Alcohol + No Food = ?

[Jinxsta]

Ok not been eating, well had some veg and couple of pickled onions over the past 5days I think... but have turned to alcohol to supress my appetite, I alreeady know that alcohol is full of calories, but doesnt tend to affect my weight unless im eating with it.... prob coz alcohol has a laxative effect on me.... just want someone to educate me a little on any extra risks of drinking lots of alcohol aswell as not eating... hoping i might wake up a bit... dunno if it affects the liver more, was told that mine was only functiong 20% or not functioning 20% (something to do with 20%) after a big OD, but the liver repairs itself doesnt it?

XxX

[Roses]

Your body needs time to repair itself baby. Yeah the liver will repair but if you are not feeding yourself and poisioning your liver it will not be happy. 20% function is really low, then alcohol on top...

20% LIVER FUNCTION + NO FOOD + ALCOHOL = VERY POORLY

Please take care of yourself. Perhaps go to your GP they have these build up drinks you can take. I have to go on them every now and then and they give your body all the nutrients and vitamins it needs without the heavy eating food stuff. Love to you Jinx xxx

[anastasia]

roses is right. if its only working at 20% it will take a while to repair. if it's lost 20% it will still take time to repair.

please see your dr.

[lovingleah]

can i suggest food and no alchol? it poisons your system and becomes a food subsitute in your head. and then it just goes down hill from then on in. i've seen it. please don't go there. and if you really want to lose weigh see your dr and discuss a sensible way of doing this if it is needed. please take care. leah xxx

[Jinxsta]

Thanks to u both, was bout year ago i was told that and not sure which way round the 20% was. How many calories do the build up drinks have roses? coz i was thinking of doing that, but my max daily allowence is 400, thats not including liquids, tea, coffee, alcohol, squash...dont want to get into liquids coz i dont hydrate myself enough as it is, without worrying bout that...so i dont look. I dont wanna be really ill, i just wanna lose a couple of stone, quickly without people noticing....like now my GF knows that im eating rarley, i feel like its an invasion of my privacey, almost like someones telling me how to shit.

XxX

[Jinxsta]

High Leah,

that makes sense actually the whole alcohol food substitute thing, ive done that in the past and got myself out of it, prob coz ive eneded up going loopy then in hospital, then given a fresh start when released, but think ive already got myself back in that pattern.

XxX

[lovingleah]

right. i'm going to be brutally honest here and it will potentially hurt both me and you jinxsta.

your liver is a vital body organ and you need to look after it. which means eating and drinking sensible and with alchol and drugs in moderation except prescribed drugs which you should take as gp's said.

these vitamin drinks are minging and you don't want to get to the weight where you need them. its not pleasant. it ruins your body. you get osteoposis, body hair in places you really don't want like the face, always cold, look ill, no energy, potential heart failure if your weight really drops etc. if you want to know more look up anorexic side effects and believe me you DO NOT want an eating disorder. its hell. been there, still there, don't want to see others suffer. and may actually have to visit dentist due to rotting teeth by purging as well as starving self to stupid levels - see above side effects.

also if you really think you need to lose weight - and i'm so not the person to say whether someone does or doesn't cos i'm underweight and still think i'm fat please see your dr and get a dietician referal. then you can come up with a meal plan. weight loss - sensible weight loss - is a matter of eating sensibly so your body doesn't go into starvation mode where you actually look fatter at least initially and exercise. again a sensible level. if you starve your body you will get fatter cos your body will hold onto to every little calory you consume in an attempt to stay alive. thats the start. the next step makes me cry to talk about so we won't be going there.

sorry if i've been too harsh with you darling but don't want you to go through my hell. take care.

leah xxx

[Jinxsta]

No, not too harsh Leah thats wot i need.... prob is my BPD gets right in the way the black and white thinking bit, i either eat nothing or everything....i've tried to diet, but i cant do it, if i eat i get hungry more and more, i did a diet plan of Poached egg on toat for breakie, then 2 riveta with cottage cheese for lunch, then half a tuna and cucumber sandwich and a carrot for dinner totaling 532.5...but I was more hungry than ever....ive never ate breakfast regulary...very rare, usually will go till bout 5pm then eat a meal, maybe having something small before then and because im literally not hungry but if i have breakfast say about 9 im then very hungry by 12 and then again by 7 so i end up eating three meals, when i wouldnt usually anyway. So i get no weightloss...thats why i cant just diet or go to the docs.

XxX

[Roses]

Um, yeah the vitamin drinks aren't that great but when faced with them or nothing I think they are the safer option Leah. Guess it just takes a mature outlook to see that.

Jinx, 400 calories will send your body into starvation mode and make it harder to lose weight and it will cling to whatever body fat you do have. It is better for you to do some exercise like resistance training or even walking a few miles every other day will help. Eat little and often to avoid feeling full, but youd do need to eat and the vitamin drinks will back you up and help you increase calories.

I was anorexic as a teenager and underweight, as a young adult I was bulimic and now i'm just plain fucked up so believe me I know what i'm talking about too. Leah is right that you don't want to end up with an eating disorder as it sucks the big one.

[Jinxsta]

Hi Roses,

I did some research, and i always thought before bout a week ago that if u dont eat, ur body starts eating muscle, and i dont want that, its very important to me to be strong, ready for attack, ready to fight...i pride myself on being strong; winning arm wrestles, knocking attackers out with on punch etc.... so i dont like being able to do that.... a broken finger guts me... but then crossed with the negative comments from my family that im fat....that makes me feel real bad too... like i gotta be real strong to protect them all, but gotta be thin also to stop abuse...im currently 12 more 14, but was a 12 more a 10....the machine says i need to be 2stone lighter to be healthy...is healthy strong?....i dunno. I have to protect, a fat fuck cant do that, nor can a skinny person....i cant win...does complan have lots of calories?

