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lifting and eating properly
Replies
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if you're not allergic to nuts, have two tablespoons of peanut butter. now you're at 1500 calories.
no, you're 500 calories below that number, which means you're eating somewhere between tdee - 45% and tdee - 51%. that's actually a really big difference from tdee - 20%. eating half the calories your body needs is not a good idea.thank you! my TDEE - 20% is 1600-1800 so i'm not super off of that.
if you read my original post you will see that i stated it is hard for me to even eat 1300 calories. i am monitored by dr's and blood work to make sure all my nutrient levels are good for my calorie intake. eating 1300 calories is not bad for me.
you eat fat free products (which are processed to get that way- something you say you want to avoid). eat the full fat version.
instead of almond milk, drink skim milk (if you're really that concerned about your fat intake), which has an extra 40 cal/cup or whole milk, which has 85 cal/cup more.
look how easy it is to actually eat at tdee - 20%! you can just add some peanut butter and real milk to your daily protein drink! although i would imagine it might taste better if you used chocolate powder instead of vanilla.
you should also be more accurate with your tracking. the other day you said you ate something that included four strips of bacon with green beans and onions, but it was only 66 calories. highly doubtful, considering one strip of bacon is 70 calories.
i will start adding in more cashew nut butter, i just dont like being high on fats and it also makes me sick.
i eat *some* fat free products, not all. i cannot eat full fat versions of most foods because it makes my condition worse. I also cannot digest milk or soy milk properly, this is why i stick to almond milk. i will try adding cashew nut butter to some vanilla almond milk with protein in the afternoons to up my intake. thank you for this advice.
in regards to the green beans and bacon, i selected one that was already in the system. i know it was not accurate, but as i know i didnt eat 4 strips of bacon i stuck with the average. my journal is about 98% accurate. the only time it is a guesstimate is times like this when i use round abouts to add my nutrition in.0 -
weird, she's eating cream cheese, whey protein, bacon, chicken, cottage cheese, s'mores luna bars (which i'm assuming are not vegan), pork chops, mayonnaise, etc.Okay... so you are vegan.
none of those are vegan. half of them aren't even vegetarian.
I just spotted the vegan vitamins, scanned through a couple of days, and thought that I didn't see any meat. If I'm mistaken, then fine, but that doesn't take away from my advice.
Olive oil is a good way to add calories to your meals without making them bigger volume-wise.
i take vegan vitamins because they dont upset my tummy and give me extra nutrition that i lack because i cannot eat a lot of meat protein with my condition. thank you for the olive oil suggestion! i'll have to start drizzling this on my chicken before i bake it or something. this is great! thank you!0 -
weird, she's eating cream cheese, whey protein, bacon, chicken, cottage cheese, s'mores luna bars (which i'm assuming are not vegan), pork chops, mayonnaise, etc.Okay... so you are vegan.
none of those are vegan. half of them aren't even vegetarian.
I just spotted the vegan vitamins, scanned through a couple of days, and thought that I didn't see any meat. If I'm mistaken, then fine, but that doesn't take away from my advice.
Olive oil is a good way to add calories to your meals without making them bigger volume-wise.
i take vegan vitamins because they dont upset my tummy and give me extra nutrition that i lack because i cannot eat a lot of meat protein with my condition. thank you for the olive oil suggestion! i'll have to start drizzling this on my chicken before i bake it or something. this is great! thank you!
Just caught up. Like I said, I just scanned through your diary and made an assumption. Olive oil is high in healthy fats so I hope that this suggestion doesn't cause you any problems. Best of luck!
Is there no hope for treating your condition?0 -
just saw on your profile that you're recovering from an ed. if this is the case, you should be talking to your psychologist and your doctor about your caloric needs because the idea that you need to eat at a high calorie deficit could just be your ed. the idea that you can't eat high fat/sugar foods might be because of your condition, but it could also be because of your ed.
ED is an issue that i had 11+ years ago. My profile says that i "am recovered" from ED. I have that up because i have friends that i support with ED and i dont want all of their friends adding me and my friends list full of ED girls that talk about that stuff all the time.
yes it is difficult to eat at times, from my condition and from my recovery. but i am not scared of high calorie/high fat foods making me fat, i am scared of them making me *sick* because they do. if you research anything about gastroparesis you will see what i mean about digesting high calorie and high fat foods. obviously from this post and my food diary, my goal is overall balanced health and fitness. the two (gastorparesis and ED), in regards to fueling my body, are exclusive. If i really didnt care i'd use my condition as an excuse to not eat, make my gastroparesis worse, and stay in that cycle. instead, i decide to eat foods that take longer for me to eat (2hrs just for a salad) because i choose make healthy choices.0 -
just saw on your profile that you're recovering from an ed. if this is the case, you should be talking to your psychologist and your doctor about your caloric needs because the idea that you need to eat at a high calorie deficit could just be your ed. the idea that you can't eat high fat/sugar foods might be because of your condition, but it could also be because of your ed.
