Avoiding eating disorder

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  • CCgal2018
    CCgal2018 Posts: 64 Member
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    @snickerscharlie thank you for the correction! This is what I love about these forums, that we can all learn from each other. I got my info from someone who I thought was a well respected trainer. I should have gone a little further down the google rabbit hole :)
  • jennifer_417
    jennifer_417 Posts: 12,344 Member
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    There are pretty specific guidelines to diagnosing an eating disorder, weighing food isn't one of them. While it may seem that some people take extreme measures to stick to their calorie goals, it's not necessarily a symptom of ED
  • perkymommy
    perkymommy Posts: 1,642 Member
    edited October 2018
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    I've had an ED and you know when you have one. I got so thin that I didn't realize it at the time. When I was in my

    late teens I was in the 60-70 lb range. When I was 40 years old I weighed 99 lbs. Now I'm 50 and can't seem to

    lose a pound and stuck at 155ish. I hate it. I'd rather be around 125-130 for a realistic goal but I'm very short

    (under 5ft) so I'm huge right now. But when stuck in my lowest weights throughout life I never saw myself as "too

    thin" and could not eat enough to gain to save my life. I just couldn't do it. I didn't want to be that thin but at the

    same time couldn't gain anything. Any time I did gain I was pregnant and could always lose back down after the

    baby was born. But you know when you have an eating disorder. You really do. At that point it feels good to be

    really hungry all day and not eat more than a few crackers or some lettuce.
  • My_Butt
    My_Butt Posts: 2,300 Member
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    lynn_glenmont wrote: »
    perkymommy wrote: »
    I've had an ED and you know when you have one. I got so thin that I didn't realize it at the time. When I was in my

    late teens I was in the 60-70 lb range. When I was 40 years old I weighed 99 lbs. Now I'm 50 and can't seem to

    lose a pound and stuck at 155ish. I hate it. I'd rather be around 125-130 for a realistic goal but I'm very short

    (under 5ft) so I'm huge right now. But when stuck in my lowest weights throughout life I never saw myself as "too

    thin" and could not eat enough to gain to save my life. I just couldn't do it. I didn't want to be that thin but at the

    same time couldn't gain anything. Any time I did gain I was pregnant and could always lose back down after the

    baby was born. But you know when you have an eating disorder. You really do. At that point it feels good to be

    really hungry all day and not eat more than a few crackers or some lettuce.



    The first two sentences seem contradictory, I suspect because the first sentence is wrong.
    If you had an ED, according to you, you must have known that you had it, so how could you not realize that you were thin?
    I believe it is very common to deny (= not know, not admit, not recognize) that you have an ED while you have it, just as it with many psychological issues.

    I thought the same since she never really talked about ‘dieting’ until the last sentence, and assumed she was only talking about being ‘naturally’ thin.

    But I think what she means is that, you know you have disordered eating, but mixed with body dysmorphia, you don’t realize you’re thin.

    Like in my case, I know I have an ED because I would get rid of my food after every single time I ate. But with an unnatural goal weight I’m seeking, I couldn’t see my bones in the mirror; I’d only focus on a small piece of love handle, or fixate on my chubby looking knees.
    So I was diagnosed with an ED, and I knew my behaviors weren’t normal, but I never thought I was sick enough for help, or to be taken seriously by a treatment team.
  • r0ck3rgirl
    r0ck3rgirl Posts: 67 Member
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    sportynad9 wrote: »
    Hi everyone,

    I have a question which has been on my mind for a while.
    I have been on mfp for a few years on and off, and I personally and luckily never had an eating disorder. I am just wondering if obsessively sticking to this plan (and the calories mfp is giving me) might eventually lead to one in some people and I'd like to hear your opinions on this issue.

    I am using MFP and Fitbit. I eat all my Fitbit calories back, mostly because I actually feel like I need them. MFP gives me 1200 calories per day, and that doesn't seem nearly enough for me and I actually go hungry (even if I cut out the crap like chocolate, alcohol, eating out too often etc.). I can fairly happily function on around 1600 a day (I normally move enough to earn the extra 400 as well).
    By eating my calories back, I obviously don't see as much and as quick a change as I'd like and have gotten frustrated and given up a few times, but I find it necessary to do this to have a fairly normal life.
    I read that a lot of people weigh their food, some even in restaurants, and while I'm sure this does lead to a greater success I am worried that if I start doing this, I will get so obsessed with every gram I eat that it might spiral out of control.
    It just worries me when I really get into MFP and start losing weight that I suddenly start fearing social occasions (there is at leats one a week, and I have dropped out of some purely because I knew I would have dinner out or a drink or two) and almost resentful when people invite us out, or cook us dinner, but only because that day is then a write off in my head diet wise and I feel guilty and like a failure. Does anyone get tis and ow do you deal with it?
    I'm just wondering what your ways of leading a balanced life are without getting obsessed. Are there any tricks? Do any of you for example stick to the calories in the week and do "maintenance" weekends? Does this work for some of you?
    I'm just worried because yes, I do want to lose a few kilos and get back to the weight I felt most happy with, but I also am worried about getting too obsessed and missing out on life while doing this.

