So I recently began dieting, restricting my calories to 1,200 a day to loose some weight before university but also before schoolies (Australia version of spring break kinda) I was going from the bmi test which I now know to be false in its explanation of overweight since I am 164cm and was 78kgs. I was constantly depressed my my stomach and felt overweight and worthless all the time. I'm happy I don't anymore and feel more comfortable in photographs since I believe I look better wen I smile now. However, I have began to realise some scary things. I recently watched a video explaining the symptoms of anorexia and I began to see parallels in my diet. I was beginning to feel lightheaded, have mood swings and become irritable because I couldn't eat any more food that day. I often couldn't have dinner because I was just too hungry during the day. I had to stop my treadmill because I believed I was going to faint. I cannot stand up too fast otherwise I feel I am going to vomit and loose eyesight. I often have sharp pains in my back and knees. I am often thirsty even though I drink around 8-12 glasses of water a day. And, this weekend, I had to rest basically the whole time after work because I was extremely fatigued, had severe stomach cramps and issues, headaches and nausea. Looking back, after recovering for two days (and still recovering since I still feel all these things) it was probably due to a highly physical and stressful work shift, and the fact that my breakfast consisted of an apple, Apple juice, water and a twin bar, and my lunch a large vat of frozen yogurt and a bite of a kebab. So, even now, even feeling really quite I'll, I am still restricting my calories, but am being cautious of how much I eat. I am thinking of young my calorie intake to 1300 or 1400 due to being 17 and having these issues. I also freaked out recently ingot many calories I ate during a party I went into Te bathroom of my school to do some jogging to burn them off. I also almost vomited them up In around a month and a half I have lost 5kg's and am now a size 12-14 depending. But now I am vomiting more, involuntarily, after eating, and am having intestinal issues. I am happy with my body, but not with being hungry, moody, sweaty and tired. What does everyone think?
You might think about eating more vegetarian, in a healthy variety. And not restricting so much. Gradual might be better. Apples for example consist mostly of water. So its no problem to eat one or two more. You might eat more soup, for example with vegetables, which fills and calms the stomach. (I prefer organic soup cubes, for example, they usually do not have flavour enhancers and taste better.) Same should be true for tea (not black tea). If in any doubt consult a healthcare practitioner or diet specialist. You might also think about consulting a counselor, if you feel you have issues concerning self image etc...
thanks for the advice I am a vegetarian already and have been controlling my diet. I just mostly feel like if I eat anything it'll make me I'll, but by not eating muchor burning it all off it makes my feel even worse.
Be careful hun - restricting your calorific intake too much can cause hypoglycemia (low blood sugar) and will make you feel poorly and will be a detriment to your day to day life. If you feel you have an eating disorder talk to your Doctor/GP/someone you can trust. Diet wise - eat complex carbohydrates (porridge, brown/granary/seeded bread, ryvitas, wholegrain things) in the morning, it will slowly release energy and you will last to around lunch. Lunchtime - if I'm trying to lose weight I'll have some fruit (banana, apple etc) or if I'm really hungry/light headed I will have a sandwich on wholewheat bread, minus the butter/sunflower spread. Dinner - soup with wholewheat bread or a hearty homemade meal.
1200 calories is the absolute minimum one needs to not starve. If you go a certain amount of days eating less than that, you're body will put itself in a "mode" to prepare for starvation. When one's body is in this mode, it will actually burn less calories than it would otherwise. If one's working out, one needs to eat at least 1200 calories + half the amount of calories one burns from exercising. One's body burns about 1500 calories by just sleeping the whole day. This means that one's body needs 1500 calories to just keep the organs working properly. Dieting is not the ideal way of loosing weight. A change of lifestyle is more sustainable. When one's dieting, one easily starts yoyoing which is really unhealthy. My advice would be to not care too much about calories, those thoughts can take over your brain. They did for me. If you're worrying about developing an eating disorder, seek help now. When the disorder is developed, those thoughts will always be in the back of your head. It's sort of like being an alcoholic, even when recovered, you'll be a recovered alcoholic and not an ex-alcoholic. One probably has an eating disorder when one's worrying about food and body image so much that it starts to affect other parts of their life. Don't look at the physical symptoms as much as the mental ones. The physical problems are consequences of one's actions, which are caused by the mental problems. Don't make yourself throw up, just don't. I know it's easier said than done, but trust me, it's not worth it. When I used to vomit I became soar all the way from my throat down to my stomach. I frequently got acid reflux, which isn't that fun when you're eating around people. If I hadn't stopped when I did, my teeth probably would have taken a hit as well (from the acid). Try to not read up on eating disorders too much. It became more of a how-to-guide than anything else to me. Take care, okay? (*hug*)
5 kg on a month is not a dramatic loss of weight, but the symptoms you talk about (vomiting, feeling tired and hungry) are definitely not normal. Your body is giving warnings : Maybe you need something that is missing from your diet, maybe for you to lose 5kg is too much, maybe stress... Go to your doctor and get advice from him/her. And stop thinking about numbers, every body is different and reacts different. To me 1000 kcal is normal, I can even get away with 700 and still feeling ok.
