I have a hard time eating enough.

katmustbeskinny

Just look at my food log. I don't really eat enough, or I go on binges. Those aren't fun. But I think I have a system working to stay away from the binges. However, the binges where really the things that got me up to the standard of my caloric intake of the day. I don't want to let myself binge again because I always feel gross and terrible after I do.

Normally I don't have time for breakfast. (Also, I have noticed, that when I do have breakfast I tend to binge more often than not). Sometimes I have chocolate milk for lunch, on the weekdays. I just can't bring myself to eat around that time. I don't know why. And for dinner I usually have some sort of wrap, Starbucks drink, and a fruit or vegetable. Which brings me up to about 500-700 calories per day.

I'm loosing weight, like I'm supposed to, and I like it. I kind of don't want to stop eating the way I do. But I ended up in the hospital last year due to anorexia; I don't want to do that again. Everyone is pressuring me to eat more and it scares me. And, I sometimes get a bit light-headed, but that doesn't really bother me.

I don't feel hungry, ever. Well, sometimes I do after I don't eat for a day, but on a normal basis, I don't. So, it's hard for me to know when to eat.

Also, I don't like eating junk. It makes me feel sick. So, I try to stay away from anything that comes in a wrapper, amongst other junk food. I've been vegetarian for the past eight years: I really don't like the taste of meat.

Any advice?

healthygreek

It may be time to see your doctor again. 500-700 calories are not nearly enough to sustain your vital organs.
You have a serious problem and you must take care of it.

Lesley2901

It may be time to see your doctor again. 500-700 calories are not nearly enough to sustain your vital organs.
You have a serious problem and you must take care of it.

^^I agree^^ You are not eating enough and should seek professional help.

katmustbeskinny

It may be time to see your doctor again. 500-700 calories are not nearly enough to sustain your vital organs.
You have a serious problem and you must take care of it.

^^I agree^^ You are not eating enough and should seek professional help.

I'm a poor college kid: I can't really go see a therapist or anyone.

mcgl3129

I'm a poor college kid: I can't really go see a therapist or anyone.
[/quote]

Most colleges offer free counseling services to their students. A lot of the time they also have free clinics and the like. Ask around-you might be able to get a lot of help on-campus.

emily_ankrom

I have a hard time eating enough as well, mainly because I'm not hungry. You should really force yourself to eat 1200 a day and if you want to lose weight, exercise moderately every day. Just because you're losing weight "like you're supposed to" doesn't mean you're doing it the healthy way. Log what you eat and find foods you like and how much you need to add in to meet your calorie goals. Add in snacks between every meal to help up your calorie intake increase.

Remember just because you're losing weight now does not mean you'll continue that path. Eventually you'll have to eat less and less to continue your kind of weight loss and that is NOT HEALTHY. As a person who was hospitalized for anorexia you need to be even more careful and even force yourself to eat more. Make multiple meals/pack snacks to eat throughout the day/put alarms on your phone to remind you that it's important to fuel your body.

My favorite snacks to boost calories are granola bars or whole grain bread. Since you're a vegetarian it's also good to eat healthy oils and protein rich foods. Make beans or when you cook things add coconut oil. It'll help a bit.

Good luck and don't let yourself slip back into those bad habits.

emily_ankrom

Also if you're getting light headed that is a BAD sign. You can really mess up your body for the rest of your life if you don't eat enough now. My friend is actually hypoglycemic now because she was anorexic in her early teenage years. She can't change that now, but you still have the choice. Eat well and live healthily. Your body will thank you.

MsLilly200

I'd suggest trying to snack on nuts throughout the day to up your calories a bit. And try to get into the habit of always eating lunch at the same time, say 12, so you'll eat something every day even though you never feel hungry.
Also make sure to eat fullfat products.
Avocado is good to up your calories.
Basically try to eat more calorie dense food.

And I agree with the other posters that think you should probably talk to a professional, especially since you have (had?) anorexia.

moliva4

OK... There are a couple of things to address... Firstly - is weight loss actually a viable option for you? Will you remain at a healthy weight? Secondly - snacks like almonds and peanuts (even peanut butter!!) are healthy for you and high in calories if you're trying to increase your intake (which I'd encourage you to do).

Would a better option not be to maintain your weight but work out to tone up?

lizcr13

I'm having the same problem, I didn't even realize it until i started logging my food with MFP. What I've been doing is trying to eat more frequently instead of more at one time. For me it helps to just get calories spread out through the day for energy, without feeling sick trying to eat too much food at one time.
I never feel hungry throughout most of the day, and rarely ate any breakfast or lunch but try just having something small. Now I try to have a yogurt or some fruit in the morning, and it really does help. And I know it's hard to want to eat when you aren't hungry or feel guilty about it, but for me at least if I make myself eat a little something, I realize my body did actually want food.

For more of a mindset aspect, I find it really helpful to stop thinking about calories as fat, but as energy And for a goal, think about instead of being "skinny" being fit. Focus on how you feel instead of numbers, calories or on the scale.
If being healthy and feeling good isn't enough motivation focus on what you are really aiming for. When you think about the body you want to achieve, is having more about having your ribs show or a toned stomach? Hipbones showing or a nice butt?

Sorry for this being so long, but this is just what has worked for me. Reevaluating what I really wanted has motivated me to try harder to change habits. I realized losing weight is not what I really wanted, what mattered more was feeling better and looking in the mirror and being happy with how i looked. Focus on your goal and even when you don't want to eat, that you need it.

emily_ankrom

OK... There are a couple of things to address... Firstly - is weight loss actually a viable option for you? Will you remain at a healthy weight? Secondly - snacks like almonds and peanuts (even peanut butter!!) are healthy for you and high in calories if you're trying to increase your intake (which I'd encourage you to do).

Would a better option not be to maintain your weight but work out to tone up?

THIS IS A VERY GOOD POINT. From your photo you look like you have the ideal body and weight although I know not many have current/real photos. The need to be thin is every so strong for anyone, but in my opinion you look awesome and what everyone is striving for maybe you just don't realize it.

Assess what a truly healthy weight is for you (what your lowest healthy weight is, not what your lowest weight was or your goal weight because those can be very different) and why it is you actually want to lose weight. While I don't think having anorexia defines a person for life, your body and metal health really need to be taken seriously while in recovery or even afterward.

TavistockToad

It may be time to see your doctor again. 500-700 calories are not nearly enough to sustain your vital organs.
You have a serious problem and you must take care of it.

^^I agree^^ You are not eating enough and should seek professional help.

I'm a poor college kid: I can't really go see a therapist or anyone.

You are slowly killing yourself.... You need to get help.

lizcr13

You are slowly killing yourself.... You need to get help.

Finding it hard to eat enough calories isn't killing yourself. Finding it hard to eat less calories isn't killing yourself either.
If you realize you need to make changes and are trying, finding it hard to make those changes is not killing yourself.