Is My Body Trying To Tell Me Something?

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OpalFruitJam
OpalFruitJam Posts: 114 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Ok, so past few weeks I seem to have hit plateau and have stayed the same weight or gone up or down by 1 lb, thus I haven't logged in on MFP because it's the same as it was two or three weeks running.

Anyways, I have been trying hard to lose the last few lbs. Stepped my gym routine up to 2 hours (some days when I'm not too tired) and eating well.
However, these past few weeks I have had TWO binges. I don't usually 'binge' I have more self control than this.
But lately I have been craving and craving food. I had a huge binge last week (I think) to which I then worked off 700 cal in the gym the following day.

But last night I had another binge!
Is my body trying to tell me something- ie- stressed- eat more... or am I just being a greedy little piglet? If I am craving food a lot- is that a body thing or a mind thing? I am usually so very good with resisting, and am usually under my calories, even if only by a small amount.
I'm scared I'm going to put this all back on! xx Opal
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Replies

  • Dahli72
    Dahli72 Posts: 8
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    pregnant?
  • mlove1307
    mlove1307 Posts: 151
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    When I was on my binge-starve cycle.. I binged ONLY when I had been starving myself for a while.. The weight I have lost on this site has been done the healthy way. I even had to slow down and lose weight at a slower pace so that I wasn't leading my body to think it was "starving" again.

    The loss has been slow, and there have been mini-plateaus along the way, but I haven't gained and I haven't binged in over three months, which for me is excellent.

    Maybe you could try bumping up your calories since you are working out so much and set your MFP goals to lose weight at a slower pace.
  • OpalFruitJam
    OpalFruitJam Posts: 114 Member
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    Oh no no, no chance I am pregnant.. don't plan on that for a long time to come!
    ^_^
  • HealthyChanges2010
    HealthyChanges2010 Posts: 5,831 Member
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    Hm, well for myself if I think something will happen it usually does, positive or negative. So if you feel you'll gain the weight back, chances are you will. Changing our mind set is as important if not more important as losing the lbs. Thoughts are powerful things!

    Hard to say what your body is telling you, I looked back over your food diary to about last Thurs. are you logging in all your foods? Are you getting plenty of water in? Perhaps you're working out to much? Too much workout can give you the results that you're not looking for.

    You don't have to many lbs. left to lose so it's going to be slow going to goal. That's simply how it is for most ppl and how our bodies are made. Keeping the weight off in a healthy way is important so rushing to take it off quickly works in reverse.

    There's something causing you to binge, yes, what I can't say for sure. I imagine you could journal or blog a bit on your feelings you're having when you get those urges and see just what's going on in your head.

    Just chill out a bit if you can in regards to spending much time thinking of putting the weight back on. As long as you're eating healthy, getting plenty of water in daily, excercising but not to an absurd level unless you feel you have a health issue, seems if you do all that you're headed in the right direction:drinker:

    With just a few more lbs. to go, it's likely you won't see a loss everyweek or even every month. But don't panic, keeping your workouts up and toning up and gaining muscle is incredibly important if not more so than how many lbs. our bodies weigh.

    Simply my thoughts, hopefully something up above might help you out,
    Becca:flowerforyou:
  • HealthyChanges2010
    HealthyChanges2010 Posts: 5,831 Member
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    Maybe you could try bumping up your calories since you are working out so much and set your MFP goals to lose weight at a slower pace.
    That's a good idea, as it does sound like you're putting a bit of time into your workouts.
  • OpalFruitJam
    OpalFruitJam Posts: 114 Member
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    I like ot think I am doing this the healthy way, I haven't been crash dieting,just making the right choices when it comes to eating.
    I am usually fine on 1,200 calories a day (usually about 50 or so under) as I eat a lot of Quorn - which tends to fill me up.
    It's just lately, food hasn't been filling me up the way it used to *sad face* which is the bit I find odd, just wondering if my body is saygin " eat more you are stressed out!"
    Maybe I should slow it down and bump up the calories a bit as you say, because I really do enjoy the exercise!

