Advice needed without judgement please, stuck between a rock and a hard place..

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kayteemusicuk
kayteemusicuk Posts: 11 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Hiya lovelies

At the beginning of February, and desperately unhappy with my weight, I began a VLCD eating 500-600 calories a day with one day off a week where i would eat normally. However, unsurprisingly i began a very unhealthy relationship with food and cue laxative misuse after each "normal" day which soon turned into binge days where i would take 3x the amount of recommended laxatives to get rid of the food weight (i know it doesn't get rid of the calories).

I have luckily managed to stop taking the laxatives and rebuilding my relationship with food the healthy way, however I still have 19lbs left to lose. I am worried that when i start eating 1200-1400 ill gain everything i've lost so far (30lbs), therefore would it better to slowly up my calorie intake with a steady 100-200 calorie increase a week?

Thankyou xx

Replies

  • tulips_and_tea
    tulips_and_tea Posts: 5,717 Member
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    Good for you for stopping the pills and working on getting a healthy relationship with food again. Professional advice is a good idea, but yes, increase your calories. I'd do it slowly so that you don't bloat up and then send yourself back into the spiral you ended up in before. As long as you are accurately weighing and measuring your food you shouldn't gain the weight you lost eating 1200 - 1400 calories per day, but we also don't know your exact stats so I could be completely wrong.
  • RespectTheKitty
    RespectTheKitty Posts: 1,667 Member
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    Congratulations for stopping the laxatives and wanting to repair your relationship with food! That's a HUGE step. I agree with the others that you should seek out help from a professional. A licensed nutritionist can help you with building up your calories without putting weight back on.
  • AliceDark
    AliceDark Posts: 3,886 Member
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    BZAH10 wrote: »
    Good for you for stopping the pills and working on getting a healthy relationship with food again. Professional advice is a good idea, but yes, increase your calories. I'd do it slowly so that you don't bloat up and then send yourself back into the spiral you ended up in before. As long as you are accurately weighing and measuring your food you shouldn't gain the weight you lost eating 1200 - 1400 calories per day, but we also don't know your exact stats so I could be completely wrong.
    This. Plus, be prepared for your weight to do weird things in the first week or two after you up your calories, because you might see some water retention. You need to be patient and trust that your weight will level off, so please don't freak out in the first two weeks after you increase. If you can stand it, try to stay off the scale during that time.

  • kimny72
    kimny72 Posts: 16,013 Member
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    I have no educated advice for you. Just wanted to say congrats on realizing your problem and getting on top of it so quickly, and hang in there!
  • Ninkyou
    Ninkyou Posts: 6,666 Member
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    You should speak with your doctor.

    Generally speaking though, look at it from a mathematical and scientific view. It would go against everything we know in science and math to gain 30 lbs from eating 1200-1400 calories. What we do know is that when you start increasing your calories, your glycogen stores will replenish and you may gain a couple of pounds in water weight. However, it's temporary and a far cry from 30 lbs.

  • brb_2013
    brb_2013 Posts: 1,197 Member
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    I suggest seeing a counselor as well, because you are likely to put on WATER WEIGHT when you increase your calories and eat more food. I'm so glad you feel better about your relationship with food but of course the danger is that your purging behavior could continue.

    But I wouldn't increase slowly, I would get to a nutritionally well rounded 1200 calories soon. Your body will sigh with relief at having enough, you'll hold onto water as it wonders wtf has been going on, and then if 1200 calories is a good amount for you to lose on (look at what MFP tells you is good, remember the less you have the lose the slower it goes, and perhaps 1lb a week is best for you given that you don't want to over restrict) your body will cooperate in a week or two and you'll be losing again.

    I second the suggestion to stay off the scale for two weeks or so as your body adjusts. It's been through a lot and it needs your patience to heal and recover. Great job recognizing the unhealthy behavior and making the effort to correct it!
  • lorrpb
    lorrpb Posts: 11,464 Member
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    A gradual increase could be a good strategy for you. I agree with the others that professional advice is needed here. Good luck to you and congrats on taking steps to fix the prob.
  • elphie754
    elphie754 Posts: 7,574 Member
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    kayteemusicuk wrote: »
    Hiya lovelies

    At the beginning of February, and desperately unhappy with my weight, I began a VLCD eating 500-600 calories a day with one day off a week where i would eat normally. However, unsurprisingly i began a very unhealthy relationship with food and cue laxative misuse after each "normal" day which soon turned into binge days where i would take 3x the amount of recommended laxatives to get rid of the food weight (i know it doesn't get rid of the calories).

