Coworker insists she can't lose weight through calorie restriction -- info wanted
7elizamae
Posts: 758 Member
Okay. Someone fill me in on the most common medical reason/s someone may be unable to lose weight. I have a coworker who absolutely (angrily, really) insists that she cannot lose weight through calorie restriction. She claims that she will actually gain weight when restricting calories.
I am trying to keep the peace, so I don't grill her about how this works -- how her body makes fat without an excess of calories. And perhaps she has a real condition. But, I'm no medical expert, so I don't know what that might be.
So, if you'd like to help me understand this gal, fill me in.
I am trying to keep the peace, so I don't grill her about how this works -- how her body makes fat without an excess of calories. And perhaps she has a real condition. But, I'm no medical expert, so I don't know what that might be.
So, if you'd like to help me understand this gal, fill me in.
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Replies
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I suspect she is sailing on a river in Egypt, either in regards to how much she takes in or how much she uses for fuel. Most likely both.0
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Not happening! She is eating more than she thinks. Does she weigh and measure everything?0
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If she does a huge calorie deficit her body will go into starvation mode and store body fat. It is also possible last time she dieted she had high sodium and had a lot of water weight. I have not heard of anything else... but I am not expert either. I do find some people hold on tight to false ideas for a variety of self motivated reasons0
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If she does a huge calorie deficit her body will go into starvation mode and store body fat. It is also possible last time she dieted she had high sodium and had a lot of water weight. I have not heard of anything else... but I am not expert either. I do find some people hold on tight to false ideas for a variety of self motivated reasons
How is that possible? How can a deficit of energy lead to a storage of energy0 -
If she does a huge calorie deficit her body will go into starvation mode and store body fat. It is also possible last time she dieted she had high sodium and had a lot of water weight. I have not heard of anything else... but I am not expert either. I do find some people hold on tight to false ideas for a variety of self motivated reasons
Starvation mode is a myth that you need to stop perpetuating.
Yes, limited calories over a long period of time can cause the metabolism to slow down. key word is slow down, but it doesn't stop. And the slow down is slight.
To OP. There are few conditions where low calorie doesn't result in weight loss. Cushing's syndrome is one. But it's because their maintenance calories are so low that they never truly eat at a deficit.
As for gaining more weight while on calorie restriction... Not buying it. My only guess is maybe fatigue from lower calories is causing her to be lazy and therefore expending less energy than she normally would? More likely scenario is that she binges or isn't honest with herself about her true caloric intake.
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Is there a small broom closet at work where you could accidentally lock her in with nothing but water for a week or so...might settle the argument.0
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DjinnMarie wrote: »More likely scenario is that she binges or isn't honest with herself about her true caloric intake.
Probably this. I gain weight when I restrict too far as well - because it causes so much hunger that I binge after a few days and eat back everything I restricted and then some.
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There are a multitude of medical issues (and accompanying meds) that lead to weight gain. Quite a few of them are things I wouldn't discuss with co-workers.
But almost certainly she is making excuses for her inability to lose weight.0 -
The vision in my head:
-She goes from eating 2500+ calories per day to less than 1000
-Those 1000 calories are mostly frozen/processed foods containing lots of sodium
-The sodium causes her to retain water
-Her weight goes up the next day
-She concludes that she cannot lose weight by reducing her intake0 -
If I were you, I'd just not waste my breath...some people just don't believe in science and stuff...0
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She's been on MFP forums too long?0
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The vision in my head:
-She goes from eating 2500+ calories per day to less than 1000
-Those 1000 calories are mostly frozen/processed foods containing lots of sodium
-The sodium causes her to retain water
-Her weight goes up the next day
-She concludes that she cannot lose weight by reducing her intake
OP, this is probably what your coworker is doing. If it was me, I'd leave her be.0 -
Leave it alone
Smile and nod ...and walk away0 -
Has this person ever kept a food diary before? And I am just implying that a logging of everything eaten for just a week to see how many calories in. If after logging this person may be eating maintenance and not losing. For me it takes a couple of weeks for my body to adjust to eating less calories, controlling salt, drinking more water to avoid water retention.
As far as medications and these are just a few - like corticosteroids, prednisolone methylprednisolone, some antidepressents and some birth control pills do react to metabolism lowering but not stopping. Some make a person hungrier or crave certain things like sugars.. I can vouch for the methylprednisolone because I have been on it for the past three weeks...
Usually serious medical issues cause decrease appetite but take into consideration medications the person may be on and some can decrease metabolism and/or increase in hunger/appetite.
But to learn what is going on, I would keep a diary for a week of all food eaten and log activities. This is the only way I knew just how much of a deficit I needed to loose and my maintenance is 1150 to 1200/day (not very much as I am already a small person).0 -
If she does a huge calorie deficit her body will go into starvation mode and store body fat. It is also possible last time she dieted she had high sodium and had a lot of water weight. I have not heard of anything else... but I am not expert either. I do find some people hold on tight to false ideas for a variety of self motivated reasons
Yeah about that, it's not possible. How can your body retain fat, if there are no excess calories? You can't retain fat you already have, because it's already retained.
