Not losing weight, not eating enough claories.....Already caused Damage?

Ok, So I am not losing any wieght and am actually gaining weight and I think that I already caused the damage one and a half years of not eating enough calories......but I work out....but to look at me you would think that I eat a lot of calories and do not work out. I know that I need to start eating more calories, I tried that for about a week and I gained around 41/2 5 pounds. Now I am feeling very gross, so I went the reverse and started eating less calories again and I am still slowly gaining weight. I hate this and I dont know what to do. I need some advice. Some help. The food I do eat is healthy and good food. ANy advice or anything would be helpful.

Yep. If you suspect you've already done damage, than go see the doctor and don't delay! Let the doctor confirm or deny if you've done damage to yourself.

And.. you aren't gonna like this. Stop dieting. Stop now. If you're only gaining weight, than you're probably doing more damage by continuing to try to lose weight. I don't want to know how few calories you're eating now, but it's probably way less than you should be.

I am just so super frusterated and I dont know what kind of doctor should I go and see? I feel emberresed and stupid and I dont want to seem like I am one of those self consumed people but this has consumed me and I feel like I am not goin to make it.

Thinsky,

Reality check. If you're gaining weight and can't stop, than you aren't "going to make it" unless by make it you mean take a detour while you get healthy, gain weight, but get your body's metabolism back under control.. and then go back to losing weight, however many months later, in a healthy, SLOW manner.

Anything past that is a pipe dream and isn't going to happen, if you have done damage to your metabolsim. That's the best you can hope for.

Go see your regular physician. He or she can at least point you in the right direction, possibly run some tests to find out what's going on.

pls listen to me....I was in the same boat...and it was sinking...Yes i spent alot longer than half a year eating to little calories.  So i gained...especially around my tummy....you know what i did...i said Frig it..im going to eat the cals for a month, if it dont work, ill go back to starving myself..(crzy thoughts)...sooo i started out..eating bigger portions...you have to know that i would eat like a quarter of a can of soup...so I started eating the can of soup....you know stuff like that....But i always still felt a huge amount of guilt, i didnt know what was worse...so i made "no guilt food"..something I could eat a ton of , and not feel guilty..my choice was Steamed broccoli and Cauliflour...with Bacel cooking and topping spray and Pepper.  And you know what...my calories did increase...but....my weight decreased, my tummy started too shrink, my pants got to big....and I FELT soooo much better, more energy...my skin glows..my hair is so silky..my body was begging me for food...BEGGING.  CC is a great way to control what your eating.  I suggest a HIGH FIBER diet.  I buy a bag of bran and put it on everything, that way its pretty easy to get the correct amount.  Its hard I tell ya...hard to get it out of your head, that food equals fat.  It doesnt.  Gooooood luck.  I hope you  believe me...cause i know that about a dozen people told me the same thing.....More of the RIGHT food will help you reach your goal.....!!!!  I didnt want to listen...i was like AS IF...how is that possible...but I PROMISE...give it ONE MONTH......good food, exercise and hope! 

When you started to eat more did you gain weight at first? I am so afraid that I will get even bigger faster. What do you do for excerising? This is just making me crazy. How many calories where you taking in and for how long? I am just so afraid to eat more and get bigger. Any help will be better I am just so afraid and I feel so bad about the way I look and then I want to eat less...Well I am sure that you are aware of the cycle.

Yep I gained "weight" but thats because the amount of food i was taking in now, weighed more than before...but i wasnt getting fatter if thats what you mean.  The first couple days, i felt bloated and chunkier....but thats because my body was like....OH MY GOD...FOOOOOOD!!!! But because I ate a high fiber diet, my metabolism was boosted.  Your body really really relies on you to take care of it, and in return it will function right...it wont store food, your body doesnt trust you right now..It thinks you are going to starve it.  But very quickly it will realize that there is going to be more food....and it will stop storing FAT! 

Its your mind set you have to change, along with your eating habits. 

