Lost weight the "un-orthodox way" but need to keep it down

wisdomfromyou

As I mentioned in my re-introduction post, I am returning on these forums 2 years after I last posted here. In the meantime, I experienced some weight gain at first and then lost it all plus some more due to some hypochondria/huge health anxiety and depression episodes. The joy of entering 40's, I guess...

For a while, I could hardly eat anymore so I must have dropped the level of calorie intake pretty low - but I don't know how much because I was certainly not counting.

I am in good health based on all current medical tests and I finally got over some of those fears that were keeping me unable to eat, after tests excluded any problems.
(I guess when the next "small issue" shows up, my fears will be triggered again...but in the meantime, I am enjoying an anxiety break).

That being said, I would not mind maintaining this weight loss even if it was not achieved the orthodox way. I am now 5'7" and 157 lbs - finally in the normal BMI range, though i would not mind dropping another 7 lbs and then stay there forever.

In general, what I eat is in the range of healthy to VERY healthy - vegetables, legumes, organic meats and grass-fed beef(if any), nuts, etc, no added sugar etc - mostly for health reasons, not for "vanity".
I also tend to practice portion control, again - not for weight loss but for my hiatal hernia which can trigger reflux; so my gastro dr. prescribed small and more frequent portions, generally speaking.

Trouble is as soon as my anxiety cooled down and I was able to start eating a bit more normally, I noticed the scale slowly going back up.
Over the past week, I put on 0.2 lbs every day. Last week i was at 156.4 and today I am at 157.2. I certainly don't want the trend to continue.

So what should I do from here on?

Did I starve myself for a while and now the body is putting on weight even with a calorie intake of less than 1200, but a bit more than the "barely anything" I had been giving it over the past few months?

Should I start weighing my food to see exactly what the intake is?

I do try to exercise at least 3-4 times a week, about 30-40 minutes, alternating aerobic with some weight training.

I also desperately need toning up as the weight loss over the years made me even softer and squishier than I had always been (which was quite a lot). My kids always tell me I am so "squishy". :-((

Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

auddii

Weight loss is not linear and maintenance is a range. My weight easily can fluctuate 5lbs in a week due to water weight. There is no reason to starve yourself.

And with your anxiety issues, I'd consult with a therapist and dietitian who specialize in eating disorders during your recovery.

PeachyPlum

This is a really great question! Several years ago, I lost a ton of weight due to grief (and actually ended up very underweight). Unfortunately, once that season of my life had passed I did not know how to gain back and then maintain a healthy weight.

I hope someone can give you some good insight on this!

RodaRose

wisdomfromyou wrote: »

So what should I do from here on?

Did I starve myself for a while and now the body is putting on weight even with a calorie intake of less than 1200, but a bit more than the "barely anything" I had been giving it over the past few months?

Should I start weighing my food to see exactly what the intake is?

I do try to exercise at least 3-4 times a week, about 30-40 minutes, alternating aerobic with some weight training.

I also desperately need toning up as the weight loss over the years made me even softer and squishier than I had always been (which was quite a lot). My kids always tell me I am so "squishy". :-((

Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

You seem to know the answers to your questions already.
Of course you should be weighing and logging your food. Do that for a week or two to see what goes on and then evaluate and make modifications if you want.

If you want to tone, you need to lift. (*)

wisdomfromyou

Thanks a lot, everyone.

I do see a psychologist, but not for eating disorders, because I don't have one. As soon as my health fears calmed down, I now have a normal appetite and I would want to eat normally. But if I do, the weight goes back up.

I bought a food scale today and I will start measuring and logging to see where I stand with the calorie intake.
I am just afraid that I messed up my metabolism by eating very little for a while and now anything that is above that level (be it well below 1200 calories) means the body wants to gain some of that weight loss back, come H or H water.
It seems as if I now can gain weight back even at 900-1000 calories a day. I am certainly hungry for more and I can't keep eating so little just to maintain my current weight.

wisdomfromyou

Someone also told me that I may need so start eating significantly more at least one day a week so the body won't think I am in starvation mode, before it lets go of more weight.

