finally done losing..question

lbpw

i have finally reached my goal. actually im about 4 lbs under what my goal was but either way im done with losing which is good! the only problem is ive developed an eating disorder and cant get my mind to comprehend that im at a good weight and dont have to lose anymore. so i have a question about exercise. ive tried cutting back on it a bit but im terrified of gaining. im eating very little and recently started seeing a therapist who will guide me on gradually incorporating more into my diet. it seems now though that my body is rapidly losing more than ever. in the last week ive lost about 4 lbs with only 4 days of exercise when i used to do 6 days. my question is basically how can i maintain this weight. how much exercise should i do weekly that will be just enough to maintain and not lose anymore. i guess it varies for different people but if i continue to lose my body is going to end up shutting down and my health has already gone down hill quite a bit. some people have recommended only 3 days a week but to someone who is used to so much that seems like so little and i would drive myself crazy thinking ive gained. does anybody have any thought on this?

oAngieMaeo

First of all GOOD JOB with losing and getting to your goal weight! You should be very proud of yourself..
Have you thought about maybe seeing a therapist? Or a nutritionist? They might help you set your new goal of maintaining your weight and help you with the anxiety of gaining.
Good luck!!!

Mamakatspokane

I still have about 13lbs to go till goal but I'm already stressed about maintenance. I know how to lose....I just suck at maintaining! Thanks for the post I hope you get some great answers!

LittleSpy

Can you just start eating maintenance calories (as determined by the info you plug into MFP) and then eat your exercise calories whenever you exercise?

I know you know this, but it's not like you're going to gain 20 pounds over night & have to lose it all over again so stop worrying about that (easier said than done, I know). If you see yourself steadily gaining (over the course of a couple of weeks), cut back on your calories or up on your exercise. It's probably a little bit of a guessing game at this point and you're just going to have to figure out what works for you.

Congratulations on reaching your goal weight, that's amazing!

lbpw

First of all GOOD JOB with losing and getting to your goal weight! You should be very proud of yourself..
Have you thought about maybe seeing a therapist? Or a nutritionist? They might help you set your new goal of maintaining your weight and help you with the anxiety of gaining.
Good luck!!!

thanks i am seeing a therapist and looking into a nutritionist so hopefully that will be of some help.

vanessadawn

I would say that if you are still losing, then you need to eat more to make up for your exercising. Eat your exercise calories, more protein and healthy fats. Maybe some shakes after your workout? Remember with more muscle you will be burning more calories even at rest, so you need to eat more calories. Good luck I too have dealt with eating disorders and ultimately you can't give in to it and let it win. There can be a healthy balance

sgsnow79

Congrats on having the self-awareness to seek out a therapist to help you! Its really hard to find the sort of balance that it takes in order to avoid going from 'addicted to food' to 'addicted to exercise'. As you work with your therapist on finding out what will work for you to maintain your weight, remember to take a daily vitamin, slowly adjust your calories to a maintenance rather than weight loss level, and perhaps continue to exercise by simply lowering the intensity level and upping your food intake. Just ideas...

Another tip? Find something else that you can slowly put some of your energy and passion into - it sounds like you've been a dedicated loser for a while! What other things do you like about yourself? What other things do you like to do? Sometimes these can be great ways to release the control that the drive for weight loss has on a person...

Good luck to you!

jiminoregon

lpbw,

I'm not a mental health professional...so I can only give you advice based on my own experience. About 20 years ago I was 260 lbs. and extremely unhappy. I worked my butt off (literally) and got down to a svelte 170lbs. I was certain this would lead to my happiness. But no. I was so dejected I gave up and blossomed to 307 lbs over the past 20 years. Now I'm trying to lose that weight for health reasons...and have no expectations of any sense of bliss when I reach my goal.

I say this because I feel you have accomplished this goal and have a sense of, "now what". If society says I need to be thin to be happy, then if I'm not happy it must be because I'm not thin enough! This can spiral into body dismorphia. I'm afraid you could be heading that direction. The good news is that there is help for this, and a lot of resources available.

People like myself that are prone to addiction are much more vulnerable to this than most. At least you recognize where this is heading. I have complete confidence that you'll handle this and succeed! I'm a dad...I know these things!

Jim