Dead metabolism

Can somebody read this tidbit about me and then offer me some advice about what to do?

At first, I had no idea what I was eating. Raised in a thin house hold, my extra pounds (read: 30) were an enigma that my parents didn’t care about. I did. I didn’t feel like me, so I checked out French Women Don’t Get Fat at the library, and followed its sensible advice: par back little by little. My mother probably could've told me the same thing, if I'd asked.

I had never heard of a calorie before, outside of chemistry class. My weight sky rocketed off… I lost about 30 pounds in 2 months. When I decided to document what I was eating, I did – and I clocked in at about 600-900 calories a day.

I didn’t care; I didn’t know that it was a health risk. They don’t teach you nutrition in school.  When I learned I was doing severe damage to myself, I tried to eat more… but I would get physically ill, and my heart would race. I decided that since I was comfortable with my weight and my eating patterns, I would be OK. My father eats only one meal a day and my grandmothers eat signifigantly less than I do – perhaps nobody in my family was ever taught about nutrition, no?

But, I tried again – my period stopped, I was tired. And eating what my BMR says (1700 calories! I was excited. I love food!), my weight skyrocketed up 15 pounds in about 2 weeks. Everybody said it was water weight… but it didn’t come off. I was exercising more, and strength training… but honestly, I don’t value the “no pain no gain" mantra.

So, I went back to eating how I naturally ate: about 800 calories a day (more with exercise), yet the weight is not coming off. My pants and clothes all fit the same, however…

Can anybody explain what is going on with my body?

This is gonna sound preachy, but it's the first things that have to be asked in threads like this....

1. How well are you recording?  Are you measuring or estimating?  Every single bite or just meals?  What about liquids, are you counting them?

2. what's your average day?  Describe specific foods if you can.

3.  height / weight currently

4. have you tried inching up bit by bit, or did you do it in one feel swoop?

Thanks!

1. I record well. I keep a journal of everything I eat in a day, and add it up in the end, rounding up when needed. I only drink non-caloric beverages, except maybe an iced expresso with milk at Starbucks.

2. Today I had a crepe with lemon juice and strawberries for breakfast. A couple pieces of yogurt covered raisins for a snack. A small peice of pizza and minestrone for lunch, and 1/4 chicken breast with ratatouille for dinner, with steamed carrots and cashews. I normally have yogurt and a lot more fruit, but I wasn't home most of the day.

3. 5'4, 130 pounds, 18 years old. I'd like to be 115, which was where I was at before.

4. I've done it both ways. I edged up to 1200 calories, without any problem at all. Then I switched up to 1700, and the weight just showed up about 3 months ago, so I switched back after a couple weeks, but it stayed on....

You know you are undereating.  I suggest reading some of the articles in the CC Advice section, especially those by Mary Hartley.  There's a lot of information you could learn from.

You are actually at a very good weight for your height and might not need to lose.  If you were 115 before, take into consideration that you were younger then and still growing.  Don't forget to allow for natural growth.  You're bones are going to get heavier right into your 20s.

You may need to push your calories up to 2000 a day and expect a weight gain over the course of a couple of months.  Then it should level off.  Once you are at a stable weight at 2000 calories, you can start cutting back a little at a time.  You will find that you lose by eating more calories after you do this.  It worked for me and it took about 5 months before I was losing consistantly.

You're 18 of course you don't weigh what you did a year ago! I'm also 5'4'' and while I stopped growing in height at 11 I hadn't filled out into a woman until I was about 21.

Claire's advice sounds good a keep your calories up. Also stay active; exercise and good diet in your late teens and early twenties helps build strong bones which means you are less likely to suffer from osteoporosis in later life and muscle which will raise your metabolism allowing you to eat more while looking trim.

I think maybe since you were eating such a small amount, then ate a larger amount, your body naturally hung on to it, even when you went back down to 800.

I have similiar problems.