I can't lose weight unless I starve.

[mccollins]

So since my freshman year in high school I have weighed 135lbs...I am now a sophomore in college and I have noticed that my weight keeps settling at 145lbs. It might not seem like a big difference but it is to me. My mother even commented on how I'm "not looking as slim."

I have had some problems with ED. Got myself down to 120lbs once (I'm 5'7 so that's pretty small) but now it seems unless I starve (500 calories a day or less) I don't lose weight. At first I tried to starve...I lost 3lbs in 4 days...but I passed out in a grocery store because I was eating so little and working out so hard that I just couldn't take it. So then I decided that I would try to be healthy and not revert back to my old ways. I've been eating egg whites in the morning, nothing but water, portabella mushrooms with spinach, tomatoes, and feta cheese for lunch and grilled chicken with broccoli for dinner. Snacks are things like non-buttered popcorn, strawberries, low fat greek yogurt or low fat cottage cheese. I do 45min work outs which consist of running or biking.

But through all this "healthy" eating I've actually just gained weight :( I got myself down to 142lbs not eating...now I am back up to 143...what do I do? What am I doing wrong? :(

[just_tired]

What you are experiencing is a side effect of a crash diet. When you don't eat enough calories your body goes into "starvation mode" and begins to shut less vital systems down to be able to live with minimal nutrition. This basically means that your metabolism goes down and when you go back to a normal diet, you gain weight.

Now don't worry, the metabolism will go back to normal after a while and then you can use a healthy diet to lose some weight and keep that weight off. Losing weight is about lifestyle changes, not crash diets. I'm sorry about your ED and I know it's going to be hard, but please don't go back to starving yourself. Nothing good will come out of that.

Another thing you're doing wrong is that you're measuring yourself in weight. Fat isn't the only thing that affects your weight. Your water weight can fluctuate your weight up to 4 pounds in a single day. Also sometimes weight gains can be muscle weight which isn't a bad thing, because muscles give your body its shape. What are good measures are your body fat percentage and a mirror, well okay.. for a person with ED the mirror isn't the best measurement so other people's opinions on your look would correspond that. Weight is just a number. How you actually look is what matters.

[Thatoneguyxander]

This guys on the money

Remember muscle weighs more than fat.

[MrNameless]

Fail^^ Pound for pound, muscle weighs THE SAME as fat. Just like a ton of bricks=a ton of feathers in weight.

Muscle mass is more DENSE than fat.

[sa230e]

You've probably damaged your metabolism. Your body is in survival mode. By consistently underfeeding yourself, it's forced to store away more energy for the scarcity ahead rather than burn it as energy.

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[bisher]

DId you know that your body actually goes into starvation mode and begins to hold onto fat if you eat less than 1200 calories a day? So, you say that you starve yourself and your body does not know when its next meal will be so it holds onto the weight so you DO NOT DIE. You passing out in a grocery store is your body trying to tell you something. Especially if you are working out, you need to fuel your body. Yes, eating more actually makes you lose more weight. If you have struggled with an eating disorder in the past then I would suggest you visit a doctor or a professional nutritionist to get advise.

Just so you know, your weight can fluctuate about 2-3 lbs per day depending on how much food/liquid you intake.

Start eating and doing cardio/weight training and you will see results.

Don't worry so much about the number on the scale, go by how your clothes are fitting. Remember, muscle is more dense than fat so you could weigh 10 lbs more but be slimmer because you are taking up less space. ANyway, the points is: EAT!

[ludorock]

You're body is still changing. My weight kept fluxuating all through until my last year of college. It happens. Your body is just settling in. Also you probably gained muscle. Weighing yourself is an awful idea because it doesn't work. Muscle is denser and therefore weighs more than far. So if you gain muscle in place of fat the. You'll gain weight. Instead get a measuring tape and go by your bust waist and hip measurements. Measure around the widest part of your butt not your hips exactly. That is where youl see the difference as your muscles tightening and you slim down. Don't worry about starving yourself or burning calories. Focus more on to ing and tightening your muscles.

[Beetledove]

I lost majority of my weight through cardio... It works great. The last 8 pounds I kind of just stopped eating and hit 120lbs (I should weigh 115). I won't deny that what I did too my body was wrong... At 143-145lbs you are perfectly fine, so don't stress yourself out too much if you can't lose it. Plus if you eat less than 1000 calories your body saves every thing as fat and you lose muscle.

