Starving yourself for two months to “look skinnier” is a really bad idea because the body’s growth systems need energy, protein and micronutrients to work, and when you sharply cut calories you trigger hormonal and metabolic changes that blunt real growth and can cause lasting damage. In undernutrition the liver makes far less IGF-1 (the main growth mediator downstream of growth hormone), producing a state of GH-resistance that slows bone elongation at the growth plate; that’s a primary mechanism behind stunted linear growth in children and adolescents. Starvation also drives down leptin and sex-steroid signalling, raises cortisol, and disrupts thyroid function, all of which delay puberty and reduce the bone-building signals that normally increase height and bone mass during adolescence. At the same time, calorie restriction and protein deficiency sharply cut bone formation and lower bone mineral density, increasing fracture risk and producing smaller, weaker bones that may not fully recover later. Micronutrient losses, especially iron deficiency anemia, are strongly associated with reduced growth velocity and delayed pubertal development, because iron is essential for cellular growth, oxygen delivery and hormone synthesis. Young people who restrict heavily during the years their bones and height are still developing risk permanent or long-lasting deficits (in adults, the main permanent harms are bone loss, menstrual/sex-hormone disruption and metabolic damage rather than lost height). Bottom line: short-term thinness isn’t worth the long-term cost, and if you want to change body composition safely, do it under a nutrition plan that preserves protein, uses a moderate calorie deficit, and maintains micronutrients, and talk to a doctor or registered dietitian rather than self-starving.