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[Megalosaro]

So I'm rapidly approaching my weight loss goal. One year ago this month I weighed 285 lbs. Now I weigh about 170. I want to settle down at about 160. However... I've done terrible things to achieve what I have achieved.

First and foremost, I should preface this by saying something. I am in all likelihood anorexic. I say this with a straight face and don't mean to come across as over-dramatic. My diet has become pretty much compulsive. I'll get to that more in a second. Do I regret doing so? Not really though god knows what sort of health side effects I'll be facing in the future. None of my friends have really noticed because I was so overweight and I think as a dude, most people won't look at you and think "anorexic". I'm still thickish though.

It's kind of hard talking about this since it's awkward when you bring it up. Most people will say I'm factitious. And for the record, I haven't been diagnosed formally. It's just a hunch. That said, I think it's a pretty good hunch.

Here are my eating habits:
In the morning: I'll have a bowl of oatmeal. Most of the time it's plain oatmeal. If I do have flavored oatmeal it is low sugar maple brown sugar. 1 serving. According to the label, about 100-120 calories.

When I get to work, I'll have a cup of plain black coffee. No sugar or cream. I'll drink about 3 liters of water a day. I have an office job.

Once I'm at home, I'll take a slice of bread, cut it in half, and put 1 slice of ham or turkey on it. The bread slice is 70 calories. The meat... I'm not entirely sure. It says 1 serving is 60 calories. I only use one thin slice though. It says there are 4 servings in one package of meat. That package lasts me like a month. So definitely under 1 serving.

I'll also have a cup of coffee with dinner. And more water as I get thirsty.

On saturdays, I'll eat whatever I want. I'm a bad boy on these days but even then I'd say I couldn't eat more than 3-4k calories at the most because frankly my stomach just can't hold that much. However, when I weigh myself the next dayI'll have gained between 4-8 lbs. One time during the holidays I ignored my diet for 1.5 weeks. probably ate that much every other day. ended up gaining nearly 20lbs. It was horrifying.

Exercise-wise, this is my routine: Monday, Wednesday, and Friday I got to the gym. I'll spend about 1 hour on a treadmill going at 3.5 mph - 4 mph at a moderate incline. On Fridays, I also hit the driving range (if that counts as exercise). Furthermore, lately I've been going on 5 mile hikes with my best friend on saturdays.

So yeah, with my goal nearly in hand I've been thinking about how to transition out of my diet. The last thing I want is to reach my goal and then balloon up just by eatting like a normal human being. I've come across the term "reverse-dieting" and have some questions about it.

1 - What sort of strategies should I implore?

2 - I realize that some weight gain is inevitable. I want to at least stay in the 160s by time I'm back up to a reasonable calorie intact though. So I guess I should actually go under my goal. How much should I go under by?

3 - How long should this take if I do it properly?

 

[¡HarlequinPanic!]

see a therapist and discuss your possible eating disorder with them.

 

[Megalosaro]

see a therapist and discuss your possible eating disorder with them.

Oh boy, I have a ton of stuff to talk to a therapist about. It would definitely be on the list. But for the time being it is still serving my needs as crazy as it sounds. I definitely intend to move past this though but only after I've reached my goal

 

[WinFonda]

just gradually eat more, but not as much as you used to. if you continue losing weight past 160lbs, then you're not eating enough. weigh yourself weekly or bi-monthly, but don't stress about 5-10lbs of weight gain. that's a normal fluctuation between eating/pooping and your level of activity.

frankly, you should start by eating a full meal every day. whether its breakfast/lunch/dinner. Not much else should be required.

 

[Zoned]

So that's like 400 calories? Jesus...how did you even stand on ground let alone run?

You most likely don't have any muscle left now. Time to start eating my friend. Around 2k calories at least.

 

[BTM]

If hitting the driving range counted as exercise, that'd be awesome.

 

[Kozak]

Start lifting at gym instead of cardio and I think it will help you fix this issue.

 

[M-PG71C]

Self-image is an extremely hard thing to fix. Go see a healthcare professional. You did the right thing by asking for help and realizing you need it. That's hard.

But going back to a normal diet is not going to be easy. You'll need to talk to a therapist for your image issues and a nutritionist to help ease you in, including other professionals I'm sure. I would truly start with that.

