Hi everyone, not sure if this is the right forum to post this?

I think I've screwed up my metabolism pretty badly through severe underating and too much exercising and being too reliant on stimulant fat burners for the last two years. It got to the point where my family members were seriously worried that I was anorexic, and at the time when they started asking questions, I started asking myself the very same questions.

Anyway, my weight fluctuated around 7 stone 10lbs to 7 stone 13lbs just before Christmas, and that's when I noticed the symptoms of what might be a damaged metabolism - really feeling the cold, some mornings I found walking a realyl difficult, just lifting one leg and then the other seemed like a real struggle.

Then Christmas came, and then the bingeing started and I mean unbelievable eating - I couldn't and didnt stop eating chocolate and all the bad stuff - I ate until I felt really unwell and that went on for a few days. This was really strange and abnormal behaviour because I've never really been into eating chocolate, or sweets, well not in my adult life anyway (Im a 34 year old male)

During the xmas perios, in 2-3 weeks I gained 20lbs Then last week I ditched the bad food, got back on the diet, was doing 40 minutes of cycling on the stationary bike every day, and one day I walked just under 6 miles in 1 hour 15 minutes and then I weighed myself this morning and the scales say I've gained another 2lbs

As a result of that, tonight I've just eaten a pack of crisps, some Xmas pudding, some chocolate, some cereal and now I feel pretty crap and pretty fat!

Can anyone give me any advice?

Is my metabolism damaged? If I have How much weight will I gain until it's been re-set?

How can I correct it without gaining fat?

First, if you think you have an eating disorder, you should definitely get some professional assistance.

In my experience, whenever I radically restricted my eating, it ALWAYS boomeranged into binging.

How I fixed it - stopped overly restricting. Starting eating a healthy number of calories and focused on really healthy foods. If you're scale obsessed, stay off it. Concentrate on regaining a healthy relationship with food - that is far more important than weight loss at this moment.

Now that I eat a good number of calories every day, I don't binge anymore (well, except for Crunchgate 2004 when I polished off a box of Kashi Go Lean Crunch, that stuff is like CRACK people).

Thank you for replying

I don't know if I have an eating disorder or not - I know Ive always had body image issues ever since I became a teenager, I always loathed being so horribley skinny, so I took up weight training and did that without success for years and years, only managing to gain bad weight, so the yo-yo dieting started - I'd lose all the fat I'd accumulated then tried to build muscle but only ever managing to add fat!and that cycle went on and on and on until about 2 years ago when I decided to drop the weight training and just try to lose weight.... and all this weight/body image related issues has been the only focus in my life for god knows how long... obsessive to say the least.

If I do have a disorder, I don't know what to call it!

Hi Fishcake,
I would suggest you get your thyroid tested, and make sure they check for antibodies. Your story sounds so familiar, I lost weight and was exercising and then one day it was just like hit a wall and I was unable to do anything, I gained 40 lbs in about a month and just felt like crap. It turns out that I had hashimoto's thyroid disease, but it wasn't diagnosed for many years until after it had turned to cancer. It's easy to check for, just a simple blood test.
Good Luck
Bette K

Hello and welcome to the forum. Since you are talking in stone, I'm assuming that you're in the UK too. I'd suggest that you start by talking to the organisations for eating disorders, since what you describe sounds very much like an eating disorder.

Beating Eating Disorders, helpline 0845 634 1414 Mon-Fri 10.30-8.30 and Sat 1.00-4.30
Men Get Eating Disorders Too - doesn't seem to have a helpline but there's a live chat session coming up on the 19th, plus an excellent links section

After that, how's your relationship with your GP? Some doctors are great with eating disorders and psychological stuff generally, and some are rubbish. I think it's important to get a doctor who is fairly on the ball with these things, as you don't want the hassle of dealing with someone who believes that unless you're an underweight teenage girl, it can't be an eating disorder. I used to be close friends with a man with an eating disorder, so I'm aware of how crap many people are about eating disorders in general, and men with eating disorders in particular. If you don't have a good GP, it can be worth asking around locally for recommendations.

If you don't mind telling us, how tall are you, and are there any other physical or mental illnesses in the picture, or something else like alcoholism, drug problems, trauma or self-harming?

I wouldn't worry too much about your metabolism, as the symptoms you describe can be a result of being underweight and not getting enough calories.

Meanwhile, you may need to be careful that being on a dieting forum does not make things more difficult for you psychologically, since you are already fighting an urge to make yourself too thin. Staring at posts entitled "Lose 10lb by February 1st" probably isn't the best thing for you right now. There are a couple of subforums on this forum which may be useful for you: the Chicks in Control forum, and the Men's Corner which is under Support Groups. I can't speak for eating disorder forums, but just make sure that you find one where you feel comfortable, and where the atmosphere feels healthy for you.

Ive been thinking about getting my thyroid checked, so I think I'll do that. I'm sorry to hear that you had/have cancer and hope you're okay, and thanks for posting!!

Hi Esofia

"If you don't mind telling us, how tall are you, and are there any other physical or mental illnesses in the picture, or something else like alcoholism, drug problems, trauma or self-harming?"

I'm 5 feet 9 inches tall, I don't have any other physial illnesses but been depressed on and off for years, don't have any confidence or self-esteem and Ive been that way for as long as I can remember.

I really appreciate you (and everyone else) replying with helpful posts, so thanks

i'll take a look at the forums you mentioned.

Thank you.

First off welcome You sound like you're really struggling..and in my non-professional opinion in sounds like an eating disorder to me. It is very common to to cycle restricting with binging..I did it for 10 years. I think you need to see your GP, that was the first step for me also looking in to the links Esofia posted. If your family is supportive maybe you can reach out to them for help too.

Under 8 stone is very thin for someone who is 5'9''..the binging and gaining 20lbs was probably what your body needed. Take care.

8 stone = 112lbs for a male at 5'9 (and female too), is VERY underweight to the point of serious health consequences. I advise you to speak with a doctor/eating disorder clinic ASAP, I cannot diagnose you online but it is very clear that you are likely suffering from an eating disorder. Good luck to you.

Yikes, I've just checked with a BMI calculator and it came out even lower than I expected. 7st10 is 108lb, which gives a BMI of 15.9. Definitely speak to those eating disorder organisations tomorrow and try to get to a doctor this week, hon?

I think that's great advice from everyone! Particularly esofia's post above with links and phone numbers that sound perfect for helping you gain control.

Our community forum is designed to help support the overweight during the weight loss journey, and unfortunately we are not equipped to help those that may possibly have an eating disorder. We don't have the experience or staff necessary and I fear that you may not get the help that you very much deserve. I hope the links esofia provided will be of assistance

Please see your GP as your next step, then let us know how it's going, ok? If there is a forum here that fits the advice your GP provides, then please make the most of us.