Upping calories to a regular amount?

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nataliedanielleneale
nataliedanielleneale Posts: 23 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Okay, so I have been rather stupid and have been severly cutting calories since April, and whilst this has got me from an overweight 75kg to 52.5kg at 165cm and 19 years, I realise that it may have done a great deal of damage to my body. I have been fluctuating my calories in this time period from around 300-800 with some occasions where I may have gone up to 2000 (say on nights out and such...). I have, however, experienced seemingly large weight gain during these such occassions, so again, stupidly, I cut back further.

For a while now, I've been steadily increasing by around 10 calories a day; I started doing this at around 500 and I have now reached 700 calories by doing this. But I have to say, I'm getting really fed up of this now- it's not so much that I want to lose any more weight (although I'd like to level off at 50kg), I'd just like to be able to maintain at an acceptable amount of calories and not gain by upping higher than 1000. I'm not going to lie, I feel like it has taken over my life to a certain extent; I'm constantly planning my meal plans for days, even weeks ahead and I weigh out everything I eat down to the last gram. This reaaaally isn't practical, and combined with my very unhealthy relationship with the scales, (i.e. I'll weigh myself at least 3/4 times a day!) I realise that something has to change; I also haven't had a period since July, and so am getting rather concerned.

So...my question is, should I just bite the bullet and stop weighing everything I consume and leap straight to what online calculators state as my maintenance? Or should I try to avoid calorie counting completely and just eat what feels like a reasonable amount? I'm so terrified that all the weight that I have lost is just going to pile back on and once again, my clothes will no longer fit me :(:sad:

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  • nataliedanielleneale
    nataliedanielleneale Posts: 23 Member
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    .
  • SideSteel
    SideSteel Posts: 11,068 Member
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    I think you should consider getting some form of professional help.
  • samammay
    samammay Posts: 468
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    I think you should consider getting some form of professional help.

    This.
  • emAZn
    emAZn Posts: 413 Member
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    I went from 500-700 a day to 1370 by adding 50-100 a week. Yes, you will gain some back at first, I gained 10 lbs in 4 weeks then plateaued for 8 weeks and have just started losing again. That's just your body holding on to the nutrients we denied our selves for long. The numbers work so trust them and be patient. The hardest thing is teaching yourself how to eat normal again. I pre-log and plan for days at a time but it helps to pre-prep food for days at a time as well. My sunday nights are usually spent prepping till wednesday and then I do the same for food till Saturday... that way it's only taking up two of my nights instead of all of them.. Feel free to friend me if you wan't, it's been a journey on top of a journey on top of another journey but I'm learning and developing skills so hopefully we don't have to do this forever lol. good luck!
  • DarrelBirkett
    DarrelBirkett Posts: 221 Member
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    You should see your GP, yes. Eating so little is not healthy and will be doing damage (physically and mentally). You should be up at least at 1200 cals per day but without knowing more couldnt say more.

    Also, you change weight throughout the day, every day. Water weight, food weight, and so on. There are so many variables. To weigh yourself accurately, once a week at the same time of day is more than enough to check a long term trend.
  • emAZn
    emAZn Posts: 413 Member
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    Also you're not stupid :) I was just un-eduated about what my body actually needs to survive... I was trained to diet to lose weight... eat less... starve yourself and you'll be happy... When I took the time to research what my body actually needed calories, fats, protiens, and carbs I was shocked at the harm I had been causing myself... almost sick with myself.. but it's all reverseable with time, dedication and focus.... did I mention time :) again be patient :)
  • firstsip
    firstsip Posts: 8,399 Member
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    If you're feeling obsessive, I'm sensing some disordered eating--particularly if you've been flat out starving yourself.

    To stave off any anxieties about the scale:
    1.) DON'T step on the scale. Give your body time to adjust to upping calories gradually.
    2.) Try continuing to up the calories gradually. Jumping straight to maintenance might lead to bloat/water retention, and I certainly wouldn't want you freaking out and going back to starving yourself.
    3.) 1000 calories is still starving yourself. You're not even properly fueling your body to keep you alive with that.
    3.) Seek a therapist or professional to talk to, even if it's a nutritionist.

    I'm not sure how long you've been doing this to your body, but eating that low and behaving that obsessively for a long time likely altered your behavior towards food. Unfortunately, you probably also starved away quite a bit of your LBM, or muscle. Increasing calories, even gradually, might result in weight gain--which is why you should have a professional guiding you through the process both physically and mentally.

    It's good you're aware this is a stress--it would probably be best for you to have someone helping you along the way to healthy. Because the calories you're eating now certainly aren't a healthy amount.
  • Quasita
    Quasita Posts: 1,530 Member
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    You're talking about some pretty serious disordered eating practices here. You should probably seek the aid of an eating disorder counselor as well as a nutritionist that specializes in rehabilitating starving people. It happens far more than you might expect.

    I have written a lot about starvation and refeeding syndrome, and how it affected my life. You have to be very careful because you could get quite sick.

