gaining on 1200 cal

micjon192

hi

I am 20 years old, 163 cm and 58 kg.
I am recovering from anorexia but have reached a point that i have never been this heavy. it is obviously making me very nervous.
i use myfitnesspal to track my food and drinks.

i do not go over 1200 calories per day and i use shaun t insanity workouts 6 days a week to exercise.
one day a week i try to let my hair down and have a few alcoholic drinks and maybe relax my eating (never anything like a pie or pizza but i will eat bread and dip or a few chips. i stick to champagne or vodka diet coke when drinking. my idea of a cheat meal is something like toast at 1 am. so never a macdonalds burger or anything.

however!!!! I AM NOT LOSING. AT ALL.
it is scaring me that i may have a thyroid issue or something else that might be affected by my anorexia. could someone please suggest something!

mazdauk

I suggest you go and talk to your doctor if you are concerned, but I would guess you are now a sensible weight for your height.

trudijoy

you're working out a lot so some of your weight will be muscle. I would say you need to stop focusing on numbers and what you dislike and start to catalogue what you like about your new body. beating anorexia isn't just about starting to eat again, you need to try and find ways to love and appreciate what you have.

You probably don't have a thyroid disorder if not losing weight is your only symptom.

I'm both a recovering disordered eater (self starvation similar to anorexia) AND i have a thyroid disorder, so I knwo what I'm on about here x

mazdauk

You may actually need to eat a little more as your body may be on "conserve" mode rather than "fat burn". Try eating a handful of nuts or something extra so you're not having "bad" calories but are just taking a little more in.

JenMc14

1200 calories is not enough if you're doing Insanity 6 days a week. Eat more.

ngyoung

Are you considered overweight based on BMI? I don't normally care about BMI unless we're talking about a baseline for height and weight expectations. Your diet may be killing your metabolism, even though cals in=cals out your diet can effect how many calories your body tries to burn and how fast it burns it. If you haven't consulted a doctor about your anorexia should and discuss anything that may relate to your metabolic system, it may not be functioning normally and what works for a majority may not work for you. Also consider the source of your calories, carbs v protein v fat. Getting the majority of your calories from prot, and fat can help stabilize your metabolism and is less likely to get converted to fat cells before your body can use it.

stestut

I agree with others...Talk to your doctor.

but...I can tell you that if you are working out and eating only 1200 calories, I don't think you are eating enough! You will gain!

Try to up to 1500 and WATCH YOUR PERCENTAGES!! Set your goals at 45%Carbs, 40%Protein and 15%Fats. Once I really started watching my percentages, the weight melted away.

I am just relaying what I have learned and what has worked for me.

ILiftHeavyAcrylics

Since you're recovering from anorexia I'd say you should talk to a doctor, preferably one who specializes in eating disorders.

You are already at a healthy weight for your height, so you definitely should be eating more calories. However I imagine having an eating disorder has damaged your metabolism so talking to a professional is the way to go here, IMO.

droneofvelvet

Hi, I was just wondering if they put you on any anti-depressant medication. Usually for recovering eating disorders they might prescribe something like that. When I was taking antidepressants I was eating way less than 1200 and still gaining everyday. If that matches you then you might need to talk to your dr. You should talk to the dr anyway because it only takes a simple blood test to see if your thyroid is off like you are wondering about.

micjon192

Thanks for all your help guys. I've spoken to my doctor and undergoing tests. But he hasn't indicated as to what it might me. It's so frustrating.

How do people lose weight eating more than I do and exercising less? I am currently still 58 kg. the only "bad" thing I do for my diet is have drinks with friends of a weekend. Is this the hindrance? I don't understand how it could possibly be all from that?

Matt_Wild

You are not losing because you are on 1200 calories. Simple as that. You need more food.

Matt_Wild

Thanks for all your help guys. I've spoken to my doctor and undergoing tests. But he hasn't indicated as to what it might me. It's so frustrating.

How do people lose weight eating more than I do and exercising less? I am currently still 58 kg. the only "bad" thing I do for my diet is have drinks with friends of a weekend. Is this the hindrance? I don't understand how it could possibly be all from that?

Because you have a damaged metabolism. Look up metabolic damage.