[beastman88]

well starving yourself is the worst thing you can do, because when you start eating again your body will want to turn the food into fat and hold onto it as long as possible. starving really f***s up your metabolism. it could be youve put on more muscle as well. I've put on about 20 pds of muscle since I was 19, I was 150 at 5'8, it also depends how you carry the weight, your frame etc. iam 180 pds right now people tell me I look 160

[kheserthorpe]

My best suggestion would be to stop the cardio and anything else catabolic, and focus on weight lifting exclusively. Eat a balanced diet with more calories and high protein. Do not focus on your weight for at least 6 months - focus on strength and feeling healthy and strong. Maybe reintroduce cardio in a month. You need to fire up your metabolism. The type of exercise you're doing is slowing it down more.

[abundantlyrich]

You seem to be doing a great job at what your doing to eat healthy. Nothing wrong there.

I would like to ask do you eat straight after working out? cos that will make you put on more weight.

Eating small proportions of meals like 4 times of a day is more healthy then letting your stomach starve.

[Cottoncandydreams]

YOU ARE NOT FAT! JESUS CHRIST.

MAYBE YOU WEREN'T MEANT TO BE BORDER LINE ANOREXIC.

WHY THE F*** DOES EVERY GIRL TRY TO HAVE THE BODY OF A STARVING CHILD FROM AFRICA.

[mccollins]

135lbs at 5'7 is not anorexic. It's the weight that I feel most confident at and is perfectly healthy for my age and height.

[Anonymous]

You screwed up your metabolism with your ED.

Now, you're one of those people with a f***ed up metabolism. Nothing you can do about that.

Oh, except make it worse, obviously. By starving yourself to the point where you pass out. Yeah, that'll definitely make it worse alright.

Healthy eating is all good and well, but you can't ignore the *calories*. Eating too much healthy food will still make you put on weight.

And considering you've f***ed your metabolism into a cocked hat already, you already have a lifetime of being overweight to deal with.

Want to make it worse? Want to go for morbid obesity?

[mccollins]

What a lovely thing to say to someone who has ED. Do you understand that it's a disorder? Meaning I didn't choose to be this way. I couldn't bring myself to eat, I was and still am afraid. You are an insensitive prick.

[Opinion Owner]

Hey, someone needs to tell you the cold hard facts instead of p****footing around the issue.

Starving yourself will make the situation worse - and your ED has already f***ed up your bodies metabolism.

Those are facts. They aren't opinions. And they don't become untrue just because you don't like them or think it's not fair, or can blame it on a mental disorder.

They are the facts. How you deal with them is entirely up to you, but hint? Stop starving yourself.

[mccollins]

You CAN bring up your metabolism after ED. So maybe you should check your facts. If I had starved myself for years maybe that would be a different story. I starved for about 5months before a friend of mine convinced me to start eating. I am young, and I am trying to do things right now. So check your facts and be kinder. I'm not sure you understand that telling someone who is trying to recover from ED that they will have a "lifetime of being overweight" is a trigger. It makes me want to

[mccollins]

stop eating even more. If eating will just make me "morbidly obese" then I guess I should never eat again right? Since it's the only way for me to stay thin.

[maiez]

dont starve, that is the most unhealthy thing for your body.

Instead eat 3 meals a day and for each snack make it healthy like greens. My brother changed his snacks to green beans / celery for 4 months and lost 50 pounds.

[MyNameIsJonas]

What are you doing wrong? Your not doing enough cardio...

link calculate and see. You need to be doing at least one hour of cardio.

[loverlove123]

go here it will help you link it also free but it only for girls

[Anonymous]

stressing out about your weight may cause you to gain weight. It is normal to gain some weight when you start college. Eat healthy exercise and don't stress to much about it.

[FiveFingerBroFist]

I'm checking your pictures out and you don't look like you need to lose weight.

[kangaru]

U should eat normally but cut the portion. I do that always but my breakfast tend to be heavy , dinner is very little

[megamanx2]

Are you sure you need to lose weight? You look good.

[Anonymous]

try going vegan and add more fruit.