Restricting calories, gaining weight

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funkyspunky872
funkyspunky872 Posts: 866 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Okay, this isn't the average MFP post complaining about restricting calories and gaining weight. I know exactly what I've done to my metabolism over the past year and a half with my restrict, binge, purge cycles. For the past four days, I've been eating an average of 400 calories (after spending two days stuck in binge/purge cycle) The healthy side of me knows how dumb and dangerous it is, but I guess my eating disorder side won this week.

To be honest though, I expected to lose weight. I've heard of people gaining and maintaining at 500 calories a day... Maybe I thought it couldn't happen to me. I'm really sick of this. Why did I deprive myself for nothing? It wasn't worth it.

Now, I'm asking: how do I fix this? Has anybody been in a similar situation? Or maybe you've done enough researching on metabolism, you're an amateur expert? :) I could really use some healthy motivation these days.
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Replies

  • jehembee
    jehembee Posts: 114
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    If you have an eating disorder, have you tried talking to your doctor yet? You may not be able to do this without help.
  • weisegirl1119
    weisegirl1119 Posts: 122 Member
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    I keep hearing calories in calories out, thats how you lose weight. The more calories you burn or dont eat the more you lose weight so I tried that this week. Had stopped losing weight lost motivation so I fasted monday and didnt eat all day the other days just ate dinner. Well guess what havent lost anything,, so I am with you VERY confused. Sorry wish I could help:smile:
  • camelgirlmn
    camelgirlmn Posts: 226 Member
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    Talk to your doctor!!! They will be able to give you the best advice!!! I know some people say theres no such thing as a starvation mode! But when I dont eat for a day or two I tend to gain a pound or two rather than lose anything. Maybe your body is doing that???
  • jppd47
    jppd47 Posts: 737 Member
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    calculate your BMR www.fat2fitradio.com/tools/bmr . that the very minimum your body need to survive on. then you add to that your daily activities, that = TDEE total daily energy expenditure. and it probably above 1200 a day....

    400 a day is way to low, and if you know you have a ED you might want to ask a professional for help with it. There no shame in asking for help, your bettering yourself by doing it.


    Calories in vs Calories out. Thats weight loss in a nutshell. BUT! you need to fuel your body for it to function properly If you eat nothing or below your BMR your metabolism will slow down, your body will use up more muscle as fuel and try to hold on to its fat stores, especially if you not exercising.
  • buzzcogs
    buzzcogs Posts: 296 Member
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    Don't do this! You are young and this could permanently damage your body. See your doctor and get on a sensible regimen. Stick to it. Get some counseling if you are binging and purging. Don't do it!
  • avhendrix
    avhendrix Posts: 3
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    Well now, I'm exactly what you're talking about. After years of restricting calories to an unhealthy level, I've gotten hold of my life and back on track. However when my weight started creeping up despite healthy eating, it was terrifying, so I restricted again, just a little, and then a little more, until I realized I was quickly heading towards a full on relapse, yet wasn't able to lose any weight! Starvation mode is a real thing, and I do believe that eating this way for years has stunted my metabolism drastically. For awhile eating 500-700 calories a day was maintaining for me, and that is NOT healthy. So I've taken control and am currently eating what is healthy for my height and activity level, and though I'm not entirely happy with my body and weight right now, I know I HAVE to stick with it in order to retrain my body into not thinking I'm going to starve it again all the time. I am confident that in time my metabolism will regulate itself again.

    Like others have said, don't let yourself get into this cycle of addiction, it's harder to eat healthy than to starve yourself in my opinion, but it's the only way to truly be healthy and beautiful. Be strong and think about the long run!
  • taso42
    taso42 Posts: 8,980 Member
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    Isn't the best thing to do is to just let what's done be done and go back to a regular intake and routine?
  • Maurice1966
    Maurice1966 Posts: 438 Member
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    Talk to this man, but, only if you're really serious about overcoming the issue. http://www.myfitnesspal.com/Helloitsdan
  • Pebble321
    Pebble321 Posts: 6,554 Member
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    I don't think you're going to get the help you need on here. It sounds to me as though you know exactly WHAT you should be doing (ie. eating a healthy amount that it a hell of a lot more than 400 cals/day) but the problem lies in HOW to manage your eating behaviour so that you are doing that.

