Where Am I?

This is another curiosity post. I've been using this website for some months now (since this summer), and I would like to hear some thoughts from other people about where I am/what I should be doing now. I struggle with binge eating, but for the most part, I binge on healthy foods and eat (nutritionally) as well as I can.

I am 20 years old, male, 5'10" and 130 pounds (give or take). Is this underweight? I feel like I usually make pretty good decisions about food; I cook, eat well, and run almost every day. My BMI is usually between 18.5 and 19, which some people would say is borderline healthy. Others would say it's underweight.

Help! :)

I think more important is what is your daily calorie level and activity? There is more to knowing if a body is healthy then the number on the scale. Yes this can be one indicator but I know many people who are normal bmi who restrict and are very unhealthy. Do you get your period?

Original Post by abbi333:

I think more important is what is your daily calorie level and activity? There is more to knowing if a body is healthy then the number on the scale. Yes this can be one indicator but I know many people who are normal bmi who restrict and are very unhealthy. Do you get your period?

 I believe that he is a male.

I'd say you seem a little on the skinny side, but sometimes people are. Perhaps try eat a little more, and lifting some weight. Gain a little muscle.

http://www.bcm.edu/cnrc/bodycomp/bmiz2.html

This site would answer your questions best.  Currently it lists you as being 'underweight' and therefore needing to gain.  Minimum weight for someone your age and height starts at about 142lbs..

If you run every day you should probably start at 'moderate' activity (about an hour a day).   You'll see from the chart that just to maintain your weight you need 2900 cals a day.  So to gain you'd be looking at 3500.

Next step keep your food log for a few days and see how it adds up.  When people say they 'binge on healthy foods' that usually means they're not getting enough energy.   Vegetables, for example, are very healthy but very low in calories ... and someone who ate principally vegetables could easily struggle to get their energy needs.

Start there and then you'll have a better idea of what you need to do.

Well, for example, last night I ate more almonds and cereal than I probably should  bulk foods really get me! I usually eat around 1800 cals a day, which now seems really low compared to what  gi-jane says...

I occasionally get more tired and cold than other people per se, so this does make some sense. I am vegetarian, but the nuts and cereal based protein usually gets me by (with the occasional tuna fish). That site is good though, and I guess I really should start eating more. I just get so full! Thanks for the help so far.

Also, no periods for me, so I can't really gauge anything by that.

Vegetarians/pescetarians have to be even more careful than omnivores that they are getting a) the right amount of energy and b) the full range of nutrition because a few foods are unavailable to them and this can skew the balance.

To avoid feeling 'full' the things you should be eating more of are oils, nuts, nut butters, seeds, oily fish (if you eat tuna, try fresh salmon), full-fat dairy products (low-fat not necessary), avocados.....  These foods are energy-dense but very low in bulk.    PLUS.... much bigger portions of the complex carbohydrates e.g. oats, pasta, bread, rice, noodles, potatoes (and other starchy veg), pulses/legumes.... these are also energy-dense and not too bulky.   Energy dense fruits like dried dates, bananas and grapes are a better choice than low-cal fruits.  On the flip-side... cut back on bulky low-cal foods e.g. green vegetables, salads

And don't forget the 'fun' foods..... Many people ditch things like chocolate or fried foods in an attempt to be healthy but forget to make up the lost calories elsewhere and ironically end up with an unhealthy diet that is too low in calories.  As part of a healthy diet it's perfectly OK to have moderate amounts of cake, ice-cream or french-fries.   And they're a useful (and enjoyable) way to add more calories.

Now that you know you're undereating, use the CC food log as a planning tool.... aim for that 3000 cals as a first step using plenty of the foods listed above.... and then on to 3500 as the next goal.  

