Fitness and Nutrition
Is it wrong to not eat when you're not hungry? And is it considered starving yourself?
It depends on how often you are not hungry, not eating, and your purpose of not eating. There are many reasons that people don't feel hungry such as illness, heat, depression, etc. If you are experiencing prolonged appetite loss it could be a symptom of serious illness and you should see a physician. However another reason that people stop feeling hungry is because they are trying to lose weight and thus begin to ignore any bodily sensation of being hungry. In addition sometimes the body begins to "adjust" to not being feed by no longer sending out signals to eat.
Women should never go below 1200 calories per day when trying loose weight and most women will lose weight by consuming up to 1500 calories per day. Men should never go below 1600 calories per day and most men will lose weight by consuming up to 1800 calories per day. When people try to lose weight by eating much less than the above the body compensates by lowering metabolism making it essentially even more challenging to lose weight and keep the weight loss off. Losing weight is best done slowly, at about 1-2 pounds every week to 10 days. The body does not like to be starved and will compensate in ways that makes it both harder to lose weight and harder to maintain the weight loss. Starving also sets the body up to want to overeat (binge) and for some this is the beginning of the eating disorder known as bulimia. Eating too few calories can also lead to anorexia nervosa.
If you or anyone you know is suffering from an eating disorder such as anorexia, bulimia or binge eating disorder you are not alone and there is help.
ANAD (Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders)
E-Mail: anad20@aol.com Telephone: (847) 831-3438
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