toning up stomach?

jessicaluvjess
jessicaluvjess Posts: 4
edited 5:51AM in Health and Weight Loss
i am recovering frome my eating disorder. i am slowly getting back on track. i used to eat only around 200-300 calories NET a day, and i've recently upped it to around 500-600 NET. my goal is to eat around 1500 calories with light exercises.

the main problem is my tummy. i'm really skinny, but skinny fat. i can vaguely see my abs some time, under certain lighting (which i find weird). i've been eating 70% clean and doing HIIT and strength and ab exercises for almost 2 months now and i don't see any difference )): my waist is arnd 24-25, not flabby or anything. it's flat but not toned and jiggles a little when i walk which is gross(i know). i just wanna tone up my stomach. ><

is it because i'm not eating enough? but i'm scared my body is not able to metabolize all the the extra calories and store them as fat ): it would be too much for me to handle and i can't fit into my clothes anymore )):

please help~ i really wanna be healthy and happy :) with a nice toned body and healthy life and soul :)

i'm 5'7-5'8, haven't taken my weight for quite some time but i'm pretty sure it's less than 110 pounds.

Replies

  • PunyPete
    PunyPete Posts: 14 Member
    It is definitely because you're not eating enough. Obviously as you said you're recovering from an eating disorder which is great so getting back into normal eating habits would be hard (I assume, I've never had one myself so I don't know how it all works) but eating 500-600 NET is really low for someone your height and weight. To be able to get the toned stomach/muscles in general then you'll have to eat more. As long as you stay within your calories, based on your height and weight your TDEE is 1870. If you don't go over 1870 you shouldn't gain (much) weight, and you'll definitely be losing fat with the exercise you do.

    If you feel that eating around 1800 calories net is too much for now, try to aim for 1200. You definitely won't be gaining any fat if you ate that much, but you may lose muscle which will hurt in the helping of seeing muscle as 1200 is more than 300 under your TDEE.
  • Maleragazza
    Maleragazza Posts: 10
    Hello there brave girl!
    That is so awesome that your caring about your health =] Your calorie in-take is pretty low and being that low your body isn't going to function the right way. I'm sure it's really hard to eat right now but I would try to eat as much as you can without feeling sick. I'd try to stock up on "light" foods that will be easy to consume, like celery sticks and if you can stomach it with peanut butter, a nice protein.

    It's all about progress though. Do the best you can. Eat lean proteins like nuts, beans.. eat greens. Your most important role right now is to be able to eat right, then and only then I'd focus on more intense toning exercises. It's just my opinion. You don't want to burn the small amount of fuel in your body away and take away even more muscle and calcium from your body.
  • meredith1123
    meredith1123 Posts: 843 Member
    I'll be blunt but delicate, as that's what you need.
    I would aim for more around 1000 calories. I know its hard but you should try. There are things you can eat that will balance out your mental stability so you dont feel so guilty over it. The disorder with food is a hard one, whether you love it or hate it but its something you can get over.

    in order to build muscle, you need protein. If you dont eat much meat, try things such as beans, greek yogurts, nuts (almonds, etc). Do you like hummus? eat some hummus or chick peas. YUM! These are healthier options for protein. Also maybe some peanut butter if you will eat that as it has healthy fats in it that your body desires.

    I have found that the good old fashioned ab crunches on a floor mat are the best. I will shoot for 300-400 of those crunches as many times each week and I feel great. i always play music and just enjoy it. why dont you try that for awhile and see if that helps? Do you like to dance? you can find Shaun T's Hip Hop Ab videos online (well, i did) or you can buy them and dance to those and that will help also. There are so many options to help with your tummy but please make sure you incorporate protein, some how - some way.
    Where there is a will, there is a way.
    Keep fighting.
  • twelfty
    twelfty Posts: 576 Member
    this is an important time when gaining weight, especially if you've lost muscle mass, i wasn't quite a eating disorder stage but did get very low in weight at 6'4 i was at 161 lbs last year, i'm now at 190, your best best at this point is to up your calories. and i can't stress enough that at this point any calories are good, just to get something in your body.

    one of the hardest things of being skinny and putting on weight is worrying about gaining fat, but it's all in your head, you have to trust your body is normal at gaining weight and doing the right things to do so will see you gain muscle tone.

