[sunsetrose]

I have struggled with an eating disorder for most of my teenage years. I started heavily restricting my calorie intake, though never *officially* diagnosed because I did not meet the weight requirement, in fact most of the time I was at a healthy weight. But I was eating no more than 500 calories a day, usually even less than that. Since I was never diagnosed, no one would help me get better so I was on my own. In my mind, the only way I could get better was to stop caring about what I was eating. If I was craving McDonald’s, I got it. I had been so focused on just eating anything, that I didn’t care if I was eating fast food every day. Now I’m overweight and I’m tired of it. I want to be at a healthy weight again, without restricting myself. I joined weight watchers thinking it would help, but I’ve been so hungry even after eating my dailies. I get 30 points a day, and I always try to eat low-point foods, and I’m almost constantly snacking on fruits. But I’m still very hungry by the end of the night, and it makes me want to just eat whatever food will fill me up. I freak out if I am hungry for too long. I know it probably sounds crazy, but I feel like if I am really hungry for a while, I will stop wanting to eat and rejoice in my hunger feeling. Being hungry was a good thing for me, for so long, now I want to avoid it at all costs.

I don’t really know what I’m asking, but I’d love some advice from people that have been in similar situations or just have some tips that may help me. I feel completely hopeless and out of control.

[EagleRiverDee]

You're going to get a lot of tips/suggestions here on 3FC, so just make sure you adopt only what will work for your personality and needs.

What worked for me was adopting a lower carb/whole foods approach blending Primal/Paleo/Whole30. My body is incredibly sensitive to carbs and processed foods. I cannot eat wheat products (bread, baked goods, etc) or alcohol and lose weight, period. I do best if I keep my carbs under 100g a day, and definitely under 150g.

The #1 most important video I found that helped me: Sugar The Bitter Truth (long, but will completely change your view on processed foods, sugar, fruit juice, etc)

The #1 most important website I found for weight loss: Marks Daily Apple (the home of the Primal Blueprint eating style- read Primal Blueprint 101 and read some of the success stories- you'll feel motivated!)

For me, diet was the most important factor for weight loss. I lost 40 lbs with no exercise at all (I was ill and too sick to work out). When my illness abated, I began working out and lost 20 lbs more to my current weight. For exercise- do baby steps. Start with 10 minutes before you go to half an hour. Start with walking before you jump into hard cardio. When you do resistance training, do half the reps you think you can the first time you do the program- because you WILL be sore, and you don't want to be so sore you get discouraged and quit. I like Jillian Michael's Ripped in 30 and 30 Day Shred video programs, Supreme 90 Day, and most Beachbody programs like P90X, Insanity, T25, Piyo. The new Beachbody On Demand website is wonderful- it has all their programs and the annual fee is less than the cost of one program. I think they offer a 30 day free trial if you want to try it.

Most importantly- once you've read everyone's suggestions and researched the programs, make sure the ones you try are compatible with your goals and personality. Determine if you like structure, or flexibility? Do you mind counting calories, points, or carbs? Do you HAVE to have bread and can't imagine life without it? These things matter. Pick a plan that you can do for the long term, but also consider a plan that is a permanent lifestyle change (which is why it needs to be compatible for you) and not just a lose-weight-quick scheme.

Good luck!

[Sencha]

Something else you might want to consider is Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. This can help you retrain your thought processes so maybe you won't get so concerned about being hungry and become more comfortable with your feelings regarding weight loss, and perhaps reduce your stress about it as well. There's nothing wrong with going to therapy, you don't have to be "mentally ill" to benefit from it. Good luck to you!