food anxiety

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cassietowle3
cassietowle3 Posts: 60 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
hi everybody Im looking for some advice on how to cope with anxiety centered around calorie intake I have recently begun to consume more calories then I was because I was told by a professional that the amount I was consuming was not enough for what I burn. I have been trying this week but I'm afraid that in doing so I will gain weight. I am a perfectionist and I'm not happy unless my loss is over 2 pounds a week. I know that this is unhealthy in the long run so I am trying to fix my attitude towards it. I have had a history of eating disorders and dont want to get back into that mind set. any advice?

Replies

  • ravenmiss
    ravenmiss Posts: 384 Member
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    hi everybody Im looking for some advice on how to cope with anxiety centered around calorie intake I have recently begun to consume more calories then I was because I was told by a professional that the amount I was consuming was not enough for what I burn. I have been trying this week but I'm afraid that in doing so I will gain weight. I am a perfectionist and I'm not happy unless my loss is over 2 pounds a week. I know that this is unhealthy in the long run so I am trying to fix my attitude towards it. I have had a history of eating disorders and dont want to get back into that mind set. any advice?

    Can you speak to a medical professional or organisation? Surely they would be more suited to assist you?
  • em902008
    em902008 Posts: 18 Member
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    You sound just like me. I'm in the same boat. Yesterday I didn't even go to the gym and burned 1000 calories just bs'in in my free time. I'm struggling with actually dropping weight though. Despite my long workouts multiple times a week. I'm dropping my calorie intake to 1500 for a week or two in hopes that it "shocks" my body as the person who suggested it said. If you're working out a lot like I do, 1500 isn't enough. That is why I am only doing it temporarily. Then I'm going to work back up to 1700. Plus you have to eat back your calories and all that after a work out. After I logged my workout it said I needed to consume a total of like 3400 calories, which is 1,100 more than what MFP had recommended I be having a day. No way in hell I could manage that..unless I like binge ate like crazy. Throw some healthy snacks in or some extra veggies or fruit with a meal. That is what I've been doing. Once I finally manage to go grocery shopping I'm hoping to have set healthier meals and extra snacks for those days that I work out and need to up my calorie intake. For the first couple of weeks I was not eating back my calories at all and it was terrible.I was tired all the time and just felt overall crappy. I had no energy to do anything. I'd go to the gym. Go to work. And sleep. Its hard to force yourself to eat more, when you're getting such good results. Feel free to message me or add me and we can talk more about it if you like!!
  • cassietowle3
    cassietowle3 Posts: 60 Member
    Options
    hi everybody Im looking for some advice on how to cope with anxiety centered around calorie intake I have recently begun to consume more calories then I was because I was told by a professional that the amount I was consuming was not enough for what I burn. I have been trying this week but I'm afraid that in doing so I will gain weight. I am a perfectionist and I'm not happy unless my loss is over 2 pounds a week. I know that this is unhealthy
    in the long run so I am trying to fix my attitude towards it. I have had a history of eating disorders and dont want to get back into that mind set. any advice?

    Can you speak to a medical professional or organisation? Surely they would be more suited to assist you?

    I am asking here only because I know that other people might have the same kind of problem and may have things that have worked for them rather than advice from somebody who has not gone through it
  • stephe1987
    stephe1987 Posts: 406 Member
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    If you have 75+ lbs to lose 2 lbs/week is ideal
    If you have 40-75 lbs to lose 1.5 lbs/week is ideal
    If you have 25-40 lbs to lose 1 lbs/week is ideal
    If you have 15-25 lbs to lose 0.5 to 1.0 lbs/week is ideal
    If you have less than 15 lbs to lose 0.5 lbs/week is ideal

    Yes, it is nice when you get a big drop on the scale. But it isn't healthy and you are more likely to gain it back which defeats the point of eating right and exercising. Many people lose weight quickly, spend hours a day exercising, eat very little food, only to gain it all back as soon as they go into maintenance mode.

    Other issues:
    -there will be some periods of time where you may lose inches instead of pounds as your body adjusts to your new lifestyle
    -women's bodies can retain water at certain times of the month (ovulation, menstruation) so be aware of that

    If the scale doesn't go down after 3-4 weeks then you're doing something wrong. Otherwise, it could just be water weight or fat turning into muscle. You'll notice looser clothes even though the scale isn't moving.

