Am I losing weight healthily?

LoonyLovegood8
LoonyLovegood8 Posts: 78
in Health and Weight Loss
I am 5'3" and I weighed 120 pounds when I started and ate what I wanted when I wanted and thought because I went on the treadmill 35 minutes 5 days a week I was healthy. But I wasn't.

So I joined a gym and I go 5 - 6 days a week for around an hour. I have lost 8 pounds and I weigh 112 pounds. I am very nervous about food and I worry when I know I have to eat a bit more than usual. I do usually have a cheat a few times a week. I also feel like I have to burn a lot of calories at the gym so I can eat. I constantly think about my weight all day and will constantly compare myself to other people. I feel as if this is getting worse.

Advice?

Replies

  • Koldnomore
    Koldnomore Posts: 1,613 Member
    I am very nervous about food and I worry when I know I have to eat a bit more than usual. I do usually have a cheat a few times a week. I also feel like I have to burn a lot of calories at the gym so I can eat. I constantly think about my weight all day and will constantly compare myself to other people. I feel as if this is getting worse.

    See a doctor. Your relationship with food/exercise sounds suspiciously like the beginnings of an eating disorder - especially if you feel that it is getting worse.
  • LoonyLovegood8
    LoonyLovegood8 Posts: 78
    Oh, thank you for your advice :) x
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,432 MFP Moderator
    How much are you eating?Based on your stats, you shoudl be eating around 1700 calories total a day. Also, are you weight training? And stop worrying about weight, worry about body composition. At your stage, you want to cut fat and maintain muscle. Losing muscle means a slower metabolism and you will make it harder to fill in your skin preventing definition.
  • LoonyLovegood8
    LoonyLovegood8 Posts: 78
    I eat plenty I think. I eat 3 meals a day and some snacks all healthy usually, I don't weight train at the moment I just do a lot of cardio :)
  • tishka11
    tishka11 Posts: 76
    I would suggest to see a nutritionist as they can give you advice not only on how much to eat but also how to incorporate the right foods so that you are getting all the nutrients your body needs.
    It does sound like the beginnings of an eating disorder. Having had one for the majority of my life i can completely relate to how you feel. I am recovered now but it was without doubt one of the most horrible experiences to go through, thus my advice is to seek help now and stop the process before it becomes worse.
    Eating three meals a day does not necessarily mean that you are eating a lot too. I used to eat '3 meals' a day but these were, in reality, quite small, despite what i may have thought at the time.
    Slow and steady is my advice. Talk to your doctor, nutiritionist, even possibly a psychologist to give you some advice, and slowly increase the amounts you are eating. I promise you will feel so much better, not only physically but just in how you think about yourself. Theres always people out there to support you.
    One thing i have learnt to is that you dont need to exercise every day or exercise off all the calories you eat. Its difficult, i know. You think that you need to. But ive found that all that will happen by doing that is you put your body under stress and it goes into stravation mode, thus doing the opposite of what you intended and messing up a whole lot of systems in your body. Relaxing and having a few days away from the gym is really good for your body...and mind
    Good luck, i really glad that you have recognised this could be the beginning of something bad and i really hope you are able to alter those negatives thoughts before they take too much control of your life :)
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,432 MFP Moderator
    I eat plenty I think. I eat 3 meals a day and some snacks all healthy usually, I don't weight train at the moment I just do a lot of cardio :)

    How many calories, thats the important part. Also, if you want to drop fat, then start weight training. It's much better than cardio for that.
  • believe22
    believe22 Posts: 210 Member
    I don't think its NOT normal, only because I'm kind of the same way. I've definitely thought about seeing a specialist about my obsession with food and body image because its really not healthy.
  • Infauna
    Infauna Posts: 89
    Your mindset is concerning, that's not a healthy way to view food/exercise. I suggest speaking to a doctor, counselor or someone that you trust. Although the best person to speak to would be a professional, imho.
  • lallaloolly
    lallaloolly Posts: 228 Member
    i'm not sure why you are stressing, at 5'3" the low end of your weight range is probably between 110-115 pounds. i say set your calories for maintenance and enjoy every single one.
  • mizzie1980
    mizzie1980 Posts: 379 Member
    i'm not sure why you are stressing, at 5'3" the low end of your weight range is probably between 110-115 pounds. i say set your calories for maintenance and enjoy every single one.


    This.

    Your BMI is about 19.8. 18.5 - 24.9 is the healthy range, so you are at the low end of that. If you lose much more, you are going to be unhealthily thin and you don't want that. If you want, work in a little weight training to tone your body, but don't worry about losing more. Eat to maintain your weight.

