I Just Don't Get It!
Replies
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The ten pounds that you lost initially was primarily water. I think that after that your body started losing fat as it got the water levels more in balance. So you've probably lost fat (real weight) but it isn't showing on the scale as much. Keep on counting calories. Over time, you'll see sudden drops and then long stalls, then more drops. That works as long as you remain consistent in your calories. You don't need to stop eating carbs. That gives you a short term water loss, but doesn't improve your fat loss. Just keep your calories at 1200 or so and you will lose weight.
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spiriteagle99 wrote: »The ten pounds that you lost initially was primarily water. I think that after that your body started losing fat as it got the water levels more in balance. So you've probably lost fat (real weight) but it isn't showing on the scale as much. Keep on counting calories. Over time, you'll see sudden drops and then long stalls, then more drops. That works as long as you remain consistent in your calories. You don't need to stop eating carbs. That gives you a short term water loss, but doesn't improve your fat loss. Just keep your calories at 1200 or so and you will lose weight.
Thank you 👍 although I can't stick to 1220 calories if it means feeling awful all the time so, like I said before, I'm aiming for 1350 plus 50% of any exercise calories earned and see how I feel with that.3 -
nutmegoreo wrote: »nutmegoreo wrote: »1,000 calories a day is simply not sustainable longterm. I'm also concerned you lost 10lbs in one week being as small as you are already.
Thank you but I don't feel small 😔
I don't want to lose too much, 119lbs is my goal (for now) but it's just not going any lower than the 124.4lbs.
This may be a bit TMI but I'm only having 1 pooh a week since starting, even though I get plenty of fibre and I drink a minimum of 3 litres each day, so it's not dehydration causing the lack of pooh😅
I'm seeing a bunch of things that could be contributing here.
1) with that low calorie intake, you are not likely getting enough fat for bowel and hormone health
2) if your carbs are primarily from veggies, you may be experiencing keto flu (caused by electrolyte imbalances), the 3 litres of fluid intake would not help this
3) low intake equals less coming out
4) low calories can cause the lightheadedness and weakness (as can keto flu)
5) limited bowel movements and increased stress hormones can both cause stalls in weight loss
You were giving 1220 calories to lose 0.5 lb/week, aim for that. Log your exercise and eat at least 50% of those calories. Aim to get enough fat and protein. If you are going to keep your carbs low, then you need to increase your electrolyte intake.
Thank you for that 👍 Maybe I could try those rehydration powders to balance the electrolytes?
Yes (some broth would do in a pinch), but do increase your calorie intake as well. I'm not sure how long ago your cancer treatment was, but you really need to keep your strength.
I had another thought, but it's gone now. I'll drop it here when it comes back to me.
ETA: There it is! Caffeine. Have you reduced the number of drinks you are consuming with caffeine? If yes, then have a cup of tea/coffee.
I drink black tea - about 2 - 2.5 litres worth a day.
I'm due my 3 month oncology check-up in a week or so - I'll have urine and full bloods tests done. Would an electrolyte imbalance show up then?
Don't forget to mention your infrequent bowel movements to your oncologist.2 -
lynn_glenmont wrote: »nutmegoreo wrote: »nutmegoreo wrote: »1,000 calories a day is simply not sustainable longterm. I'm also concerned you lost 10lbs in one week being as small as you are already.
Thank you but I don't feel small 😔
I don't want to lose too much, 119lbs is my goal (for now) but it's just not going any lower than the 124.4lbs.
This may be a bit TMI but I'm only having 1 pooh a week since starting, even though I get plenty of fibre and I drink a minimum of 3 litres each day, so it's not dehydration causing the lack of pooh😅
I'm seeing a bunch of things that could be contributing here.
1) with that low calorie intake, you are not likely getting enough fat for bowel and hormone health
2) if your carbs are primarily from veggies, you may be experiencing keto flu (caused by electrolyte imbalances), the 3 litres of fluid intake would not help this
3) low intake equals less coming out
4) low calories can cause the lightheadedness and weakness (as can keto flu)
5) limited bowel movements and increased stress hormones can both cause stalls in weight loss
You were giving 1220 calories to lose 0.5 lb/week, aim for that. Log your exercise and eat at least 50% of those calories. Aim to get enough fat and protein. If you are going to keep your carbs low, then you need to increase your electrolyte intake.
Thank you for that 👍 Maybe I could try those rehydration powders to balance the electrolytes?
Yes (some broth would do in a pinch), but do increase your calorie intake as well. I'm not sure how long ago your cancer treatment was, but you really need to keep your strength.
I had another thought, but it's gone now. I'll drop it here when it comes back to me.
ETA: There it is! Caffeine. Have you reduced the number of drinks you are consuming with caffeine? If yes, then have a cup of tea/coffee.
