How much weight can you expect to lose from a diet?

I see it quite often, people start a diet expecting it will make them lose a lot of weight, they don't see the results they want, and they give up or end up binge eating.
Learning how to be realistic about how much you can lose and whether or not you'll be able to stay on track for a diet is very important.
First off, you should never try to reduce to less than 50% of your average intake overnight. It takes time to adjust, and this is the most common cause of bingeing. If you've been overeating recently, don't restrict to less than 1000 calories. Once you can manage that limit, you can try reducing it again.
Next, expect to lose water weight over the first days of a diet, but don't expect that rate of weight loss to continue during the whole diet. After the first 5 days or so, weight loss will likely slow to 0.5lbs-0.75lbs. This is normal, and may fluctuate through out a diet, don't give up or try to reduce your intake just because your weight loss had slowed.
Exercise. It's not always necessary to exercise, and often times diets are too low to have enough energy to work out. If you choose to start working out when you start your diet, it will make the weight loss slower at the beginning. Your body has to build muscle, and muscle weighs more than fat. After you've built up enough that you can exercise continuously without your legs/arms giving out, it will remain around the same level until you increase the intensity. You may experience weight gain because your body stores water to repair your muscles. If you're sore and you've gained weight, its safe to assume your holding water weight. It will go away as the soreness does. 

Exercise isn't about burning calories. Your own Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) burns over 1000 calories everyday, just by staying alive. Your Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE) is close to 2000 if you leave your house everyday. This is where the bulk of weight loss is from. The purpose of exercise is to shape your body as you lose weight. Toning is what makes models look the way they do. It's up to you whether you exercise and it depends on what your goal is. 

If you decide to start an exercise regime, I recommend finding 5-10 Youtube videos which are within your ability range and alternating them. Make sure you have a variety, doing the same workout everyday will only help what it works on. There's no shortage of variety on the internet and all it takes is a few google searches. Calisthenics (sit ups, push ups, squats, etc) are minimal in effect and benefit. Look for things that get your whole body involved. Be creative and make up your own exercises. Find things that challenge you, but not so difficult that it's intimidating. Cardio burns the most calories and builds endurance, so it's a good thing to do, but don't get caught up in trying to burn off your whole intake. 

Learn about the body and how it works. Digestion and nutrition, but also how foods affect your emotionally and mentally. Knowledge is power. Knowledge about your body gives you the power to change it. 

Finally... stay calm! Stress is the number one trigger for overeating. Even if you don't do as well as you hoped for a day or two, it's not the end of the world, and it won't undo all of your progress. You will not store calories as fat unless it's above what you've expended. Also, remember that calories are not stored as fat until at least 12 hours after they were consumed. Food waste which is still in your body is what causes weight to spike the day after a binge. Bingeing because of weight gain is the most counterproductive thing to do. Just take it day by day and you'll get where you want to go.

Different Methods of Restricting

There is no one common strategy to restricting, which varies within when you eat, how much you eat, how often you eat and what you count. There are also different patterns that work better for some people, and I will simply discuss the pros and cons of many of these.

Eating one big meal/once a day (intermittent fasting): This schedule is often used by those with a busy schedule which allows them to avoid being confronted by many food related decisions.
+ easy to stay within a low limit, allows you to fall asleep feeling somewhat full, 'normal' sized meals can be had with family or significant others
- requires 18-22 hours between meals, night binges

3-4 Mini meals/day: For those who are surrounded by food through the day, controlled meals to keep from binges.
+ variety, normal eating timing can continue, 'always eating' just small amounts
- one big meal could lead to disaster, constant temptation

Repeated fasting: Fasting 1-2 days, with 'break' days (limited or free calories). This system takes a lot of control but often leads to the binge-fast-binge cycle.
+ rapid weight loss, temporarily relieves binge stress
- requires a lot of control, easy to fail

Each of these systems can be used with different levels of intensity. Personally, I'd recommend the first two over the last, but all are effective.

