Going over calories daily - Advice?

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Replies

  • herblackwings39
    herblackwings39 Posts: 3,930 Member
    Is sedation an option? With a documented phobia you might want to check on whether or not your doctor would sign on for it. They could then do all the blood work they want and you'd not have to know it.
  • runfree78
    runfree78 Posts: 25 Member
    I noticed today that I have gained 3.8 lbs in the past 2 weeks. I went through and looked at all my calories, and in those weeks I've gone over my recommended calories by 1911 overall. How can I gain almost 4 lbs by only having 1911 calories more over two weeks???
    I noticed your ticker says you only have 5 pounds to lose. What's up with that?
    Didn't know I had a ticker, but my goal is 110. As of today I am 122.8. So I guess it's wrong?
    So, just to get this straight, you will never ever be able to get bloodwork done? What if you have something majorly wrong that can be fixed? What if you had a Life threatening illness and would never know. Talk about scary. You really need to get into therapy ASAP to get over this phobia. Will you never have babies? There are needles (and a lot worse) involved in that. There are techniques to get over phobias. I would really focus on that.

    I'm assuming you didn't read the thread? I have done years of therapy and have had absolutely no success. As I already said once in this thread, I have had serious problems because of it. At age 20 got in a car accident, had a road sign break off and the leg of it come up through my driver's seat and spear my thigh, and I didn't go to the hospital because I was afraid they would stick me with something. And that's just one story I have. So yes, it's a real fear and one that I have had no success overcoming. And yes. it's terrifying every single day. And no, I will not be having babies because of it. And you should be aware that those "techniques" do not work for everyone. I have spent years of my life - YEARS - trying to beat this and am unable - but thanks for the "advice".
    Is sedation an option? With a documented phobia you might want to check on whether or not your doctor would sign on for it. They could then do all the blood work they want and you'd not have to know it.

    Unfortunately no. I have tried that route as well. I do not respond to oral sedatives enough to get me into the chair, and anything stronger would require an IV. I tried nitrous, but as soon as the nurse walked in to the room to do the IV I went from full sedation to fully awake - doctor said he wouldn't have imagined that happening in a million years. As soon as needles are around, my body goes into full-on panic mode, and the adrenaline overcomes anything they've tried to give me. I would give anything to make the phobia go away. I was able to let my doctor draw blood before my surgery last time, so maybe I'll be able to do it this time - but I'm definitely not counting on it. Last time I had been in excruciating pain for months; now, I'm just uncomfortable.
  • appifanie
    appifanie Posts: 95 Member
    Hi! I know that eating over 1200 cals is sort of terrifying. I am 5' and hanging onto 26 pounds of pregnancy weight (my baby is almost 7, back). I have spent the last 4 years counting calories and doing weights and cardio and yoga. 2 years ago I tried P90X because I heard that you're supposed to eat 1800 calories (minimum, depending on your size) so even though I'm not at all your typical weight lifter type, I gave it a try, because I WANTED MORE FOOD :D At first it didn't seem like it was doing anything, but I took measurements and lost at least 4" off my waist within 4-5 months. I only lost 16 pounds but it looked like so much more. I quit P90X when my deployed husband came home b/c I am weird and hate to workout in front of anyone and my 16 pounds came back.

    Just a few weeks ago I heard about TDEE - before that I was never sure if you should eat your exercise calories or not (if you're using the MFP calculations, eat the exercise calories). I'm eating more now - 1500-1800 cals a day, and I haven't lost any weight, but my thigh muscles and biceps are already bigger even though it's only been 2 weeks.

    ALSO! I almost forgot. Duh me. For the last 4 years I have been getting my thyroid tested once in awhile because I was having trouble losing weight. I too sleep 8-9 hours a night and wake up exhausted (with only 1-2 cups of coffee/day) and I was cranky and emotional. Since boosting my calories, I've felt better rested and more emotionally calm. I thought more calories sounded nuts, so I promised myself I'd give it a month to see how the calories affect me.

