Overweight Anorexic?

Tristis

Okay...I'm relatively new here. I'm looking for some friends in the 100+ to lose club. So, check out my profile and add me.

Also, quick question...we have all heard about stress eaters. Stress affects me a bit differently, though. When I'm stressed I don't want to eat at all. Also, I tend to not want to sleep either. Anyone else out there have stress affect them in a similar way?

And is anyone else out there overweight due to not eating enough calories? I'm struggling to eat my allotted calories a day, but I don't want to eat unhealthy things just to get my calories up. Any wisdom or words of encouragement here would help me out a lot! I was diagnosed with anorexia at over 200 lbs!

Healthy living and great weekend to all of you!

AnneGenevieveS

Many over weight people will tell you they only eat once per day, and hate breakfast. Its terrible on your body, and your body holds on to fat because it never knows when its next meal is coming from.

I was working at a clinic over the summer and we did a "study" of sorts about getting our obese type II diabetics (some of them over 300 pounds) to get them to eat more often. When they made themselves eat 3 meals per day, and 2 snacks (granted, these were not huge meals), they actually had much improved blood sugars and started losing tons of weight. Especially if they started walking too. So maybe they ate the same amount of food but spread it over the day instead of one meal. Maybe they improved their habits to included more fruits and vegetables. Maybe they actually ate MORE.

My advice... eat breakfast even if you don't want to. Spread out your meals evenly through the day. Maybe you eat all your calories at once, or starve for a day?... your body suffers from that. and #1 EXERCISE.! Even if its just walking around the block to start out with. Your body's metabolism will increase, and you will start to feel better.

AnneGenevieveS

Also I personally know what crash dieting and "anorexic" behaviors can do to your body. Don't know how old you are, but I had a very bad relationship (still do sometimes) with food, and up until I was 17, I could lose weight. Now, my body will not lose weight at all without crazy amounts of exercise. It is very difficult for me to lose weight. i think I really did some damage with the starving and crash diets.

Hold your chin up and just keep trying. We are all here to support you.

mynameiscarrie

Did they say anorexia nervosa? or just Anorexia? If they said Anorexia nervosa, definitely get a second opinion because they can't clinically diagnose you with that if you're over 200 pounds. There are specific guidlines that have to be followed and one of those is refusal to maintain 85% of lowest recommended body weight for the individual's height. Now, if they just diagnosed your with Anorexia that's different, and they should have told you the difference, if they didn't. Anorexia simply means loss of appetite which is NOT an eating disorder and sounds like what you are experiencing.

What I would recommend is to add things to meals to get calories. Instead of light Ranch with your salad get real ranch dressing. Add cheese to your broccoli. Things like that. Or maybe add a slim fast or some sort of protein shake into your diet to get those extra calories. Little things like that will help a lot. Good luck!

Coyla

annegenevieves has great advice!

Sounds like the weight problem comes from stress and having a severe imbalance when it comes to calories.

You can't technically gain weight by eating too little. But, say, you eat under under 1200 calories for six days in a row, due to stress, then eat 2000/3000 on the last day. Your body may hold onto those extra calories and store them as fat, because of the lack of balance and especially because of the stress.

Most people stress eat, which can be bad. But I think stress fasting is even worse, because your body doesn't understand the external factors. Stress plus fasting tells the body there is a famine, so the body compensates by storing every extra calorie as fat whenever it gets them.

Anorexics and obese individuals have more in common than you'd think. Both have issues with food. Anyone who struggles with food controlling them is in danger of going the opposite extreme. I see many, many overweight people who struggle as much with eating enough calories as they ever did with eating too much.

Jayni40

I totally understand what you mean. For the longest time I would only eat one meal a day usually around 6pm. Some people just did not understand how I can be so heavy eating once a day.I knew I had to eat more throughout the day.I too struggle with getting all my calories in 1800 a day.But I am spreading my meals out. My other problem is i work the night shift So its different timing for me. But this site is helping me out a lot keeping track of when and what I eat.I only been on for a week its a great tool. Good luck on your weight loss and yes i am part of the 100+ club!! Welcome

Tristis

annegenevieves, thanks for your comments. I am 35 and have been eating one meal a day or sometimes a week most of my life. I am now up to 3 meals a day sometimes including 2 snacks and the weight is dropping off probably faster than it should. I'm not yet excersicing, per se, but I will once my new born son allows me some free time!

Tristis

carrieloo, they did not diagnose me with nervosa. My doctor was concerned and diagnosed me with anorexia when he discovered I had not eaten in several days and that this behavior was typical for me. I have always liked healthy foods; so, what I ate then was not typically bad for me...I was eating far too few calories if any per day.

mynameiscarrie

Ok, that what I was thinking, but people usually don't know the difference between the two unless they're in the medical/psychology field somehow. I just didn't want you, or anyone else, to assume it was nervosa if it wasn't.

But anyways, I would just say add things. Peanut butter etc. Some sort of slim fast or protien shake would probably be really good because it's not really bad for you, but it would be relatively easy to drink it and gain calories even though you're not hungry you know? Is there any medication you can get to increase your appetite? Or try looking at natural supplements that increase appetite a little bit? There's got to be something out there. And if you can't eat all the calories in a day make sure you're taking some sort of vitamin so you can get those regardless.

calmmomw3minimeez

Wow! I did that very thing for years - the not eating and gaining weight thing, then all of a sudden I went the other way to eating all the time! I gained wgt pretty quickly and by the time I got on MFP, I was only 30 lbs away from 200! I'm so glad I found this thread because I never understood that NOT eating could have that effect, but I definitely was a stress-non-eater. Thanks guys, any of you guys that want to add me, feel free!:noway:

Tristis

carrieloo, I was on something for awhile to increase appetite. It was a short term thing, though...I can't even remember what it was called. I really don't want to go that route again, though. I don't like taking man-made drugs.

The natural thing I can think of is illegal here (haha!); so, I don't want to try that route either!

The shakes suggestion is a good one. I don't know why I didn't think of it, but that is what the forum is for, right? Thanks so much.

Also, I do take a multi-vitamin and fish oil.

mynameiscarrie

bahahahaha move to california?? lol just kidding. it sounds like you understand what you need to do which is good. I really like the slim fast shakes--the chocolate one is my favorite...I'm weird that way. It comes in powder form too, you mix it with milk, and I usually get that because it's cheaper per serving. also ensure's are decent. Of anything though, I would say the Slim Fast powder. Just mix it with cold milk and you're good to go. It's kinda nice too because you can control how chocolate-y (or whatever flavor) it is and you can make as much as you want.

Tristis

I drank slim fast MANY years ago. I used to like the strawberry flavor. I will definitely have to check it out again. Thanks again for all of your help!