Four years ago, I had the same problem. I was obsessed with food all the time. I ate as little as I could and hoped that a multivitamin would prevent any nutritional deficiencies. I weighed myself at least once a day, usually right before bed. If the number was higher than the day before, I would do a set of exercises to try to burn more calories.
Eventually, however, I hit a plateau and the weight started to return despite my best efforts. Tired of being hungry, but still terrified of gaining weight, I became somewhat bulimic for a few months. I would binge on the weekends, and my body, not used to such a large amount of food, would purge itself automatically. I'm not sure if this was technically bulimia, as I didn't force myself to vomit, but it was quite unpleasant.
I think I finally began to get better when I went to France for a few weeks one summer. In France, the pressure to be thin and to fit a narrow mold of the "perfect female" is much, much less than it is in the USA (I'm not sure where you are, but does this make sense anyway?).
Here are some things that helped me resist the urge to starve myself:
I stopped watching television shows that featured unrealistic female role models, which pretty much meant I only watched the Discovery, History, National Geographic, Animal, and HGTV channels.
I stopped reading magazines or news about Hollywood stars, especially the female ones.
I learned that most actresses on TV and film are starving themselves and working out two to three hours everyday with a personal trainer. Although we may be able to do the former, the latter is impossible for normal people.
I realized I didn't really want to look or live like the TV or movie stars.
I tried to eat healthy foods so that I wouldn't feel so bad about eating them. For example, I began eating whole wheat bread and drinking soymilk. I stopped eating most kinds of meat.
I began to really look at people around me, only to see people as flawed and as discontent with their bodies as I am.
I saw cultures on National Geographic that believed obesity was beautiful. I realized beauty was determined by a specific culture, not by some universal law.
I realized I didn't want to waste my whole life worried about the way I look. There are so many more interesting things to concentrate on.
I hope some of these sound potentially helpful. Let us know how it's going. :hug:
