Calorie Burn- Working at a restaurant?

Pipsg1rl · February 2014

It sounds like you are serious about taking care of yourself moving forward.

I was going to advise a cardiologist maybe for the dizziness, then someone mentioned blood pressure - I have a family history of low blood pressure and all the girls get wicked migraines. so my second would be to see a neurologist.

you keep a food diary, keep a migraine/headache/dizziness diary and see if it's predicatble.

maab_connor · February 2014

at this point, i'm going to say: print off your food diary and take it to a nutritionist who has a history of helping ppl overcome ED.

the previous "binging problem", the very low weight, and the fact that you don't "feel hungry" even when you're to the point of feeling faint... these all point to long-term issues from the ED you're recovering from. you need a professional who can help you work through this stuff. who can get you to where you're able to eat at a life-sustaining caloric intake. b/c honey, you are not there yet. these things take professionals for a reason. like any other compulsive issue, you don't see the patterns in your life. that's part of the disease. you need that trained third-party's eye.

But I don't have an eating disorder. Compared to most people, I eat like a normal person.
Except for the chocolate addiction haha.

who specifically do you mean by "most people"?

LishieFruit89 · February 2014

Are you going to call us all meanies for not supporting your obviously unhealthy lifestyle???

No not at all. And I'm not unhealthy... I do eat healthy stuff and exercise. I just have a hard time eating over 1000 calories.

You're constantly undereating.
That is unhealthy.

LishieFruit89 · February 2014

my stomach usually feels full though. So though I may feel weak and dizzy, my stomach feels full and satisfied and I don't want to intake the additional food because it will make me feel stuffed.
I don't know if any of you can relate....

Yeah, I can. I intentionally starved myself for a decade, and even though I'm in recovery, I still don't feel hungry very often. I need to swim or rock climb to feel *hungry*... or at least, recognize it.

Hormones are what controls our appetite. Once you reach a point where you're no longer feeling "hungry," your body starts to deteriorate. Dizziness. Lack of energy. Etc. People can go through periods of feeling "fine"... but that's because other things are picking up the slack, like cortisol. These are meant for short periods of time (like a famine, for example), and not for long periods of purposeful undereating... when abused too much, the body starts getting rid of all sorts of things taking up more energy. Muscle. Heart tissue. Hey, what needs the most calories to function...? Oh, our brains. Yup, that can start going too.

With your already low weight and your history of digestive issues (which undereating can contribute to, incidentally!), you should try gradually eating more and see health professionals, stat. A GI doc for your sensitivities and to see if you're malnourished, and perhaps a therapist to help you see what damage you're doing to yourself.

Please listen to Shelby here, OP.
She knows where you're coming from and has given you a lot of great advice.

LishieFruit89 · February 2014

A second opinion definitely can't hurt. As mentioned by some of the more "whipped into a froth" posters, dizzy spells aren't normal. Also, just a personal thought, but maybe going for a specific weight isn't the most optimal plan for you. Maybe you'd be better served healthwise by choosing a reasonable level of bodyfat, and going for that.

Just always thought they were normal because I always have had them, and my mom suffers from it as well. We've just accepted it as how our bodies work I guess.

I used to get dizzy spells. No clue from what, and I went through a barrage of tests. Best guess is that it was blood pressure related, but I wasn't under weight and ate quite a bit so I doubt it was food related. I'm glad that you're willing to seek another opinion on this. :flowerforyou:

Same here, mine was blood pressure related.
More sodium was helpful in my case.

SKINNYsupermodel · February 2014

at this point, i'm going to say: print off your food diary and take it to a nutritionist who has a history of helping ppl overcome ED.

the previous "binging problem", the very low weight, and the fact that you don't "feel hungry" even when you're to the point of feeling faint... these all point to long-term issues from the ED you're recovering from. you need a professional who can help you work through this stuff. who can get you to where you're able to eat at a life-sustaining caloric intake. b/c honey, you are not there yet. these things take professionals for a reason. like any other compulsive issue, you don't see the patterns in your life. that's part of the disease. you need that trained third-party's eye.

But I don't have an eating disorder. Compared to most people, I eat like a normal person.
Except for the chocolate addiction haha.

who specifically do you mean by "most people"?

friends, mostly.

