions on dieting.. and ive never heard that eating 1200-1500 calories a day is "unhealthy".. especially when im eating only good whole foods.. like fruits and veggies and lean meat and whole grains.... no empty calories really.. just good nutrition. someone that eats 3000 calories a day of mcdonalds is a lot less healthy than me.... but theyre not judged as "promoting unhealthy lifestyles" lol or whatever nonsense that is...

standard is anything less than 1000 is unhealthy... but 1200+ is pretty universally accepted as healthy......... sooooo................... idk.