    Make sure to weigh (or measure if you don't have a food scale) your food. Remember that calories consumed is often underestimated and calories burned is overestimated. That is why, even though MFP tells you to eat back your exercise calories, I and some other posters on here would not recommend eating back more than half of them or you risk overeating without even knowing it.
  • missiontofitness
    missiontofitness Posts: 4,074 Member
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    If you have a history of disordered eating + are currently experiencing anxiety towards food, then you should be speaking to professionals, as stated above. We are strangers on the internet; we should not be giving you advice given your history, because we are not professionals who have gone through extensive schooling/training to tackle these specific issues.

    The only non-medical advice I will give you is to remember that food is fuel. Your body needs it to function.
  • JossFit
    JossFit Posts: 588 Member
    Options
    You sound just like me. I'm in the same boat. Yesterday I didn't even go to the gym and burned 1000 calories just bs'in in my free time. I'm struggling with actually dropping weight though. Despite my long workouts multiple times a week. I'm dropping my calorie intake to 1500 for a week or two in hopes that it "shocks" my body as the person who suggested it said. If you're working out a lot like I do, 1500 isn't enough. That is why I am only doing it temporarily. Then I'm going to work back up to 1700. Plus you have to eat back your calories and all that after a work out. After I logged my workout it said I needed to consume a total of like 3400 calories, which is 1,100 more than what MFP had recommended I be having a day. No way in hell I could manage that..unless I like binge ate like crazy. Throw some healthy snacks in or some extra veggies or fruit with a meal. That is what I've been doing. Once I finally manage to go grocery shopping I'm hoping to have set healthier meals and extra snacks for those days that I work out and need to up my calorie intake. For the first couple of weeks I was not eating back my calories at all and it was terrible.I was tired all the time and just felt overall crappy. I had no energy to do anything. I'd go to the gym. Go to work. And sleep. Its hard to force yourself to eat more, when you're getting such good results. Feel free to message me or add me and we can talk more about it if you like!!

    I would HIGHLY recommend not 'eating back' exercise calories, especially if you have a lot of weigh to lose. To be frank, someone with a lot of excess fat has no need to consume 3400 calories per day. The LEANER you are, the more you actually need to eat in order to ensure you aren't wasting muscle tissue or messing with hormonal function. The more fat you have the larger calorie deficit you can create without adverse effects.
  • cassietowle3
    cassietowle3 Posts: 60 Member
    Options
    You sound just like me. I'm in the same boat. Yesterday I didn't even go to the gym and burned 1000 calories just bs'in in my free time. I'm struggling with actually dropping weight though. Despite my long workouts multiple times a week. I'm dropping my calorie intake to 1500 for a week or two in hopes that it "shocks" my body as the person who suggested it said. If you're working out a lot like I do, 1500 isn't enough. That is why I am only doing it temporarily. Then I'm going to work back up to 1700. Plus you have to eat back your calories and all that after a work out. After I logged my workout it said I needed to consume a total of like 3400 calories, which is 1,100 more than what MFP had recommended I be having a day. No way in hell I could manage that..unless I like binge ate like crazy. Throw some healthy snacks in or some extra veggies or fruit with a meal. That is what I've been doing. Once I finally manage to go grocery shopping I'm hoping to have set healthier meals and extra snacks for those days that I work out and need to up my calorie intake. For the first couple of weeks I was not eating back my calories at all and it was terrible.I was tired all the time and just felt overall crappy. I had no energy to do anything. I'd go to the gym. Go to work. And sleep. Its hard to force yourself to eat more, when you're getting such good results. Feel free to message me or add me and we can talk more about it if you like!!

    I would HIGHLY recommend not 'eating back' exercise calories, especially if you have a lot of weigh to lose. To be frank, someone with a lot of excess fat has no need to consume 3400 calories per day. The LEANER you are, the more you actually need to eat in order to ensure you aren't wasting muscle tissue or messing with hormonal function. The more fat you have the larger calorie deficit you can create without adverse effects.