If she has gastroparesis, that could be FROM the ED. She said she's working with her doctors.
OP, it looks like you might not have read my post, but DID you run strength training by a doc before you started it?
Edit: Got your message OP! If you're building strength, give your body time to adjust, then inches/weight will fall off. Keep with docs to monitor your nutrition because at a deficit, eventually your body will reach its plateau in strength/repairing of muscle, and good luck with dealing with multiple tricky diagnoses.
thank you for your support and fricken optimism man! i have other undiagnoised intestinal issues and have been sick with that for about 5 years so i know a lot about my body, fueling it, and keeping it healthy. i gained and lost weight a lot with the gastroparesis and i'm on a gain so i'm just trying to get back down to losing and taking as good of care of myself as i can.
oh and my gastroparesis isnt from my ED...just more joys to deal with as a result of intestinal flair ups and unexplained random infections0 -
Have you been running during the 4 weeks you've been dong LiveFit?0
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no, there no treatment, only management. it may get better, worse, or stay the same. unfortunately there is nothing that can be done other than to try to manage symptoms. after a year of having it and multiple tests and medications i told my dr i didnt want to try anything else. my only other options are feeding tube, gastric pacemaker, or bypassing my stomach entirely. he doesnt want to do any of those and i dont either. i'd rather deal with being sick knowing my body is being fueled than go thru all that. it's a struggle to get my nutrition in, but i'd rather do that than pick one of my other options.0
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Have you been running during the 4 weeks you've been dong LiveFit?
occasional cardio...i have a lot of runs coming up this year so i need to increase my distance. my exercise in additional to livefit may be 2 times a week if that. i know it's not recommended, but i love running. also, my gym buddy (we hardly ever do anything but workout together) is moving so i've been trying to spend time with her working out before she leaves.0 -
Have you been running during the 4 weeks you've been dong LiveFit?
occasional cardio...i have a lot of runs coming up this year so i need to increase my distance. my exercise in additional to livefit may be 2 times a week if that. i know it's not recommended, but i love running. also, my gym buddy (we hardly ever do anything but workout together) is moving so i've been trying to spend time with her working out before she leaves.
The first time I did LiveFit I ran through the first phase, but only a mile a two a day, 3-4 times a week. I saw no changes. I did phase 1 over, without running. I didn't lose weight but I lost inches and saw quite a bit on toning. I was at 1200 calories a day, if I ate that much...0 -
Now i know some of you are gying to say "you need to eat more!" but i do not.
i have highlighted the problem.there are several people who do just fine not eating back their exercise calories.
correct. they go with a tdee-based approach. that doesn't appear to be what you're doing.0 -
Your medical condition is an eating disorder correct?
That's the vibe I'm getting here.
This is a mental, not physical problem. I've been in a recovery from an eating disorder for a long time, and have periods where I fall back into those unhealthy eating habits.
Your focus, I think, should be on getting healthy, on changing your mental state NOT on losing weight because it's very likely your "ideal body" is still unhealthy or unattainable.
I honestly don't think you're going to get the results you want until you change what's going on INSIDE.
Just my two cents. I'm sure it's not what you want to hear and I could be WAY off base here but I'm normally pretty good a reading between the lines.
And for the record, I am looking to tone myself, and take the focus off weight loss and calories, which for me has been very tough mentally, especially because my trainer told me to increase to at least 1550 (maintenance for me) but that I should really be eating more like 1800 if I want to see results. It's called "bulking" and "Cutting"
It's tough for me, and something I am having a hard time with, so I don't want to sound like I'm lecturing, more just saying in a concerned way that I think you should focus more on feeling good about yourself and on getting better , I know it's not easy to overcome that mental asect, I've been doing this recovery thing for 6 years and I still have my bad days, but when I'm not obsessing over food and calories and all that I am so much happier0 -
just saw on your profile that you're recovering from an ed. if this is the case, you should be talking to your psychologist and your doctor about your caloric needs because the idea that you need to eat at a high calorie deficit could just be your ed. the idea that you can't eat high fat/sugar foods might be because of your condition, but it could also be because of your ed.
