Bethyness
New member
Okay, I'm 5'3", 209 lbs (starting weight at the beginning of this month was 215), from what I've been told I have a medium-large build (measurement around my wrist is 6.5 inches).
For most of the last couple years I didn't have the means to eat well--have not been able to find a job, didn't qualify for food stamps, when I did eat it was what friends or family got me or when my then-boyfriend donated plasma and we could go out. I wasn't concerned about food quality, just as long as I got to eat. My calories ranged anywhere from under a hundred (some apple juice from my boyfriend's mom's stash to keep my blood sugar up) to probably around 1000, never the same from day to day. The last time I saw my doctor in 2006, when they were putting me on a birth control study, he was very concerned about the smell of my breath, told me my body was in ketosis and scolded me about my diet, of course--the only reason I even got to visit the doctor was because it was a paid study and they paid for the visits. Over the last year and a half while this has been going on, my periods have stopped twice, once for two months, once for three--I can't be sure it was because my body was in starvation mode, or because I went off the birth control late 2006, but when I went off it the doctor said I might skip one period right after but shouldn't skip any more.
Now, my mom has finally agreed to help me with groceries as she's seen me out looking for a job actively and has finally realized that I'm not being lazy on purpose. I have some good food now--chicken, turkey, fruits and vegetables, whole wheat bread and tortillas, milk and yogurt, etc. I've been eating about 1400-1600 calories a day last few weeks, I take a walk for 30 minutes every morning (distance is 1.5 miles/3 mph) and add 15-30 minutes on the stationary bike if I feel up to it, do strength training with hand weights three non-consecutive days a week, and on the days I don't do the strength training I do yoga--not the aerobic kind, but the simple stretching and meditative poses.
When I first got more food and started eating more at the beginning of this month, I felt sick and dizzy for a couple days, then I was ravenously hungry for about a week and a half, could not get full (stayed within 1600-2000 calories while I was like this) now it seems to have leveled out. I'm not so incredibly hungry, but I'm *getting* hungry again, which I rarely did before this month while I was eating so little. I am hypoglycemic, but it rarely flares up anymore--I was having 5-6 episodes a month where my sugar dropped low enough to cause me pain while I wasn't getting regular meals, but I haven't had one yet this month. There were a few times during the last couple years when we were able to get more food than usual, but I had a hard time eating it. I seem to be doing okay with keeping myself eating regularly now, but it still seems scary how easy it is to forget to eat if I'm not careful.
After seeing some other posts on this section I've started to worry if I'm getting enough calories, or how my metabolism has been affected by such a long period where my body was in starvation.
In case it helps, this is my intake from SparkPeople for the last five days:
SP goals: Calories 1400-1800; fat 37-79; carbs 189-300; protein 42-178
01/20: calories 1631; fat 37; carbs 282; protein 42
01/21: calories 1521; fat 31; carbs 213; protein 101
01/22: calories 1610; fat 41; carbs 231; protein 85
01/23: calories 1440; fat 31; carbs 189; protein 106
01/24: calories 1524; fat 36; carbs 240; protein 65
For most of the last couple years I didn't have the means to eat well--have not been able to find a job, didn't qualify for food stamps, when I did eat it was what friends or family got me or when my then-boyfriend donated plasma and we could go out. I wasn't concerned about food quality, just as long as I got to eat. My calories ranged anywhere from under a hundred (some apple juice from my boyfriend's mom's stash to keep my blood sugar up) to probably around 1000, never the same from day to day. The last time I saw my doctor in 2006, when they were putting me on a birth control study, he was very concerned about the smell of my breath, told me my body was in ketosis and scolded me about my diet, of course--the only reason I even got to visit the doctor was because it was a paid study and they paid for the visits. Over the last year and a half while this has been going on, my periods have stopped twice, once for two months, once for three--I can't be sure it was because my body was in starvation mode, or because I went off the birth control late 2006, but when I went off it the doctor said I might skip one period right after but shouldn't skip any more.
Now, my mom has finally agreed to help me with groceries as she's seen me out looking for a job actively and has finally realized that I'm not being lazy on purpose. I have some good food now--chicken, turkey, fruits and vegetables, whole wheat bread and tortillas, milk and yogurt, etc. I've been eating about 1400-1600 calories a day last few weeks, I take a walk for 30 minutes every morning (distance is 1.5 miles/3 mph) and add 15-30 minutes on the stationary bike if I feel up to it, do strength training with hand weights three non-consecutive days a week, and on the days I don't do the strength training I do yoga--not the aerobic kind, but the simple stretching and meditative poses.
When I first got more food and started eating more at the beginning of this month, I felt sick and dizzy for a couple days, then I was ravenously hungry for about a week and a half, could not get full (stayed within 1600-2000 calories while I was like this) now it seems to have leveled out. I'm not so incredibly hungry, but I'm *getting* hungry again, which I rarely did before this month while I was eating so little. I am hypoglycemic, but it rarely flares up anymore--I was having 5-6 episodes a month where my sugar dropped low enough to cause me pain while I wasn't getting regular meals, but I haven't had one yet this month. There were a few times during the last couple years when we were able to get more food than usual, but I had a hard time eating it. I seem to be doing okay with keeping myself eating regularly now, but it still seems scary how easy it is to forget to eat if I'm not careful.
After seeing some other posts on this section I've started to worry if I'm getting enough calories, or how my metabolism has been affected by such a long period where my body was in starvation.
In case it helps, this is my intake from SparkPeople for the last five days:
SP goals: Calories 1400-1800; fat 37-79; carbs 189-300; protein 42-178
01/20: calories 1631; fat 37; carbs 282; protein 42
01/21: calories 1521; fat 31; carbs 213; protein 101
01/22: calories 1610; fat 41; carbs 231; protein 85
01/23: calories 1440; fat 31; carbs 189; protein 106
01/24: calories 1524; fat 36; carbs 240; protein 65