Expert: Samathlee Colon, CNA - 10/12/2008

Question
QUESTION: hello, im a fourteen year old boy.
about 9 weeks ago i was surviving on 300 calories aday, i lost ALOT of
weight!

but after fainting,  having no energy and starving i decided to up my calorie
intake, i still am, firstly i ate 500 cals then 600 then 800 then 900 and now im
currently eating 1000 a day iv done some research and it would seem like this
is not enough.

However im scared that if i increase it to 1200 calories aday ill get fat and put
on weight. (i still want to be skinny, just not to die) ;P

so could you please try and answer the following.

1) will i put on weight by eating 1200?

2) how many calories do i need to surive?

3) if i do no exercise  how many cals do i need?


sorry im obessed and i id appriciate any help you could give

:D

thank you!!!

bye  



ANSWER: Well, yes you are not eating enough calories. For your age you be milking the calories seeing how this is the prime time for your growth sperts and health to build completely. You should be taking roughly 2000 calories. Yes you are gonna put on some weight. But it is only gauranteed necessary weight in order to fill out your growth sperts that you will be having. This is not the time to be so hung up on your wieght. Your health comes first, and you are surely decaying your body and health slowly. You will be paying for it later on in life. You can easily eat 2000 calories and excersise 2-3 times a week maybe do a fun sport or go for a walk. Anything is good to keep that metabolism going. As long as you do that, you will not have to worry about the weight gain.

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: hi again, thankyou for your first reply.

im currently eating 1200 calories aday.

im not planing in raising it any higher, im just planing get my body out of starvation mode. (im not sure if i ever entered it....)

can 1200 calories be okay far a 14 year old boy?

i eat healthy food.

i have a
300 cal breakfast
400 cal lunch
400 cal dinner
(i allow 100 calories for snacks)

for physical activity i do this:

1 hour of gentle badminton a week
2 hours of breaststroke swimming a week
half an hour of PE at school a week
50 star jumps a day
25 crunches a day
25 push ups a day
25 bench presses a day
i also walk home from school about 3 times a week (it takes 30 mins)


is my life style okay????
im sorry if this sounds stupid.
thanks for all your help you've been great and ill recommend you!

=]

p.s i dont feel hungry eating my current diet, and i dont think im depriving myself...

this is what i ate today

BREAKFAST (8.30ish)
1 glass of water
1 cup of instant coffee
45g of ready break oats
225ml of semi skimmed milk
6g of raisens

SNACK (10.25ish)
1 cup of tea with a tiny, tiny bit of milk in it
an orange

LUNCH (12.40ish)
1 cup of filter coffee
1 glass of water
2 slices of hovis whole meal bread
4 cooked chicken slices
(i made a sandwich)
an apple
3 rice cakes

SNACK (3.00ish)
1 cup of coffee (i usally drink a maximum of 2 cups a day)

DINNER (6.00ish)
1 glass of water
250g of boiled potatoes
1 corn on the cob
200g of boiled red cabbage
2 "forks" of brocolli
salad with no dressing (1 tomato, lettice, 1 mushroom, some cucumber)

for physical activity i did

50 star jumps
25 crunches
25 push ups
25 bench presses
30 mins of walking


dose that look safe???

im sorry ill stop talking now.

thanks once more :)  

Answer
No, your 1200 calorie diet is not healthy, and is not enough for a 14 year old boy. You also drink too much coffee, and that is not good. The excersise you do is plenty and at this point overly too much because of the food you eat and calories intake. You are eating some healthy stuff, but not enough. And not enough of solid protien and carbs. You need more then what you have been taking in, and you need some more fat to it. Your metabolism will drop and when you do begin to add some more calories later on in life, you will be regreting it because you will not be able to maintain a healthy weight because your body was not given the proper nutrition it needed during this time in your life. I hope you make the right decision. There is alot more to being thin in life - if you value your health and life any, you will change your eating habits. God Bless