# I have braces or How Soon will I die? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [January 26, 2013, 1:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-braces-or-how-soon-will-i-die/648387 "2013-01-26T01:18:29Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![CT\_Damsel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/dfb087/32.png) [@CT\_Damsel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CT_Damsel)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2013, 1:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-braces-or-how-soon-will-i-die/648387/1 "2013-01-26T01:18:29Z")
For those or you who like it short and sweet my my question is: If I eat only 500 calories a day, comprised of a good balance of protein, fat and carbs, how soon will I die? Or will I just waste away and continue living as a shadow of my former self? For those of you who want the “backstory” here goes. . . I presently have veneers on 10 of my upper front teeth (evenly 5 on each side of center.) I got them years ago, and now they are looking pretty dingy, so I decided to have them replaced and crowns placed on my lower teeth. I went to a (new to me) dentist who advised crowns for the top teeth (same price as veneers and more sturdy.) However for my lower teeth she advised strongly against crowns and that I would save money bleaching them and wearing braces to straighten them. I have a bit of an overbite (I can place two drinking straws between my teeth with my jaw closed.) Also my lower teeth are somewhat crooked. Over the years other dentists have suggested braces but I have always said I was happy with the way I looked when I smiled except for chipped teeth on top (main reason for veneers.) This dentist explained that many of my teeth are turned and after spending WAY too many hours smiling at myself in the mirror I agreed to the Invisaligns. Now to my problem. I’ve had them for 3 weeks. I have almost made peace with the freak’n excessive salivation, but I just can’t eat in 2 to 4 hours. They recommend that you wear them 20-22 hours. I am a grazer. I eat little amounts frequently throughout the day so I eat at all. I never have an appetite and am never hungry; (even before the braces) so I always have healthy tiny portions around and remind myself to eat. But you can not eat with the invisaligns in. You can only drink cool water. I can not eat a larger meal 3 times a day. My stomach is way too small. So I have been mixing up a drink of plain protein powder (soy or whey) or egg whites (pasteurized) with a “greens” powder some evoo for fat and juice for the carbs. Just for the fun of it I counted up the calories and the total is only about 500. So I guess when this is all over if I stand behind a telephone you won’t be able to see me. But if you walk around I’ll have an awesome smile. ---
**Author:** ![LibrarySpy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f9ae1b/32.png) [@LibrarySpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LibrarySpy)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2013, 1:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-braces-or-how-soon-will-i-die/648387/2 "2013-01-26T01:40:23Z")
You’ll be fine. But if you feel too weak to function and go about your normal day, have a second one. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Ambivalid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a5b964/32.png) [@Ambivalid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ambivalid)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2013, 1:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-braces-or-how-soon-will-i-die/648387/3 "2013-01-26T01:41:48Z")
Hi, this issue has been discussed before. [Can 500 calories/day support an active, healthy adult? - In My Humble Opinion - Straight Dope Message Board](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=654277) It can be done but it’s best to be under doctor supervision (as well as be significantly overweight in the first place). ---
**Author:** ![Hockey\_Monkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a183cd/32.png) [@Hockey\_Monkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hockey_Monkey)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2013, 3:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-braces-or-how-soon-will-i-die/648387/4 "2013-01-26T03:12:59Z")
Take a quick look at the[Minnesota Starvation Experiment](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minnesota_Starvation_Experiment) methods and results. I had to read it last semester and write a paper on it. It was a fascinating study. > [@From the results:](#): > > Among the conclusions from the study was the confirmation that prolonged semi-starvation produces significant increases in depression, hysteria and hypochondriasis as measured using the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory. Indeed, most of the subjects experienced periods of severe emotional distress and depression.[1]:161 There were extreme reactions to the psychological effects during the experiment including self-mutilation (one subject amputated three fingers of his hand with an axe, though the subject was unsure if he had done so intentionally or accidentally).[5] Participants exhibited a preoccupation with food, both during the starvation period and the rehabilitation phase. Sexual interest was drastically reduced, and the volunteers showed signs of social withdrawal and isolation.[1]:123-124 The participants reported a decline in concentration, comprehension and judgment capabilities, although the standardized tests administered showed no actual signs of diminished capacity. There were marked declines in physiological processes indicative of decreases in each subject’s basal metabolic rate (the energy required by the body in a state of rest), reflected in reduced body temperature, respiration and heart rate. Some of the subjects exhibited edema in their extremities, presumably due to decreased levels of plasma proteins given that the body’s ability to construct key proteins like albumin is based on available energy sources. It is unlikely you will be able to keep up a 500 calorie a day diet for a significant length of time without experiencing some unwanted side effects. ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2013, 3:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-braces-or-how-soon-will-i-die/648387/5 "2013-01-26T03:16:14Z")
