Is my body rebelling against weight loss?

establishingaplace

The usual advice: set a calorie deficit appropriate to how much weight you want to lose, weigh/measure/log everything you eat and drink, and do this consistently for a month to see if your body is changing the way you want it to. Weigh yourself, take measurements, and take progress pictures.

That said, it sounds to me like you have a mental roadblock that you need to deal with. Is it possible that you see any calorie deficit as deprivation, and you're rebelling against the deprivation? I will say that I dropped my calories just a bit recently, and even though it was a small drop, I felt like it was huge and that I was going to be hungry all the time and fail miserably. I made it out to be this big thing in my mind, but it really wasn't a thing at all once I started.

Kitteneyes01

I don't see it as a roadblock at all. I WANT to lose this weight. It's so little and I'm not really over weight or under. I'm still in a healthy BMR, if a bit on the high side of that BMR range. But I prefer the middle range to the low or the high one. That's why I have so little to lose. I do think I have a lack of self control. I tend to think about food and when I think of it I want it. Hungry or not. This all started when I went on vacation with my family. They all think I'm fine and don't need to lose weight and they tell me I don't need to count calories. I don't need to be so strict. And that's I think where most of my problems started. I gained a few back on that vacation and have been trying to lose it for months but I can't seem to get back my self control I had before that. At first it was all planned. And now it's becomed unplanned mindless eating. I'm not bulimic or anything but really I worked hard to lose 20 kilos and I'd like to keep them off. :-/ Somehow.

LoupGarouTFTs

Also, a binge isn't your body rebelling. It isn't even your bodies fault. It is a lack of self control.

That is not true. Your brain sends signals to your body if you severely under-eat which may help trigger a binge. Most people with bulimia actually do try to under-eat and then binge due to severe hunger, not just "lack of control".

People with bulimia do not binge solely because they undereat. People with bulimia have a mental disorder that, in part, makes them desire to have absolute control over their bodies and the food they put in it or the calories they remove from it. When a person who does not have bulimia refers to a "binge" it typically means that they've eaten lots and lots seemingly despite themselves--which indeed implies a lack of control.

SLLRunner

Also, a binge isn't your body rebelling. It isn't even your bodies fault. It is a lack of self control.

Most people with bulimia actually do try to under-eat and then binge due to severe hunger, not just "lack of control".

This is not all that accurate. I went through treatment for bulimia several years ago, and when I was an active bulimicI did not binge and throw up due to severe hunger but because I was stuffing my feelings and then trying to get rid of them. I wasn't under-eating at all at any time.

That said, Yes, of course bingeing can be caused by someone eating too little food, but it can also be caused by lack of self control.

SLLRunner

And here's my thoughts. I'm trying to lose the last 5 lbs. But I'm hoping to do it over 10-15 weeks as those last five pounds are the hardest to lose. But I also want to eat the way I will for life. Fasting is a fast way to an eating disorder...take it from someone who has been there. Don't do it. Measure everything you eat, check out the TDEE/BMR info that is EVERYWHERE on this forum and eat just a little less in your day. (But also check and see if 5 lbs is worth losing...cause you may already be underweight).

While I agree with the rest of what you said, the bold part is a scare tactic. Maybe for you it triggered an eating disorder but this is not true for everyone who does a fast. If you read through the forums, there are plenty of people who do a 5 in 2 fast and other types so that they work out in a fasted state.

SLLRunner

Also, a binge isn't your body rebelling. It isn't even your bodies fault. It is a lack of self control.

That is not true. Your brain sends signals to your body if you severely under-eat which may help trigger a binge. Most people with bulimia actually do try to under-eat and then binge due to severe hunger, not just "lack of control".

People with bulimia do not binge solely because they undereat. People with bulimia have a mental disorder that, in part, makes them desire to have absolute control over their bodies and the food they put in it or the calories they remove from it. When a person who does not have bulimia refers to a "binge" it typically means that they've eaten lots and lots seemingly despite themselves--which indeed implies a lack of control.

