Expert: Reverend Abbott - 10/16/2008

Question
QUESTION: My best friend in the world has not been eating for two days now and she has always talked about her weight. she is about 135 lb and 5 feet and 3 inches tall. I am not sure if she is developing a eating disorder because she is just not eating. she isn't really exercising and she drinks water and diet sodas. i no it's only been two days but she has never done this before and when she puts her mind to something she sticks it out. will she lose a lot of weight if she keeps doing this for tree more weeks? like i said she is my best friend and i don't want to lose her. Please write back, i have no one else to turn to.

ANSWER:  Fasting like this will probably result in weight loss, but it won't be fat loss.  Just fluids.  Once she starts eating again, it'll all come right back.

If she continues to eat less than 1,200-1,600 calories a day she'll throw her metabolism in 'low' - a natural reaction to what is perceived as famine or starvation.   During this time the body goes to great lengths to preserve fat storage, including converting muscle into fat.  The less muscle, the lower the metabolism.  

The bottom line is that ALL low calorie diets or fasts may seem to result in weight loss at first, but about 100% of people who do this end up regaining ALL the weight, plus 20% more.

So, if she loses 10 lbs, she's going to end up 2 lbs heavier than when she started and have a very sluggish metabolism.

 I don't think this is the goal she's striving for.

If she wants to lose weight and be healthy AND never have to diet again, ever,  there really is an option.  


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You're a very good friend by the way.



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

QUESTION: There is just one thing i have never understood about this statement, even though everybody says not eating makes you gain weight but when you see all those anorexia people and they are not gaining any weight but are very skinny and some of them do eat after they loose there goal weight how can that statement be possible? Do people just say it so that no one starves themselves to loose weight? And also i am not sure if you said that you have been through something like and eating disorder, but if you have then you know the pressure it can put on you. And boys don't make it easier. A girl can be skinnier or about the same size as a boy and they will still call you fat, not even thinking of the damaged they might be causing. I have had boys call me fat before and i was actually skinnier then he was. I'm not a big person at all but when i was in 5th grade i was chubby and people would always call me fat when i was walking home from school,  i'm not now i got taller and the weight just came off but it still hurts to know that was my past. I tried also starving by self at that time but since i was only 10 it didn't last longer then a few hours.

Answer
The anorexics often seen, looking emaciated, have been seriously, mentally ill for a long, long time.   

Anorexia by the way is a mental disease.  In fact, it's the number ONE most FATAL of all psychological disorders.  

I can tell you from first hand experience that we're not saying it just to keep people from starving themselves to lose weight.  We're saying it because it's true.  

If a person continues self-starvation and malnutrition beyond a certain point, the body runs out of muscle to convert to fat (and the fat is all gone).  It actually starts burning organ tissue for fuel and sometimes bone.  

I've got a permanent heart problem, liver and kidney function loss, osteoporosis and have lost half my hair -- all from anorexia.

When I wasn't going through periods of anorexia, I was overweight and my metabolism was so sluggish it was deeply depressing.

NOW - by eating the way I'm supposed to, I'm not only a very good and healthy weight, but I can finally eat anything I want without gaining.  My metabolism is balanced, although the damage from anorexia is forever.

 Trust me - I know the pressure youth faces.  I don't envy you at all and the only thing I can do is try to save just ONE girl at a time from going through what I did.