On Sun, 13 Mar 2005 17:52:06 -0500, Karen Fechter
<[log in to unmask]> wrote:

>>1200 cal per day sounds like a starvation diet - especially for someone
>who is working out hard with weights AND doing cardio (walking) too. I
>think I eat 3 times that much every day and I have maintained my body
>weight for over 2 years now. Don't starve yourself - it isn't worth it.
>Looking anorexic is not exactly beautiful, is it?
>

Just curious where you came up with the 1,200 calorie figure?  I agree that
sounds like way too little for someone who is doing high intensity
workouts.  There is no way I would attempt such low calories while engaged
in regular exercise. I like you am petite -- 5'2.5" tall. If someone my
height was extremely sedentary,however, then I think 1,200 might be ok.
I've known plenty of petite Asian women at my old job who probably eat less
than that and they look beautiful and very slim -- of course, their look is
one without discernable muscle tone -- it's a certain look and it's
certainly not for everyone.  I prefer to weigh a bit more and have more
muscle mass for functional strength so that I can maintain more physical
independence later in life.  But these women did not seem to be consciously
undereating -- they simply ate the tiny portions they were used to eating.
This undoubtedly keeps them very slim, but I find the lack of muscle to be
very undesirable from a health perspective.

At the grocery store, I often see women with "fashionable" twiggy, stick-
like limbs, and they are always the ones that cannot seem to lift their own
groceries -- no strength at just middle age -- one can only imagine how
dependent they will be later in life.

But getting back to calories -- sometimes it may help to cut back slightly,
but I think this should happen naturally depending upon one's energy
needs.  For instance, if one is glued to a desk all day, she certainly does
not need thousands of calories.  If the same gal is working out hard on a
given day, she should intentionally eat more.  I think this should happen
naturally, but unfortunately, we become accostomed to eating set amounts
regardless of activity levels.  I speak from experience because I was very
slim for most of my life despite eating HUGE portions - I ate not out of
hunger but because I loved food and could get away with it -- a piggy plain
and simple.  I also think occassionally undereating slightly is probably a
good idea rather than always eating the same amount of calories day in and
day out.