eatin normally.

[letsride89]

ok my lovely TE friends...i got another thread for you to ponder on!

I am 19. i weigh in at 103-105 lbs. I used to weigh about 115, then i got my bike =) i ride 3x a week for about an hour each...and on saturdays about 3 hours. i like my weight at 103-105. i look decently athletic and not too skinny either! If i gain some weight, makes me think less of my appearance.

Since i got my bike, my periods have been really messed up. I was having 2 periods a month....tons of hair loss, always cold, moodswings, getting sick before my periods..etc.

So my doc tested me for thyroid (i'm all good there!) so she put me on birthcontrol. YIKES! I have been taking it for three weeks and either i gained 4 lbs from it, or i gained 4 lbs from water weight from my period.

I concern myself with food quite a bit. i want to learn to eat and be healthy, but also not become a freak that doesn't ever live a little. when my family orders pizza, i stick to the salad bar. If my mom makes beef speg. with tons of grease, i make a turkey burger.
Breakfast: 300 calories
Lunch-500 calories
Dinner-600 calories

thats about how my day goes. and the meals aren't fatty or anything. I'm lactose intolerant and i have IBS so that means no cheese and no fried foods.


my question is..where do i draw the line? with this birthcontrol, i want to eat more...but i dont want to gain that weight so i have been ingoring the cravings...Tell me its ok to eat some pizza (no chz with my family every now and then....tell me its gonna be ok if i have a peice of cake for my sisters birthday party!

thanks girls!!!!!

So there is a little bit of my background.

[tulip]

I encourage you to go talk to a counselor about your food issues. You are not eating enough food. Period. You obviously know something is up or else you would not have posted your post.

Being healthy--mentally and physically--is #1. Go and get help in order to do that. Please. Keep us posted.

[letsride89]

woah! seriously? what kind of counselor? i didn't know it was that bad...?

[indysteel]

I second what Tulip said. You aren't eating enough, and your recent issues with hair loss, mood swings and the like could be signs that you also don't weigh enough. How tall are you? Have other people made comments about how thin you've gotten? Do you find yourself defending your weight and size with friends and family members? Do you consciously exercise more if you feel like you've cheated on your diet?

From the time I was 14 until I was well into my 20s, I suffered from what I would call disordered eating. I wasn't technically thin enough to be an anorexic--although I was pretty darn thin at times--but my fixation on food intake, a distorted view of my body and size, and a reliance on diet and exercise to control stressful events all indicate that I had an eating disorder. I so wish that I'd sought help when I was your age and learned how to deal with the emotional issues in my life and family in a healthier way and to see food and exercise as positives rather than things that had to be controlled.

I urge you to talk to a counselor, a trusted friend or family member, or your family doctor about how you're feeling about food and your body. Short of that, please talk to a nutritionalist about how to maintain a healthy, balanced diet that has enough calories in it to sustain your body and activities.

Hugs,

K-

[letsride89]

hey girl,

i am 5'3. i am built small (if that makes sense) i have a tiny bone structure. The comments that i have gotten are "you look great". i have gotten "you look so toned!" and the toned ones are the ones i like to hear.

Yes, i have had people tell me not to lose any MORE weight, but people haven't said that i have gotten too skinny. That's why i didn't think i needed to see a counselor...bc of the fact that i DONT wanna lose any more weight. i just dont want to gain any...

im kind of in the middle here because i do have a fixation on food...and i think about it a lot...but its not BAD thoughts. i actually look forward to meals and i love to cook!! i like learning how to make dishes healthier for me....

i do think it would be a good idea to see a nutritionist...now i just gotta find one

you girls rock...

and here's a hug to you, too!

[Biciclista]

ok, I'm going to pull a "when i was your age"
because we are exactly the same size.

WHEN I WAS YOUR AGE, I NEVER counted calories. I ate when I was hungry. I had no idea how many calories my meals were. You are way way too concerned about what people are saying to you. You could stand to gain 10 pounds and you will STILL get comments about how toned you are because you ARE TONED.

If your hair is falling out, your body is saying, I have to make a choice between LIVING and holding on to this hair. That is malnutrition. SO EAT and quit fussing about it. And yes, if simple common sense isn't enough, I agree, you need to see a counselor.

[firenze11]

I would think about talking to your doctor about this a bit more and consider a counselor or nutritionist. Disordered eating comes in a bunch of varieties, not just the anorexia, bulimia, binge eating disorders we hear about most. And people of all shapes and sizes can have them.

Obviously, I don't know you, so I don't want to make any judgment on your eating, weight etc. It seems your other symptoms could be warning signs from your body, but maybe not. I think that it is great that you're wondering about this, because that's a really important part of taking care of yourself, and it might be a bit of an alarm bell for you to evaluate further. Talk to friends and family, find out what they think.

I had a very close friend who started exercising and eating well, she lost about 30 lbs and looked great. After awhile she started worrying about gaining it back and about controlling food and exercise. When she finally saw the doctor about it she was diagnosed with "eating disorder not otherwise specified." Without any real treatment it progressed into anorexia. It was heartbreaking to see her go through this and now I'm pretty much anti-diet. I figure eating what I want in moderation with proper portions will get me to and keep me at a healthy weight for my body (and it is doing that). And, yep, that includes a piece of cake, pizza, and ice cream every once and awhile if I crave it.

When my friend was having problems I went to Something Fishy quite a bit to help me understand what she was going through and what I could do to help. It has tons of great info, check it out if you want.

[smilingcat]

AYEEE KARUMBA!! (or however it goes). I'm adding my voice behind Tulip and what others have said. I'm not much taller than you at 5' 4" or there abouts.

