I have abused my body in the past...anorexia/bulimia, now I'

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KimberSt
KimberSt Posts: 62 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Restart my metabolism to lose weight without going back to bad habits?

When I got married 14 years ago, I weighed 98lbs (abuse weight). Because of the abuse I did to my body, I caused myself to have to have a hysterectomy at age 30. My body was forced into surgical menopause and thus, began to gain weight. At one point, I was at a healthy weight for my size. However, I am now at the other end of the spectrum and am considered obese. At 47 years old and 5'1", I am almost 200 lbs. Double what I was when I married. Two weeks ago, I started walking and watching my calories after seeing pictures of myself at my neice's wedding. I look worse than I have in my whole life.

I have lost 4 lbs. so far, but I'm sure it's just water weight. I don't want to lose too fast. I want to be able to maintain the weight when I get down to a more healthy weight.

Anybody have any suggestions?

Replies

  • LuckyLeprechaun
    LuckyLeprechaun Posts: 6,296 Member
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    Take it slow and steady. AIm for 1 lb/week so you don't go at it too fast and induce old habits. Make a bunch of friends here on MFP and stay active on the boards so you will have a support system.

    Glad you are here!:flowerforyou:
  • 2bFitNTrim
    2bFitNTrim Posts: 1,209 Member
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    I recommend the slow & steady pace too in light of your history. Set your goals on MFP and EAT your calories. Resist eating 500 calories a day or something like that that may trigger anorexia/bulimia, etc. You must take great care not to do further damage to your body. There are wonderful people on this site, but I certainly hope you are wise enough to seek professional help if you need it. Good luck on your journey!:flowerforyou:
  • Lisa_reds
    Lisa_reds Posts: 19 Member
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    I COMPLETELY understand where you are. I too abused my body with bulemia years ago. I last purged on Dec 31, 2003. I have tried a few different things to loose weight after my 2 kids and I found myself becoming obsessive again. MFP has really helped with that. Zumba has too. :)

    Congrats to you for loosing the first 4 pounds - that is normal for the first week or so. BUT I would aim for 1 pound a week (like what the person before me wrote) so you don't overdo it. Please friend me and I will be happy to chat any time.

    Good luck on this journey..... to getting healthy - not thin, not skinny, not any of those words.... just healthy! xoxoxoxox Love Lis
  • suzi67
    suzi67 Posts: 162 Member
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    You almost wrote my profile! I was 93 lbs just before I got married 19 years ago, and was dealing with the effects of anorexia. During my recovery, I went up in weight to 165. I am 5', so definitely not a healthy size. What I was finally told by a trainer was that I had starved away alot of my muscle mass and that I needed to build that back up to burn any of the calories I was now taking in. Cardio will help, but if you have done the same as me, doing strength training will benefit you more in the long run. It won't be overnight, but having a healthy body will be more than worth it.
  • lsdowney29
    lsdowney29 Posts: 2 Member
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    You are doing the right thing - watching what you eat and starting an exercise program. A habit, whether it be a good one or a bad one, doesn't "officially" form until you have done it for 6 weeks straight and are comfortable doing it without even thinking about it.

    Keep track of everything you put in your mouth and don't be dissapointed if you don't hit your targeted goal every so often. You have to let loose every so often to keep yourself on the straight and narrow. I tracked myself to see exactly how much I was eating and realized that I couldn't go on eating 3,000+ calories a day if I was ever going to fit in those size 8 jeans again.

    I also have 2 friends that are my inspiration. They are about a decade younger than me but we're all in the same shape - round. :) We are all keeping each other on track and it really does help.

    I hope you find your niche on here and can become someone elses inspiration. You've already inspired me by being honest to yourself and trying to better yourself.

    Keep going!!! You can do it!
  • Jbwilson0708
    Jbwilson0708 Posts: 91
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    i dealt with bulimia all through highschool then after a few hard time i turned to food to cover pain.. when i first started loosing weight the healthy way i did alot of research on healthy eating i started walking/dancing around the house nd now i do turbo jam ive lost 28 pounds and i havent even had the urge to make myself binge and purge!! I hope this helped at all all i know is taking it slow has worked wonders for me :)
  • KimberSt
    KimberSt Posts: 62 Member
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    Thank you all sooooo much for the words of encouragement!! It really means a lot to me. My DH is a wonderful support person as well, but it's great to get outside encouragement as well.

    Hugs,

    Kimber

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