To eat or to not??

I really need to lose the weight that I lost but gained back. I used to be bulimic and anorexic and I'm starting to think about doing it again and I really don't want that to happen. So does anyone have any ideas of how to lose weight a little faster than usual??

[Red2008]

I dont know if it is faster, but eating a balanced diet, 3 meals with a few healthy snacks helps. I dont believe that not eating is the answer at all...it slows down your metabilism, your body has no fuel to go during the day so you get fatigued, you need daily vitamins and minerals from your diet.
I know its not the ansewer you are looking for, but a balanced diet and exercise is always the way to go.

[Skailark]

Losing weight faster isnt always the best choice. you may choose to lose weight fast with a diet but surley it leaves its damages. As Red Says eating 3 healthy meals and snacks with exercise will see you get fit and slim slowly but steadily!

Also it is more likely you will never have to diet again after you lost the weight.By then you will know to make the right choices!

Remember to check with this forum as often as possible.There is tonnes of information here to be found and advice to take and give!

[Barb135]

Please don't do the bulimic/anorexic thing.  I beg you not to do that.  My daughter did that some years ago and today, she suffers a long list of medical problems.  The most recent diagnosis is lupus and though, I don't know that that has anything to do with the bulimic/anorexic thing, I do know that she's a very young, beautiful woman with her whole life ahead and should not be suffering the things she's suffering, a lot of which stem from her previous eating disorder.  

Again - I  beg you - please listen to the advice of Red2008 and Skailark - lose your weight in a sensible way, with diet and exercise.  It's not always fast, but at least you will get the nutrients your body needs to be healthy.  A good diet, along with exercise will not only help you to lose weight, but will help you feel so much better and as Skailark says, you may never have to diet again, because you will be used to making healthy choices.  Research the number of calories you need to maintain your weight,then figure out how many you need to cut/use (diet/exercise) in order to lose the weight you want to lose.  

I'm new to this site - within the past week and I've already gotten a lot of encouragement - hang with us; we can all do it.  

[Skailark]

I know we can all do this together! Let's join hands and make this happen!

[Barb135]

I'm with you.  Thanks.  

[Ranaesheart]

Thank you for your post and although the information you've received may not be the answer you are looking for, it is most sound advice.  When you lose weight fast, it is not healthy in a variety of ways ... putting your body into starvation mode if reducing too many calories ... this can also cause your body to eat muscle instead of fat, and the largest muscle is our heart.  In addition, if you compensate by over-exercising, you threaten to cause injury and harm.

Please consider joining us here for friendship, support, sharing knowledge and tips and losing weight in a healthy but steady manner.  We are committed to supporting you .. and would be honored to share in your journey.  Try to think of it as an adventure ..

Have another article to send you .. but have to run to work .. will post it here tonight.

(((Hugs)))
Ranae

[happyfeet_1992]

Thanks people. I'll do my best. :) It's nice to have someone to talk to about this. Thank you a lot.

[wonko]

Hi there,
It was very honest and candid of you to post about dealing with weight loss issues and your complicated past issues with food and eating.  I hope it made you feel better to be able to share that here.

It will be difficult for you to lose weight healthfully given your past.  But if you make your ultimate goal to have a healthy relationship with food, then that should also allow you to regulate your weight and get many birds with one stone.

You may want to consider using the trackers here at MedHelp, you can keep track of your weight, exercise, blood pressure...lots of stuff.  Seeing your progress may be an extra way to safegaurd against extreme behavior.  You can chose to keep the trackers private, allow only your MedHelp friends to see, or keep it to yourself.  You can decide how often to weigh in or track other events.  I only weigh in 1 time a week because more than that stresses me out.  If for any reason I don't think it is a good idea to weigh myself (like if I'm feeling sad), then I don't.

I hope if you gradually and sensibly lose weight that you can better avoid body dysphoria.  I think the danger of this condition grows when one loses weight too quickly for the mind to adapt to the new image.  

Also, you may want to invest (if you don't already have) in a blood pressure cuff and digital thermometer.  If you eat too little over time, your body temp and BP can get way too low, something you may have experienced in your past.  Keeping track of these measure may be another way to ensure your efforts are safe.

I guess too it would be good if you could see your physician to discuss your ideal weight range and perhaps even schedule weigh ins with a nurse at your physicians office from time to time.  Eating disorders are so nasty because usually the individual suffering realizes the problem after they are deeply affected.  As you may have experienced, it becomes easy to defend the bad behavior, or even to revere it.

Please do come back and let us know how you are doing.

[Ranaesheart]

Thanks to wonko's post, must share with you that our body image can become greatly distorted in our minds when we have developed an eating disorder.  There are days I feel fat and can see myself that way, which I call "fat days" and days that I see myself thinner, my "thin" days.  With both views, I have learned that "my" perception gets distorted.  I, therefore, do not rely on my distorted view.  I do rely on the view of my mother, my sister, a few life-long friends and my physician to steer me in the right direction.  I also engage my brain power and realize that many professionals have studied and implemented the height/weight charts and that ultimately I should fall within the "normal" range to stay healthy.  

The people here are wonderfully supportive and the trackers are awesome.  They are providing me with the drive and fortitude to be healthy and make better choices.  That, combined with the friendship, advice and true concern of the community members, makes for a successful plan and outcome.  We all fall now and then, but it's then we have to be honest to ourselves and others and engaged their assistance .. learn more .. and keep going.  We only fail when we give up.

Very best wishes to you on a beautiful and lovely fall morning.  Here to help; please know we care.  

Many ((Hugs)) and best wishes ... to your health ..
Ranae

[happyfeet_1992]

Thanks again!! I started using some of those trackers. I know what you mean  Ranaesheart. I have mostly fat days but the days I feel good sometimes I overeat and then the next couple days I barely eat. But the past couple days I have been doing pretty good. They should have a diet tracker where you can type in your food and count up the calories.

[Barb135]

Hi again.  I know what you mean about "fat" days - I have plenty of my own too.  You could try tracking your diet in a journal.  Or make a simple little spreadsheet to list what you ate, how much and the calories.  If you want to get more elaborate, you can even add the amount of fat, carbs, fiber, protein, etc depending on what kinds of things you want to track.  These work well on the computer.  

When you are tempted to overeat, you could try going for a walk or doing some other activity instead of eating?  Sometimes that helps me.  Another thing you can do is try drinking water before you eat - it tends to make you feel a bit fuller, so you can keep the portion size in control.  I also drink quite a bit of hot green tea - that tends to fill me up also (but watch the sugar).

Good luck.  

[Ranaesheart]

MedHelp is formulating a food journal for us right now ... hoping to have it roll out in the next month or two.  It will allow you to do just that and we'll be glad to help you along the way.  In the meantime, you can enter your food intake into your personal journal.  If you ever need some help with it or help identifying calorie content, just shout out .. k?
Would be glad to help.  :)