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I used to be right there with you. I hated my body, thought I was fat (because I went from a size 0 to a size 2), and went to extreme lengths to lose weight. I reached my goal weight many times, but would inevitably binge because my body was so deprived, and gain weight back, thus repeating the cycle.
You may not be fully aware of this and just think you "crash dieted", but it sounds like an eating disorder to me, most likely anorexia.
At my worst I ate 100 calories a day while overexercising. I lost 20 pounds in a month or two. I skipped breakfast and lunch. I came home after school and immediately snuck into my mom's bathroom to weigh myself. If I lost a pound (my daily goal), I was happy. If not, well...
I hated myself. I hated my body for being so evil and working against me. Eventually, I gave up. I realized there is more to life than your weight and what your body looks like. I'd like to go over the detrimental effects of an eating disorder before I answer your question directly.
Nutrient deficiencies (aka malnutrition)
Extreme or rapid weight loss (aka emaciation)
Loss of bone density (leads to osteoporosis)
Loss of muscle tissue (including your heart tissue. One of the major causes of death from eating disorders is your heart simply stops beating because it's too weak.)
Dry, cracked skin
Brittle nails
Hair loss (I could practically pull out clumps in the shower)
Mood disorders (anxiety & depression)
Fatigue
Body dysmorphia (the inability to accurately perceive the size of your body; i.e. thinking you're fat when you aren't)
High stress hormones
Slow metabolism
Loss of period and fertility
Death (from heart dailure, malnutrition, or emaciation)
Don't think it takes eating nothing to get these symptoms. Calorie restriction has immediate and severe effects on overall well-being and quality of life. I just wanted to include this list so you can recognize what symptoms you might have and also to dissuade you from returning to destructive behaviors when you experience rebound weight gain.
Now, to answer your question.
Here's what nobody told me before I starved myself. Not eating enough slows down your metabolism. Ever heard of a yo-yo diet? If not, it's what happens when someone goes on a diet, or otherwise restricts calories. You lose a bunch of weight, and then, slowly or quickly, it all comes back and then some. This is what so many people fail to recognize.
Depriving your body makes it think you're experiencing a famine or food shortage. To adapt, it slows your metabolism (so you burn less calories), makes you fatigued so you won't exercise (and burn calories), and ramps up your hunger. All of these things predispose you to weight gain and make weight loss or maintenance nearly impossible.
Now, I'm not saying all this to scare you. That's the opposite of what I'm trying to do. The point I'm trying to make is that what you've been doing is entirely unsustainable and eventually your body will force you to eat more. This will happen no matter how much willpower you have.
Most people will recommend increasing calories incrementally to minimize rebound weight gain, but I think that's a faulty plan. This may actually increase your weight gain because it will take longer to raise your metabolic rate back up to a normal level. By the way, that can take months or even a year considering how much you restricted. Of course, that all depends on your individual body.
If I were you (which I was, once), I would start eating a normal healthy diet. I can't give you exacts because I don't know your height, weight, and activity level, but you don't need them, anyway. The best way to minimize rebound weight gain is to eat and live healthy. Not only will it benefit your weight, but this approach will also boost your metabolism and protect you from all sorts of diseases like cancer, heart disease, and diabetes.
Follow these steps and you will remain at a healthy weight. Note: if your "perfect weight" is underweight, you will gain a bit. Don't worry, this is a good thing.
Eat whole foods.
Eat slowly.
Drink water when thirsty (but not when you're not thirsty!).
Sleep at least eight hours, nine if you're a teenager.
Keep stress low.
Move your body gently as much as possible. Walk often.
Laugh often.
Spend time with people who lift you up.
Spend time in nature.
Spend time in the sun.
If you do all those things, or even just most of them, you will be happy and healthy and at a healthy weight. Eat when you're hungry, and don't when you aren't. Eat until you're full, and not any more. If you gain a lot initially, after a while you'll probably start to lose some of it. Or you may not. That's okay. When I gained weight, I relapsed. I started starving myself again. This lasted about a week until I remembered why I stopped in the first place (I was miserable).
Don't make the same mistake I did. Give your body time to realize you aren't going to starve it again and that food is always available. If you don't, it'll take you a whole lot longer to fix the damage you did to your body.
I'll tell you now, the new diet you proposed in the comments is not healthy. Don't do that to yourself. Don't hurt yourself like that. Please. How can you possibly have the energy to even joy life with that little food? You can't.
If you absolutely cannot go straight to eating a normal diet out of fear, which I completely understand, then go ahead and increase incrementally. Every week, eat more food at each meal. Add an egg to breakfast, a slice of cheese to lunch, and a piece of dark chocolate to dinner. Repeat.
And please, oh please, above all else, love yourself. Love your body. It gives you the energy and vitality to run, swim, jump, play, dance, sing, draw, and anything else you love doing. Don't thank it by starving and hurting it. Thank it by treating it with compassion, and love. Enjoy your life, and body, and food, and don't worry about your weight. Yes, it's hard. It may be the hardest thing you've ever done. It's also worth it.
To make it easier, here are some tips:
Practice these daily, and you'll start to love yourself more and more each day. It takes commitment, and it can be emotionally draining, but as I said earlier, it's so worth it. If I could recover, maintain a healthy weight, and learn to love myself, then you can too.
Still have a question? Ask your own!