 

[Frostinferno]

Start lifting at gym instead of cardio and I think it will help you fix this issue.

This.

Less muscle mass means less metabolism, and the way you're dieting has inevitably decreased your muscle mass heavily.

 

[Dr. Feel Good]

I do t understand how you are not fainting by Friday if you are running on literally a negative calorie deficit especially if you are doing light exercise three days a week. Your body shouldn't be able to function, should it?

 

[xxracerxx]

Oh boy, I have a ton of stuff to talk to a therapist about. It would definitely be on the list. But for the time being it is still serving my needs as crazy as it sounds. I definitely intend to move past this though but only after I've reached my goal

Don't fall into this pit of thinking. Seek help now. This is a fucking awful "diet."

 

[Chezzymann]

This.

Less muscle mass means less metabolism, and the way you're dieting has inevitably decreased your muscle mass heavily.

I'm as thin as a twig though and still have a high metabolism. I eat junk food pretty often and like 3 snacks a day and yet I'm only 150 (and 5'10''). Maybe I just got lucky with genetics?

 

[8BitsAtATime]

I've started doing about 1500 carbs a day and your doing like 400. I would die. I take in about 150 before I go walk and another 150 after just to make sure I don't feel weird.

Are you taking any vitamins?

 

[old manatee]

See a therapist before your mental illness spirals out of control. Anorexia kills people.

 

[Sectorseven]

I'm as thin as a twig though and still have a high metabolism. I eat junk food pretty often and like 3 snacks a day and yet I'm only 150 (and 5'10''). Maybe I just got lucky with genetics?

Gallon of milk a day will put weight on anyone.

 

[Megalosaro]

I've started doing about 1500 carbs a day and your doing like 400. I would die. I take in about 150 before I go walk and another 150 after just to make sure I don't feel weird.

Are you taking any vitamins?

No vitamins. Probably get all my nutrients when I eat a bunch on saturday. Enough to carry me through the rest of the week

I do t understand how you are not fainting by Friday if you are running on literally a negative calorie deficit especially if you are doing light exercise three days a week. Your body shouldn't be able to function, should it?

If I'm being completely honest, I get lightheaded standing up quickly when Friday comes around, but otherwise I function pretty well I'd say.

 

[arab]

this sounds like the butterfield diet

 

[Fritz]

Add one full healthy meal.

 

[Siphorus]

Honestly see a doctor, and get some professional advice. My 2 cents is that you start slowly eating more calories, like 200 more a day if it stays comfortable, and just slowly rise up to the normal 2000 a day limit over the period of a month.

 

[LyleLanley]

Oh boy, I have a ton of stuff to talk to a therapist about. It would definitely be on the list. But for the time being it is still serving my needs as crazy as it sounds. I definitely intend to move past this though but only after I've reached my goal

It's not serving your needs, it's most likely doing a lot of harm to you. Seriously talk to a professional.

 

[ronco2000]

Get a good 8 hours of sleep everyday!!

 

[Prinz Eugn]

4-8lbs in two days is fucking unreal. You are basically taking two steps forward and one back, your body is in starvation mode from the rest of the week so it's hoarding what you give it on the weekends.

You definitely need to see somebody, this is incredibly unhealthy since you are both binging on shit AND starving yourself. You need to develop regular eating habits so you eat reasonably all the time.

 

[Superflat]

When you get sucked into a long term weight-loss mindset, it becomes scarily easy to go more and more extreme as you get comfortable with them. "I can deal with this, I can see the light at the end of the tunnel" becomes the rationale and I've been there, though not as extreme. One can cut away calories little by little gradually until one barely have to eat anything to get through the day while feeling like they're making progress -- but it's unsustainable and will cause problems for your body. Rebounding weight is pretty much a certainty so you'll need to work really hard at countering it.

It'll likely be a difficult journey to get back to eating right, so I would say do some research and find a professional to advise you asap.

 

[Coolluck]

Is this another thread where OP admits they have a problem, asks for advice, but says maybe later? Come on. Don't waste people's time if you're not going to follow any of the advice. What you are doing is grossly unhealthy. Weight loss is a great feeling but starving yourself to do it is like smoking to stay thin. Yeah, sure it's working but it's not healthy. Start eating right.

