And what about the other powerful benefits found in foods you AREN'T eating? Blueberries, broccoli, oranges, pomegranates, tomatoes, sweet potatoes, walnuts, salmon, oats, etc etc. I do agree that tea is GREAT but I feel it's very important for me to eat a wide range of healthy foods every day to get the greatest benefits possible.

Not to disparage the fine posters at 3 Fat Chicks, most of whom are very knowledgeable and informed about diet, nutrition and fitness, but do you really think you're going to find an expert in your personal supplement regime? A registered dietician (not your family doctor) would probably a good option.

About the minimal calories - uh...yeah. Food is fuel, calories aren't make-believe numbers that only exist to look pretty on paper, they represent energy, energy needed to live to rebuild tissues to power your brain, your heart. I mean, can a car exist on minimal GAS?

Also agreed.

Look, I hate to sound all "oh, I've been there" but I really have been there. When things were "working" for me, I didn't want to hear a discouraging word, it was WORKING FOR ME. This time I would lose weight! What did that other person know??

It took me 20 years to figure it out and I did similar things to this along the way - good luck to you, ultimately, it's a very personal journey.

You've mentioned a couple of times that you could not fast. Well, that's no surprise. Your body needs energy (calories) to function. And although you're not fasting, you are on a very low calorie diet and eventually, sooner rather then later most likely, it is going to catch up with you. You are trading one set of problems, your obesity, for another, your lack of calories and it sounds to me, though I am certainly no expert, not even close that you might be dealing with anorexia. I think not only should you be seeking the advice of a competent medical doctor, but I think you would also benefit from seeking some sort of psychological help as well. You are a young man with your whole life ahead of you. You can not continue on in this manner. You deserve to live the best life that you possibly can. And I'm afraid this is not going lead to you to your best future. You have grown up in a very food oriented environment, and not the right one at that. I really urge you to seek out some help.

Sorry but when I read your first post, I thought it was an ad for some new fad diet. I agree with everything everyone has said on here.

I'm not sure I believe you when you say you did a lot of research on dieting. If you did, you should have come across at least one book discussing the healthy eating and exercise approach, which is what 99% of us on this site are doing. That's why you're getting a warning attitude versus a thumbs-up, you-go-boy attitude. We've all learned from our mistakes with dieting and starving yourself (which, admit it, is what you're doing) does not work forever.

Good luck!

Hey. I know you're happy with that weight loss and the new-found energy. Probably your supplements are giving you the energy, but you might want to make sure you're not overdoing some of them. Even "natural" supplements can be overused.

Think of it this way: You could eat more and lose 2 pounds a week, and it would do less possible damage than eating so little and losing so much. Around 1200 calories is a good goal--just about everthing I've read says not to go lower than that for an extended period. Make sure you get enough protein, and don't overdo the fats and carbohydrates. Vegetables and fruits are really great also--a natural source of vitamins and minerals, and not that many calories.

And, you do have to think about how you'll eat after you've lost the weight. Many of us here have found that weight comes back unless eating habits change permanently, so you have to have a plan for maintenance. Most of the well-known weight loss plans include that--and it's not that different from the weight loss part, just more calories.

Did you mention exercise? That's a good way to raise metabolism. Not eating enough and not exercising isn't good for that--it can make metabolism slow down more to try to conserve.

So, hey, let up a little and add exercise!

Jay

Hmmmm, I have a real problem with the amount you are eating. Different organs in your body NEED certain things to perform correctly. Even your brain needs a minimum amount of fat grams to work properly, and not getting them sets you up for future trouble.

I haven't read anything in your posts about exercise. Yes you have more energy, but how are you using it? Is it natural energy from treating your body right, or is it from small amounts of stimulants found in the supplements you're taking? Don't get me wrong, vitamins are an essential part of life, but supplements cannot replace all the good stuff your body derives from the right foods.

OK, off my soapbox. My recommendation to you is to seek a registered dietician or another doctor who specializes in weight loss/healthy eating. Get their advice and opinions before you do permanent irreversible damage to your body!

I'd just like to echo the call to see a dietician. Your doctor probably isn't trained in nutrition -- he or she has spent a career learning other important stuff.

