Starvation, Calories, and Adaptations

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i eat outside most of the time so i dun think i will want to bring a food scale to the canteen and weigh the food before i eat..too much hassle..regarding the fish is i mean i just know it is a fish but dun know if it belongs to barucada or koi or sardiness..something like that as the calorie counter need me to be specific..
 
i eat outside most of the time so i dun think i will want to bring a food scale to the canteen and weigh the food before i eat..too much hassle..regarding the fish is i mean i just know it is a fish but dun know if it belongs to barucada or koi or sardiness..something like that as the calorie counter need me to be specific..

Well, unless someone is magic around here, which I doubt.... it seems like you looking for a definitive answer to "will this be enough."

Without knowing specifics, nobody can give you a specific answer.

Make sense?

That said, stick with what you are doing. Let your weight, measurements, and appearance be your guide. If things are not heading in the direction you are shooting for, you will have to change bits and pieces of your approach.

I'm not sure how else to put it.

I saw in this thread, or another, can't remember, that you joined a gym. Are you lifting weights?
 
Well I dont want to mess up my metabolism because it is pretty high. What I do when I have to lose weight is I will go for 2 weeks or soo and lose about
5-10 pounds and then for the next couple weeks I will eat my normal way and maintain my weight. Over the past 6 months or soo I have lost close to 40 pounds and it is pretty easy. It might just be me but I have been able to maintain my weight for the past year or so. The main thing with me is just getting the extra weight off.
 
It's hard, but I try and remember to look at how I feel and how my clothes are fitting. I rarely get on scales, anymore, because I know how I'll react to the numbers.
I know I have put on weight in the past couple months. I always do in the later fall.
Also I have just stopped a long time drug addiction. While using my eating was erratic, at best.
Not using, I have gone back to the gym, working out 5x a week. Doing around 40 min. cardio and 15-20 min. of weights.
I know I don't like how I look right now. I am weighing in what I should for my age and body type-and I just don't like it.
I need to remember it will take time to get back to where I left off a few years back when I was eating right and exercising on a regular basis.
I've only started back in the past two months. And I'm over 50, now.
Patience, huh?
 
Is it possible I'm just different?

I weigh 265 lbs. and work out 3 times a week at the gym. I do pretty intense cardio for a half hour. I have just added weight lifting to my routine, but it hasn't been long enough to give results yet.

I have been working out and counting every calorie I eat since January of 2007. I eat, on average, 2193 calories per day. I aim for 1500-1800 but often miss my target. The 2193/day is an average for the entire year. I have gained 5 lbs. this year on this diet/exercise plan.

According to the calculations, I should eat 2622.91 calories a day to maintain. Because I have gained weight on fewer calories than this, I can only assume that the formulas don't apply to me. So now I need to figure out what my maintenance calories really are so that I can eat less.

I do have a history of starving myself, and I messed up my metabolism in the past. However, this was a really long time ago. I had one starvation period about 15 years ago (for about a year) and another about 5 years ago (for 3-4 months). Now I wonder if I did permanent damage to myself, or whether my body will recover. How long will my body "remember" what I did to myself? And how many calories do I need to eat in order to lose?
 
How are you tracking your caloric intake?

I'd bet your calculations are off before anything else.
 
Maybe so. I'm calculating all my calories by reading nutrition labels, eating at restaurants that post their nutrition info, and by weighing my food and looking up calories on calorieking.com. I got a similar average with fitday.com when I used to use that. Maybe I just need to eat less, using my same (even if flawed) calculations. Just can't decide how much less.

I get frustrated because my body seems to have a mind of its own. For example, the scale shows that I have gained 3.5 lbs. since Monday, but I've stayed below 1500/day for the past 3 days. Bleh.
 
at your current weight 1500 calories is kinda low... I wouldn't go less than 2000 calories a day and probably even a little higher...

Have you done any measurements tosee if there's a difference there?
 
Maybe so. I'm calculating all my calories by reading nutrition labels, eating at restaurants that post their nutrition info, and by weighing my food and looking up calories on calorieking.com. I got a similar average with fitday.com when I used to use that. Maybe I just need to eat less, using my same (even if flawed) calculations. Just can't decide how much less.

That would be a good place to start.

If you are eating out at restaurants a lot.... there is definitely some error.

And unless you are weighing and measuring every morsel of food and liquid that enters your mouth, there's more error.

And even if you are weighing and measuring everything, that's still a lot of play in that!

I get frustrated because my body seems to have a mind of its own. For example, the scale shows that I have gained 3.5 lbs. since Monday, but I've stayed below 1500/day for the past 3 days. Bleh.

I mean it's rare, but you could have something going on medically that would affect your metabolism. If so, I'd start with getting your thyroid tested. But again, this is rare.

When is the last time you took a break from dieting?
 
I mean it's rare, but you could have something going on medically that would affect your metabolism. If so, I'd start with getting your thyroid tested. But again, this is rare.

When is the last time you took a break from dieting?

