Some advice

keelycj1

Hey guys,

So I would really appreciate some advice about my situation. I'm 18, about 5'4", and 122 lbs, and rather small-boned. I am far from anorexic, but I do believe that I am not my healthiest self, and I believe I could stand to loose about 10-15 lbs of fat, and gain about 5 lbs of muscle. My goal weight is 113-115. As I am in college now, I am realizing that there are a lot of temptations in the form of food. Junk food is VERY easily acceptable, but salads and other healthy foods are definitely available. I binge eat on junk food very easily, and am easily tempted, but I have been able to in the past keep resolve for a few months.

With that context, I should also say that I am somewhat afraid of becoming boarder-line anorexic, and this along with the fact that most people would not consider me overweight can inadvertently convince my mind that I don't need to worry about gaining, and I feel really guilty the next morning after binging. It seems to be a vicious cycle.

Does anyone have a similar situation to this, or have any insight that might help me healthily meet my goal? I am very open to any ideas or thoughts that you might have. Also, I would love some friends to keep me accountable in being consistent in my food journal! Thanks so much!

diannethegeek

Since you're a student and you mention worries about anorexia and issues with binge eating, it might be worthwhile to look into your school's mental health resources. You may have access to free or reduced cost counselors who have experience with disordered eating.

keelycj1

I mainly have a fear of disordered eating and I don't purge so I'm not sure that would help. But thanks for the advice.

Cahgetsfit

well look at it this way - if you start to lift heavy things you will put on muscle and burn fat. The scale weight might not be your "ideal" 113-115 BUT you will look and feel better.

Right now at 59kgs I am smaller than I ever was when I was 55Kg even back in the long ago days of college. Seriously - clothes are falling off me. I put on a shirt the other day that I bough when I was about 18 (I'm now 40) and it fit better than it ever had back then.

Plus - the bonus of lifting heavy things is that you get to eat more food and not worry about starving or eating disordered thinking.

Good luck!

keelycj1

Cahgetsfit wrote: »

well look at it this way - if you start to lift heavy things you will put on muscle and burn fat. The scale weight might not be your "ideal" 113-115 BUT you will look and feel better.

Right now at 59kgs I am smaller than I ever was when I was 55Kg even back in the long ago days of college. Seriously - clothes are falling off me. I put on a shirt the other day that I bough when I was about 18 (I'm now 40) and it fit better than it ever had back then.

Plus - the bonus of lifting heavy things is that you get to eat more food and not worry about starving or eating disordered thinking.

Good luck!

Thanks so much! This is really helpful. I really appreciate it.

keelycj1

Cutaway_Collar wrote: »

I also want to add that we all like to eat and gain weight. After halloween/thanksgiving, there always is an extension on my stomach radius.

I quickly go into a low carb/low sugar diet (sugar is carb too) but I am saying it out loud anyway... and increase my fat/protein intake. And I do regular weights sessions and I drop weight fast in 2-3 weeks. And then I go into maintenance mode.

And then comes Christmas-NY eve.

But same strategy.

This sounds like a great plan! Exactly what type of weight lifting would you recommend? I started doing pushups-- starting with 1, and now I'm up to 10. I'm going to try to start hitting the gym in the morning right after I get over a nasty cold. I've done some running in my exercise past but I'm not too experienced in the realm of weights.

Thanks!

diannethegeek

Cutaway_Collar wrote: »

diannethegeek wrote: »

Since you're a student and you mention worries about anorexia and issues with binge eating, it might be worthwhile to look into your school's mental health resources. You may have access to free or reduced cost counselors who have experience with disordered eating.

Why are you prescribing mental health counseling? Nowhere did she indicate she had an eating disorder.

Listen, OP, junkfooding is normal in college. That is what college students do. Your best bet is to launch a weights routine and eat in moderation. Once you start lifting, you will have plenty of energy and you will be hungry a lot and you need to keep the junk in check. But if you hit the weights gym regularly, you will reach your goals. The key is not to go into starvation mode. Remember that nobody starved their way to healthy living.

Calm your tits. I didn't "prescribe" anything. I'm not the OP's doctor. She mentioned she was worried about anorexia and the guilt after binging. A mental health professional can tell her whether or not that's an issue for her far better than anyone else here. Personally, I think the OP is worried about nothing, but I'm not a professional.

amy_kee

If someone was leaning toward unhealthy eating and being obsessed about it, a mental health counselor at a college would be a good way to go to ward off any upcoming unhealthy eating issues. Note--I haven't said that OP has any of this, but, if it did feel that way ever for her, it could help.

You were a young guy, still growing in college and you are fortunate you got away with eating 3 -- 4 pizzas a day. On a woman, or young girl, that would cause a lot of unwanted weight gain. Just because something worked for you, doesn't mean it will work the same for everybody else.