Not everyone that asks how to lose weight needs to lose.

SteelySunshine

I think I see at least one person a day that I suspect is developing an eating disorder. Or, I will see someone that is very close to goal weight and they are still following a plan to lose two pounds a week. And people will advise them on how to keep their calories really low without bothering to check where this person is as far as goal weight and health objectives.

People who are close to goal weight really do need to start eating closer to maintenance. This is my opinion and I am pretty sure it's correct. But, I have a reason for suggesting this strategy. The reason is that it's a bit easier to transition to eating at maintenance if you ease into it for a couple of months. I think it's less a shock on your body and it's a good time to learn what it's like to maintain while still dropping a few pounds along the way. I also think this phase could last several months. It also might be a good time to get a full assessment of where you are health wise a full physical and a good estimate on what your BF/LW ratio is. If you are a woman under 20% you are in a healthy place already, but it won't hurt to go down a bit more to 18%. I think men can go down to 10% and still be in a healthy range. So the point is if you are close to or at a healthy range in your weight or BF it's ok to slow it down a lot and focus on body composition and meeting your other goals like running races or whatever.

AleciaG724

I totally agree!

ittyXbittyXbritty

Speaking as someone with an ED (currently trying to recover from bulimia nervosa), I would just like to say that you don't develop an eating disorder solely from dieting. I mean sure, the "trademark" of an eating disorder is poor dietary habits (low calorie, fasting, purging, etc) but that's not ALL it is.
It's more of a control thing, at least it is/was for me.
Because I can't control my life, but I feel better if I only eat 500 calories because I can control that.
or maybe because if I was emaciated, no one will hate me, and I won't hate me.
You don't just develop it because you're eating at a plan to help you lose two pounds a week.
Chances are, if that's their only vice, they probably would change it after a while...
I mean honestly, REALLY think about what you're saying..."they are still following a plan two pounds a week"
Is it healthy two pounds a week? Because unless there is more to it, it isn't an eating disorder, it's probably just a dietary error.
there's a lot more to an eating disorder than just eating habits.
and I'm sorry but your post really irked me and I had to say something.
I honestly think you're horribly misinformed about eating disorders.

shadus

I don't think many people would disagree with you and nor do I. Once you're within 10-15 lbs of your goal weight, even losing 2lbs a week is unrealistic in many cases, you would be eating like 900 calories a day or alternately would be ending far in a deficit due to exercise and not making back hardly any of those calories.

Generally speaking, I'm willing to help anyone, I'll give my opinion regardless of it's really what they want to hear or not and often times I'll reply one way on a post and email them privately as to not start drama as well if what I think they're doing is dangerous. I generally try to provide information backed by science and sources if I mail someone so that they're aware this isn't just my opinion or that I'm trying to tell them my way is the only way (it isn't) and I also try to be fairly clinical about it. Most people seem to respond well to that.

Personally, I've got the body of a god (Budai)... but I'm not satisfied with JUST that anymore, I'm aiming more for say, Ares or Dionysus. First goal is to get in a shape other than round and then the second goal is to recomp into something that isn't closely related to the blob.

A big part of the problem here at least is the various hardcore groups who won't relent, if you don't eat clean you can't lose weight, all that matters is calories in and out, if your macros aren't right you can't lose weight, you must eat breakfast to lose weight, you can't do cardio that's stupid lift weights, you can't lift weights alone do cross-fit, you cant... blah blah blah i could go on all day. The reality is,what works for one, might never work for another due to lifestyle, money, circumstance, disease, dietary restrictions, strength, time available, etc...

In the end though, we're all big kids and we gotta put on our big kid panties and pull them up ourselves, we got ourselves into the shape we're in regardless of how bad that is with weight or lack of muscle and we're the only ones that can get us out of that shape. If we do that in a more healthy way, bravo. If we do it a less healthy way, but we're ~at least doing something~...baby steps and hopefully they come to see the value of a more healthy methodology along the way.

If you're doing something dangerous-- that's one thing. If you're doing it in a non-optimal way, that's a whole different ballgame, worth noting, but not worth getting upset over.

SteelySunshine

Speaking as someone with an ED (currently trying to recover from bulimia nervosa), I would just like to say that you don't develop an eating disorder solely from dieting. I mean sure, the "trademark" of an eating disorder is poor dietary habits (low calorie, fasting, purging, etc) but that's not ALL it is.
It's more of a control thing, at least it is/was for me.
Because I can't control my life, but I feel better if I only eat 500 calories because I can control that.
or maybe because if I was emaciated, no one will hate me, and I won't hate me.
You don't just develop it because you're eating at a plan to help you lose two pounds a week.
Chances are, if that's their only vice, they probably would change it after a while...
I mean honestly, REALLY think about what you're saying..."they are still following a plan two pounds a week"
Is it healthy two pounds a week? Because unless there is more to it, it isn't an eating disorder, it's probably just a dietary error.
there's a lot more to an eating disorder than just eating habits.
and I'm sorry but your post really irked me and I had to say something.
I honestly think you're horribly misinformed about eating disorders.

Thank you for your response but this isn't really about people with eating disorders per se. Sure it's part of it I have seen people respond to people that have admitted their weight and it is at least on the chart a weight that is generally considered to be underweight and they get advice that is more appropriate for someone that is morbidly obese. It's more common to see someone that is at a healthy weight or close to it be frustrated by their slow pace of losing and they are still eating as if they are trying to lose 2 pounds a week. That is no longer realistic for a whole lot of reasons and as I said they should be transitioning at that point and be more focused on body composition and their other fitness goals.