LishieFruit89 · February 2014

at this point, i'm going to say: print off your food diary and take it to a nutritionist who has a history of helping ppl overcome ED.

the previous "binging problem", the very low weight, and the fact that you don't "feel hungry" even when you're to the point of feeling faint... these all point to long-term issues from the ED you're recovering from. you need a professional who can help you work through this stuff. who can get you to where you're able to eat at a life-sustaining caloric intake. b/c honey, you are not there yet. these things take professionals for a reason. like any other compulsive issue, you don't see the patterns in your life. that's part of the disease. you need that trained third-party's eye.

But I don't have an eating disorder. Compared to most people, I eat like a normal person.
Except for the chocolate addiction haha.

who specifically do you mean by "most people"?

friends, mostly.

If you're eating more than your friends and still only eating 1k calories at most, your friends also have a skewed view of healthy eating and don't have a healthy relationship with food either.

wilsoje74 · February 2014

Are you going to call us all meanies for not supporting your obviously unhealthy lifestyle???

No not at all. And I'm not unhealthy... I do eat healthy stuff and exercise. I just have a hard time eating over 1000 calories.

A 2 year old can easily eat 1000 calories, a normal healthy person can eat at least 1500 cals without issue. See a doctor,

sati18 · February 2014

Use a fitbit to track your steps - thats how i knew what i was burning working at a bar. usually for a 7.5 hour shift it'd be 10/12,000 steps and about 4-500 calories. But then i don't burn loads because im small

4-500 calories in 7.5 hours ?

Highly doubt that

Ok well doubt away, i;ll take what my fitbit gave me as my calorie burn for the day thanks :P

firstsip · February 2014

haha I rarely eat over 3000 calories. I usually net about 800-1000. Just wondering if I should up that a bit after a 5 1/2 hr shift.

thats not enough

how tall are you and what is your weight?

6ft. About 128lbs I think.

oh sweetie...and you still want weight to come off?

please get help:flowerforyou:

No... I just wanted to overcome my binging problem. I've gained 8lbs since coming on here. I used to be 120lbs.
Just trying to find out how much I should be eating to maintain, plus my activities at work. Although, I'm having a hard enough time eating 1000 calories.

Maintaining 128lbs at your height isn't healthy either. Cranq is right, you do need to get help. I think it's wonderful you have gained 8lbs, but you shouldn't be focused on maintaining at this point. Not until you are at a healthy weight and eating more.

My doctor told me I was a good weight and could strive to maintain now...

:huh: I find it hard to believe that a doctor would encourage someone to maintain an unhealthy weight and eat under their basic needs. Does your doctor understand that you get dizzy spells just from working a short shift? Get a second opinion.

I believe it. I had a BMI of 15 for a long time. I had a doctor flat out tell me, "Wow, like a model!" Doctors are... weird, when it comes to weight. From the, "You have a BMI of 25... LOSE WEIGHT NOW" to the "My doctor didn't tell me to lose weight until I was 400 lbs!"

OP, you haven't responded to anything I said, but I hope you take it into consideration. I know exactly what it means to not feel hungry, and go through life eating very little. It's so, so damaging. I'm STILL trying to make up for the damage I did to my body.

I don't know what you mean by "most people," but what you eat--while important--does not a healthy person make. Eating fruits and veggies and protein doesn't make you healthier than your pizza eating friends if you're undereating by that much. I'm also not sure how someone could think they don't have any sort of eating disorder when their username talks about bingeing, and the user wants to lose 10+ pounds on an already very underweight frame.

Go to a doctor. Express concerns about not feeling hungry or foods causing distress. See what they say. In the meantime, gradually eat a bit more each day.

LishieFruit89 · February 2014

Use a fitbit to track your steps - thats how i knew what i was burning working at a bar. usually for a 7.5 hour shift it'd be 10/12,000 steps and about 4-500 calories. But then i don't burn loads because im small

4-500 calories in 7.5 hours ?

Highly doubt that

Ok well doubt away, i;ll take what my fitbit gave me as my calorie burn for the day thanks :P

Please don't take this the wrong and please correct me if I'm wrong.

But at the bars I've been too (and it's been a while), the bar tenders aren't nearly as active as the waitresses.
Yes, they're moving back and forth but it's in a smaller area and with lighter loads.
So 4-500 makes sense to me in 7.5 hours

Also, to the person who quoting you saying you're incorrect, the OP used the MFP calculator to get that 1000 calorie burn. MFP is notoriously too high in its calorie calculations. So a 4-500 calorie burn as measured by a Fitbit or whatever, is far more accurate than what the OP got with MFP

ILiftHeavyAcrylics · February 2014

In my opinion, it's healthier to eat some of the foods that have traditionally labeled "unhealthy" while getting an appropriate number of calories than it is to eat nothing except lean meat and veggies but consistently under eat. I'm sure there are those who disagree, but that's my take.

sati18 · February 2014

Please don't take this the wrong and please correct me if I'm wrong.

