How to get out of this mind set??

jnb0203

Ok I started trying to get healthy on September 1st. I weighed 273lbs and I began the Weight Watchers Points System. Well I didn't like it because I was ready to make changes for good, and I didn't want to do a "diet" that allowed me to still have the bad things (even though they are high in points). I didn't lose anything that week, but I didn't exercise either.

So the next week (second week of Sept) I switched to here and started counting calories. Well for some reason in my mind I thought 1200 cal would be a good number (even though not recommended by MFP) and got myself eating like that. Now I can with no problem and I haven't broke since September 1st. No junk food, fast food, etc. I eat A LOT of raw veggies, fruits, and chicken. The closest I have gotten to anything bad or sweet is a Fiber One bar maybe once a week. So I'm eating good it's just I can't get out of this mind set of eating more than 1200 calories.

In the first week I dropped down to 265. But I also quit drinking diet cola and drink nothing but water all day long. I haven't weighed myself yet (Sat is my weigh in) but I can tell a change in my clothes.

So I've been reading all these posts about starvation mode and I'm really confused. First how does the gastric bypass prove successful if it severely restricts how much food a person is consuming? I had a friend have it done and she barely ate a cup of food every few hours. Second, I have another friend who's doctor put her on adipex and she is barely eating. But she has lost a lot of weight! So what gives? I really want to find a solution to this. I do believe my stomach has shrunk a lot, but I can't bring myself to eat more than 1200. On top of that I'm exercising and I just looked and my Net Calories consumed in the past 2 weeks I have been here has not gone above 800 calories.

So what do I do and how can I lose the weight I so desperately want to lose. I'm fairly active now and I do keep moving. I haven't binged or felt like it, I actually have cravings for different fruits and veggies. Any advice would be appreciated!

jnb0203

Ok I started trying to get healthy on September 1st. I weighed 273lbs and I began the Weight Watchers Points System. Well I didn't like it because I was ready to make changes for good, and I didn't want to do a "diet" that allowed me to still have the bad things (even though they are high in points). I didn't lose anything that week, but I didn't exercise either.

So the next week (second week of Sept) I switched to here and started counting calories. Well for some reason in my mind I thought 1200 cal would be a good number (even though not recommended by MFP) and got myself eating like that. Now I can with no problem and I haven't broke since September 1st. No junk food, fast food, etc. I eat A LOT of raw veggies, fruits, and chicken. The closest I have gotten to anything bad or sweet is a Fiber One bar maybe once a week. So I'm eating good it's just I can't get out of this mind set of eating more than 1200 calories.

In the first week I dropped down to 265. But I also quit drinking diet cola and drink nothing but water all day long. I haven't weighed myself yet (Sat is my weigh in) but I can tell a change in my clothes.

So I've been reading all these posts about starvation mode and I'm really confused. First how does the gastric bypass prove successful if it severely restricts how much food a person is consuming? I had a friend have it done and she barely ate a cup of food every few hours. Second, I have another friend who's doctor put her on adipex and she is barely eating. But she has lost a lot of weight! So what gives? I really want to find a solution to this. I do believe my stomach has shrunk a lot, but I can't bring myself to eat more than 1200. On top of that I'm exercising and I just looked and my Net Calories consumed in the past 2 weeks I have been here has not gone above 800 calories.

So what do I do and how can I lose the weight I so desperately want to lose. I'm fairly active now and I do keep moving. I haven't binged or felt like it, I actually have cravings for different fruits and veggies. Any advice would be appreciated!

songbyrdsweet

When an individual's doctor approves gastric bypass, which is a very risky procedure, it's generally because the health risks associated with the person's weight are greater than the risks associated with surgery and the drastic weight loss that follows. It's worse to be dangerously overweight than it is to slow your metabolism.

Also, those with higher body fat can withstand greater caloric deficits since they have much more than average. They don't stand to lose quite as much muscle mass. However, with any VLCD, you'll lose 15-25% of your weight from LBM. That's not desirable if you are at a weight that can be controlled or reduced through normal diet and exercise. It's acceptable in a case when it's important to lose weight in order to preserve life.