Manic Autumn

As so many of us have come to learn, everyone has a particular time of year they restrict best in or feel most motivation to lose weight. Some like summer; with bikini thinspo, where the freedom of not having to go to school means you only expend energy on exercise, and you promise to be thinner and tanned when you go back to school. Many hate the summer, watchful parents forcefeeding you at every meal, stuck up in your hot bedroom trying to do enough calisthenics to burn off dinner, being forced to wear pants and suffer the heat, or shorts and embrace scars. Some like winter; big fluffy sweaters and thigh gaps, snow days of you're lucky, reading Wintergirls and dreaming of a pure, clean, skinny new you for the new year approaching. Or you're panicking about holiday dinners and looking chunky in two jackets. Some of my more experienced friends of mine love spring; the gradual warming of cold hands, the looming freedom of summer to get us through final exams. Prom and graduation if you're lucky enough.
But there is a manic crazy, a drive that incites us to restrict in the fall, especially for those returning to school. There is no consensus on whether it's the feeling of a fresh start, the relief from the heat, the reemergence of hoodies, or the freedom of being out if watchful eyes; it's likely an individual combination of these things for everyone. But we all feel it. There's a need to plan; meals, calories, diets, goal weights. "Get skinny for Halloween/before Thanksgiving/to go on a holiday trip/to eat Christmas dinner without guilt." We know the drill. We know our reasons. 

However, for those who are still in school or college, this can be a major hindrance for their success. 

You should never put losing weight in front of your education. Think of it this way; your weight will change through out your life. There is no way to indefinitely control your body. Being thin in your teens and 20's doesn't equate to much, but having knowledge that you learn in high school and college will stay with you for the rest of your life.  I recommend at least 500 calories on days you attend classes, more if you exercise as well. Feed your brain with nutritious foods such as fish, leafy veggies, and whole grains. Fruits and fatty meats count up your calories quick but don't provide a lot of the nutrients you need for good memory. Eat at least half your calories before you go to school, so that you aren't distracted by a grumbling belly in class. While most agree it's easiest to restrict while at school, don't forget the reason you are going!

How To Eat Less at Social Meals

Be it a pot luck, barbecue, birthday party, or just dinner with the family, the easiest way to go over your calorie limit is by having to clear a plate. Here are some tips to get you through eating around other.
1. Serve yourself. Instantly, by making your own food choices, you have control over how much you will have to eat.
2. Don't flat out refuse to eat. This will draw so much more attention than if you made yourself a little plate.
3. Just one. One scoop, one handful, one slice, one serving, don't take a large amount of any one thing. Don't go back for seconds, ever.
4. Skip the condiments. That one spoonful of mayo just cost you an entire cookie.
5. Don't eat your favorites. If there is a particular food item that you really like, don't even get a little, because you will want more later.
6. Always be doing something besides eating. If your cousins are throwing a frisbee around, or the tv is on, or there are people you can talk to, find anything else to be doing. People won't force food on you if you are occupied.
7. If someone offers you something or hands it to you, you can take it without eating it. Trying to deny any food that comes your way is a flashing sign that says you are avoiding food. No matter how clever your excuses are, just take it without arguing, you can toss it or give it to someone else, you don't have to eat it just because you accepted it.
8. Have a drink in your hand as often as possible. You won't look like you are participating in the meal if your sipping a diet soda.
9. If you are at a restaurant, skip the appetizers, eat the salad or the soup, engage in as much conversation as possible during the main course. If you have to order your own dish, instead of ordering a salad and making it obvious you are dieting, order something you don't like and don't want to eat, then you won't want to finish the whole dish. Also, tell people it tastes great and offer as much away as possible. Oh, and don't touch a bread basket with a ten foot pole.
10. If you are sitting at the family dinner table, eat slowly enough that someone else finishes before you before mentioning anything about feeling full. Remember, you don't have to clear your plate, even if you are the one to serve yourself.
11. Cover most of your plate with salad, rice, or potatoes, then add the main dish on top of your base, then it will look like you've taken more of the main dish.
12. Skip dessert. Say you'll take it to go or that you haven't had a sweet tooth lately and sugary things make you nauseous just thinking about how sweet they are.

