Healthy weight loss, saying goodbye to my drastic measures!

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purple1

New member
Hi all, I'm 18, 5ft7.5 and 130lbs.
I've been fighting a losing battle for well over a year now with my weight, yo-yo'ing up to around 145 and back down again due to periods of extreme restriction and hours of cardio every day in between binge eating.
I've come to realise that I need to sort myself out, or I will gain all of the weight back and be stuck in this constant cycle of 'all or nothing', and the obsessive calorie counting has to stop!
I've spent hours looking at healthy diet plans and calorie calculators on the internet and it's now apparent that I actually have no idea what I should be eating/doing to lose weight healthily. I know that I am at a healthy weight at the moment but I want to lose some body fat from my problem areas so that I can feel more comfortable in myself.
I have never been diagnosed with an ED, although I do realise that I have an unhealthy relationship with food and exercise... So I would really appreciate if someone could contribute some information on how many calories I should actually be eating, how much exercise I should be doing to lose weight healthily as each website I see tells me something different.. and also how I should make these changes without my body going crazy on me!
 
Perhaps you can explain which plans you have tried, and in what way they failed. Each plan you have looked at on the various web sites may all be good plans. They don't have to be the same. There is no single right way of doing it, nor any magic formula. Nobody can tell you the exact number of calories to eat. If you are gaining weight, eat less. If losing too fast, eat more. It isn't rocket science.

You cannot lose fat only from problem areas. If you want to lose fat from the problem areas, you have to lose fat from everywhere. If you want to stay the same weight and lose the fat you will have to build muscle.
 
Hi purple. I am just starting off here also and with a very different long term plan, so by no means am I any kind of expert. I just wanted to tell you to be very gentle with yourself. My kid sister has suffered with various forms of ED's for almost a decade now and the balance between living a healthy lifestyle to manage your weight and over analyzing everything and becoming consumed with it is a very fine line, especially in younger women who are constantly bombarded with reminders of why we are not perfect. She started off very simliar to what you are describing and although she is in a much better place now, she still struggles with it every day and there were some very close calls with her life. Just try to not let it run your life. :)

If you are comfortable with your weight now, I would try to focus your energy on a HEALTHY diet and excersize regimine rather than the number on the scale. If you are concerned about your "problem areas", try some toning excersizes rather than doing cardio-overkill for a 1/16" here or there. I hope you're able to find some peace with your body and a consistent plan to keep you healthy. Best of luck!!

Tamii
 
Hey welcome to the forum.

First you just need to relax and realize your current situation. I'm fairly sure you're at a healthy weight right now, it may be close to the line but you aren't going to want to lose much if any weight at your current state.

Now you want to stabilize yourself by formulating a consistent exercise regime and a balanced diet. I would suggest doing cardio for 30 minutes, 3-4 times a week. This is not sprinting or anything extreme like that, just simple jogging, cycling or even speed walking will give you a workout. You want to leave your body time to rest, but don't put more than 2 days between your exercise sessions.

As for calories, you have to plan for maintenance first, not weight loss. Once you can keep the same weight for a few months, then it will be easy to lose or gain weight to your liking because it would only be a matter of adding a few calories or cutting a few out. For you, I would think that you never want to go under 1500 a day for maintenance and probably not over 1900. Averaging 1700 a day, coupled with you doing 3-4 days of exercise, will probably keep your weight around the right place.

Count your calories for a few weeks and try to stay between 1700 and 1900. In a few weeks, you will be able to get there without having to count your calories.

A few quick tips:
* Cut out sugary drinks
* Get a good amount of fiber
* Cover all the food groups
* Don't get stressed over gaining a pound, it may just be water or muscle weight

Good luck!
 
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