Being a recovering anorexic, the only way I know how to lose weight is starving. This is part of my motovation for getting better, Im tired of going though my whole day being hungry, counting down the hours and minutes until I get to eat again, always thinking about food and feeling like crap. Even though Im far from being better, later I want to go on a more healthy diet. But just to stay in shape, stay at a good weight and be healthy. I was just wondering how do other people diet and lose weight without starving? I cant imagine doing that. I know everyone is different so not all diets work on everyone but it seems the only way to lose weight is by cutting down on calories BIG time and just being hungry.

Hi, Mops :wave:

I'm sorry to read that you had to suffer with an eating disorder. I'm not sure what that must be like, exactly, but I can imagine that it must have been sheer heck. I went through a period in my life, when I was a young teenager, where I started to place a lot of pressure on myself to be thin. I had friends who had similar ideas (one who I think was anorexic, herself), and I nearly found myself sucked into their world. I could never really starve myself, though, and I began to realize that I would rather be healthy than thin, anyway.

One thing that I have learned is that you can't expect to be perfect at anything when you first try it. You need to give yourself some room for imperfection and to make mistakes. Life is a learning process, and you need to treat it as such. Second, the best way to take care of your body is to eat/do anything that you want to do IN MODERATION. You can eat sugars and chocolate and all those other things :) , and still be healthy and fit, as long as you eat only moderate amounts of them. Also, I have found that by eating more than three meals per day (like 5-6 small meals each day), I actually feel better. I have read that your metabolism functions much better when it is not starved but, rather, fed on a fairly continous basis. I know this may be really hard to believe, but it has been proved, and it is a much healthier way to live. Your body needs calories to function (your brain needs fats to function, just as your organs need to be cushioned by fats in order not to be bruised when you move or bump into things). I'm sure that there are some books and internet articles that you can read to find out more, so try looking these things up.

Well, now that I have written a novel :p , I will just add that I hope this helps you to become more healthy. Please continue to post on this board, as everyone here enjoys helping others :) .

~Colleen

Being that you are a recovering Anorexic why are you looking at losing weight?

My Cousin suffered from Aneroxia and I know from her that Most people that have recovered rarely will ever get to the point that they need to lose weight.

Im not trying to lose weight but maintain for now. Even though Im really suppose to be gaining now I just want to get comfortable with my current weight first. I was just wondering how its possible to lose weight without starving

Hi there.. Have you thought of perhaps getting on nutritional protein shakes to curb your appetites.. but yet allowing you to be full. I know that I can have a shake in the morning, and I don't feel at all full till atleast noon or better.. depending on what I am doing of course. I know the program that I use doesn't take weight off with starving you... it feeds you on a cellular level. worth a shot to look at some shakes...or protein to fill you up longer.. Then perhaps you wouldn't have to try so hard and starv yourself.. that is just sad... Sorry you had to go thru this... I wish you the best of luck to get better fast girl!

Im not trying to lose weight but maintain for now. Even though Im really suppose to be gaining now I just want to get comfortable with my current weight first. I was just wondering how its possible to lose weight without starving

My thinking is along the same lines as bluejbirdie...your heart does not seem ready to accept your "cure" if you are still looking for 'angles" to lose weight. If you are working with a counsellor, ask him.

THe main problem with anorectics is not how to lose weight but rather achieving a proper body image.

The way to maintain weight is to eat exactly the amount of food to stay at the "perfect" weight. To lose some, one merely eats less than this maintenance amount...measured in calories over a long time.

Example, my maintenance level at 200 pounds is around 2400 calories...I've lost 7 pounds over the last 12 months by keeping close to 2300 calories average...measured precisely every day and averaged monthly.

Hey, just wanted to say that you should be proud of yourself first of all for recovering from such a bad thing.
I can't imagine how hard it has been for you.
I have to agree that eating 5 or 6 times a day helps. I eat a healthy breakfast such as oatmeal or special K. Then I have a midmorning snack like some kind of fruit. At lunch I have a lean cuisine, then some kind of small afternoon snack. For dinner I have something usually grilled. That is the best way I have found to keep from being hungry all the time.

Hey mops,

i just wanted to throw my two cents in. like you, i'm recovering from anorexia and like you i was VERY hesitant about the idea of gaining weight when i started recovery. i wanted to find "healthy" ways of gaining weight, go REALLY slow, not gain too much, etc. Basically, i wanted to keep it all under my CONTROL. but news flash, kiddo, it doesn't work that way and to TRULY begin recovery, you MUST accept that fact. keeping it all under control that way is just your ED's way of keeping YOU under the control of the eating disorder. i know you think you want to get "comfortable" with your current weight before you try to gain, but you have to realize that ain't gonna happen. it's just the way the disorder works. you will NEVER become comfortable with an underweight weight, especially if you're starving yourself to maintain it. the only way to do this is to just jump in head first with your therapist and nutritionist guiding you. "Ed" will be screaming at you that you're gonna gain 20 pounds in a month and you'll believe that for a while, but trust me, it won't happen. you HAVE TO just start eating more and not exercising and basically, give up the control of anorexia. until you're willing to do that, you really can't begin recovery. so try to look at it that way. try to do things "your way" is really just your "Ed" voice trying to do things "his" way. "He" is the one that doesn't want you to actually gain weight, but YOU are the one who can be brave and just take that leap into the unknown. good luck!

I'm a recovering bulimic, so I really feel for you. I had to stop looking at it as weight. I'm much more interested in the nutrients my body needs. I want to be healthy, not skinny. So, I eat fruits, veggies, lean proteins, whole grains. I don't waste time on the things my body doesn't need like sugar and refined carbs. Of course, I do occasionally treat myself. And, I workout. Not to loose weight, but to keep my body healthy. I wish you luck with breaking the cycle. :)