I need to lose 10lbs without reverting to disordered eating... Help!!

[crunchy_mommy]

I simply have no clue how to lose the ~10lbs that have settled right around my middle over the past year. I can't stand wearing any of my clothes because they are uncomfortable and make me look like I'm 6mos pregnant! I just don't know how to do it. I'm a former anorexic and the way I know how to lose weight is starve & purge -- and now that I'm a mama I need to take better care of myself for DS's sake. I used to work out daily but I don't know how I can possibly find time now. DS will only sleep ON me so I can't take advantage of naps or bedtime... I work (from home) all morning so early mornings are out, and I'm basically non-functional (chronic illness) by 6pm or so, and add in DS's nap where I'm strapped to the bed/couch then there just isn't time to get into a consistent routine. I don't know how to change my eating, I'm on a gluten-free, mostly soy-free, vegan diet and the only 'junk' I eat is a small square of dark chocolate most days. My eating is all over the place though and I have a hard time eating while out & about so I end up eating huge dinners, I'm sure that's not helping... And we started using more fats (olive oil, coconut milk, etc.) to get extra fat/calories into DS but since we all eat the same thing, I'm getting the extra too & I definitely don't need it. Sorry if I sound like I'm just complaining & making excuses, I just really want to get back in shape and lose the excess weight but I seriously need help coming up with a solid plan that I can actually stick to. I'm so stressed out by daily life, I think I'm just overwhelmed and need concrete ideas to make this happen.

[trekkingirl]

well I'm glad you want to revert to new more healthier ways to lose. I have lost huge amounts of weight after my first two kids by counting calories. Seriously, 80lbs the first time and 75lbs the second time. In order to lose weight you have to take in less calories than you put out. While I was breastfeeding I ate 2000 calories or less per day and that was enough to lose all that weight.

[midnightwriter]

Could you go for  a walk with your DS in an ergo or a wrap while he naps?

[laohaire]

What DO you eat?

[greenmagick]

Have you had cortisol, thyroid, etc checked?  Its not always calories in calories out.  

[crunchy_mommy]

I've had all my bloodwork done and my thyroid is borderline low, not out of range but my doc wanted to medicate whereas I was/am really reluctant (major fear of meds these days!)

I can & do walk with DS in the Ergo frequently but it doesn't seem to do a thing... It's raining all this week but hopefully next week I can try to be even more consistent with the walking. I'm not sure it will help with weight loss though, I have a feeling I need some high-intensity workout or something, maybe not though...

I don't know if I even eat 2000 cals a day. Often I think it's closer to 1500 or so, but I try not to count because that's a major trigger for me eating disordered.

As far as what I do eat... Well today for ex:

Breakfast: 2 small (homemade) gluten-free muffins with Earth Balance
Lunch: Potatoes with beans, green beans, onions, olive oil
Snack: Small handful of nuts & seeds
Dinner: Ear of corn, 2 homemade bean burgers (just the patties, no bun), zucchini & squash

Some days I might tend to eat a lot of GF pasta -- I go in waves of really craving pasta which I think is due to being gluten-free, sometimes I just don't feel satisfied without pasta and I love making various sauces for it... and a lot of days I eat a square of dark chocolate. We have lots and lots of veggies & beans, nuts/nut butters, coconut milk, olive oil... I eat some fruit but not a ton, it's often too sweet for me. I rely a lot on corn & rice flours because the good stuff (things like quinoa, almond flour, etc.) are just way out of our price range. I *feel* like it's a decent diet overall but perhaps carb-heavy...

[shnitzel]

Were you ever in treatment? Do you have a meal plan you can put yourself back on with a healthy number of starches, veggies, added fats, and proteins?

Counting calories is definitely not the way to go if you have had an eating disorder.

[HappyWoman]

Here's what worked for me:

1. Purchase a new pair of jeans that make you feel great - (Old Navy or thrift store if money is an issue). So worth it!! A little money spent, but hearing your DH say "you look really good," and having friends ask if you've lost weight - PRICELESS.

2. Make a commitment to walk DS in the Ergo EVERY DAY for one hour. Rain or shine. Bundle up, and carry an umbrella if needed. Even better go for walk with friends.

