ANOREXIA TO OVERWEIGHT, CAN'T LOSE WEIGHT :( HELP!

ElleLBean
ElleLBean Posts: 1
in Health and Weight Loss
Hey! I'm currently 5'9, 171 pounds, and looking to get down into the 145-150 range. I have been dealing with disordered eating habits (very overweight for the first half of my life) my entire life. But in high school I got sick of how I felt all the time and decided I wanted to lose some weight. I had my ups and downs with it and I unfortunately developed an anorexia, my lowest weight was around 109. I went through treatment over the summer before I went to college. I had no life then and I was miserable all the time, if anything I developed my problems with my self confidence when was a size 4 as opposed to when I was a size 18 (my highest weight was 220 lbs, freshman year of high school). Sorry the post is all jumbled now. But basically I was overweight, I lost over 100 lbs in about a year and a half (not eating enough and over exercising) and I just finished my first year of college and I went from 145 (which I was happy and comfortable wth, to the 170, which I am not as comfortable with being that none of my clothing fits as well). I got depressed around the last few months and I didn't workout more then 2 times a week and I wasn't watching what I ate. But as of July 4th I've been working out again regularly (either stationary bike or jogging or insanity or pilates) at least 4 times a week, usually five to six, for 60 mins to 90 mins at a time. I haven't been overeating and I have adopted veganism so I eat a majorly plant based diet. But the scale does not want to move! It's just disheartening because I don't feel as confident and I am embarrassed, I have this perception that I feel like I look like I let myself go. I just want to get back in shape and fit into my clothes! I'm trying not to give myself time frames or deadlines because I don't want to fall into old habit. I know I won't stop til I reach my goals, but I'm just looking for some guidance or ideas, especially from someone who has maybe gone through the same thing, something similar.

Replies

  • Meerataila
    Meerataila Posts: 1,885 Member
    Since you developed anorexia in the past, it would be wise to enlist professional support while you lose the weight. Like a counselor and dietitian. Perhaps your doctor can refer you to someone if you're not currently seeing any experts in those areas?
  • albeamy
    albeamy Posts: 1
    You need a minimum of 1000-1200 calories to survive. Because of your history, make sure you eat at least that much. You can target that range of calories until you reach your weight goal, then slowly increase your intake until you are maintaining.
    Divide your daily 1200 calories up into different food groups to make sure you get the nutrients you need. Don't use one food group to obtain all calories. Your body needs all groups.

    Here is the plan I used to get 1000-1200cal/day
    Breakfast: 1 lean protein, 1 fruit, 1 milk, 1 starch
    Snack: 1 fruit, 1 lean protein
    Lunch: 2 lean protein, 3+ vegetables, 1 starch
    Snack: 1 fruit
    Dinner: 3 lean protein, 3+ vegetables, 1 starch
    Snack: 1 milk

    Here is the NIH website that explains how many calories for each food group is equivalent to a serving of that food group: http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/public/heart/obesity/lose_wt/fd_exch.htm

    Find a way to love yourself and your body so you can learn not to mistreat yourself with food. Good luck to you.
  • lalepepper
    lalepepper Posts: 447 Member
    Hi ElleLBean - Given your history of disordered eating, I would strongly recommend speaking to your general physician while you are early on in this journey. They may refer you to a nutritionist or mental health professional. A nutritionist could offer you support with planning a sustainable vegan diet during weight loss that will allow you to sustain the exercise plans you are practicing. A mental health professional could help you work on the thought processes that tend to lead to disordered eating. Be it overeating, anorexia, over exercising, etc...most people who have successfully lost weight have had to work very hard to identify and address the thoughts and habits that brought them here. I understand everyone's ability to access health care is different, but if you are able to, an appointment with your regular doctor would be a good first step.

    As for your actual results this time around, there are a few possibilities for not seeing much loss:

    First of all, be sure your scale is accurate and being used properly. I can't tell you how many times I've read on here about people who were so frustrated on a never-ending plateau who realized their scale was wonky! Be sure to weigh yourself on a flat, level, hard surface.

    Second, the times when you weigh yourself can make a big difference in what you see. Weighing yourself at a consistent time of day is a good way to avoid flutuations based on water or food weight. It's usually recommended to weigh in first thing in the morning before eating or drinking, but after using the toilet. The days you are weighing yourself may also make a difference - if you tend to weigh in on a Saturday each week, but tend to have more calories, sodium, or alcohol than usual on Fridays (and are maintaining an overall deficit through the week), you may be seeing water retention weight that is higher than your actual weight. I realized this was happening to me when I started weighing in daily. I see my weight usually increases on Saturdays or Sundays, but is back down on Monday, as I'm maintaining a caloric deficit.

    Third, are you tracking what you eat? Given your background of disordered eating, you will be the best person to know if it's right for you. Tracking is a great tool for weight loss because weight loss occurs when you are eating less than your body burns. A well-rounded vegan diet can work very well in weight loss, but its just as possible to overeat. If you're not weighing/measuring all of your portions and tracking, you may not actually be eating at a deficit to lose weight. You can set your goals under "Settings", which will calculate an appropriate number of calories to lose a specific amount of pounds per week. For me (6' tall, currently 226) I would need about 2,400 calories a day to maintain my weight. I eat about 1,650 net calories a day to lose 1.5-2 lbs a week.

    Last, exercise does play a role in weight, both up and down. When you're picking up a new exercise routine, or ramping up in intensity, your muscles can retain water to assist in the healing process. This will usually subside in a few weeks (around where you seem to be). Overall, your eating will be much more important to your weight loss than exercise. Calories from exercise are usually overestimated, and overexercising may be making you very hungry leading to possible overeating. Listen to your body - if you're extremely sore or tired, getting any pain, or resenting the gym, give yourself a break, it will be there tomorrow! I have had periods of frequent, moderate, and rare exercise throughout my weight loss, and have maintained rates of loss by carefully monitoring calories. MyFitnessPal's tracking is useful because you have a daily goal before the inclusion of exercise. This means that even when you don't go to the gym, you can know a good range of calories to stay under to reach your weekly loss goal.


    I wish you the best of luck!

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