Loosing wight with an eating disorder. Help!

orangeskiesinlove
orangeskiesinlove Posts: 49 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Hey there, quick back story, When I was 16 I was hospitalized with Anorexia, the past 5 years I have spent getting myself better with a lot of relapses, my last one being 6 months ago :) My GP has advised I loose weight to deal with the symptoms of my PCOS. My bmi Is currently in the 24 range, He wants me to drop it into the 18-19 range. I am extremely worried about trying to diet healthy. I have been dieting for about 3 days and I am finding in extremely hard to not let my disordered thoughts sway me. Anyone else in the same boat or have been in the same boat?

I am happy with my body at the moment and my GP telling my weight loss is the best thing to help the symptoms of PCOS has upset me a bit too... I'm actually slightly uncomfortable with the idea of losing weight.

What do I do?

Replies

  • SLLRunner
    SLLRunner Posts: 12,942 Member
    Orange,

    How overweight are you? I perceive by your ticker that you are trying to lose around 64 pounds?

    I would be up front and honest with your GP about your feelings of dieting after anorexia, and I would also ask for a referral to a support group to deal with your fear of losing weight.

    If you have went from anorexic to being overweight enough to need to lose 60 pounds, it seems to me that you are still dealing with eating disordered thoughts. You might needs some counseling or group therapy to deal.

    The best of luck to you.
  • orangeskiesinlove
    orangeskiesinlove Posts: 49 Member
    I'm not over weight I'm in the healthy range, my bmi is 24, I'm trying to lose 24-30lbs, just getting to grips with this website aha, not quite sure how everything works as of yet. I am 5'10 and 168lbs, I want to get down to about 130/40lbs.
    I am still have very disordered thoughts daily, but I manage to eat to stay a stable weight, the other days I struggle to control my eating. I have been the same weight for over a year now so I'd say that's a good thing. I'm just sacred I will go from managing to keep a stable weight with the way I'm eating now and slip completely backwards into my bad ways.

    Thank you for the advice :) I will look into some groups.
  • Maleficent0241
    Maleficent0241 Posts: 386 Member
    Have you been upfront with your GP about your concerns? Is he treating your PCOS or do you have an endocrinologist for that? The advice to be down at 18 BMI (which is underweight) seems a bit suspect to me, but of course I am not a doctor nor do I know your history. If you have an endo, I would ask for input in addition to finding a support group or therapist to help with the ED side of things.
  • mufamuscles
    mufamuscles Posts: 57
    Get a new doctor...
  • FatFreeFrolicking
    FatFreeFrolicking Posts: 4,252 Member
    A BMI of 18 or 19 is underweight and the fact that your PCP is recommending that is quite frightening to me.

    Losing weight is NOT the only way to treat PCOS.

    Do you have an endocrinologist?
    Do you take Metformin? Metformin helps manage PCOS.
    Do you take birth control pills? BC pills help manage PCOS.

    Limiting processed foods and foods with added sugars and adding more whole-grain products, fruits, vegetables, and lean meats to your diet also helps treat PCOS. Exercise is an essential part of proper treatment of PCOS. Make sure you are doing at least 30 minutes a day.
  • orangeskiesinlove
    orangeskiesinlove Posts: 49 Member
    Nope, it was a LOCUM GP that saw me and suggested the weight loss, He just said in the range of 18/19 nothing specific. I am on the NHS therefore I don't see a specialist, I only saw one to be diagnosed so I am on my own treatment wise as the NHS won't operate.

    I can't go back to therapy as I live in a rural town and can't afford the long trips into the city for it. Thats why I'm mainly looking for online support.
  • SLLRunner
    SLLRunner Posts: 12,942 Member
    I'm not over weight I'm in the healthy range, my bmi is 24, I'm trying to lose 24-30lbs, just getting to grips with this website aha, not quite sure how everything works as of yet. I am 5'10 and 168lbs, I want to get down to about 130/40lbs.
    I am still have very disordered thoughts daily, but I manage to eat to stay a stable weight, the other days I struggle to control my eating. I have been the same weight for over a year now so I'd say that's a good thing. I'm just sacred I will go from managing to keep a stable weight with the way I'm eating now and slip completely backwards into my bad ways.

    Thank you for the advice :) I will look into some groups.

    I'm so sorry, I didn't read your post well enough. I see you said you are 24 BMI and your doctor wants you to get to 18-19 BMI. I don't blame you for being leery about the GP's advice, and good for you for paying enough attention to know when you are being led into dangerous ground for you. I agree with those who say to get a new doctor, as you will be underweight again.
  • FatFreeFrolicking
    FatFreeFrolicking Posts: 4,252 Member
    Nope, it was a LOCUM GP that saw me and suggested the weight loss, He just said in the range of 18/19 nothing specific. I am on the NHS therefore I don't see a specialist, I only saw one to be diagnosed so I am on my own treatment wise as the NHS won't operate.

    I can't go back to therapy as I live in a rural town and can't afford the long trips into the city for it. Thats why I'm mainly looking for online support.

    Can you do phone appointments?

    You certainly do not NEED to lose weight. You are very tall and are at a normal weight for someone of your height. Could you lose some weight? Yeah, sure. But since you are a former anorexic and in recovery, I wouldn't suggest it at the moment. Instead I would focus on eating right and exercising. I would ask your doctor for Metformin and birth control pills as well.
  • orangeskiesinlove
    orangeskiesinlove Posts: 49 Member
    Yes, I will get a second opinion. Because I honestly think the main goal for me is to get to a good mental state before trying to get my body in shape. At least from my point of view. I wouldn't mind eating better and exercising more, but loosing weight seems excessive. I guess I'm just inclined to listen to GP's without hesitation hah.
  • Michelle9055
    Michelle9055 Posts: 24 Member
    I think you should get a new doctor as well. At a bmi of 24 you are at a healthy weight and anything below 18.5 is underweight.
  • orangeskiesinlove
    orangeskiesinlove Posts: 49 Member
    They put me on new BC called Trinovium for the PCOS, what is metaformin? As for phone appointments, never looked into that.
  • Beet_Girl
    Beet_Girl Posts: 102
    For most people, a BMI of 24 is fine. However, fat is an endocrine tissue, and that could definitely cause problems for someone with PCOS. So, your doctor probably just wants you to have as little unnecessary fat as possible.

    And my doctor said that BMI is just an estimate and just because you're within the so called "healthy" range doesn't mean you're at a good weight. I'm at about 24, and I definitely have a decent amount of fat around my middle. And my doc said I need to lose. If I had a different body type, like more muscle or something, it might be fine. But not so good for me.
  • orangeskiesinlove
    orangeskiesinlove Posts: 49 Member
    For most people, a BMI of 24 is fine. However, fat is an endocrine tissue, and that could definitely cause problems for someone with PCOS. So, your doctor probably just wants you to have as little unnecessary fat as possible.

    That makes sense :)
  • MB_Positif
    MB_Positif Posts: 8,897 Member
    Your GP sounds irresponsible.

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