    Some people here have great advice. We have to figure out our magic formulas eventually! :)
  • appifanie
    appifanie Posts: 95 Member
    Oh and all my blood test results were fine. TSH good, blood count good, vitamin d levels good, vitamin b levels good, iron good. you get the point :D
  • moglovesshoez
    moglovesshoez Posts: 83 Member
    Try eating more fat.
  • TINAHUNTER1969
    TINAHUNTER1969 Posts: 219 Member
    Do you eat your exercise calories? Sounds as though you are not eating enough if you are exercising this much.

    Drink water instead of diet drinks as much healthier and helps your body more if you are dehydrated.

    I snack on raw cauliflower and broccoli which fill me up without using loads of calories.

    Good luck
  • runfree78
    runfree78 Posts: 25 Member
    Just a few weeks ago I heard about TDEE - before that I was never sure if you should eat your exercise calories or not (if you're using the MFP calculations, eat the exercise calories). I'm eating more now - 1500-1800 cals a day, and I haven't lost any weight, but my thigh muscles and biceps are already bigger even though it's only been 2 weeks.

    ALSO! I almost forgot. Duh me. For the last 4 years I have been getting my thyroid tested once in awhile because I was having trouble losing weight. I too sleep 8-9 hours a night and wake up exhausted (with only 1-2 cups of coffee/day) and I was cranky and emotional. Since boosting my calories, I've felt better rested and more emotionally calm. I thought more calories sounded nuts, so I promised myself I'd give it a month to see how the calories affect me.

    Oh and all my blood test results were fine. TSH good, blood count good, vitamin d levels good, vitamin b levels good, iron good. you get the point :D

    I STILL don't know what TDEE is! I need to read more, but I've been so busy. :(

    My last blood draw (before my borderline-emergency gallbladder surgery 2 1/2 years ago) showed everything in excellent condition except for my pancreas, which was reacting to how sick my gallbladder was making it. I was supposed to get follow up tests to make sure the pancreas numbers went back down, but never did. I couldn't get the full testing because I can't let them get more than one vial of blood before passing out. Even typing this is making me light headed! But they were happy with where "everything" was when they took blood the last time. I was also able to force myself to get blood taken about 7 years ago, in the ER (severe stomach pains, probably related to the gallbladder; it took me sixteen hours of being doubled over in pain to let them do it). Everything was very good then as well; they did manage two vials that time and did a more complete blood panel.
    Do you eat your exercise calories? Sounds as though you are not eating enough if you are exercising this much.

    Drink water instead of diet drinks as much healthier and helps your body more if you are dehydrated.

    I snack on raw cauliflower and broccoli which fill me up without using loads of calories.

    I do eat them, but was starting to think I shouldn't be! I drink around 80 oz of water a day; I just started drinking soda in the morning because the caffeine in my green tea was just not enough to keep me going. I am very tired without it. But I still drink 10 cups of water on average a day; sometimes 12-14, but never ever ever less than 8. I love water.

    I don't feel like I'm exercising much, though - am I? I ran this morning before work; I did almost 3 1/2 miles but it took me 40 minutes. I took the last three days off because I HAD to - other commitments that left no time for running. I have been toying with the idea of doing another 2 or 3 miles after work, just to see if the "extra" exercise helps...?
    Try eating more fat.
    I was also wondering if I was eating too much fat. I love cashews and peanut butter and always end up over on my "fat allowance" according to MFP, so I have started holding back on them. I can't eat almonds; allergies.
  • Did you know that a lot of exercising can make you feel always hungry and have no energy? The more you workout, the more energy you burn, the more hungry you feel. To solve this problem, you need to eat more and eat the right kinds of foods. You should eat at least five to six small meals a day and not just stick to the standard three meals per day. You should eat protein rich foods along with high fiber foods to reduce you hunger pangs and feel fuller longer.

