Recently lost 10 lbs. Have I become too thin?

I just uploaded a couple photos in my gallery showing before and after my weight loss. Just wondering if my current weight is good, or if I've gotten a tad too thin. If you'd drop by the gallery and give feedback, I'd be much obliged. :)

I think you're too thin. Especially because you mentioned in a previous thread that at most, you were eating 1200 calories a day. You look frail at 109 pounds.

I think you look much healthier in the picture where you weigh 120.

Original Post by lisaxfaith:

I think you're too thin. Especially because you mentioned in a previous thread that at most, you were eating 1200 calories a day. You look frail at 109 pounds.

I think you look much healthier in the picture where you weigh 120.

Yeah, I felt pretty frail. :/ 

It's very upsetting to see myself whithering away. I've never been "thin" before, just slender and healthy! I had absolutely no intention of losing this much weight. CC told me that I'd reach 112 in about 2 months on 1200 calories a day, but the pounds vanished so much faster.

Thanks.

Original Post by lisaxfaith:

I think you're too thin. Especially because you mentioned in a previous thread that at most, you were eating 1200 calories a day. You look frail at 109 pounds.

I think you look much healthier in the picture where you weigh 120.

Completely agree with and second every word in this post.. I think you look much healthier at 120 as well.. And 1200? Much too low :( Be careful x

I used to eat 1200 when I was trying to lose a few pounds and that gave me so many issues with food. When I ate more than that, I thought I was binging, but I was actually just trying to make up for the calories that I had missed. I would say that 1400-1500 is a better idea for weightloss, but if you are decide you want to gain some weight back (which I think you should) then you're going to have to eat over maintenance. Definetly eat more than 2000 calories until you reach a healthier weight.

Original Post by lisaxfaith:

I used to eat 1200 when I was trying to lose a few pounds and that gave me so many issues with food. When I ate more than that, I thought I was binging, but I was actually just trying to make up for the calories that I had missed. I would say that 1400-1500 is a better idea for weightloss, but if you are decide you want to gain some weight back (which I think you should) then you're going to have to eat over maintenance. Definetly eat more than 2000 calories until you reach a healthier weight.

Argh....it's going to be tough but I think I'll try and gain some weight. At this point, it's going to be incredibly scary for me to gain because at the time that my restricting began my weight was just zooming up uncontrollably. Of course at that time I was eating Hot Heads, full cans of Blue Diamond Wasabi almonds, full batches of cookies, etc. I highly doubt that I'll ever be able to return to those habits again even if I wanted to.

Still I'm terrified that my weight will balloon out of control.

Right now I'm eating 1400-1500 a day which feels 10x better than 1200, and I'm maintaining my weight. I'm going to have to go over this with my sister and decide what my course of action should be.

I never comment on looks because health is number 1.

Being the weight you are plus the low calorie diet is not healthy. I understand your fears but it does not have to be all or nothing. You can find a healthy balance where you fuel your body and are at a healthy weight. I am confused on why you need to ask your sister? I encourage you to go to the weight gain area where others are in similar situation. 1500 is a weight loss diet and though better not adequate at all. To gain you need 2500 at least. When I was increasing I did it every 2 days by 200. It was hard and scary but there is no easy way to do this and in the long run is.

Original Post by bigearslittleguy:

Argh....it's going to be tough but I think I'll try and gain some weight. At this point, it's going to be incredibly scary for me to gain because at the time that my restricting began my weight was just zooming up uncontrollably. Of course at that time I was eating Hot Heads, full cans of Blue Diamond Wasabi almonds, full batches of cookies, etc. I highly doubt that I'll ever be able to return to those habits again even if I wanted to.

Still I'm terrified that my weight will balloon out of control.

Right now I'm eating 1400-1500 a day which feels 10x better than 1200, and I'm maintaining my weight. I'm going to have to go over this with my sister and decide what my course of action should be.

 I agree: it's tough to find a middle ground, but I promise it can be done. A few months ago, I was so black and white about portion sizes. I thought that I would never be able to enjoy food if I didn't allow myself to have massive portions. Now, I can't even stomach the portions I would have eaten in the past. Usually, I'll reach 1800 calories within 4-5 meals. Of course, I still have days where I overeat...but I'm only human.

