1 year sober, recovering anorexic

[rubenr4g]

after years of drug abuse and overcoming my eating disorder, i now am "healthy" went from 5'7 at 110lb to 190lb now...ive been trying to diet and lose the fat but its almost impossible. i get symptoms that i think could be from adrenal fatigue and or hypoglycemia...i get shaky and weak if i dont eat every few hours. i have no money to go to the doctors so any help would be appreciated

 

[Pagey]

I can really relate to that. I went from 5'6 and 90lbs to 135lbs and now somewhere around 160. It's very common for people who have been through anorexia to 'over-compensate' when trying to put the weight back on, and end up gaining way more than intended, especially since your body's long gone into starvation mode and so is holding onto every calorie it can get. Focus on eating really healthy foods, try to buy vitamin supplements, etc. It's likely you're deficient in a number of important nutrients, and that might explain why you're feeling so weak.
Feel free to PM me if you'd like more details.

 

[Dre1990]

"i get shaky and weak if i dont eat every few hours"
amazing how food (and anything else) can become an addiction with its own withdrawal syndrome and whatnot

 

[hthr007]

after years of drug abuse and overcoming my eating disorder, i now am "healthy" went from 5'7 at 110lb to 190lb now...ive been trying to diet and lose the fat but its almost impossible. i get symptoms that i think could be from adrenal fatigue and or hypoglycemia...i get shaky and weak if i dont eat every few hours. i have no money to go to the doctors so any help would be appreciated

First, congratulations on your sobriety

Have you tried exercising? What type of physical activities do you enjoy?

My suggestion is to start exercising. Walking for at least 30imin per day is very beneficial. Of course, longer than 30 minutes would be great also! Bicycle riding is also a great activity to do. No gym membership is needed for an activity like walking, running or jogging either, which I think is the best. Tightening your stomach while doing rach activityymuscles will give help them get toned and shaped nicely. If you don't live in a climate where it is warm or a dangerous neighborhood, perhaps you could look up on youtube some exercise videos like yoga if you're into that! Using the stairs I'm your home can be a great way to use a stair stepper- anduch cheaper!

Fill your diet with healthy foods and try to burn more calories than you Eat each day. One of my all time favorites to help is tuna fish made with olive oil on a wrap with lettuce and tomatoe. Also foods such as egg whites, nuts, etc. and overall just rich protein foods will help you.

My blood sugar drops very easily even if I eat healthy meals throughout the day. I always have some hard candy and a juice box wherever I go In the event my sugar stops. It helps the shaking and my dizziness.

As long as you eat healthy and exercise, consuming something containing sugar will not make you gain weight especially if your body is trying to tell you something. And last but not least- vitamins! A multi vitamin is great.

 

[quaff]

Diet as a verb is such a bad word. I had problems with anorexia and bulimia, basically the only way to get to a healthy weight is change your whole outlook on food, so small steps. You're not going to lose it all at once, so start small try and walk as much as you can and pledge to replace two unhealthy meals a week with healthy ones. Don't fall into the "I'm never going to eat this stuff again, so I'll have one more bad food day" trap, and don't try to just completely change the way you eat all at once. Have a clear goal on your ideal diet and exercise routine and make small changes every week to work toward those goals.

The shaky and weak business sounds like you might be eating too much processed stuff or too much sugar, and your body is now going through withdrawal. Are you getting headaches that last longer than a few hours, visual disturbances, any pain, weakness in limbs, heart palpitations?

If I get hungry between meals I grab some unsalted almonds or a piece of fruit. I've always got pretzels and fruit leather in my car to keep me away from grabbing fast food. I'm lazy as hell when it comes to cooking, so find stuff you can make fast or like raw if you're the same. Your plates should be about 40% protein (fish, chicken, lean meat, nuts, eggs, etc), 30% fat (cheese, avacado, walnuts, etc.), 30% carbs (fruit, veg, whole grains, etc.). I don't eat meat, only seafood, so my options are a bit less than most, but if you're interested in knowing more about that or what I eat on a given day, PM me.

I'm the same height as you, and I went from 150 to 223 lbs before. I got down to 139 from there thanks to rugby and not eating, and went back up to 190 because I stopped working out and was binge eating. I'm now a healthy post holiday 142, and have stayed within 5 lbs of that for a year and a half (although I'm losing weight from race training right now), but it took me about 8 months to get there. 128-158 is the ideal range for our height, but depending on your body type, you might feel and look great in the 160's, which is totally okay. Try tracking everything you eat, but watch the whole calorie counting thing so you don't relapse, focus on learning to eat healthy and watching your portions.

It's a beast to do, but you've already beat two demons, and it sounds like you're ready to start living happy and healthy, so I'm sure you can do it.