I don’t count calories

Rachwy4

Hi everyone,
I’m really new here and just wanted some general advice. I recovered from anorexia a full five years ago after having anorexia for about 4 years, and I don’t have urges at all to go back to my old ways. However, I do need to lose 15-20 pounds after I was also diagnosed with binge eating disorder. I also do not have any urges to binge anymore (it was only a problem for a year). Anyways, from those experiences I HATE counting calories. It was programmed in me for so long that I never want to do it again. My problem is, I don’t know if I’m eating enough to lose weight. People will say just go through trail and error, but I was hoping to have the weight off by January 4th for my colorado trip! Can people give me examples of their 1200-1300 calorie diets, so I can get ideas of what to eat without having to count? Thank you!

MegaMooseEsq

Given your background, I’m pretty hesitant to offer advice. I totally understand not wanting to count calories, but even if you got a bunch of meal plans, how would you be measuring your portions? I have days around 1200-1300, but I’m measuring everything with a food scale. That seems like the kind of thing that wouldn’t be great for you either. And you’re talking about 15-20 pounds in two months - that’s a pretty steep goal if you’re not significantly obese to start off with. The general advice I’ve heard is not to aim for more than .5 to 1 pound a week once you’re close to normal weight range, or else you’re probably pushing an unhealthy deficit. I really think you’d be best off talking to an ED specialist of some kind if you’re going to try and lose weight. Good luck!

PAV8888

Hello!

You've had some serious EDs in your recent past.
I'm really glad that you feel good and that you're now past them.
So many people find that keeping their EDs in remission is a long term struggle.

In any case, you are now contemplating an aggressive caloric restriction of more than 800 Cal a day in order to achieve a considerable amount of weight loss (15+ lbs) on a very aggressive timetable (66 days).

i.e. you are aiming for weight loss goals that might be appropriate for someone who is morbidly obese and has a TDEE of more than 4000 Cal a day.

Your goals are too aggressive for a person who is either normal weight, or overweight, or has a TDEE of less than 4000 Cal a day.

Somehow I don't think that going down this rabbit hole is a very smart idea for someone with your recent history.

collectingblues

Rachwy4 wrote: »

Hi everyone,
I’m really new here and just wanted some general advice. I recovered from anorexia a full five years ago after having anorexia for about 4 years, and I don’t have urges at all to go back to my old ways. However, I do need to lose 15-20 pounds after I was also diagnosed with binge eating disorder. I also do not have any urges to binge anymore (it was only a problem for a year). Anyways, from those experiences I HATE counting calories. It was programmed in me for so long that I never want to do it again. My problem is, I don’t know if I’m eating enough to lose weight. People will say just go through trail and error, but I was hoping to have the weight off by January 4th for my colorado trip! Can people give me examples of their 1200-1300 calorie diets, so I can get ideas of what to eat without having to count? Thank you!

Can you see a dietitian?

If you're not triggered by exchanges -- I was, which seemed to throw my dietitian for a tailspin -- they can help you come up with a plan that keeps the ED in mind, and *also* helps you rebalance your weight without having to focus on calories.

That's a pretty short time period to lose those 20 pounds, but they might be able to help you get a couple of pounds off, at least, and continue the good successes from there.

I wouldn't do it alone, though. And I wouldn't track here.

kommodevaran

Even 15 pounds in that timeframe is an aggressive goal if 15-20 pounds is all you have to lose. I even suspect you shouldn't lose (that much) as your ED may have skewed your perception of healthy weight. Having a deadline for weightloss is also not the best idea, for anyone.

There is no such thing as not eating enough to lose weight. If you eat less than you burn, you lose weight, and the less you eat, the more and faster you lose. But I suppose you want to do it safely, healthily, effectively and comfortably? Then you have to not eat too little. MFP provides a good general calorie goal. But if you don't want to log your intake, you need a different strategy. You could google meal plans for the amount of calories MFP gives you to lose 1% of your bodyweight per week, but why should you? Don't you, really, know what and how much to eat? Haven't you been given a meal plan by your treatment team?

TavistockToad

Rachwy4 wrote: »

Hi everyone,
I’m really new here and just wanted some general advice. I recovered from anorexia a full five years ago after having anorexia for about 4 years, and I don’t have urges at all to go back to my old ways. However, I do need to lose 15-20 pounds after I was also diagnosed with binge eating disorder. I also do not have any urges to binge anymore (it was only a problem for a year). Anyways, from those experiences I HATE counting calories. It was programmed in me for so long that I never want to do it again. My problem is, I don’t know if I’m eating enough to lose weight. People will say just go through trail and error, but I was hoping to have the weight off by January 4th for my colorado trip! Can people give me examples of their 1200-1300 calorie diets, so I can get ideas of what to eat without having to count? Thank you!

eating too little wont stop you from losing weight.

Rincewind_1965

With your background I would strongly recommend to seek the advice of a physician and/or psychologist.

RoxieDawn

Being on a calorie counting app is not the best place for you. You need an alternate method to losing weight and 15-20 pounds in 8-9 weeks is way too aggressive, this is setting you back up for relapse.

Reach out to your doctors/recovery team for advice on the most healthy and sustainable methods to lose with out compromising your recovery.