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How to stay skinny and avoid brain fog?

3.3K views 16 replies 14 participants last post by  Skinnerella  
#1 ·
I go to college with a lot of buffet style, carb heavy food and it sucks. I started eating smaller meals and I skip dinner sometimes to lose weight. It works but in my classes it's hard to answer questions because I can't think enough. Any suggestions?

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#2 ·
u dont. LOL.

for real though, if ur undereating so much to the point of brain fog, take that as a sign ur doing sum serious permanent damage to ur nervous system.

eat at maintenence for a bit, or a slight (200-400) calorie defecit. brain fog is serious, and performing well in college is going to get u a lot further than getting put in the hospital.
 
#3 ·
u dont. LOL.
for real though, if ur undereating so much to the point of brain fog, take that as a sign ur doing sum serious permanent damage to ur nervous system.
eat at maintenence for a bit, or a slight (200-400) calorie defecit. brain fog is serious, and performing well in college is going to get u a lot further than getting put in the hospital.
Ah darn. I'll try to eat less calories but counting calories at a school with 130 calorie orange juice is scary

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#5 · (Edited)
Does anyone know what biologically causes this?? Everything I read about it is vague and unhelpful. I feel like there should be an entire section of MPA dedicated to this since it's such a common thing with ana, lol. I have yet to figure out what causes it specifically and how to stop it (or at lease relieve the symptoms).

It's freaking horrible to deal with and it's ruining my life. Sometimes my brainfog is so bad I can't even hold a conversation with people. I used to be known as the "smart" one in school, but whenever I go to class lately I end up embarrassing myself because I can't even answer simple questions from my professors or retain anything they're teaching. It makes me so socially self-conscious that I just want to lock myself in my room and never come out because I just can't function.

Lately, I've found that magnesium/potassium/sodium/electrolyte supplements help a little. Coffee helps sometimes, but if I have too much coffee it makes it x10 worse. Nothing I've tried works 100%. It's such a weird symptom of restricting and I wish I knew (besides eating more) how to have a normal functioning brain again.
 
#6 ·
Does anyone know what biologically causes this?? I feel like there should be an entire section of MPA dedicated to this since it's such a common thing with ana, lol. I have yet to figure out what causes it exactly and how to stop it (or at lease relieve the symptoms).

Sometimes my brainfog is so bad I can't even hold a conversation with people. I used to be known as the "smart" one in school, but whenever I go to class lately I end up embarrassing myself because I can't even answer simple questions from my professors or retain anything they're teaching. It makes me so socially self-conscious that I just want to lock myself in my room and never come out.

Lately, I've found that magnesium/potassium/sodium/electrolyte supplements help a little. Coffee helps sometimes, but if I have too much coffee it makes it x10 worse. It's such a weird symptom of restricting and I wish I knew (besides eating more) how to have a normal functioning brain again.
Your brain is being chronically deprived of the basic nutrition it needs to function, just like our other organs. The brain needs calories too but it isn't getting nearly enough to function normally. There really isn't a way to starve without suffering the consequences of starvation. When I was a BMI of 12.1 my memory was barely working and I was struggling to even speak. It can get really really bad.
 
#10 ·
It's really hard haha but basically the brain fog is inevitable. If you have access to getting your own groceries or can exchange the carb heavy food for more nutritious food, I'd do that, and then just eat right before your classes. That's what I do to pay attention, and it still takes lots of effort. At times, restricting does give me kind of a hyperactive edge when studying, but usually only in the mornings. By late afternoon I'm a veggie brain lol, so you gotta work hard when your brain is on.
 
#14 ·
Can you not go to the cafeteria? And get maybe an insta pot? I basically gorged on dark leafy greens with nuts and fruits. Also lots of bean soups. Get proper nutrition, hit 1200 kcal. It's enough to give the body what it needs to survive without gaining and hopefully by losing if you walk a lot between classes/library.
 
#16 ·
your brain can only run off of carbohydrates, so getting those earlier in the day should help keep your energy up. im in college rn as well, and its been hard trying to eat enough to do well in classes! as far as cafeteria goes, i am personally a big liquid calorie person bc i dont like the act of eating, so i would focus on that. otherwise, maybe a potato thing in the morning if they have it, or toast/a waffle? another tip: i do higher restriction, but i adjust my restriction level (500ish - 1200) based on how much energy i need. working on having maintenance days but eating that much is hard. good luck :)