I keep losing - that can't be healthy

Anoulie · Post by **Anoulie** » Sun Sep 05, 2010 7:54 am

Hi there,

I have a rather unusual problem, but since it's No S related, I think I can still ask you guys about it.

I started Vanilla No S in the end of September 2009 because I had gained so much weight during my stay in the US (I was an exchange student there for a year). I weighed 120.6 lb then. I'm 5'2.2", by the way. Before I went to the US, I weighed about 110 lb, and my goal was to weigh the same or less.

So I did Vanilla, and on Christmas Eve, I weighed 109.6 - I had reached my goal. I continued Vanilla No S, however, because I was happy with it, it just worked for me. I kept losing slowly, until I weighed about 105 lb (I didn't mean to, but it didn't bother me, either).

Then, this summer, I kept noticing how my eating plan was interfering with my social life. This was why I decided to switch to S events (three a week), and it worked pretty well, but after a few weeks, I was unhappy with it, don't ask me why, so I randomly decided to stop doing No S altogether to see how I could cope without it. I weighed 102.3 lb then, which scared me a little, I'd never intended to lose this much, so this was another reason to stop.

I couldn't. It was just like my S days had been before - okay, not THAT bad, but I kept grazing on stuff I didn't even like just because I could, and then I was never hungry for my meals.

So I switched back to my S events, but this time, I made it six a week - I didn't have any weight to lose anyway, so why not, I thought. It's been working amazingly well so far.

Today, after two weeks of "six a week", I stepped on a scale for the first time. 98.5 lb. SERIOUSLY? According to my BMI (17.9), that makes me underweight.

Okay, I've been exercising more lately (I play basketball once a week now, and I walk two dogs now twice a week, and ride my bicycle there), but I always ate until I was full at meals, sometimes even more than that, and also, I've had lots of extra calories because of my six S events. This doesn't even make sense.

But I don't want to leave No S, either, it just makes sense to me, and without it, I just munch on whatever's available at that time, and keep looking for sweets etc. in the house just to kill time, and then I'm not even remotely hungry for meals.

What should I do?

wosnes · Post by **wosnes** » Sun Sep 05, 2010 10:18 am

Well, first, what do you typically eat at meals?

Anoulie · Post by **Anoulie** » Sun Sep 05, 2010 10:24 am

Breakfast:
two slices of toast or regular bread, butter (sometimes margarine if we're out of butter), lunch meat
a banana OR an apple OR some tomatoes OR some grapes OR some pickles OR ...
sparkling water

Lunch:
pasta OR rice OR potatoes OR bread
a fried egg OR some fish filet OR some chicken OR pork OR ... some kind of protein source
a banana OR an apple OR some tomatoes OR some grapes OR some pickles OR ...
orange juice mixed with water (1:1)

Dinner:
two slices of toast or regular bread, butter (sometimes margarine if we're out of butter), lunch meat
a banana OR an apple OR some tomatoes OR some grapes OR some pickles OR ...
milk (1.5 or 3.5 % fat)

wosnes · Post by **wosnes** » Sun Sep 05, 2010 12:26 pm

I think it's entirely possible that you're just not consuming enough calories -- even with your 6 weekly S events.

Anoulie · Post by **Anoulie** » Sun Sep 05, 2010 12:30 pm

But I'm full after each meal... ?

That's odd. I'll try and pick some dietary defaults that are higher in calories, then.

Suggestions?

Blithe Morning · Post by **Blithe Morning** » Sun Sep 05, 2010 12:35 pm

If I were concerned about losing too much weight, I would count calories (or kilojoules) for two weeks to make sure I was taking enough in.

Unexplained weight loss MIGHT be a sign of something more serious. If you find that you are taking in enough calories then go to a doctor. How do you feel otherwise? How do your skin and hair look (they can show signs if something is off with your thyroid). You might want to start keeping a health diary as well.

Of course, you might have a naturally high metabolism and your natural weight is just low. Being underweight according to a chart isn't necessarily a problem unless you find that your health is being affected. Do you catch colds or infections easily? Do you still get your monthly period? Are your energy levels good? (These questions are for you to think about, not necessarily to answer here)

Keep us posted.

wosnes · Post by **wosnes** » Sun Sep 05, 2010 1:56 pm

I agree with Blithe Morning, but I'd try adding more calorie dense foods first.