What To Do When You Binge

We all end up doing it at some point. No one is perfect, and learning to restrict successfully takes time. Here are some things to remember next time you do.
1) The weight is temporary. If you weigh yourself immediately after bingeing, the number is horrible inaccurate. Not only is the weight of the food you ate there, but water weight caused by increased sodium making you weigh more. The morning after, you will see a higher weight until you pass the food wastes.
2) It takes 4 to 6 hours for your body to begin absorbing those calories. If you try to burn all the calories you ate off immediately after after eating them, you will not only disrupt your digestion, you will also do nothing to change how many calories are stored. 6 to 18 hours after eating is when your body will be burning of storing those calories. That is your time window for burning off all the calories you binged on.
3) Don't take laxatives right away. Most laxatives work best on an empty stomach. Taking them on a full stomach makes it more likely you'll experience cramps, gas, and bloating. Also, if you wait until your stomach is empty, a regular dose of lax will work just fine.
4) Don't try to fast the next day to counteract today. While you are convinced you never want to eat again, you are more likely to binge again, so don't make any changes to tomorrow's food plan. It's also easier to keep up with diets if you don't restart them every time you mess up. There's nothing special about the order of the calorie amounts in diets, so if you mess up a few times, there's very little you can do to change how fast you'll lose.
5) You don't have to weigh yourself the next day. As much as you want to know the damage done, you don't need to stress yourself out about it. You can skip one day of weighing yourself, do better the next day, and see a more accurate number the day after, panic attack unnecessary.
6) If you get stuck bingeing several days in a row, try setting a higher calorie limit and ease back into restricting. It can take a few days to get back on track, and if aiming for a low number is causing you to binge, then stop trying to restrict so low.
7) If you don't already purge, don't start. If you are not addicted to purging, stop. If you already have a habit of it, fight it. I'm 17, I've been purging for 4 years, and I have lost four teeth from it. I have had two root canals, my tonsils removed from infections, I have a stomach ulcer, and I have sores in my mouth which never heal. Stop purging as soon as you can. It ruins your life and I will never encourage someone to purge. In the words of Marya Hornbacher, "I'd rather starve than spit blood."

Meal Plans!

I've worked out many possible daily meal plans for each calorie limit of the Skinny Girl Diet. 

You may have as many zero calorie drinks as you want. Also, you can substitute anything with the right calories. 

Where it says fruit, you can eat the specified amount of calories from the fruit of your choice. Bananas, peaches and pears are generally 90 calories each. Large apples are 90, medium apples are 75, 22 grapes is 88. 

Make sure you check your nutrition labels to be sure your brand of the foods are the same amount of calories. If the package has a different amount, you can calculate how much of your type of food can be eaten for the specified calorie amount.

300 calorie days: (days 2, 9, 16, and 23)

● Non fat yogurt (90) + ~fruit~ (90) + [1/2 cup tuna (40) + rice cake (45) + tomato slice (10)] = 275 calories

● Waffle (90) + 1/2 banana (40) + tomato soup (100) + toast (70) = 300 calories

● [Oatmeal (100) + blueberries (20)] + 2 cups green salad (40) + 1 slice veggie pizza (140) = 300 calories

● [toast (70) + jelly (80)] + 15 grapes (60) + low calorie soup (90) = 300 calories

400 calorie days: (days 1, 3, 8, 10, 15, 17, 22, and 29)

● ~fruit~ (90) + 1/2 lettuce and tomato sandwich (90) + [1/2 cup pasta (160) + tomato sauce (70)] = 400 calories

● [1 scrambled egg (60) + toast (70)] + [2 rice cakes (90) + 1 tbsp peanut butter (80)] + tomato soup (100) = 400 calories

● oatmeal (100) + fruit (90) + taco (180) + 1tbsp salsa (20) = 390 calories

● hot pocket (230) + fruit (90) + 2 cups green salad (40) + 1/2 cup tuna (40) = 400 calories

● granola bar (160) + 2 rice cakes (90) + carrot and potato soup (150) = 400 calories

