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How can I lose weight without succumbing to an eating disorder?

justanothergirl975
justanothergirl975 Posts: 4 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Hello,

I suffered from an eating disorder in late childhood/early teens (I'm now in my 20s) but have recently put on a lot of weight due to having to take medication. I would like to lose some of the weight I've gained (I'm aiming to lose around 30lbs) but I really don't want to get sucked back into an ED. Does anybody have any tips for doing this safely?

I'm doing it slowly and trying to make healthier food choices as opposed to restricting my intake too much, and am limiting 'liquid calories' such as processed orange juice and regular hot chocolate (especially from coffee shops). Other than that, I don't really know what to do - I want to get the balance right between losing weight but not slipping back into old habits. Any advice/success stories would be much appreciated!

Replies

  • KiwiAlexP
    KiwiAlexP Posts: 186 Member
    Given you history try seeing a dietician for guidance and make sure you tell them you've had issues in the past
  • AmeliaHelen96
    AmeliaHelen96 Posts: 34 Member
    I would advise you to speak to your GP or a dietitian for some advice and guidelines on weight loss. Unfortunately, I'm not a professional, so I can't offer the best advice for your personal situation. But it will be beneficial for you to speak to a professional about wanting to lose weight but not wanting to relapse into your eating disorder. They can then help you come up with a suitable calorie intake and meal plan, and can also monitor how you are doing with your weight loss to allow for them to pick up on any signs of you relapsing.

    I wish you the best of luck :)
  • hekla90
    hekla90 Posts: 595 Member
    Work with a therapist. Also no medication can "make" you gain weight, it usually influences your appetite and ability to regulate hunger so talk to your doctor about switching medication and bring this and your history up with them.
  • Queenmunchy
    Queenmunchy Posts: 3,380 Member
    When I was at my healthiest, I had to look at my calorie limit as goal, not to try to reach much lower than what was set. I lost weight consistently every single week. I'd urge you to speak with your team. Pre-planning my days helped me tweak to make sure I was eating the appropriate calories for my body.
  • vingogly
    vingogly Posts: 1,785 Member
    Work with a therapist who has experience working with both eating disorders and weight loss. Be careful of the advice you're given here or on other internet forums -- it may be well meant but that doesn't mean it's going to lead you in the right direction.

    These folks specialize in working with eating disorders, and I've read their books (including Tribole's cookbooks):

    http://www.intuitiveeating.org
  • justanothergirl975
    justanothergirl975 Posts: 4 Member
    Thank you all - I speak with a therapist regularly so will bring it up with her in our next session. Switching medication is unfortunately not an option at the moment so I have to make do with the circumstances.
  • Pawsforme
    Pawsforme Posts: 645 Member
    I understand.

    I suffered from an eating disorder from my mid to late 20's. Then things were okay until my late 40's/around 50 when I started slowly putting on weight. It was very frustrating because I knew my calorie intake was okay, or at least not nearly over enough to account for the amount of weight I was putting on. I was eventually diagnosed with hypothyroidism, which explained the problem. But then I was faced with having to lose the weight, and even after 25 years the thought of having to really, really monitor my eating habits and especially having to step on the scale regularly had me mildly panicked. I knew I did NOT want to get obsessed like I used to be.

    It sounds like a cliche, but for me the main thing was focusing on overall long term health rather than just how fast I could drive down the number on the scale. I purposefully avoided getting on the scale more than once a week. I stayed plenty busy with other things and as much as possible kept my mind off of food and especially weight and wondering how much I might (or might not) be losing. Often I'd go ten days or even two weeks w/o weighing or even thinking much about it. I knew it was critically important for me to not allow myself to get fixated on the number it showed like I did years ago.

    Oddly enough, after losing the weight I've been perfectly okay with weighing every day to monitor it.
  • hekla90
    hekla90 Posts: 595 Member
    shell1005 wrote: »
    justanothergirl975 wrote: »
    Thank you all - I speak with a therapist regularly so will bring it up with her in our next session. Switching medication is unfortunately not an option at the moment so I have to make do with the circumstances.

    I am actually glad to hear you say that. I often cringe when I see people on the internet make suggestions that changing a medication because it has a known side effect of possible weight gain.

    As a nurse, it's recommended if you are experiencing side effects of a medication you find unbearable the best course of action is to speak with your doctor and go from there. Often/most times, medications can be adjusted so the individual isn't experiencing side effects. When patients don't have this dialogue, it raises the chance they will be non compliant (especially blood pressure and ED for example, or psych meds and weight gain). If you can't regulate your eating on a medication enough you gain 30 lbs where before you could, you should definitely bring that up with the prescribing doctor, suggesting otherwise I find just as cringeworthy... Especially for someone who obviously has had eating issues in the past. It's a recipe for relapse.
  • justanothergirl975
    justanothergirl975 Posts: 4 Member
    I have spoken with my doctor about the side effects of the medication - unfortunately because of my circumstances I really do need to take the medication, regardless of side effects, so am trying to do my best to monitor the effects as best as I can, and react where appropriate.
  • justanothergirl975
    justanothergirl975 Posts: 4 Member
    Pawsforme wrote: »
    I understand.

    I suffered from an eating disorder from my mid to late 20's. Then things were okay until my late 40's/around 50 when I started slowly putting on weight. It was very frustrating because I knew my calorie intake was okay, or at least not nearly over enough to account for the amount of weight I was putting on. I was eventually diagnosed with hypothyroidism, which explained the problem. But then I was faced with having to lose the weight, and even after 25 years the thought of having to really, really monitor my eating habits and especially having to step on the scale regularly had me mildly panicked. I knew I did NOT want to get obsessed like I used to be.