3. Prep food the night before (ie put brown rice in a pot with water, soak some beans, chop veggies, etc.) so that food is ready to cook the next day.

4. Try to eat earlier in the day. Remember that sumo wrestlers gain weight by fasting all day long and then eating a huge meal before bed. Avoid eating after 8pm.

5. Play your favorite music and have dance parties in the living room.

[crunchy_mommy]

Originally Posted by shnitzel 

Were you ever in treatment? Do you have a meal plan you can put yourself back on with a healthy number of starches, veggies, added fats, and proteins?

Counting calories is definitely not the way to go if you have had an eating disorder.

Yes I was in & out of treatment for a long time but it was never *successful* and TBH switching to a vegan diet was basically a huge part of what 'cured' me -- I guess partly because I could keep at a healthy weight without having to think about it much (obviously there were other reasons I went vegan, but until then I'd been a cheese-guzzling vegetarian... when I ate at all, it was dairy!!) I do think I'm eating way more fats and carbs than when I originally made the switch, so maybe that's a good place to try to cut back (but I wasn't gluten-free then so it's more of a struggle now, you know?)

Originally Posted by HappyWoman 

Here's what worked for me:

1. Purchase a new pair of jeans that make you feel great - (Old Navy or thrift store if money is an issue). So worth it!! A little money spent, but hearing your DH say "you look really good," and having friends ask if you've lost weight - PRICELESS.

2. Make a commitment to walk DS in the Ergo EVERY DAY for one hour. Rain or shine. Bundle up, and carry an umbrella if needed. Even better go for walk with friends.

3. Prep food the night before (ie put brown rice in a pot with water, soak some beans, chop veggies, etc.) so that food is ready to cook the next day.

4. Try to eat earlier in the day. Remember that sumo wrestlers gain weight by fasting all day long and then eating a huge meal before bed. Avoid eating after 8pm.

5. Play your favorite music and have dance parties in the living room.

These are great ideas!!! Exactly the kind of things I need to do, not too overwhelming, though walking an hour a day rain or shine would be the tough part. Do people really walk out in the rain consistently?? I might be able to get myself to do it once lol but that's it -- I cannot stand cold, hate water on my face, etc. I guess what I really need to do is figure out an indoor routine for when the weather is bad. I tried getting DS into doing stuff with me (yoga-type stuff) and he loved it the first time or two but then lost interest. (He is not the kind of kid to play alone while I do something for 2 minutes, nevermind an hour workout...) I definitely need a pair of jeans that fit, I have one that's hanging off me but I always wear it because all the others are too snug. I hate jean shopping but I do have a gift card to use up...

[laohaire]

I dropped swelling and weight around my middle when I went grain free. I still have 10 or 15 excess pounds but given how much flatter my middle is right now, I'm happy. If I lose the rest, great; if not, I'm satisfied. I feel reasonably trim. So I can sympathize with the feeling that there is just a lot around your middle, because that's the way it was for me. Folks on these boards told me I wasn't very overweight and perhaps I could live with it. But it wasn't that simple. I CAN live with extra weight, but I felt and looked awful. The 6 or 8 pounds plus swelling I lost this year has made all the difference to me.

But you're already gluten-free. And dairy-free. So you've mostly covered that base - though it's possible you would get better effects cutting the gluten-free grains.

I've been a vegetarian for 1/3 of my life (not anymore) so I have spent some real time trying to figure out what I would eat if I were grain free (and dairy free too, though I haven't taken that step yet). I really don't know. And nobody's been really able to tell me, other than beans and eggs (and I don't seem to digest eggs very well, unfortunately). The diet you described above is familiar to me except I wasn't eating gluten-free products (and I've been a "cheesatarian" too). Ethical food choices is extremely personal, but I have to admit, I've felt so much more stable and trim adding meat back into my diet. Maybe you'd rather just keep on keepin' on, and I admire that. So based on where I am now, it strikes me how much carbs make up your diet, and now that I've changed the way I eat, I've found that something like a zucchini lasagna (with no pasta, just zucchini strips - and plenty of other fresh veggies) actually causes my blood sugar to spike and then crash. As if I'd eaten a cake or something. Well, it's something to think about, anyway.

