Metabolism Questions

[LoriS]

Hello all. I need to lose about 40-50 lbs. I have been working out about 4x/week and am trying to work up to 5 -6x/week(average an hour a workout). Exercise seems to be the easy part and learning a how much I should eat seems the hardest for me. From what I learned and read I should be eating around 1800 calories/day (or even more as my workouts increase). However, I don't seem to be losing anything at that calorie level. Then recently, due to other non-exercise or diet reasons, just very low appetite for a few days, I haven't been eating as much, and I lost a couple pounds.

I am really confused now because I don't want my body to go into starvation mode and I usually have a good appetite and I know that I cannot maintain such a small amount of food for a long time. But also, of course, I can't seem to lose weight at 1800 calories. Do I just have a very slow metabolism? Is it possible I don't need to eat as much as I thought? I'm very confused, help please!

 

[starlight6]

Hi Lori,

I have the same type of problems trying to eat the proper diet. It used to be you just counted calories, now you have to be aware of calories, fat grams, salt, number of meals, when to eat them, what to eat, how little to eat, how much is too little, how much is too much, how much matches your cardio output, do you have enough muscle work to increase metabolism, AARGH!!!

You practically have to have a degree as a dietician anymore! Anyway, I think it's entirely possible you lost some of the weight from the work you've been doing & it just happened to show up at that time, along with possibly a little bit of it being from eating a small amount for a few days. I don't think your body will go into starvation mode that quickly, although it would fairly soon - basically I'm saying your weight caught up with your efforts...if you know what I mean?

My understanding also is that the amount of calories you eat is important, but so is how often you eat them, & when you eat what. A lot of people think you should eat every 3 hours to keep your metabolism going. And a lot of people think you should do your cardio first thing in the am, even before you eat, to kick start your metabolism for the day. That's what I'm trying to do, will let you know if it seems to be helping. Basically I think if you keep up the good work you're doing, the loss will come, but it doesn't necessarily come in steady losses, no matter what the mags say. Sometimes I don't lose for 3 or 4 weeks, then I'll suddenly lose 5 or 6 lbs. Does that happen to you?

This is probably more than you wanted to hear but it is one of my problems too! Let me know how you get on.

Ruth

 

[LoriS]

Hi Ruth!

I almost didn't realize that you are one of the small group of us living in the same (AA County) area.

Thanks for your response. You voiced the frustration underneath all of this perfectly. The advise from my doctor was to eat every few hours to keep an active metabolism which suits me perfectly. Let me know if working out in the morning works - although it would take a small miracle to get me up in the morning.

I understand completely about the unsteady losses. That happens to me around "that time of the month." Not only will I not lose anything, my body will hold onto every ounce of water that it can. I'll be interested in how my body responds after a few weeks. Let me know how you are doing.

 

[Cyndie]

I think the thing to do as far as diet is concerned is to eat varied amounts from day to day. Really listen to your body and try to get comfortable with the feeling of being satisfied but nor overly full. I am a trainer and this is where I always start with my clients and their diets. If we don't start by being in tune with our bodies and working with them our chance of success is much less. It is frustrating when you are doing all this work and not seeing any results. Try changing up your exercise too. You may need to start incorporating harder workouts or longer cardio sessions. Are you doing weight training? This is absolutely essential for weight loss and metabolism boosting. I mean HEAVY weights too, not 3 or 5 pounds. Let me know more.

Take care, Cyndie

 

[LoriS]

Thanks Cyndie. Yes I do weight training. I use tapes at home. I have a 16 lb body bar, 12, 10, 8 lbs dumbells. When I can go to the gym with me boyfriend then I use the machines and go heavier. Yes, I know I need to work on longer cardio sessions, and I am working up to it. I like mostly Cathe tapes and have a few "lighter" tapes too for the "off" days, I also had a knee injury months ago which finally seems to be at 100 percent and not hurting me when I work out. While, of course, I have been wanting to get back into shape for a while, I have just started to really dedicate myself.

I really appreciate your input. I absorb all advice! It can be very frustrating. And a little fear that my body will work against my efforts - but I guess that is a whole other topic!

 

[srmohler]

Metabolism Increase

I have been working very hard to increase my metabolism, and have actually lost about a pound a week when eating 1800-2000 calories a day. First of all, I workout first thing in the morning, doing equal amounts of strength and cardio (about an hour a day, 5 days a week). The most important thing I'm doing now, though, seems to be trying to NEVER be hungry while also NEVER being full. It's a hard balance, and it's taken me a few months to figure it out.

