RawrGirl understands where she is coming from, and for the most part, she would be "spot on" as most binge eating books say the only way to stop binge eating is to stop dieting, as deprivation leads to bingeing. However...
RawrGirl does not like the "minimum 1200 calories a day for all women everywhere" rule. Most of the diets RawrGirl did for the last 14 years were around 1200. And she also followed the experts advice of cardio for 30+ minutes several times a week. And she lost weight so slowly (sometimes only .2 or .4 pounds a week) that yes, the "deprivation" of not eating pizza led to eating pizza on weekends. Not an entire pizza, just 3 slices. So then RawrGirl got so frustrated at never reaching her goal she decided to do a VLCD. Of course, it wasn't a typical VLCD as she eats real food (not just shakes), eats 1500 cal Fri and Sat, and 1200 on Sun, and lifts weights, on average, 6x a week.
Experts warn against VLCD's for one reason: starvation mode. RawrGirl has a feeling that starvation mode is not about eating under a certain amount of calories, but when your body starts to get its fuel from muscle...which I think RawrGirl's routine prevents. For instance, except for the first few days or so back in September, RawrGirl never dreamed about food. And she was never consumed with food shows, or recipes...in fact she avoided them as the few times she wanted to plan upcoming holiday meals they made her hungry. (Studies like the famous Minnesota study show obsession with food and food dreams are normal responses in people who are starving.)
So RawrGirl assumes that because she was lifting weights, her body got the majority of fuel from her fat stores, and thus it never "panicked" and made her consumed with food. Now yes, she gained over the holidays (not sure how much, but her waist went up 1.5 inches), but that is normal as she ate more than usual...but for the most part she didn't eat once she felt full. Point is, the experts just say "don't eat less than 1200" when RawrGirl thinks it's a bit more complicated than that, and if she still listened to them, she'd still be in size 10's or 12's and feeling fat and frumpy and hating the way she looked. RawrGirl also takes a TON of supplements to make sure she gets all her vitamins...a regular multivitamin/mineral packet which includes ginseng, plus she takes calcium, potassium, b6, b12, Coq10, biotin, natural vitamin e, and when she remembers (as they have to be taken later) fish oil and iron.
Also, a few times RawrGirl has dropped her Mon-Thurs calories down to 500...which she can only sustain for 2 weeks as at that point she starts getting grumpy that she can't eat, and hunger doesn't just feel like an "empty" feeling, it feels like a gnawing feeling that makes her keep checking the clock to see when she can eat again. 800 seems like the magic number for her...not unreasonably hungry, not obsessed with food...yet experts would be freaking out.
Point is, RawrGirl bets that there are a lot of people who could cut their calories to anywhere between 800 -- 1200 a day 4 days a week if eating real food, and also lifting weights, and not go into starvation mode, and not damage anything (if relatively healthy to begin with and taking supplements). Obviously, RawrGirl is not a doctor and is not saying VLCD's are safe for any/every one, but just that, from her own experience, feels that eating less than 1200 calories a day does not guarantee "adverse effects." RawrGirl also gives herself one weekend a month to eat anything she wants in any quantity (as long as she stops when full), which for her, mentally means that all food is legal, she just chooses to only eat it one weekend a month, rather than making it illegal for all of time or length of diet, which is another trigger for binge eating, as once one eats something "bad", they may as well eat anything and everything "bad" since who knows when they will have it again. With RawrGirl's plan, she already can eat more on the weekend anyway, she just keeps everything low-carb and around 1500 -- this makes every weekend a treat. And then every 4th weekend is an even bigger treat.
Anyway...sorry this was such a long response. RawrGirl is just very happy to be thinner than she ever has been and believes the "1200 calorie a day rule" is one of the biggest factors that kept her from reaching goal for over a decade, and feeling fat through her entire 20's. She wishes she had rebelled against it sooner.