XxX

[Roses]

um don't think they have much in, sure you can find on webbernet honey or ask the pharmacist?? Yes, you need to be strong and healthy, strong women all have different ideal weights due to muscle content. If you are naturally more muscley you can be 1-2 stone over ideal and be PERFECTLY healthy. Just rmeember that Jinx, the ideal weight is a farce. There is 3 stone from lowest to highest healthy weight for anyone. I can be between 8st7 - 11st7. just be healthy. A size 12/14 is average. xxx

[Jinxsta]

I found they are 250 cals when made with water, yeah them weight machines are weird coz according to that i had more body fat when i was lighter WTF, ......eg;

24/01/09 12st 0Ib BMI 27.1, body fat 32.6%

19/11/09 12st 5 Ib BMI 27.8, body fat 29.5%

....I dont get it

couple of years ago i was 10.5 stone and everyone used to say i was underweight, but according to the machines im not underweight till im 8 sumthin.

XxxX

[marcedwards]

...and u may need a strong vitamin B compound + additional thiamine as these severely lack when drinking. Can also lead to hallucinations (and memory loss) etc if u don't get anough thiamine - u can buy over the counter - I am on prescription. Drinking with no food means it goes straight to liver rather than absorbing some of the stuff along the way which is processed more slowly than a direct hit on the liver. Remember 1 unit of alcohol = the amount (a healthy-ish) liver can process in 1 hour.......sorry if this is patronising...I have a bit of experience. PM if u like.

M

[Russell]

Hi there, I havent read all the posts as Im struggling to concentrate this evening but I just wanted to add my own opinion/experiences (as a guy with an eating disorder thats currently under control-ish)

I have done the 300/400 cals a day routine but at the end of the day on paper it just doesnt add up. Anything under a thousand a day and you body will switch to starvation mode and store as much fat as possible to see you through tough times. You metabolism will slow right down which isnt what you want (your metabolism is the fire that burns the calories)

For safe weight loss you should aim for about 1300/1400 but with daily exercise and the weight should come off 'consistently' (starvation isnt a consistent method because its so difficult to maintain for most)

Alcohol as you mentioned has colories in and will slow your metabolism and it will likely lead to a worse mood/depression.

I would weigh myself 3 or 4 times a day as a bit of a ritual when things were really bad but now I dont go near scales or BMI charts. for me its a case of 'what am I comfortable with, do I like the way I look'

Fortisip build up drinks are rank, 350 cals a shot (and its a small bottle) I wouldnt go there :S yuk (done too many in my time)

Anyway, thats just a few of my thoughts and dont mean to sound preachy or anything.

If you are simply wanting to lose a bit of weight to stay healthy then I can highly recommed 'The Biggest Loser' on sky and freeview (its a weight loss competition but done in a controlled environment, theres some Huge weight losses and some very good trainers and advice)

Wishing you all the best

Russ

[lovingleah]

hey,

just wanted to say good luck with losing weight in a sensible manner, if thats what you chose to do.

i know i went overboard yesterday with what i said but cannot bear to see/know of another person going through hell, which is what an ed is. and its hard to beat one of those buggers. there's always a little food voice in my head which has a nag and i know many others suffer similarly, who've also had ed's. not saying everybody does mind. i can only give you my experiences, and those of those close to me.

i'm not going to read this topic anymore as i find it too much of a trigger which is not you or anyone here, its me not being able to cope and not wanting to be triggered by things. so please don't take it personally cos in no way is it meant that way. i also have bpd so i know what that feels like and how easy it is to read things wrong so please please don't take it personally. i need to sort my demons and make me stronger.

if you want to talk, ever, please pm me as it shows up in my email so i will reply. any support you need or just a place to offload but for now i won't be around for a bit on the forums probably, specially not this line.

take care please darling, you're very valued as a person and remember you are strong.

leah xxx

p.s. did not say dont drink vitmain drinks. just said they're nasty and you don't want to aim for a weight where there forced on you. if thats what you choose to do then go for it. xxx

[Jinxsta]

Thank u everyone, I have taken all ur advice on board and started eating a little more..(half turkey and tomato sandwich this morning and supernoodles tonight)....ok well well not quite a 1000 calories but bit more than i was, and i have decided not to drink unless there is something in my belly....Sorry if i have sounded ignorant in anyway. I had group therapy again today and they asked if my individual therapist had spoken to me about my eating or if i had told her, i said that i hadnt lied but hadnt disclosed the whole truth... they said they going to email her and stress there concerns around my eating again... appointment wednesday morning ....just dont want her to feel like im kicking her in the teeth.

XxX

[Miko]

The trend in your body fat index is a good one and against that the extra 5 lb is probably not significant based on my knowledge gleaned at workplace gym a few years ago, bearing in mind I'm a bloke as well. Sounds like you are somewhere near your best weight so any further loss can be spread over a few years rather than sought for in a hurry. Apparently muscle is slightly heavier than fat (not much though). If your build is meant to be a little muscular (which is a good thing overall) you could be fairly near your best weight already. Also, a couple of stone fluctuation up or down isn't crucial either, no matter whatever people notice it or not - more than that upwards or downwards might not be good.

Bear in mind alcohol is a mood disturber, try a nice cuppa instead (I'll brew up for you) and hang in there, I am hoping good things for you ((( ... )))