So I may be in a situation where I need to let things "get worse" before they get better, meaning allow the body to put some weight back on before it continues to drop more.

The long period of low calorie intake may have messed my metabolism up.

girlviernes

When you are eating more you are likely to also hold more water, so you may need to accept a small bump up on the scale, but that doesn't mean you are putting on fat or will continue to gain. Keep tracking and use your skills to deal with the anxiety that you experience during this transition.

blankiefinder

If you haven't been weighing your food then you don't know how many calories you have been eating. Log accurately for a week and then reassess.

wisdomfromyou

blankiefinder wrote: »

If you haven't been weighing your food then you don't know how many calories you have been eating. Log accurately for a week and then reassess.

Just wanted to add that I weighed and measured everything religiously today and as of this moment (10:00pm) I have eaten 1066 calories and I am officially hungry.
It definitely feels less than what I have been eating over the past week or so, but not a whole lot less. So I assume I have been eating no more than 1500 calories over the past week, when I started to slowly put on a tad but of weight every day (about 0.2 lbs daily).

So how do you put on weight on 1500 calories?

As a woman of 42, presently weighing 157 lbs at 5'7", with moderate levels of physical activity and exercise 3-4 times a week - what calorie level should I aim for daily so I can continue to lose another 7 lbs or so slowly, and then maintain?

At 1066 I am starving by the end of the day - this is clear.
In fact, I will go the kitchen right now and grab something extra, be it this late, 'cause I am not going to bed with a stomach that feels empty.
And I might make it a piece of chocolate at that.

Oh, and here is the menu today - please critique/comment as you see fit:

Morning:
1 Trader Joe hot dog, no nitrates, etc. - 90 cal.
1 piece of feta cheese - 117 cal.
29 almonds (throughout the day) - 167 cal.

Lunch:

1 bowl of home-made okra and tomato soup (low fat) - 56 cal
1 large apple - 110 cal
1 slice sprout low-carb bread from TJ - 60 cal

On the go before dinner ' cause I was starving:
A pinch of canned sardine in olive oil: .90 oz - 70 cals

Dinner:
1/2 frozen dinner enchilada
(shameful, as I was late from work and didn't get a chance to cook any entree so husband threw that in the microwave; I do not normally eat frozen dinners) - 120 cal

Tomato, pepper and olive raw salad - 40 cal
Edamame mixed frozen veggies fropm TJ cooked - 172 cal
Collards greens cooked - 30 cal
Cantaloupe - 35 cals

TOTAL: 1066 calories

TOTALLY starving on 1066 cals only. Too little?
Then how in the world did I put on 1 lb over the past week on not that much more than that?

Thank you for any input!

wisdomfromyou

In fact I forgot to add a slice of Turkey bacon of 70 calories and that would have made it 1136.

I just added a few more calories with half a slice of bread with caviar spread (Greek-style) and one square of dark chocolate.
That would bring me to 1217 calories - but STILL hungry.

I checked some calculators and apparently I should start by eating 1900 calories and slowly lower to 1655 for some extra weight loss.
Maintenance should be around 2000.

But that's in theory, because as of now, after a long period of low calorie intake, I seem to be putting on weight even at around 1500 cals daily.

Did I mess up my metabnolism and if so, do I fix it by starting to eat more again?

But I sooo like how my clothes fit now. :-(

neurex

It is not reasonable to assume that a fluctuation of 1 lb on a scale is a real gain (other than water weight or noise). My weight often varies several pounds. Some weeks I seem to either gain or maintain when I know that I lost - and the next week my weight will confirm this by losing twice as much as normal. Anyways, there is a lot of fluctuations and it is not practical to use just one week of data to make informed decisions.

If you just want to maintain, go to 1500 calories (or more). Measure food precisely. Weigh yourself one or two times a week and check for trends over a period of 2 or 3 weeks (don't expect trends of less than 2 weeks to be real, even if you weigh yourself every day). Re-evaluate after this. Do not eat under 1200 calories.