[crunchy_mommy]

Originally Posted by laohaire 

I dropped swelling and weight around my middle when I went grain free. I still have 10 or 15 excess pounds but given how much flatter my middle is right now, I'm happy. If I lose the rest, great; if not, I'm satisfied. I feel reasonably trim. So I can sympathize with the feeling that there is just a lot around your middle, because that's the way it was for me. Folks on these boards told me I wasn't very overweight and perhaps I could live with it. But it wasn't that simple. I CAN live with extra weight, but I felt and looked awful. The 6 or 8 pounds plus swelling I lost this year has made all the difference to me.

But you're already gluten-free. And dairy-free. So you've mostly covered that base - though it's possible you would get better effects cutting the gluten-free grains.

I've been a vegetarian for 1/3 of my life (not anymore) so I have spent some real time trying to figure out what I would eat if I were grain free (and dairy free too, though I haven't taken that step yet). I really don't know. And nobody's been really able to tell me, other than beans and eggs (and I don't seem to digest eggs very well, unfortunately). The diet you described above is familiar to me except I wasn't eating gluten-free products (and I've been a "cheesatarian" too). Ethical food choices is extremely personal, but I have to admit, I've felt so much more stable and trim adding meat back into my diet. Maybe you'd rather just keep on keepin' on, and I admire that. So based on where I am now, it strikes me how much carbs make up your diet, and now that I've changed the way I eat, I've found that something like a zucchini lasagna (with no pasta, just zucchini strips - and plenty of other fresh veggies) actually causes my blood sugar to spike and then crash. As if I'd eaten a cake or something. Well, it's something to think about, anyway.

I'm glad you mentioned this because it's something I've been toying with in my head.

I sort of suspect rice in particular (incl. rice pastas etc.) may be part of my problem. I had no rice yesterday and didn't look nearly as bloated as I do sometimes. And I hate relying so much on corn. Grain-free really does sound great but I'm just not sure I can restrict my diet further! I think the big pregnant-looking belly started around the time I went gluten-free actually. I really have to think about this.

I am not purely an ethical vegan (I hesitate to even call myself 'vegan' even though I haven't touched an animal product in years!) so although I am very very reluctant to give up a vegan diet I'm not 100% opposed to it. I just don't know what I'd eat. I'm allergic to eggs & suspect I'm lactose intolerant, I think I'm allergic to chicken as well, which is the only meat I can stand the taste of. For multiple reasons, fish sounds like the best option, but again, I can't even look at it (never mind smell or taste it!!) My sisters both are eating mostly vegetarian diets these days even though the both enjoy meat and have no ethical reasons to avoid it -- I think we all just don't digest meat well, maybe it's a genetic thing??? I have lots of 'new' allergies to things like fruits and nuts (throat closes up & stuff)... maybe I need to just live on air to be safe?? LOL!

[physmom]

Originally Posted by crunchy_mommy 

Originally Posted by laohaire 

I dropped swelling and weight around my middle when I went grain free. I still have 10 or 15 excess pounds but given how much flatter my middle is right now, I'm happy. If I lose the rest, great; if not, I'm satisfied. I feel reasonably trim. So I can sympathize with the feeling that there is just a lot around your middle, because that's the way it was for me. Folks on these boards told me I wasn't very overweight and perhaps I could live with it. But it wasn't that simple. I CAN live with extra weight, but I felt and looked awful. The 6 or 8 pounds plus swelling I lost this year has made all the difference to me.

But you're already gluten-free. And dairy-free. So you've mostly covered that base - though it's possible you would get better effects cutting the gluten-free grains.

I've been a vegetarian for 1/3 of my life (not anymore) so I have spent some real time trying to figure out what I would eat if I were grain free (and dairy free too, though I haven't taken that step yet). I really don't know. And nobody's been really able to tell me, other than beans and eggs (and I don't seem to digest eggs very well, unfortunately). The diet you described above is familiar to me except I wasn't eating gluten-free products (and I've been a "cheesatarian" too). Ethical food choices is extremely personal, but I have to admit, I've felt so much more stable and trim adding meat back into my diet. Maybe you'd rather just keep on keepin' on, and I admire that. So based on where I am now, it strikes me how much carbs make up your diet, and now that I've changed the way I eat, I've found that something like a zucchini lasagna (with no pasta, just zucchini strips - and plenty of other fresh veggies) actually causes my blood sugar to spike and then crash. As if I'd eaten a cake or something. Well, it's something to think about, anyway.

