Hey guys,
I am now 15 years old. I used to always be real skinny and I started gaining weight last year. I gained 18 lbs without getting any taller. So I started lifting weights.Ive always done a LOT of excercise (19 hours of dance a week and 3 hours of running track a day). I started loosing and then gaining weight and I still stayed at 144lbs (5ft6in). I tried so many diets and some worked only for a little while. I always had good eating habits and to tell the truth, i have not had a soda or piece of candy for 3 years!
What I don't understand is that my best friend is 5ft 61/2 inches and only 114 lbs! She only works on the computer and eats constantly! not only that, she eats chocolate, Mc donalds, Pizza hut and all of the junk that I would NEVER go near.
Unfortunatly I got fed up and frustrated and I stopped eating about a week ago. I eat a litttle in the morning but thats it! i don't go to the cafeteria at lunch and I hate going out to dinner. but i lost a lb each day! it worked! I'm just afraid that this will be something that I can't get out of and I'll never enjoy a meal again!

What do you guys suggest?



------------------
"I'm tryin"
Urbanity

wow... to be honestly w/ u i dunno but not havin any replys to my boards get me kinda upset... so... if i had to give advice id say... i get y ur doin that... BUT DONT lol ... ok heres tha deal.. maybe you can lose weight by doing this but you really screw your body up... it sounds like ur really active which means you are healthy right now but if you keep this up ucant run any more... what happens is your body naturally eats fat as a source of energy... when your body doesnt get enough fat or food... then it starts to eat muscle which is easier so... it eats muscle then you have no muscle left... your heart is a muscle and it doesnt determine the differnce between your heart and your biceps... so it EATS UR HEART its bad jus trust me... ok i'm dun w/ muh lecture ...as for your friend... good 4 her... she has an incredibly fast metabolizm... i hate those ppl lol ... but you are healthier than her probably if she jus sits and eats junk food and you eat healthy and exercise ... you arent that fat... as a matter of fact ... you are around a normal weight which is good she is underweight or on the very low end of normal... so... jus eat healthy and excersice and u will do well... i guess i lied at the beginning when i said that i didnt no what to tell you :-) i hope this helps bye

------------------
~muah at 13~

hey Urbanity ~
u r not fat at all!! dont screw yourself up! icesktnchik2046 is absolutely right about your body eating muscle & EATING YOUR HEART. really think about that cuz it happened to me, it happens to people w/eds, & let me tell u, it is terrifying. i am a skater &dancer 2 & one of the most horrifying things is "feeling your heart dying." that sounds weird but i was actually aware of my heart slowly failing (i hate to write that it still scares me so much, but that was what was happening) but i felt so helpless to get myself out of what was happening 2 me.

yeah, just eat healthily (3 meals/day! really! start eating normal again b4 its too late! i totally cut calories & now im a binger; i say this cuz the longer u wait, the harder it is 2 get back 2 normal) & keep exercising & u will b fine. really. during puberty ur body gains weight but then it stops, honestly. just get through this period in your life. get help (counselor, doctor, etc.) if u can!

Hey,

Thanks guys, i really appreciate it. I understand what your saying but it seems like eating very little is working. Although, I never thought of the eating away at your muscle part of the deal (since I work so hard to gain the muscles, lol. I just wish there was a way to ask my body what to do to be its healthiest and best looking but I guess there isn't. It makes it even harder when there are so many different diets and ways to be "healthy" but you never know if it actually works!

I'll take your advice and get help. The last thing I want to do is to be unhealthy and have a failing heart but I just can't see a way out of it!

Urbanity

Urbanity,
You are in the beginning stages of anorexia. This is a very dangerous disease. You need to seek medical attention and get on a healthy eating plan immeidiately. Speak to your school counselor, your parents, anyone who can direct you to the proper medical personell. Your body does burn fat initially but will reach a point where it has no fat to use and then your body will begin eating your muscles as food. Muscles include your heart, liver, kidneys, etc.

You need to eat to live healthily. Not eating candy and pop won't kill you but not eating anything will. Please seek professional assistance before you do major damage to your organs.

im sooo glad that uve decided to get help!! http://www.healthboards.com/ubb/smile.gif
thats the best thing, really! a lot of us have horror stories about what has happened 2 us w/this disease. so do ur best to make sure that u dont develop an ed--& that includes getting help.

best of luck!!!!

Hey,
Indigo, does that mean that if I only ate a little bit untill i lost most of the fat and then started eating again, that I would be ok?

------------------
"I'm tryin"
Urbanity

Hi Urbanity,

It sounds as if you had a very healthy routine in your life before you stopped eating; before you started trying to lose weight. You need to be very careful...your body does indeed have ways of compensating for changes in your caloric intake...not only does it affect your body and its ability to function healthily (there are some pretty scary side effects - trust me you don't want to experience them)...but most of us with eating disorders can tell you that it REALLY messes with you psychologically as well. Depression, loss of concentration, irritability, mood swings, secretiveness(and the effect this has on relationships) among other things. You are bordering on becoming anorexic...you need to seek help and stop this before it goes any farther...it is incredibly difficult to put an end to this destructive behaviour once it has become habitual. Moreover...many people who attempt to restrict eventually become stuck in a binge-purge viscious cycle. It's the bodys starvation mode that often drives this(as well as psychological factors) and anyone suffering from bullimia or restricting-bingeing-purging cycles can tell you its torture. YOU ARE NOT FAT. You are at a healthy BMI and your lifestyle is very active...If you are still adament about losing weight...don't stop eating...it will just mess up your metabolism. Why don't you try changing your excercise routine up...perhaps your body has hit a plateau with your current workout. Don't become too obsessive about it either. We all have a natural set point our bodys settle into at a certain activity level...it is determined by genetics. If we try to drastically change this 'set point' we will end up battling with our weight for the rest of our lives. Find a balance between what your body wants to weigh and how you want to look. And remember that muscle weighs more than fat. Perhaps you WERE losing the fat and gaining weight in muscle simultaneiously. I'm sure you look great! As for the amount of calories you should be having each day...a good guide would be to look into calculating your body mass index (BMI) and the amount of calories needed to maintain a healthy weight range. It's not 100% accurate ..but its a good place to start. One more thing; cliche as it may sound...don't let your appearance run your life. Life is too short to let these things distract you from what is important. It really is about whats inside(I know,I know...but it IS true!)
take care
goldilocks

ps.
Even better than BMI (which is often not very accurate) or counting calories...try just eating when your body tells you its hungry...listen to the 'natural signs' your body is giving you. Try to ignore what your mind is saying and listen to your body...if you eat the right foods, you can't go wrong. Routine in your eatinf habits is the best way to make sure your metabolism stays on track.
cheers.
goldilocks