Impossible to answer without current weight, activity level and preferably age and gender. ---
**Author:** ![Ambivalid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a5b964/32.png) [@Ambivalid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ambivalid)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2013, 3:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-braces-or-how-soon-will-i-die/648387/6 "2013-01-26T03:21:23Z")
The way such diets are successful is that they utilize the body’s excess fat tissue as an energy source during severe caloric restriction; thereby resulting in significant weight loss. However, the diet itself must be carefully structured in order to assure that you are getting enough nutrients, fat and protein to remain healthy and this is why a doctor’s supervision is important. ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2013, 3:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-braces-or-how-soon-will-i-die/648387/7 "2013-01-26T03:28:13Z")
Am I the only person who read the OP? She’s not dieting, dudes. She can’t eat with her braces on. ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2013, 3:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-braces-or-how-soon-will-i-die/648387/8 "2013-01-26T03:29:46Z")
How hard is it to take them out for the 10 or 15 minutes it would take you to eat your smaller portions? People do it with these all the time. Take them out, eat, bam, put them back in. ---
**Author:** ![Ambivalid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a5b964/32.png) [@Ambivalid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ambivalid)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2013, 3:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-braces-or-how-soon-will-i-die/648387/9 "2013-01-26T03:42:01Z")
> [@WhyNot](#): > > Am I the only person who read the OP? She’s not dieting, dudes. She can’t eat with her braces on. NO, you’re not. I’m saying HOW a 500-cal/day diet is successful and advisable and that is when a person is significantly overweight and they can use their excess fat tissue as an energy source during severe calorie restriction. If a person isn’t significantly overweight, then they wouldn’t have this energy supply and doing such a “diet” would be unadvised and dangerous. ---
**Author:** ![TheChileanBlob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thechileanblob/32/435_2.png) [@TheChileanBlob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheChileanBlob)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2013, 3:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-braces-or-how-soon-will-i-die/648387/10 "2013-01-26T03:42:46Z")
Are you sure you have to wear them for 20 _uninterrupted_ hours? If you eat normally, the amount of time you spend with them off surely won’t exceed 4 hours. ---
**Author:** ![IvoryTowerDenizen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ivorytowerdenizen/32/17937_2.png) [@IvoryTowerDenizen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IvoryTowerDenizen)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2013, 3:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-braces-or-how-soon-will-i-die/648387/11 "2013-01-26T03:45:12Z")
> [@Ambivalid](#): > > NO, you’re not. I’m saying HOW a 500-cal/day diet is successful and advisable and that is when a person is significantly overweight and they can use their excess fat tissue as an energy source during severe calorie restriction. If a person isn’t significantly overweight, then they wouldn’t have this energy supply and doing such a “diet” would be unadvised and dangerous. Your post had a bit of a logic jump that was clear to you but not the reader. You didn’t finish the thought, which “so, if you’re not overweight and restricting calories to lose weight, you probably do not have the excess fat to be safe”. WhyNot (and my) confusion on your point was understandable. ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2013, 3:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-braces-or-how-soon-will-i-die/648387/12 "2013-01-26T03:52:47Z")
> [@Ambivalid](#): > > NO, you’re not. I’m saying HOW a 500-cal/day diet is successful and advisable and that is when a person is significantly overweight and they can use their excess fat tissue as an energy source during severe calorie restriction. If a person isn’t significantly overweight, then they wouldn’t have this energy supply and doing such a “diet” would be unadvised and dangerous. The question was “how soon will I die?”. Your answer was “It can be done but it’s best to be under doctor supervision (as well as be significantly overweight in the first place).” Forgive me for missing the train of thought when it jumped tracks. ---
**Author:** ![Ambivalid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a5b964/32.png) [@Ambivalid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ambivalid)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2013, 3:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-braces-or-how-soon-will-i-die/648387/13 "2013-01-26T03:56:01Z")
> [@CT\_Damsel](#): > > If I eat only 500 calories a day, comprised of a good balance of protein, fat and carbs, how soon will I die? > [@Ambivalid](#): > > The way such diets are successful is that they utilize the body’s excess fat tissue as an energy source during severe caloric restriction; thereby resulting in significant weight loss. However, the diet itself must be carefully structured in order to assure that you are getting enough nutrients, fat and protein to remain healthy and this is why a doctor’s supervision is important. > [@IvoryTowerDenizen](#): > > Your post had a bit of a logic jump that was clear to you but not the reader. You didn’t finish the thought, which “so, if you’re not overweight and restricting calories to lose weight, you probably do not have the excess fat to be safe”. WhyNot (and my) confusion on your point was understandable. Well, I may not have outright said why such a diet would be unsafe if one isn’t significantly overweight but, as you can see, I clearly addressed the OP’s question. Or at least I thought I did. I thought it was implied that, since it was said that success of such a diet depended on the dieter having excess fat tissue, if the dieter _didn’t_ have that excess tissue, the diet wouldn’t be successful. ---