I'm glad you mentioned this because it's something I've been toying with in my head.

I sort of suspect rice in particular (incl. rice pastas etc.) may be part of my problem. I had no rice yesterday and didn't look nearly as bloated as I do sometimes. And I hate relying so much on corn. Grain-free really does sound great but I'm just not sure I can restrict my diet further! I think the big pregnant-looking belly started around the time I went gluten-free actually. I really have to think about this.

I am not purely an ethical vegan (I hesitate to even call myself 'vegan' even though I haven't touched an animal product in years!) so although I am very very reluctant to give up a vegan diet I'm not 100% opposed to it. I just don't know what I'd eat. I'm allergic to eggs & suspect I'm lactose intolerant, I think I'm allergic to chicken as well, which is the only meat I can stand the taste of. For multiple reasons, fish sounds like the best option, but again, I can't even look at it (never mind smell or taste it!!) My sisters both are eating mostly vegetarian diets these days even though the both enjoy meat and have no ethical reasons to avoid it -- I think we all just don't digest meat well, maybe it's a genetic thing??? I have lots of 'new' allergies to things like fruits and nuts (throat closes up & stuff)... maybe I need to just live on air to be safe?? LOL!

I think laohaire has a good point and I assumed that you were a ethical vegan so I didn't have many suggestions for your thread. I used to be a vegegatrian and I did lose some weight doing that. That being said I wasn't eating HEALTHY. I was eating way too many carbs and just not enough protein. I've worked on my diet considerably over the past year (it's still a work in progress) but I do whole grains/no sugar and lots of protein. Honestly, protein keeps me sane and I find I eat considerably less sugar/carbs when I have a protein rich diet. I don't eat a ton of meat because I just don't like the way it tastes that much (so it's common for lunch I'll eat a huge amount of beans+veggies+brown rice) but I do have eggs +bacon+veggies every morning and will often include some sort of meat for dinner too (normally roasted chicken). My favorite dessert is cocoa powder+ricotta cheese+vanilla+maple syrup (you can add some nuts/flaxseed in there too). Yum!

If I were you I'd really focus on getting in protein, cutting back carbs and following your body's own hunger cues. If you've had problems in the past, I would suggest avoiding calorie counting! Another thing... how much sugar are you eating? Because I've found that sugar/artificial sweeteners really mess with my body's hunger cues and then I overeat (ditto if I'm eating too many carbs in general). If you're worried about going overboard on cheese just set limits for yourself. Only buy X amount per week and that's what you have to eat for the whole week, don't buy more. I like expensive imported cheese so I only let myself buy one unit per week and I have to stick to that.

I gave up being a vegatarian while I was pregnant. My meat cravings were insane. I've tried going back a couple of times afterwards but it was always clear to me that I started turning to less healthy foods in the process so I accepted eating meat and worked on the rest of my diet.

I have mad respect for ethical vegatarian/vegans but if you're not doing it for ethical reasons and it's making it hard for you to eat healthy it's really something you might want to reconsider (especially since you have so many food alergies/intolerances). Oh, BTW, I used to be lactose intolerant.... I've found it's only certain things that trigger it (full fat ice cream, for instance) but if I cut out sugar/white flour while still eating dairy I'm OK. Something about the combination of full fat dairly and sugar for me is really bad!

[laohaire]

Originally Posted by crunchy_mommy 

I'm glad you mentioned this because it's something I've been toying with in my head.

I sort of suspect rice in particular (incl. rice pastas etc.) may be part of my problem. I had no rice yesterday and didn't look nearly as bloated as I do sometimes. And I hate relying so much on corn. Grain-free really does sound great but I'm just not sure I can restrict my diet further! I think the big pregnant-looking belly started around the time I went gluten-free actually. I really have to think about this.

