Problems with undereating!! Please help

healthy4alex
healthy4alex Posts: 9
in Health and Weight Loss
Hi everyone...so, I'm really annoyed with myself for losing weight. I have such a hard time keeping it on already...I don't want to become unhealthy again, but whenever I am under high amounts of stress, my weight drops. I wouldn't complain, but I don't have very much wiggle-room left until I become underweight. I am 5'0 and 97 pounds right now, and the lowest I can healthily go is 95 pounds. I am supposed to eat about 1400 calories a day to maintain my normal weight of 98 pounds, but I've been going under without even realizing it.. How can I be more aware of my serving sizes instead of over-estimating them? I am a recovering anorexic (2 years into recovery), and its harder for me to realize this than for other people.

Anyone have any ideas? Help!

Replies

  • diannethegeek
    diannethegeek Posts: 14,776 Member
    Hi there. I do not have the same problems you do, so maybe someone with better information will pop in. It looks like you don't log your food every day or have just started? I think logging your food consistently is a great first step. If you aren't already weighing/measuring your food, that might also be a good place to start to keep your portion sizes accurate.

    It might be a good idea for you to keep some easy, calorie-dense snacks around to boost your intake without adding a lot of food. Things like nuts, nut butter, full fat dairy, cheese, Greek yogurt, avocado, olive oil, eggs, etc. all give you a quick boost to your calories without filling your stomach. I always keep a box of pre-measured snacks like protein bars, trail mix, nuts, etc. by my door to grab on the way to work. It might be worth keeping some snacks around for when you're too busy for a meal.
  • EmilyMcD84
    EmilyMcD84 Posts: 46 Member
    I am 5'2 102. I weighed between 95-98 a few years ago. My doctors always said I was normal as long as I was eating. I ate anything and everything I wanted. I had trouble getting private insurance at that time because I didn't weigh enough. Once dr's said I was fine everything was cool.

    I see though that you had an eating disorder so I don't really know what advice to give there. If you eat and still have trouble putting on or maintaining weight, I would see a doctor.

    It could be that you are just a tiny person (that's what I was told by Dr's) and can enjoy eating anything you want.
    I can't begin to know what you went through with an eating disorder. I certainly hope you are well now :)

    Feel free to inbox me if you want. I am always here for my fitness pals!
  • EmilyMcD84
    EmilyMcD84 Posts: 46 Member
    Hi there. I do not have the same problems you do, so maybe someone with better information will pop in. It looks like you don't log your food every day or have just started? I think logging your food consistently is a great first step. If you aren't already weighing/measuring your food, that might also be a good place to start to keep your portion sizes accurate.

    I agree. Definitely log what you eat. You (and others if you keep an open diary) will be able to see what you are taking in and burning off.
  • pluckabee
    pluckabee Posts: 346 Member
    Eating more calorie dense foods would help you out. Adding butter and cream to your meals, drinking a higher fat milk and snacking in seeds and nuts are all good options

    I know it can be hard but if you are ok with eating these foods do add them and if you cant bring yourself to eat them bring it up with someone who has helped/can help you.
  • hseipel12
    hseipel12 Posts: 26
    I've had issues on and off with anorexia since I was a teenager. Honestly, it's really hard to get out of those kinds of habits. I had to start eating several small meals a day. Eating a big breakfast helps a lot. If you have a few days where you eat less, don't stress too hard about it. Just take it one step at a time.
  • traumaticthrash
    traumaticthrash Posts: 103
    Interesting subject. I used to be very skinny as well and I've always found putting on weight a bit of a challenge.. still do!
    anyway, what i think can help you out in terms of hitting your calorie intake are selected foods with high calories that you can eat easily.

    1. Nuts - very high in calories + healthy fats (eating 120 grams and you're at 60% of you caloric intake already!)
    2. Avocados, Bananas & Yoghurts (these foods are also high in calories which have helped me tremendously)

    good luck in your weight gain :) and proud of you being a recovered anorexic
    x
  • kgoodman0108
    kgoodman0108 Posts: 158
    Like someone mentioned, I would start tracking all of your food. You could gradually introduce more calories into your diet, by adding 100 more calories to your day than you normally would. Then, a week or two later, add another 100. By slowly eating more, it will be easier for you to adjust.

    Good luck! By asking for advice, you are already headed in the right direction.
  • healthy4alex
    healthy4alex Posts: 9
    Thank you everyone for your help! I'm going to attempt to track a little better every day, instead of just estimating. I'm new to MFP, so I'll just need to put in a bit more of an effort. I appreciate all of your advice :)
  • schondell
    schondell Posts: 556 Member
    Measure things out instead of eye balling it and if you don't want to physically ingest more food then try preparing foods with more ingredients.

    Ex. cook eggs in butter or olive oil, etc
  • cchardy82
    cchardy82 Posts: 26
    I struggled with anorexia 10 years ago. I remember what a struggle it was to eat normally while getting healthy. I was pregnant with my first child and that was my motivation to succeed. It was honestly a miracle that I even got pregnant to begin with but that is another story!