● [toast (70) + jelly (80)] + 2 cups green salad (40) + 1/2 block Ramen (180) = 400 calories

450 calorie days (days 5, 12, 18, 24, and 26)

● oatmeal (100) + fruit (90) + rice cake (45) + steamed broccoli (45) + 1/2 cup meatloaf (80) + 2 small cookies (70) = 430 calories

● 1 scrambled egg (60) + toast (70) + [1/2 cup tuna (40) + toast (70)] + 1/2 block Ramen (180) = 420 calories

● cereal (110) + almond milk (30) + peanut butter and jelly sandwich (260) + 2 cups green salad (40) = 440 calories

● waffle (90) + 2 rice cakes (90) + 1 tbsp peanut butter (80) + ramen (180) = 440 calories

650 calorie days (days 6, 7, 13, 20, and 27)

● oatmeal (100) + sliced banana (90) + 16 chips (160) + 3/4 cup pasta (230) + tomato sauce (70) = 650 calories

● cereal (110) + almond milk (30) + peanut butter and jelly sandwich (260) + ramen (180) = 580 calories

● Waffle (90) + orange juice (120) + 15 grapes (60) + 2 rice cakes (90) + tomato soup (100) + toast (70) + ice cream fudge bar (100) = 630 calories

● 2 scrambled eggs (115) + toast (70) + lettuce and tomato sandwich (165) + chicken sandwich (300) = 650 calories

● Hot Pocket (230) + fruit salad (160) + 1 taco (180) + 1 tbsp salsa (20) = 590 calories

700 calorie days (days 14, 21, and 28)

● 2 waffles (180) + peanut butter and jelly sandwich (260) + 1 cup almond milk (60) + tomato soup (100) + toast (70) = 670 calories

● cereal (110) + almond milk (30) + fruit (90) + Subway 6" sandwich (320) + cookie (150) = 700 calories

● 2 scrambled eggs (120) + toast (70) + orange juice (120) + lettuce and tomato sandwich (165) + taco (180) + 1 tbsp salsa (20) = 685 calories

● oatmeal (100) + sliced banana (90) + [tuna (40) + lettuce (5) + toast (70)] + 3/4 cup pasta (230) + tomato sauce (70) + 2 small cookies (70) = 675 calories

Skinny Girl Diet

This June, I will be doing the skinny girl diet for a second time. The first time I tried it, I finished the diet but only lost about 6lbs. This time, I'm hoping for a better turn out, and that I can continue to cover for my weight in therapy. My current stats, are 5'9" and 133lbs. My goal for the start date is 128lbs, and my goal for the diet is 116lbs.
I've chosen to do this diet again because it takes weekends into account, which is very important for me. I'll also be starting at my new job and attending some college meetings, so I'll be plenty busy enough this month.
If anyone wants to join me, join my kik group #skinnygirljune

The Real Anorexic secret

We hear it constantly, mythological "Ana Tips and Tricks" which hover in Pro Ana sites and make your babies skinny. No really. It's a popular misconception that there is a great deal of sharing Ana Tips, I have actually found very little of the sort. Yes, there are some decently far gone people who try to make them and share them just to get more 'credit' about their disorder. There never is any actual tricks, anything that makes you feel any less horrible because of starving yourself. Home remedies, nutrition recommendations, and keeping yourself busy help, but there is no secret other than to starve. I guess that is a secret to some sheltered people, but to most, it's common knowledge that by eating less, you will lose weight. That in mind, one must also know what is really eating ' less ' and what is switching junk foods out for mountains is ' healthy ' foods. There is nothing an anorexic can tell you that will help you become thin. You just do it. You starve, you work, there is no way to short change anything or trick your body into not trying to save you. If you can't do it, you aren't trying hard enough. Anyone can control how much they eat. You are no exception, and if you can't stop bingeing, you are doing something wrong, and you need to learn more about nutrition.