I do enjoy a good AB&J sandwich on most days, and that is usually my "fun food," but all food seems pretty fun to me. I worry about running into binges on foods like french-fries or cakes. This is great news to me though, and I'm interested in trying to gain weight for the first time in a while. My HW was 160 in my freshman year of college, and I've been as low as 128 or 127 (but going lower than that seems frightening for my height). The biggest thing for me is being as nutritionally sound as possible. I've been able to do that at 1800 cals a day, so when I do increase my intake, what do you think I should go for? Possibly a little more of everything?

If you run daily it has to be 3000 just to stay where you are.  That means roughly doubling what you get now.   To gain, add another 500 or even 1000.  As I said before.... you may find it difficult to eat double quantities of your regular foods so you're going to have to make smart choices to get the calories without the bulk.  Easy example.... using a tablespoon of olive oil to cook your food with or as a dressing adds 120 cals and you wouldn't even notice it going down.

It's going to be incredibly tough for someone that needs that much food to 'binge' if you think about it.  What you've been calling a binge up to now has probably just been your body trying to catch up and add another 1000 or 2000 cals that you need.   Topping up due to necessity is quite a different thing to overeating just for the sake of it.   Enjoy french-fries and cakes for what they are.  Don't live on them 100% but add them in the mix.

Thanks for all the advice, it's really appreciated. Sounds like it's time to do some eating experiments :) It's always hard to tell exactly where you are simply by using scales. I gain weight after a binge, but what I am seeing now is that the weight may not actually be sticking. My diet is incredibly high-fiber, but I don't have problems with constipation or anything like that. It is strange to see a 3-lb increase after one night, and hard to convince myself that it isn't all "going to stay."

One of my favorite ways to eat veggies is a stir fry with sesame seed oil.  It's easy to add a bit more oil and slivered/chopped almonds, french fried noodles and you won't notice the extra calories except in your log.  You can serve them over rice for more calories.  Rice and beans together are a great way to get complete protein, add some cheese if you eat it and heap on salsa.

Bear in mind that the high weight you had in high school would be perfectly healthy for you now.  You may have grown in the upward direction and you're certain to have put some muscle on your frame.  Hopefully your bones are denser too.

Original Post by smwhipple:

One of my favorite ways to eat veggies is a stir fry with sesame seed oil.  It's easy to add a bit more oil and slivered/chopped almonds 

Oh god, no more almonds for a little while, hahaha. Stir-fry does rock, though. I have been in/out of veganism for some time so I don't eat cheese very much, but I do have milk in the morning with my cereal (and greek yogurt, but usually non-fat). I eat 2 pieces of fruit per day, usually 2 salads made up of spinach, onions, tomatoes, and mushrooms with tabasco sauce and sometimes hummus. The occasional almond butter & jam sandwich, soups, coffee (with soy milk),  and snacks of cereal and nuts are what fills in the gaps. Now I see that that is a little bit low calorie.

I also take a vitamin (Flintstones chewies are so good!) and drink an Emergen-C during the day.

cashews?  Just for the change of pace.  ;-)  BTW, toasted almonds do taste different than raw.

It's hard for me to accept that I haven't been eating enough, and I think that that will be the biggest difficulty... we'll see what happens. Maybe I should stop counting calories for the weekend and just eat :) I had been using the "sedentary" idea and just logging my cals from the treadmill, but I guess because my body is mostly muscle (I think I hover around 8% body fat) I metabolize food faster than I thought.

Also remember that the treadmill estimates calories based on the average body type.  8% is pretty low for body fat.  You could also get a heart rate monitor to get a better estimate for calories.

Each body does it's own thing, with what it's given.  Yours may burn a bit faster than average...it doesn't take a whole lot to add up over time.

I've always thought of myself as having a slow metabolism, which was why I have basically stopped losing weight at 130 (which I don't really mind, I'm certainly not complaining about a plateau problem). Could this be because of my 1800 cals a day? It's really hard to tell, because on some days, my binges can put me up over 2500+. I doubt I am in any sort of starvation mode...

So I read through recovery_now's story about recovering, and it scared me a little. I'm three inches taller, but close to the same weight. Do I have an ED? I care about my weight, but I don't feel like I starve myself. Am I just in serious denial? That post really got to me..

