Surprising Discovery...

rsellersCST

Ok... first off... I've been really quiet which is not like me... but life has been hectic!!! That and I've been frustrated with some things in regards to my weight loss recently. BUT... now I need to share with you all because I think this is CRITICAL!

I think I'm FINALLY on to something... and I think it goes back to why I've failed in the past. I want to lose weight... so I cut down my calories... and I up my burns... and so on... to the point that I really feel I've pushed myself into starvation mode.

How can I be so sure?

Well... after analyzing my goals I was like... ok... I'm going to cut down the cals... up the effort for burn... bam I got this right!!! Um... NO!

All the sudden I started yo yoing... and it was REALLLLLLLY ticking me off. I mean REALLY! Especially since right about the same time my husband... whom I adore... also made some comments about how he ate CRAP and lost weight... um... WTF???

Which it's true... I watched him eat more than he probably should have... yes he was still getting in his workouts... but he'd missed some... and so on... yet come weigh in day for him...he was DOWN and I was UP... yet in my "mind" I had been STELLAR so hello... what is wrong with this picture???

Well... really now... what was "wrong" is that MY idea of what was "good" was NOT good at all... and though I'm clearly still learning... I was starving myself. Really. Sounds crazy.

I'm so NOT the type to ACTUALLY starve myself... but my body was rebelling against what I was asking it to do and rightfully so to be honest!

So I set this out there as a caution... don't use my little spiel as a pass to go eat more... that's not what I'm getting at here... but DO make sure that you are fueling your body for what you are asking it to do... and fueling it well. What that means? Well... I'm still working on that... I really am... but don't give up.

I have found that I think I've done this before and I'm starting to see a pattern... I have automatically assumed in the past that I as eating too much... so I would just cut back more and more and more... to where I was starving and then ended up going up... little by little... then I would completely give up... and eat whatever... and bam... pack on more than I lost.

I want this to be a FOREVER change... a change to become HEALTHY... and what that means is finding the right fuel for my body... the right amount to support what I'm asking it to do...

I was so scared... but I carefully upped my calories the last few days... and I'm DOWN on the scale now... so yes... there is something to it... and this might not be shocking to all... but it was startling to me.

***I've been eating right around 1200 cals... sometimes slightly less... exercising and really NOT eating back my exercise cals... so I've upped to 1300- 1600 consumed... I'm not talking big numbers here... but my point being... for anyone that is truly on the minimal calorie consumption... if you aren't seeing the results you THOUGHT you would see... this might be something to think about.

gayje

:drinker:

Here Here! It's true. It happened to me.

*I stand and say* Hello. My name is Jenna and I'm a yo-yo- dieter.

I've been on MFP getting the learning curve down since April this year. I started at a lower weight than I am right now. Why and I heavier? Although it's not really that much weight in actuality, I was not eating enough to fuel my body. Period. Plain and simple. I now eat 1450 cals daily and if I go over I don't freak out. I customized my calorie goals below what is actually recommended for me to loose weight. I do this to keep me in check. And it works. Last week I lost 2 pounds that I reported in our Weigh In thread. Since then, I'm down another 3+ pounds but since Sunday is our weigh in day, I won't post my progress just yet.

Good for you for realizing the pattern and successfully working towards changing it! I did too but it took me 5 months of doing what I thought was right before I actually got it right.

rsellersCST

So I just wanted to update on some thoughts a week later here...

This past week has been really hard... BUT I'm that much more convinced about the body fuel for what I'm asking it to do...

I can't be SURE, but I think this past week is when I should have been on my period. I say SHOULD because I've had an ablation last Spring and I don't have periods anymore :-) I'm crazy thankful to not have them anymore, but honestly that was the little issue for what I was dealing with... but truly an added bonus so I'll take it! Anyway... I still have all my parts though and go through the cycle... I just don't have the actual flow anymore... so it makes it hard to tell sometimes...

ANYWAY... talk about cravings and lack of motivation... I didn't workout like I have been on M-T-W... and FINALLY got myself to get out and do my normal walk yesterday even though I truly didn't feel like it. I'm so glad I did.

That said... I still don't "feel" like it today but come hell or high water I'm heading to the fitness center and getting on that Elliptical here in just a bit.

Meanwhile I've eaten reasonable amounts but not been too depriving... and wow... this week of all weeks I'm truly stunned with the movement on the scale! Last Friday I was at 213.4 then went back up to 214.8 and now today I'm at 211.8. The nutty fluctuation being what I think would be the greatest impact from that TOM thing...

I've not had this much drop on the scale this entire journey... and I've been FUELING my body... and even splurged here and there... so I'm not sure what my ultimate point in sharing all of this is... other than to say... make sure everything is in balance.

I've personally had a very unbalanced idea of what's healthy in the past and I'm learning. I really struggled with the idea that I could actually take in more calories and lose weight. Then this week I was really nervous about the lack of exercise... and I know why now I think... and I'm getting right back to it... but still making progress and it surprises me!

SO... just wanted to share that if you are feeling discouraged... or wondering why the scale isn't moving the way you like... don't automatically figure you have to cut calories... maybe change the TYPE of calories... or look into how much you are burning HONESTLY... but make sure you are feeding your body enough. There really is something to the starvation mode thing... and any of us that have gone on real restrictive calorie intake... and not gotten the results... this is some real hope!

Keep up the great work everyone! Absolutely inspiring to not be in this alone.