I am not purely an ethical vegan (I hesitate to even call myself 'vegan' even though I haven't touched an animal product in years!) so although I am very very reluctant to give up a vegan diet I'm not 100% opposed to it. I just don't know what I'd eat. I'm allergic to eggs & suspect I'm lactose intolerant, I think I'm allergic to chicken as well, which is the only meat I can stand the taste of. For multiple reasons, fish sounds like the best option, but again, I can't even look at it (never mind smell or taste it!!) My sisters both are eating mostly vegetarian diets these days even though the both enjoy meat and have no ethical reasons to avoid it -- I think we all just don't digest meat well, maybe it's a genetic thing??? I have lots of 'new' allergies to things like fruits and nuts (throat closes up & stuff)... maybe I need to just live on air to be safe?? LOL!

Since my grain experiment this year, I've found rice to be pretty bloating and haven't even touched it in months. I had a period of confusion about corn, at first thinking it was a grain (it is, apparently) and avoiding it, then being told by someone IRL it wasn't (it is, apparently), and not bothering to research it much, I tried some corn substitutes. But then I found I didn't feel so hot after corn either. I decided to only eat it "on the cob" occasionally, and then stopped even that (DD loves corn, but now I just throw a potato in the oven for myself on corn nights - potato seems ok to me though I can't eat the volume I used to). I do not believe I have celiac disease, but I do feel I am getting some pretty clear signals from my body.

I totally get the "so what do I eat?" thing. I think I have a half dozen posts in my history asking that very question. I spent a month eating virtually the same foods day after day because I just couldn't figure out what to eat if it wasn't tons of meat. And, honestly, I never did. I started eating meat every day. As an aside, I am not ethically opposed to meat-eating, but very much ethically opposed to factory farming. So I felt free to eat meat (I have plenty of good, local sources) but very financially restricted. So I am still struggling with my food choices.

Yet I feel so different now. I feel so stable throughout the day. And now I feel like I just can't eat the stuff I used to.

DH and I went through a period of adjustment eating meat again. It was a slow process. It tasted pretty good to us, though, but we had to sort of not think about it at first, if that makes any sense. I have read that starting with meat broth can sometimes help transition - have a vegetable soup but in a meat stock, for example. (I detest the taste of store broth though; but my own broth is, if I may say so myself, awesome!). Also we're talking about high quality meats, here, not, you know, chicken mcnuggets (blah). Fish might be a great idea if that appeals to you.

I've found food is a journey, and we all take different paths and end up in different places.

[crunchy_mommy]

I will definitely keep an open mind about eating animal products. It's not something I'm ready to do at this point, I guess... but it's something I will continue to toy around with and consider, depending how things go! I have some of the same concerns as you, laohaire, in that if I *were* to eat meat, it would need to be pastured, hormone-free, etc. which is entirely out of our budget.

As of now, I'm making baby steps I guess. I am eating less overall, trying to stop at 1-2 helpings instead of 2-4... Now I'm waking up starving though, which is an issue... I can't eat 'til DS wakes up otherwise it wakes him up (don't ask...) Not sure what to do about that.

I am going to try to get that new pair of jeans this week...

I'm trying to cut down slightly on the grains...

The hardest part still is the physical activity. I am working on getting DS to nap alone, and if I can get him to consistently do so then I might be able to use that time to work out a couple days a week. I wish the rain would go away, it's so hard to consider getting outside or even down to the workout space in our basement when it's so cold & wet & miserable. I am trying to do little things like situps & pushups for a minute or two a day, which is a long way off from what I need to be doing but at least it's... well, sort of something... lol...

[laohaire]

Believe it or not, I'm a veteran of "can't eat until kiddo gets up" too. Can you stash a banana or something somewhere, something that doesn't require prep or refrigeration, so it's there and ready in the morning?

I also am a veteran of starving myself. Maybe it'll work for you but it did bupkis for me. Well, maybe it saved me a little money, but it didn't save me any grief.

[crunchy_mommy]

Originally Posted by laohaire 

Believe it or not, I'm a veteran of "can't eat until kiddo gets up" too. Can you stash a banana or something somewhere, something that doesn't require prep or refrigeration, so it's there and ready in the morning?

DUH! Um why on EARTH did I not think of that 2 years ago?!?!?!??!

Originally Posted by laohaire 

I also am a veteran of starving myself. Maybe it'll work for you but it did bupkis for me. Well, maybe it saved me a little money, but it didn't save me any grief.

