I agree with both the Judith Beck recommendation and low carb. Seriously. Nothing helps regain dietary control like understanding what's going on behind it and nourishing your body sufficiently with the building blocks it needs. I cannot tell you how many cravings I've had for more food or more junky food have been answered by a serving of seaweed (micronutrients, sodium, and yum) and a chicken thigh with a little mayo (fat and protein).
I have had an Eating Disorder in the past and I can tell you it is totally possible to eat 350 calories a day, <15 carbs a day, exercise 8+ hours a week, be 150 pounds, 5'2" and lose almost no weight for weeks at a time. I was STARVING, living on vitamin pills, metamucil, a single scrambled egg and a daily protein shake, and still only losing 1/2 pound a week. ~ In spite of 60 minutes on the elliptical four times a week plus daily one hour walks with the dog. No one would have believed I was anorexic because I wasn't a stick figure. I think I could have gone on for a few years like that before I actually started to look like a stick, but it would have been the worst torture.
When I ran the numbers, my software told me I had the metabolism of a 100 year old woman on permanent bed rest. My max daily calories to maintain was 650. Any more and I would GAIN. Seriously. I still struggle with a very low metabolism even though my thyroid and bloodwork is normal.
The solution is a low-carb diet, good quality protein, and serious weight training. It builds your metabolism.
This is not evidence of starvation mode. This is evidence of water retention.
The idea that the body can slow the metabolism down to the point where it doesn't utilize fat storage and holds onto everything we eat is known as "starvation mode". There is no mechanism for our bodies to create energy from sunshine, or some other source. It has to get energy from fat storage or breaking down muscle on the body. The energy needs of the body will be met, one way or another.
No offense, but you're completely wrong that "starvation mode" exists. The body can slow down the metabolism but only by so much.
I really appreciate the replies.
I gorged myself today, can't even last a week. I don't know who I was kidding thinking I can control this after 25 years of binging and overeating. This is a last attempt before seriously looking into vertical sleeve surgery.
I'm not going to give you a lot of advice because I'm not any kind of expert when it comes to binge eating except this ... if you don't solve the underlying problem which is prompting the binging then surgery will only be a temporary solution.
Losing half a pound in 6 days is not a stall. You are losing, just slowly. That's an important distinction so keep that in mind when you have weeks like this, the scale is still going down. As someone who deals with disordered eating (and has for years) I've found having that mentality is really helpful (i.e.: a loss is a loss and the scale is going in the right direction instead of I'm supposed to lose 2lbs this week and if I don't my plan isn't working.)
Also consider water fluctuations throughout the week as they could make the scale fluctuate day to day so in reality your actual loss may be different than half a pound.
Your calories seem low which will not help if you have issues binging. Following an extremely restrictive diet is setting you up for a binge. I guarantee it. If you constantly feel unsatisfied and hungry you will binge often and your weight will either stay the same or get worse. You'd be better off having very slow weight loss on a plan that doesn't feel so exhaustive to avoid a diet/binge cycle.
In addition to what everyone else mentioned, it also seems like you have quite a bit of sodium in your diet. Even low calorie choices can be high in salt, especially if they're from fast food restaurants. Salt will cause some crazy water weight fluctuations that can really throw the scale off. I would track your sodium for a day or two and just see where it's at so you have an idea of how much you're taking in.
There are lots of factors that affect the number you see on the scale. Hormones (e. g. ovulation and pre-mentrual), sodium, exercise, and the amount of undigested food can easily cause the scale to swing 5 pounds or more. At the rate I lose, that means I could be making solid progress for over a month and not even see it on the scale.
What usually happens, though, is that the numbers are choppy. Over the course of a month, sometimes it will look like I'm losing quickly and other times it will look like I'm gaining, if I just compare recent numbers. It's only after I've been working at it for a few months that I can see a solid trend.
This is a huge frustration for dieters and I've often longed for some highly accurate measure of the amount of energy stored in my fat rather than having to rely upon the weight that happens to be associated with my body at the moment.
To lose weight successfully, most people have to get used to slow and irregular progress on the scale. I know it doesn't seem fair to deprive yourself and struggle and see so little return. But over the long run it is really worth it. I think it generally gets easier after the first few weeks when things are more routine (though after a longer while, you might hit a stall and need to mix things up again).
Don't give up now! Fall down nine times, get up ten. I think that on average smokers quit something like seven times before they succeed. I don't know how often people try to lose weight, but I've been up and down a lot. Luckily, in recent years I have been able to reverse course before reaching my old highs. I am still looking for a WOE that will suit me permanently.
