frustrated and confused?

mworld

so average day would be:

branflakes in the morning, cup of tea

marmite on toast a bit later on

then a banana - i drink about 7 cups of tea day.


that was their meal plan...which would equal about 400ish...although i dont quite know what marmite is....unless its super high in cals then they were right bout their cal count =/

don't forget all the cream/milk in the tea

o and the most important thing, which im sure you already know, a lot of people aren't all that honest/aware of their calorie consumption and like to 'blank' out a lot. Average days usually end up being days to strive for.

hasiangirl

so average day would be:

branflakes in the morning, cup of tea

marmite on toast a bit later on

then a banana - i drink about 7 cups of tea day.



that was their meal plan...which would equal about 400ish...although i dont quite know what marmite is....unless its super high in cals then they were right bout their cal count =/

don't forget all the cream/milk in the tea

o and the most important thing, which im sure you already know, a lot of people aren't all that honest/aware of their calorie consumption and like to 'blank' out a lot. Average days usually end up being days to strive for.

i just figured they wouldve said they add that if they did...i drink my tea black...so its pretty much 0 cals

mworld

i just figured they wouldve said they add that if they did

which of course goes back to the original point - you would think so wouldn't you?. Another interesting thing to note and add to the equation/confusion is that she's lost 4 pounds since joining in May and that she started at 144 lbs. She clearly says she doesn't think she's got an eating disorder (which also, doesnt say much) but other people think so.

I'd say square one is clearly getting a grip on what she is actually consuming on a day to day basis.

pittapatta

i just figured they wouldve said they add that if they did

which of course goes back to the original point - you would think so wouldn't you?. Another interesting thing to note and add to the equation/confusion is that she's lost 4 pounds since joining in May and that she started at 144 lbs. She clearly says she doesn't think she's got an eating disorder (which also, doesnt say much) but other people think so.

I'd say square one is clearly getting a grip on what she is actually consuming on a day to day basis.

no excuse me, i have not got an eating disorder, if you would of actually read the whole post anorexic's have a mental disorder. i think i know myself more than you do.
and for the fat in the milk from the tea i'm consuming. i drink skimmed milk, and even if i was drinking full fat that wouldn't really add up to much more over the 400 cals mark.

and 4 lbs is nothing, thats just fluid loss, that you get starting any kind of diet. clearly not a sign that i have an eating disorder

mworld

I don't think you have an eating disorder either, which is what I am saying in my posts!

I apologize if I gave you that impression.

lilmissy2

Ok, so as for this 'starvation mode' debate - I think you are right. If you were eating 400cal per day you would lose weight, much like people with anorexia DO lose weight. You won't burn energy as efficiently as somebody who eats more but as long as you are burning more than you eat you lose weight.

So... I find it hard to believe that somebody could not be burning 400cal/day. It's actually very rare to have a low metabolism and is usually associated with a serious health problem... that said, even if you were one of those people, your metabolism would still not be that low.

Perhaps you do have some medical condition that could explain it... the only ones I can think of are pregnancy, cancer (ie growing tumour) or conditions that make you retain lots of water.... but with the water retention you would probably notice your arms etc being VERY skinny?

To be honest, I see a lot of patients that report what they are eating to be very little and to some extent they believe that is what they eat. Usually people, particularly people that have spent a lot of time watching their weight, have 2 eating patterns - the one they think they eat (or what they plan to eat) and the one they really eat when that small amount of food doesn't satisfy them.

It's not my place to say that you aren't being honest with yourself, I was simply relaying what my experience has shown me, for the benefit of the debate (seems a lot of people have known someone in this situation) - but you might find that if you do increase the amount you eat and plan your days with plenty of variety in food intake that you might see some results.

Good luck!

pittapatta

I don't think you have an eating disorder either, which is what I am saying in my posts!

I apologize if I gave you that impression.

oh i do aplologise, I took it the wrong way, sorry about that.

but what i wrote down for the average day i eat is true, i am quite conscious of eating fatty things so i tend to steer clear from them altogether. i was just thinking that maybe my body is used to the cals/fat etc i consume, so to actually loose weight, i need to go lower. i really don't know.

mworld

Keep a strict journal - log everything (drinks too). When it doesn't make sense you then take it to the doctor.

I think you are in the UK - do you do a lot of walking during the day (UK'ers tend to walk a lot more than us Americans)

pittapatta

Ok, so as for this 'starvation mode' debate - I think you are right. If you were eating 400cal per day you would lose weight, much like people with anorexia DO lose weight. You won't burn energy as efficiently as somebody who eats more but as long as you are burning more than you eat you lose weight.

So... I find it hard to believe that somebody could not be burning 400cal/day. It's actually very rare to have a low metabolism and is usually associated with a serious health problem... that said, even if you were one of those people, your metabolism would still not be that low.

Perhaps you do have some medical condition that could explain it... the only ones I can think of are pregnancy, cancer (ie growing tumour) or conditions that make you retain lots of water.... but with the water retention you would probably notice your arms etc being VERY skinny?

To be honest, I see a lot of patients that report what they are eating to be very little and to some extent they believe that is what they eat. Usually people, particularly people that have spent a lot of time watching their weight, have 2 eating patterns - the one they think they eat (or what they plan to eat) and the one they really eat when that small amount of food doesn't satisfy them.

It's not my place to say that you aren't being honest with yourself, I was simply relaying what my experience has shown me, for the benefit of the debate (seems a lot of people have known someone in this situation) - but you might find that if you do increase the amount you eat and plan your days with plenty of variety in food intake that you might see some results.

