How can I eat without regaining the weight I lost? I'm afraid.
Asked by anonymous on Aug 08, 2008
in Eating Disorders
I'm 5'6" and 16 years old. I used to weigh 140 pounds, but I decided at the beginning of this summer that I wanted to be skinny like all the girls in school. It's the end of the summer and I now weigh 122lbs. I've been keeping a journal and I eat three meals a day and a snack, but at the end of the day it only comes to 700 cal or less. I feel really dizzy and I don't seem to have much energy. I'm a dancer, so I think i need to start eating more, but I am scared I will gain all of my weight back and I just can't seem to add the extra calories because of that fear. Please help with something that will not make me gain the weight back and will actually help me keep losing it the healthy way.
Answer
Don't lose any more weight because your BMI is only 19.7. To maintain your weight loss, eat 2000 calories a day, and choose this amount of food: 3 cups of milk, 2 cups of fruit, 2.5 cups of vegetables, 5.5 ounces of meat, 6 ounces of grain-based food, 6 tsp. of oil, and about 250 calories worth of anything else you'd like. Go to My Pyramid to learn more about planning a balanced diet.
If you try to eat, but still can't, then discuss the problem with your parents or an adult you can trust. You might need the help of a mental health therapist or a registered dietitian to get you over this hurdle. To understand the seriousness of the issue, take this screening test for eating disorders. Do not delay treatment because eating disorders should be nipped in the bud.
So you can keep track of what you eat - which enables you to analyze your foods and receive the following:
- Health Score of your overall diet
- Warning when you approach your daily calorie limit
- Overview of the good and bad nutrients