I drink black tea - about 2 - 2.5 litres worth a day.
I'm due my 3 month oncology check-up in a week or so - I'll have urine and full bloods tests done. Would an electrolyte imbalance show up then?
Don't forget to mention your infrequent bowel movements to your oncologist.
Thank you. I had an issue with awful constipated after chemo, he gave me laxatives but I won't take them because I've abused tgem terribly in the past. I just thought tbat lots of fibre and plenty of fluids would keep things moving but as a PP said before, if there's not a lot going in, there won't be much coming out.0 -
You said "I can't stick to 1220 calories if it means feeling awful all the time" - but you weren't sticking to 1220. You were only eating 1000 calories. As you're also doing 40 mins of walking, but not eating those burned calories back, you've actually only been eating about 800-900 calories. As everyone else has said, that really isn't enough.
I'm shorter than you and my maintenance will be around 1400 calories plus exercise ones. Given all you've been through, see how you get on with 1350 + exercise calories. If you struggle towards the end of the day, maybe aim to eat more calories earlier in the day. If you're still under your calorie count in the evening, could you have a handful of nuts? How about having houmous with any salad? Do you add chopped fruit or nuts to your yoghurt? Could you have eggs, meat or fish once a week to boost your protein intake?
Recovering from your treatment is far more important than losing a few more pounds, particularly as you're already in the 'normal' range (even if you don't feel it). Please look after yourself.4 -
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Friend, your BMI is on the lower end of healthy for your height and weight. You do not need to be losing weight. Even if you feel your body is not lean or trim, that is simply what happens with age and there isn't anything you can do about it.
I urge you to stop losing weight and try to reach a calorie goal that maintains your current weight.
You mentioned having had an eating disorder. As someone who had disordered eating in the past, I must impress that this website may not be for you. Having to track calories and exercise so strictly and being rewarded for eating less (the red when you go over your calorie goal, for example) can very easily trigger a relapse.
If you are still seeing your body as fat or disgusting, losing weight won't help you. 119 won't be good enough. 115 won't be good enough. 110 won't be good enough. It's a vicious cycle, as I'm sure you know.
Please consider going to see a therapist who has experience with patients that have an eating disorder.7 -
eliaslexred wrote: »Friend, your BMI is on the lower end of healthy for your height and weight. You do not need to be losing weight. Even if you feel your body is not lean or trim, that is simply what happens with age and there isn't anything you can do about it.
I urge you to stop losing weight and try to reach a calorie goal that maintains your current weight.
You mentioned having had an eating disorder. As someone who had disordered eating in the past, I must impress that this website may not be for you. Having to track calories and exercise so strictly and being rewarded for eating less (the red when you go over your calorie goal, for example) can very easily trigger a relapse.
If you are still seeing your body as fat or disgusting, losing weight won't help you. 119 won't be good enough. 115 won't be good enough. 110 won't be good enough. It's a vicious cycle, as I'm sure you know.
Please consider going to see a therapist who has experience with patients that have an eating disorder.
Just as an aside, and semi seriously, with a current BMI of 21.3 and a history of an ED in the past and more recently of cancer... you may want to consider why you're not considering maintenance levels of calories...
From the SmartBMI web page:
Health aspects: Your weight is at a level that, in our view, should be good for your health. By classification of the WHO, you are "normal weight".
The label "ideal" has often been applied to this. Whether it is ideal for your health, or not, depends on many factors. Fit people may be slim, but smokers or persons who have lost weight due to poor health, may also be slim.
SBMI = 33/70
This assessment is based on the newly developed Smart Body Mass Index. Its ideal range is between 30/70 and 39/70.
Your Smart Body Mass Index (SBMI) is calculated as 33/70 or "33 points out of 70". [just as a note, as you lose weight your SBMI index will reduced to 32, 31, etc]
Weight stability
Your weight level is best if it remains stable.
.... and given the above, and the fact that you will lose a few more lbs when you... relieve yourself... have you thought about what your goals are and why you are wanting to lose weight and whether your goals could also be accomplished while you remained weight stable or even, dare I say it, if you were weight stable at a higher weight!??
Take care of yourself!4 -
spiriteagle99 wrote: »The ten pounds that you lost initially was primarily water. I think that after that your body started losing fat as it got the water levels more in balance. So you've probably lost fat (real weight) but it isn't showing on the scale as much. Keep on counting calories. Over time, you'll see sudden drops and then long stalls, then more drops. That works as long as you remain consistent in your calories. You don't need to stop eating carbs. That gives you a short term water loss, but doesn't improve your fat loss. Just keep your calories at 1200 or so and you will lose weight.
