Eating disorder

I'm not rally sure if I'm developing an eating disorder, but , for the past two weeks my daily calorie intake has been below 500. It's because I feel like if I eat I will gain weight ; i used to go over my sugar a lot so I stopped eating as much so the sugar won't go over. Is this bad? PLEASE HELP

Replies

  • jdad1
    jdad1 Posts: 1,899 Member
    sounds yummy
  • ChristyRunStarr
    ChristyRunStarr Posts: 1,600 Member
    if you're for real (and not a troll) then we can't help you. You need to talk to someone (a family member, friend, therapist, etc) but yeah it sounds like you're developing one if you don't already have one
  • newdaydawning79
    newdaydawning79 Posts: 1,503 Member
    The good news is, you're willing to talk about it. This is a fantastic step.

    As for sugars...I can't see your diary to see what you're eating. It's more refined sugars you need to control if anything. I don't pay attention to sugars much at all. Fruits and other natural things aren't as worrysome.

    You NEED more than 500 calories though. Without knowing your stats I'm not sure but I'd say likely at least 3 times that!
  • SoDamnHungry
    SoDamnHungry Posts: 6,998 Member
    Unless you eat more calories than you burn each day, you won't gain weight. Them's the facts. Accept the facts, and go find a therapist, because it's your best bet to stop an eating disorder in its tracks.
  • 2FatToRun
    2FatToRun Posts: 810 Member
    open your diary
  • Akimajuktuq
    Akimajuktuq Posts: 3,037 Member
    You will do just fine without sugar. But not without food.

    Eating disorders are often physiological and not psychological; a symptom of malnutrion. And yes, people can be eating too much of certain types of food and still be malnourished. I supposedly had binging disorder, yet I was "cured" just by changing what i eat. All of my health problems have been eliminated, or greatly reduced, by diet alone.

    Do you eat fat? You need to eat lots of fat if you want to heal your body, including the brain. And by fat, I do NOT mean canola and soy oil. I mean animal fat (from wild or grassfed animals preferably), coconut oil, avocados, etc.

    Do you want to be "skinny" or do you want to be healthy? Healthy people live longer with a higher quality of life.
  • Just because you eat doesn't mean you're going to gain weight. Trust me. There was a time where I literally was doing the EXACT same thing. I would keep my calories at least 500 or below. Burn it all off and then have dinner. Which never was much. It's not healthy for you. You're not getting all the things you need that you get from food, like fruits and veggies and even meat.

    Your body is going to start shutting down because you're not taking in the things you need and your body is going to go into starvation mode and every little thing you put in your body it's going to cling to because it doesn't want to shut down completely. So, in actuality you're going to gain more weight because your body is going to get confused.

    And like I said before I was in your shoes. Afraid to eat because I wanted lose weight not gain it. But trust me, you want to eat. Just don't over do it. You'll feel a lot better that way. Just eat good food and not so much processed foods. (Not saying you do) But you want to eat if you want to be healthy. Food is not the enemy. You just want a good balance of food and and exercise.

    My main point of advice, and I know there's a lot here, but just come to be happy. Don't be afraid of food because you don't want to gain weight or because your sugar is high. My sugar is over my limit and I've only had breakfast, but fruits have a lot of natural sugars which aren't bad for you. Especially bananas have A TON of natural sugars. Which is where mine comes from.

    I do think you need to eat more but eat good for you foods. Fruits, veggies, nuts and all that good stuff.

    I apologize that this is a lot, but I do relate and it kind of struck a chord with me. I hope this helps. You are more then welcome to message me if you want to talk further about this. I'm always here for you. :)
  • climbamnt
    climbamnt Posts: 190 Member
    Unless you are diabetic you really don't need to be tracking sugar anyway, also there is no RDI for sugar.Getting sugar from natural sources is fine, eatting a whole cake not so much. You should get help because you need to be eatting more than 500 calories. I also noticed that you only have the three pounds left to your goal, having so little to lose there is no reason to eat so low. Eat more, and talk to a professional!
  • As a person that struggles with eating disorder (for the past 7 years) just message me and we will talk. People on forums can sometimes be very ignorant when dealing with someone possibly struggling with an eating disorder and hopefully you will not run into those individuals. There are plenty of people on this site that struggle with ED's and many of them are recovering well and supporting one another. :)

    I've been diagnosed with Bulimia and more recently Anorexia Binge/Purge type. Its very difficult and completely detrimental to your health physically and mentally.
    I'm comfortable with chatting and helping out with whatever questions or help you need :) Just message.
  • Oh, and as for the eating disorder part. It really depends. I didn't have an eating disorder. I mean, I guess to some people you could call it that, but I don't think so. I could call it more like a phase. But, it really depends on who you are. For me, I was just so wrapped up in trying to lose weight that I was being too controlling with my food.