 

[sp3ctr3]

Something doesn't add up or I missed something?

On the weekends you eat 3-4k calories and gain 4-8lbs? How the F does that work? And eating 3-4k calories for 1½ week you gained 20lbs?

How?

 

[Megalosaro]

Something doesn't add up or I missed something?

On the weekends you eat 3-4k calories and gain 4-8lbs? How the F does that work? And eating 3-4k calories for 1½ week you gained 20lbs?

How?

Probably water weight, and the simple fact that my body just holds the food in there longer instead of properly digesting

Is this another thread where OP admits they have a problem, asks for advice, but says maybe later? Come on. Don't waste people's time if you're not going to follow any of the advice. What you are doing is grossly unhealthy. Weight loss is a great feeling but starving yourself to do it is like smoking to stay thin. Yeah, sure it's working but it's not healthy. Start eating right.

No shit its unhealthy. That is why I am looking to stop. But I can't just go from 200 calories to 2000. That is why I am asking for advice on how to eat more again.

 

[PeakPointMatrix]

Dude, just moderate. Instead of needlessly starving yourself during the week and then overeating on weekends, spread out a balanced set of meals throughout the week. The only reason you're gorging on the weekends is because you're deprived the rest of the time. Which is extremely dangerous by the way, your muscles are most likey being eaten away at, not to mention potential organ damage.

 

[xxracerxx]

No shit its unhealthy. That is why I am looking to stop. But I can't just go from 200 calories to 2000. That is why I am asking for advice on how to eat more again.

Do not wait though, that is the point. You claimed you weren't going to seek help until you reached your goal, but that shit can move with how you are feeling. Best to seek out a professional now and start to get help.

This is not a little problem, you are going to have to fundamentally change your lifestyle for a second time in a year and this is going to be so much harder.

 

[AlteredBeast]

With an office job, you probably need about 1500-1700 to maintain your weight at that size. Eating 2000 as has been suggested will probably result in gradual weight gain.

I do about 1200-1400 calories most days that I care. That is a shit ton of healthy food for any reasonably inactive adult. If you ever start strength training or upping your exercise regimen, then you would want more, but I basically eat a greek yogurt for breakfast, an ounce of beef jerky between that and lunch. Lunch is typically a salad with balsamic vinegarette and sliced fruits. Maybe an apple, some grapes or whatever else I have around the house. I mix in a protein often, like grilled chicken, tuna, or some other random thing. I avoid fried foods and potatoes, especially.

For dinner, it could really be basically anything up to a certain point. Through morning and afternoon, I might only ingest 350 to 500 calories, so I get about 1000 calories of wiggle room. I switched to diet pop, don't drink juice and might have a small glass of skim milk with dinner.

It is so retardedly easy to eat healthy and sufficient if you really want to. I am down 15ish pounds, but plan on keeping it up until I drop another 15-20. If I can get back to my 21-year old weight and tone, I will probably have my wife throw herself at me every single night like the good old days, and honestly, there is no reason why I can't do it if I really want to.

 

[SolVanderlyn]

OP, you just described me. Or what was me until recently.

I know you most likely went for the fast or feast approach because you have trouble with moderation (obviously). This is why it's so hard for you to get a good diet going. You also likely fear overeating again.

My advice: cut this shit out right now. It's better to be slightly overweight than what you are doing. You might think you look better, and you might be thin, but you are slowly killing yourself. Your metabolism will be screwed, your muscles will vanish, and you'll likely end up as an obese old man once you can't sustain an exercise routine or keep up with your insane all or nothing diet anymore.

I started doing this at age 22. I looked good for about a year, then I started losing hair. I became gangly and awkward. The lack of energy I felt six days a week showed in my looks and in my mannerisms. I stopped thinking properly. I went from being decent looking to looking extremely weird. By age 24, I was a total mess. Basically a skeleton. My knees started to give out. I started passing out when I sat up. Went into fits of mania. This will happen to you.