    Your body needs more than just calories to keep it running well – it needs specific nutrients, vitamins, and minerals, and if you are not getting them in the food you eat every day, your body is going to try to tell you that it needs them through the only way it has – hunger. Try mixing in a salad with your meals. Add some ham or chicken, but make sure there is a variety of vegetables in it. I tend to add spinach to mine because spinach is high in nutrients and is also a great base for a well-rounded salad.

    Although, you asked for other advice, besides "see a doctor" I suggest that if everything you are trying and doing is not getting you the results you want there might be some underlying condition that you do not know about and blood work would be an accurate suggestion currently. You could be suffering from diabetes, hypogycemia and/or overactive thyroid. Stress, emotional imbalances and mental strain may also cause one to feel always hungry never full. Boredom, depression and frustration may also cause this problem. So, get yourself a hobby to keep busy.

    Feeling hungry is not something you should avoid. Your body is telling you that you are missing something from your diet, and to avoid future problems, it would be wise to figure out the causes even if that means consulting with your physician.
  • it's not about calories just do what the body wants, if you're hungry eat! if not the body thinks it's starving and you gain more weight to stop from "dying" in the bodies perspective.

    My friend only eats 4 time a day at the most, I eat about 4 - 6 times a day and my sister eats every two hours and where all losing weight. It's because all our bodies demand different things and you have to listen to it.

    If you're tired you'll have to find away to increase you're sleep or resting time. No one thinks of it this way but no sleep put the body under stress, like you know when there's a test or a deadline you're under stress. This put the body in panic mode so again it stores up all the sugar and fat it can because it's preparing for hard times.

    I've gone through this exact same thing before and all I changed was the things above, and doing more cardio. hopefully that helps and you can add me if you want so we can keep each other motivated.
  • tinglecm16
    tinglecm16 Posts: 6 Member
    Hello!

    I'm between 5'2 & 5'3 and I was having the same problem you are. I was tired and hungry all the time at 1200 calories and I would gain weight super easy. Two things have worked for me. Eating back most but not all of my exercise calories, it was very scary to start doing that, but it did work. So if you're burning 400 calories running, eat around 1500 calories. I only eat 1200 if I'm not active that day. It might take awhile for your body to readjust, set a time limit as an experiment, like a few weeks or a month. A blood test would be ideal, but check with your doctor if there's another way to monitor things. Maybe urine?

    With that in mind though, be careful about what you're eating nutrient wise. Part of my problem I found was that I was eating a lot of carbs and sugar, which was likely making my blood sugar out of control and making me feel hungrier. So a big thing for me is a high protein breakfast, greek yogurt, turkey sausage, and a protein shake. Don't neglect carbs though, they help with energy, just try to keep sugar intake lower (that's the hard part for me). Listen to what your body feels like it needs that day.

    When you only have 5-10 lbs to go, it's harder and weight loss is slower. I lose only about 1 lb a week, but because I'm not exercising like crazy and feeling like I'm starving, it's easier to stick with it. Moderation is hard for me, because I want those instant results, but I think long term it will help me lose and maintain my weight. Since exercise is hard for you, maybe moderate that more. Especially since you're reluctant to increase calories, maybe walk instead of run and you won't have to increase your calories so much. You're body is probably pretty stressed because you may be eating too few calories for your activity level, so that's probably why you're gaining weight. It's in survival mode, you need to get it to relax a bit. Once your body adjusts then you can up your exercise again (with calories) and you should start weight training, try something like 30 day shred, with light weights like 3 lbs. I feel your frustration, I have a hard time building muscle also.

    Lastly, work on your mental state, keep your thoughts positive. Sounds silly but I do think positive thoughts, and imagining you've already reached your goal is helpful. Jillian Michael has a book, Unlimited, I think which is a lot of positive thinking and goal setting, anything like that helps boost your positive energy is good. Losing weight isn't easy, so you need to have your mental and emotional foundation strong to help you reach your goals.

    You'll get there! Sometimes we just need to change the formulas we're using as we get older or our lives change!