Heavy restricting

So, last two weeks, I've been working from home - which gave me the chance for some heavy restricting (mostly coffee with some lf milk and sweetener, low-cal choc) and a salad or something for lunch. And weight loss was significant, which kept me extra-motivated.

As of this week, however, trainings I'm interpreting at client's offices continue, so I'll be there every day from 9 to 5, plus my regular workload when I return home - which means some 4 hours of sleep a night...

Usually, when I have busy days, I try to eat "sensibly" - but today, I've been restricting heavy-duty and I've managed to stay on my feet. It's 1am here, I'm getting ready for bed and I'm thinking "Oh, so I can handle that!" I know it's bad for me... I know I could faint any moment. And that could be, well - at least embarrassing, maybe even dangerous (e.g. if I'm driving).

However, if I quit restricting, I'm sooooo scared that I'll gain and throw away everything...

It's a hard thing to step away from. I restricted harder than usual when I was out of town (making up for limited workouts) and am having a hard time coming back from it. Good luck sorting it out - it's tough. ((hugs))

It's really important that you eat whilst you're working. You need to be able to stay focussed and you won't be able to do that without eating. It's great that you lost weight over the week working from home, but this week you will probably have to eat more 'normally' so your metabolism will get confused. It will grab on to all the fat it has available and store it because your body won't know when the next meal is coming. Is your bf still keeping an eye on you? What about the exercise? Perhaps you could maintain the same number of calories when you're at home as in the office and then if you feel the need, you can increase your exercise a bit. I know it's still not strictly healthy, but I think it would probably be safer than retricting too heavily xxx

I agree, you should eat something while your working, especially if you are hardly getting any sleep. You dont wont to get run down and possibly faint. When i fast and have alot of work to do, my mind just jumbles and it takes me twice as long. Even if you eat low calorie things it would be better. its quite scary to think you could faint while driving. Maybe some small apples? crackers? jelly? soup?

Be careful!

Thanks, girls! Love ya all

I am trying to eat something sensible over the lunch break - today I've had a nice soup at the restaurant... They also serve some nice salads (albeit, with heavy dressing - hope I could get that on the side), so I'll probably be OK with eating that, maybe some grilled chicken/fish. As long as it's not sandwich/pastry...

Yes, my bf is still watching me - however, we mostly see each other in the evenings, and my "program" does not allow for late eating... Yes, I'm lying to him, but I cannot help it... He noticed my weight loss and just commented that he hopes it's a healthy option...

As for exercising... Well, when I start - I cannot stop unless I have to go out or something. I'm kinda obsessive about that, so I make sure I do my routine early in the morning, so I have to finish in reasonable time and get ready for work. Otherwise, I could go for hours... And often get hurt - especially if I believe I ate too much...

Hate this...

I don't know if this is an annoying thing to hear, but I understand how you feel. The fear of eating more and gaining after you restrict a lot, and the obsessive exercise if you feel you've recently over eaten. You're totally not alone in this pattern.

One thing you don't want to do is suddenly start eating a lot more. Its bad for your body and yes, you'll gain weight because you're body will, for lack of a better explanation, be excited it's getting food and nourishment and cling to weight gain. To start getting healthier without unwanted weight gain, add the calories on slowly. Start with 50, or even 10 extra (healthy) calories a day.

Protein is SO important! Shrimp for example, if you like it, is a great low calorie high protein snack, with lots of good stuff in it.

Make sure you tone your muscles and aren't just doing cardio. If you're not eating enough you're body burns your muscle and conserves fat, so you have to build those muscles. You should even skip cardio every once in a while to let your body tone and not burn. Remember: Muscle weighs more than fat, so you may in the future seem heavier on a scale but you'll look way tighter and slimmer in the mirror. You can't be healthily and attractively thin without some muscle (which burn tons of calories when you get them by the way!)

Take care of yourself x