I don't have time to hunt down any links now, but I keep hearing that when we try to get our nutrients from too many supplements that much of the nutrients do not get absorbed into the body. Just because you put the nutrients in doesn't mean you get them. Nutrients from food are more likely to be absorbed. I do know that these issues are real concerns for people who have had weight loss surgery. They need to take supplements because they can't absorb as many nutrients and they are under doctor's care.

Again, though, I haven't researched this topic well and am not an expert.

You're going to do whatever you want to do. You're young and have found something that seems to work for you.

For me, the only way to judge the success of any weight loss program is not in how much weight people LOSE, but how likely they are to keep it off. Many people say that LOSING the weight is the easy part. Keeping it off is the real trick. I'm wondering what will happen to you in the next couple of years. Many of us who have tried extreme approaches to weight loss have exactly your reaction -- great losses and euphoria. But later down the road they gain it all back and then some. So, I would just caution you to think about that. It's easy to say you have a plan to reintroduce food, but I find the hardest part about my new lifestyle (both eating AND exercise) is the day in day out nature of it. Every day.

To lose one pound of fat, you have to burn 3500 calories more than you consume. To lose 9 pounds of fat, you have to burn 31,500 calories. Consider this - A 200 pound man would have to run at the very fast rate of 9 miles per hour for 23 hours to burn off 9 pounds of fat. You've mentioned doing a lot of extreme things, but this doesn't seem to be one of them.

When you lose weight, you usually lose more than fat. The percentage of the "other things" lost varies, but you will lose water, muscle mass, bone mass, and more. The goal should be to lose fat only, which means eating a more realistic diet and including a reasonable amount of exercise. You should never be in a hurry to lose weight, because you'll lose more than fat.

You mention taking a lot of supplements, but you don't mention why you are taking them. Most of them have never been shown to do anything for weight loss. Please keep in mind that supplements are not regulated by the FDA and the manufacturers can make any claim they want without having to prove it.

How much tea are you drinking? That could be contributing to your increased energy level, though it has been proven to have minimal effect on weight. Your weight loss may also be contributing, but the energy will taper off because you aren't feeding your body what it needs to support it.

Your comment about your body temperature as determining that you have a slow metabolism concerns me. Everyone's "normal" temperature is different. My normal is a full degree below the common normal and has been my entire life, even as a skinnny and very active child. The only way to determine if you have a slow metabolism is to be properly tested.

You may have a slower metabolism now, however, because you are training your body to live off of nothing. What's going to happen when you reach your goal weight? Is this how you plan to live for the rest of your life? You may not have a very long life because you are doing damage to your health. You asked if you are screwing yourself up, and I'd have to say yes.

My biggest concern is that you are developing an eating disorder and may not recognize it

Right now, you are consuming the amount of calories required by a dachshund. Yet you are a 20 year old man.

My best suggestion for you would be to gradually increase your calories by adding in healthy foods such as fruits and vegetables, more whole grains, and real protein foods, not instant. You probably don't want to increase it a lot at once, it should be gradual.

Have you considered a diet plan such as Body for Life? The meals are balanced and appeal to a lot of men. It isn't low carb, which is something you mentioned having a problem sticking to (which is pretty common). Maybe a different approach will help

Just wanted to chime in on this one. My mother and I always register as 97.6- 97.2 F. She is naturally slim, and I... am not. So I don't know if this has anything to do with your metabolism.

Everyone has given you some great advice, and I just want to echo all of it.

No words of advice but I would be interested what happens in a few months.

Where are you luv? We have not heard back from you and we are all obviously very concerned about you. Tell us what you think, even if you disagree with us.

We want you to succeed FOREVER, not lose a huge amount of weight only to put it ALL on, PLUS more!

Muscles burn calories. Do you know you are canabolizing your muscles right now? Your body needs fuel and it WILL use your muscles as FOOD!