She never said she needed to eat at a high calorie deficit.
All she has said this entire time is that her medical condition makes it difficult for her to eat AS MUCH as she wants to. She isn't making excuses due to an ED.
You're not paying any attention to the originaly purpose of this post. Stop being nosey.0 -
Your medical condition is an eating disorder correct?
That's the vibe I'm getting here.
This is a mental, not physical problem. I've been in a recovery from an eating disorder for a long time, and have periods where I fall back into those unhealthy eating habits.
Your focus, I think, should be on getting healthy, on changing your mental state NOT on losing weight because it's very likely your "ideal body" is still unhealthy or unattainable.
I honestly don't think you're going to get the results you want until you change what's going on INSIDE.
Just my two cents. I'm sure it's not what you want to hear and I could be WAY off base here but I'm normally pretty good a reading between the lines.
And for the record, I am looking to tone myself, and take the focus off weight loss and calories, which for me has been very tough mentally, especially because my trainer told me to increase to at least 1550 (maintenance for me) but that I should really be eating more like 1800 if I want to see results. It's called "bulking" and "Cutting"
It's tough for me, and something I am having a hard time with, so I don't want to sound like I'm lecturing, more just saying in a concerned way that I think you should focus more on feeling good about yourself and on getting better , I know it's not easy to overcome that mental asect, I've been doing this recovery thing for 6 years and I still have my bad days, but when I'm not obsessing over food and calories and all that I am so much happier
Read above. You missed it completely. Not an ED.0 -
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Since eating more is hard for you, perhaps you should try more calorie dense foods. Elements has Vitality Bars intended for cancer patients. They are really little bars and some are really calorie dense. I just read your OP so it's possible you explained more in responses that I missed.Just ignore this if you've explained that calorie dense foods do not work for you.
Wishing you the best!
Edit: Just read the responses you posted. I see that you said the high calorie foods make you sick. Is it the quantity of food or just the amount of calories? Is it basically that breaking down the calories makes you sick or the weight of foods moving through your system? After reading your responses I see that you've been dealing with it for a while, so you've probably tried everything as far as food goes.0 -
Have you been running during the 4 weeks you've been dong LiveFit?
occasional cardio...i have a lot of runs coming up this year so i need to increase my distance. my exercise in additional to livefit may be 2 times a week if that. i know it's not recommended, but i love running. also, my gym buddy (we hardly ever do anything but workout together) is moving so i've been trying to spend time with her working out before she leaves.
The first time I did LiveFit I ran through the first phase, but only a mile a two a day, 3-4 times a week. I saw no changes. I did phase 1 over, without running. I didn't lose weight but I lost inches and saw quite a bit on toning. I was at 1200 calories a day, if I ate that much...
i'll have to keep this in mind. thank you so much for sharing!0 -
Maybe try a different workout routine. Not every workout routine works good or as good for each person. Find what works for YOU!
I've gotten good strength increases from Stronglift 5X5.
Gotten good BF% cuts from a modified P90X routine (P90X strength training but with running for cardio days).0 -
I would attempt to add in a 6th meal and potentially liquid only for faster gastric emptying.
I would reduce non resistance training activity to lower your total energy expenditure. Consider a full body training program done 3xweek rather than a 5/week split.0 -
just saw on your profile that you're recovering from an ed. if this is the case, you should be talking to your psychologist and your doctor about your caloric needs because the idea that you need to eat at a high calorie deficit could just be your ed. the idea that you can't eat high fat/sugar foods might be because of your condition, but it could also be because of your ed.
If she has gastroparesis, that could be FROM the ED. She said she's working with her doctors.
OP, it looks like you might not have read my post, but DID you run strength training by a doc before you started it?
Edit: Got your message OP! If you're building strength, give your body time to adjust, then inches/weight will fall off. Keep with docs to monitor your nutrition because at a deficit, eventually your body will reach its plateau in strength/repairing of muscle, and good luck with dealing with multiple tricky diagnoses.
thank you for your support and fricken optimism man! i have other undiagnoised intestinal issues and have been sick with that for about 5 years so i know a lot about my body, fueling it, and keeping it healthy. i gained and lost weight a lot with the gastroparesis and i'm on a gain so i'm just trying to get back down to losing and taking as good of care of myself as i can.
oh and my gastroparesis isnt from my ED...just more joys to deal with as a result of intestinal flair ups and unexplained random infections
Just to put this out there - been MFP friends with the OP for awhile now and her intake has increased a lot. I'm really proud on her on that. She suffers from a medical condition - which she has divulged and that she is being monitored by doctors.