I know I use 'low carb' a lot. And that means a certain way of eating. Avoiding bread and pasta, junk food, processed food a lot, and carb heavy snacks. But I do eat veggies and some fruit. Probably more veggies now then when I hovered around 300. But I call it 'low carb'.
I think 'starvation mode' people mean metabolism slowing. From everything I have heard that can and does happen.
Never give up. Find what works for you. It is out there.
You mentioned that this is your last real attempt before looking into weight loss surgery.
I have not had WLS but did look into it. From what I understand they will ask you to diet before you have the surgery which is to show that you can stick to a diet. Surgery won't give you the freedom or willpower to stick to a diet, and you'll likely be even more restricted as to what you can eat than what you are now. It might be worthwhile to check out the WLS section of this forum to decide if it's truly for you.
In regards to your diet now, I'd recommend logging the calories of everything down if you don't already. Sometimes we tend to overestimate the count of everything. For example, one of your sandwiches had mayo. How much mayo? That alone could have been a few hundred calories.
My goal has been to stay between 1200 - 1500 calories this entire time and would not be able to do so unless I specifically looked everything up and logged it.
I'm pretty sure everyone here has had a day when they completely lost it and ate everything in sight. The key to losing weight is not to let that day/week/month make you quit. Just keep going.
Your diet has a TON of sodium in it- I'm not surprised that you haven't lost much weight; you are probably retaining water because of the salt. You seem to be very uncomfortable and it's probably because you're actually consuming too few calories. Remember that weight loss is a long term change. You should be comfortable enough with how much you are eating to do it for months and years. The fact that you want to scream and give up after less than a week makes me suspect that you aren't being kind enough to yourself and eating enough.
I have a lot of weight to lose, too. Right now I'm eating 2500 calories per day. I have eaten as few as 1200 calories a day to maximize weight loss, but it is ultimately not sustainable. Set modest goals and listen to your body. You shouldn't be feeling like you're going crazy. Also remember that patience is a virtue.
I agree with several other posters. 1/2 a pound lost is NOT an indication of how much fat you've lost. Even if you'd been down 6 lbs in six days, it's still NOT an indication of how much fat you've lost. When we lose weight, the daily fluctuations up and down on the scale reflect water weight. If after months and months there is a downward trend in your weight, THAT indicates fat loss. So I wouldn't worry too much about daily fluctuations.
Also, I agree that you are eating a lot of sodium (you're consuming a lot of very processed foods, like the fast food and any prepackaged food). That will make you retain a lot of water, probably several pounds. You could be losing fat and not see it on the scale for some time.
Also, from what I've read, WLS is not the easy way out. It is difficult, and you'll have to alter how you eat forever (much like non-WLS weight loss). It's not a fix-all, and it takes a lot of work. There's no magic bullet for weight loss. It takes time, effort, and sometimes it sucks (and sometimes it's wonderful).
The "fast weight loss" at the beginning of diets is usually due to water weight being lost, not fat. And with a lot of salty foods, you won't see that.
I'd recommend taking a deep breath (trying to lose weight can induce some mild panic sometimes!), and then doing light research on a way of eating. If you want to eat mostly processed foods like you are now, I'd recommend calorie counting. It's much easier to overeat accidentally eating cheesy soup and snack wraps than it is grilled fish and roasted veggies.
Best of luck! I hope you find something you like that works for you.
Also, weight loss surgery works because it restricts the number of calories a person can consume. It also has a small impact on the calories a person can absorb from food. Essentially, if starvation mode was a legitimate theory, weight loss surgery would not be successful.
I'm not going to give you a lot of advice because I'm not any kind of expert when it comes to binge eating except this ... if you don't solve the underlying problem which is prompting the binging then surgery will only be a temporary solution.
I agree. I considered WLS and even during the seminars they discussed there is a fairly high transference of addictions if patients did not deal with their food addiction prior to surgery. I cannot remember the percentage quoted but there is a link between those receiving WLS and alcoholism occurring after the surgery. Anecdotally I know of several friends/acquaintances that had WLS and have since become addicted to alcohol, shopping and or drugs. I do have a food addiction and that is why I binge. I am working on this and one resource I am using is therapy. Good luck!
I'm sure all the people on the planet who have starved to death wish that starvation mode was a myth. Your metabolism can slow down but you can't cheat thermodynamics. The energy to move your body has to come from somewhere. Still it's important to lose weight slowly because you'll stick with it. It's better to lose 8 pounds in a month than five pounds a week and you give up after 7 days.
