Expert: Meg - 2/19/2004

Question
Hi, I eat under 1000 cals a day.  I've been doing thos for the last 2 months of so, but haven't lost any weight.  How many cals aday do you need to go below before your body starts to eat its own fat and also, negative cal foods.  Are these really negative cals?

Answer
Hello Chantelle-

Although its really impossible for me to tell you exactly how many calories you need to eat in order to be healthy or lose weight (if you indeed need to) as that is all really dependant on your age, height, activity level, metabolism and other factors, I can definitely give you some general information and point you towards some resources that might help you.

For most people, 1000 calories a day is definitely not enough to keep your body functioning at an optimal level and would probably be considered a level of starvation.  You're right that when your body doesn't take in enough calories, your metabolism slows way down and it does make it very difficult to lose weight.  Plus, its just not healthy and really effects your moods and energy levels.

As for negative calorie foods, I do not believe that there is truly such a thing although there are definitely foods that are lower in calories than others.  It might be helpful for you to remember that food is like fuel for our bodies and what calories are actually units of energy-and are really pretty scientific.  The link below might help you understand a bit more.  http://www.howstuffworks.com/calorie.htm

The good news is that its possible to diet and eat a moderate amount of food and still lose weight without causing your body a lot of unnecessary stress.  One thing I would recommend is speaking with a registered dietician (if you have the resources to do so).  He or she would be very helpful in that they could talk with you and help you make a plan that is healthy for your body and lifestyle as well as help to keep you on track.  You can also find a lot of information on the web on sites such as www.healthyeating.net or www.self.com as to what consitutes a healthy diet.  Also, a good thing to keep your metabolism high is to exercise, even if you just go for a walk or play sports with your friends.  However, its really important that if you're exercising, you're conscious of maintaining a healthy diet so that you have adequate energy.

I'm wondering, however, if you might be experiencing negative body image or are dealing with an eating disorder (as that is the segment that this question falls under).  If so, it is really important that you take steps to put a stop to it as soon as possible as the longer a person struggles with these things, the more difficult it becomes to untangle oneself and the more damage to your body and self esteem will occur.  If you are not sure as to whether you have an eating disorder, the Something's Fishy website has SO many helpful resources as well as different quizzes to help you access if your behaviors and thoughts are falling into that catagory.  

I also want to say that if you are suffering from an eating disorder, it really is not worth it to keep suffering in silence.  The sad thing is that no matter how thin you get, you will never feel thin enough.  That is the nature of what makes them work and how they destroy you.  You don't have to have an eating disorder to have a body that you're happy with-in fact, having one almost guarantees that you will never feel good about your body.

And, I promise you that you are worth way more than that.

I wish you lots of luck and hope that this helped a bit.  Please feel free to let me know if there is anything else I can do.

Take care,
Meg