    It triggered unhealthy habits for me to log my food. If I remained conscious of how much I was eating, I would freak out and not eat enough. Even if I did ok for a day or two, I would always undo my progress. Instead I focused on eating healthy fats and foods. I ate almonds, drank orange juice, enjoyed peanut butter sandwiches for lunch and upped my milk to 1% instead of skim. I also stopped measuring my food. This was a gradual change but that also helped.

    I had to live this way for almost 8 years before I was able to think more normally about food. I had months that food never bothered me but times of stress would trigger my desire to control my diet again. Please don't get discouraged!! It is a gradual process and after a year or two it gets much, much easier.

    I would keep track of your bmi. Get regular checkups and be upfront with your dr. They need to check your iron levels and other nutrition markers to insure that you are eating healthfully. I did long term damage to my body from malnutrition.

    Finally, it is now humorous to me that I am trying to LOSE weight. Well, I take that back. I am trying to maintain a healthy weight. My last pregnancy (3rd child) caused weight gain that was harder to get off this time. I lost the weight and was able to do it with a healthy attitude. Now I am trying to figure out how to keep that weight and not go overboard like I did in the past.
  • SteelySunshine
    SteelySunshine Posts: 1,092 Member
    It may be hard to believe, but I do understand how it can be difficult to maintain. But, luckily I had to have some teeth removed and I have discovered the power of the smoothie. They can be made fairly low cal or if you are trying to stay the same or gain weight they can be made higher calorie without adding a lot of volume to your food, which can be a huge problem when you are full you are full and it is difficult eating beyond that.

    So, throw a banana in a blender add milk or almond milk or whatever, add a couple tablespoons of peanut butter add a sweetener of your choice if you like and a scoop of protein powder of your choice. Ta da that is like 350 calories. If you find that makes you too full for too long cut the peanut butter because I suspect that is what would keep you satiated for too long, or the protein might do it. Either way you can play around with it and find your happy spot where it doesn't feel like too much for too long.
  • TallGlassOfQuirky
    TallGlassOfQuirky Posts: 282 Member
    Maybe pre-plan your days as much as possible and log everything - if you find yourself low at the end of the day, try some peanut butter or a protein shake or something.
  • Crochetluvr
    Crochetluvr Posts: 3,285 Member
    Eating more calorie dense foods would help you out. Adding butter and cream to your meals, drinking a higher fat milk and snacking in seeds and nuts are all good options

    This is exactly what I was thinking. I gained weight in the beginning by not eating a LOT of food but very high calorie foods. You can keep the portion sizes the same if the calories are higher.
  • herblackwings39
    herblackwings39 Posts: 3,930 Member
    If you have trouble with over estimating your portion sizes try weighing and measuring the things you make at home. It helps to actually see how much 50 or 100 grams or 4-5 ounces of something is compared to what our minds might decide it is on any given day.
  • merB89
    merB89 Posts: 122
    I agree with what was said above about the possibility of logging your food religiously triggering bad habits or maybe even creating new and not necessarily good ones. I've never had disordered eating habits, and I know it is different for everyone, but even as a "normal" eater this site and logging my food sometimes makes me feel rather obsessed and anxious about food.

    I do totally agree with the suggestion of eating nuts, nut butters, full fat dairy, avos, olive oil and that really yummy, REALLY healthy stuff. Maybe try new foods you wouldn't have before, maybe some yummy ethnic food will help you want to eat more? Again, I've never experienced disordered eating, but just thought I would throw my two cents in.

    I hope you find something that helps! Take care of yourself! Sounds like you are on your way!
  • bwogilvie
    bwogilvie Posts: 2,130 Member
    Seconding the suggestion of nuts. Cashew nuts are delicious, nutritious, and pack a lot of healthy calories in them. Olive oil is another good thing to eat if you're shorting yourself on calories. Pour a tablespoon in a shallow dish, add a little balsamic vinegar if you wish, and dip pieces of bread in the oil until you've finished it off. A tablespoon of olive oil has 120 calories, it tastes heavenly, and it's healthy fat. If I hadn't reached my goal for today, I'd get up and have some right now!
  • LexiAtel
    LexiAtel Posts: 228 Member
    Hi there. I do not have the same problems you do, so maybe someone with better information will pop in. It looks like you don't log your food every day or have just started? I think logging your food consistently is a great first step. If you aren't already weighing/measuring your food, that might also be a good place to start to keep your portion sizes accurate.

    It might be a good idea for you to keep some easy, calorie-dense snacks around to boost your intake without adding a lot of food. Things like nuts, nut butter, full fat dairy, cheese, Greek yogurt, avocado, olive oil, eggs, etc. all give you a quick boost to your calories without filling your stomach. I always keep a box of pre-measured snacks like protein bars, trail mix, nuts, etc. by my door to grab on the way to work. It might be worth keeping some snacks around for when you're too busy for a meal.

    This is GREAT info! I would definitely seek healthier "heavy" foods, and especially foods high in protein. Protein builds muscles, and muscles weigh more than fat :)

    If you want to stay more healthy about it though, you can make your own granola, and use it with yogurt (yogurt is very high in protein) this way, you can add whatever you want to the mix, rather than having to find a mix you like from the store.

    Maybe you can seek into those shakes that people use who have the problem you do. Like Boost, those things are over 300 calories and give lots of things to "boost" your nutrition.

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