Help! I need advice on diet and exercise =)

Tiffbot

Hello! I have been battling with binge eating for about four years now. I will do good for a couple of weeks and then Bam! I binge again. I am working at working through the issues that cause me to binge eat but I was curious if anyone has any tips on that? I also have a question about weight loss and diet that has worked for others. I am currently 5ft2.5in and 136lbs. I am trying to lose 20 or so pounds. Im always torn between working out hard eating more, or eating less working out less, eating less working out more etc. Theres so many options it stresses me out!! This week I decided that I was going to eat 1050cal all healthy whole foods, high protein, with multivitamins and do weights one muscle group a day 5days a week. But then in a matter of 3 days, I ended up going on a 5 mile bike ride, hiking a mountain and running the whole way down, doing my weights, and then walking for two hrs, on top of working a fairly active job. Then I woke up today feeling so sore I could barely walk (literally!) My legs would give out with each step and I was tired. Then I got frustrated and binged, I want to make progress but I just feel like I don't know what the right approach is. If anyone has some experience and solid advice they could help me with I would be so grateful! Thanks

yankeefamily05

Just in my experience on mfp, in my opinion, you should eat at least 1200 calories a day. If (and it looks like you are) you are burning a ton of calories and are a very active person, you should be eating even more than 1200 calories a day. It sounds like your body WANTS food! I am not sure how you split up your meals but maybe try eating 6 small meals a day at 200 calories a piece, so you stay satisfied without binging.

If I don't eat at least 1200 calories a day, I am STARVING and I will eat a ton of a food!

Tiffbot

Thanks I eat 6 meals right now at about 160-200 a piece. I feel fine on my days off from work eating 1050 calories but then ill start the work week and by tuesday I feel burnt out already. I guess I am more active during the week. I always think to myself is this just in my head do I need to just stay focused or does my body actually need more food?!

shonasteele

Your calories are too low to start with. And if you're doing all that exercise you'll need to be eating a LOT more than that to fuel your body. You're going to completely burn yourself out at this rate. Also, eating more regularly might help with the bingeing (I assume you binge when you're hungry?). I'd suggest starting with a much more moderate approach rather than starving yourself and over-exercising.

yankeefamily05

Thanks I eat 6 meals right now at about 160-200 a piece. I feel fine on my days off from work eating 1050 calories but then ill start the work week and by tuesday I feel burnt out already. I guess I am more active during the week. I always think to myself is this just in my head do I need to just stay focused or does my body actually need more food?!

I would be willing to bet that your body needs more food! Our bodies are like machines. If we don't fuel them properly, we stop puffing along!:)

haleycreations

Well as everyone has said your body is needing at least 1200 calories a day to just function properly. Not to mention when you add in the working out now your body needs even more because as you know if you are doing your diary counter on this site it adds back to the calories that you might need for a day. I burn anywhere from 300-1000 calories doing my workouts and I am doing Insanity and P90X which are very demanding on your body at times. I have a daily calorie need of 2090 it says for me not counting my workout shredding more calories off of me and needing to recover. You might look into a recovery drink that will help you when you get done with a workout.

I to found myself wanting to binge between workouts and I had to focus on the WHY? You might ask the WHY what is that, well I mean I had a person as me that a while back and it put things in perspective and from there I understood what I had to do. I mean that you need to know WHY you want to lose weight and or feel better whatever your WHY is that is what you need to do to get there. It is different for everyone and for me it was being there for my two little girls when they get married and on the road I was going I was never going to make it. After finishing the two programs for the first time I have now stopped taking my depression and anxiety medication do to the feeling that it gives me from working out and now I don't recommend it for everyone unless your doctor tells you it is ok, it worked for me. I lost 55 lbs doing the workouts and I am in the best shape of my life or at least for now.

Let me know your WHY and we can go from there!!
Robert

Tiffbot

My WHY? Hmm well that has a few reasons for me. One I LOVE to exercise and I love how happy and balanced I feel when I exercise and eat healthy. When Im heavier(like now) its harder to workout, I don't have as much energy or endurance, I feel and sleep like crap, my skin looks unhealthy, and my self confidence goes way down. I also want to lose weight to look better. Be more attractive. Have that body I know I am capable of. I guess I just don't have confidence that it will work. I feel like I have to go to the extremes to get results I want. I always wonder how people get there? Im afraid if I eat too much that I wont lose weight. I wish I had a guarantee that I would get there then maybe I would have patience. These things probably take more time that what I give them before I give up?