    first off, get full fat milk and lots of it, you want to aim for about 1 litre of it a day, it will give you lots of calcium that you're probably lacking in from not eating enough and protein to build those muscles

    second if you eat meat, eat lots of it, chicken, beef, lamb, pork, fish the whole lot: this is another good source of protein

    third buy foods you love! anything you enjoy that will help you hit your calorie goal is going to be beneficial

    lastly your carbs, get plenty of them, porridge/oatmeal made with whole milk, pasta, rice, bread, potatoes are all great for weight gain.

    also get your veg and fruit in there for vitamins too

    try hitting the 1500 - 1800 calorie mark for now, set yourself that goal and do your best to hit it each day, if you can go past it then excellent

    as for your stomach being "jiggly" without knowing too much about you i'd take an educated guess at being that you're recovering from an ED you've probably lost muscle tone and kept body fat, the reason for this is your body reacts a certain way to an extremely low calorie diet to survive: it will first lose muscle tone as it's winding down to not doing alot of activity (from not having the fuel to do so) and stores fat as fat is a longer lasting fuel, so it keeps this by to survive off while not getting enough calories, this is nothing to worry about though you'll find as you put on muscle you'll even out just fine. the way the body also works is you can't pick one area to lose fat on, it's distributed over the body as it chooses, so to lose fat in one area it means losing it all over, which is fine but it wont happen from too little calories, it will happen from a steady diet and good exercise

    now for your exercise, you need to start with weights, get yourself a second hand set of dumbbells and pump iron

    http://www.exrx.net/Lists/Directory.html

    ^ this is a great website to find which exercises do what so you can tailor your own programe and improve on what areas you feel need to be improved it also shows you correct form on each exercise which is really important

    do squats, planks, press ups, chin ups and walking too

    if you follow this as i did you'll gain weight and keep a trim figure no problem

    the most important one of this is calories, you must have the calories to get started, a month of good eating you'll see yourself return to a normal weight in no time, do the exercise and you'll have the body you've wanted by not eating enough with the added benefit of being able to eat normal too

    i've sent a friend request, and i'll return with a link for the thread of others gaining weight too, we're building a group of us! :)
  • Rarity2013
    Rarity2013 Posts: 196 Member
    I'm pretty sure that it's hard to build any kind of muscle or tone up on so few calories, so that is probably the reason.

    I think you're doing an amazing thing by starting to build up your calories. Make sure you keep building them up steadily and you'll be eating enough to strengthen your stomach in no time.

    I don't know you at all, but I'm proud of you anyway.
  • twelfty
    twelfty Posts: 576 Member
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/942636-if-you-need-weight-gaining-friend-post-in-here
  • jessicaluvjess
    jessicaluvjess Posts: 4
    I'll be blunt but delicate, as that's what you need.
    I would aim for more around 1000 calories. I know its hard but you should try. There are things you can eat that will balance out your mental stability so you dont feel so guilty over it. The disorder with food is a hard one, whether you love it or hate it but its something you can get over.

    in order to build muscle, you need protein. If you dont eat much meat, try things such as beans, greek yogurts, nuts (almonds, etc). Do you like hummus? eat some hummus or chick peas. YUM! These are healthier options for protein. Also maybe some peanut butter if you will eat that as it has healthy fats in it that your body desires.

    I have found that the good old fashioned ab crunches on a floor mat are the best. I will shoot for 300-400 of those crunches as many times each week and I feel great. i always play music and just enjoy it. why dont you try that for awhile and see if that helps? Do you like to dance? you can find Shaun T's Hip Hop Ab videos online (well, i did) or you can buy them and dance to those and that will help also. There are so many options to help with your tummy but please make sure you incorporate protein, some how - some way.
    Where there is a will, there is a way.
    Keep fighting.

    thanks! yes i love hummus !!!! i love my dips haha:)

    and i have been a dancer for the past 10 yrs of my life, i'm taking a short break to focus on my studies. i'll probably start dancing again after the summer :) i love dance <3 thanks!
  • jessicaluvjess
    jessicaluvjess Posts: 4
    thank you everyone who has spend their precious time replying! thank you, it really warms my heart and motivates me keep pushing and going! <3

    i'm thinking of following this setplan for a start, not going to be totally full-on stick to it, just going to use it as a guide to kind of keep me going :)

    essenaoneill.tumblr.com/setplan :)
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