Lost nearly a stone and i'm fatter than ever.
ellamroberts873
Posts: 19 Member
Im 19 and at the beginning of my diet I weighed 8stone 10 pounds and I now weigh 7 stone 11 pounds. I eat a plant based diet and am vegan. I usually have fruit/chia pudding/porridge for breakfast (round about 100 calories). I don't usually have lunch but if I do, i'll have courgettie and mixed veg salad (around 120 calories). For supper I will usually have vegetable stirfry/ quinoa / mixed bean chilli (usually around 250 calories). I will then have a pudding if I didnt have lunch, usually a nakd bar/ fruit / yogurt (around 150 calories).
I have been eating like this for over 2 months now and I have never gone over 1,000 calories a day. I do cardio 4 times a week for 30mims each time. Although the scales are telling me the weight is coming off, I look A LOT bigger than I have ever looked, especially around my stomach from the side. I am desperate to reach my goal of 7 stone 5 poumds, but I'm worried that even if I do reach it, I will still look fat. What am I doing wrong?
I have been eating like this for over 2 months now and I have never gone over 1,000 calories a day. I do cardio 4 times a week for 30mims each time. Although the scales are telling me the weight is coming off, I look A LOT bigger than I have ever looked, especially around my stomach from the side. I am desperate to reach my goal of 7 stone 5 poumds, but I'm worried that even if I do reach it, I will still look fat. What am I doing wrong?
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Replies
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I'm not an expert, at all. However, without your height for reference, I can't tell you how much you should be weighing.
However, I don't think that you are eating enough. If you've lost weight and still feel even more fat, the issue might be more mental than physical. Body dysmorphia is real, and you might want to talk to a doctor or a counsellor about that.14 -
For starters, you are eating too few calories. What you are eating is low in protein and you're not doing any resistance exercise. This all but ensures that you are losing more muscle than necessary, which will result in you becoming softer looking. I also suspect you have a skewed image of yourself and have not kept actual body measurements, as there is no way you are truly larger at this point.
How tall are you, btw?10 -
Malnutrition can result in bloated stomach
How tall are you15 -
You sound like you need to get help for your body image issues. Your weight in pounds is 107, & if that's you in the picture then you don't look like you need to lose any weight.4
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The numbers you're quoting don't even add up to 1000 calories (your count comes to 620 on the days you eat lunch!). Unless you're like 4' tall you are massively undereating, get to a doctor.8
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This is much too little food for anyone. 470-500 calories a day? You are starving to death. Your body is consuming itself, including muscle, in order to survive, and your extremely low protein intake may even have led to kwashiorkor, a disease of malnutrition which can cause a swollen belly and fluid retention in the limbs and face, giving the false appearance that a person who is literally dying of starvation is a bit plump.
This way lies extreme illness and death. Go to the doctor. Immediately.
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There are a lot of red flags in your post. Please speak with a professional.21
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Google Kwashiorkor. Then get some help.4
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Please get help from a professional. The things you're saying are really scary, and a doctor can help get you healthy again.7
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How much sodium do you eat?
Are you close to that time of the month?
Have you recently increased the intensity of your exercise?
Do you use a food scale?
Is that you in the profile pic?
How tall are you? You currently weigh 109lbs...Malnutrition can result in bloated stomach
How tall are you
This.... With so little calories, there is no way you'd be getting the proper nutrition your body needs to be healthy.2 -
Based on what you've said, there's a very good chance you have body dysmorphia. Your eating habits indicate an eating disorder (I can't diagnose you or anything, this is just a guess) so I would recommend seeing a professional. If that isn't an option for you, one thing that I has found to be very helpful is taking measurements of the areas you feel are getting bigger (for me that's stomach, hips, and thighs) every other week or so. That way you can see for sure that you haven't gotten bigger, regardless of what you see in the mirror. If you can, try to eat more and get more protein into your diet (I have found Quest Protein Bars to be amazing) to stay healthy. Honestly though, get help if you can.4
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I don't know how tall you are, but I'm 5'3" and 108 pounds. The difference between us, aside from age, is that I eat food. I eat 1700 to 2400 calories per day to maintain my weight. I don't look fatter than ever because I lift weights and I feed myself. Stop eating so little; you're losing whatever muscle mass you have.5
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I would at least eat 1200 calories and try weight lifting instead of cardio. do you have any before and after pics?1
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Talk to a therapist.3
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Thank you for all your answers, i'm 5ft 4 and my picture isnt me, just for inspiration! The muscle deteriorating could be the answer although i do 50 crunches a day to try and maintain my core as i'm taking my grade 8 ballet exam in February. But I really should be doing more strength resistance.0
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I probably should have mentioned that I go to fashion college and am friends with a lot of models in which I am constantly compared to. I know my goal weight is underweight but it's still not as 'underweight' as my model friends.0
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Why would you want to be unhealthy? I think you should put an appointment on with your doctor. I too am starting a vegan plant based diet, but to get enough protein and stuff from plants alone you need to be eating a lot. Otherwise you'll just end up malnourished, ill and likely in hospital.4
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Please go speak to a doctor about this.3
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Underweight is underweight.