**Author:** ![Hockey\_Monkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a183cd/32.png) [@Hockey\_Monkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hockey_Monkey)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2013, 4:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-braces-or-how-soon-will-i-die/648387/14 "2013-01-26T04:23:15Z")
> [@WhyNot](#): > > Am I the only person who read the OP? She’s not dieting, dudes. She can’t eat with her braces on. I used the word diet as a noun. What you eat is your diet, regardless of how many calories it is. I fully understand the OP. ---
**Author:** ![Curiosity\_Kills\_Her](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8c91f0/32.png) [@Curiosity\_Kills\_Her](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Curiosity_Kills_Her)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2013, 4:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-braces-or-how-soon-will-i-die/648387/15 "2013-01-26T04:36:55Z")
One of the reasons I got metal braces because I didn’t want to deal with Invisalign when trying to eat. Good luck, and you definitely need to eat more. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2013, 4:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-braces-or-how-soon-will-i-die/648387/16 "2013-01-26T04:40:49Z")
Moved from MPSIMS to IMHO, home of medical threads. ---
**Author:** ![rsat3acr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/a3d4f5/32.png) [@rsat3acr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rsat3acr)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2013, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-braces-or-how-soon-will-i-die/648387/17 "2013-01-26T15:10:26Z")
Drink some Boost or Ensure instead of water. ---
**Author:** ![CT\_Damsel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/dfb087/32.png) [@CT\_Damsel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CT_Damsel)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2013, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-braces-or-how-soon-will-i-die/648387/18 "2013-01-26T20:16:02Z")
> [@Ambivalid](#): > > Hi, this issue has been discussed before. [Can 500 calories/day support an active, healthy adult? - In My Humble Opinion - Straight Dope Message Board](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=654277) > It can be done but it’s best to be under doctor supervision (as well as be significantly overweight in the first place). Thank you for the info > [@Hockey\_Monkey](#): > > Take a quick look at the[Minnesota Starvation Experiment](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minnesota_Starvation_Experiment) methods and results. I had to read it last semester and write a paper on it. It was a fascinating study. > > It is unlikely you will be able to keep up a 500 calorie a day diet for a significant length of time without experiencing some unwanted side effects. Thank you for the info > [@WhyNot](#): > > Impossible to answer without current weight, activity level and preferably age and gender. 190, 30 minutes of Nordic Track ski machine daily, 47, female I know I am over weight. I do the NT each day because it makes me feel energized. Before the braces I was drinking homemade protein shakes to ensure I get some nutrition throughout the day because I am a junk food junkie. > [@needscoffee](#): > > How hard is it to take them out for the 10 or 15 minutes it would take you to eat your smaller portions? People do it with these all the time. Take them out, eat, bam, put them back in. A real pain. You have to clean them, brush and floss before reinserting them. I have timed myself and it hasn’t worked. That is why I went to liquid only so I could gulp it more quickly and not care about the taste satisfaction. > [@Curiosity\_Kills\_Her](#): > > One of the reasons I got metal braces because I didn’t want to deal with Invisalign when trying to eat. Good luck, and you definitely need to eat more. 😉 I was too much of I wimp/vain to get metal ones at my age > [@twickster](#): > > Moved from MPSIMS to IMHO, home of medical threads. Sorry > [@rsat3acr](#): > > Drink some Boost or Ensure instead of water. Thanks I’ll check them. ---
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2013, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-braces-or-how-soon-will-i-die/648387/19 "2013-01-26T21:19:56Z")
I don’t get the “I have no appetite/tiny stomach/I do 30 minutes of cardio a day” scenario and the fact that you are 40-50 lbs overweight even if you “graze”. If you are eating enough to weigh 190 you have quite a significant appetite. If you stopped continuously grazing junk food you might rediscover that you do have an appetite. If so this should be a win-win for you. Unless you have a medical condition of some kind the stomach can normally contract and expand considerably. You did not mention it but have you had some kind of stomach stapling or gastric bypass surgery? Based on your weight and activity level and an (apparently) fairly slow metabolism your daily burn rate will be approx 10-12 calories per lb of body weight per day. Assuming your weight target is 150 if we average to 11 cals you need approx 2090 cals daily to maintain your current weight. If you drop to 1500 cals per day on a restricted diet you will have a 600 cal per day deficit and you will initially lose approx one lb per week. You can easily get all the calories and nutrients you need with protein shakes and vitamins. Roughage is a different issue. Your braces diet should carry you through about a year of weight loss. Your rate of loss will obviously slow as your weight decreases which is taken into account below so using 160 lbs of maintained weight as the average over time = 1760 per day 3500 cals per lb of fat lost. Adjust as needed for your actual realworld target goals. 1500 cals per day - loss = .89 lbs per week 1000 cals per day - loss = 1.52 lbs per week (over time) (not advised) 500 cals per day - loss = 2.52 lbs per week ---
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2013, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-braces-or-how-soon-will-i-die/648387/20 "2013-01-26T21:29:50Z")
_correction - 1500 cals per day - loss = .52 lbs per week_ [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-braces-or-how-soon-will-i-die/648387.md?page=2)