Count your calories like a madman. Plan out your diet a week in advance. Eat nothing but what is on your plan. Six days a week, health out like a fiend. 1500 calories a day, no more, no less. It's all about staying on point. DO NOT EAT MORE OR LESS THAN 1500. The routine and discipline will save you. On Day 7, go all out and eat whatever. Pizza, pasta, cake, whatever - have it all. Let yourself go. Then get back on track for another six days. Rinse, repeat. Eggs, tuna, chicken, spinach, kale, peas, carrots, mushrooms, Slim Fast shakes and bars (these are a blessing for people like you), water, and black coffee with Truvia are all good. A nutritionist can help you further, but if you want anecdotal GAF advice, these things worked for me.

Good luck. You can do it.

Edit: Obviously you cannot go from 200 to 1500. Slowly get back to this point. Go to 500 at first. Work out more. Go to the gym six days a week, even if you hate it. If you want my advice, cutting out carbs will work great for reverse dieting. You'll crave them like crazy, but you'll up your caloric intake without turning yourself into a blob. Eat a shit ton of veggies if you have to.

This is all from someone just as crazy as you. I'm not a nutritionist, and I don't claim to be. But I will say that you don't have to choose between going back to being fat or doing what you're doing now.

 

[Sevarus]

Probably water weight, and the simple fact that my body just holds the food in there longer instead of properly digesting



No shit its unhealthy. That is why I am looking to stop. But I can't just go from 200 calories to 2000. That is why I am asking for advice on how to eat more again.

You're right, you can't jump up to that. You need to be under a doctor's care. And you need a therapist. I really don't think people should be giving you health advice here. This is an eating disorder and a mental illness. Please get help.

 

[Team Alucard]

Talk to a professional, however...

and a nutritionist to help ease you in, including other professionals I'm sure. I would truly start with that.

Don't listen to anyone who refers to themselves as a "nutritionist". It's a bullshit title that requires no professional or educational qualifications whatsoever. Talk to a registered dietician.

 

[Dobsie]

How do you get through the day off of some oatmeal and a slice of bread let alone do any exercise

 

[JC Sera]

Just a warning, going from nearly not eating at all to larger meals, your stomach absolutely disagrees with you. Try and work your way back up.
I found sustagen (vanilla mixed with milo) and up & gos really helped me a lot with the transition back. Don't have them as substitutions but as supplement though.

Unfortunately I still can't eat the same meal sizes I used to before being hospitalized for oesophageal problems, but I got a lot better.

I wish you the best of luck!

 

[Discotheque]

How do you get through the day off of some oatmeal and a slice of bread let alone do any exercise

half a slice of bread actually

...goddamn

 

[lemmykoopa]

How do you look naked now? With such a terrible low protein diet you probably have almost no muscle left in combination with saggy skin from going to fat to skinny too fast.

 

[despire]

Dr. Layne Norton has talked a lot about reverse dieting because many female fitness people who compete have "destroyed" their metabolism. See what he talks about it in his videos. Basically the gist is to to gradually and very slowly increase calories week by week. It takes months.

First you would start with something around or little lower than your TDEE with decent amount of protein and enough fat, with some carbs. Then add maybe ~20kcal more worth of carbs per week (if I remember right). See what Norton has said.

Anyway it's fixable. Also the 4-8lbs of weight gain every weekend is mostly water. If you eat 4-5k kcal one day you might only gain around ~1lbs of real fat. That's why it also goes away in a couple of days.

Anyway I think what you are doing is extremely unhealthy in the long run and you should stop it and talk to someone. Especially since you get hardly any protein. You might actually die because of this. I'd suggest upping your calorie intake and adding protein and EFA's. If you absolutely must continue with extreme dieting, then at least buy Lyle McDonalds book "Rapid Fat Loss Handbook" so you can do it right and more safely. And even if you want to still lose weight, then you need to take a diet break. Eat normally for a few weeks.

All of this of course assumes you still have real fat mass you could lose and you are not really anorexic (just very OCD) and are not extremely lean already. I.e. all this "I still need to lose weight" is not just in your head.

 

[Gun Animal]

Like someone else said, start lifting and doing other muscle-building exercise instead of cardio, and start eating foods that help your body build muscle like protein/meat. Work your way up to 1000k calories a day until you have noticably bigger/toned muscles, then work your way up to 2500k. How many calories you can eat a day without putting on fat is dependant on your resting metabolism which is dependant on how physically active you are and how defined your muscles are.

STOP BINGING. It's screwing you up. Spread those calories out through the rest of the week.