With a net calorie intake of about 800 calories, be prepared to lose a good deal of muscle mass. That may not seem like a primary concern now, but when you consider that you'll lose bone density along with it, and that's accelerated at the age of about 30, it does become an issue. Besides that, you'll see a huge reduction in a BMR from losing all of that lean body mass. So it's a good idea to eat enough to help prevent that, because resistance training does *not* prevent a loss in muscle mass from VLCD's.

jnb0203

Thank you for a response. I'm going to give it a try to increase. I have some slimfasts in the fridge, I will try sneaking one in and try to boost calories.

I do have another question. Should you eat your calories you burn exercising? I don't see how that makes a calorie deficit. But I'm still confused about all of that too.

GoGetterMom

I think the topic of caloric intake has been slightly controversial, but there are some good threads here you can look into. Having said that, as far as the gastric bypass goes ~ I had a friend who needed it medically. In order to maintain her muscle mass, she HAD TO supplement with a high quality MultiVitamin/Multimineral that was a whole food product AND she had to consume about 800 calories a day with about 75-90 g protein. Tough to do, but it is possible. There are some icky things that happen with the bypass: your hair can fall out, you can have some icky (which I won't go into) internal AND intestinal problems, you may begin to see changes in your facial skin, etc....

I think the key is to keep in communication with your doctor and be sure that what you are doing fits in with his/her medically trained brain can teach you. It is your body so make sure you let your doc know what your goals are, what your food issues are (physical and emotional) and what you need from him/her.

You can make a plan together that will fit for your needs!

songbyrdsweet

Thank you for a response. I'm going to give it a try to increase. I have some slimfasts in the fridge, I will try sneaking one in and try to boost calories.

I do have another question. Should you eat your calories you burn exercising? I don't see how that makes a calorie deficit. But I'm still confused about all of that too.

MFP builds in a 500-1000 calorie deficit for you; 500 to lose 1 lb a week, and 1000 to lose 2 lbs per week. When you look at your net calories allotted, it's 500-1000 less than you'd need to maintain your weight. Don't think of it as 'eating your exercise calories,' in terms of re-filling what you just burned. Think of it as eating your total daily energy expenditure (TDEE) minus 500-1000.

jnb0203

Well I'm beginning to believe that its all in my head. I ate an apple and a fiber one bar to increase calories and I felt terrible. I felt like I've cheated, that feeling you get when you diet the whole day and then binge at night.

I think my major problem is because my friends around me are losing weight. Even one of my aquintances lost 72lbs in six months by barely eating 1000 calories a day and working out for 30 minutes. Then my other friend has dropped a lot of weight from being on adipex. It's just hard and I guess in my mind I must eat the least amount possible.

I want to say thank you to everyone for the responses. I'm glad I can find support on here and I'm really happy to have found this site. I will work on increasing my calories, even if it is with my favorite...fruits. Thanks everyone!

songbyrdsweet

Well I'm beginning to believe that its all in my head. I ate an apple and a fiber one bar to increase calories and I felt terrible. I felt like I've cheated, that feeling you get when you diet the whole day and then binge at night.

I think my major problem is because my friends around me are losing weight. Even one of my aquintances lost 72lbs in six months by barely eating 1000 calories a day and working out for 30 minutes. Then my other friend has dropped a lot of weight from being on adipex. It's just hard and I guess in my mind I must eat the least amount possible.

I want to say thank you to everyone for the responses. I'm glad I can find support on here and I'm really happy to have found this site. I will work on increasing my calories, even if it is with my favorite...fruits. Thanks everyone!

Just keep in mind that you need to think of this in terms of YEARS for lasting results that will completely change your body. This lifestyle takes patience with yourself (and others too) more than anything. Anyone can lose weight quickly. Want to drop 10 lbs in a week? Totally do-able; just stop eating any carbohydrates. You'll lose 10 lbs in stored blood sugar and water, and as soon as you eat carbohydrates again, you'll regain those 10 lbs. You won't have lost or gained any fat, which speaks to how much weight really matters in this transformation--not at all.

At my leanest, I weighed 3 lbs *more* than when I started, but had about 7% less body fat. Yes, it took about two years, but in that time I cycles my calories and manipulated my lifting/cardio programs and was able to gain muscle and lose body fat over time. I completely changed the way my body looks, and lost 4 pant-sizes. I'd never trade that in for a fast 20 lb weight loss where I lose 3 of those lbs from valuable muscle. Don't feel bad about eating. You are just providing your body with energy to fuel your workouts so they can be more intense and you don't crash after a couple weeks.