And when I weighed in around 106-107 pounds (remember I'm only an inch taller than you), I was wayy too skinny. I was more of a runner back then. And your comment about people not telling you to lose weight, well they don't start saying that until you are really anorexic. And when I gained my weight up to about 116 pounds then my family and my friends commented that they were worried about me at 106 pound. My fahter even said that I looked like an Auswitz (sp) prisoner.

If you want to be athletic, there is a minimum body weight you need. Hair loss, two periods in a month, mood swing all points to your body being starved. And even if you are thin frame, you should weigh around 110 pounds at absolute minimum if you want to stay athletic.

And take heart on what Bicilista had to say about common sense.

Now go and enjoy food. Have your mom make you a turkey meatloaf, matloaf sandwich, and with the holiday season soon to be upon us, FEAST! and enjoy the holiday season. Stop worrying about how heavy you are. Put away that scale that is acting as a shackle on your feet.

We care about you,
Smilingcat

[indysteel]

Okay, maybe it's not "that bad," but it may not be "that good" either. One point I want to emphasize is that you can be at a normal/healthy weight and still have some "disordered eating" issues. At some of my worst times, I weighed about what I do now (which is "normal" for someone my height). The difference between now and then, however, is how preoccupied with food and/or gaining weight I was. I don't think about it much at all now and only occassionally get on the scale. Back then, however, I kept a very close eye on my weight, weighing myself multiple times a day. I also thought about food ALL the time. What I could eat, when I could eat, how I would feel if I ate, how much I'd have to exercise if I ate. Etc., etc. And, yes, I liked to cook at the time, too. Looks can be very deceiving.

My best advice to you is to put the scale away for the time being. Unless you're actively dieting--which I don't think you should be--weigh yourself no more than once a month. Stop counting calories and instead think about eating moderate portions and a balanced diet of whole grains, fruits and veggies, and lean protein. Think of food necessary as fuel for all the things you want to do each day. Exercise for pleasure and health and not as a means to burn what you ate the night before.

If you still find yourself preoccupied with food or with anxiety over gaining weight then, yes, you should talk to someone.

More hugs!

[Crankin]

I agree that you should see a doctor first. But, someone who knows about athletes and nutrition and can deal with your IBS, etc. For someone that is young and very physically active, that weight is not that low. But, the fact that your body is rebelling by having messed up periods, hair falling out is a warning sign that you aren't getting enough food or some nutrients! A lot of MDs do not know how to treat eating or nutrition issues...
I second the counseling and nutritionist. I went through the same thing as you when I was in my early thirties. I was not dieting and lost a great deal of weight from teaching aerobics. Everyone thought I had an eating disorder, but it was just the exercise. It's hard not to get caught up in thinking about food all of the time when you are getting compliments about how toned you look...
Of course, I still obsess about food, but so does everyone else in my family (we like to eat and cook, but not gain weight).

[letsride89]

holy moly

you girls are awesome. all this advice seems so loving and i don't even know you all! what you girls are saying about not worrying about food and calories sounds so good. i think this week i am going to do what all of you are saying and only worry about portion control and eating healthy foods. not so much calories and things like that. Thank you so much for what you have been saying. it has put my mind at ease seriously. I look to God for help and i know he's given me you guys to whip my butt when other people wont! Thanks for the butt kicking and the advice on getting my body back to normal!!!!

sometimes we all need a good slap in the face. it helps to know that i'm not alone and many of you have gone through this too....

[Smilie]

Everyone has good advice. I only have to add, everything in moderation. Have a slice of pizza, but not 4 or 5. Have a piece of cake, not half the cake.

[Colleen]

I just wanted to add a little support to this thread too. I won't add my story since it is almost the same as what Smilingcat wrote.

Letsride, I think even if you think you can turn things around on your own, you shouldn't be afraid to go seek an outside opinion or help. It is really helpful to talk to a doctor, nutritionist, counselor (or all three!). I'm not sure if you're at a college campus, but I found that the nurse practitioners who work with a lot of female students/athletes can be very good at helping you.

In the meantime, you shouldn't ignore those hunger cravings! They aren't the birthcontrol speaking, but your body telling you that it is hungry. Maybe if you tried adding some snacks throughout the day you could add more nutrition and more food. Then you will have more energy and your hair will stop falling out!

I'm glad you aren't afraid to ask other people for help and advice. Keep us updated!

[emily_in_nc]

It definitely sounds like something is not quite right (re. the periods, hair falling out, etc.), but unlike some who have posted, I don't find your weight to be alarmingly low. I am 5'2" and 103-104 lbs with tiny bones (bird wrists, small ankles, narrow hips) and am never told that I am too thin. I'm actually curvy, and in fact, now that I'm in my mid 40s, I've got quite a bit to pinch around the middle and "love handle" area and am trying to gain more muscle, because it's certainly possible to weigh relatively little and still have a higher body fat % than ideal. I've been this weight for years, am very active, don't count calories, eat what I want, almost never even catch a cold, and have very normal periods.

So, while I'm not at all alarmed by your weight, the other health issues do suggest that something is amiss. With the diet you quoted, you certainly need more calories since you're riding, being active, and are young so naturally have a high metabolism. I don't count calories, as I said, but I'm quite sure I'm eating ~1600-2000 calories a day, and more on the days I work out intensely. One way to get more calories in is to eat SNACKS! Our mothers may have told us they are bad for us, but healthy snacks are just that -- healthy! I eat fruit, nuts, yogurt, etc. for healthy snacks, several per day. I have a fast metabolism for my age so end up eating every couple of hours. I eat small to moderate healthy meals (I avoid restaurant meals, fried foods, etc.), so snacks are a must to keep up energy and keep hunger at bay.

Good luck and please keep us posted!

[malkin]

Hey Kid!

Eat! Drink! Be Merry! Carry on!

Keep up the good work and get some help when you need it!