Why do people with anorexia lose weight?

Question

why do they lose weight and people say if you go to low on calories you'll gain weight? Please explain.

Answer 1

They lose weight, but not just fat. A large percentage of their weight loss is from bone and muscle mass.

Answer 2

they initially lose little fat but lots of muscle...when you dont eat enough,your body will lack fuel for metabolism,that eventually increases appetite...

Answer 3

Going too low on calories for a short period of time will make you gain.  When the body goes into starvation mode it eats whatever energy it can from your fat cells.  Then when you stop starving and eat lots of food, or even eat normally, the body goes into defense mode and saves all the fat it can to prepare for another food shortage, thus you gain weight.

When someone starves themselves like in anorexia, the body can't get enough energy so it eats everything it can starting with fat because it's the least essential component to the body's survival.  Eventually it moves on to muscles and organ tissue.  Generally someone with anorexia has it long term, not just for a couple days.  They shrink in size because they're body is eating itself for energy.  And yes, when this person eats again their body will save the fat in preparation for another shortage, but by then they've already lost so much weight that a couple pounds added won't look like much.

The body is a very smart system.  It knows what it takes to keep itself alive and when fasting or starvation happens, it eats the components in order of least survival importance.  Starting with fat, moving on to arm and leg muscles, and eventually eating at your heart and brain.

Answer 4

If you starve yourself periodically your body will stock pile fat when it can, hence the belief that starving yourself (ultimately) makes you gain weight.

Starving yourself *continuously* however means that your body first burns all the available fat that it naturally stores for energy then, in the absence of any more fat from food, starts to burn everything else - a bit like a starving family who've run out of fuel for the fire.

Answer 5

People with anorexia lose weight because they burn calories, but they dont eat calories. Simple math problem

Anorexia:

Burned calories plus no food (no calories)= off balance, youre burning more calories that what is good to your body, but your losing weight

Normal person:

Calories you burn through out the day minus calories you normally eat= balance

I