    I would never eat 3400 calories in one day the most Ive eaten was 1900 and that was after 4 1/2 hours of excersise. I have list 65 pounds and I am still sometimes losing more than 3 pounds a week this is why I think that I should in fact eat back my excersise calories.
  • cassietowle3
    cassietowle3 Posts: 60 Member
    Options
    If you have 75+ lbs to lose 2 lbs/week is ideal
    If you have 40-75 lbs to lose 1.5 lbs/week is ideal
    If you have 25-40 lbs to lose 1 lbs/week is ideal
    If you have 15-25 lbs to lose 0.5 to 1.0 lbs/week is ideal
    If you have less than 15 lbs to lose 0.5 lbs/week is ideal

    Yes, it is nice when you get a big drop on the scale. But it isn't healthy and you are more likely to gain it back which defeats the point of eating right and exercising. Many people lose weight quickly, spend hours a day exercising, eat very little food, only to gain it all back as soon as they go into maintenance mode.

    Other issues:
    -there will be some periods of time where you may lose inches instead of pounds as your body adjusts to your new lifestyle
    -women's bodies can retain water at certain times of the month (ovulation, menstruation) so be aware of that

    If the scale doesn't go down after 3-4 weeks then you're doing something wrong. Otherwise, it could just be water weight or fat turning into muscle. You'll notice looser clothes even though the scale isn't moving.

    Make sure to weigh (or measure if you don't have a food scale) your food. Remember that calories consumed is often underestimated and calories burned is overestimated. That is why, even though MFP tells you to eat back your exercise calories, I and some other posters on here would not recommend eating back more than half of them or you risk overeating without even knowing it.

    i have not actually gained any weight it is the fear that I will
  • neandermagnon
    neandermagnon Posts: 7,436 Member
    Options
    You sound just like me. I'm in the same boat. Yesterday I didn't even go to the gym and burned 1000 calories just bs'in in my free time. I'm struggling with actually dropping weight though. Despite my long workouts multiple times a week. I'm dropping my calorie intake to 1500 for a week or two in hopes that it "shocks" my body as the person who suggested it said. If you're working out a lot like I do, 1500 isn't enough. That is why I am only doing it temporarily. Then I'm going to work back up to 1700. Plus you have to eat back your calories and all that after a work out. After I logged my workout it said I needed to consume a total of like 3400 calories, which is 1,100 more than what MFP had recommended I be having a day. No way in hell I could manage that..unless I like binge ate like crazy. Throw some healthy snacks in or some extra veggies or fruit with a meal. That is what I've been doing. Once I finally manage to go grocery shopping I'm hoping to have set healthier meals and extra snacks for those days that I work out and need to up my calorie intake. For the first couple of weeks I was not eating back my calories at all and it was terrible.I was tired all the time and just felt overall crappy. I had no energy to do anything. I'd go to the gym. Go to work. And sleep. Its hard to force yourself to eat more, when you're getting such good results. Feel free to message me or add me and we can talk more about it if you like!!

    I would HIGHLY recommend not 'eating back' exercise calories, especially if you have a lot of weigh to lose. To be frank, someone with a lot of excess fat has no need to consume 3400 calories per day. The LEANER you are, the more you actually need to eat in order to ensure you aren't wasting muscle tissue or messing with hormonal function. The more fat you have the larger calorie deficit you can create without adverse effects.

    This is really really terrible advice for someone who has a history of eating disorders and has been told by health professionals that she needs to eat more.



    OP: please see a professional, you say you don't want to slip back into an eating disorder mentality, but based on what you've said on this thread it sounds like you're already half way back to that mentality.... 1900 cals is nowhere near enough for a day when you 4.5 hrs of exercise. (and I disagree with the above person, you DO need to eat back exercise calories) You can steadily lose weight while eating a whole lot more than this, and you need to revise your idea about what "perfect" is to enable you to eat enough food to fuel your body properly.... perfectionist mentality often goes hand in hand with eating disorders, so to be honest that sounds like a red flag to me that you're starting to backslide into eating disorder mentality. But this anxiety about gaining weight that's bad enough that it's stopping you from eating the amount of food you know you should be eating is the biggest red flag.

    Also bear in mind that weight gain after increasing calories after undereating for a period of time is water weight not fat. You can expect the scale to go up even if you're still in a deficit (after your glycogen stores are replenished this gain stops and the scale goes downwards again, if you're still in deficit), but if you're so focused on scale weight or terrified of scale weight gain that this freaks you out even when you know it's not fat gain, then that's time to speak to a professional.

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