 

[hobblygobbly]

Get a good 8 hours of sleep everyday!!

This. Sleep is very important for your metabolism, don't sleep too little and don't sleep too much. Get into a sleep schedule and stick to it, it'll boost your metabolism massively. Go to bed at the same time and wake up at the same time. Make it a span of 6-8 hours. I sleep 6 hours, some people need 8, but you shouldn't need more than 8 on average.

 

[Mendrox]

Like someone else said, start lifting and doing other muscle-building exercise instead of cardio, and start eating foods that help your body build muscle like protein/meat. Work your way up to 1000k calories a day until you have noticably bigger/toned muscles, then work your way up to 2500k. How many calories you can eat a day without putting on fat is dependant on your resting metabolism which is dependant on how physically active you are and how defined your muscles are.

STOP BINGING. It's screwing you up. Spread those calories out through the rest of the week.

Hmm I am doing intermitted fasting and I eat one big meal after work (including drinking 1,5l of water) since I dunno over half a year? Eating is very difficult at work for me, but my weight is also different everyday. I take more than 3000 calories on Thursdays though and eat a bit more on weekends.

Sometimes I get a bit lightheaded though, but I am not really starving. Maybe I should keep track of how much I eat after work to get the gist if I should even more.

Big meals for me are about 800-1500 calories. Depending on what I eat (healthier or not that healthy)

I also did sports 5 times a week last year and I also noticed that I sadly lost some muscle mass - I guess it's the missing protein?

Edit: Strangely I am taking a shit 2 - 3 times everyday

 

[McLovin]

Yeah your gonna have to take a hit on the weight gain and probably start lifting weights. You need to put some muscle back on to start your metabolism up again. I would probably get a protein shake in once in a while too.

 

[MarkMclovin]

I'm trying to throw a fucking sandwhich at you but you don't seem to be getting it.

On a serious note, I'd say that you should get into a routine of leveling out your calories rather than overloading your body on certain days. However a cheat day every few weeks is fine.

Start off with 2000, split that into 3 meals a day, hit the gym everyother day and go from there.

Eating at work should be easy, if you plan it the previous night. Every Sunday evening, I cook up about 1kg of chicken breast and some veggies like mushrooms/broccoli etc and store it in little bags. Every morning I grab a bag, some microwave rice and a sauce and I'm good for the day. I also have little meals like a protein shake, granola for breakfast and 2ltrs water. All sorted the night before. Every evening then I cook up a decent meal, high in protein again. Been doing this for a few years and I can't see myself changing.

It's all about the routine.

 

[wetflame]

this sounds like the butterfield diet

Saturday is treat day.

 

[trudderham]

When you get home today and make a "sandwich", try eating a whole slice of bread with two sheets of meat. Do that for a week or so, then try two slices of bread; then with week three try adding an apple etc. You don't have to go full-on with a normal diet, but gradually increasing your portions might work out for you.

 

[Tesseract]

at least drink a boost / day

 

[xxracerxx]

So OP are you going to seek out a professional or keep on with this lifestyle until you reach your goal weight?

 

[Megalosaro]

Saying my goal weight is projected to be a week from now, probably that.

All the stuff I'm finding on refeeding or reverse dieting online is slanted toward weight lifters. Any thing out there for a normal dude who just want s to transition out of a diet

 

[grumble]

Saying my goal weight is projected to be a week from now, probably that.

All the stuff I'm finding on refeeding or reverse dieting online is slanted toward weight lifters. Any thing out there for a normal dude who just want s to transition out of a diet

Actually do consider lifting weights. Not like a bodybuilder but for general fitness and to get your muscle mass up. Also double your daily calories and triple your protein, and calm down a little in the cheat day.

 

[M-PG71C]

Talk to a professional, however...



Don't listen to anyone who refers to themselves as a "nutritionist". It's a bullshit title that requires no professional or educational qualifications whatsoever. Talk to a registered dietician.

Yep, that's my fault. I meant RD - Registered Dietitian. I should know better considering how often I have to talk to them everyday at work lol, never write a post tired again.

 

[Servbot24]

You eat oatmeal and a slice of bread on weekdays and then eat four thousand calories on the weekend? I don't know how you can handle such a tremendously varying diet.

Anyways I would make sure you eat the same amount every day.