Heh, I'm the nurse and advice to go to a doctor was my first thought. But, I also think that we've gotten so used to avoiding more calorie dense foods that we think it's wrong or unhealthy to eat them.

Sinnie · Post by **Sinnie** » Tue Sep 07, 2010 12:15 am

Hey anoulie,

Do you find it hard to make it to each meal? Like, are you starving and shaking by the time you can eat or before bed? Maybe just add in some of the foods you were eating before that got your weight up previously? I suppose it's not the worst problem to have

hehe

Anoulie · Post by **Anoulie** » Wed Sep 08, 2010 4:22 pm

Sinnie wrote:Do you find it hard to make it to each meal? Like, are you starving and shaking by the time you can eat or before bed?

If I did, I'd know why I was losing so much weight

I do get hungry before meals, but not super-hungry or shaky.

Sinnie wrote:Maybe just add in some of the foods you were eating before that got your weight up previously? I suppose it's not the worst problem to have hehe

Those foods were sweets... so I kind of already added them back in, as I allow myself six S events a week.

oolala53 · Post by **oolala53** » Thu Sep 09, 2010 1:35 am

I suggest you add some nuts to your meals. Start with four walnut halves. Fats are the most compact foods, so you won't get so full.

sharkchick · Post by **sharkchick** » Thu Sep 09, 2010 5:45 pm

New here but decided to jump right in. I added up your calories for a typical day and they aren't even 1100! A woman needs at least 1200 calories and a man needs at least 1500 and that's the minimum rec for losing weight, not maintaining! I ditto the suggestion to add more fat to your meals to up caloric load. Nuts and nut butters will get that caloric load right up!

DaveMc · Post by **DaveMc** » Thu Sep 09, 2010 9:29 pm

Anoulie wrote:What should I do?

The glib answer, I suppose, is that if you want to gain weight, you should reverse the advice you followed to lose it: instead of "eat less", you want to invert that to ... wait for it ... "eat more".

However, less glibly, it sounds like your problem is that your appetite is just not naturally leading you to eat very much ... As others have said, this might be something to discuss with a medical professional, since it could mean something serious. You could also ask them if they think your current weight is a health risk for you. (The BMI chart is based on population averages, so it might be a good idea for someone to look at you individually and see if they think you're really so underweight that you should be concerned for your health.)

If you do end up needing to sort of force yourself to gain some extra weight, I'd assume that you could still use NoS, but shift the focus from having *at most* one plate of food to having *at least* one plate of food. Maybe use bigger plates and try to fill them up a bit more, over time? If you can shrink your appetite too far by eating gradually less, maybe you can expand it by eating gradually more, over time?

Sinnie · Post by **Sinnie** » Sat Sep 18, 2010 8:50 pm

Hey Anoulie!

Just curious to hear how things are going? Have you made any progress with your situation?

You said "I allow myself six S events a week." Do you still take S days on the weekend? Did you ever, or did you just do S events?

Hope things are coming along

Let us know.

Anoulie · Post by **Anoulie** » Mon Sep 20, 2010 5:09 pm

Hi,

sorry I didn't give you guys an update.

It's all good... I tried to be a little less restrictive and stopped obsessing over taking my bike / walking instead of riding the bus / taking a car etc. Also, my parents stopped buying 1.5 % milk and now I can only drink whole milk.

I now weigh around 103 lb, which I think is fine. I was just a little worried because I'm exactly the kind of person who would develop an eating disorder (always want things to be perfect, bottle up my emotions, am really stressed out lately...). But it's fine now.
I'm just a little worried about me being cold all the time... O.o

Sinnie - I used to do Vanilla No S, and then exchanged my S days for 3 S events a week, as some other members of the board are doing at the moment. I then changed it to 6 because a) I was losing too much and b) it just wasn't enough for me (I like chocolate).

Anyways, I'm off to dinner!

Anoulie

Sinnie · Post by **Sinnie** » Tue Sep 21, 2010 11:54 am

Hey Anoulie,

Glad to hear things have come along. It sounds like you have come up with balance of things that work. I like the idea of S events. It sounds like you are doing very well. When I am stressed, I tend to eat MORE.
As far as being cold, I've heard women in general have poor circulation which tends to make our hands cold all the time...but being cold in general could be a result of not enough body fat? Not too sure...

Everyday Systems

I keep losing - that can't be healthy

I keep losing - that can't be healthy

Re: I keep losing - that can't be healthy