    There are helplines available for people with eating disorders - if you don't have a helpful real-life person (doctor, councillor, family member etc) to talk to, please call one of the helplines and get some good advice that is right for your situation.
  • Rayman79
    Rayman79 Posts: 2,009 Member
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    I don't think you're going to get the help you need on here. It sounds to me as though you know exactly WHAT you should be doing (ie. eating a healthy amount that it a hell of a lot more than 400 cals/day) but the problem lies in HOW to manage your eating behaviour so that you are doing that.

    There are helplines available for people with eating disorders - if you don't have a helpful real-life person (doctor, councillor, family member etc) to talk to, please call one of the helplines and get some good advice that is right for your situation.

    QFT! Please don't try to tackle this on your own. You seem intelligent enough to know that this is not normal or healthy behaviour, and you do need some help to overcome these issues. Good luck, I hope you overcome your hurdles and become the fit and healthy young woman you deserve to be.
  • Karabobarra
    Karabobarra Posts: 782 Member
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    It takes time but it is possible to get your metabolism burning at a normal rate again. I'm proof, I have been where you are (based on your description) and worse. After years of dieting, depriving, binging and purging and just plain starvation I got tired of the weight rollercoaster and decided my health was more important than my looks....so is yours.

    This is what I did ....
    I started out eating 1200 calories a day and exercising 3 to 4 days a week for at least 30 minutes

    I ate something as soon as I woke up...usually oatmeal with cinnamon (I read that either eating something or exercising will get your metabolism burning)

    Cinnamon, cayenne pepper, turmeric and some other spices are good for your metabolism

    I grazed through my day (eating little bits of food every hour or two) and ate a full meal at dinner...

    I ate carbs early in the day and protein and veggies at night

    No sugar, no soda, water water water

    I took exercise breaks at work, just a quick set of 20 jumping jacks, 20 squats, 20 incline pushups...just something to bet the blood moving and keep the metabolism burning

    I have dairy and soy allergies, and I'm also gluten sensative but I chose to stick to a diet of mostly veggies, lean meats, legumes, nuts and little fruit (trying to keep it low on the glycemic scale) and restricted carbs to oatmeal, brown rice, and yams (yams will give you more energy than two or three cups of coffee (: )

    Build muscle, the more muscle you have the more calories you'll burn

    Before I knew it the weight was dropping off and I had more energy than I knew what to do with...just plain eating right and exercising works. :)
  • Sarauk2sf
    Sarauk2sf Posts: 28,072 Member
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    I don't think you're going to get the help you need on here. It sounds to me as though you know exactly WHAT you should be doing (ie. eating a healthy amount that it a hell of a lot more than 400 cals/day) but the problem lies in HOW to manage your eating behaviour so that you are doing that.

    There are helplines available for people with eating disorders - if you don't have a helpful real-life person (doctor, councillor, family member etc) to talk to, please call one of the helplines and get some good advice that is right for your situation.

    QFT! Please don't try to tackle this on your own. You seem intelligent enough to know that this is not normal or healthy behaviour, and you do need some help to overcome these issues. Good luck, I hope you overcome your hurdles and become the fit and healthy young woman you deserve to be.

    I agree with both of these posts. With all due respect to you and everyone that can run estimated calculations to see what your maintenance calories should be, this issue appears to me to be a bigger and more complex issue due to the ED aspect than just telling you what you should be eating at. Please take the above advice and good luck!
  • CoderGal
    CoderGal Posts: 6,800 Member
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    Isn't the best thing to do is to just let what's done be done and go back to a regular intake and routine?

    See a doc and this. You'd be amazed how much these things help
  • DietandVlogsense
    DietandVlogsense Posts: 48 Member
    Options
    Okay, this isn't the average MFP post complaining about restricting calories and gaining weight. I know exactly what I've done to my metabolism over the past year and a half with my restrict, binge, purge cycles. For the past four days, I've been eating an average of 400 calories (after spending two days stuck in binge/purge cycle) The healthy side of me knows how dumb and dangerous it is, but I guess my eating disorder side won this week.

    To be honest though, I expected to lose weight. I've heard of people gaining and maintaining at 500 calories a day... Maybe I thought it couldn't happen to me. I'm really sick of this. Why did I deprive myself for nothing? It wasn't worth it.

