Do I Really Have A Problem?

[baby kalie]

About 3 months ago, I was at 134 lbs, I started a calorie counting diet. This worked great for weight loss and I started exercising and everything was going well. I kept telling myself how happy I was and everyone noticed the change. I have lost 18 lbs to date, and so you would think this is great, right? My problem is that I know I have developed an unhealthy problem with food. My entire day revolves around what I eat. I weigh myself at least every few hours, hoping for any little loss. I feel severe guilt when I see my calories aproach 500. Most days I eat less than 500. I can no longer put food in my mouth without knowing how many calories are in it. If I eat over 500, I get this fat, bloated feeling. I love waking up in the morning after a day of eating so little, and feeling lighter, and my stomach feeling empty.

It is too embarassing for me to talk to anyone, as I am still at a healthy weight. I feel they will think I am just looking for attention, since I am not skinny. I feel so fat everyday of my life, even though people tell me how great I look now, I still see the same overweight girl in the mirror. My metabolism has slowed down, and so has my weight loss, I still want to lose at least 5-7 more lbs. Which means I would have to restrict even more, and that truly scares me. I feel like there are two voices-one telling me to keep it up, you are doing great! and a little voice that tells me stop! you are hurting yourself, this little voice gets smaller everyday.

I don't think I actually have anorexia, since I am at a healthy weight, but I DO have a problem. I don't even think I can stop at this point, even knowing it is bad. Maybe when I finish losing the weight I want, but will it then be too late? I would really just like to talk to anyone.

[wetabenas]

Hi there...... im from good old blighty too........

I would like to say, first off, your not crazy and im sure you look great, however not eating corectly is not going to help you lose anymore weight than you already have.If you wish too continue loosing weight then excersize is the only way to kick start your motabalisim. with excersize you will need to take on a few more of the right foods and eat healthy and regular to keep your body fed and nourished. Im no expert but after having served in her majestys armed forces I know that food and a well ballanced excersize routine is the key to living healthly and keeping your figure. Its not how much you eat, its what you eat and how many calories you burn when excersizing.

If you feel like your eating habits are spiraling out of your control, you need to seek help from your g.p. I have a friend and his partner is anerexic and she is in a bad way in hospitial at the moment, my advise to you would be get it nipped in the bud before it nips you in the bud. Recently there has been a big awarness campaign in this country on eating disorders and it is becoming a large problem in society and therefore there is alot of help and support out there for people who wish it.

I wish you all the best for the future and pls do go and get help if you think you need it...... people will not think you are silly or wrong for doing so.....

[baby kalie]

Thanks so much. And I do exercise, I exercise alot actually . My schedule is a 5 day a week 20 minute jog and 50 sit ups.

[clandestinest]

Well being 135lbs doesn't mean anything, I've met women who look very skinny but weigh 135 lbs and others who look fat at about the same weight. Don't be so hung up on weight. It sounds like you are way too obsessive about your body anyways so maybe you should learn to love yourself for your virtues instead of what you perceive to be your faults. 500 calories in a day is less than one third of what is considered a starvation diet; eat more! It's good you've taken an interest in fitness by working out but being in shape often means gaining weight because you tend to develop muscle, it's not a bad thing.

Anyways, for what it's worth I know how you feel, I am not content with my body either. I work out all the time and no matter how healthy I eat I still can't get rid of my man boobs. It pisses me off that I look like such a couch potato even though I am more fit than most people on this planet. I try to take my own advice and love me for me.

[KittenAB]

1. Don't worry about your actual weight, unless you jiggle too much when you move, you're probably not overweight and you'd be losing muscle.

2. Exorcise won't actually make you lose weight ... muscle weighs more than fat so you may lose "roundness" but gain weight.

Have a fat content test, make sure your fat level is at least 1% ... or you may starve by dieting. It's not as simple as saying "I should weight this much." There's a LOT more to health than how much you weigh. If you are unhappy with how you look then do "targeting" exorcises, it is possible to sculpt your muscle distribution without becoming unhealthy.

[baby kalie]

I'm 5"5 1/2 and at the moment I weigh 115 and my goal wieght is 110, but some of close friends and relatives are worried. I tell them I'm fine all the time, and I look ok just have to lose the five pounds....

