Realistically, how long will it take you to die if you only eat 700 calories or under?

[Misanthrope0000]

Every time I see people talking about the "starvation" method, they always talk about not eating for days straight till you die, but what about only eating a very little of calories every day? How long will it take to kill you?

 

[Dot]

Mny anorxc ppl liv fr 20+ yrs whle doin tht

 

[lostintheloop]

Some People with EDs live very long on that amount. The human body is resilient and it will depend on so many things too . Like genetics, metabolism, health and weight now, what foods you eat etc.
likely you would live for many years but feel ill and miserable after a while .

 

[Misanthrope0000]

I hav

Some People with EDs live very long on that amount. The human body is resilient and it will depend on so many things too . Like genetics, metabolism, health and weight now, what foods you eat etc.
likely you would live for many years but feel ill and miserable after a while .

I have an ed and I'm also on ED forums, but something that many people don't know about many people with ED is that they take a lot of supplements, like vitamins, iron etc to keep them alive, they also have "metabolism days" it's when you eat more than what you normally eat since they believe it'll keep their metabolism from slowing down, some people with EDs may eat more than 1000 calories but work out like hell to burn more, it's usually older people with EDs that can't function only eating 600 or lower.

Without the metabolism days or supplements, I really wonder if they'll still be able to live that long or they'll die faster

 

[opheliaoveragain]

I personally have had an anorexia for 15+ years, along with purging etc, I'm still here unfortunately. I've gone months eating under 500 a day.

 

[willitpass]

Months to years. I am anorexic and take god awful care of myself on top of it, and have worked in healthcare on a unit that sometimes gets ED patients. The body can compensate a lot longer than you would think. Ever seen Eugenia Cooney? Everyone's been waiting to hear she died of starvation for years and years. Heart failure and electrolyte imbalances are typically the culprit in anorexia related deaths, but there's no predicting how long your body will be able to hold out for you. The answer is probably a lot longer than what you're hoping.

 

[LapseInTime]

It will take multiple years unless you die of a some complication. Trust me, AN b/p subtype here. Tried it. Here I am. I was once told that most people with EDs die as a result of electrolyte imbalances, but that's mostly due to purging.

 

[willitpass]

It will take multiple years unless you die of a some complication. Trust me, AN b/p subtype here. Tried it. Here I am. I was once told that most people with EDs die as a result of electrolyte imbalances, but that's mostly due to purging.

Restriction can cause electrolyte imbalance as well, especially if fluid restricting. If you aren't consuming electrolytes your body will eventually become depleted of them. Dehydration will eventually start to cause kidney damage which will cause electrolyte imbalance as well. Purging of any form just accelerates the process and typically causes more severe electrolyte derangement. Potassium is the most dangerous one as eating disorders already weaken the heart after long enough and potassium is a critical electrolyte for proper heart function.

 

[s54321]

Many years, your body will shut down alot to burn as few kcal as possible. Not drinking anything would be way faster (but ull beg for something to drink without a doubt, its not that easy :/ )

 

[TheGoodGuy]

That´s actually interesting, I would think you´d die faster than people on here think because of both vitamin and mineral deficiency but mostly lack of electrolytes

 

[willitpass]

That´s actually interesting, I would think you´d die faster than people on here think because of both vitamin and mineral deficiency but mostly lack of electrolytes

As both an anorexic and a healthcare worker I can confidently say the body has a lot more reserve than people realize. Vitamin, mineral, and electrolyte deficiencies are rarely a quick killer. Many people with eating disorders live decades with the disorder before it kills them.

 

[maniac116]

At best it will take forever, at worst it's very unreliable slooooow torture.
No judgement but please rethink!

 

[HarryCobean]

There are people who say calorie restriction is the secret to a longer life.

 

[laetitia7]

slow and painful. starving is also a no-method.

 

[mrtime87]

There are people who say calorie restriction is the secret to a longer life.

We learned this in my nutrition class. You end up burning less energy, therefore doing less damage on the body.