Lose Seven Pounds in Seven Days: Day Two

Day 2: Weigh yourself again! You're going to be doing this every day. The loss you can expect is usually dictated by how your life style regarding food was before this. If you were a chronic emotional eater, probably eating more than 2500 calories every day, you may lose 2-3 pounds today. If you had an average diet (1700-2200 calories) you are almost guaranteed to lose a pound by today, two if you're lucky. If you had previously been restricting, you may lose a pound today or one every other day.

Wakey wakey, tired? Of course you are. That doesn't matter. Push yourself anyway. Do 100 jumping jacks, 100 sit ups, 50 squats, 50 lunges each leg, 20 push ups. Just like yesterday, this is going to be routine. I don't care if your muscles hurt or you feel like you're running on air. Jog in place or run outside for about 15 minutes, then go shower and get ready for school or work. Drink your coffee or tea, this way you don't feel so empty. If you are really that hungry, make broth with a bullion cube to take with you. It will make you feel like you're eating.

At work or school, chew gum all day. Make sure it's sugar free! You don't want all those extra calories! Are your friends hating how grumpy you are? Good. It's been proven that people eat 30% more when they eat with friends than alone. Today you are going to be more tempted. If you get offered food or a snack or even a candy, you can not accept it. Cheating is what leads to bingeing, which is FAILURE. Do you really want to lose weight, or are you just doing this to fool yourself? You are the only one who controls what goes in your mouth. You have complete and total power to say no to cookies and yes to thin. Keep drinking your tea or coffee. Have a book or something to distract yourself when you have spare time. People who eat out of boredom will be most tempted now.

When you finish with school or work and you are home, DON'T EAT OUT OF TIREDNESS. You will want to eat because you think you have no energy. Nope. Take a fruit, not a snack food, but something that grew from the earth, and eat that. You will get real energy and nutrients which will make a bigger improvement than snack foods. No, yogurt does not count as a fruit. Even if it's some sort of fruit flavor, you need real, unprocessed food. It will feel like more because your stomach is adjusting to eating less. Some people will feel more hungry after this because when you start eating, you don't want to stop. This is enough for you to function and do your work, so once you start focusing on something else, the cravings will go away.

Ding ding dinner time! Think you're more hungry than yesterday, so you get to eat more? You really only need the same amount of food. Almost forgot... do some stretches! Making yourself wait longer for food demonstrates control over your body. When you are in control, you are less likely to make irrational decisions with food, and you will probably make healthier choices. Just like yesterday, no meat, no grains. Did you have potatoes yesterday? Doesn't matter, you can't have any today. That's the only vegetable you are served/know how to make? Get experienced then. Make a salad. You can buy premixed salads at the supermarket, they even tell you how many calories are in them. Avoid dressing and croutons, they carry too many calories and if you add some seasonings with far less calories, your salad can still be flavorful. Eat slowly also, wait at least 15 seconds between swallowing your last bite and taking your next. You'll know when you really are full, even if you think it's not possible to be full because your stomach must have some how turned into a black hole because you went more than 36 hours without a cookie...

Count up your calories. How many did you have? Compare them to this chart to see what you're doing today:
1-200: 60 second wall sit, 50 push ups, 50 squats
201-400: ^ + 40 lunges each leg, 45 second plank
401-800: ^^ + five minutes of jumping jacks, 30 minutes of running
801+: ^^ + PURGE IT ALL you only made it this high by CHEATING this is not okay. You are a failure, you probably aren't even taking this seriously.

Tonight, think about how you have done so far. If you have set a goal weight, how far from it are you? Have you kept up with the amount you need to lose every day in order to meet it? You can always reconsider a more realistic goal.

Lose Seven Pounds in Seven Days: Day One

Day 1: Weigh yourself as soon as you wake up, after you've used the bathroom. This is your start weight.

Start off with coffee or tea, black, no sugar. Get moving! Do 100 jumping jacks, 100 sit ups, 50 squats, 50 lunges each leg, 20 push ups. Fired up yet? Good! Jog in place or run outside for about 15 minutes, then go shower and get ready for school or work.

No eating when you are at school or work. You need to focus on what you're learning or doing. Hungry? More coffee or tea!

