Teenage Girl Trying To Get to Her Best Self

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ivy9718
ivy9718 Posts: 4
in Introduce Yourself
Hello people of myfitnesspal,
My name is Ivy and I joined myfitnesspal to try to take back control of my eating habits, exercise, and all around make my life healthier. I decided that this website looked like it helped a lot of people and everyone seems very happy to help!
A little back round on me, I am 18 and I am a senior in high school. I participate in color guard (for those of you who don't know what that is.. its the girls that twirl flags sabers and rifles while dancing around a marching band.. if you have never seen a show I suggest looking it up its very cool :smile: ) anyway I am also getting back into running, kickboxing, and yoga. I would say i have a pretty well rounded diet for a teenager at the moment but I'm still looking to improve a bit. I am very interested in health and fitness.
About 3 years ago (freshman year) I was in a very unhealthy relationship with a boy older then me. He made me feel very bad about myself and long story short I developed an eating disorder. I had Anorexia and I battled with it for over a year before i got help. (and then dumped my boyfriend because i realized he was the issue). My lowest weight was very scary and i don't like sharing it so I'm not going to. Since i was diagnosed I have gained a good 35 to 40 pounds and am now considered in the top of a healthy ranged for my height and age. Only the way I gained most of my weight back was through binge eating. I still have some issues with binge eating but its not as bad as it was before. I would love to kick this bad habit for good!
I attended therapy as well and am considered fully "recovered". I do feel stronger then i ever have in the last 3 years but i would like to feel more comfortable in my own skin. Ive always been on the smaller side.
Prom is right around the corner and i would like to lose a little weight and tone up a bit. I am 120 pounds and i would like to be around 110-112. Even 115 with some tone! (but i would still like to aim for 110-112). I discussed this with my doctor and my therapist and they see no harm in me achieving that weight as I have a small frame and am 5'2" and have a healthy mindset and a great family support system behind me. So all in all i would like to lose 7-10 pounds in the next 2 months, the healthy way. I would like a little help, Im kind of scared i won't be able to lose the weight. SO ANY ADVICE IS WELCOME! :smile:
This experience of having an eating disorder makes me want to become a nutritionist someday and help these girls that feel so lost during these hard times. :heart:

So yeah thats a little about me! Again any advice is welcome...Im very open minded! :glasses:
:smooched:

Replies

  • agoodwin7963
    agoodwin7963 Posts: 1
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    I have a story similar to yours (minus the boyfriend, mine is the reason I gain weight xD haha) I am trying to loose some weight as well, so just message me if you want to talk or be buddies :)
  • Eve_e
    Eve_e Posts: 57
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    My biggest warning to you as you start this healthy journey, is to stay aware of your anxiety level. It's very easy to become over-obsesed with counting calories and getting fit, but extreme obsession opens the door to disordered eating. I struggle with binge-eating and restricting on occasion, feel free to add me! Congratulations on doing this the healthy way, that's such a great accomplishment in and of itself!
  • ivy9718
    ivy9718 Posts: 4
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    Thank you!:smile:
  • ivy9718
    ivy9718 Posts: 4
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    eve_e
    Yeah, i know and i figured having a community of people like this to talk to if i needed would help a lot so thanks and you too!
  • geekyjock76
    geekyjock76 Posts: 2,720 Member
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    At your weight, the best you can do is lose about 4-5 lbs in 8 weeks. The less fat mass you have, the less fat can be burned in 24 hours-this is why fat loss slows down near a healthy weight range. With your past, you don't want to adhere to large deficits and risk relapse.

    Establish what your maintenance calories are and eat 250 calories below that. If you aren't doing so already, engage in a progressive lifting program using compound movements such as squats, deadlifts, chest press, pullups and overhead press. Starting Strength and Strong Lifts are great programs to follow from a beginner on up. Lastly, eat enough protein-if your lean mass is 90 lbs, eat 90 grams of protein.
  • Squamation
    Squamation Posts: 522 Member
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    In my opinion there is no healthy way for a person of your size to lose 7-10lbs in a month.

    I would suggest you stay off the scale all together and focus on either measurements or how your clothing fits or some other NSV (non scale victory).

    Binge eating is a b*tch, good luck. I congratulate you on getting healthy and wanting to improve your overall fitness- I think that should be your focus not what the scale says.

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/945609-from-130-to-130?hl=my+130+journey

    Link to my own progress post (if the pictures don't load simply click on "display images" at the top of the post) to show that the scale is not everything, especially if you're starting off at an already healthy weight.

    Feel free to add.
  • ivy9718
    ivy9718 Posts: 4
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    Thanks
    and just to clarify 2 months actually and i would be okay with 5-7 pounds in 2 months.
    10ish pounds before the end of classes and school which is a good 3 months away.
  • kkorto
    kkorto Posts: 3 Member
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    Hi:smile:
    I just saw your post and I went through the same thing. I am also a senior in high school and 18 as well and I do know what color guard is (woo go marching band!:wink: ) I lost 20 pounds mainly from obsessively exercising and counting calories. I didn't see anything wrong with how I looked though until my friends and family started pointing out how thin I had gotten. They told me I looked anorexic and scary thin and some of my "friends" would insult me by telling me I looked gross then. I started binge eating out of stress and to gain weight so people leave me alone about it. I wasn't eating healthy food either; I would eat pretty much anything sitting out so usually junk food. I would literally eat peanut butter by the jar along with all kinds of desserts. Most of the food had little health benefits and a large amount of fat. I gained weight/ am gaining weight now but most of it is fat. Although I am at a healthy BMI now, I don't feel healthy at all. I can't control my binge eating and have a problem with eating when I'm stressed or just because I'm bored. I'm trying to control how many calories I consume now so I stop gaining so much weight from fat. I'm also trying to find some extra motivation to start working out more and eating healthier. Maybe we can help each other out:)
  • polyspal
    polyspal Posts: 9
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    First off, I would like to congratulate you on your recovery.
    I have an eating disorder of sorts, it goes on and off. I like to think I'm in recovery, but then I get into that mindset and it's hell.

    I'm proud of you for facing such a demon as Anorexia.

    I am entering my final year of high school, about to same weight as you, but with a medium frame ((I guess)) and 8 inches taller.

    I suggest staying away from the scale. Do what you do, but don't make the goal a number. I can assume, the habit of checking the scale and working towards a number for two months could start you down that terrible path again.
    Focus more on fitting into clothes or other things of the sort.
    This is just my opinion.
  • nofoodforthemood
    nofoodforthemood Posts: 64
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    My biggest warning to you as you start this healthy journey, is to stay aware of your anxiety level. It's very easy to become over-obsesed with counting calories and getting fit, but extreme obsession opens the door to disordered eating. I struggle with binge-eating and restricting on occasion, feel free to add me! Congratulations on doing this the healthy way, that's such a great accomplishment in and of itself!

    ^^exactly what she said. Counting calories can be an anorexic's worst nightmare so be easy on yourself. It's ok to go a few over :) I'm a binge eater in recovery...69 days binge free....feel free to add me too!

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