[Dougie]

You need to eat at least 1500 calories at that rate to keep your heart and brain healthy. If you keep eating 500 or less your body will conserve every calorie that it can store. If you are exercising the calories you do eat will go to muscles instead or your brain.

I reduced my calorie intake last year to lose weight and I lost 30 lbs over several months. It wasn't fast, but it was the right way. I started getting sick when I didn't eat any more than 1300 calories on a few days. I found that I lost weight more consistently when I maintained 1600-1700 calories per day.

Weight loss = calories in < calories out.

Figure out how many calories you are burning through the day. Eat less than you are burning and you will loose weight. Drink plenty of water and stay away from soda and energy drinks.

[XyXy]

About 3 months ago, I was at 134 lbs, I started a calorie counting diet. This worked great for weight loss and I started exercising and everything was going well. I kept telling myself how happy I was and everyone noticed the change. I have lost 18 lbs to date, and so you would think this is great, right? My problem is that I know I have developed an unhealthy problem with food. My entire day revolves around what I eat. I weigh myself at least every few hours, hoping for any little loss. I feel severe guilt when I see my calories aproach 500. Most days I eat less than 500. I can no longer put food in my mouth without knowing how many calories are in it. If I eat over 500, I get this fat, bloated feeling. I love waking up in the morning after a day of eating so little, and feeling lighter, and my stomach feeling empty.

It is too embarassing for me to talk to anyone, as I am still at a healthy weight. I feel they will think I am just looking for attention, since I am not skinny. I feel so fat everyday of my life, even though people tell me how great I look now, I still see the same overweight girl in the mirror. My metabolism has slowed down, and so has my weight loss, I still want to lose at least 5-7 more lbs. Which means I would have to restrict even more, and that truly scares me. I feel like there are two voices-one telling me to keep it up, you are doing great! and a little voice that tells me stop! you are hurting yourself, this little voice gets smaller everyday.

I don't think I actually have anorexia, since I am at a healthy weight, but I DO have a problem. I don't even think I can stop at this point, even knowing it is bad. Maybe when I finish losing the weight I want, but will it then be too late? I would really just like to talk to anyone.

Baby Kalie,

Hello, I just wanted to respond to you here, for what it's worth. I've spent several years working at a public research lab on eating disorders, and I have known a lot of women with anorexia and bulimia, so perhaps I could offer some insight for you? First of all, you can have anorexia while still being at a "healthy weight." But, I would try not to get hung up on the label, and instead focus your attention on the reality of your body. One of the biggest hurdles I find in women with anorexia is a disconnect between the perceived body image vs. the actual body image. There is an interesting technique that helps many women overcome this disconnect very well, and you may wish to consider it. In the studies, it involves having the women wear a neoprene body suit, like they use for diving, so as to compress the whole body at once. For some reason this has the effect of helping the woman become less disconnected from her actual body. Instead of a neoprene suit, which may not be feasible, you could get similar results by using a tight fitting nylon/lycra unitard a few sizes too small. It may sound weird, but it has helped many anorexic women. I believe this technique to be good for many people, as it has also been found to be beneficial to some autistic children.

The other thing I would like to impress on you is a more effective way at keeping a healthy way than calorie restriction. Strike the concept from your mind! Calories are not what you should focus on. Instead, simply eliminate ALL of the following from your diet now, and forever more, exercise moderately, and you will find that you never need to diet again, plus you can have that light happy feeling AND eat a normal amount of food.

-All refined and unrefined sugars (especially anything with high-fructose or corn syrup!)

-All white breads, pastas and rice, and potatoes

-Most or preferably all meats

-Dairy products (cheese and butter is ok in small amounts)

-Any food with the word "hydrogenated" or "partially hydrogenated" in the ingredients

-Anything with artificial sweeteners (nutrasweet, saccharine etc.)