    It sounds like a cliche, but for me the main thing was focusing on overall long term health rather than just how fast I could drive down the number on the scale. I purposefully avoided getting on the scale more than once a week. I stayed plenty busy with other things and as much as possible kept my mind off of food and especially weight and wondering how much I might (or might not) be losing. Often I'd go ten days or even two weeks w/o weighing or even thinking much about it. I knew it was critically important for me to not allow myself to get fixated on the number it showed like I did years ago.

    Oddly enough, after losing the weight I've been perfectly okay with weighing every day to monitor it.

    Thank you for your response - I'm currently living in accommodation where I don't have easy access to a set of scales, so I'm hoping that'll help. I'm glad things seem to be OK for you now :)
  • upoffthemat
    upoffthemat Posts: 679 Member
    The good news is that 30 pounds isn't a horrible number. You can take it really easy and slow and just eat healthy and still lose a little bit at a time. It sounds like you are in a pretty good place right now. Take your time and stay healthy, there is no rush.
  • markrgeary1
    markrgeary1 Posts: 853 Member
    justanothergirl975 wrote: »
    I have spoken with my doctor about the side effects of the medication - unfortunately because of my circumstances I really do need to take the medication, regardless of side effects, so am trying to do my best to monitor the effects as best as I can, and react where appropriate.

    Take your meds, I know what your Doc says about gain and you gained 30. Definitely pay attention to the ED and get whatever assistance you need.

    About 15 years ago my wife had to go on Risperdal for extreme panic. Her doc told her it was common to gain 30 pounds on it, she gained 35(always has to overachieve☺). Last year we started changing how we ate, then found MFP and plugged in our info. It's been 10 months, but she lost the majority of the 50 pounds she lost on 8 months, on a standard MFP diet. So my point is, sometimes our docs can be wrong.

    I got to see the look on her docs face when she went in after losing about 45 pounds. Absolutely priceless! The doc can't explain it, but now says she tells people that not everyone has to gain the weight.

    Best wishes to you.
  • hekla90
    hekla90 Posts: 595 Member
    justanothergirl975 wrote: »
    I have spoken with my doctor about the side effects of the medication - unfortunately because of my circumstances I really do need to take the medication, regardless of side effects, so am trying to do my best to monitor the effects as best as I can, and react where appropriate.

    That's good you've spoken to your doctor and they're aware of it!

  • vespiquenn
    vespiquenn Posts: 1,455 Member
    edited April 2016
    Aside from the comments that state to talk to your doctor/dietitian about a safe plan, I really agree with the sentiment of looking at the weight loss as a means to be healthy. Attribute it to health rather than aesthetics.

    I suffered bulimia from 8th grade until my early 20s (almost 26 now). Any attempts to lose weight that would creep on would be met with over-restriction and purging. Although I can easily say that I still have thoughts of doing these things during low times in my life, I have come to realize that by doing these things to myself is not healthy. Thus, it does not fit within what I find to be a goal anymore, which is actually adding muscle and strength. Making fitness/health goals seemed to keep my mind clear, and I'm coming up on a year worth of logging. However, if at any point you feel that those thoughts are taking control again, talk to your therapist immediately. Eating disorders suck, even years after, so I bid you the best of luck.
  • catsdogsh
    catsdogsh Posts: 130 Member
    I love how people don't believe certain medications cause weight gain. Try living on prednisone for 20! Good luck girl, you can do it!
  • happyscruffy
    happyscruffy Posts: 26 Member
    Some good advice already. I would suggest not going under your calorie goal.
  • JeromeBarry1
    JeromeBarry1 Posts: 10,179 Member
    justanothergirl975 wrote: »
    Hello,

    I suffered from an eating disorder in late childhood/early teens (I'm now in my 20s) but have recently put on a lot of weight due to having to take medication. I would like to lose some of the weight I've gained (I'm aiming to lose around 30lbs) but I really don't want to get sucked back into an ED. Does anybody have any tips for doing this safely?

    I'm doing it slowly and trying to make healthier food choices as opposed to restricting my intake too much, and am limiting 'liquid calories' such as processed orange juice and regular hot chocolate (especially from coffee shops). Other than that, I don't really know what to do - I want to get the balance right between losing weight but not slipping back into old habits. Any advice/success stories would be much appreciated!

    Here's my advice: If you are willing to use this site to help, set your weight loss goal to .5 lb /week. This gives you a delicate 500 calorie daily deficit. I say it is delicate because the least inaccuracy in measuring and recording your food will cause you to enter a calorie surplus and gain weight. Following that advice, I strongly advise that you acquire an accurate food scale which measured to grams. Weigh everything you eat. Weigh it properly, and record it accurately. Only with such a tool will you be able to really maintain a 500 calorie deficit. Third, I advise that you eat each and every calorie in your food budget. Try to meet the low-sodium guidelines for heart patients. There's a reason for this. Less salt causes you to have less desire to eat more. Eat vegetables, green beans, carrots, broccoli, cauliflower. Focus on the lower carb vegetables because these are the higher bulk vegetables which provide you with a sensation of satiety for longer. But by all means do get plenty. Don't drink calories. Not in alcohol, not in carbonated beverages, not in fruit juices. Do all this and you will slowly and really lose weight without feeling hungry or the least bit deprived. You'll also learn how to control the food around you so that you can be healthy and fit for the rest of a long and happy life.

    Yes, I understand that some medications make it very easy to gain weight. Weight gain and loss is always and everywhere a function of calories-in, calories-out. You can win this.

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