But just wanted to put my input in from what I've seen in her diary and she really is trying to increase her intake and is succeeding wonderfully
As I've said, it takes time to create new eating habits and the OP has come a long way in what she eats and how much she eats. She's definitely learning to eat smarter..not just more.
But Xoalynnxo - I know that you don't want to always go broadcasting about your condition when you ask for advice, but, I think you should put that in there at the beginning
Keep up the great work :flowerforyou:0 -
Now i know some of you are gying to say "you need to eat more!" but i do not.
i have highlighted the problem.there are several people who do just fine not eating back their exercise calories.
correct. they go with a tdee-based approach. that doesn't appear to be what you're doing.
^^^^ not true...i know of multiple people who lift, eat 1400 a day, and dont eat anything on top of that.0 -
Now i know some of you are gying to say "you need to eat more!" but i do not.
i have highlighted the problem.there are several people who do just fine not eating back their exercise calories.
correct. they go with a tdee-based approach. that doesn't appear to be what you're doing.
^^^^ not true...i know of multiple people who lift, eat 1400 a day, and dont eat anything on top of that.
I would listen to Taso on this one. But for now, you need to find a balance on your eating and exercising - where you aren't overdoing it and just keep checking in with your doctors 0 -
Now i know some of you are gying to say "you need to eat more!" but i do not.
i have highlighted the problem.there are several people who do just fine not eating back their exercise calories.
correct. they go with a tdee-based approach. that doesn't appear to be what you're doing.
^^^^ not true...i know of multiple people who lift, eat 1400 a day, and dont eat anything on top of that.
Intake needs are based on goals, activity, stats, etc. All of the back and forth (not just by you, others as well) is not really relevant. What is relevant are your needs and your goals and how to get your intake to a level that supports those goals without further aggravating your condition.
You would probably get better results at a higher level of intake. The question is whether or not you are able to do this without aggravating your condition. See my previous reply.0 -
^^^^ not true...i know of multiple people who lift, eat 1400 a day, and dont eat anything on top of that.
Maybe that's a reasonable deficit relative to their TDEE.
I know multiple people who drink and drive, snort cocaine, are alcoholics, starve themselves, binge, cheat on their taxes, etc, etc. Who cares what "other people" are doing? Care about winning.
ETA: Here's an example. I know I should be eating more green veggies, and incorporate more mobility work in my routine. Week after week, I fail to do so. I don't make excuses for why. It's simply a flaw that I keep repeating over and over. I should improve it. If you have a "flaw", work to improve it. Don't try to rationalize it or deny it. It's not productive.0 -
First, you can eat more calories without eating more. Switch to foods that are higher in calories. Going for whole milk instead of soy alone might make all the difference in your calories per day.
It seems obvious you are probably eating under your BMR. This will ultimately cause a build up of cortisol hormone which raises stress levels. Eventually, this hormonal imbalance will place you in the fight or flight response, which will then run your organs at a slower rate than normal. This does two things. First, it reduces the number of calories you burn in a day, usually wiping out any deficit you have and thus plateauing weight loss. Second, it damages the organs.
Second, when building muscle, you need to have a surplus of anabolism in the body. The body has two building states: anabolism and catabolism. In catabolism, things are broken down (fat and muscle), and in anabolism things are built up (fat and muscle). These two are not mutually exclusive but rather think of it as anabolism + catabolism = 1.0 where they are both 0.5 at maintenance and anabolism is larger than catabolism in surplus while the opposite is true at deficit. No matter how much you eat, if you have enough anabolism in your body to repair your entire body and still have left overs basically, then you can gain muscle. If you do not, then nothing you do will gain you a lick of muscle. The only SURE way to have excess anabolism in your body is to be in a caloric surplus.
So for you, you're eating significantly below BMR, probably wiping out any deficit you have and thus preventing you from losing any fat. Additionally, due to not having enough anabolism (caused by the same thing as above), you're unlikely to be gaining any significant or noticeable muscle gains if any at all.
There are ways around this yes. But suggesting either (you'd need both) is not only just against the forum rules, they are also immoral to suggest, and one being illegal to do.0 -
Since eating more is hard for you, perhaps you should try more calorie dense foods. Elements has Vitality Bars intended for cancer patients. They are really little bars and some are really calorie dense. I just read your OP so it's possible you explained more in responses that I missed.Just ignore this if you've explained that calorie dense foods do not work for you.
