Should I stop even LOOKING at food?

FluffSpider
FluffSpider Posts: 6
edited October 2 in Food and Nutrition
Hello! I found this site early in the summer. I've followed the 1200 cals limit and noticed it was nothing I wasn't doing usually(and what I commonly did brought me ten kilos over the past three years) .Then I decided to push it down to 1000-60 kilos and that's final. I went on the Montignac Method, and in 4 days of holiness+exercise I gained one kilo, so I dumped it and made myself a plan: morning:300 cas, lunch:400 and two snacks of 100. That adds up to 1000 because sometimes I might miscalculate or something, but the intention is going UNDER 1000. Now, I stuck to that and when I get on something really restrictive, I try to outdo myself. So the last 3 days have been under the 900 mark( day before yesterday would have been 400 calories if my dad hadn't brought me sweets from Ukraine)-and I fried 900 calories by exercise alone.. Yesterday I went to the mall and was busy running errands almost all day-so no exercise. I ate around 1100 calories(not of the right type, I'll admit, but 120 grams of fries and a soup made me feel so drowsy and stuffed and BAD I won't do even THAT in the foreseeable future.) Today, I step on the scales-tada, 61!
Now, did I lower my metabolism so much, I actually gained by eating something that is still under the 'poor nutrition' line?

P.S. I noticed alot of people saying 'If you feel full with 400 calories how did you gain in the first place? Well, Junk food. Temptation at school. Not eating filling foods. If I only eat when I'm hungry, I total out at that sum. But when I'm hungry I can eat one fried egg white+1 cup sauteed zucchini and that's 100 calories, or I can eat a grilled cheese sandwich which comes over 250 EASY. so that's how I gained.

Replies

  • DaveyGravy
    DaveyGravy Posts: 283 Member
    Have a look around the forums about the dangers of eating under 1200 calories, you never should. Also, you are probably not losing weight due to under-eating.
  • FluffSpider
    FluffSpider Posts: 6
    I've read that, AND I used to be anorexic. So I'm afraid that kind of screwed up my metabolism. Thing is 1200 calories is what I was normally eating(perhaps going over it once every two weeks when I ate out)-so obviously I didn't lose. I'm thinking exercising made me gain a bit of muscle so that's why, but seriously, one kilogram for a summer of being nice, and it hops on back again when I so much as look at food?
    I have no idea what this summer has been all about. My whole body has changed. It wasn't difficult to drop weight before-now, I'm struggling. I had some hair issues as well(and it stopped liking the usual favourite conditioners and turned to others). My skin is more zit-prone and less oily. It's rather weird...
  • zowgati
    zowgati Posts: 25
    sounds like your body is in starvation mode and will therefore hold onto any fuel you put in it. I lose weight when I fuel my body enough to be active and feel well. I minimise sugar and salt. Maximise protien, exercise everyday, drink plenty of water and herbal tea, have carbs in moderation. I weigh myself once a fortnight. I llost 50 pounds over 9 months and have ept it off for nearly 4 years.
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
    I dont mean to sound patronising, but you're 18 so your body will change, its just what happens. and i agree with the other posters, you need to eat more. if you have suffered from an ED then maybe you should speak to a doctor about how many calories you need to be healthy.
  • FluffSpider
    FluffSpider Posts: 6
    WOW! Congratulations!To tell you the truth, I'm afraid of eating more. I've bene eating those 1200 for three years now and it got me a steady but sure weight gain. I'm almost sure my weight will explode if I eat more .
    If it helps: I barely eat any bread/cookies/crackers/potatoes. I replaced the side dish with a salad daily. Morning is usually muesli+semi-skimmed milk. I might have 10 g of chocolate a day, but as of late I've been avoiding it as well(replaced with watermelon). I drink plenty of water and I'm a huge fan of teas( fruit or fruit-tea blends. Alot of green/black tea. Sometimes senna and green tea mix).
  • ShaoonaRae
    ShaoonaRae Posts: 60 Member
    I really think it would be beneficial to you to slowly increase your calories intake over like, 1-2 months. Figure out what your calories burned for the day is supposed to be, and slowly work up to that, you might gain a little while you do this obviously, but once as you get to that mark, losing that + plus more will be way easier.