Hey!

 I think most people with an ED start off in denial before they realize that they do have a serious problem. You said that you lost a lot of weight and now fear gaining it back. I remember I used to feel as though I was fine and ate enough, when in fact I was not! I completely turned a blinds eye to what I had, even when people asked me if I was alright and that I was waay too thin. =S I always thought, they just need to get used to the "new me" (I used to be a bit chubby younger). 

 I think you should up your calories as soon as possible. It's daunting at first, but it's something you have do. I'm not going to lie, it'll be hard, you will initially put on some water weight, but it's all temporary!=) I promise! Watch, the more you eat, the more your brain will function and the better you'll feel and look! Honestly, that first step will be hard, but once you take it, you'll never want to go back!=)

Good luck!!

Generally a BMI of 20-25 is considered healthy. But because this scale applies to both men and women, you need to bear in mind that most men are going to look better and be healthier at the upper end of the scale, ie closer to a BMI of 25. So yes, I would say you are underweight.

1800 is nowhere near enough to maintain a healthy weight - even the 2500 you record on "binge" days might easily be below your natural maintenance intake. A lot of young guys I know easily maintain on 3000+ calories per day, in fact I know a few girls who do too.

Binging is a natural result of deprivation and restriction. Restricting leads to a rise in the stress hormone cortisol, a drop in blood sugar levels and a rise in the hunger-inducing hormones, including ghrelin. On top of this, restriction leads to mental deprivation and cravings. Your body also alters hormone levels to allow you to eat much more than usual before feeling full. This is because we are biologically hardwired to binge when the body perceives a famine situation - it's an evolutionary survival mechanism.

The easiest way out of a binge-restrict pattern is to stop restricting. Eat more; eat enough fat, protein and carbs; eat treats every now and then, and stop compensating after a binge - otherwise you are just setting yourself up for another one.

If you feel you are unable to stop restricting, feel unable to eat whatever you feel like, whenever you want to; feel guilty when you eat or have a lot of negative thoughts around your body (or would if you maintained a higher weight), then yes I would seek therapy.

In the Weight Loss forum FAQ there is a self-diagnostic test for eating disorders.

You may also be interested in checking out this site:

http://www.mengetedstoo.co.uk/

Original Post by burtofur:

 Do I have an ED? I care about my weight, but I don't feel like I starve myself. Am I just in serious denial? That post really got to me..

 There's a very rough test that some UK doctors use to judge if someone would merit further investigation for disordered eating (see below)  There are lots of other reasons why someone would be underweight.  Some people get underweight through illness.  Others are 'lazy eaters' and are always skipping meals.  Others (like you) toy around with veganism etc., end up thinking they're getting plenty to eat but aren't.   But here's the S.C.O.F.F. questionnaire. If you can answer 'yes' to 2 or more questions it would be worth talking to your doctor.

• Do you make yourself Sick because you feel uncomfortably full?
• Do you worry that you have lost Control over how much you eat?
• Have you recently lost more than One stone (14lb/6.5kgs) in a 3 month period?
• Do you believe yourself to be Fat when others say you are too thin?
• Would you say that Food dominates your life?

Even if you don't have a problem with disordered eating, if you struggle to get the right amount to eat, if you start to feel unwell or if the prospect of gaining weight is at all distressing then still see your doctor.  Being underweight has medical implications and you may benefit from being referred to a dietician.

Seriously, this input has been incredibly helpful. I spent the last two days not really paying attention to what I was eating, and I did binge quite a bit. But, I'm okay with that. Today, I'm starting what will probably be a slower, steadier weight gain process to try and get back up to higher BMI. Thanks for all the support :) I'm glad I caught this when I did (even though I didn't really catch it myself)!

So, after giving my weight some serious thought, I decided to really eat this weekend :-D I'm already back up to 134! Thanks for all the help, everyone. Although I don't feel great about gaining weight, taking it slow and exercising while I do it should be healthy and make me feel better in the long run.