I eat at 645 am, 930 am, 1130 am, 200 pm, 430 pm and 630 pm (these are approximate times) on most days. 645, 1130 and 630 are meals (400-500 calories each), and the other three are snacks (about 200 calories each). I snack on fruit, Luna bars, small bowls of cereal (with skim milk), air popped popcorn, etc. On weekends, I cheat a bit, and eat bigger dinners while still not stuffing myself. This doesn't seem to stop the consistent 1 pound a week loss.

If I go to 3 bigger meals a day, I'm hungry all of the time, and I still don't lose weight.

I think there is some truth to the frequent small meals raising the metabolism, but it is probably also working because I've cut out junkfood!

Sandi M

 

[Bobbi]

RE: Metabolism Increase

Your metabolism should be fine as long as you don't drop below 1200 calories a day. That's very low calorie though, so be careful. Hunger is not a necessary component of weight loss. Build those muscles! You'll increase your metabolism. Remember to eat foods that fill you up without all the extras. High fiber foods are a great choice! Beans, whole grains, vegetables and fruit are excellent sources of low calorie nutrients!

 

[kimroberts]

I share your pain! I've been all over the scale in my life from aneorexic to over 200 lbs. I got into working out about 12 years ago and loved it. I even became an instructor and now I manage the aerobics program for a gym. Last year I got a wild hair to enter an all-natural bodybuilding contest. My gym's owner and a master trainer trained with me and sponsored me. The dieting was terrible, but I managed to lose about 20 lbs of fat while still gaining a little muscle.

Yes, he had me eating every three hours and doing am cardio before breakfast. We counted carbs, protein and fat to the "inth" degree based on my bodyfat percentage as determined by caliper measurements. Every day I logged what I ate and the exercises I performed.

But the two things that I noticed most were (1) water intake and (2) quality of carbs. My trainer asked me to drink 1 gallon (YES A GALLON) of water daily. This was not to be anything but pure, clear water. I filled up a gallon jug every night and put it in the fridge for the next day. (2) I also found that if I got my carbs from veggies rather than from rice/pasta/breads/crackers that I did much better. I love triscuits and I even had to give them up for a while and switch to sweet potatoes and broccoli. But you get to eat more volume, get more vitamins and fiber this way.

Good luck!

 

[LoriS]

Wow! Congratulations on developing healthy eating habits. How long did it take you to lose the 20 lbs?

 

[cinza]

tell about the contest!!

 

[Loriv]

Hello, here are a few good web-sites that you can check out. Some of them give you a menu (after filling out their forms), and some just give you good tips.

http://www.goldsgym.com
http://www.fitnessheaven.com
http://www.efit.com

As for your calorie intake, it really all depends on your height, weight, resting heart rate, etc. I weight 135, am 5'5", and 28 yrs. old and i am supposed to take in 1800-2000 calories a day, plus exercise (intensely) at least 1 hour everyday (6 - 7 days a week). You should also cut out soda's if you drink them and replace them with water. I drink about 1 gallon a day, including a large glass of skim milk. If I get a sweet tooth, I add a little cranberry or lemon juice to the water, or green tea with no sweeteners. Most people think that the more water you drink, the more bloated you will get but it's the total opposite. It will "clean you out" quicker. As for food, I try to eat "clean" (boiled chicken breast halves, fresh veggies, skim or no-fat cheeses, etc. I love a baked sweet potato cooked with a little pat of butter, nutmeg and cinnamon for something sweet (no sugar or sweeteners). And of coarse, about once a week I eat a McDonald's value meal, or half of a medium pizza (with onions and mushrooms - no extra cheese, meat or pan crust). You do have to live a little and no matter how much you want to lose - you have to have a cheat day or you will never stick to eating healthy. It has been a major battle for me for the past 2 years, but reading every copy of Oxygen, Muscle & Fitness, and Shape has helped me greatly and I can finally see big improvements (in 10 years I have gained 30 lbs. and it has taken a year of exercise and eating better to see results that stay). I try to do cardio every morning (the best time for me), try to fit in 3 days of weights, and eat healthy, but I have learned not to beat myself up if I skip a day or eat junk more than one day a week. The weight will come off, and the more exercise I do - the better I feel! If you need recipes or any other opinions you can e-mail me at [email protected] anytime and I will get back to you as soon as I can. The main thing to remeber about this letter is to aim for a gallon of water a day! You'll see!