Going back to uni always makes me want to lose weight

I've struggled with somewhat disordered eating in the past but not to the point of needing professional help or having a diagnosable eating disorder but pretty much every uni term when I go back it makes me want to start losing weight again. My current weight is 6 stone 10/94lbs so I'm not overweight by any standard but feeling the desire to lose weight again since I'm back at uni. my lowest "adult" weight (I was 16-17 but the same height as I am now and had finished puberty) was about 5 stone 10/80lbs and lowest recent weight (last academic year) was 6 stone 4/88lbs. It follows a pretty predictable cycle atm where I'll be at home and maintain a normal weight/diet (my family like to eat and drink so going out for meals is a big thing for them), then I'll get to uni where I'm entirely cooking my own meals and not really going out to eat so will lose a bit of weight without trying and like the way it changes my body and then continue it deliberately. My current diet has been pretty healthy recently. I usually just have toast or something and a piece of fruit for breakfast, usually a sandwich and another piece of fruit for lunch, and then I've been having salad (with some ham, chicken or cheese) for dinner every night for the past few weeks so I'm eating healthily and eating a good amount but still falling back into the desire to lose weight which seems to happen every time I go back to uni

Reply 1

Anonymous #2

Do you feel better/healthier in yourself at a lower weight?
When you are trying to lose weight are you still eating enough/eating healthy?
Are you troubled mentally by trying to lose weight eg does it stop you from occasionally enjoying eating out/ take up loads of headspace etc?
If it is simply a case of you eating out less and when you go to uni you lose weight because you are eating more at home that seems to be fine! It’s okay to have a preference for our body to look a certain way and as long as it is healthy then if you want to lose weight then go for it!

Reply 2

Surnia

Disordered eating does need professional help and that isn't a healthy diet.

See a doctor or contact an organisation like:

https://www.beateatingdisorders.org.uk/

Reply 3

Anonymous #1

Original post by Surnia

Disordered eating does need professional help and that isn't a healthy diet.
See a doctor or contact an organisation like:
https://www.beateatingdisorders.org.uk/

I'm far from being at a point where doctors would even the idea of me suffering with disordered eating to the point of needing professional help as I'm either 1lbs underweight or right on the boundary of healthy weight depending which BMI calculator I use

Reply 4

Dunnig Kruger

Ham is a Group 1 carcinogen.
Cheese has large amounts of fat and salt and is unhealthy.
Chicken is unhealthy.

Put some beans into your salads instead of the above 3 ingredients.

As a student, try to budget accordingly so that you spend what you need to spend on food. Even if this means you buy next to no new clothes all year.

Herbs and spices make the difference between good home cooking and Michelin Rosette levels of cooking.

Read How Not To Die, How Not To Diet and How Not To Age by Dr Greger.

Cook evening meals in batches. So that what you cook lasts you 2, 3 or 4 evenings with you reheating it or eating it cold.

Wholemeal bread or rye bread instead of white bread.

Go for variety - even if you have spend extra to get those cherries instead of the apples you normally eat.

Unsalted nuts. Snack on them and add them to evening meals. Either raw or lightly roasted if you strongly prefer them lightly roasted.

Aim for a BMI of 21. That's the BMI associated with the best life expectancy. Your life expectancy is far more important than what you (or anyone else) thinks looks good on you.

There may be certain foods you have an aversion to. Be adventurous. Try them again. With you doing your best to try them in a context where they are ripe and fresh and cooked in the most delicious way. Which for something like carrots may well be raw and shredded or thinly sliced. For cucumber it's raw and medium sliced. For aubergines, in a ratatouille (Marco White has a good recipe on youtube) is great. Etc.

Aim to be the person in your kitchen at uni that has their act together when it comes to food and cooking. The person with a mature approach. Cooking proper meals (more often than not) instead of being like a kid and eating Heinz beans on toast, supermarket pizzas and ready meals all the time. Convenience foods have their place, but it's better if they're not your staple.

Aim to make it that you never starve yourself and that you always eat at the first signs of hunger. With the right quality of food you can stuff your face and feel full or satisfied all the time whilst having no adverse health effects, only beneficial ones.

Reply 5

Surnia

Original post by Anonymous

But it's not just a physical issue, it's your mindset to this.

Reply 6

Anonymous #1

Original post by Surnia

But it's not just a physical issue, it's your mindset to this.

Yeah, I have a lot of the thought/behaviour patterns associated with disordered eating but they come and go in cycles of a few months usually and rarely lead to the amount of physical harm a doctor would need to see before diagnosing or treating any kind of eating disorder.

Reply 7

black tea

Original post by Anonymous

What were you hoping to achieve by making this thread?

Reply 8

jacim

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