i need help, majorly!

Click settings at the top, then click "Update Diet/Fitness Settings," and then you can enter your current/goal weight (which are the same, I'm guessing?) and then from the drop down menu click "Maintain current weight" and MFP will output your caloric requirements

If' it's a lot more than you're eating now, I would suggest only increasing about 200 calories every few days until you get up there, that way you shouldn't gain any weight from the increase! Good luck!

Your at my ideal weight I think you need to try and relax about all this to start with. I'm no expert but I think you would just increase your calorie intake until your weight stabilizes but don't stress over it. If the worst happens and you start to gain weight then you know how to lose it now! Everyone's weight fluctuates anyway though so just monitor it and you'll soon start to understand your own body's patterns. Maintenance can be managed easily as long as your vigilant! Good luck - and ongratulations on all your hard work so far!

Eating disorder much?
5`4 and 112....

I went through this. It's not nice >_<! Constantly thinking what goes in your mouth and counting.

Yep. That's how my ED started. First restricting, which got me the results I wanted. Then fear of eating. Then binging, and purging, and laxative abuse.
Coming from a recovery standpoint, the only way to really get over it is to throw out your scale, go by how your clothes fit, and increase your calories SLOWLY, as you feel comfy. Don't jump 500 calories in one go. I had to increase mine by 100 calories per 2 week span to feel comfy and not bring on anxiety attacks. Even now, it's hard eating all the calories MFP give me!
Talk with your doc about your fears, or find a nutritionist/dietitian that specializes in eating disorders if you feel that you'd "freak out" by increasing calories.
This thinking CAN stop, but you do have to work at it *hugs* add me if you'd like!

Amy

Eating disorder much?
5`4 and 112....

I went through this. It's not nice >_<! Constantly thinking what goes in your mouth and counting.

Technically her BMI is still in the healthy range (albeit in the lower end), so I wouldn't consider this an eating disorder.

To the OP:
I do understand what you're going through. It's hard to start to relax without relaxing "too" much and slipping into old (bad) habits. Here's the thing though - hopefully, since you've been doing it the healthy way, this has become more of a LIFESTYLE. Now, as such, you're going to have days where you eat in a more controlled manner, but also days where you splurge. This should be a part of your normal life - unless you plan on micro-managing your diet/fitness forever.

I think it's hard to develop a healthy relationship with food after you get to (or get near) your goal weight. It's hard not to view it as the "obstacle" towards maintainng or feeling "guilty" when you have tasty "bad" foods. This is something I struggle with as well. I don't have the right answer for you, I think this is a very personal issue, but I'm right there with you.

EDIT:
Oh, I forgot to mention something that's helped me. I don't look at calories "over" or "under" really as a daily "fail" or "success". On days I do well, I sort of consider it "banking" those calories for a day that I need more, like on a weekly basis. It's helped me to feel less like I'm micro-managing and that having a big day where I enjoy something I love (and isn't necessarily the best caloric choice for my diet) is okay.

Hey all!

Let me get straight to the point, I'm very very concerned with my eating habbits right now.

This weight loss thing started off innocently enough, I reduced calories and started working out. Every week that passes makes me more and more obsessed though. I'm eating less and less. I have lost over 15 pounds and getting close to my goal weight. But idk what normal eating is anymore! I feel like i can't start increasing my food intake or ill immediately gain all the weight back.

Please please PLEASE help me haha. Any suggestions would be appreciated. I'm 5ft 4 and 112 pounds, dropped down from 128 pounds. How much should I eat to maintain this?

please add me, i went through a similar thing years ago and recently lost weight on here again, had some of the same issues emerge but i've been able to stop it from getting out of control this time. i am 123 lb also 5'4". might be able to help a little. the main thing is that you are focused on control. you have to find a way to give up some of the control. you have reached a pretty low weight for you height, at this point you need to stop worrying and make your life about something else. it really will start to mess with you and drive you crazy if you continue to focus on it. right now i would encourage you to eat at least 1600 calories a day if you're not already. for 5'4" which i am also the same height, i would say you're still ok weight wise, but could gain a little more and be perfectly fine. a good indicator is whether you get a period or not. if it's stopped, you probably don't weigh enough. you could even work on gaining muscle and doing strength training, which would mean eating more in order to do that. it is very hard to go through an eating disorder and it starts with thinking about food and calories all the time. it is easy to get in that mode on here. the best thing to do is let yourself stray away for a week or so... i know it sounds scary... but take that time to think about what else is important to you. if you want to come back, keep in mind that logging your food shouldn't rule your every waking moment. you can and should think about other things in your life that are important to you. good luck with this, i know it's hard! it doesn't have to be all consuming to keep your weight at a reasonable level.

psulemon is right on the money. Just go up in calories 100-200 calories a week until you get to your ideal caloric intake. You won't gain a lot of weight back. Don't fear! You will be o.k..

May I also add that none of us on here are licensed doctors or psychologists and cannot diagnose people with an ED. Yes she may have some symptoms, but it might be wise to not throw out words or diagnosis on someone that we really know nothing about.

That being said OP- if you are noticing that this is a problem, and feel that you might need help, then please seek counseling or talk to your doctor.

I know the feeling of doing well and losing weight and being afraid to eat more and gain back after all your hard work. I think that if you slowly started increasing your cals till you got to maintenance mode and saw that you can eat more and still stay at the same level, that would help you out.

Best of luck to you

Im kinda in the same boat you are in. In the beginning that weight came off normal like it should 2 pounds a week with still eating the same stuff and making sure i work out 5 days a week and still allowing myself a cheat day. but now that i closer to my goal weight i find myself eating less than i should on days and than also working out. Sometimes idk what normal eating is anymore. I feel like if i eat normal I will gain all my weight back in one day or a weekend. I know you cant but thats what my head is telling me. I have went from 5'4 150 pounds to 5'4 125 pounds. I want to get down to 115 pounds. which is still in my healthy range. I had a girl last week on fb tell me so like 15 ppl could read this convo that she thought i had an eating disorder. I told her I dont because i dont make myself throw up or anything. and there is still days i eat bad but this weight loss thing is a huge mind game. One thing lead to another and she ended up un friended me on here and fb. I just feel like if she was concerned about me that isnt something you write on fb for that many ppl to read she could have inbox me or talked face to face and I feel like this is suppose to be a supportive website and be there for one another and by her unfriended me she isnt using this site what it is for. You can go ahead and friend me if you like since we are on the same boat.

I think it's great you're recognizing this now and asking for help. Honestly I think where you're at is good and you don't need to lose anymore weight. Find out what your maintenance calories are and keep exercising and I think you'll be fine. Good luck to you.

I think it's pretty common to get into this, become a bit obsessed over it and tend to get carries away. Set your mfp settings to maintenance - follow it and see what happens. You can always reduce intake again if need be.