THROW AWAY THE SCALE!!!!!!!!  I used to be on mine atlease 12 times a day.  Oh GOD that was torture!  The average person gains and loses 5 pounds a day...due to fluids etc.  You dont deserve to feel so bad about yourself that you feel guilty about eating.  It sucks HEY. 

As for exercise...Im doing TURBO JAM...and its freaking awesome.  I also do PILATES and I just started YOGA BOOTY BALLET!  That ones so much fun.  

You know I spent so much time researching foods and calories and nutrients and stuff like that, it helps me make the right decisions.  I always pick the healthiest choice possible. 

SPLENDA instead of SUGAR

SKIM MILK instead of OTHER MILK

BACEL SPRAY instead of any BUTTER they all have HYDROGENATED OIL(SOOOOO BAD)

NOTHING MODIFIED, OR HIGH FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP

VEGGIES, LEAN MEATS, EASY ON THE FRUITS and FRUIT JUICES

But anyway, there are soooooo many diets out there right...but notice...you ll never find one that says STARVE YOURSELF....NEVER EVER EVER. 

My only other advice is drink TEA...cause its like a treat and its something you cant just gobble down. And Plan ahead, like with your "no guilt feeling food" I always have some stemed broccoli and cauliflour". 

JUST TRY IT!  YOULL FEEL SOOO MUCH BETTER, INSIDE AND OUT!

I added you to my friends list. How many calories are you taking in each day and how much are you burning each day? I am sorry about all the questions but I am just so nervous to up my calories so much. I know that I need to do something different though, even though I think that if I eat less I will lose more. I am stuck at this thinking process.

I have reached my goal now am thinking of amending it to lose more.  If I can't make it to the gym I feel guilty eating.  We are always active with the house (working on deck right now) or cleaning.  But have open house for a high schooler tonight so will miss again.  But now I don't want to eat because I can't go to gym.  When I go I work hard swim 35 to 45 minutes.  I feel depressed I don't ever feel like it will be enough.  My husband says I look good.  Have lost 35lbs to meet my goal since January.  I just feel guilty when I eat.

How much do you weigh now that you think that you need to lose more. I know what you mean about feeling guilty if you cant work out and then not wanting to eat to make it not as bad.

I am 41 and went from 179 to 145 since January 2006.  The charts say I still weigh too much and my BMI is too high.  I know I am not eating enough but I just can't help it. Oh I am 5'3" and a medium build.  Thanks for replying.  I didn't think anyone would and I was getting discouraged.  None of my friends understand why I want to lose more.

I know.....I understand how you feel and it seems that we are not doing the right thing. It seems that we need to eat more to lose more and I am having the hardest time wrapping my brain around that and actually thinking that it will work. I am just so afraid to try and see what happens, but nothing is working right for me by not eating that much. I just am so confused and frusterated and I am afraid almost to eat more. I know that in the begginig it is going to seem like I am just gaining the weight faster and I dont want to get any bigger at all.

I guess I will have to go back to using the food log and make sure we get enough calories.  I know I won't today  but maybe another day.  I am not much of meat eater either so I am probably not getting enough protien.  My husband can eat whatever he wants and not gain even though he is trying.  Thanks for talking with me.  Maybe I'm too old my body won't let me loose anymore don't really know.

No.....we can do this....I know that I am just afraid to up my calories but I will try. I dont eat meat as well, so I eat a lot of egg whites and fish products, or cottage cheese. Things like that with protein in them. Let's just keep talking and see if we can get through this and see where it leads us. Heck we might get suprised upping the calories might work. I don't think so but heck what have I got to lose except about 20 lbs. Hee Hee hee