If you are maintaining on 1400-1500, then just up by 3-400 calories a day until you hit your preferred weight, then cut back to the 1400 level again. Make the weight gain controlled in the same way as the weight loss. Then maintain, remembering to add in extra if you up your exercise level.

As Aleksandr Orlov would say, "Simples, yes?"

Everyone has given very good advice here.  I just went to the BMI tool and put in your info and you are on the very low end of healthy. 

If you want to be lean and trim then keep on exercising strength training is good build up your muscle you will look and feel better.  Frail is not a good way to be feeling. 

wordsmithmkuk has great words treat this little gain of weight as a control just like your loss.

Good luck

Original Post by abbi333:
 I am confused on why you need to ask your sister? 

I live with my sister so I feel that she'd have a good idea of whether or not I've gone too far. I tend to take what my loved ones say more seriously than what I'm told via the internet.

The fact that you feel frail at 109 is a good indicator that the low end of healthy is not right for you. You look great, though, so don't feel self-conscious. But, feeling good shows everywhere on our bodies. I agree that you should find a happy medium weight where you feel healthier.

Looks shmooks, the way you sound tells me you should gain weight. And you should eat so you never have to worry about your weight. The fact that you need to diet (and with such a low number) to be this weight, means you're not meant to be this weight. A normal weight is maintained by being happy, strong, energetic, eating until full, enjoying treats occasionally, over-eating occasionally, and not spending more than 5 minutes worrying about calories, and inches and all that crap.

P.S. in your 120 pounds you look perfectly skinny and proportional and slender. You could easily have 10 pounds on that and still be slim. Maintaining such a low weigh just effes up your head, and makes you obsessed with numbers and stuff. Put the scale away and set your mind free from the obsessing.

From Hedgren:

The exact same health risks are associated with your current circumstances, they will just take longer to destroy your health and wellbeing.

Most people with restriction eating disorder spectrum are not severely underweight, however their disordered eating causes the same damage -- the only variation is the time it takes to have the damage accumulate.

Here's what is happening to your body over time if you stay between 1200-1600 calories:

1. It lays down what little fat it can around the vital organs as protection (which actually increases risks for heart disease in later life); 
2. it pilfers calcium from bones leading to osteoporosis in later life -- your bones will break when you step off a curb;
3. it slows the metabolism to try to eek as much as it can from the calories it can get (which leads to pre-metabolic syndrome/diabetes -- which surprises a lot of habitual under-eaters because they assume those are only diseases of the obese, not so);
4. it ignores the huge piggy glucose demands from the prefrontal cortex (which leads to slowed thought and poor judgment);
5. it ups the glucocorticoids* in the body (stress response) which in turn shrinks the hippocampus in the brain and that causes more glucocorticoids in the body (vicious circle) and wrecks your memory capability possibly leading to dementia in later life;
6. it starts scrimping on the red blood cell count (anemia and profound fatigue).
7. Depression and anxiety disorders become far more likely as insufficient energy harms all neurological functions including neurotransmitters.
8. Most women develop amenorrhea (irregular or stopped menstrual cycle) at these levels and they are the lucky ones because that's the only warning sign they get that they are in trouble.

*glucocorticoids are legendary in their ability to cause serious auto-immune diseases (such as rheumatoid arthritis, inflammation of the circulatory system), hardening of the arteries, severe immuno-suppression (constant colds, flus, secondary infections)... and they also worsen all the conditions you develop with chronic under-eating.

At age 50 this lifetime of sub-clinical starvation will become critical. Your metabolism will drop (as it naturally does at menopause) -- but this will be a more severe drop for you than for those women who have not restricted for life.

It will require drug support; your quality of life and pain will be severe; doctor visits and hospital stays will be common; and you will lose about 12 years of life expectancy as a result.

Now you may think 50 is a long way away and so you'll deal with it later. 

Of course no one can make you deal with your disorder if you are not ready to take it on.

However, in the meantime while you delay, you are also at great risk of having what you think of as a mild case become very severe very quickly.