I'm a pro at unhealthy weight loss

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  • LisaDunn01
    LisaDunn01 Posts: 173 Member
    As a former anorexic/bulimic (and I too am 5'3"), I know a bit about this...

    I had 6 years of eating disorders followed by years of unhealthy body image. I have been as low as 95 pounds and as high as 145 pounds. "They say" as you get older your metabolism slows down and you are supposed to weigh a bit more. Well, at 47 I am the healthiest I have ever been and easily and comfortably maintain a weight between 109 and 113 pounds.

    You HAVE to change your mindset - PERIOD. For me, that meant not weighing myself several times a day, not over-exercising and allowing myself to go OVER my allotted food intake (which is 1,250 a day) on a regular basis (otherwise your body is in starvation mode). It's an attitude change and lifestyle change. I weigh myself 1-2 times a month. I exercise 2-3 times a week (30 minutes to one hour each time). I stay away from processed foods as much as humanly possible, eating whole (and organic) foods as much as I can, and I don't beat myself up anymore when I want something "bad". I just try to make good choices on a daily basis. By letting go, I have gained what I have searched for for years: self-acceptance, good health, happiness, a healthy relationship with food, a healthy body image, and an ideal body weight. It took me a year to drop 15 of the 20 pounds I had put on over the previous 2 years. Allowing myself to go slowly was the BEST thing I ever did and resulted in PERMANENT CHANGE.

    Good luck.
  • PepePants
    PepePants Posts: 47 Member
    Thanks for your honesty. I suggest you seek out a trained therapist who specializes in eating disorders. You may not actively be anorexic, but you are setting yourself up for another disorder, if not body dysmorphia. Even if you weren't exercising at all, 6-800 calories is not enough to adequately nourish your body. If you've been eating like that for some time, it might explain your posts--your brain does not have enough fuel to function properly. I'm not being a smart alek--this is truly what happens. I urge you to find someone you trust who can help you with this. Do you trust your primary care physician? Also, if you've been anorexic in the past, your family has no business pressuring you to lose weight. That's not healthy support and you should, under no circumstances, listen to them about weight loss. I wish you the best.
  • LexiAtel
    LexiAtel Posts: 228 Member
    I don't want to sound like most people here, but you ARE saying you want to be more healthy about losing weight... With your current weight (142lb?) you should probably been eating more than you are, especially with your activity.

    I am 177lbs, I eat 1200 cals a day (I am going to up it to 1400 soon), I weight lift 3 times a week for 20 mins and walk 2 hours a week for at least 20min each time. I am losing weight at 2-3lbs a week. This is a healthy weight loss.

    So just so you have an idea... you CAN eat more, and lose the same amount as you are weighing now. Try it, you wont be displeased.
  • needtoloseafewpounds
    needtoloseafewpounds Posts: 161 Member
    Wow I didn't realize I'd have so many visitors and now I'm feeling a little bad for offending/hurting/concerning so many. I really didn't mean to. It's just that I thought that if I posted my progress I'd feel more motivated to carry on.

    @avababy05 - Thank you for your input and I can't disagree with you on that. I should take better care of my metabolism.

    @hottamolly00 - Your tone in your post was very rude to me but I'll accept that you were being concerned. Although I cannot remain my current weight due to many circumstances, I do agree with you that I should take things a bit slower.

    @prattiger65 - Destructive criticism is not taken here.

    @littlelouis - I'm glad to hear words from so many people that understand what I went through. I can relate to a lot of things that you mentioned such as "difficulty upping calories" because I've been there as well. Gaining weight at 1,200 calories does seem like a nightmare and I will ask a diet nutritionist on how I should go about with my current condition.

    @snejkaxo - I'm also very glad to see another (half) asian that can see where I'm coming from. Yeah I do eat my kimchi and it does have quite a lot of sugar. I don't know if I can get myself off of refined sugar but I guess it's worth a try. Jjajangmyeon is difficult to make from scratch because the noodles take a lot of skill to make by hand :)

    @LisaJames01 - It's refreshing to hear from a successful former anorexic/bulimic who has had the weight fluctuation similar to mine. I've tried to change my mindset and I think that this thread has given me a great wakeup call. I discussed my plan with everyone around me and they were all rooting for me and telling me that I'm doing a good job. However, after I posted on MFP I've been slapped on the wrist quite a lot. I hope I can be like you some day. You look beautiful in your profile picture!

    @PepePants - Everyone around me will probably never understand me completely because they've never gone on a big diet. My mom just exercises a whole lot and eats a whole lot so her body is smoking and my sisters are kind of out of shape but slimmer than me but one is exercising with me at the moment while the other is busy with her child. Maybe you're right. Maybe my brain isn't functioning properly but my unproperly functioning brain wants to thank you for your post.
  • lporter229
    lporter229 Posts: 4,907 Member
    @needtolosesafe- I am very glad to see that you have chosen to listen to the advice that has been given to you. Most people only take the time to post because they are hoping it will help you. The advice given to you in this thread, no matter how difficult to hear, is very solid. Too often, when people do not like to hear the advice they have been given, they become defensive. I am glad to see that you have approached this with an open mind. It shows a lot of maturity on your part. I also hope that you will consider having a talk with your mother about the dangerous position she may be forcing you into. Chances are, she does not realize that she is doing this to you. You seem like a lovely person. I wish you the best.
  • SashaMegan
    SashaMegan Posts: 110 Member
    It seems you still have learned a.b.s.o.l.u.t.e.l.y n.o.t.h.i.n.g.....sorry.

    also my opinion at first :blushing: :ohwell: but then I backed off.
    If OP was once anorexic it's not that easy to eat a good amount that is considered healthy.
    We should help her around here to better understand some nutrition/metabolism concepts instead of blindly criticizing :noway:
  • mommy3457
    mommy3457 Posts: 361 Member
    I was anorexic too when I was younger. I know you struggle with that "monster" which haunts us all who were anorexic at one point. I know what it is like. It's the "I can lose weight this fast, no prob...It won't take no time at all." I lost all my baby fat as a pre-teen within a few months of barely eating. I had a flat stomach within no time. I also passed out in a class after not eating. I was made fun of even when I lost a lot of weight. So, I understand how you feel. We need to push through those demons and chose to do it right this time. What you are doing now is a slightly improved version of what you did before. It's not healthy. I hope you see that you need to eat more.
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