    I believe it becomes a disorder if you are 100% afraid of gaining weight and you are afraid of eating for that reason then yes that is a disorder. If it becomes everything you think of and it cripples your way of life, then yes I would say it's a disorder. If you really want to know then I agree you should talk to a professional.

    But if you're like me then you need to just restart your way of thinking and start over. Food is not bad. Sugars are not bad. Carbs are not bad. It's just how you choose to take them in. How much you take in that can be bad.
  • glovepuppet
    glovepuppet Posts: 1,710 Member
    there's no bad food, just bad quantities.
    fats, sugars, carbs, chocolate, cheddar & ketchup sandwiches... it's all ok in moderation.
    if you eat your maintenance levels you won't get fat, you'll stay the same.
    if you eat less than your maintenance levels you'll eventually starve away to nothing.

    talk to your doctor. therapy is a wonderful thing.
  • Howdy.

    You need to work out how much to consume daily to keep healthy.

    I'll lay out the basics for you:

    Think of your body as a biological machine - like a machine, it needs energy to function. If it does not get the energy it needs, it will eventually be unable to function.

    A calorie is a unit of energy.

    If your body uses more calories then you consume, weight-loss will occur because your body will start to burn your fat reserves for energy instead. (I believe that this is called the 'Starvation Response')

    If you consume more calories then your body uses, weight-gain will occur because your body will instead store fat for future use.

    It sounds like you don't want to gain weight - so my suggestion is to work out the calorie intake you need to maintain your weight.

    Firstly whats your sex, age, height, weight and bmi? These are important factors in determining your daily calorie intake. For example a 23 year old, active, 6ft female is going to need more calories than a 60 year old, sedentary, 5ft 4 male - because they burn more energy!

    As a 23 year old female, 5foot 3inches in height, weighing in at 117lbs (8.5 stone) with a bmi of 20.75 and a moderately active lifestyle in theory I would need to eat 1700 cals a day. However the NHS advises that a female my age should eat 2000 cals a day.

    I would suggest having a talk with your GP and doing further research if you are having problems determining how many calories you should eat in a day.

    Now some of the more complicated factors:

    500 cals sounds like an unhealthy undereat to me.

    Under eating can cause all kinds of problems of which I am sure you are aware. but here is a good website outlining the implications of severe under eating http://anorexia.emedtv.com/anorexia/health-risks-of-anorexia.html

    Under eating slows your metabolism - so your body will work slower to burn calories and you will feel lethargic/ tired . You will also have problems with your bowel movements (because there's barely anything to digest) so you may become constipated. Not getting the right nutrients also has a bad effect on your skin, hair, teeth etc - so you feel less physically attractive.

    The mental effects are also pretty bad - if you continue to develop this attitude towards weight gain and not eating the correct amount of calories, you could become anorexic, bulimic or even anorexic-bulimic - and that's not pretty at all because the obsession would rule your life.

    It's easy enough for anyone to preach. However I am actually a recovering bulimic (after having it for nearly a decade) and I can tell you that the long term effects of an eating disorder are nasty, both mentally and physically.

    Now for some common sense factors:

    Replacing meals with loads of sugar is not a good idea. Its also dire for your teeth.

    Make sure you get plenty of fish, fruits, veg, lean meats etc! But also try to indulge yourself occasionally - we all deserve treats!

    Doing the right amount of exercise is also great for your body. It can even help your focus and esteem.

    Just make sure, you work out your correct and healthy calorie intake and try to stick to it. - If you have any doubts once again consult your GP or do some research.


    Sorry if I've missed anything out, I tried to hit the important parts on the head.
  • You will do just fine without sugar. But not without food.

    Eating disorders are often physiological and not psychological; a symptom of malnutrion. And yes, people can be eating too much of certain types of food and still be malnourished. I supposedly had binging disorder, yet I was "cured" just by changing what i eat. All of my health problems have been eliminated, or greatly reduced, by diet alone.

    Do you eat fat? You need to eat lots of fat if you want to heal your body, including the brain. And by fat, I do NOT mean canola and soy oil. I mean animal fat (from wild or grassfed animals preferably), coconut oil, avocados, etc.

    Do you want to be "skinny" or do you want to be healthy? Healthy people live longer with a higher quality of life.

    A very good post
  • CrazyTrackLady
    CrazyTrackLady Posts: 1,337 Member
    Good luck to you. I would be concerned if you were a loved one of mine. It's good to see you are thinking about it, as that's the first step in coming to terms with the possibilities.