Absolutely.

establishingaplace

I don't see it as a roadblock at all. I WANT to lose this weight. It's so little and I'm not really over weight or under. I'm still in a healthy BMR, if a bit on the high side of that BMR range. But I prefer the middle range to the low or the high one. That's why I have so little to lose. I do think I have a lack of self control. I tend to think about food and when I think of it I want it. Hungry or not. This all started when I went on vacation with my family. They all think I'm fine and don't need to lose weight and they tell me I don't need to count calories. I don't need to be so strict. And that's I think where most of my problems started. I gained a few back on that vacation and have been trying to lose it for months but I can't seem to get back my self control I had before that. At first it was all planned. And now it's becomed unplanned mindless eating. I'm not bulimic or anything but really I worked hard to lose 20 kilos and I'd like to keep them off. :-/ Somehow.

You said that you can't stick to a calorie deficit, even a small one. Why do you think that is?

Kitteneyes01

Sigh I don't know. I guess after reading all the opinions here I'm realizing that it might have to do with mindlessness. I do zone out a lot these days. But I don't know how to improve on my alertness.
:-/ I'm not always aware of the present or of what I'm doing.

AustinJ12

This is happening because your blood sugar has dropped. I've had it happen to me so many times that I started testing my blood sugar- what I found is right before the "binge" my sugar dropped around 30-40 points. To stop this you will have to keep your blood sugar even. This also means not eating sugary foods or drinks because your sugar will spike and then drop off. Eat about every 2 hours, 200 calories with lots of protein to help maintain that level. Do not fast- it IS your body fighting back because of your blood sugar levels.

MelodyandBarbells

What are your maintenance calories set to? You seem fairly sure you try to eat 100-250 calories below it. Do you have and use a food scale to measure your intake? What are these foods that put you over your calorie target? Are they any different from the foods you eat all day, or during the days you are successful?

Kitteneyes01

What are your maintenance calories set to? You seem fairly sure you try to eat 100-250 calories below it. Do you have and use a food scale to measure your intake? What are these foods that put you over your calorie target? Are they any different from the foods you eat all day, or during the days you are successful?

They are not specific foods. It's ANYTHING. When I have sweets it would be that, when I don't, it would be things like cheese crackers muesli meats ect. My Tdee is 1900 and I'm lightly active. I would eat 1600-1700. I do measure my intake. But I don't weigh anything when I eat like that.

Kitteneyes01

This is happening because your blood sugar has dropped. I've had it happen to me so many times that I started testing my blood sugar- what I found is right before the "binge" my sugar dropped around 30-40 points. To stop this you will have to keep your blood sugar even. This also means not eating sugary foods or drinks because your sugar will spike and then drop off. Eat about every 2 hours, 200 calories with lots of protein to help maintain that level. Do not fast- it IS your body fighting back because of your blood sugar levels.

I'm not sure about this. I eat usually 5 times a day every 3 hours. However almost always when I lay down (or sit down) and get up a little fast I get dizzy or my eyes go blind for a few seconds. I don't know if that (whatever it is) could have an influence on the binges.

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MelodyandBarbells

What are your maintenance calories set to? You seem fairly sure you try to eat 100-250 calories below it. Do you have and use a food scale to measure your intake? What are these foods that put you over your calorie target? Are they any different from the foods you eat all day, or during the days you are successful?

They are not specific foods. It's ANYTHING. When I have sweets it would be that, when I don't, it would be things like cheese crackers muesli meats ect. My Tdee is 1900 and I'm lightly active. I would eat 1600-1700. I do measure my intake. But I don't weigh anything when I eat like that.

Don't run scared from your eating. Measure all your food. If you're only going to track the good days I don't really see the point unless you're trying to watch your macro ratios or something. IMO The process is redundant or rigged if it's only used when the outcome is already known. It'll really help to pin point problem areas if you track the large intake as well. For me I could look back and see, hmm, I ate 700 calories of grapes or cherries in one day. Guess I can't buy these to eat at home too often

You may feel the same way about sweets or cheese crackers, maybe buy just enough for one serving when you have a craving. Or when you do track them you might see that an item only contributes, say, 200 calories and that you're willing to "spend" that and would rather lop off calories in an area you weren't even thinking about

Tl;dr, log all your food

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1234699-logging-accurately-step-by-step-guide

MelodyandBarbells

This is happening because your blood sugar has dropped. I've had it happen to me so many times that I started testing my blood sugar- what I found is right before the "binge" my sugar dropped around 30-40 points. To stop this you will have to keep your blood sugar even. This also means not eating sugary foods or drinks because your sugar will spike and then drop off. Eat about every 2 hours, 200 calories with lots of protein to help maintain that level. Do not fast- it IS your body fighting back because of your blood sugar levels.