Good luck!

i'm just as baffled as you are! and you seem like a professional person. like i said maybe because my body is so used to the same routine, to lose weight i'd need consume less cals. i think it would be a good point to add that i'm 5ft 7"

I'm going to try exercising a lot more, hopefully that'll do the trick. so stick around and i'll keep you posted on this weird anomaly!

pittapatta

Keep a strict journal - log everything (drinks too). When it doesn't make sense you then take it to the doctor.

I think you are in the UK - do you do a lot of walking during the day (UK'ers tend to walk a lot more than us Americans)

yeah, i've almost always kept a food diary. hence joining this site because it's so much easier.
and yep, i'm from the U.K, I don't walk as much as I should, but go on bike rides often so hopefully that makes up for the laziness :^P

questionablemethods

I don't think you have an eating disorder either, which is what I am saying in my posts!

I apologize if I gave you that impression.

oh i do aplologise, I took it the wrong way, sorry about that.

but what i wrote down for the average day i eat is true, i am quite conscious of eating fatty things so i tend to steer clear from them altogether. i was just thinking that maybe my body is used to the cals/fat etc i consume, so to actually loose weight, i need to go lower. i really don't know.

Just wanted to note that it isn't just "fatty" foods that will make you gain weight. Calories are what make you gain weight. It sounds like you know this. But remember that even fat free milk has calories in it and if you are putting it on your cereal and in your tea, it could be adding up to quite a bit. What I have classified as "just a splash" of fat free milk in my coffee typically is actually closer to 1/4th of a cup, or 20-some calories. If you are having 7 cups of tea a day and adding milk in all of them, it could end up adding another 100-200 calories, depending upon how much you use.

But as you say, that is still not a lot. However, I think that you should go back and read that link that someone posted about "700 calories a day and still overweight". You probably fall in that boat, as a lot of people do. You certainly don't need to cut your calories any further, but you might need to see a nutritionist to help get your metabolism back on track if you have been eating such a small amount for a long period of time.

mworld

Keep a strict journal - log everything (drinks too). When it doesn't make sense you then take it to the doctor.

I think you are in the UK - do you do a lot of walking during the day (UK'ers tend to walk a lot more than us Americans)

yeah, i've almost always kept a food diary. hence joining this site because it's so much easier.
and yep, i'm from the U.K, I don't walk as much as I should, but go on bike rides often so hopefully that makes up for the laziness :^P

Well you are right that there is something wrong. I think you are doing the right thing by visiting with a Dr. You may want to have a family member or friend there with you as well for support. I wish you luck.


Lilmissy, thank you for the expert chime-in

pittapatta

thanks everyone :flowerforyou:

mamagooskie

I think you should try eating not more food necessarily but higher calorie meals instead if you really can't eat "more". For breakfast try adding full fat cream to your tea/coffee, maybe have some peanut butter or sunflower seed butter on your banana. You say you like fish so try adding a serving or two a week to your day. Like tuna on salad or a filet with dinner. You say you careful about how much fat you eat which is good but you do need a certain amount per day and there are many healthy natural ways to add it in. I automatically tend to think of chips, and french fries when I think of foods with fat but that isn't the case. Maybe even try adding a hard boiled egg and a cheese string somewhere in your day, soymilk smoothies are fantastic. How about added a meal replacement bar, those are like 300-400 calories alone and if you pick a organic one with limited "additives" you'd still be eating healthy but totally giving your body a boost.

another poster suggested upping your calories every so often which I think could be a good idea. Like next week try to eat 600 cal each day and the next week a bit more. It really will work.

I have a lot of weight to lose and even for someone of my size if I eat more I will lose more.....it's crazy how it all works but it just does. Some of my daily meals are close to or more than 400 cal each but it's all healthy with veggies, beans, fruits, light dressings/sauces, lean cuts of meat, fish, eggs, low fat dairy etc.

Keep exercizing because it is good for you, but I also find (and I'm sure a lot of others do as well) that if you eat some of you exercize calories in addition to your daily allowance you will lose even more.

Sometimes even changing things up help. If you eat the same things day in and day out and do the same workout the same way the same amount of time your body can stop being challenged. So figure out 3-4 breakfasts you like within your intake and 3-4 lunches and 3-4 dinners and mix em up. change your workout, add in weights, do sprints, anything different. change is good.

I think staying at 400 cal / day and working out less will work against you.

I wish you luck whatever you decide to do though!

melville88

Hi there, had similar problems as you and had similar feedback from everyone. I too was having some days around 400 cals, I've upped it to 800-1000 and I do feel better for it. Don't worry, I'm sure you don't have an eating disorder- I think when you;ve been on a diet for a while your body does get used to smaller portions and you feel less hungry- that was the case for me. I also try my best to avoid high fat-content foods- which is why although people on here have suggested things like avacadoes and oil for you, these aren't necessarily high in calories- just high in fat. There are other foods that have a higher calorie content and are fairly low fat that you could try: mangoes? couscous? If you start eating a bit more day by day, you will start to feel hungry again and then you'll be able to reach higher calorie goals if this is what you want to do- I don't recommend reading everyone's advice and then plummeting straight into 1200 calories after eating 300-400 for so long; it's best to build it up gradually (but building it up will help I think, like everyone says). Also try calorie cycling- i.e. set different targets each week to reach calorie wise so that your metabolism won't stabilize. I definitely think this works.

Also, bran flakes, toast and a banana- that's all carbohydrate and fibre (a little dairy with the milk I guess). Maybe try a week restricting carbs and focusing on proteins- i.e. chicken, fish etc. Again, this might shake up your metabolism.

I would say though, it will be difficult to lose weight quickly for you maybe because you're already only 140 pounds and at 5'7", that is a nice, comfortable weight for your body to be at- so I guess, be prepared for a slog!

Hope some of this helps, good luck and I hope you start to lose soon! xxx