I have had my thyroid tested recently, and it's normal. The doc thought she felt an enlarged gland so even had me do an ultrasound. Again, all clear. However, I do have a genetic predisposition to be heavier. My entire family eats really healthy food (Mediterranean-type diet) and is very active, but everyone's overweight.

Another thing is that I am heavy for my size. I wear a size 18, and while I'm not proud of that, I weigh a good 30-40 lbs. more than my size-18 sisters. And at 160 lbs. I'm a size 8. I'm also able to work out at a level that most people of my weight can't...how many people over 250 do you know who can run for 30 minutes on a treadmill? These reasons are why I'm wondering why my body is just different. But on the other hand, I am probably just consuming more calories than I think. That's the more likely answer.

As far as taking a break from dieting, that's an interesting idea. My therapist actually suggested I think about that. In all honesty, I don't think I've EVER not been "dieting," at least in my head. I don't feel like I even know how to not be on a diet. A break from dieting for me is a binge, and I do that. But a real break, that's something different. I can't even imagine it!
 
by break from dieting, is not binging but eating at your maintenance level... it's not eating whatever you feel like.. :D it's a good idea to do every so often - especially if you're at a low calorie range for a sustained amount of time
 
Good idea, and thanks for the tip! How often would you recommend someone take a diet break? And for how long? I will consider this.
 
steve will have a better answer - i'm only a guinea pig with my own body - but I've done it unintentionally for about 2 months - where i ate at maintenance... and gained about 2lbs at the beginning then it stabilized -once i started cutting back calories a bit again -the weight started dropping...

the toughest part is to find your maintenance calories - an average for some people is about 15 calories per pound but that number could go higher or lower depending on what they've done to their body..
 
I have had my thyroid tested recently, and it's normal. The doc thought she felt an enlarged gland so even had me do an ultrasound. Again, all clear. However, I do have a genetic predisposition to be heavier. My entire family eats really healthy food (Mediterranean-type diet) and is very active, but everyone's overweight.

The healthiest diet and the best exercise can't make up for over-consumption. And if people are gaining weight, they're eating too much.

Another thing is that I am heavy for my size. I wear a size 18, and while I'm not proud of that, I weigh a good 30-40 lbs. more than my size-18 sisters.

This doesn't tell me anything really. It just means you are taller or your sisters carry their fat distribution differently than you.

And at 160 lbs. I'm a size 8. I'm also able to work out at a level that most people of my weight can't...how many people over 250 do you know who can run for 30 minutes on a treadmill?

Quite a few actually.

Body composition has to be factored here.

These reasons are why I'm wondering why my body is just different. But on the other hand, I am probably just consuming more calories than I think. That's the more likely answer.

I'd go with the latter.

Sure, there are some genetic differences that exist. But not to the extreme. There are physiological and anatomical absolutes, and people will operate within a range of these values.

As far as taking a break from dieting, that's an interesting idea. My therapist actually suggested I think about that. In all honesty, I don't think I've EVER not been "dieting," at least in my head. I don't feel like I even know how to not be on a diet. A break from dieting for me is a binge, and I do that. But a real break, that's something different. I can't even imagine it!

It's the only way to reverse the adaptations that accompany prolonged dieting.

This said though, if you've been binging here and there.... you probably don't need a break. I doubt it's the metabolic adaptation that's giving you problems.
 
maybe it's just me but I was wondering if upping the workouts would help make a difference? Like maybe an hour instead of 30 minutes or adding more days? Just curious...
 
maybe it's just me but I was wondering if upping the workouts would help make a difference? Like maybe an hour instead of 30 minutes or adding more days? Just curious...

Yea, there really is no black/white, right/wrong here.

If the problem is she's in a caloric surplus by a hair, upping the intensity, volume, duration, etc of the exercise may be enough to send her into a deficit.

It may not either though.

In general however, a deficit is a deficit no matter it's origin. Less food, more exercise, etc.
 
those measuring thingys

Not exactly about starvation, but how do I get those onto this site.
I've already got it set up on the website.
How do I bring it over here?

As for the starvation, I guess in a way when I was using, maybe I was throwing my body into a starv. mode most of the time.

Now, as I have said have gained almost 15lbs.

I will look at my portions though.

Anyone know if it is known to put weight on when stopping an addiction.
 
Anyone know if it is known to put weight on when stopping an addiction.


It is very common to put on weight, and sometimes a LOT of weight, when giving up another addiction. Likewise, it's not uncommon to pick up another addiction after losing weight (just see the surgery threads). I gained 30 lbs. when I quit smoking. I gained more when I quit using drugs and starving myself. Now that I'm older and wanting to take care of my whole self, I am challenged with being good to myself ALL the time in many ways. It's tough!

Most drug recovery programs are perfectly happy if you smoke 2 packs a day, gain 100 lbs., and drink nothing but coffee all day long, as long as you stay away from drugs of abuse. I disagree with this mindset. Smoking and obesity are more likely to kill you than drug use (although quality of life is a different issue). I think programs need to help people deal with their addictions while supporting all healthy behaviors. The number of obese smokers at AA meetings is astounding! It's just switching one method of avoiding emotions for another. Better to learn to deal, IMO. That said, I'm still learning... :)
 
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