    ^_^
    Execellent weight loss for you also :)
  • OpalFruitJam
    OpalFruitJam Posts: 114 Member
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    Thanks very much for the advice ^_^

    I hope I have been doing this healthily, I have been doing this since December and sticking to a few workouts a week and eating well- it's just lately food isn't having the same filling effect, which is odd, seeing as I have been doing this for five months now, on the same calories!
    I think it may be stress (I am just finishing up uni and have no job or money for the time being! which is very stressful!)

    However yes, I agree I may have to either bump the calories up, or tone the exercise down!
    ^_^
    Wishing you every success!
  • HealthyChanges2010
    HealthyChanges2010 Posts: 5,831 Member
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    I like ot think I am doing this the healthy way, I haven't been crash dieting,just making the right choices when it comes to eating.
    I am usually fine on 1,200 calories a day (usually about 50 or so under) as I eat a lot of Quorn - which tends to fill me up.
    It's just lately, food hasn't been filling me up the way it used to *sad face* which is the bit I find odd, just wondering if my body is saygin " eat more you are stressed out!"
    Maybe I should slow it down and bump up the calories a bit as you say, because I really do enjoy the exercise!

    ^_^
    Execellent weight loss for you also :)
    Or your body could be saying, hey I'm stressed out because we're not eating enough!:wink: Do you eat at least part of your workout cals back? What does MFP have your daily cals allotment set at? I skimmed your diary quickly, I can take another look so I don't drill you with questions.:tongue:

    One thing is you're doing something right GIRL! You've dropped 24 lbs and not much left to take off!! That's a huge achievement!:drinker:

    You might try adding in 100 cals a day and maybe in the form of a protein/carb combo. Do you plan post and preworkout snacks? That might help to get a portion of nuts and 1/2 apple sliced or an oz. of cheese with an apple., simple things that travel in your gym bag well.

    Could very likely be you're bumped up your workout far more than you were doing in Dec. and now need to adjust accordingly.

    Becca:heart:
  • mrsyatesy
    mrsyatesy Posts: 173
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    HI,
    Just a quick thought, why not find a scale which has a body fat percentage on it too, and you will still see changes on that even if not on the weight scales? Find something positive, measure yourself and then measure once every 3 weeks. The weight does not drop off so much when you are nearly at your body's "natural" weight.
    If you have been going through a binge cycle I would think that is more psychological than physiological.
    Good luck.
  • HealthyChanges2010
    HealthyChanges2010 Posts: 5,831 Member
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    I eat a lot of Quorn - which tends to fill me up.
    What is quorn? I hear about it but am not familiar with it? Thanks!
  • OpalFruitJam
    OpalFruitJam Posts: 114 Member
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    I eat a lot of Quorn - which tends to fill me up.
    What is quorn? I hear about it but am not familiar with it? Thanks!

    Thanks again for all the advice ( I did reply but didn't quote- despite being young I am useless with techno gizmos!)
    Quorn is a veggie substitute for meat. Some of the stuff is REALLY tasty (some tastes a bit like cardboard)
    But I do find they are very very filling, and as it is for veggies, it packs in an awful lot of protein. I am not veggie as such (although am considering it) but two Quorn burgers with a huge salad (or veg) used to be enough to fill me to the brim!!
    mm tasty *slobber*

