metabolic damage= weight gain while in deficit???

AliceDark

taylorblade wrote: »

AliceDark wrote: »

taylorblade wrote: »

LAWoman72 wrote: »

SingRunTing wrote: »

People with a history of low calorie diets (eating disorder or long term VLCDs) can and do have metabolic adaptation. Meaning that their body does start to burn fewer calories than before. But this adaptation is small (only a few hundred calories at most) and they can still create a calorie deficit. Its just that their deficit is at a lower calorie goal than it was before. It's not like they can eat 400 calories and gain weight or anything. This adaptation is not something that is going to happen on accident.

Well, apparently I'm a medical anomaly, as this didn't happen to me. My calorie goal today, following decades of strange eating and two types of EDs, is the same as anyone else's calorie goal of a similar height, weight, age and activity level. When I eat at that goal, I lose.

I began dieting in 1979, went to more drastic (around 800 cals/day) dieting a few years later, would only be able to maintain that for a week or a week and a half and then would binge to vomiting (no, not on purpose - the vomiting, I mean), and continued this way until my early 20s. At that time, I would restrict to about 1000 cals/day, then would occasionally binge (the net result being, obviously, more than 1000 cals/day when averaged out). I was thin and maintained my thinness in this (unhealthy) way. Once in a while I would have "uncontrolled" eating for a number of days. I would then either fast entirely for a day or two, or eat very, very low-calorie for the next week or so - lower than my 1000, I mean. Often I would eat only one meal a day, and it wouldn't be a huge meal.

I don't think I was underestimating my calorie intake, as all that time (Was I crazy?) I was experiencing dizziness and fainting, hair loss, wonky periods and the whole kit and kaboodle.

I only stopped doing those things, and went to my magical "eat all you want of X" diets (that, naturally, caused me to gain as I was eating MANY calories), about 12 years ago.

So between 1979 and around 2003, I was doing "metabolically damaging" things to my body. That's a long time.

Yet when I went to a reasonable calorie deficit - this is fairly recently - I lost at that deficit. The one MFP gave me, the one it would give a person who never engaged in this type of disordered eating.

Yes, this is anecdotal. Either it means people don't experience some sort of metabolic slowdown and don't require fewer calories than before (due to overrestrictions for a period of time - remember, mine was for 24 years), or it means I am one for the medical textbooks and will eventually be featured in the New England Journal of Medicine.

Or maybe I "reset my metabolism"?

Well again i only been cutting for 8 months and i plateaued back i august last year which was the 8 month. Im still plateaued as of today and im constantly craving and binging for no reason this happened after i upped my calories. Sounds funny dosentdosent it?

No, none of this sounds funny. It sounds sad, and like you need more help than you are currently receiving.

You need to listen to the information and advice that you are receiving from your doctors, instead of listening to strangers on the internet.

They are not telling me anything they keep saying nothings wrong. But I believe it is because I wouldnt be craving so much thus wiping out my deficit.

If your doctor has determined that nothing is physically wrong that is causing your perceived symptoms, you should listen to him/her.

The issues you are bringing up here need to be discussed with your psychiatrist. (Just a note: in the U.S., typically people receive their diagnosis and medication from a psychiatrist, and then may need additional treatment from a therapist. If you are not receiving regular therapy, that's another thing you should ask your psychiatrist about).

People aren't trying to embarrass you by bringing up your post history. The best and most responsible advice anyone can give you here is to see a health professional.

LAWoman72

SingRunTing wrote: »

LAWoman72 wrote: »

SingRunTing wrote: »

I didn't say it happens 100% of the time. It has been proven to happen. It won't stop someone from being able to create a deficit though.

Oh. Well, I haven't seen any studies to that effect, but then again, I've never looked for one! Do you have any?

It could be that I am just in the lucky v. the unlucky camp.

Here's a few:
ajcn.nutrition.org/content/71/6/1495.short (actually this one shows that it can be reversed in recovered anorexics, but they recognize that it exists during the time of the eating disorder)

ajcn.nutrition.org/content/53/4/826.short

europepmc.org/abstract/MED/7735338

These aren't necessarily the definitive studies on the topic, they were just the first few that I found that cover the topic. Actually the Minnesota Starvation Experiment is one of the major studies on metabolic adaptation. They found that even after 12 weeks of refeeding, the BMR for the starvation group didn't return to normal (still 10% less than the control group). Here's one of the papers publish on the findings of the Minnesota Starvation Experiment:

ajcn.nutrition.org/content/68/3/599.full.pdf

Part of it has to do with the loss of lean mass, but it also seems to be related to leptin levels.


If you type in anything along the lines of "metabolic adaptation VLCD", "bmr eating disorders", etc into google scholar, you'll find many more.

Thank you.

gagnon9691

My son was 6 when he was finally diagnosed with hypothyroidism and he had no common symptoms of a thyroid disorder. It is very uncommon on younger males so it is not often checked. My son's doctor was surprised that he was functioning so well because his numbers were so off. My son didn't have any swelling in the neck either. It's a simple blood test and I don't see why a doctor wouldn't ok the order if asked.

lemon629 wrote: »

It's true he'd be able to see swelling and that kind of thing, but you can't tell how well a thyroid gland is functioning by just looking at someone's neck. He probably just thinks there is nothing wrong since it sounds like you don't have any other health issues-- thyroid dysfunction usually has a number of symptoms. Plus, thyroid dysfunction in a young man is unusual.

Is the photo in your profile a picture of you? If so, it doesn't look like you need to lose much weight, if any.

TimothyFish

If weight gain is caused by hypothyroidism, the body will also not get enough energy to function optimally, since the metabolism is slowed. If you aren't sluggish, you probably don't have a problem.