Here's a quick story of something that happened to me recently:

1. I'd been steadily losing slowly about 1 pound per week.
2. I got sick with bad food poisening.
3. I threw up for one day and ate nothing for 2 days total.
4. By morning of day 3 I had lost 4 pounds. Yeah!
5. Day 3 I ate about 600 calories (mind you I was recovering and couldn't eat more).
6. Day 4 I had gained 1 pound (after only reintroducing 600 calories the prior day).
7. Day 4 I ate about 1000 calories.
8. Day 5, I gained another TWO pounds, though I ONLY ate 1000 calories the day before.
9. Day 5 I ate about 1300 calories, and the next day gained another pound.
10. Net weightloss after all this?? A GAIN OF 1 NET POUND. A WASTED WEEK! Rather than losing my usual pound, I actually gained a pound.

My theory is that my metabolism had slowed so quickly, and obviously most of what I lost was water (though I did LOOK slimmer for those few wonderful days that I had lost 4 pounds). Even though I easily cut more than the 3500 calories which is needed to lose a pound of fat, I did NOT lose ANY FAT because my body immediately went into starvation mode.

AS I BEGAN EATING NORMALLY AGAIN (about 1700 to 1900 calories per day), I STARTED LOSING MY ONE POUND PER WEEK AGAIN!

Why starve when you will lose tons of weight (THIS IS A GUARANTEE) on probably more than 1700 calories per day (given your height)?

The problem with your "diet" is that it is just that, a temporary fix and not a new lifestyle of eating healthy food, with some junk thrown in once in a while for fun (not a binge, but a treat sometimes when you want one). At your height, once you get the weight off HEALTHILY and SLOWLY, IF you are exercising regularly, you will be able to eat probably more than 2200-2400 calories a day and still maintain a nice healthy attractive weight.

I know we are not saying what you want to hear, but too many people on this wonderful site have told stories of having lost tons of weight only to put it right back on when they went off their diet. And no way in **** you can live forever on 600 calories per day.

Let us know your thoughts.

You can't be getting enough electrolytes with the supplements you are taking, ie: calcium, magnesium, potassium and *maybe* sodium. Especially potassium. You need 3500 mg per day of potassium and you just can't be getting that with what you listed.

Your body may be robbing your bones for some of the other electrolytes- which could work short term but might trigger early osteoporosis- but potassium isn't stored that way and is highly water soluble. You need these ingredients for proper cellular function and in the proper amounts. You should use a computer program to analyse what nutrients you are getting from food and supplements so you figure out what you are deficient in. You don't want the muscles in your heart to fail because you don't have enough electrolytes for them to keep working!

You are dabbling in complicated systems without full knowledge of what you are doing. All warnings of bodily distress can be masked with enough will power- but you could just kill yourself in the process.

You should be afraid, like the title of this thread says. Listen to your instincts. Your body cannot live well on what you are giving it. Don't rationalize away the fears you have. Bodily health is a complicated, interconnected system. Stressing one aspect stresses other connected functions and so on down the line.

Thank you for all of your support, but I apologize. I am going to continue this until I hit my goal weight. I will report back after a few months.

I will have to learn on my own if this turns into a disaster.

Well unfortunately "later on" you could of already done some serious damage to your body! Stop now before it is too late!

AmnesiaA,

Judging by your post, I assumed that you were a little concerned that perhaps what you are doing is not healthy. Please forgive the tough love but you asked for advice so here it comes:

I think you are being very foolish to brush off some of the excellent information that has been posted here, simply because it was not what you wanted to hear. When you say you will have to learn on your own if this turns into a "disaster" what exactly are you willing to risk? In your original post you declared that your primary motivation was your health not your looks so I'm confused.

If there was such an easy way out of fatdome then we wouldn't need support groups. Please, listen to your doctor, he/she has a PhD.

PS. Were you aware that supplements only work if you are already getting a certain amount of the nutrient in your system through diet?

I think Suzanne hit the nail on the head. 6 cups of tea on 600 calories a day is going to keep you wired!

AmnesiaA, do please keep in touch here regularly. Not gonna add anything more, as it seems pretty well covered. Sigh, I'm sad. You're not even done growing. Your body wants to lay down more bone mass, more muscle mass. Please keep in close touch with your doctor and a dietician. What you are doing feels good, but the longer it goes on, the more dangerous it becomes. Hmm, I said I wasn't going to add anything. Oh well.

At least on your supplements you won't get scurvy. Just watch out for beriberi and rickets.