Dieting/Mental Health Help

RivonWorth · February 2020

Possible TW

Dieting has always been a tricky street for me. I used to suffer from anorexia in middle school into high school. Whenever I think about dieting or start to diet my anxorexia brain kicks in and convinces me to just stop eating entirely since "thats what dieting feels like anyway". I've relapsed a bunch because of this. Anorexia isn't healthy, just look up the effects; and starving yourself makes your body store every bit of fat from food you do eat incase you go into another starvation period. I'm 320 lbs and exersize alone doesn't help me loose weight- Do you have any advice to get out of this unhealthy mindset of dieting?

Nony_Mouse · February 2020

Don't make your weight loss plan overly restrictive. Losing weight shouldn't feel like starving, so the fact you say that suggests to me that you are taking too aggressive an approach from the get go. Bad idea in general, very bad idea for anyone with an ED history. So, while at your current weight, a 2lb per week loss should be okay, you may be better aiming for 1 lb a week. I know that's probably slower than you'd like, but think of it this way - while 1 lb a week may take you twice as long in theory, 2 lb a week may feel too restrictive, you end up binging, thinking 'well I've blown it anyway', quitting all together, gaining back anything you've lost, and possibly some extra. Sound familiar?

Second, learn not to think of food as good or bad. It's just food. It has no morality attached to it. If it fits your calorie allowance, it's fine. Now, obviously not all food is equal from a nutritional standpoint, so you want to make sure you're covered there, but beyond that, it's okay to work in treats, have the occasional higher calorie day, etc. So, no need to completely cut those things out of your life. And you don't have to live on salad.

If you feel that ED voice starting to niggle at you, stop and check why. Remind yourself that you want to be healthy, and that means eating good food, in sufficient amounts. Commit to hitting as close to your calorie goal every day as you can.

For some people, calorie counting can be triggering. If you think it will be for you, I'd advise finding other ways to reduce your calorie intake in small ways. Little changes add up. That said, when I started using MFP 5 years ago, I was worried it would set me off down the over restriction road, and it didn't. Possibly because I had those suggestions I made in place.

Do you still have access to your ED support team? Therapist? Supportive family and friends?

sdavis484 · February 2020

What's TW?

gallicinvasion · February 2020

sdavis484 wrote: »

What's TW?

“Trigger warning” so that some people who feel upset by discussions of eating disorders know to stop reading and go to a different thread.

emmamcgarity · February 2020

First have you talked to your therapist/counselor/team about some guidance on an approach? Do they think counting calories is safe for you? My gut would say that if they believe it’s safe - try eating at maintenance calories for a while to learn how to maintain your weight. Then look for small changes once you are ready to cut. I’d definitely encourage you to keep in regular contact with a health professional and focus on a very slow approach. You might even consider planning to take maintenance breaks regularly to keep you from feeling restricted.

bathsheba_c · February 2020

First of all, it’s fantastic that you are putting your mental health above your weight. Do you have someone (a therapist, a dietitian, etc.) who can monitor you to stop you when it looks like you’re relapsing? Also, it might help to reframe what you are doing as “improving your health through a balanced diet” rather than “going on a diet to lose weight.” That way, you can be more focused on having good health habits (including having good mental health habits) than on the number on the scale.

Dieting/Mental Health Help

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