low caloric intake; healthy concerns

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kc_from_kc

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low caloric intake; health concerns

This is supposedly a thread that has a couple of professionals, right? Well I would like an opinion on my situation.

I have a very serious problem, I've been losing weight the WRONG way. The worst way. It's been going on for over a year.

In March 2007, I was 225 pounds. By August of the same year, I was 170. I went on an all meat diet. It's as bad and as literal as it sounds. All I ate, three times a day, was lean meat. Porkchops, bacon, etc. My calories were about 1200, my fat was high. However, being an aspiring vegetarian, I could no longer do that diet.
So for the last 6 months, I've been on an all liquid diet. I only drink whey protein shakes, 3-4 times a day. I get about a maximum of 400 calories, and 9-12 carbs. And thats it. I'll do this for a couple of weeks, and then binge on normal food for a few days, and then go on liquid for another couple of weeks.

I sometimes drop 2-3 pounds over night, and consistantly lose anywhere from half a pound to a pound a day.

I'm very scared. I know how bad this is, but I can't bring myself to go to a doctor and get myself checked. I haven't had any serious health effects yet, just the occasional headache, and sometimes I get dizzy when I stand up.

I am now 165 lbs, and I want to get down to 120. I'm 5'4".

Is this an eating disorder? Does it have a name?
I really don't know how to control this, I have no control.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated, but I would prefer to hear from any professionals on this thread, if they're still around.

Thanks,
-Emily
 
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kc_from_kc said:
This is supposedly a thread that has a couple of professionals, right?
Click to expand...

Supposedly. But in reality, it has a couple of opinionated loudmouths. :)

kc_from_kc said:
All I ate, three times a day, was lean meat. Porkchops, bacon, etc. My calories were about 1200, my fat was high.
Click to expand...

There are actually people who do that intentionally, although generally with fattier meat. (Your bacon would certainly be welcome among them.) I wouldn't assume that you've done any long-term harm to your body based on 5 months of that.

kc_from_kc said:
I only drink whey protein shakes, 3-4 times a day. I get about a maximum of 400 calories, and 9-12 carbs. And thats it. I'll do this for a couple of weeks, and then binge on normal food for a few days, and then go on liquid for another couple of weeks.

I sometimes drop 2-3 pounds over night, and consistantly lose anywhere from half a pound to a pound a day.
Click to expand...

And yet in 6 months, you've only lost 5 pounds (170-165)? Or you regained a bunch of weight between August 2007 and February 2008?

"Losing" 2-3 pounds overnight is just random scale fluctuation. If you'd been losing half a pound a day consistently for the last 6 months, you'd have lost ~90 pounds in that time - which I suspect isn't the case.

You know, you could be doing much worse things to your body, like getting your 400 calories a day from Oreos, or not doing periodic refeeds sufficient to keep your rate of loss at a sane level.

kc_from_kc said:
I haven't had any serious health effects yet, just the occasional headache, and sometimes I get dizzy when I stand up.
Click to expand...

Orthostatic hypotension. Drink more water.

kc_from_kc said:
I really don't know how to control this, I have no control.
Click to expand...

There's no one who has more control over what you eat than you do. If I were a guessing person, I'd say your weight has a lot more to do with your mind than with your mouth. So figure out what's up with your mind and work through those issues, and you may find that you'll feel less need to control your eating, and be able to find a healthier balance.
 
No, no. I did the meat thing for a year, and the liquid thing for the last 6-ish months. The 1/2-2 pounds a day is during the week or two of the liquid that I do, but then I go crazy and binge for 3 or 4 days, and in those few days I gain back like 6 or 7 pounds, and then I have to start all over again, with the liquid. And between last august and this august, i basically fluctuated the same 10 pounds. which is why i'm only a few pounds lighter, only this time i'm going to try not to binge, and just go all liquid from now on until i lose all the weight.

And I do drink water. About 6 glasses a day.
 
kc_from_kc said:
this time i'm going to try not to binge, and just go all liquid from now on until i lose all the weight.
Click to expand...

This is the same plan that you just said was bad, and a serious problem, and scaring you, right? Or is it that 1,200 calories of meat was obviously unhealthful, but 400 calories a day of protein shakes are a much better choice?

Seriously, fix your head before you worry about your body. Being able to force yourself to subsist on 400 calories a day without binging is not a sign of self-control, and you know that. That is an eating disorder, and it does have a name, and you know that, too.

So get off the internet, and go to bed, and in the morning tell your mother / father / older sibling / teacher / minister / school counselor / best friend that you're having a tough time dealing with life, and you think it would help to have someone professional to talk to.

And if you won't do that (because I wasn't willing to do that when I was your age), get off the internet and go to bed, and in the morning decide that the way you'll control your life is by eating sufficient healthy foods, and getting a reasonable amount of exercise, and that you're not going to take your anger and scary out-of-control feelings out on your body, because that will be the equivalent of letting them win. I don't know who your "them" is, but I can tell you that anything you do to you is not going to affect them, and it's not going to make you even a tiny bit happier. I'd guess it took me a good 15 years after I got to the point where you are to figure that out - some of us are just slow, I guess.
 
Reply from Eating Disorders Professional

As a health psychologist who provides psychotherapy to individuals with eating disorders, it’s impossible to diagnose an eating disorder through a forum thread. If you feel out of control and would like help, please contact a mental health professional who has expertise with eating disorders. You shouldn’t have to suffer or feel out of control. During the first session, the professional will most likely assess your food issues and suggest a course of action. Here are some referrals for you to Google to help you find an eating disorders specialist.