But at the bars I've been too (and it's been a while), the bar tenders aren't nearly as active as the waitresses.
Yes, they're moving back and forth but it's in a smaller area and with lighter loads.
So 4-500 makes sense to me in 7.5 hours

Also, to the person who quoting you saying you're incorrect, the OP used the MFP calculator to get that 1000 calorie burn. MFP is notoriously too high in its calorie calculations. So a 4-500 calorie burn as measured by a Fitbit or whatever, is far more accurate than what the OP got with MFP

Cheers for the backup

as i said to the doubter, fitbit tracked my steps for all my shifts and for the bar I worked at, thats what i burnt. I've found the fitbit very accurate in terms of steps/calories and never had any issues with it.

OP, you need to be eating more on your shifts. Lots of people dont understand how much energy you burn doing restaurant work, especially when it's busy. try your best to bump your calories by a couple of hundred at least x

EvgeniZyntx · February 2014

my stomach usually feels full though. So though I may feel weak and dizzy, my stomach feels full and satisfied and I don't want to intake the additional food because it will make me feel stuffed.
I don't know if any of you can relate....

I can relate. It's called disordered eating. Get help.

maab_connor · February 2014

at this point, i'm going to say: print off your food diary and take it to a nutritionist who has a history of helping ppl overcome ED.

the previous "binging problem", the very low weight, and the fact that you don't "feel hungry" even when you're to the point of feeling faint... these all point to long-term issues from the ED you're recovering from. you need a professional who can help you work through this stuff. who can get you to where you're able to eat at a life-sustaining caloric intake. b/c honey, you are not there yet. these things take professionals for a reason. like any other compulsive issue, you don't see the patterns in your life. that's part of the disease. you need that trained third-party's eye.

But I don't have an eating disorder. Compared to most people, I eat like a normal person.
Except for the chocolate addiction haha.

who specifically do you mean by "most people"?

friends, mostly.

If you're eating more than your friends and still only eating 1k calories at most, your friends also have a skewed view of healthy eating and don't have a healthy relationship with food either.

exactly this. we tend to attract sameness into our peer groups. it's a biological thing we do without thinking. when I was an active addict - guess what all my friends were? I would tell myself that as long as I wasn't "as bad as so-and-so" that I didn't have a problem. it's the same with all compulsive disorders.

you have ppl here who are recovering from compulsive disorders - many have told you that they're in recovery from ED - and we're all saying that you're showing disordered thinking. disordered logic.

please seek help.

hamelle2 · February 2014

So much confusion. Why in the world am I striving to meet a 15000 steps per day goal if it doesn't help me burn more calories and lose weight?
Also if it doesn't help maintain muscle why am I so sore from my abs down to my calves?
I guess all I really need to do is jump on an exercise machine for a set amount of time?

EvgeniZyntx · February 2014

at this point, i'm going to say: print off your food diary and take it to a nutritionist who has a history of helping ppl overcome ED.

the previous "binging problem", the very low weight, and the fact that you don't "feel hungry" even when you're to the point of feeling faint... these all point to long-term issues from the ED you're recovering from. you need a professional who can help you work through this stuff. who can get you to where you're able to eat at a life-sustaining caloric intake. b/c honey, you are not there yet. these things take professionals for a reason. like any other compulsive issue, you don't see the patterns in your life. that's part of the disease. you need that trained third-party's eye.

But I don't have an eating disorder. Compared to most people, I eat like a normal person.
Except for the chocolate addiction haha.

What exactly is your MFP name?

You might, you might not. Discuss with your doctor. Also, you might also not be eating that low. How well do you track?

brock_west_houston · February 2014

I'm pretty sure working as a server (which I did for 2-3 years and will be looking to pick up again soon) burns considerably more calories than any white-collar job. Maybe not thousands but a significant number. If you're poking around in a lightly occupied establishment with an unfilled two-table station all night, I could see few calories burnt. However, if like me you had anywhere from three, but more likely four to six tables in a busy place with high table turnover, then you're entire shift is a workout.