Having a Really Rough Time

[Fig]

Hi....I posted a message about this in Eating Disorders, but hopefully more of you will see it here.

I'm restricting my food really big time, eating very little...about 600 or 700 calories a day. There is not much that I like or want anymore. I mainly eat apples, brown rice, lentils, soy milk, vegan soups, steamed vegetables. I have lost 60 pounds---which was necessary--and I want to lose 25 more, although the doctor says I should only lose maybe 10. It's hard to eat. No appetite. I just want to restrict or not eat at all.........

[Porkette]

Hi Fig,
I had the same problem a few yrs. ago, if I may ask are you taking any perscription meds that could cause you not to feel hungry? I found out that when I was taking Depakene (valproic acid) for my epilepsy that it
caused me to become anorexic do to the drug and I lost 75 lbs. in 4 months.
I know it's hard when you don't feel hungry to try and eat but please try to eat because I ended up in the hospital and I don't want to see you going through the same thing as I did. I wish you only the best
and May God Bless You!

Sue

[tic chick]

hey fig !

what you're eating look's healthy. those food's also have a lot of fiber, which fill's you up and also passes through your system with bit's undigested. are you drinking a lot of water or decaffeinated tea?

how do you feel? are you exercising? i think those are more important question's.

as you lose weight, you need less calorie's to keep your weight stable. eating the same thing's day after day also kill's your appetite and is a very effective dieting tool. my thought's on what a diet should be are that it's the food you eat every day for the rest of your life. in order to avoid the effect's of yo-yo dieting, you have to pick food's that are healthy and that you love the taste of and eat them the rest of your life. it make's no sense to me to lose 30 pound's for a wedding or some occasion, then think it's over so now i can eat whatever i want...that's when the weight come's back.

i have maintained a weight loss of 92 pounds for the last 6 year's. it took me from may 2005 to november 2005 to lose 50 pounds, which is a very reasonable loss of 2 pounds a week. then it took me from november 2005 to november 2006 to lose the remaining 42 pounds...about 1 pound a week. as i lost weight, my body needed less calories to keep losing weight. i was eating between 1100-1500 calories per day, 1100 that last year in order to keep losing. i'm 5'8" tall and am large-boned (my doctor confirmed that...lol), so it takes me about 20 pound's before i lose a size in clothe's, that's the bad part. the good part is i can gain up to 10 pounds before my pant's start feeling snug.

i have had basically the same thing for breakfast the last 6 year's. white tea, whole wheat english muffin with almond butter that i make myself, strawberry spread and flaxseed meal sprinkled on top. every once in a while i will have whole wheat pancake's or oatmeal to vary that...but usually just once a month or so. dinner has also almost alway's been the same thing. a salad of organic baby green's and spinach with a sliced pear, goat cheese, dried cranberries, a few toasted walnut's and an olive oil/balsamic vinegar dressing. sometime's i make a pot of soup or meatless chili with bean's and lot's of veggie's. lunch is open, yogurt or kefir or cottage cheese. i also have 2 squares of very dark chocolate most day's and i have room for a 100 calorie snack in the evening.

if i go out to eat with friend's or go somewhere special, i pick healthy food's to eat. if i over eat on ice cream or cakes or cookie's a lot on one day, i cut down the next few day's and move more also. i don't deny myself an occasional treat. i buy organic chicken now, so i have that once in a while, but i don't eat much meat. i also exercise the whole year, whether it's working in my garden through the spring, summer and fall, walking or riding my bike to get around (i don't drive). in the winter i ride my stationary bike or i walk/jog when it's not too cold or snow/ice is on the ground. little thing's help, also, like walking up and down stair's and parking far awatrance to a store so you have to walk further. i would like to lose 20 more pound's, but i have to figure out how to do that and eat, also .

you have to eat food the rest of your life. i think what is happening now is normal, you're losing your appetite because you're not eating a variety of food's and you're losing weight. as long as you keep in touch with your doctor and tell him about anything unusual you feel, you will be okay. roasting vegetable's is also a good way to eat veggie's, it concentrate's their flavor. salad's are a great meal to add in the summmer..all those fresh green's and tomato's and other veggie's.

congratulation's on how well you're doing so far . ask your doctor what he think's of your diet and maybe begin thinking of other healthy food choice's you can add once in a while so you keep up your appetite, but remember the more you lose, the less you need to eat to maintain that weight.

i found it easier to lose the weight. what's darn hard is keeping it off. sometime's even your friend's try and sabotage you . my thinner friend's will say, "oh, you've lost the weight, eat the fries"...lol. i laugh and say, "and that's why i'm keeping it off, because i'm not eating fries". my heavier friend's will make little comment's about my food choice's, not nasty, just picking at me.

so as long as you have energy and feel good and are moving around and exercising, you're doing great! i hope you reach your goal and maintain a healthy, active lifestyle the rest of your life...that is the true meaning of the word "diet".

, jeannie

[Fig]

Thanks for the support and advice. I do suffer from the eating disorder anorexia, but am trying to conquer it. The rituals and mind set are very hard to fight.

[Jo6]

Fig, I am sorry about your eating disorder. It is hell to live thru. If I can help you in any way please call on me. My daughter was anorexic for years and I still wonder if she is back to eating too small.

Take care and try to drink something like Ensure. It may help when you just don't feel like eating.

love ya girl, Jo