When you get home, eat an apple, orange, banana, or handful of blueberries. If you are a student, start your homework! Work extra hard on everything, you need to make it all perfect.

Time for dinner? I don't think so! Yoga first! You can look up videos on Youtube or just do some general stretches but it must take at least 15 minutes. Now you can have dinner. Oh wait, oops, just kidding. Drink four cups of water. Now you can eat.... only your veggies. No rice. No bread. No meat. Not even a little. People tell you to? You're forced to eat more? Yeah right, stop making excuses, excuses don't make you skinny. You have to count all the calories. Write down all of them in a diary or in a calories tracking app. How many did you have? That's how many sit ups you have to do. Now. 

Alright, now that your first day is done, you get to shower. Make sure you wash all of the bile down while you purge everything you can force up. Have fun? I'm just getting started.

Dangerous Pro Ana Tips and Tricks

1. Gagging kills your appetite.
2. The smell of bleach will probably give you a headache and you won't want to eat.
3. Put hand sanitizer on and lick your hands.
4. Eating soap gives a laxative effect.
5. You will need laxatives at some point because you will stop shitting naturally.
6. Press your stomach when you purge to get it all out.
7. Drink some water then purge some more to get it all out.
8. Shave your legs and arms and neck and even your face because you grow peach fuzz everywhere at a low weight.
9. Even if you're cold, don't wear jackets, wear shorts and t-shirts in cold weather to burn more calories.
10. You burn more calories exercising for long periods of time.
11. When you get good at purging, you can do it into bags in your room.
12. Tie a scarf around your stomach too tight so you won't want to breath.

Hey Fat Ass Guess What?

Stop eating. Fucking stop eating. You'll never be thin. You're browsing a Pro Ana blog, stuffing your face, lard falling out of your trousers, thinking about how much you hate people like me. Why? You're jealous. Jealous of my self control, jealous you're aren't good enough, and pissed off because you know I'm right. I don't care, keeping hating me because I'm right, but you'll never get any where if you don't stop eating.

Control yourself. Don't eat while you are doing anything. You can only be doing one thing at a time. If you're on your laptop and eating, you don't know when you're full. Focus on every damn bite when you are eating, you'll know when you're full. Even if you aren't Pro Ana, knowing when you are truly full will help you drop a few pounds you didn't know you were carrying.

Still hate me? Cool.

Triggered? Well no dug you're on a fucking Pro Ana blog and you read the full post, you obviously knew what you were getting yourself into...

Safe Pro Ana Tips and Tricks

1. Drink as much water as you can.
2. When you eat, think about every bite.
3. Don't be afraid to be near food.
4. If you are served a plate, leave most of it untouched and only eat a little.
5. Never eat alone, those are wasted calories.
6. Don't act nervous or uncomfortable if someone talks about weight in front of you.
7. Give dummy dieting tips if the topic of diets comes up.
8. Eat salad first, without dressing, then say you feel full and don't want more.
9. Vegan foods often have less calorie dense ingredients. Be vegan.
10. Watch shows like Secret Eaters and Supersize Vs. Superskinny when you are bored.
11. Make a list of  100 things to do besides eat.
12. Go to sleep early. Get at least 9 hours of sleep.
13. Set a time you will stop eating at night and one you won't eat before in the morning.
14. Consider the time between meals to be like fasting time. Nothing enters your mouth, not the tiniest bite.
15. Wait at least 15 seconds between bites.
16. Start drinking tea or coffee (black is better but with milk is okay).
17. If you take birth control, do it in the morning and tell co-workers or friends it makes your stomach weird so you don't eat breakfast.
18. Make a Memo on your phone of tips, thinspo quotes, and even thinspo pics to look through and add to when you're bored.
19. Download phone/iPod/tablet games to play and distract you.
20. Never be free. When you are always busy, you don't notice hunger.
21. Take plenty of time to plan out your meals, even for three or more days ahead of time.
22. Have clothes which are a few sizes too small to try on and see where you are losing your weight.
23. When exercising, avoid boring, repetitive routines. You burn more calories if you have to be aware of what you're doing instead of mindlessly doing the same movement.