1997--- 500 calories a day if that and 2-3 hours exercise every day of the week.
Wow, 500 a day? I'd be in worse than a fog. Perhaps a coma.
500 Calories per day is going to be well below the Basal Metabolic Rate of adult humans. This means that degree of starvation could only be maintained for a short time for most adults before rather severe physiological problems would arise. This is not a good idea unless it is done under the DIRECT control of a health care professional.
Here's the scary part, I can function fine at 500-800 cals a day. I actually feel extremely tired and out of it if I eat more than if I don't eat at all.
When I worked with the nutritionist, she worked out a plan for me to eat 1600-1800 cals a day (because of the amount of exercise, which was a lot). I tried that for two months, gained 10 lbs. She dropped me down to 1200-1500 cals a day (and made sure they were good cals too, healthy foods). Did that for a month, gained 7 lbs. Then she gave me free reign, told me to do what I'd normally do to loose weight and just record it all. So I lost about 11 lbs in a month, but she wanted to kill me when she averaged out my cals per day, that hovered around 600.
Then she refused to see me anymore. She said there was something wrong. With the way I was exercising, for a normal person, I should have taken 2000-2200 cals to lose 2 lbs per week. No way. She told me my metabolism was the slowest she'd ever seen. Yea me.
The really strange thing, I have so much more energy and am in a better mood when I REALLY restrict my cals (lately, they've been staying under 1000 cals/day). I am focused, happy, and rearing to go. If I eat a "healthy" amount, I'm tired, in a mind fog, and just want to nap. I have no idea what that says about me. To me, it tells me my body really doesn't need very much to survive and thrive. That unfortunately, I need about 700-800 cals, and I'd just better get used to it. The nurtitionist did tell me, if we ever went through a terrible famine and we all starved, I'd be the last person standing. *shurg* Yea me?
The nurse who diagnosed my diabetes said I should be on a 2000 calorie/day diet.
Cassi, you have my sympathy with the anorexia. I've never experienced that but I've heard some pretty bad horror stories. They sound a lot worse than what I've experienced so far.
Komnena, I am so proud of how you have handled your diagnosis.
And Cassi, I am so proud how you recovered from you anorexia. I eventually pulled out of mine too, but I had my entire family pulling for me, not pushing me deeper into it. Mine had NOTHING to do with body image. I was an athlete, strong and confident, then my home life spun out of control, I was also severely injured and could no longer play sports (was told I'd never even be able to run again, would be lucky to walk normally), and I felt like everything I ever had any delusions of control over was ripped away from me. The one thing I could control was me, what went in my body. I exercised like a mad woman and ate half an orange every other day. I was so stupid! I was also scared and didn't know what else to do. I'm glad I'm over that now, but there is no doubt I did irreversible damage to my metabolism and my body. So no matter what I wish, I have to work with what I've created for myself, a barely existent metabolism and some forever lingering health problems. I've done every trick and method to retrain my metabolism, but when even doctors and nutritionists throw their hands up in defeat, it's a little disheartening. For now, I have to do what works for me and hope I don't do any more damage, which as long as I monitor myself carefully, I don't think I will. Once I get down to the weight I want, then I figure I can try to slowly work on adding more calories to my diet.
