Mama Pajama's Journal, 10 April 2019

Gotta hang in there! You’ve already lost 9 pounds. That’s amazing! Don’t starve yourself. That plan never works unless it works you toward death like many anorexics do. Find a meal plan that works for you. Some like Keto, some like Intermittent fasting, I prefer fast metabolism from Hailey Pomeroy. Plan to stick to it for at least a year. There is no quick fix. Starving won’t even get you there. Get moving again. Put it in your calendar. Even if it’s a walk around the block. Ask questions here. We’re here to help and give our non- professional opinions. I hope this helps. You can do it. We’re all doing it here. Same struggles, same setbacks, same accomplishments! 

Hang on, we're with you. You are not alone. 

You will lose a lot of weight at first then it will become steady. 1 lb drop in a week is actually not bad! It's actually really good. There is a slippery slope with weight loss and overdoing it - you shouldn't be starving yourself. For your current weight, to lose weight in a healthy nutritious way - you need to give it a year. It will also help prevent having loose skin. If you have trusted your nurse and therapist this far, I'd keep deferring to their opinion.  

I know how you feel, M. P. I don't have that much to lose, but I gained a pound overnight, when I had already lost about 3 lbs. in 10 day period. Didn't do anything different, on same diet every day. It sucks, but know we understand your pain, so keep writing and reaching out. You are not alone! 

Mama - I looked at your previous post and saw your doctor recommended 850 calories a day...that is way too low. Read other posts on here...especially from some of the women who have been successful losing significant amounts of weight eating 1,500 to 1,700 calories a day. You don't need to starve yourself to lose weight and 1-2 pounds a week loss is a good goal to set. I currently weigh 263 lbs and eat about 1,600 calories a day. I am losing weight at about 1.5 pound a week. But, some weeks I might gain a pound then the following week lose 3 pounds. Weight loss is not an exact science and can be an emotional roller coaster. Also, with your history of an eating disorder, you need to be extra careful. I am glad to hear you are seeing a therapist. I am a recovering addict and turned to food when I quit using and gained 100 pounds over the course of a year. Many of us here have unhealthy relationships with food. You are not alone with your struggle. Please think seriously about giving up the extreme calorie deficit and following a less restrictive plan. Hang in there! 

You don't say how tall you are, but 850 for a while could be fine if you are around 5 feet tall. Hang in there - once you get into a rythym you will lose fast 

I agree with Shiny50 

Wow 850 is not enough and definitely not healthy. I’m 5’1 and the least amount of calories I ate was 1500 

Starving yourself will only lead you to binge eating episodes and frustration due to lack of progress 

If you don't think you can manage to do the diet forever, then it's the wrong diet. Take baby steps. Limit portions, cut down on the number of times you eat out. If you can, keep your calorie deficit (food - exercise, found in your diet calendar) to around 500 a day and you'll not starve and you'll lose about a pound a week. Nice steady. It's ok if it takes 2 years to reach your goal, because you'll have to do the same thing (with less of a deficit) once you reach goal. It's not a race. You'll never be done. Enjoy your journey. 

Listen to these people. Don’t cut your calories so low. 1500 to 1800 calories and I can lose a pound or two a week. Change your habits. Slowly and know it has to be for life. It is not a quick fix then I can eat what I want again. You can do this. Little steps. Find what it is that is your biggest food enemy and try to cut that. Maybe cokes or breads or candy. For me it was cookies. I love cookies. I can eat a half dozen of large cookies. Now I only have one. Portion control is big for me. So I try to eat less and eat more healthy but not under 1500 calories. 

This podcast episode will help: https://mindpumppodcast.com/995-the-3-things-you-must-be-doing-for-rapid-fat-loss/ 

Starvation will always lead to slowing down your metabolism and to bingeing. Bingeing with a slow metabolism will always end up with more weight gained and you'll definetely be worse off than when you started. Been through it a hundred times. This time around, I won't torture my body like that and will do this slowly, steadily, and finally. It took months to years to pile on the weight, it'll take just as long, or longer to take it off. Patience is hard to have, but it is a must to be successful in this process. 

After 12 weeks of averaging 1200-1300 kcal per day I noticed a slow decrease in weight loss. I went up to 1400ish and same weight loss. Now I’m trying to find maintenance so anywhere from 1500-1700 days and I’ve still managed to lose a pound here and there. My body was telling me I needed more food. It’s hard to go from the dieting mindset to the maintenance mind set. I’ve seen much success in others who have slowly added in some calories. I found 90 kcal rice crispy treats, a piece of Sara Lee 45 kcal toast with 50kcal half Tbsp of butter or protein bars and fiber one bars to help me slowly add in some treats and small amount of calories. Perhaps something like that would be benefit to you. Good luck! 

Check out Rhona Epstein's book, Food Triggers: End Your Cravings, Eat Well and Live Better.  

Wow! Sounds you’re in a pickle! Maybe you just can’t adjust your weight? Can’t imagine having emotional issues regarding anorexia and trying to loose current weight at the same time! One thing, if you continue with more of the same calorie intake AND exercise you can expect more of the same. A solid tracking of those 2 items are key! Good luck as you go!  

We support you, but we are not trained to give you the professional help you need. Please seek help before your situation becomes worse, you deserve it. We are all pulling for you. Peace and love. 💖 

What do you mean by voice in the dark? 

OMG - we are emotional twins! I am an emotional eater - I eat when I'm sad, happy, or whatever! I'm also a junk food junkie - the junkier the food, the better!. I'm also a picky lacto-ovo vegetarian, pre-diabetic (like I needed to hear that, Doc!) and LOVE TO SNACK. My doctor SWORE I'd lose weight consuming 1500 calories a day. NOT!!! So, I sat down and determined what I would be happy eating, what I liked to eat (THAT WAS REASONABLY HEALTHY) and how I could incorporate that into 1200 calories a day. I figured out three standard meals and two snacks that I would follow EVERY DAY as I do better with structure, and hope for the best. I am too embarrassed to enter all that I eat as I have been known to down a whole container of Duncan Hines cake frosting and immediately begin rustling in the pantry for a second can. Wouldn't you think I would get sick from all that frosting? Not a chance! Maybe I've built up an immunity to junk food and unhealthy eating . . . . So I'm starting my DIY 1200 Calorie Eating Plan (NOT A DIET PLAN) today, and I'm going to hope for the best! Maybe if you sit down and determine what you like to eat, how many calories you want to consume and try to incorporate it into a structured written plan, it might work for you?  

MamaPajama, are you type 2? I had great success with the ketogenic diet, lost 40 lbs and brought my A1c back to normal. Direct your doctors to: blog.virtahealth.com and have them read up on successful reversal of T2D with the keto way of eating. Your Dr should be able to provide additional support and better advice than telling you to starve!!! I have been maintaining over a year now. My BS is seldom over 100, and I use no T2D medications or insulin. I never starved myself on 850 calories! My lowest was about 1100. It takes awhile to learn how to do keto, but there are lots of great resources online.