Wishing you the best!
Edit: Just read the responses you posted. I see that you said the high calorie foods make you sick. Is it the quantity of food or just the amount of calories? Is it basically that breaking down the calories makes you sick or the weight of foods moving through your system? After reading your responses I see that you've been dealing with it for a while, so you've probably tried everything as far as food goes.
I will definitely look into those! thank you so much for the suggestion! high calorie foods that are dense or high in fat or fiber make me pretty sick but i'm willing to try anything to get nutrition in and stay healthy. i generally handle protein bars well so i am excited to try those. thank you so much!!!0 -
I would attempt to add in a 6th meal and potentially liquid only for faster gastric emptying.
I would reduce non resistance training activity to lower your total energy expenditure. Consider a full body training program done 3xweek rather than a 5/week split.
I was about to post something very similar to SS's advice. Since you can't eat much, cardio might be hindering your progress.
Also, four weeks is not very much time in the grand scheme of things. You are doing great, and you will see results. Congratulations on being in recovery...sorry about your illness, that sounds awful but seems like you are managing it as best as you can. Best of luck in reaching your goals!
ETA: Is switching from fat free to low fat dairy an option? That will help get your calories up a bit, too. And yes, protein bars...there are so many different types out there, I am certain you can find a type that won't irritate your condition more. Take care!!0 -
Your medical condition is an eating disorder correct?
That's the vibe I'm getting here.
This is a mental, not physical problem. I've been in a recovery from an eating disorder for a long time, and have periods where I fall back into those unhealthy eating habits.
Your focus, I think, should be on getting healthy, on changing your mental state NOT on losing weight because it's very likely your "ideal body" is still unhealthy or unattainable.
I honestly don't think you're going to get the results you want until you change what's going on INSIDE.
Just my two cents. I'm sure it's not what you want to hear and I could be WAY off base here but I'm normally pretty good a reading between the lines.
And for the record, I am looking to tone myself, and take the focus off weight loss and calories, which for me has been very tough mentally, especially because my trainer told me to increase to at least 1550 (maintenance for me) but that I should really be eating more like 1800 if I want to see results. It's called "bulking" and "Cutting"
It's tough for me, and something I am having a hard time with, so I don't want to sound like I'm lecturing, more just saying in a concerned way that I think you should focus more on feeling good about yourself and on getting better , I know it's not easy to overcome that mental asect, I've been doing this recovery thing for 6 years and I still have my bad days, but when I'm not obsessing over food and calories and all that I am so much happier
i really appreciate the concern about my ED and your suggestions for dealing with it...those are always welcome
my post is about my issue getting food in due to gastroparesis, not an ED...i am recovered from my ED, my gastroparesis and the fact that i have to track and focus on nutrients so much does make it difficult to cope at times, but nutrition is my number one goal 0 -
A couple questions (if you answered these already I apologize, I read through pretty quickly):
1) Is there a time frame after which the negative symptoms you get from eating pass? You had said you eat 5 meals a day, could you make each meal a meal (rather than 2 snacks in there) or increase it to 7 or 8 per day?
2) Are you certain doing that much cardio is a good idea until you get the finer points of your diet worked out? I say this as a rugby player who played through a fractured ankle and will have horrible horrible arthritis problems in the future as a result, so if you do it because you love it I can certainly respect that.
3) What have doctors recommended to you in terms of getting in enough food?
4) Are there 'free' foods that you can eat that don't cause you problems? You said high fiber/fat is problematic, could you just eat a bunch of chicken sandwiches or something?
EDIT: Completely forgot the most important question!
5) With your current strength program are you seeing improvement in terms of how much weight you can lift, how many reps you can do, or any other measure like that? (If so, stick with it and be patient)0 -
Thought of another suggestion, though you might not like it. Can you drink like Ensure shakes between meals? I have never tried them myself, but there are many other brands. Maybe you can find something you like there. The kids version of those nutrition shakes (can't remember what they are called) might have a good taste.0
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I would attempt to add in a 6th meal and potentially liquid only for faster gastric emptying.
I would reduce non resistance training activity to lower your total energy expenditure. Consider a full body training program done 3xweek rather than a 5/week split.
Thanks for the advice! Ill try making myself eat a 6th meal. Sometimes I can't because Im not supposed to eat after 7pm but ill just have to work harder at it. Thanks again0
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