    Feel free to add me, I'd be happy to share what information I can.
  • nataliedanielleneale
    nataliedanielleneale Posts: 23 Member
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    Thanks guys. I'm so stuck in this rut and I know it's very important that I get out of it before it starts causing any further problems! I just wish I had a decent body that was in proportion- I have a 23.5inch waist but then my hips are 35-36 inches! Gah :(

    The thought of involving any professional help though terrifies me- my head is just telling me that they'll think I'm an idiot for doing this to myself...and they'd be right to think that!
  • klouise1811
    klouise1811 Posts: 6 Member
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    Please see a doctor/ professional. It's their job to be non judgemental and they would have seen many people in your position before. Best of luck :)
  • 0OneTwo3
    0OneTwo3 Posts: 149 Member
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    start a reverse diet (google it) to repair your metabolism. if you just stop counting you might still under-eating because of psychological reasons and may develop a ED.

    here layne norton explains the basic principles of metabolic damage and reverse dieting

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QHHzie6XRGk

    he is talking about competitive bodybuilders and such but the basic principles still apply.

    edit: at the start jump to your BMR (1305kcal) or higher. you are eating below it currently - don't ever do that!
  • emAZn
    emAZn Posts: 413 Member
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    Thanks guys. I'm so stuck in this rut and I know it's very important that I get out of it before it starts causing any further problems! I just wish I had a decent body that was in proportion- I have a 23.5inch waist but then my hips are 35-36 inches! Gah :(

    The thought of involving any professional help though terrifies me- my head is just telling me that they'll think I'm an idiot for doing this to myself...and they'd be right to think that!

    I considered seeing a nutritionalist and therapist as well, I decided not to because I had a very supportive boyfriend and mother who helped me kinda get things back in check, and I just felt like things started to work out on their own, self-help books on reverse dieting also helped me with the mental aspect. Don't be afraid to get help either professional or personal, building a healthy relationship with food after I never had one to begin with, and then destroyed it with a very low calorie diet, was and still is the hardest thing I've had to do for myself, but it's worth it in the end if I can maintain on my own and be happy with my body some day.
  • SLLRunner
    SLLRunner Posts: 12,942 Member
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    OP, please pick up the phone and call your doctor right now. You do need professional help, as you are harming your body by eating so few calories.
  • geekyjock76
    geekyjock76 Posts: 2,720 Member
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    Sorry, but you're expecting the impossible because you're very likely going to regain most - if not all - of the weight you lost by adhering to a semi-starvation diet since April. Our bodies [thankfully] are designed to replace weight lost rapidly in such famine-like circumstances. Otherwise, we'd die from starvation if we were to experience repeated episodes of famine.
  • littlepinkhearts
    littlepinkhearts Posts: 1,055 Member
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    don't be so hard on yourself. i had a similar start on MFP. I had no clue i was starving myself and the damage i was doing to my body until i joined here and started reading everything i could. A few months in, i realized if i truly wanted to help myself that i would have to eat at maintenance for a least 8 weeks. So i did. I first upped to 1000 cals per day for a week, then 1200...etc. As i got close to the 2000, i just jumped in and went right to it. I won't say it was easy, because it wasn't. I bloated right up for weeks on end. The only thing that kept me going was that i knew it was the right thing to do for my health. I kept at, even though i was totally embarrassed by my fat stomach. I did eventually slowly notice changes in my body though, and my overall health. Things started to turn around and the bloat eventually finally went away. It's like a year and a half later and i'm quite happy with what i've done for myself. Yes i still struggle. But for the most part, i'm much happier.

    OP add me as a friend if you like and i'll support you however i can. You can do this!!!
  • nataliedanielleneale
    nataliedanielleneale Posts: 23 Member
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    So should I continue to up my calories on a daily basis by around 20 until I reach my supposed maintenance level of roughly 1500? I'll consume 800 calories today, so should I continue this way? Or is there a better way to go about the increase? I've been losing and then regaining the same 100g every morning since Sunday :( but I've taken the batteries out of my scales now in the hope that I will stop using them!

    Also, does anybody else struggle to reach the minimum of 5 fruit/veg a day? Yesterday I found myself eating a ridiculously huge portion of lettuce, cucumber and tomato just to force myself to reach this?! 80g of each for 1 out of 5 seems like a lot when you serve it together at the same time!
  • samammay
    samammay Posts: 468
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    Unless you hit your calorie goal on the nose each day, I would lean more towards 100 per week instead of 20 per day.
  • nataliedanielleneale
    nataliedanielleneale Posts: 23 Member
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    Unless you hit your calorie goal on the nose each day, I would lean more towards 100 per week instead of 20 per day.

    I plan every day in advance and am obsessively strict that I stick to it :)
  • littlepinkhearts
    littlepinkhearts Posts: 1,055 Member
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    honestly, i wouldn't worry about how you do it, just focus on getting it done....as soon as possible. If you're really concerned about putting back on weight, you can go slowly, but you'll probably put a certain amount back on, regardless how slow you go. As for the fruits and veggies? just do your best and get it done :)

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