    http://www.quorn.com/
    ^_^
  • HealthyChanges2010
    HealthyChanges2010 Posts: 5,831 Member
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    :wink: Thanks Opal
  • REB89
    REB89 Posts: 493 Member
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    When I came on this site a while back and lost a lot of weight and had a similar problem, the general advice and feedback that came back was that I needed to increase my calories a little ( by about 200-300 a day). I found that I was always hugnry and I think this had a lot to do with my metabolism being so much more efficient (at least thats what some very well informed people told me) . Anyway this really helped me and it got me back to loosing so maybe try that out for a couple of weeks! Good luck! :flowerforyou:
  • bambam32
    bambam32 Posts: 20
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    I've had the same thing happen before. A trainer told me to change my workout a little (new exercises) and eat another type of healthy food for a couiple of weeks (I normally stick to the same foods). This did work to get my matabolism working again to lose weight.
  • popplylily
    popplylily Posts: 97
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    i agree with the above lady, three workouts of that intensity a week on 1200 a day!!! omg no wonder you dont feel full! even sedentary you can lose weight on 1500 a day if you stick at it, thats the amounts for slimming world etc and its still good wqeight loss. i see lots of girls on here excersizing like mad, eating 1200 and not losing much its no wonder, your body is saying crap im not getting any fuel!! hold on to fat now!! send signals for you to eat... i suggest the same. 1500 and slightly more on workout days say 1600. your stressing your body out wayy too much. there are studies to show that women need 1500 to keep their organs and everything sustained properly. which may be why we tend to feell a bit crap after a while of eating 1200, tired and hungry.
    give it a try, you dont wanna burn your metabolism out! xxx
  • popplylily
    popplylily Posts: 97
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    plus... binging, not A GOOD HABIT TO BE DEVELOPING, DONT GO ANY FURTHER DOWN THAT ROUTE, its a slippery slop and a cycle, try and up your cals before its ingrained!
  • tavitsre
    tavitsre Posts: 6 Member
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    It probably depends on metabolic type, but I find I get less cravings if I eat more protein, especially if I've been working out a lot. Since you're eating a lot of this meat substitute quorn, maybe you could try one day eating meat, nuts and see if that satisfies you more?
  • bjberry
    bjberry Posts: 665 Member
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    Thanks very much for the advice ^_^

    ... I think it may be stress (I am just finishing up uni and have no job or money for the time being! which is very stressful!) ...

    Most of us, when under stress, have binged in the past. Food was our comfort in bad situations.
    You have major stressors going on right now. Along with making "A's" in all your remaining courses, you might want to add relaxation techniques to your mix of weight loss standards.
    - Drinking lots of calming teas: Chamomile, Fennell, etc.
    - Taking calming walks in beautiful places--even studying in the park, where you can hear the birds, etc.
    - Coordinating with your college staff to help you find a job.
    - Working with family and friends to see what they (or who they) know for job possibilities.
    - If you pray, praying has always helped me get through stressful situations.

    Just take a deep, relaxing, cleansing breath--in through your nose; out through your mouth--slowly. Repeat as needed.
    And remember, there are lots of us who care. Hugs, BJB
  • becca09
    becca09 Posts: 54 Member
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    yeh whenever i hit a plateau i change my work out routine and it sorts it out. i now change my routine every two weeks and ive been losing pretty much 6 pounds every week. dont get stressed out over it too
  • HealthyChanges2010
    HealthyChanges2010 Posts: 5,831 Member
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    Thanks very much for the advice ^_^

    ... I think it may be stress (I am just finishing up uni and have no job or money for the time being! which is very stressful!) ...

    Most of us, when under stress, have binged in the past. Food was our comfort in bad situations.
    You have major stressors going on right now. Along with making "A's" in all your remaining courses, you might want to add relaxation techniques to your mix of weight loss standards.
    - Drinking lots of calming teas: Chamomile, Fennell, etc.
    - Taking calming walks in beautiful places--even studying in the park, where you can hear the birds, etc.
    - Coordinating with your college staff to help you find a job.
    - Working with family and friends to see what they (or who they) know for job possibilities.
    - If you pray, praying has always helped me get through stressful situations.

    Just take a deep, relaxing, cleansing breath--in through your nose; out through your mouth--slowly. Repeat as needed.
    And remember, there are lots of us who care. Hugs, BJB
    :flowerforyou: what great ideas for de-stressing:drinker:

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