Does it matter what you eat?

[BreatheHopeIntoMe]

I mean this loosely, I know that what you eat obviously matters. But when you're consuming 500 calories a day and burning about 200-300 of those, does it matter WHAT you're eating?
If I drink coke or have something fried or candy, as long as I stay below 500 does it really matter? Will It affect anything?:confused::confused:

(This isn't me asking for tips, it's a general question. I thought about posting it in Y!A but nobody would've answered me, I would've recieved lectures instead).

[BeautifulDisaster]

If you eat 500 calories of unhealthy foods, as opposed to 500 calories of healthy foods, then it could affect you, but it may be too little calories to do anything to you ie; make you gain fat/weight.
But it could still affect you in other ways.
Like junk food tends to affect your energy levels, "sugar crashes", bad skin, etc.
You will crave unhealthy foods too, because you are not eating enough.
More likely to binge when you restrict heavily, no matter what you eat.
Either way, you won't be getting as much nutrition as you need, unhealthy foods/healthy foods, so... you're screwed either way I think.

[BreatheHopeIntoMe]

Well I don't always eat unhealthy foods, every now and than I slide a coke or a zero calorie soda in. Generally I have a 24oz water bottle and a Special K bar (Which I guess it healthy? sorta?)
But sometimes I'd like to fit in some candy or something, like today I had some chinese food, crab puffs were involved and they are in fact a fried food. But I couldn't NOT eat them, my mom's friend is aware of my eating disorder and pretty much excepts me to eat now.

But that's generally why I was wondering. =) I wouldn't want to mess anything up.

[Syvelocin]

Calories are just one factor in foods. You have protein, fiber, vitamins, fat, carbs, etc. Calories isn't really what you would be looking at when losing weight really. It's the carbs and fat. You eat too many carbs, and the carbs you don't eat are stored as fat, and the fat you don't burn is also stored on your body. And there are about 3,500 calories in a pound of fat on your body. Losing/gaining weight is a math problem.

Of course, that's from a nutritional stand-point. With eating disorders, you're probably not too concerned about healthy eating but with not gaining weight of course. Personally, when I was eating that much, I wasn't having soda and McDonalds. I was living off of fruits, vegetables, soup, and quinoa pasta. The thing with anorexia really is that a lot of the time the goal is to be thinner and prettier, but in my opinion, the symptoms of malnutrition (http://www.buzzle.com/articles/malnutrition-symptoms.html) outweigh a thin waist from a logical stand point. It's hard to see that though when you have this incorrect, distorted image of yourself and you develop this obsession, this need to lose weight.

[BeautifulDisaster]

You're going to end up messing things up whether you eat healthy foods or not...
Seriously, stop while you're ahead. Get help.

[BreatheHopeIntoMe]

Oh I see, the issue with the carbs is, I don't know what a 'good' number of carbs is. I know when the number of calories vs protein is to much, but I don't know my carbs. That's why I count my calories and not my carbs.

[BeautifulDisaster]

In the end, it's the content of the food that matters, not the calories.

[BreatheHopeIntoMe]

Well.. I don't know I guess I'll do some research on nutrition. I bought a book called 'lighten up' that has some information on carbs, trans fat, fat and all that yucky stuff.
Maybe with a little more information on what I need to do to get thin, I can start eating more?
It's worth a shot.

[BreatheHopeIntoMe]

Yes It is very important meter to what you eat, you need t take health and perfect food, you food almost related to your body, almost hear and condition.

I'm not sure I fully understand you're post but I think I get the gist of it.
I'm going to start watching what I eat better. =)

[Rutherford The Brave]

You should be eating 2000 calories a day, you could eat any combination of foods to 500 calories and your still messing with your body. You can't be healthy in your eating choices your not eating enough.

[BreatheHopeIntoMe]

I know I'm not.. Part of maybe having an eating disorder?
But I manage to lose a good amount of weight even by not eating well or enough. So it's okay.. Not health-wise okay, but otherwise fine. I don't care anymore. I can't care. I don't like food. It's just another obstacle.

[Rutherford The Brave]

I know I'm not.. Part of maybe having an eating disorder?
But I manage to lose a good amount of weight even by not eating well or enough. So it's okay.. Not health-wise okay, but otherwise fine. I don't care anymore. I can't care. I don't like food. It's just another obstacle.

Its an obstacle maybe, but why not care alot of things depend on you getting the right amount of nuitrition. Otherwise, its kind of hard to see someone do things like this to themselves.

[BreatheHopeIntoMe]

I'm going to start taking a multi-vitamin to make sure I don't become malnurioushed. I'm trying.

I've never seen anybody starve themselves. I have a friend who's dieting with me (not this bad though) she used to be bulimerxic, before I met her though. She was 98lbs. She throws up her food still sometimes and hasn't eaten since Saturday, but she doesn't want to do that anymore and is starting to eat healthy to lose weight.
So I don't know what it's like to watch somebody waste away. I wish I did though, maybe than It wouldn't be like this.

[Syvelocin]

Usually just taking supplements won't cut it, though it's a step in the right direction if you can't get your vitamins in food form quite yet. But you still have protein and fiber ;)

I've never seen someone close to me starve themselves either. I do know that it's really painful though. That it's harder to watch someone do that to themselves than do it to yourself. I cause many friends and family members a lot of distress, and it seems to spread to every person I touch. To be in my life, you have to have all of it, including my diseases and my mental disorders.

[Triceratops]

I'm not giving tips or anything, but when I first started out (before anything got too serious) I would restrict to about 1,000 calories, and most of that was just chocolate, candy, energy drinks and just general shit basically. The weight dropped off me nonetheless. I can still lose weight on crap stuff. Even now I don't ever eat healthily - but that's probably down to the fact that I'm the fussiest eater EVER.

I wouldn't recommend you do that, though. I'm just being honest.

[BreatheHopeIntoMe]

Syvelocin:
Yeah, I think it was you that I got the multi-vitamin idea from. It's a good idea. =)
And I can imagine. It must be hard to watch somebody you love dying... It's basically the same thing, watching somebody waste away.. I don't know, I don't even want to imagine watching that happen to one of my friends. =(

Marshki:

Is that general with everybody though? Can everybody lose weight eating crap food yet below a certain amount of calories? I'm not eating over 500 anymore, I think today is a 400 day though. It was originally going to be a 300 but I had a pringles snack stack because of a salt craving.
And what do you mean 'to serious'?
I seriously worry about some of you people. =[

[Syvelocin]

You can still eat crap and lose, yes, but that's beside the point. It's not calories your body needs, it's what's in those calories. Calories are the measure of energy in the food. Your body needs the specific nutrients though, which makes all the difference between eating 500 calories of food in different categories, vitamin and protein-rich, or just crap that is all sugar and fat. You could face complications with an eating disorder and malnutrition, plus I remember you saying you're already anemic. You're blood needs iron. Anorexia, anemia, and malnutrition... definitely not a fun combo from experience.

[BreatheHopeIntoMe]

I'll start taking iron supplements as well than along with calcium. I'll do what I can without actually overeating.

[Craig1995]

If I eat nothing but rubbish for a few days I feel kinda tired sluggish and a bit ill coz Ur body need vitamins & minerals only found in nice fresh fruit & veg

[Charleigh]

Your in your teen's, so it doesn't really matter what you eat, but it is best to eat a moderated amount of thing's. So, instead of eating as much fruit & veg as you can, moderate it to a certain portion.
Because you're a teenager, you're body use's all the food you eat to grow and develop, so it's 50/50