    I was never diagnosed with an ED, but I grew up with a mom who "switched" between anorexia and bulimia for years, and unfortunately had a lot of those habits. I ate 1200 or less a day growing up for years, and really screwed myself over, especially since I was already bigger. Once as I got myself up to a healthy calorie intake where I wasn't starving myself, cutting back calories even a little helped weight fall off like no other. DO IT SLOWLY though. Don't start eating 1800 calories (if that's what you burn in a day, for me the number is 2100) immediately. You can damage your metabolism worse.
  • anija
    anija Posts: 1
    I've not even ate 1200 calories when i'm not on diet.... just i'm not so hungry. I don't eat junk food, i'm in italy and i follow the mediterranean diet - pasta, meat, fruit, i don't like sweets very much. But i'm gaining weight, every year a little more.
    I've tried everything, but the only one is working is just eat 600/700 calories a day (and i don't feel it as a sacrifice).
    I think that every one is different and everyone have to find his balance. 1200 can't be the perfection for everyone.
  • FluffSpider
    FluffSpider Posts: 6
    According to what I've googled and found out (on several sites) I have a BMR of 1460, with my level of activity(light: 1-3 times a week light exercise..well, mine's not too light, I look like after a shower after my hour-long aerobics, and my waistlength hair is SOAKED from root to tip, so yeah...) I burn an average of 2000 calories a day, and they said I should reduce that by 15-20%. 20% is 400. So that would be 1600 calories, which still looks like ALOT to me. I would love to lose two kilos(well, more like 3 now, after yesterday) by my 18th birthday, which is on the 4th of October. I'm sick of ebing in the '60' range. I don't care if I'm a stable 59,because it starts with a 5. Not a 6. It's been a bias of mine for a while( frmo my ED days, I was 60 when it started, but also shorter-circa 166? instead of my current 173.). Time-permittingly, I'm willing to do ANYTHING. Is this possible?
  • ShaoonaRae
    ShaoonaRae Posts: 60 Member
    In all honesty, if you are reducing yourself down to that much already, and are having no progress, I don't see how you could jump start your metabolism in time for that.

    Something you could try, is eating several small meals throughout the day. Give yourself a bit more calories, then divide them evenly throughout the day, so you're almost constantly digesting. I've noticed when I eat small things, like a salad, or a fruit bowl, every two hours or so, i tend to lose more in the week. Also, try doing more exercising? You should eat more to balance it out and not give yourself a bigger deficit, but the change in pace for your body should help a lot.

    Given what your calorie intake should be, I don't think you could really be in starvation mode. Look up the symptoms online, and make sure you don't fit in with that. 1200 is not a blanket for everyone. You may just be hitting a plateau. Which, eating more, and doing different exercises/more often should help with that.

    I'm not an expert though. This is just based off of personal experiences/ personal research/ and a lot of common things I've seen with other people.
  • asyouseefit
    asyouseefit Posts: 1,265 Member
    If you are exercising a lot, you might want to avoid the scales and use a measuring tape instead! Especially if you only want to lose a few pounds. Muscle weigh more than fat! So, yeah stop obsessing about the numbers on the scale (I know it's hard when you have an ED past, and even when you haven't!) and start looking for other clues... Do your clothes fit differently than before?
  • FluffSpider
    FluffSpider Posts: 6
    The starvation mode is unlikely (in my mind) because:
    -I have energy. I'm not tired(excessively), usually in a good mood, can and will go through an hour of serious aerobics without feeling like I will crawl in a hole and die in the next 3 minutes.
    -I'm not hungry at my diet calories
    -I don't have any excessive hypothermia(I'm usually a bit hypothermic, but during my ED I was constantly cold).
    It might be likely because:
    -One single pound hasn't come off gracefully this summer.
    -I haven't been eating back exercise calories.

    Edit: Yes, my clothes fit way differently. My waist's down an inch, I get bloated less, and I used to barely fit into number 38 jeans(was usually comfy in 40 but could squeeze in 38s) and now I'm wearing loose-ish number 36 shorts. I'm not saying there isn't a variation in numbers between shops and such, but in the past I wouldn't dare look at 36s.
  • ShaoonaRae
    ShaoonaRae Posts: 60 Member
    It sounds like a plateau to me. If you aren't fatigued, or dizzy, or losing hair or anything, but you're not losing weight, it's a plateau. I would try at least eating your bmr, but do different exercises than what you normally do too. If you're doing the same thing, it's probably less effective because you're used to it. Switch it up a little. :)

    Also, read this article: http://fattyfightsback.blogspot.com/2009/03/mtyhbusters-starvation-mode.html
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