Or watch this http://www.biolayne.com/nutrition/biolayne-video-log-9-metabolic-damage/

Kiska77

You are doing insanity 6 days a week, so not only are burning an insane number of calories but likely adding muscle you haven't had before. 1200 cals a day probably isn't enough. If you aren't getting enough then your body goes into panic mode and holds onto EVERY thing it can (your history of disordered eating probably make this even more likely to happen). You don't want that.
It might be a terrifying idea, but maybe try adding some healthy, nutrient rich calories and see how you do? I'm talking an extra salad with a little grilled chicken in it. Try not to worry so much about the number on the scale (tough, i know) but instead on how your clothes look. The scale can be misleading. I've known a number of people who looked better in their after pictures, several sizes smaller, even though they'd gained 10 pounds b/c they'd lost a ton of fat and replaced it with lean muscle.

6550mom

Hi there. And congrats for coming as far as you have.

I noticed that a bunch of people said the same thing- eat more, but it didn't seem to register. You asked the same question again without acknowledging that suggestion. I think it is complicated because you have had an eating disorder and it may be very, very scary for you to think about eating even more- at risk of gaining even more. Please talk to a doc or nutritionist that has experience with eating disorders to help you sort that out.

It's really not B.S. to say you might need more food. Long story short, I was once told the same thing and was beyond skeptical. I thought, that might be true for others, but not for me. I had to go have metabolic testing (RMR) to SHOW me that I needed more calories. Even then, I was resistant. But, I did it and IT WORKED. I couldn't believe it.
That was 7 years ago after my first baby. Fast-forward thru pregnancies, illness, surgeries, etc and I now have 15 pounds to lose again.
I started insanity and 1200 cals. Scale would NOT budge. Then I upped 1400, 1500, 1600... Finally scale is moving and I'm thrilled!

I am not saying this is the answer for you. Like several people have said, it's more complicated with your history. Talk to your doc or see if metabolic testing would be helpful. Or just try adding cals 100 at a time and see if it changes.

I'm in my early 40s, have 3 kids, a job am 5'2 and 145 pounds and what I always considered to be sluggish metabolism.

mgobluetx12

For those of you who didn't do the math, her "have never been this heavy" is 127lbs at 5'4.

OP- You are already at a healthy weight, you really need to seek a doctor's help because you are still showing major symptoms of anorexia by eating 1200 and working out so much. Please see your doctor ASAP.

roiLEI1554

to the poster:
i've also been there! eating disorder, regaining weight, not losing, etc etc
but, like some people have already said before, a lot of weight loss is mindset, and if you do it as you currently are now (which is geared towards falling back into an eating disorder, or at least that's what it seems like to me) you won't get the results you want

eat more. exercise moderately. enjoy a little. Before thinking about losing weight, rethink WHY you want to lose it and whether or not you even need to in the first place

6550mom

You are correct with the math. Crap - I read it as 68 kg ~ almost 150 pounds, which would still not be outrageous, but I could see not wanting to gain more at that weight for the height.

Yes, OP, please see your doc for the appropriate referral. Good luck to you.

serenapitala

See your doctor, but less for the possible issues with not losing weight. I would be more concerned about your food obsessions. You have had problems in the past. Now, after joining MFP in Feb, you are concerned because you have not lost any weight. Have you even given it a month? I don't want to sound harsh, I really want to be helpful. You need to examine where your healthy weight is and why you want to lose weight. A doctor would definitely be the best person to help you. It is certainly possible that the anorexia has caused problems, but your thinking may be a problem too.

serenapitala

Thanks for all your help guys. I've spoken to my doctor and undergoing tests. But he hasn't indicated as to what it might me. It's so frustrating.

How do people lose weight eating more than I do and exercising less? I am currently still 58 kg. the only "bad" thing I do for my diet is have drinks with friends of a weekend. Is this the hindrance? I don't understand how it could possibly be all from that?

No, a night out isn't going to hurt your plan in any significant way. The reason other people lose weight eating more and exercising less is because they have weight to lose. It is unlikely that you could healthily lose more weight. At 58kg, you don't need to. Again, I don't want to sound harsh, but I do want to emphasize that you need to speak to your doctor about your mental state as well.

