my girlfreind is on a pretty extreme diet eating less than 300 calories a day, how will this affect her?

Question

what i want to know is how this will affect her it is working, obviously but i think this is border line anorexia. has anyone else done this and what did it do for you??? i cannot rest until i know she will be ok.l

Answer 1

hi there, i am trainee doctor....ill try and explain best i can without medical words,

firstly, these people cant say your gf is anorexic, because you'd need somebody qualified to judge that, not a bunch of people on an internet website!lol
she may just be eating that many low calories, because she doesnt understand how the body works, and thinks the less you eat the more you lose. this is very common mistake girls make, and dont actually realise how bad it is.

im gonna talk to you about extreme dieting in an optimistic way, that there is nothing wrong with your gf, not really about anorexia, as there are good points above.

scientifically, you can do extreme dieting provided that she eats the nutrients needed, ie,for the total day 40% carbs, 40% protein, and 20% essential fatty acids and my taking multivitamin suppliments. we'll say she is eating 850 calories, for example, she will need 340 calories of protein and 340 calories of carbs and 170 calories of essential fats!

however 300 calories is far too low, because she needs to eat a little bit less than her basal metabolic rate. (BMR - this is the amount of calories - energy- your body burns just to keep you alive without any exercise), eating 300 calories on the long run just isnt worth it!!

she can lose good amount of weight on 850 calories without killing herself and still being healthy, so for example if she ate 850 calories 6 days a week and then on, say, sunday, she ate whatever the h*ll she liked. if she did this for 8 weeks, she would lose a considerate amount of weight, as long as she ate proteins, (to regenerate muscle tissue), and carbs (to give her energy), it is good to drink green tea (4 cups a day) to keep the metabolism going!
if she didnt eat right amounts(like right now!), then her body would go into "starvation mode" and start using up/"eating up" her body as energy just to fulfill her BMR. this would seriously not be healthy, she will feel exhausted all day, not be able to concentrate etc, however if she ate 800-900 calories, she would get the nutrients from the food to be "alive", so would lose weight and not be tired! but you must have a junk food day because it shocks the system and puts it out of sync and gives it a little awakening after being in a monotonous diet for 6 days! boosts the metabolism as well!

the 1000 calorie rule is to mantain her weight not lose, most people (books websites etc) dont tell you this because they see 1000 calories as a "safety net" you will not die by eating less than a 1000 calories provided you eat properly!! but you will die if you eat less than 700 calories! because there just isnt enough energy to live on! im going round in circles now!lol but this kind of extreme dieting is NOT, i repeat IS NOT anorexia or bulimia or anything else, because the person on this diet will be aware and fully understanding of what they are doing. they will only do this in BURSTS of time - 6-8 or 12 weeks, and then QUIT. they will not continue to do this and make it into a habit.

your girlfriend must be fully understanding about her eating, if she still thinks she can carry on eating 300 calories after you explain to her what ive said, PLEASE TAKE HER TO A DOCTOR!!

if you need anymore information, any thing else you need to talk of, you may email me at [e-mail], i am a professional, you can talk to me in confidence.

Answer 2

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Answer 3

I'm so sorry, but consuming only 300 calories a day is called anorexia nervosa. I know because I am a binge eater (a lesser known eating disorder) and have also had phases of anorexia. It is a horrible, obsessive, and unhealthy disorder. Anorexics suffer from body image distortion (they look in the mirror and see themselves to be bigger than they actually are). She will lose weight, but the consequences aren't worth it. Anorexia puts a serious strain on the body. It affects pretty much everything. She can become moody, depressed, and irritable, have thining hair and brittle nails, heart palpitations, anemia, weak muscles, osteoperosis, kidney failure, bone loss, yellow skin, among other things. Please tell her how much you care about her and let her know what can happen to her. Tell her how much you love her just the way she is, and you wouldn't want her to change. Then get her professional help. Her body is in starvation mode and basically eating itself away. Please let me know if you need help finding any further help with treatment and support.

Answer 4

In all honesty, this is very unsafe. She will most likely be very weak and shakey, I was bulimic for a year when I was younger and I've never felt worse in my life. Please let her know that it is NOT safe for anyone to do!

From Wikipedia;

Anorexia nervosa is a psychiatric diagnosis that describes an eating disorder characterized by low body weight and body image distortion with an obsessive fear of gaining weight.

Anorexia is a life-threatening condition that can put a serious strain on many of the body's organs and physiological resources;[2] it has one of the highest mortality rates of any psychiatric condition, with approximately 10% of people diagnosed with the condition eventually dying due to related factors.[3] Anorexia puts a particular strain on the structure and function of the heart and cardiovascular system, with slow heart rate (bradycardia) and elongation of the QT interval seen early on. People with anorexia typically have a disturbed electrolyte balance, particularly low levels of phosphate, which has been linked to heart failure, muscle weakness, immune dysfunction, and ultimately death. Those who develop anorexia before adulthood may suffer stunted growth and subsequent low levels of essential hormones (including sex hormones) and chronically increased cortisol levels. Osteoporosis can also develop as a result of anorexia in 38-50% of cases,[4] as poor nutrition leads to the retarded growth of essential bone structure and low bone mineral density. Anorexia does not harm everybody the same way. For example, evidence suggests that the results of the disease in adolescents may differ from those in adults.[2]

Answer 5

She will initally loose some weight but then her metabolism will slow down. She is risking getting her nails brittle, her hair may start falling out and her bones will get damaged (osteoporosis), same goes for her teeth. That provided she will continue doing this for a longer period of time (more than couple of weeks.) My friend's wife passed away last summer, due to anorexia nervosa, she was 25 years old and had 2 kids. Get your girlfriend some help before things get out of control.

Answer 6

She will become anorexic and become the next paris hilton if you don't do something about it and help her out. She needs 4% of both carbohydrates and protein and 9% of fat of her daily intake. Make sure she gets enough of what she needs. She needs to know what even if she didn't go on a diet, you would still care for her and love forever...and ever...and ever... O _O!

Answer 7

Um, obviously this is really low calorie intake. She will be very tired, prone to sickness, her muscles will start to weaken.
This is a form of anorexia. She isn't eating enough for her body.
This is crazy.

Answer 8

She will be nutrient deprived and develop some serious problems soon. Also, that's not borderline anorexia. It's anorexia. Period. And she will develop the symptoms of anorexia eventually too. (Teeth fall out, etc) Get her to a doctor.

Answer 9

yes Ive done this and this is what happened...

my periods stopped (no more babies for me)
no sex drive
hair started falling out
I grew hair on my face so my body would keep warm
I became depressed and suicidal
I now have ibs (evertime I eat I either get really gassy or have diahrrea)
I lost all my friends because I was too scared I would have to eat in front of them
and so much more I don't feel like typing it all.

Answer 10

This is not a good idea. It is extremely unhealthy and will actually lower her metabolism because her body will think it is starving and in the long run, it will make losing weight and keeping it off much more difficult.