Am I developing a Binge Eating Disorder or is this normal?

Relaxingmind
Relaxingmind Posts: 55 Member
edited December 3 in Fitness and Exercise
About a month ago I starting doing heavy lifting including squatting with weights (I used to squat without). For the past few weeks, I've been hungrier than previously and so I've been eating an additional 300-400 calories each day because I just couldn't hold back. I've also recently got some strong carb cravings. Is this all normal? I hope I'm not developing an eating disorder :/
I'm 5'6 and 130 pounds. I'm trying to lose 15-20 pounds.

Replies

  • tiptoethruthetulips
    tiptoethruthetulips Posts: 3,371 Member
    edited September 2016
    Less than three ago you weighed 140lb. 10lb loss in that time for someone who started out with a BMI of about 22.5 is significant. If you were not sick you have been significantly undereating. You probably are eating extra because you have been significantly undereating in the past few weeks and the cravings are you body saying feed me!

  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
    5ft6 and 110lbs is pretty low?

    Youre a healthy weight now so If you're really hungry it's probably your body telling you that!

    You can still get leaner, you just need to lose slowly (0.5lbs per week) and fuel your workouts.

    Make sure you're getting enough fat and protein.
  • malibu927
    malibu927 Posts: 17,562 Member
    TavistockToad wrote: »
    5ft6 and 110lbs is pretty low?

    Youre a healthy weight now so If you're really hungry it's probably your body telling you that!

    You can still get leaner, you just need to lose slowly (0.5lbs per week) and fuel your workouts.

    Make sure you're getting enough fat and protein.

    It's underweight, even
  • fostersu
    fostersu Posts: 327 Member
    Not an expert, but it sounds like your body is asking for those extra 300 cals. When I was lifting in spring and tried to cut too much food my workouts were noticeably weaker.
  • Sabine_Stroehm
    Sabine_Stroehm Posts: 19,263 Member
    edited September 2016
    Is there a reason you're aiming for underweight? 5'6" and 130Lbs is pretty well perfect. Maybe your body knows that...
  • gothchiq
    gothchiq Posts: 4,590 Member
    No, you don't have BED. You are simply experiencing hunger because you need more food.
  • ChelzFit
    ChelzFit Posts: 292 Member
    I am 5'7 and 135ish, I know for me my body cant go any less than that. When it does it lets me know. I become tired, more hungry and I usually burn out from exercise.
  • gatamadriz
    gatamadriz Posts: 68 Member
    You sound like you are building muscle, and your body needs the extra calories to repair itself. Extra protein may help. Also, have you ever been weighed on a scale that measures fat, muscle mass, water and bone and organ weight? You may want to do that before try and go down to 110. It may be that you have low body fat now, but the pounds on the scale you are seeing is actually muscle mass which is active and healthy.
  • Relaxingmind
    Relaxingmind Posts: 55 Member
    Well I need to get more fit. Long story short, I lost around 40 pounds with light exercise and a deficit aside from the exercise but now its getting really difficult. At the same time, I still have my troubled spots in the lower half especially thighs and lower stomach. I heard you can't spot reduce. Well what other option do I have if more weight loss is a bad idea?
  • TR0berts
    TR0berts Posts: 7,739 Member
    Relaxingmind wrote: »
    Well I need to get more fit. Long story short, I lost around 40 pounds with light exercise and a deficit aside from the exercise but now its getting really difficult. At the same time, I still have my troubled spots in the lower half especially thighs and lower stomach. I heard you can't spot reduce. Well what other option do I have if more weight loss is a bad idea?

    You could do what's called a recomp.

    Long thread, but worth it. http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10177803/recomposition-maintaining-weight-while-losing-fat#latest

    Also: https://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/2011/07/21/meet-staci-your-new-powerlifting-super-hero/
  • CharlieBeansmomTracey
    CharlieBeansmomTracey Posts: 7,682 Member
    gatamadriz wrote: »
    You sound like you are building muscle, and your body needs the extra calories to repair itself. Extra protein may help. Also, have you ever been weighed on a scale that measures fat, muscle mass, water and bone and organ weight? You may want to do that before try and go down to 110. It may be that you have low body fat now, but the pounds on the scale you are seeing is actually muscle mass which is active and healthy.

    those scales are very inaccurate,as for building muscle you wont build that much in a deficit(if she is in infact in a deficit,since shes losing weight I would say she is in one)
  • malibu927
    malibu927 Posts: 17,562 Member
    CharlieBeansmomTracey wrote: »
    gatamadriz wrote: »
    You sound like you are building muscle, and your body needs the extra calories to repair itself. Extra protein may help. Also, have you ever been weighed on a scale that measures fat, muscle mass, water and bone and organ weight? You may want to do that before try and go down to 110. It may be that you have low body fat now, but the pounds on the scale you are seeing is actually muscle mass which is active and healthy.

    those scales are very inaccurate,as for building muscle you wont build that much in a deficit(if she is in infact in a deficit,since shes losing weight I would say she is in one)

    Especially after only lifting for a month
  • singingflutelady
    singingflutelady Posts: 8,736 Member
    300-400 calories is definitely not binging and why do you want to be underweight anyways?
  • canadianlbs
    canadianlbs Posts: 5,199 Member
    deadlifts make me willing to eat the neighbour's pets the next day. just sayin'.

    i don't have any authority to talk about eating disorders, but with that said one of the things i like about lifting is how it jolted my attitude towards food into a much more straightforward, practical frame. i've always been one of those people who can go a whole day without really noticing hunger so i was able to treat food almost as if it were optional. i'll eat if i want to or if it's something i like, otherwise meh.

    heavy lifting smacked that mindset upside the head pretty fast. it's kind of neat to be seeing the non-recreational purpose of food.
  • _dixiana_
    _dixiana_ Posts: 3,262 Member
    What @TR0berts said, recomp.

    I'm 5'5" and 129#. At this point in order to get my stomach less flabby I'd need to recomp, which I'm not motivated to do.

    Once you focus on recomp, from what I've read, the scale doesn't change much but the composition of your body will (I.e. You'll have more muscle, less fat but could weigh the same as you do now.)
  • Misspinklift
    Misspinklift Posts: 384 Member
    edited September 2016
    If your lifting weights totally normal. Try having more protein than carbs.
  • jgnatca
    jgnatca Posts: 14,464 Member
    Craving 300-400 calories above your allotment is not a binge.

    It sounds to me like you need more of a reshaping than weight loss. Feed those muscles!
  • smantha32
    smantha32 Posts: 6,990 Member
    Relaxingmind wrote: »
    Well I need to get more fit. Long story short, I lost around 40 pounds with light exercise and a deficit aside from the exercise but now its getting really difficult. At the same time, I still have my troubled spots in the lower half especially thighs and lower stomach. I heard you can't spot reduce. Well what other option do I have if more weight loss is a bad idea?

    Keep lifting. Even if you don't lose weight, your body shape will change to be more like what you want.

This discussion has been closed.

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