Trying to bring some normality back to my diet!

[Katerpillar]

Hi guys,

I have a query that I am hoping someone may be able to help me with.

At the beginning of the year I weighed 12 stone 1lbs, I started following Slimming World and I was slowly losing weight each week (maybe 1 - 2lbs a week). As my 30th birthday drew closer I started to panic about the party I was throwing and the little black dress that I so desperatley wanted to look good in. So, basically, to cut along story short I just slashed my food intake dramatically! Some days I would be living on a banana, a small salad and a piece of chicken! Bad, bad, really bad I know! ......but I was just so desperate to lose as much as I could as quick as I could that I took the VERY short term and very stupid option! When I weighed myself this morning I was 10stone 7lbs! This is the lightest I have been for a long, long time! Now, it felt good to think I looked the best I had looked for while at my party BUT I am starting to get a little worried now as I need some normality back in my life but I am terriefied that as soon as I start to eat normally again that I am going to pile the weight - plus more - back on! After reading some of the threads in this section of the forum I am guessing that my body is in starvation mode right now and that as soon as I start to eat more calories I am going to gain weight.

My goal weight is 10 stone so I definitely don’t want to be gaining any weight but I'm not sure how to go about trying to 'normalise' my diet without this happening. Does anyone have ANY advice on how I might go about this??

Today I have eaten weetabix for breakfast and I had a salad with tinned mackerel for my dinner and I feel sooooooo guilty for eating that much!! I know that that is compleltely ridiculous - I know it is - but my mind is in a very strange place right now! I have been so used to eating barely anything and avoiding all food situations that it sort of feels like my enemy at the minute!

Sorry for rambling ANY advice really appreciated! Thanks xx

PS I know I have messed up here - please go easy!! :wave_cry:

 

[Fattack]

Ok, this is probably not what you want to hear BUT you really should bite the bullet and increase your calories to 1200 at least and risk a temporary gain whilst your metabolism normalises. Yes, you may gain weight, especially in the first week or two, but the long term benefits exceed a couple of pounds that you'll lose healthily long-term. I'd personally do this, because if you carry on at small amounts of calories you'll get to goal and probably gain when you try to maintain and then have to lose that little extra bit etc.etc. Once your body is used to 1200, you'll start to lose again more reguarly and the gains / STS will stop.

If you're really averse to it, the other thing you could do is increase your calorie intake gradually. Again, you may gain weight / not lose - it's hard to predict how the body will react, and it may well take as long as the option above (although you may not risk as big of an initial gain) because you may gain a little / STS each week until you hit the magic number of 1200.

Finally - exercise, if you start exercising you may gain WEIGHT (in the form of muscle mass) but you won't gain INCHES so you'll still be fine to fit into your outfit - in fact you may even find it looser! So definitely start exercising (and eating those calories back so you develop the muscles!).

I would really advise you to start eating properly, and keep an eye on your feelings. Feeling guilty for eating what probably doesn't even total to 500 calories does not signal a healthy relationship with food - I've been down the eating disorder route in my youth and it takes a long time to get out of that mindset (which, if you're prone to, can be so easy to fall in). Please please if you're starting to feel bad about food, see somebody or take control of it before you start to do harm to yourself.

 

[chick10]

Oh i done this last year hun, i was eating around 450 - 500 a day and lost loads! Then i started eating normail and put about a stone back on. This included eating as much as i wanted on a all inclusive holiday for 2 weeks, my birthday and it also included christmas too!!! So i didnt think it was that bad!

Atm im doing 850 until the end of June. Then upping them to 1000- 1100. And ill prob gain a small amount, but i was originally only loosing weight for a holiday, but really happy with my body atm, therefore i want to carry it on as a long term diet.

Dont worry youll be fine! And excersise as fattack has said, as this will really help! X

 

[Caz]

Chick, saw you STS this week... I think you really need to up your calories, think you'd see losses then! If you really want to carry it on long term, not sure that being so low is a good idea really. Maybe up them for a month to 1200 and see how you go?

 

[chocaslim]

Hi there hope you ok its hard when you struggle but they do say the more you eat the more you lose so to speak. i calculated my stats in the sticky above and it says to lose i need to consume 1490 so i'd prob have 1350 good luck with your weight loss journey i'm with sw but (deep breath here) wanted to know how many calories i should be having as i eat alot of free foods in snacks and baking

 

[Katerpillar]

Thank you to all of you for your advice – it really is MUCH appreciated! :thankyou: Especially on days like yesterday when I felt I was crumbling under a calorie laden wagon!!!

It IS the sort of thing I want / need to hear as on the days when I was eating the fewest calories I was worrying all day about how I was going to put it right. I just knew I wanted to lose weight QUICK – and it worked! Now the hard job is stabilising my diet again without piling the beef on!

I feel much calmer about everything today – I know I CAN do this – I Just panicked yesterday when I found myself craving the chocolate cake that someone had kindly mad:!!!) left on the edge of my desk!

I already do quite a lot of exercise – I do Bootcamp 3 times a week, I cycle at least twice a week and have 2 big boisterous dogs that need walking twice a day! I think it is the exercise that has helped to keep me grounded throughout the last month when my diet has been haywire!

I have written a weekly plan of my meals and am shifting back to Slimming World where I was happy and losing weight at a steady, comfortable and healthy rate!

THANKS AGAIN so much and good luck to all of you on your weight loss journeys! xx