Marylouise81

I agree, this is a case for a Dr and other therapists

Shadowknight137

hi

I am 20 years old, 163 cm and 58 kg.
I am recovering from anorexia

Mmhmm.

have reached a point that i have never been this heavy. it is obviously making me very nervous.
i use myfitnesspal to track my food and drinks.

i do not go over 1200 calories per day and i use shaun t insanity workouts 6 days a week to exercise.
one day a week i try to let my hair down and have a few alcoholic drinks and maybe relax my eating (never anything like a pie or pizza but i will eat bread and dip or a few chips. i stick to champagne or vodka diet coke when drinking. my idea of a cheat meal is something like toast at 1 am. so never a macdonalds burger or anything.

however!!!! I AM NOT LOSING. AT ALL.
it is scaring me that i may have a thyroid issue or something else that might be affected by my anorexia. could someone please suggest something!

How contradictory.

Vansy

1200 calories is not enough if you're doing Insanity 6 days a week. Eat more.

^ This.


I'm 5'2" and when I did insanity the first time (and actually followed the meal plan) I did 1500 calories per day and lost 6 pounds in the first two weeks......you definitely need to eat more if you're doing insanity 6 days per week. 1200 is not enough.

Nutella91

been there you're not eating enough

SoLongAndThanksForAllTheFish

In general I think you are definitely not eating as much as you should, and because of this, your body will start to store everything it can on your low calorie diet. Your case is further complicated by your eating disorder which has changed your metabolism and you should talk with someone who specializes in eating disorders.

Also, I think you are also using myfitpal wrong...remember, as an example, even if 1500 is your daily intake according to your goals (which it probably should be closer to), your calories for the day are supposed to TOTAL 1500. This means that if you eat 1500 calories and do an "Insanity" workout and burn 500 calories, your total sum of intake calories for the day is 1000, you definitely need to eat back at least most of that EXTRA 500 on that day to stay on target...so that workout day maybe could be 1800 calories of food and you'd still be able to shed pounds quickly. You need to plan to eat more (good whole foods with protein, not drinks) when you exercise to fill that calorie deficit and let your body build more muscle to burn more calories at rest in the future! Otherwise, if you let the deficit stand and dont eat the calories back, your body has no choice but to take calories from somewhere else in the body, and if you are in "survival" mode (eating less than your body needs), your body will think you need your fat stores...which is exactly what you dont want it to keep! Please go over this with your eating disorder doctor/therapist for more specific detail on your situation and go with their advice, especially since you do not sound heavy at all.

Hbazzell

You need to see a doctor who specializes in eating disorders. You are eating way too little and it appears you still have some struggles with eating mentally.

jayche

Thanks for all your help guys. I've spoken to my doctor and undergoing tests. But he hasn't indicated as to what it might me. It's so frustrating.

How do people lose weight eating more than I do and exercising less? I am currently still 58 kg. the only "bad" thing I do for my diet is have drinks with friends of a weekend. Is this the hindrance? I don't understand how it could possibly be all from that?

Because you have a damaged metabolism. Look up metabolic damage.

Or watch this http://www.biolayne.com/nutrition/biolayne-video-log-9-metabolic-damage/

Beat me to it lol
Anyways what Matt said

Infauna

I went through the same thing when I first started recovery. You need to give your body some time, anorexia does a lot of damage to your body. Let it do it's thing, depending on how long you've dealt with your eating disorder, it could take a while before you start losing weight again. I went from 90lbs to 128 when I was in my first 6 months to a year of recovery. It's been two years since the worst of my anorexia and I've finally started to lose weight, so... Give it time. Love yourself, love your body and don't stress. Although if you think it'd help, go see a doctor who specializes in eating disorders and talk to them about this and/or see a therapist. They're very helpful. Your recovery should be more important to you than losing weight at the moment, imho.

ExRelaySprinter

You are of a similar weight/height as me and i eat at least 1400 cals a day (but i do 200 cals worth of exercise).
I lost 1 pound last week, so something's working.
If you're doing Shaun T's Insanity then you DEFINITELY need to eat at least 200-300 cals more! (That workout really is madness!) Lol