-Alcohol

These are the main culprits, and if you eliminate them entirely, you will find your body weight naturally going to its ideal level. What does it leave you with? Lots of fresh vegetables (the less cooked the better), unprocessed nuts, legumes, eggs (organic and uncaged if possible), very dark grained breads and pastas, small amounts of fruit (they are often high in sugar), lots of olive oil, and lots of water!. I would also say fish, but only if you know for sure it is unpolluted (very rare!). This list is far from exhaustive, but it gives you a good idea. I come from an overweight family, and I've always been told that I'll gain weight some day, but remarkably it has never happened, and I'm 32 now, 5'11" and 150 lbs. I look very thin for a male, perhaps too thin, and my exercise habits are minimal to be honest. I have been the same weight and body shape since high school, with little to no fluctuations either way. The main difference between me and the rest of my family who are overweight and unhealthy is the daily diet I listed above. While they were busy eating all the wrong things growing up, I was "weird" and ate a mostly raw food, natural diet, and the difference between us is profound.

Don't worry about eating fats! Some 60% of your brain and nerves are all made up of fats! It is an extremely essential dietary element, and has been wrongfully demonized over the years. Also, don't worry much about eating cholesterol, since your body makes it's own supply anyways. In fact, studies have shown that the less cholesterol you get from your diet, the higher levels overall you will have from your body making it's own. Far more important to your cardiovascular health and overall weight is limiting the sugars and glucose levels. In fact, the largest dietary study ever done (the nurses study) showed that the healthiest people obtained 30-40% of their calories from fat. Just make sure that it is a good source of fat, my favorite being olive oil. Eggs are also awesome, don't be afraid of them.

For most people, if your diet is correct, you will find calories to be completely irrelevant, and a waste of time to focus on. What really messes our bodies up is the abundant supply of processed and refined sugars, which is very easily converted into fat. Eating sugars is what most easily makes you fat, not eating fat! In fact, over-eating fats is very difficult for most people, because the body very quickly turns off the hungry-switch, unlike sugars, which the body does not know how to respond to as well, and people easily overeat them.

Read the book "Eat Drink and be Healthy, The Harvard Medical School Guide to Healthy Eating" by Walter Willett, M.D. It has been the single most important guide to my eating habits, and is based on real scientific research.

If you think you have a problem, you are probably right, but don't let this cause you despair! That you recognize it is great! It means that you are aware, and that you are ready to do something about it. I have seen many women suffer from eating habits, and seen many of them overcome it to live without being controlled by food. I know you can do it too, and send you all my best wishes and encouragement! These are just a few ideas that I have found to help many women, and perhaps they can benefit you.

XyXy

[Yvhuce]

If your family is starting to worry, then perhaps you should be, as well... If you're getting too skinny, that's unhealthy and you should seek professional help.

[KittenAB]

I'm 5"5 1/2 and at the moment I weigh 115 and my goal wieght is 110, but some of close friends and relatives are worried. I tell them I'm fine all the time, and I look ok just have to lose the five pounds....

5'5" at 115 lbs ... unless you have bird bones and no internal organs, you are under weight. Take XyXy's advice and Dougie's ... I weigh 145 at 5'4" and have less than 1% body fat (unable to achieve higher) which caused my doctor's to worry, and probably because of it I had to get my gallbladder removed ... weight is still the same but now my stomach buldges funny due to swelling. If you aren't healthy, your will never have a "nice" figure anyhow. My swelled stomach will go down a little after a couple years .... but for now I look pregnant ... and it's not fat.

[Bettypooh]

Sell your scale- weight means nothing What really matters is how healthy are you? If you're not obese there's nothing wrong It may surprise you to learn that a lot of guys don't like skinny women. Personally I feel that either extreme is bad and that the current medical ideals are screwed up. Unless you're really fat don't worry about it- if you can't stop worrying about it then seek help. Eating disorders can be deadly and at best will mess you up mentally which leaves you unattractive too Looks may matter but when we're 90 we will all look awful so the idea is to get to that point with your mind intact and your body in good health Starving yourself will not let you get to that point- just stay within reasonable bounds, try to eat healthy, and be happy with yourself even if you could 'do a little better' and don't let a scale tell you how good you look

Bettypooh

[baby kalie]

Wow, thank you so much you guys especially XyXy . I will take most, if not all your advice .