You're right. Why is starving so tempting? I think I'm going through some weird stuff...

[HappyWoman]

The Macrobiotic diet has literally been a life saver for me. I got into Macrobiotics because of a chronic illness - which has since completely disappeared, and my family and I have never felt better. It is very compatible with what you have been doing - vegan, GF, soy-free, etc., but you would just be making modifications: more whole grains, beans, greater variety of veggies, soups, sea veggies, miso, etc.

If you are interested in learning more, I would suggest the book "Hip Chicks Guide to Macrobiotics" by Jessica Porter. It is very popular, so you could easily find it at the library. She suggests baby steps - increasing certain foods, rather than completely changing your diet at first.

If, after reading a little about Macrobiotics, you are still interested, I would highly suggest a counseling session with a professional Macrobiotic Counselor.

Yes, I do walk in the rain with my son in the Ergo just about every day for an hour. We live in Oregon, and in the winter it literally rains every day for months. It really isn't so bad. With a good umbrella and rain gear, we both stay pretty dry. Getting regular exercise, and fresh air and time in nature makes such a difference in my mood.

[azhie]

Have you tried yoga? Yoga can be very relaxing and a great stress-reliever. Just some simple postures, the sun salutations, and lots of deep breathing can go a long way in balancing out life in general. The sun salutation series is really good, all-around exercise-- it may seem simple, but once you start building up the rounds, it's a workout! Even if you only do 15 minutes a day, it can really be helpful. Stress can be a factor in weight gain/ not very good metabolism and make losing weight difficult. 

Eating at regular times and only foods as natural as possible can also make a big difference in metabolism. I used to have an eating disorder as well, after I got married and started eating at regular times, things got much better. I know it's not easy with a kid to take care of, but just try to work towards it.  Avoiding processed food is another one that helped my weight stabilize. Right now I'm pregnant, and I discovered that I gained weight very quickly when I ate processed food. Since stopping, even though I eat till I'm full every meal, I barely gained any weight, though baby is gaining nicely. It's a habit best not to start because it's so hard to break!

I also don't recommend counting calories or stepping on the scales if there's history of disordered eating. It takes time to lose weight and numbers can be discouraging. I like to go by how well my pants fit. Once I start growing out of them, time to adjust food habits.  

Good luck!!

[Liberty5_3000]

I have had troubles with undereating/overexercising and purging.  I feel best when I do take long walks everyday, but I don't think I often walk in the rain, I just watch for breaks in the rain and take advantage of them.  Buying the jeans or whatever that fit does help, even if I hate doing it.  And stretching every day is big for me, if I stretch, I have better posture and I just feel better and stronger and my belly doesn't stick out quite as much and people think I've lost weight I haven't lost... and that motivates me to keep going slow and steady.  When I try exercising or dieting, I take them too far and feel miserable and then do the opposite and feel miserable about that.  Stretching and long walks have been what works best for me to get to a place I'm comfortable.

[crunchy_mommy]

Yoga is a good idea, I will try to incorporate a few minutes every day and hopefully expand on that as I get stronger! I also discovered kicking a small ball against the wall for a few minutes was fun, got my heart rate up, and got DS cracking up!! Definitely need more ideas of ways I can include a few minutes of exercise here & there throughout my day, because I guess I'm not up for a full hour-long workout right now.

I do eat only whole grains, trying to eat more fermented foods, and low sugar, minimally processed, etc. I sort of feel like, aside from being a bit high in carbs, my diet *should* be kind of ideal, except that apparently it's not lol. Maybe my body composition has changed since having a baby & nursing, and I need to shift things a bit more.

I just can't walk in the rain. I need rain gear, I don't even have an umbrella or boots, and it's not in our budget. It normally doesn't rain quite this much at once, so it's hard to justify the purchases. And I'm a wimp.

I am trying hard to avoid the scale and just go by how I feel. Unfortunately, I feel like crap. Even in sweatpants I feel so much pressure on my stomach, which exaggerates that "fat" feeling!! I noticed a big part of why I don't like nursing DS much is because he puts pressure on my stomach.

I'm so glad you guys are here to talk through this with me & give me ideas!!!