ED and disability - unhealthy weight gain pls help!!

vickywombwell9275
vickywombwell9275 Posts: 3 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I'm a disabled wheelchair user. I also have disordered eating. I was not eating all day and then eating something around 500 calories for dinner.

I'm not underweight so I could not get help from my doctor. I wanted to get healthy so I managed to get to a point where I was eating unsweetened porridge for breakfast and salad with protein for lunch, with unsweetened baked oatmeal for a snack. About 1500 calories. I'm being approximate but my measuring and tracking was precise.

I've gained 10lb when I was striving for maintenance, over about 6 weeks. I can't exercise so I don't have that to fall back on. Do I go back to eating way way less than I "should" I wanted to nourish my body and improve my health and disability symptoms, not put on a bunch of weight that I can't afford to gain!

Replies

  • sollyn23l2
    sollyn23l2 Posts: 1,855 Member
    If you went from eating 500 to 1500 calories a day, a lot of that 10 pounds could be water your body is storing. Did you gain the weight slowly over 6 weeks or quickly, within the first week?

    It's also possible if you are very, very sedentary on your wheelchair, that your calorie needs may be closer to 1200 or 1300.
  • vickywombwell9275
    vickywombwell9275 Posts: 3 Member
    It was over the six weeks

    I am very sedentary because of limited mobility but I can usually manage floor or chair yoga, but rn my endo is flaring. This makes exercise nearly impossible because my pain levels are higher than they arebon a regular basis. Plus that with PCOS also do not help matters.
  • sollyn23l2
    sollyn23l2 Posts: 1,855 Member
    vickywombwell9275 wrote: »
    It was over the six weeks

    I am very sedentary because of limited mobility but I can usually manage floor or chair yoga, but rn my endo is flaring. This makes exercise nearly impossible because my pain levels are higher than they arebon a regular basis. Plus that with PCOS also do not help matters.

    Ok, so it sounds like you may want to try 1200-1300 calories per day instead of 1500.
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 28,055 Member
    MFP and other calculators almost certainly consider "sedentary" to be more active than you are able to be. For example, I can't lose weight if I take exercise calories for the first mile I walk, hour I cook, and half hour I clean.

    1200 calories per day might be your maintenance level.
  • vickywombwell9275
    vickywombwell9275 Posts: 3 Member
    Thank you both for the help. Idk how I'm going to get my calories down to 1200 and still eating regular meals though. I'm not sure where I can pare it down and also make it sustainable.
  • sollyn23l2
    sollyn23l2 Posts: 1,855 Member
    vickywombwell9275 wrote: »
    Thank you both for the help. Idk how I'm going to get my calories down to 1200 and still eating regular meals though. I'm not sure where I can pare it down and also make it sustainable.

    If you want to eat it evenly throughout the day, then go for 3 meals of about 400 calories. I strongly recommend getting rid of any snacking, as when I've done it, there just aren't enough calories to snack AND have 3 fulfilling meals. Dessert was the 1st thing to go for me, then snacks. If you can't manage life without snacks, maybe think in terms of being more of a "grazer" than a meal eater. Just make sure you track it.
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 28,055 Member
    vickywombwell9275 wrote: »
    Thank you both for the help. Idk how I'm going to get my calories down to 1200 and still eating regular meals though. I'm not sure where I can pare it down and also make it sustainable.

    I feel your pain - it would sure be a challenge for me.

    Can you reduce fat? At 9 calories per gram, it piles up calories more than twice as fast as carb and protein's 4 calories per gram. You do need a minimum of fat: https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/how-much-fat-to-eat#TOC_TITLE_HDR_5

    Dr. No from the reality show "My 600 Pound Life" has his patients on a 1200 calorie high protein, low carb, low fat diet: https://www.eatmovehack.com/dr-nowzaradan-diet-plan-complete-guide/

    I'd fuss at my doctor until I got a referral to a dietitian. Seems like with all your medical conditions, a referral should be justifiable.
  • nymphett
    nymphett Posts: 1 Member
    I don't know if you use reddit, but, there is a subreddit called 1200isplenty that might be of interest to you. The subreddit is for people like you who have a low BMR and need to eat around 1200 calories a day to either lose or maintain weight. There's lots of advice on how to manage such a low intake. It's a place where you can vent and ask for support; People also share all sorts of delicious low calorie recipes that can easily fit into your meal plan.

    I know how hard it can be trying to lose or maintain weight while disabled. I have some chronic pain issues, as well as an autoimmune disease that makes me intensely tired throughout the day. A few years ago, my health problems were poorly managed with no help from doctors, and I was essentially bedbound for a couple of years. So, very sedentary, very low BMR.

    I gained a lot of weight and lost a lot of muscle. It was incredibly difficult to get back in shape and lose the weight I'd gained, but I'm about halfway to achieving my weight and fitness goals now after one and a half year working on it. What I've learned is, you can't choose the timeframe for how long it's going to take to achieve your goals. That's not really in our control given our disabilities. But, with some effort, some discipline and determination, we can get to where we want to be.

    Keep working at it. You will achieve your goals :)
  • herringboxes
    herringboxes Posts: 259 Member
    I believe I have a very low BMR due to a couple of factors. For me, I switched to eating two meals per day instead of three. It worked for me because I felt like I could get better nutrition that if I were just eating 400 calorie meals, which honestly are snacks.

    There was some time getting used to it but not as long as I would have thought. I’ve really adjusted, and on the couple occasions I decided to chow down for whatever reason (celebration or whatever), I found I physically couldn’t anymore.

    I find eating lots of fruit and veggies to be filling and nutritious. I recently started eating alone, so I plan to cook and portion out leftovers over a couple of days, which lets me enjoy multi-ingredient whole foods meals rather than less varied fare.

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