[bigolemustang]

Hi there all this is the first time I have ever done this kind of thing and have no I dea what I am doing. As a former anorexic now overweight I am having a difficult time not slipping back into the easy habbit of anorexia and need a healthy way of losing weight. I need ideas on keeping an accurate daily journal of food intake etc. As I am suppose to be eating every 4 hours I have no idea on healthy snack choices that will allow me to lose the weight. Any one have any ideas? Please help am becoming desperate thanks

[aerotigergirl]

mustang---just try to remember that your body needs energy to work properly, otherwise, you might get very thin, but you will not be healthy. Give your body what it needs and exercise regularly, and you will find a fit body! As far as snacks go, low-fat string cheese is good, as are frozen grapes and other fruits. I have started keeping track of my food in a journal that i type into on my computer. Just try to jot down what you eat (and how much) to see how your body responds. Weigh yourself every so often and if you haven't lost weight, look back through your journal to see if you should change something... best of luck to you. you can do it!

[lumifan4ever]

I have turned several people here at work on to fitday.com. it takes a little work sometimes to have to add your custom foods, but it really keeps up with it.

to find out how many calories you need to maintain, take your body weight and multiply by 11. if i am not mistaken, it takes 11 calories to sustain each pound you have. then you need to subtract some calories from it to equal one pound a week. but if you excersize, you can deduct those calories from your diet too.

like, i weigh 179 so 179 x 11= 1969 calories to maintain. So i dropped my calories down to about 1400 a day. that's a deficent of 569 calories a day. over a week, i should have a deficent of 3983. so without excersize, i should be able to drop about a pound a week. not that it is really working out like that. but then again, the past two weeks, it has been working out for me, because i have been zig zagging my calories.

if you keep your calories the same every day, your body starts to rest. so you have to mix it up to keep your body guessing. today, i will get about 1000-1100 and tomorrow, i'll probably be back up around 1600.

but don't give up and don't starve yourself. You said you were anorexic before, well, i was too in highschool. and i remember, being dizzy when i stood up, i had short term memory losses, i was a size 3 but still have fat on my belly and thighs because i did not tone up those muscles. i lost those muscles from lack of protein. i was tired, i slept in class. it was not a good way to spend my senior year in school.

just relax and realize this is a lifestyle change and it won't come as quickly as we want it to, but it will come and we will be more healthy because of it.

[MiaManning]

Don't fret chickie, you'll get a lot of advice here!
Healthy snack choices that I like:
lite yogurt
baby carrots and lite ranch dressing
cold cuts and cheese
slimfast snack bars (or any slimfast)
go lean cereal

Oh, there are so many! I could go on all day! As far as counting calories or a food journal I like to just record my intake of the nutrients I personally monitor. I record my cals, fat, and all that on a chart I made. I'll see if I can create a linke or something for you to copy it if you (or anyone else) want.

[MiaManning]

Well I coudn't attach the file, it said invalid file.

[Misti in Seattle]

Mustang... just a thought but as you are a former anorexic you definitely need to be under a doctor's close supervision to guide you in your weight loss. I would recommend you start there!! But definitely keep coming here for support and ideas.

Dance

[lessthansign3]

I agree with Dance, you should contact a dietician who can help you. I'd nearly become anorexic myself once (I ate, just very little, and had that sort of mindset) until I realized that the only way to healthily lose weight is to eat! You've got to eat to keep your metabolism up and keep your body from going into starvation mode.

[Misti in Seattle]

That is so true! My doctor has cautioned me not to go too low on calories, especially for my size and build (5'9" large build). It is tempting to cut way back as I used to do when younger... but I have found that if I do it this way and stick with it... not only does it work but I eat SO well... I can fix things easily that taste so good I wonder why I ever wasted myself away on junk! If I am not careful, though, it is so easy to get right back into the same old pattern.

I am cautious medically too, since I had a thyroid tumor (and half my thyroid) removed and am on meds. It did make me gain a lot of weight and it is hard to lose... BUT I am very cautious about reading too much "advice" on the Internet but listening to my doctor, whom I trust, and following HER advice.

Dance