Note that some electronic scales employ tricks to make it seem like they are more consistent than what they really are. With mine, I can often tell when it does this when it gives me my weight really fast. Sometimes I can "reset" mine by weighing myself with something that is at least over 2 lbs (like a full shampoo or mouth rinse bottle).

neurex

I didn't get your last post before my previous post. Given this information, I would recommend eating 1800-1900 for a couple of weeks and only consider re-evaluating this after a couple of weeks.

wisdomfromyou

Thank you all, I will definitely increase the calorie intake and skip the daily scale.
After measuring today, I am starting to get the hang of it and it is clear that anything below 1200 is going to keep me starved.

It is kind of annoying to log everything because I eat small to very small portions more frequently. When you do this, recording gets kind of difficult, never mind that I always remain a bit hungry after eating. I miss eating a bigger meal at one time because my appetite has always been very large and if it was up to my natural tendencies, i would gulp a lot in one meal. But I try to keep portions small mainly for my hiatal hernia/reflux and gastro's recommendations.

After adding a bit more food at the end of the day today, I reached 1478 calories and I do feel a bit better now, but far from "full and happy".
I could really eat a lot more. :-)

SLLRunner

wisdomfromyou wrote: »

Someone also told me that I may need so start eating significantly more at least one day a week so the body won't think I am in starvation mode, before it lets go of more weight.

So I may be in a situation where I need to let things "get worse" before they get better, meaning allow the body to put some weight back on before it continues to drop more.

The long period of low calorie intake may have messed my metabolism up.

Starvation mode is a myth. I'll bet what you are experiencing is normal weight fluctuation.

wisdomfromyou

SLLRunner wrote: »

wisdomfromyou wrote: »

Someone also told me that I may need so start eating significantly more at least one day a week so the body won't think I am in starvation mode, before it lets go of more weight.

So I may be in a situation where I need to let things "get worse" before they get better, meaning allow the body to put some weight back on before it continues to drop more.

The long period of low calorie intake may have messed my metabolism up.

Starvation mode is a myth. I'll bet what you are experiencing is normal weight fluctuation.

So it is not true that if you eat too little your body stops losing weight at some point and you need to decrease the calorie intake even more for further weight loss?
Or metabolism slows down?

I am not up to date with the latest on dieting but that's what I had heard.
We all heard of people who reach a plateau and stop losing weight even as they continue to watch calories etc.

I just wonder what are some of the "bad things" that can happen if someone continues to eat too few calories, other than eventual malnutrition?
I suppose they will eventually continue to drop weight and get over the plateau if they stay on low calorie, right?

I was just wondering if you would mind elaborating a bit on the "starvation mode is a myth" statement.Or if there are any links discussing any related controversy, I would be interested to visit them.

Thanks a lot!

SLLRunner

wisdomfromyou wrote: »

SLLRunner wrote: »

wisdomfromyou wrote: »

Someone also told me that I may need so start eating significantly more at least one day a week so the body won't think I am in starvation mode, before it lets go of more weight.

So I may be in a situation where I need to let things "get worse" before they get better, meaning allow the body to put some weight back on before it continues to drop more.

The long period of low calorie intake may have messed my metabolism up.

Starvation mode is a myth. I'll bet what you are experiencing is normal weight fluctuation.

So it is not true that if you eat too little your body stops losing weight at some point and you need to decrease the calorie intake even more for further weight loss?
Or metabolism slows down?

I am not up to date with the latest on dieting but that's what I had heard.
We all heard of people who reach a plateau and stop losing weight even as they continue to watch calories etc.

I just wonder what are some of the "bad things" that can happen if someone continues to eat too few calories, other than eventual malnutrition?
I suppose they will eventually continue to drop weight and get over the plateau if they stay on low calorie, right?

I was just wondering if you would mind elaborating a bit on the "starvation mode is a myth" statement.Or if there are any links discussing any related controversy, I would be interested to visit them.

Thanks a lot!

Starvation mode is where you are emaciated and you have lost a certain amount of body fat and muscle. People who are obese, normal weight, and even a bit underweight are not in starvation mode, and it is certainly does not exist in the common dieter. Here is a good discussion.

Plateau just means a person is eating a maintenance. This is often due to underestimating calories in and overestimating calories out, or forgetting to adjust calorie goals as we lose weight. Most people find if they start weighing their food and logging more accurately that they start taking weight off again.