    Now, I'm asking: how do I fix this? Has anybody been in a similar situation? Or maybe you've done enough researching on metabolism, you're an amateur expert? :) I could really use some healthy motivation these days.
    You need medical help to resolve you eating disorder.
  • BradHallFitness
    BradHallFitness Posts: 152 Member
    Options
    Well now, I'm exactly what you're talking about. After years of restricting calories to an unhealthy level, I've gotten hold of my life and back on track. However when my weight started creeping up despite healthy eating, it was terrifying, so I restricted again, just a little, and then a little more, until I realized I was quickly heading towards a full on relapse, yet wasn't able to lose any weight! Starvation mode is a real thing, and I do believe that eating this way for years has stunted my metabolism drastically. For awhile eating 500-700 calories a day was maintaining for me, and that is NOT healthy. So I've taken control and am currently eating what is healthy for my height and activity level, and though I'm not entirely happy with my body and weight right now, I know I HAVE to stick with it in order to retrain my body into not thinking I'm going to starve it again all the time. I am confident that in time my metabolism will regulate itself again.

    Like others have said, don't let yourself get into this cycle of addiction, it's harder to eat healthy than to starve yourself in my opinion, but it's the only way to truly be healthy and beautiful. Be strong and think about the long run!

    You'll find support on here.....but you NEED to talk to a doctor AND a nutritionist. 99% of doctors know nothing about nutrition and may have taken 1 class at best on it while in college/med school. With that piece of info, find a nutritionist in your area and follow their recommendations.

    This is above anyone on MFP. Support on here is great but you need to get professional assistance to get your nutrition/health where it needs to be and to overcome the eating disorder. It's not going to be easy, but at least you will have the support on here.
  • beachlover317
    beachlover317 Posts: 2,848 Member
    Options
    I don't think you're going to get the help you need on here. It sounds to me as though you know exactly WHAT you should be doing (ie. eating a healthy amount that it a hell of a lot more than 400 cals/day) but the problem lies in HOW to manage your eating behaviour so that you are doing that.

    There are helplines available for people with eating disorders - if you don't have a helpful real-life person (doctor, councillor, family member etc) to talk to, please call one of the helplines and get some good advice that is right for your situation.

    QFT! Please don't try to tackle this on your own. You seem intelligent enough to know that this is not normal or healthy behaviour, and you do need some help to overcome these issues. Good luck, I hope you overcome your hurdles and become the fit and healthy young woman you deserve to be.

    I agree with both of these posts. With all due respect to you and everyone that can run estimated calculations to see what your maintenance calories should be, this issue appears to me to be a bigger and more complex issue due to the ED aspect than just telling you what you should be eating at. Please take the above advice and good luck!

    This. Honey, your page says you're only 17. You will not get the advice you need for your still growing/developing body on MFP. Sometimes we have to admit we are in over our heads and seek out someone (doctor) who can help us. Please do this. You're too young to be doing such drastic things to your weight - gaining or losing! Good luck.
  • Aries03
    Aries03 Posts: 179 Member
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    Bump
  • Charloo1990
    Charloo1990 Posts: 619 Member
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    I really feel your frustration tbh. As of about a month and a half ago, i decided to change for the better. I had my ED (with bullimic tendancies) for 3 years and i'd had enough. So im now on 1200cals a day, have been doing this for over a month and im a much happier person for it BUT, i hate the fact my ED has really screwed up my metabolism :( My weight loss has really come to a stall.
    The first week on 1200cals i gained 2lbs, it was to be expected i guess. Then the week after i gained another 1lb but the 3rd week, still on 1200cals i lost 3lbs so obviously that was a really motivating thing for me.
    I've been really working my *kitten* off exercising and making healthy food choices for my 1200cals but all of a sudden, all i keep doing is gaining the occasional pound and maintaining. I've worked so hard on the exercise front and im starting to lose motivation, i honestly can't believe what my ED has done. My stomach goes big and bloted after a normal meal and its difficult for me to lose weight on 1200cals a day and exercise. It's discouraging.

    All i can say is, hang in there and remember that if you starve, you will be more likely to binge which will cause you to wanna purge. I used to go through the similar cycles but since im on 1200cals, i literally hardly ever binge cause im not being deprived. Like i say, hang in there, eating healthy is ALWAYS the best option, i know it's hard but you will be a happier person for it. It's just frustrating getting your body to adjust but it will happen :)
  • charitas32
    charitas32 Posts: 58
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    Please get some professional help, eating disorders are not something a celeb has for a mnth before doing a confessional interview in a Hello type mag, they are a serious mental health problem. There is no shame in needing help, we all do!
  • toxicsgrl
    toxicsgrl Posts: 12
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    i was going through the same thing and it was so frustrating coz i was eating 1400 cals a day and exercising when mfp told me to have 2300 a day to lose weigh ( i am very overweight so need more) and i didnt believe it so stopped losing. and since eating all my cals since monday i have lost 1.5lbs.

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