The National Eating Disorders Association has a toll free number: 800-931-2237
The National Association of Anorexia and Associated Eating Disorders
The Academy for Eating Disorders

Best wishes on regaining control with your food.
 
kc_from_kc said:
This is supposedly a thread that has a couple of professionals, right? Well I would like an opinion on my situation.

I have a very serious problem, I've been losing weight the WRONG way. The worst way. It's been going on for over a year.

In March 2007, I was 225 pounds. By August of the same year, I was 170. I went on an all meat diet. It's as bad and as literal as it sounds. All I ate, three times a day, was lean meat. Porkchops, bacon, etc. My calories were about 1200, my fat was high. However, being an aspiring vegetarian, I could no longer do that diet.
So for the last 6 months, I've been on an all liquid diet. I only drink whey protein shakes, 3-4 times a day. I get about a maximum of 400 calories, and 9-12 carbs. And thats it. I'll do this for a couple of weeks, and then binge on normal food for a few days, and then go on liquid for another couple of weeks.

I sometimes drop 2-3 pounds over night, and consistantly lose anywhere from half a pound to a pound a day.

I'm very scared. I know how bad this is, but I can't bring myself to go to a doctor and get myself checked. I haven't had any serious health effects yet, just the occasional headache, and sometimes I get dizzy when I stand up.

I am now 165 lbs, and I want to get down to 120. I'm 5'4".

Is this an eating disorder? Does it have a name?
I really don't know how to control this, I have no control.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated, but I would prefer to hear from any professionals on this thread, if they're still around.

Thanks,
-Emily
Click to expand...

Please get help..This will ruin your life as it did with my body...I was dangerous with dieting for awhile and did some things I'm not proud of...But if you cant self medicate and come to the realization please get help.
I cant eat over 1200 calories and when I do I gain...A LOT. My body I think is ruined and will never be the same, don't do the same to yours..

Good luck.. and dont let this control your life.
 
Hi Kc_from_kc

Here’re five ground rules about diet:

1. Eat 5 small meals a day every 3 hours. If you take few and big meals, you will tend to overeat. Instead, take small regular meals to increase your metabolic rate (hence lose weight) and you will also feel more energetic. But don’t go on a diet and eat less. The body becomes hypothyroid – your metabolic rate slows down and other body functions slow down to conserve energy and convert it to fat.

2. Eat about 70% full. The stomach is slow in telling the brain you are full. By the time the message reaches the brain, you have overeaten.

3. Take about one (palm sized) portion good carbohydrates - baked potato, pasta, oatmeal, beans, corn, melon, apples, fat free yogurt, or whole wheat breads. Take another equal portion of protein - chicken breast, fish, or turkey breast. Take as much vegetables and salads – they provide fiber and have little or no fat.

4. Drink at least half of your body weight (pounds) in ounces. 1 glass of water is about 8 ounces. If you weigh 150 pounds, then you should drink 75 ounces of water, which is about 9-10 glasses of water.

5. Avoid fast food as the meat is often de-natured. The body treats it as plastic!
 
ansonteo said:
5. Avoid fast food as the meat is often de-natured.
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You say that as if it were a bad thing. May as well say avoid proteins altogether, as they are often denatured. Meat proteins begin to denature when heated above 57C / 135F. You can denature the proteins in egg whites by beating them.

Not that I particularly agree with the rest of your comments, but there already exist plenty of posts on why drinking half your weight in water isn't necessary for adequate hydration / multiple small meals have no metabolic advantage over fewer larger meals / dietary fat is required to maintain normal body functions, whereas dietary carbohydrate is not.
 
I dont know if you have an eating disorder but you are disorder eating. I used to live on multivitamins and crackers for a week then would binge. I lost 60 lbs one year. Anywho. You can get over this and lose the weight in a healthier way. Whether someone is dealing with disordered eating or a clinical eating disorder, it takes a brave person to admit that they might have a problem and try to seek a solution.

I hope you find what you are looking for, no matter what the issue is..its most likely a mental issue. Good Luck
 
Your body needs a balanced diet to run normally. drinking just liquid won't give your body what it needs and you will lose weight but remember, your body needs some reserves, with an all liquid diet your body will consume the reserves that are left and after the reserves are gone start eating your muscle tissue..This is not good. You need to get back to eating a balanced diet asap.

Weaker bones and fertility problems can arise from a very poor diet.

And just eating meat is not good for your heart or your stomach.

Just eat a varied diet each day. Try not to think about your weight too much( i know it's easier said then done) but you can do it. And i would say go and visit a specialist and have a talk, just see what they have to say.

Good luck
 
because your link was advertising - read the thread on signatures.

IF people are interested in what you have to say - they can check out your profile - there's NO Reason for the same link to be in your signature and profile
 
maleficent said:
because your link was advertising - read the thread on signatures.

IF people are interested in what you have to say - they can check out your profile - there's NO Reason for the same link to be in your signature and profile
Click to expand...

If a signature isn't advertising then what is it? After reading the signature rules it says have a link or links to a site or your site... which is what i had..

Ok, is it ok for me to delete my profile link and just have the signature link on it's own?

Cheers.
 
maleficent said:
because your link was advertising - read the thread on signatures.

IF people are interested in what you have to say - they can check out your profile - there's NO Reason for the same link to be in your signature and profile
Click to expand...

Ok fair enough , i have took it out of my profile :hurray:

Cheers.
 
allyphoe said:
Read what Mal wrote one more time. It's fine in your profile, not in your sig. I've taken it out of your sig a second time, for your convenience. Please don't put it back again.
Click to expand...

Why do you even state that you allow a signature if you don't let anyone have one! :banghead:
 
you can have a signature -just not one that includes links to any sites that contain any sort of advertising - like google ads...

You've got your link in your profile - make your posts interesting enough that people will check out your profile..
 
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