    I have luckily managed to stop taking the laxatives and rebuilding my relationship with food the healthy way, however I still have 19lbs left to lose. I am worried that when i start eating 1200-1400 ill gain everything i've lost so far (30lbs), therefore would it better to slowly up my calorie intake with a steady 100-200 calorie increase a week?

    Thankyou xx

    I am very glad you recognized that this was a problem and have decided to stop the behavior before it consumed you to the point you couldn't stop.

    I second what everyone is saying about seeing a doctor. They would be the best to give you advice.

    That being said-I am pretty confident you will not gain "permanent" weight by eating 1200-1300 calories. You might have a small increase initially (or no loss) due to water weight etc. As to whether or not you jump to that amount, or increase steadily, I think that is best answered by a doctor.

  • kayteemusicuk
    kayteemusicuk Posts: 11 Member
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    Thankyou so much everyone for the wonderful advice. Im keen not to see a doctor as im so much better working through my problems with the help of my mum and myself really. I've been doing alot of research into calories and macro's and trust that i'll be okay to start straight on 1200 calories a day so thankyou :D

    I drink 3 litres of water a day and i am 5ft 4 and 146lbs at the moment, im prepared for the "fake gain" as such while my body adjusts as ive had those every Saturday which led me to the laxatives although to be fair it would be a 5lb or so gain in a day and it would terrify me but after extensive research im alot more clued up about nutrition, diet and exercise x
  • elphie754
    elphie754 Posts: 7,574 Member
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    kayteemusicuk wrote: »
    Thankyou so much everyone for the wonderful advice. Im keen not to see a doctor as im so much better working through my problems with the help of my mum and myself really. I've been doing alot of research into calories and macro's and trust that i'll be okay to start straight on 1200 calories a day so thankyou :D

    I drink 3 litres of water a day and i am 5ft 4 and 146lbs at the moment, im prepared for the "fake gain" as such while my body adjusts as ive had those every Saturday which led me to the laxatives although to be fair it would be a 5lb or so gain in a day and it would terrify me but after extensive research im alot more clued up about nutrition, diet and exercise x

    While that may be the case, eating disorders can be very complex and usually require professional help. Even if you don't want to see a mental health professional, you can still ask your primary doctor for a referral to a dietitian which may benefit you.
  • Ninkyou
    Ninkyou Posts: 6,666 Member
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    elphie754 wrote: »
    kayteemusicuk wrote: »
    Thankyou so much everyone for the wonderful advice. Im keen not to see a doctor as im so much better working through my problems with the help of my mum and myself really. I've been doing alot of research into calories and macro's and trust that i'll be okay to start straight on 1200 calories a day so thankyou :D

    I drink 3 litres of water a day and i am 5ft 4 and 146lbs at the moment, im prepared for the "fake gain" as such while my body adjusts as ive had those every Saturday which led me to the laxatives although to be fair it would be a 5lb or so gain in a day and it would terrify me but after extensive research im alot more clued up about nutrition, diet and exercise x

    While that may be the case, eating disorders can be very complex and usually require professional help. Even if you don't want to see a mental health professional, you can still ask your primary doctor for a referral to a dietitian which may benefit you.

    Not only that, but you should really have a blood panel done, at the very least, to determine if there's any deficiencies or red flags/markers that needs to be addressed or fixed.

    I encourage you to see your physician.
  • kristysaurus
    kristysaurus Posts: 91 Member
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    I would recommend seeing a counselor or a psychologist or a physician. However, I understand that doing so isn't always possible.

    I would go with starting on 1200 calories because your body needs the nutrition. You shouldn't gain "real" weight with 1200 calories either because it should be under your maintenance.

    From my experience with recovery (a few different times) you will probably notice a sharp spike in your weight for the first while but it will go back down again. Don't get discouraged even if you do gain some weight, though. You are doing yourself a lot of good by making these changes and you should be very proud of yourself for recognizing that what you have been doing isn't good for you. That takes a lot of courage and self-reflection
  • kayteemusicuk
    kayteemusicuk Posts: 11 Member
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    I think i will make an appointment for next week, thankyou everyone, will they be able to guide me on macro's as this is something ive struggled working out x
  • Ninkyou
    Ninkyou Posts: 6,666 Member
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    kayteemusicuk wrote: »
    I think i will make an appointment for next week, thankyou everyone, will they be able to guide me on macro's as this is something ive struggled working out x

    If you have your doctor refer you to a registered dietitian, yes.
  • cplate
    cplate Posts: 16 Member
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    Congratulations on taking the first step of realizing you need to make healthier choices for yourself. Remember you are strong and you can do this in a healthy way.
  • matean444
    matean444 Posts: 10 Member
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    Lots of great advice here. Good luck kaytee, and take care of yourself.

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