not overweight, but I still want to lose

hunger4love

Hi everyone. I'm new to posting in the forums, so please be kind! I am wondering if anyone else is here for similar reasons. I am 5'6, 152ish lbs; not, technically, "overweight". I just want to lose ~10lbs. because I want to like what I see when I look in the mirror. I used to weigh ~140 a couple of years ago, but gained weight after a bad break up/bad work situation double-whammy. My self-esteem is not so great. I know that I'm not "fat"; I just see that I am bigger than I used to be and I am not as self-confident as I was at a smaller size.

I binge eat regularly, at least once a week. Why? I've thought about this. Stress - I am a graduate student so I work crazy hours and am generally under a lot of pressure. I am also pretty isolated socially. I am extremely active professionally and I experience a ton of human contact through work, but I am also single, live alone, and have few close friends. I know what my binging is about - I binge at night when I am lonely and anxious. I'm seeking comfort. So I binge at night, and then sleep poorly. Then the next day I'm sleep deprived, bloated, and ashamed of myself.

I was also recently diagnosed with adrenal fatigue (sometimes called adrenal insufficiency) by a naturopath. This condition is also associated with anxiety, binge eating, and weight gain, so I know it's not "all in my head" - my depleted adrenals are also playing a role here. I am aware that binge eating strains the adrenals, since they help regulate blood sugar.

I have mixed feelings. Stopping binging is a health issue. Losing weight I acknowledge is more of a vanity/self-esteem issue.

I just want to feel confident in my own skin again! Anybody else in a similar position? Just looking for camaraderie and support. Please no hateful or mean comments. I see a lot of that on here, and I have received plenty of that throughout my life already.

catgerm

I started using mfp after 2 kids. I'm down to my pre pregnancy weight, so I hit my goal overall.

I have cut out grains from my diet and try to stick to eating real foods. I have mfp set to lose .5lbs per week since I am still breastfeeding.

I figure i will keep my eating the same, and if I keep losing, great! I definitely feel much better and more confident.

Good luck!

rileysowner

No need to cut our food groups. Read through the messages in this http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10300331/most-helpful-posts-getting-started-must-reads#latest and you will find what you need in terms of advice. I also believe there is a group for light women looking to get lighter.

jgnatca

My Facebook feed profiled a professional hugger. She has a lot of single clients. An oversized teddy bear might work similar miracles.

Chef_Barbell

catgerm wrote: »

I started using mfp after 2 kids. I'm down to my pre pregnancy weight, so I hit my goal overall.

I have cut out grains from my diet and try to stick to eating real foods. I have mfp set to lose .5lbs per week since I am still breastfeeding.

I figure i will keep my eating the same, and if I keep losing, great! I definitely feel much better and more confident.

Good luck!

Grains aren't real foods? :huh:

richardgavel

hunger4love wrote: »

I have mixed feelings. Stopping binging is a health issue. Losing weight I acknowledge is more of a vanity/self-esteem issue.

There's nothing wrong with losing weight for vanity reasons. That's where I'm at. Though I did hit a the lower limit of where I'm comfortable (157 @ 6') and I still had loose skin which I simply have to have patience and wait 1 or 2 years to tighten. I also realized I had to build muscle and then lose more fat. It's a long process, so just know that you might not feel 100℅ happy about the way you look the moment you hit your goal weight.

rileysowner

This group might be of help as well http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/group/499-not-that-heavy-girls

Cbestinme

I think I saw the word "binge" in your question. Before using mfp community pages, I would use words like "binge' ... apparently binge is an eating disorder... so asking out of concern for you - do you think you are "binge" (in the disorder fashion) or are you using the term "binge" rather loosely? I think I also saw the word you feel ashamed? I've heard there's a famous person called Brene Brown who talks about shame. I guess my suggestion here is if you have anything that might approach an eating disorder and perhaps combined with other technical terms like shame, does your grad program have any stress or health or counseling professionals that you could talk to (in addition to the online people on mfp)?