    Thanks so much!

    Eating disorders begin with body dysmorphia. If you see something different to what everyone else sees then it may be time to see a doctor.
  • mkculs
    mkculs Posts: 316 Member
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    We all know that eating out or eating meals fixed by others means losing some control over the calorie counting. There is nothing wrong with that—as long as you develop healthy mechanisms for dealing with it. Becoming anxious or fearful and feeling guilty are not particularly healthy mechanism, esp if they contribute to “giving up.” Having said that, in and of themselves, those emotions are not evidence of an eating disorder. We often feel bad about ourselves when we perceive ourselves to have “failed” in some ways. An eating disorder includes not only body dysmorphia, but also behaviors that are both unhealthy and dangerous bc of the extremes to which they go.

    At some point, we all have to decide just how much the number on the scale and/or the way we look actually matters. I’m pretty sure I won’t be able to sustain a 1350 maintenance level ( which my goal weight and age will give me), so I’ll have to decide whether to exercise more or accept a few more pounds than I’d like—accepting, really, that my desired goal weight may not be realistic for me. Maybe that is where you are, OP. If your current weight is healthy and you can maintain it, perhaps those “few more kilos” aren’t realistic for where you are in life right now. Once I retire, I can see myself working out more and maybe getting to a lower weight, but I’ll make those decisions when I’ll there.

    The bottom line is that if the number on the scale keeps you pretty healthy, a lower number might not be worth the lifestyle changes you have to make to get there. Be ok with that.

  • lottieouroboros
    lottieouroboros Posts: 15 Member
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    I know what you mean. I don't have an eating disorder but I think I could potentially if I didn't keep checking in with how I feel about food and watching how my mental health is. I currently estimate calories (I don't weight food, I estimate to the best of my ability) and I deliberately don't weigh food because I think this would lead to me having too much control, if that makes sense. My best advice is to up your calories, honestly. I started on 1,200 and would binge A LOT to the point where i was barely losing anything. If you up your calories to 1,500 (and eat back your calories) you'll hopefully be able to train yourself to snack during the day without binge eating. I went from undereating at 1,200 and not seeing any progress to eating at around 1,700 (with my steps/movement all logged, I have a fitbit now) and I've been losing weight much more evenly. I also don't get the urge to binge eat at all anymore, really! Obviously everyone is different so I'm not saying this is the only way to run your weight loss, but maybe try increasing your calories and seeing how that goes!

    Another thing to consider is making sure you're tracking exercise as accurately as possible – being super accurate with food is only worth it if your exercise is just as precise. I've found I always assume I've done far more exercise than I actually have.
  • bemyyfriend0918
    bemyyfriend0918 Posts: 241 Member
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    When I am eating too few calories, I end up in a binge. I CANNOT lose weight on 1200 calories a day, because I always have binges if I go that low. MFP set my calories at that, but I'm using a different calculation, and eating around 1550 on days I dont exercise and around 1750 on days I get activity in.

    I want to lose weight, but also want to live a normal life. If it takes me 6 months instead of 4 to lose this weight because I upped my calories, I am still a success and I didn't even have to skip lunch.

    I weigh my food because I like to log everything the best I can. I've not become obsessive over it or anything, and i've been doing it on and off since 2013.
  • PAV8888
    PAV8888 Posts: 13,596 Member
    edited October 2018
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    bemyyfriend0918 wrote: »
    When I am eating too few calories, I end up in a binge. I CANNOT lose weight on 1200 calories a day, because I always have binges if I go that low. MFP set my calories at that, but I'm using a different calculation, and eating around 1550 on days I dont exercise and around 1750 on days I get activity in.

    I want to lose weight, but also want to live a normal life. If it takes me 6 months instead of 4 to lose this weight because I upped my calories, I am still a success and I didn't even have to skip lunch.

    I weigh my food because I like to log everything the best I can. I've not become obsessive over it or anything, and i've been doing it on and off since 2013.

    I agree with everything you say except for one tiny tiny bit: "MFP set my calories at that".

    No, it didn't. This is a "as low as it will go" recommendation and you get that caloric goal because of your inputs!

    The usual combination is "lose 2lbs a week" and "I am sedentary".

    The first one is often the wrong choice given one's current weight, height, age and activity level.
    The second one is often un-true :wink:
  • timeforwork
    timeforwork Posts: 114 Member
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    Healthy weight is important for a healthy life but if a weight loss goal is affecting your life excevivly then it's time to reevaluate . You should enjoy your life first and foremost.
  • Finkelstien
    Finkelstien Posts: 55 Member
    edited October 2018
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    for me it is the other way around. By sticking to a plan with a healthy calorie goal i will always make sure to meet that goal. It surprises me how little calories some food has and how much i can eat within my restriction.
    And i also learned that exceeding that goal and eat a little bit more now and then does not hurt me on the long run.

    It helped me from having a horrible relationship with food, undereating and eating too little and then too much food and from having a food disorder to having a healthy relationship with food.
    No more 1200 kcal diets for me but i rather eat more and steadily loose weight then crashing and ending up in the same position as i began.

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