9 months-Am I doing as bad as I think I am?

I already know that I am experiencing eating issues. I was lucky to get in 200 cal a day. Often times it was 0. This started shortly after surgery. Just out of fear or gaining or not losing. I am really forcing myself to eat now because logically I know that I need to, but still struggling. This is what I had today and is a fairly typical day for me now. I am forcing myself to do this much. Can you please provide any thoughts or advice? Breakfast: protein drink - 160 cal 30g protein Lunch: protein drink - 160 cal 30g protein Dinner: 4 oz chicken fajita w/green peppers, onions and cheese. Thanks ~ Terisa

Can you share a little more information? What procedure did you have? when? what is your activity level? Have you had any post-op complications? and any other details that can help us understand what's going on.

I had RNY on Dec 6th, 06 I am quite busy from 5am until 10pm I am running all day, I do have a desk job, but I spend a lot of time running from one end of the building to the other At home I have 4 kids and two of them are toddlers so I spend a lot of time cleaning and taking care of them once I get home I work out usually twice a week doing tae bo or the gym.  For tae bo I exercise for about 40 min and at the gym I go 3 miles on the bike and lots of toning equip for at least an hour and half. I have not had any complications at all. ~ Terisa

A little bit more info - how much weight have you lost? What is your current height and weight? Did you have an eating disorder prior to surgery? (I mean diagnosed) You know I'm going to tell you that your calories are very low.   This is not the forum to deal with the nuts& bolts of an eating disorder.   With more information, I can tell you where you should be calorie wise

Not looking to deal with psychological issues here. It is because I am addressing the issues that I really need to know where I should be calorie wise. I did not have an "official" diagnosis of an eating disorder before surgery, but rather my therapist said that I had disorderly eating because it was quite common to go days without eating and only eating a little even when I did eat. I was 261 at surgery and I am 160 now and I am 5'3. I have not lost an extreme amount of weight for my time out. As a matter of fact once I started to eat again I gained a few pounds. Now my body seems to have adjusted more. After I gained a few I was on a plateau, now I am losing again. Physically I feel a lot better now that I am eating, but now I want to get in the right amount of calories while still losing weight. I struggle with the eating disorder everyday, but I know logically I have to eat so I try to set the fear and panic aside and do what I know is logically right.

You mentioned in your first post how low your daily intake is - right around 600 kcals/day.  I am not sure if that is consistent or if you have some 'big' food days mixed in. If I was going to ballpark your calories per day, I would put you at 1050-1300 kcals/day.  This should be adequate to allow for weight loss.  If it's not, then you would either need to drop some calories or increase your daily activity.  You describe a very busy lifestyle and I'm not sure if regular activity fits in to that (I hope so, because activity is a great plateau buster!) The best way to figure out what you need to do is continue to track your calories or plan menus that fit with your goal calories.  Sometimes planning is easier when you are coupling your weight loss plans with disordered eating.  This allows you to feel confident that the foood you are choosing is "okay" and reduces your opportunities to second guess yourself and thereby sabotage your eating plan.  Make an initial plan that allows for 1200 calories a day.  Follow that for two weeks and see what happens.  If you stabilize, then you may want to cut out 100 of those calories.  If you continue to lose - then throw your arms up in the air with joy!  If you lose too fast (more than 1 lb per week) then add 100 calories in and feel comfortable about it (this may be a challenge). Part of dealing with an eating disorder is finding routines and habits that you can implement each day, creating a more ordered behavior.  Your relationship with food is different than others, but you are taking the right steps to deal with it. Good luck and I'd be happy to help in the future if you need it. Danielle Halewijn RD eNutritioncare.com

Hi, Terisa.  It sounds like you have some psychological issues that need to be addressed before your nutritional deficiencies cause irreparable damage to your body and your organs.  You are not giving your body enough calories each day to meet your minimum base metabolic needs.  So your body is very likely breaking down your muscle tissue to meet its needs.  In the short term, you'll be fine.  In the long term, you could do significant, irreparable damage to yourself.   I would gently encourage you to find a therapist or a counselor to work with you on these issues.  You need to eat more for your long-term health.   Best of luck on your continuing journey -  Kellie

Actually I do see a therapist and I am doing a lot better than what I was doing. I just really need to know how far off I am now.