I want to lose weight the healthy way but don't know how to

tashaa1992

I have purging type anorexia, I was diagnosed with anorexia when I was six years old and I was diagnosed with purging type anorexia when I was sixteen. I have been in and out of hospital all my life, I am currently in recovery again.
I know losing weight isn't advised, and everyone says I don't need it, but I don't feel comfortable at this weight. I have never lost weight through eating properly obviously lol but I would like to know, how do you know what a healthy balanced diet is? I want to lose some of the weight gained through recovery in a healthy manner, I want to live a healthy lifestyle I can maintain for the rest of my life but right now it feels like I should not really eat to lose the weight, I guess it's because it's what I know? I'm sorry if this is triggering, I just really need advice because I don't actually understand.

islebutterfly09

I think that maybe it would be good to wait a little while before trying to lose weight, at least until you have been able to stop purging. That is what my therapist/dietician advised me to do, even though I was overweight. It is not possible to lose weight in a "healthy way" if we are still using ED behaviors. With lots of help and support, I quit purging 2 years ago, worked on the emotional stuff, and now I am able to lose the weight that I need to lose in a healthy way, through a sensible meal plan and moderate exercise. If you have to purge or starve your body to make weight come off, chances are it isn't weight that needs to come off. When we feed our bodies the right types of foods at the right portions, and exercise in healthy amounts, our body will settle into a healthy weight. Also when I was still struggling with starving/purging and wanted recovery, I started seeing a dietician. She gave me a pretty rigid meal plan to follow until I got ED under control, now I don't have to see her anymore and I can intuitively eat. When we have an ED, a lot of our thought process is really distorted, like how much food/exercise we need and a lot of us have BDD. I had to relearn what good portioning was, and what a healthy weight goal was, and be explained that my body can not function on 800 calories a day. If you really think that you have weight that needs to come off, I would highly advise you to maybe see a dietician or therapist, because they are amazing tools to get where we ultimately want to be: RECOVERED and functioning normally. These are my suggestions from being in recovery a while.

AKbluedragonfly

I think that if you really want to go about it the healthy way, you'll have to listen to those around you as a guide (counselor, family, nutritionist). Even after recovery we can't trust ourselves to diet without the temptation of slipping back into old behaviors. If I were you, I would start by this:
1. Set your goal weight to what a BMI chart says is in the healthy range. If you're already there, then you shouldn't be trying to lose.
2. Set your calories on MFP to cause a 1/2 pound loss a week, which is slow but considered a healthy rate of weight loss.
3. Set a goal to eat the recommended servings of fruit, veggies, protein, and healthy fats. Here's a good site that lists suggested servings based on a 1,600 calorie a day diet, which seems like a lot but 1,500 is the average recommended daily intake for those looking to lose weight. http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/GettingHealthy/NutritionCenter/HealthyDietGoals/Suggested-Servings-from-Each-Food-Group_UCM_318186_Article.jsp

If all that sounds impossible, then you aren't in recovery and you aren't ready to try to lose weight while staying healthy. Gaining weight in treatment doesn't mean you aren't still thinking in a disordered way.

danafoxx

If all that sounds impossible, then you aren't in recovery and you aren't ready to try to lose weight while staying healthy. Gaining weight in treatment doesn't mean you aren't still thinking in a disordered way.

this is exactly my advice. i'm currently struggling with a similar thing as OP, though i have been in recovery for about 2 years. disorder doesn't just go away with gaining weight, but it is very important to stay healthy and not regress into harmful behavior. definitely reach out to someone for advice on your desire to lose weight. for example, i have told my family and doctors that i am trying to get back in shape and maintain my healthy weight and am monitoring my behaviors very closely for warning signs. remember, it is possible to be healthy but you have to completely change your way of old thinking.