I'm not sure about this. I eat usually 5 times a day every 3 hours. However almost always when I lay down (or sit down) and get up a little fast I get dizzy or my eyes go blind for a few seconds. I don't know if that (whatever it is) could have an influence on the binges.

You should see a doc about that if you haven't already

But what I really want to comment on is frequency of eating. I just wanted you to know meal frequency has no effect on weight loss, just total calorie intake over time. If it's your preference to eat this often, though, please carry on

Kitteneyes01

This is happening because your blood sugar has dropped. I've had it happen to me so many times that I started testing my blood sugar- what I found is right before the "binge" my sugar dropped around 30-40 points. To stop this you will have to keep your blood sugar even. This also means not eating sugary foods or drinks because your sugar will spike and then drop off. Eat about every 2 hours, 200 calories with lots of protein to help maintain that level. Do not fast- it IS your body fighting back because of your blood sugar levels.

I'm not sure about this. I eat usually 5 times a day every 3 hours. However almost always when I lay down (or sit down) and get up a little fast I get dizzy or my eyes go blind for a few seconds. I don't know if that (whatever it is) could have an influence on the binges.

You should see a doc about that if you haven't already

But what I really want to comment on is frequency of eating. I just wanted you to know meal frequency has no effect on weight loss, just total calorie intake over time. If it's your preference to eat this often, though, please carry on

I've trained my body into eating that way when I started losing weight. I didn't know at that time it was all about calories in vs out. Since my body has gotten use to it, I always get hungry at snack time. It's like resetting the hunger cue clock I suppose hehe. But yes I am aware of that fact. Thank uou for the heads up.

WalkingAlong

The dizzy/blindness on getting up can be caused by mild dehydration or anemia, said my doctor last week. I'd try drinking more first. Not to diagnose or anything but might be an easy fix.

The 'eating up to maintenance at night' thing-- I think it's probably just your mind and body trying to maintain homeostasis. Learning to end the day a little hungry is a new habit that can be learned. It just takes some practice. Finding some other ways to address night time boredom or stress or the need for a reward can help.

sunfastrose

The dizzy/blindness on getting up can be caused by mild dehydration or anemia, said my doctor last week. I'd try drinking more first. Not to diagnose or anything but might be an easy fix.

Or orthostatic hypotension - basically low blood pressure. I have it, not bad enough to get medicated, so the solution for me is to stand up slowly!

Kitteneyes01

The dizzy/blindness on getting up can be caused by mild dehydration or anemia, said my doctor last week. I'd try drinking more first. Not to diagnose or anything but might be an easy fix.

The 'eating up to maintenance at night' thing-- I think it's probably just your mind and body trying to maintain homeostasis. Learning to end the day a little hungry is a new habit that can be learned. It just takes some practice. Finding some other ways to address night time boredom or stress or the need for a reward can help.

Mm. I do drink 2-3 litres of water a day. I DO have anemia. But this started happening last year. At the end of my weight loss, I started getting hasty to get to my goal. So for an entire 2 months I actually only ate 500 calories a day. (I didn't know better) And this has been happening ever since.

SLLRunner

This is happening because your blood sugar has dropped. I've had it happen to me so many times that I started testing my blood sugar- what I found is right before the "binge" my sugar dropped around 30-40 points. To stop this you will have to keep your blood sugar even. This also means not eating sugary foods or drinks because your sugar will spike and then drop off. Eat about every 2 hours, 200 calories with lots of protein to help maintain that level. Do not fast- it IS your body fighting back because of your blood sugar levels.

While this may be true for you, it may not be true for the OP or anyone else. It's pretty much a generalization based on your own experience. There is nothing wrong with sugary foods and there is no rule that you have to eat every two hours to keep your blood sugar level. I have diabetic friends and family who eat three meals a day and choose not to snack at all and they keep their blood sugar under control.