Sorry.0 -
Losing weight is not a moral imperative. Let her manage her body in her own way and concentrate on your own goals.0
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This is why I don't get into these in-depth conversations at work.
FWIW, there are conditions that make it more difficult to lose weight, but in almost all of them, if you eat at a calorie deficit you will lose weight.0 -
Okay. Someone fill me in on the most common medical reason/s someone may be unable to lose weight.
There aren't any. If you eat at a deficit, you will lose weight. Period, full stop, no exceptions. There is no medical condition that exists - or that even can exist - that can change that.She claims that she will actually gain weight when restricting calories.
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don't feed the crazy!
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Okay. Someone fill me in on the most common medical reason/s someone may be unable to lose weight. I have a coworker who absolutely (angrily, really) insists that she cannot lose weight through calorie restriction. She claims that she will actually gain weight when restricting calories.
I am trying to keep the peace, so I don't grill her about how this works -- how her body makes fat without an excess of calories. And perhaps she has a real condition. But, I'm no medical expert, so I don't know what that might be.
So, if you'd like to help me understand this gal, fill me in.
Thyroid condtions absolutely cause excessive uncontrolled weight hain withoutu a jump in caloriesu because it severely kills the metabolism... one hundred percent possible... with calries restriction AND. Medication she may be able to lose weight. In time but usuallyu at a much slower rate than most people.
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It sounds like she's making excuses. I'd leave it alone. That's for her to sort out.0
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The vision in my head:
-She goes from eating 2500+ calories per day to less than 1000
-Those 1000 calories are mostly frozen/processed foods containing lots of sodium
-The sodium causes her to retain water
-Her weight goes up the next day
-She concludes that she cannot lose weight by reducing her intake
Interesting. If I knew her better, I'd ask.
This would make sense.0 -
There aren't any. If you eat at a deficit, you will lose weight. Period, full stop, no exceptions. There is no medical condition that exists - or that even can exist - that can change that.
I don't think that you are an expert in this field as this is simply not true. There are conditions that will cause a body to accumulate weight even if you consume zero calories and only drink water. Things like heart failure and cirrhosis or advanced abdominal cancers would cause an accumulation of water weight. I do not suspect that any of these things apply to the OP's coworker, but you should not claim something is true with "no exceptions" when you are not actually correct.
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Is there a small broom closet at work where you could accidentally lock her in with nothing but water for a week or so...might settle the argument.
I was tempted to ask her if she's ever lost weight during a prolonged illness. But, I'm not out for an argument with this gal, so I just nodded and listened and wondered.0 -
Leave it alone
Smile and nod ...and walk away
I think this is the best advice.
Barring any medical condition, it is impossible not to lose weight when in a deficit. The problem is that many people eat 1000-1200 calories for three days and expect to lose 20 lbs....so they give up.
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Thyroid - she can have a blood test and get this checked. Basically your body doesn't break down food into energy very well, it just stores it as fat straight away. If she has this she'll be gaining weight and tired all of the time no matter how much she eats.0
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Okay. Someone fill me in on the most common medical reason/s someone may be unable to lose weight. I have a coworker who absolutely (angrily, really) insists that she cannot lose weight through calorie restriction. She claims that she will actually gain weight when restricting calories.
I am trying to keep the peace, so I don't grill her about how this works -- how her body makes fat without an excess of calories. And perhaps she has a real condition. But, I'm no medical expert, so I don't know what that might be.
So, if you'd like to help me understand this gal, fill me in.
I actually gain weight even though I restrict calories. Or rather I did at first. I don't tolerate sugar or wheat well. If I eat that everyday even within a 1200 calorie diet, I will either lose nothing, or gain. I also have to restrict fat as well.
When I first started my diet, for the first +5 to 7 pounds my body did not want to give up the fat. For some reason that has all changed now and I'm adding a lot more veggies as carbs because I'm losing it too fast.
I think you have to clean out your body from things it doesn't like. I'm actually allergic to sugar and wheat products make me sneeze for about 20 minutes after eating them. While I can't prove all of this, I can just totally tell the difference. I think its whatever works for each person, because I think chemically we are all different. If it ain't working--try something else.
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There are conditions that will cause a body to accumulate weight even if you consume zero calories and only drink water. Things like heart failure and cirrhosis or advanced abdominal cancers would cause an accumulation of water weight. I do not suspect that any of these things apply to the OP's coworker, but you should not claim something is true with "no exceptions" when you are not actually correct.
Water weight isn't real weight gain, and not what is being discussed here.
If you prefer, wherever I refer to "weight", substitute "body fat".
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I think she is lying to herself. Just smile and walk away. I have a friend who says that she has fibrous tumors in her uterus which make her unable to lose weight... never heard that one before.0
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