Cortneyrenee04

Not going into the starvation mode thing... There's plenty of info here if you're curious.

I would definitely disregard the 0.2 pound/day increase over the last few days. That's nothing. That's not fat gain... It's water/poop/etc. don't think about that for another minute or you'll go crazy.

Just try to stay around 1500 for a bit and see what happens. Don't worry so much! Having a positive outlook helps, I swear

wisdomfromyou

Got it, thank you!

LKArgh

You cannot be at the limit between healthy and overweight and be in starvation mode. Most probably (1) you are overestimating what you are burning and how active you are and (2) you are underestimating what you are eating. Try tracking accurately for a a few weeks (using a scale, not things like slices, tablespoons etc) and see where you are. If you are gaining, you need to lower your calories.

azulvioleta6

Speak to your psychologist about your eating/food and weight concerns.

You seem to have some disordered thinking going on...whether that is an eating disorder or a function of your anxiety is something that a professional who knows you can help to sort out.

I agree with what has been said about starvation mode and the insignificance of the less than one pound that you have gained this week. Neither of these are things you need to worry about. A good short term plan would be to aim for 1200 calories a day. Make sure you are getting good protein and some vegetables. There is nothing shameful about having ONE enchilada--you really needed the calories.

I also agree that exercise and weight lifting are good things, but adding another issue to worry about might not be a great move right now. It's something to discuss with your doctor before you start.

azulvioleta6

Do you always have multiple servings of processed meats in one day? Those tend to be high in salt, which could be making you hold on to water. That right there could easily explain the tiny gain.

I don't usually have a problem with sodium, but turkey bacon is the one thing that has so much salt that it ALWAYS seems to make me gain weight.

cincysweetheart

If you are eating more than you were used to… then it's normal to see the scale go up temporarily. Give yourself a few weeks to let your system become accustomed to this new normal.

In the meantime… yes. Weigh and measure EVERYTHING. And watch your sodium and water intake. And give yourself a safe/comfortable maintenance range (ex: +/- 5 pounds). Chances are you'll be fine.

wisdomfromyou

I avoid processed meats except those from Trader Joes that are low in sodium, fat and no nitrites.
I do hve to use some of those options as I have a hard time eating enough protein...and with 2 diabetic parents, I need to keep carbs low. I don't always have a healthy and fresh steak waiting for me to eat it.

snowflakesav

It can be such a complicated subject. It is clear that you are looking for a way to be successful and having trouble with fears. The fundamental tools of success are:
1. Find someone who is successful and do what they do
2. Don't be afraid of making mistakes. You must get out of your comfort zone to see change.
3. Banish any idea that you are a victim of your metabolism.

I think you could benefit from a good role model. Maybe search the success stories on the boards. Join an exercise class or challenge group.

I think you really deserve to be succesful having the body you want and you can overcome the fears that are standing in your way.

wisdomfromyou

cincysweetheart wrote: »

If you are eating more than you were used to… then it's normal to see the scale go up temporarily. Give yourself a few weeks to let your system become accustomed to this new normal.

In the meantime… yes. Weigh and measure EVERYTHING. And watch your sodium and water intake. And give yourself a safe/comfortable maintenance range (ex: +/- 5 pounds). Chances are you'll be fine.

How much sodium should I aim for?

I do tend to retain some water, at least based on the bags under my eyes.

HeySwoleSister

I lost a TON of weight in my late 30s due to depression, and then had a series of bad reactions to my medication for it...leading to a sudden ending of meds and my compensating by eating and drinking A LOT. I swung from 10-15 pounds under my target weight to 25 pounds OVER that weight...which I then maintained for 5 years, plus a little extra.

I think that the best step towards keeping your loss in a healthful manner (avoiding both the boomerang and a poor mental health response to keeping weight down) is to raise your activity level. get a fitness tracker and challenge yourself to keep your steps and stairs up. Start lifting weights or do a Couch to 5 K program and start running. Keep eating sanely and healthfully and focus on DOING more, not eating less.

Good luck!