    If you find that you are obsessing over your weight and the food you are eating, talk to a professional as soon as you can.
  • ironanimal
    ironanimal Posts: 5,922 Member
    Your profile says you want to look fit. What does that mean to you? Perhaps post some examples of it?
  • lovethee23
    lovethee23 Posts: 16 Member
    Thank you for sharing this. I worry about the same things myself pretty often. Your exercise and eating habits sound great, but the mindset is a whole other animal. Stressful and dangerous place to be mentally. Give love and attention to your mind first and foremost; it affects all other aspects of your health, as you probably already know :)
  • AsrarHussain
    AsrarHussain Posts: 1,424 Member
    if your loosing 1-2 lb a week that healthy but remembr dont get obsessed with the scale the mirror plays a big role also just remember take it slow you will get there
  • tishka11
    tishka11 Posts: 76
    if your loosing 1-2 lb a week that healthy but remembr dont get obsessed with the scale the mirror plays a big role also just remember take it slow you will get there

    To some extent you do need to worry about the scale and take it seriously
    eg if you are at a healthy weight, or underweight, but still look in the mirror and think that you need to lose weight or are fat - thus you may sometimes need to convince yourself that the number on the scale is the healthy weight for you despite what you think you see
  • onyxgirl17
    onyxgirl17 Posts: 1,722 Member
    You sound like me when I had an eating disorder. Take care of yourself. Stop comparing yourself to others so much.
  • AsrarHussain
    AsrarHussain Posts: 1,424 Member
    if your loosing 1-2 lb a week that healthy but remembr dont get obsessed with the scale the mirror plays a big role also just remember take it slow you will get there

    To some extent you do need to worry about the scale and take it seriously
    eg if you are at a healthy weight, or underweight, but still look in the mirror and think that you need to lose weight or are fat - thus you may sometimes need to convince yourself that the number on the scale is the healthy weight for you despite what you think you see

    I agree but mirror is sometimes better than scale because sometimes u might have lost water or gained water the scale will not say water but if you take pictures every month that will be good also
  • LoonyLovegood8
    LoonyLovegood8 Posts: 78
    Thank you all very much for your replies! MFP says I should eat 1200 calories a day, I go to the gym 5 - 6 days a week and burn 700 - 800 calories and my net at the end of the day is usually around 500 calories. I'm not sure how good this is? I eat 1200 calories but I burn most of them off and I'm not sure whether this is healthy or not. I know I'm not fat but I feel fat and its all I think about. I weighed 120 pounds and that was healthy but now I weigh 112 pounds and its still healthy but I want to weigh 105 and I don't whether this is healthy or not. The thought of putting on weight scares me to death.
  • GreekByMarriage
    GreekByMarriage Posts: 320 Member
    Netting 500 is not healthy at all... actually bordering on anorexic possibly. You should net at least 1200... I am 5'2" and am 158 pounds... I eat AT LEAST 1400-1500 calories a day and I am steadily losing weight at about a pound a week!
  • half_moon
    half_moon Posts: 807 Member
    :( I grieve for your loss of life, hon. Go talk to a professional before you forget what enjoying life means.
  • GreekByMarriage
    GreekByMarriage Posts: 320 Member
    Also, if you want to look fit and not flabby, you should start adding weights instead of doing cardio so much.
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,432 MFP Moderator
    Thank you all very much for your replies! MFP says I should eat 1200 calories a day, I go to the gym 5 - 6 days a week and burn 700 - 800 calories and my net at the end of the day is usually around 500 calories. I'm not sure how good this is? I eat 1200 calories but I burn most of them off and I'm not sure whether this is healthy or not. I know I'm not fat but I feel fat and its all I think about. I weighed 120 pounds and that was healthy but now I weigh 112 pounds and its still healthy but I want to weigh 105 and I don't whether this is healthy or not. The thought of putting on weight scares me to death.

    That is not healthy and boarderline ED
  • JesterMFP
    JesterMFP Posts: 3,596 Member
    It doesn't sound too healthy to me, you're not eating nearly enough for the amount of exercise you're doing. And mentally, it all sounds very unhealthy. You're aiming for an arbitrary number, the absolute lowest weight in the healthy BMI range for your height. You're nervous about food, you believe you have to earn the right to eat through exercise, and the thought of putting weight on "scares you to death". Does any of that sound healthy to you?

    I'm not trying to be mean, and honestly, the feelings you are describing are not exactly uncommon. That doesn't make it healthy though. Have you thought about what happens when you hit 105 lbs? How will you feel then? I would definitely suggest going to see a doctor, counsellor or dietician to talk about how much you're eating and how you're feeling about it all. It does sound like you're headed down the route of disordered eating, and as scary as it might seem to let go of a little bit of control, if you really want to be healthy, stopping this before it gets worse is definitely the way forward. :flowerforyou:
  • marycmeadows
    marycmeadows Posts: 1,691 Member
    Sounds like you've got an ED, whether you realize this or not. Obsessing over this is not good - plus at 5'3'' 112lbs you probably DO NOT NEED TO LOSE WEIGHT
  • stines72
    stines72 Posts: 853 Member
    hey there... i was in the same boat. i was really worried about food and eating as little as you were... burning almost exactly the same aount of calories in an hour of cardio every single day. not only did my weight loss stall but i felt really crappy. it got old quick and i decided to up my calories to around 1400 and guess what happened? i started losing weight again. i started out at 130 and stalled around 115 just like you. you need to eat more and take it a little easier on the cardio. the weight youre losing at this point is most likely muscle mass which will make you look like youre still flabby even though you weigh less
    now i am under my goal weight of 105 (just like your goal weight) and trying to maintain!
  • LoonyLovegood8
    LoonyLovegood8 Posts: 78
    Ah gosh guys thank you so much, this has scared me I never realised how unhealthy my eating habits are. I'm too scared to mention it or tell anyone though... I don't want people making me put on weight.

Categories