I ate junk all the way until i weighed 150 (then 10 more) but stopped going on that scale.  So at my heaviest I was 160ish...and I am 5 1 and a half.  I was in such a slump...Soooooo I first started cutting out junk. and then i got all the way down to 138..but of course i became obsessed....reading the scale every day...then i went to the gym...got down 10 pounds there, bye EATING 6 SMALL meals...like cottage cheese(fat free) and 10 grapes and a serving of yougurt...really really great food, healthy...and i had so much energy..then one day i was like ...hey I can lose more weight if i dont eat....so i starved myself...and began living on the scale...i had NO time to work out...so i didnt really deserve to eat right....thats exactly what I thought...no gym....NO food.  I couldnt belive my willpower, i lost alllll my energy...it was crzy the changes my body went thru...i started losing "pounds" but my tummy was getting Fatter and  Fatter...sooooo I said frig it, after about 2  years....Im going try it the right way....so I am really particular about what I eat.  Like Really.  But its worked.  I am very health set.  I need energy for my job...and i get it from my veggies.  Some days are better than others, some days, I just hit 1200cals.  Some days, i dont reach it by a few.  I still feel guilty, when i grab, even an apple...but then I tell myself....I remember back when i used to grab, a bag of chips and can of pop and a chocolate bar....I tell my self..hey youre doing great...Anyways, i used to be 160 and now im 122ish...Mind you i dont weigh myself.  I dont care to lose anymore weight, i wouldnt care if i was 160 again, just as long as i look in shape...and am healthy....so i work out, do abs every second day....and Im good to go.

Listen, if your gaining weight by eating less...just try it this way...like i said, HIGH FIBER....did you know the more FIBER you eat in the beginning of the day, ull obsorb less of the foods you eat later. 
BROCCOLI....it can be crunchy when you need it to be or soft and melt in your mouth.  Bacel butter, makes you feel like your cheating and taste great...try it. 

JUST TRY TRY TRY!  Jot down ur progress for us.  We will be intrested to see if this changed ur mind set.  Come on.....theres a dozen people that will back me up.  and a dozen for each of those...come on.  Just give it a go..!  ;)

Ok,,,,You make sense and I am going to try it. I need to try it, I am not healthy right now, I mean I am, but I am not. Does that make sense. I need to get my mind healthy and add more food into my diet. I need to not be afraid to eat, because not eating enough is not working at all. Balanced meals throughout the day. i can do this and I will and I will post it. To keep me accountable, I dont want this to consume my life like it has I want to be normal and healthy and eat around people and the right amounts of food. Thank you for being here.

Hey why don't you guys try zigzagging your calorie intake?  Like, having high days and low days?  There has been some talk about this on the site.  Just look it up and see whether it has worked for other people.  I have never tried it, but then I think I kind of naturally do it... maybe do some research on it and then try?  

Hullllllo Miss Thinsky....

HOW WAS IT TODAY GIRL?!    Finding everything okay?  Youll never guess what I just ate...lol....BROCCOLI...im surprised Im not sick of of yet.  But its sooo nice to finish something and not feel bad for eating it.  And Satisfied, I bet its been a while since youve actually felt full hey?  I hate that feeling, alll day hungry...you dont have to feel that way. 

THis is just interesting.....Did you know that fruits digest after one hour or so....and so i always eat my fruit on a empty tummy cause other foods are not as fast and get in the way, and then its kinda an uncomfortable feeling....just a thought. 

Hope your day was filled with good food and an open mind to the whole starvations NO NO...

Keep in touch.   

Yes, I have been trying to do better and eating more. I have added some more veggies and fruit with cottage cheese. It is just so hard when I look at myself naked and it looks so gross to want to eat more, but I dont want to be unhealthy. So I am trying. How are you doing? Sorry it has been a couple days, when the weather gets bad my internet goes on the fritz. But i am here today.

The worst thing is changing our thought process....like i think im hungry ALLL the time...and then i feel guilty for it...but  i always feel proud when i eat the veggies instead of toast or whatever it may have been.  But honestly, since I started eating right...and lots of fiber, i have noticed a smaller waist..for sure, and it actually started just melting off after about a month...but im sure that Turbo Jam has something to do with it.