How do you expect to sustain your body through an activity as stressful as ballet on fresh air? Being a good dancer and cultivating a "fashionable" waif look are not compatible aims. You are already showing signs of malnutrition, which you need to address, urgently, and if you injure yourself your body will not have the resources to repair that injury.4 -
High carb, low fat Vegan here too... You are not eating anywhere near enough calories! Your body has basically gone into 'starvation mode' and is hanging on to fuel (as fat stores) because 'it doesn't know when it's next meal is coming'; it's the same principal as the pictures of the malnourished kids in Africa with the bloated stomachs...
Up your calories. Eat little and often and don't compare yourself to others around you; you are causing metabolic damage to your system which will inevitably cause weight gain until your metabolism sorts itself out...
Don't send yourself down the road of eating disorders!1 -
*sigh*
Starvation mode is a term that needs to fade into history along with the shake weight and abdominizer.
Plenty of good advice in this thread. Great advice in fact.8 -
I am also a vegan and am also 5'4" and I am losing at 1300 calories BEFORE exercise. You are eating way too little!! This sounds like body dysmorphia and leading into an eating disorder. Please get help!!2
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ellamroberts873 wrote: »Thank you for all your answers, i'm 5ft 4 and my picture isnt me, just for inspiration! The muscle deteriorating could be the answer although i do 50 crunches a day to try and maintain my core as i'm taking my grade 8 ballet exam in February. But I really should be doing more strength resistance.
Possibly, although if you're eating as little as you say you are, it's more likely malnutrition (and not the mythical 'starvation mode' mentioned above where the body clings to fat. That's not a thing.) Even if you wanted to build muscle mass, you wouldn't be able to do it on such a severe calorie deficit as the one you described in your OP.
This post is concerning because it doesn't sound like you are really seeing this as a problem. Please consider the good advice above, OP, and seek help. We'd much rather see you as a strong and healthy ballerina.
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ellamroberts873 wrote: »I probably should have mentioned that I go to fashion college and am friends with a lot of models in which I am constantly compared to. I know my goal weight is underweight but it's still not as 'underweight' as my model friends.ellamroberts873 wrote: »Thank you for all your answers, i'm 5ft 4 and my picture isnt me, just for inspiration! The muscle deteriorating could be the answer although i do 50 crunches a day to try and maintain my core as i'm taking my grade 8 ballet exam in February. But I really should be doing more strength resistance.
Ok, now I'm following.
Ballet is intense, and if you aren't properly taking care of your body, it can deteriorate really quickly. You won't do as well on your exams if you aren't giving your body all the supports it needs to succeed. The best dancers are the ones who actually have the energy to dance. Definitely work in strength training, and I've heard swimming is also really good for dancers. Eat more though. Add protein to support your muscles, carbs so that you can sustain during long rehearsals and fruits and veg to give you your vitamins.
Also, I'm sure your friends are lovely people. Fantastic people who are very good at their job, which is modelling. However, and please take this from someone who has done modelling, every body is different. Some people are that thin, and they suit the job. Other models are not that thin, and they can still be fantastic models. Your goal shouldn't be to be as thin as possible so that you can fit in with your friends. Your goal should be that you can be as healthy as possible. Then your dancing will be better, your studies will seem easier, and things will work out. People are beautiful not because they are all the same, but because there is variety. Being exactly like your friends won't make you happy.
Really though, I urge you to talk to a dietician, or a doctor or a counsellor about this. They will have a grounded professional opinion, and then you can work out a plan to keep yourself healthy, tone yourself up so that you look thinner, and enjoy your friendships without feeling the need to be exactly like them.6 -
What is the ACTUAL change in measurement of your stomach area?0
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ellamroberts873 wrote: »I probably should have mentioned that I go to fashion college and am friends with a lot of models in which I am constantly compared to. I know my goal weight is underweight but it's still not as 'underweight' as my model friends.
Stop comparing yourself to your model friends. You aren't them. You are you. Different. You don't need to be like them. If they judge you, they aren't your friends.
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The image in your profile is not healthy or attainable for a lot of people. Most people.1
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Carlos_421 wrote: »
Your opinion on what is and is not attractive has absolutely no bearing on what another person wants for their body.
That being said, OP, I second the fact that you're in unhealthy territory. Wanting to be underweight because of your friends tells me that you need better friends. If they're comparing you to themselves, especially. Please seek help before you ruin your health.4
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