Thank you 👍 although I can't stick to 1220 calories if it means feeling awful all the time so, like I said before, I'm aiming for 1350 plus 50% of any exercise calories earned and see how I feel with that.
At least that.
I hope you're aware that the online (MFP or TDEE or fitness tracker) calorie goals are just estimates: Losing very fast and feeling weak or fatigued, for otherwise unexplained reasons, suggests that they might estimate too low for you.
Even allowing that many people see quick scale drop at first water weight and average digestive system contents reductions, you're losing much, much faster than the 0.5 pounds/week you're set for. That would be your maximum sensible loss-rate goal, at your size, and under your circumstances.
An apparent scale stall seems to be pretty common, among people who lose too fast at first . . . and 10 pounds in a month is very fast at your size. (We are not too different in size; I'm 5'5" and mid-130s now; 1200 was way too low for me, and two pounds a week was way too fast for me, when I started here at a weight of 154. I got weak and fatigued, and it took weeks to recover . . . something you don't want to risk if you're still recovering from cancer treatment.)
I also have a cancer history, somewhat similar to yours, at least superficially: Chemo put me in menopause at age 44, I took the anti-estrogen drugs for 7.5 years.
As far as your oncologist and getting a dietitian referral: Keep an open mind, and plan to be assertive. My cancer center had an RD on staff whom I was able to consult. Even if your oncologist isn't associated with such a center, s/he should be aware of RDs in the area, and able to refer. Think of describing this to the oncologist as needing help to get proper nutrition as part of your post-treatment recovery, rather than as "I want help to lose weight". Cancer treatment and nutrition are associated things. If your oncologist isn't tuned in to RD services, I'd think about seeking a second opinion.
Best wishes!3 -
lynn_glenmont wrote: »nutmegoreo wrote: »nutmegoreo wrote: »1,000 calories a day is simply not sustainable longterm. I'm also concerned you lost 10lbs in one week being as small as you are already.
Thank you but I don't feel small 😔
I don't want to lose too much, 119lbs is my goal (for now) but it's just not going any lower than the 124.4lbs.
This may be a bit TMI but I'm only having 1 pooh a week since starting, even though I get plenty of fibre and I drink a minimum of 3 litres each day, so it's not dehydration causing the lack of pooh😅
I'm seeing a bunch of things that could be contributing here.
1) with that low calorie intake, you are not likely getting enough fat for bowel and hormone health
2) if your carbs are primarily from veggies, you may be experiencing keto flu (caused by electrolyte imbalances), the 3 litres of fluid intake would not help this
3) low intake equals less coming out
4) low calories can cause the lightheadedness and weakness (as can keto flu)
5) limited bowel movements and increased stress hormones can both cause stalls in weight loss
You were giving 1220 calories to lose 0.5 lb/week, aim for that. Log your exercise and eat at least 50% of those calories. Aim to get enough fat and protein. If you are going to keep your carbs low, then you need to increase your electrolyte intake.
Thank you for that 👍 Maybe I could try those rehydration powders to balance the electrolytes?
Yes (some broth would do in a pinch), but do increase your calorie intake as well. I'm not sure how long ago your cancer treatment was, but you really need to keep your strength.
I had another thought, but it's gone now. I'll drop it here when it comes back to me.
ETA: There it is! Caffeine. Have you reduced the number of drinks you are consuming with caffeine? If yes, then have a cup of tea/coffee.
I drink black tea - about 2 - 2.5 litres worth a day.
I'm due my 3 month oncology check-up in a week or so - I'll have urine and full bloods tests done. Would an electrolyte imbalance show up then?
Don't forget to mention your infrequent bowel movements to your oncologist.
Thank you. I had an issue with awful constipated after chemo, he gave me laxatives but I won't take them because I've abused tgem terribly in the past. I just thought tbat lots of fibre and plenty of fluids would keep things moving but as a PP said before, if there's not a lot going in, there won't be much coming out.
I'm sorry if it sounded like I was suggesting your doctor should give you laxatives. I meant tell him so he would have a full picture of your health for diagnostic purposes, but from other things you've said (which I hadn't seen when I first posted), it sounds like maybe you should see a different doctor for your general health issues, because the oncologist really seems to have no interest in your health outside of what he sees as issues related directly to your cancer.1 -
Thanks everyone, I'm taking it all on board 👍
I managed to eat all my calories yesterday and slept a lot better. Also, I'm feeling "stirrings", I hope there might be movement after another cup of tea 🤞5 -
Just a quick update for anyone that's still following 😊
I didn't have any luck yesterday but this morning was good 😄
I've stuck to the higher calories and I know it's only been a couple of days but I'm 2lbs down now and my measurements have shifted just a tiny bit in the right direction 👇
Thank you again for all the well wishes, advice and support 😘4
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