Infuriated and Relieved

amijay77
amijay77 Posts: 13
edited September 21 in Health and Weight Loss
History: Sitting at 250 lbs at 5'3''. Got this way due to a getting older, a bad diet and birth control (the shot and then the hormonal implant.) How do I know this - looking back on patterns of my weight - I always weighed dramatically more (and couldn't' lose anything at all) during times I was on these birth controls and when I went off them, things returned to normal. This time though, I was on the birth control for 2 years solid - not a few months on and off, so the weight packed on and now I am where I am at.

So I stopped the Birth Control. I did TONS of research. I tried out several diet tracking sites, before landing here. Spent the last 6 months recording everything I eat and all exercise I do with I would say a 95% accuracy rate. The Results - lost 6 lbs out of the gate and not a single ounce in the last 5 months.

So I broke down and went to a Nutritionist - something that should be WAY more accessible than they are. (I had to do through 2 appointments and 3 months to finally get in to see one.) Finally though I did, and this is where the Infuriated part comes in:

There is an ACTUAL MEDICAL TEST you can take to find out YOUR ACTUAL BMR. That means - no guessing. No wondering. No estimating.

You fast for a few hours - breath into a tube for 10 minutes - you have an actual number telling you what your BMR is. Mine is 1880. Guess what. Every site, hell even the nutritionist, was UNDER-ESTIMATING my BMR. That means every BMR calculator and diet site was telling me I should only consume 1750 calories in order to lose 1 lb a week. Turns out for me - that ain't enough to fuel me laying in bed all day. This is what caused me to lose a few pounds when I first started dieting and then not lose anything else. This is why when i got frustrated and ate whatever - i would not gain but seem to lose some weight.

What is most infuriating is that i had to go months and through 3 health care professionals to find out there is no need to guess. I am pretty internet savvy and of the BAJILLION sites I have read on weight loss not a single one mentioned this test. Maybe it is the 1 link I didn't click, but the general sentiment I get from almost all sites is that "you can only guess." Well that is BS.

I am relieved that I have a fighting chance now, I know eating more will help. I am angry because I wasn't starving myself like these lunatics only eating 700 calories a day and spending 8 hours a week in the gym. I am angry because it turns out MY 700 calories a day was 1880 calories a day and every piece of information out there pointed me to the wrong Calorie Intake.

And it all could have been avoided with this one simple test that at least for me, was the best kept secret on the planet.

Replies

  • kimberly428
    kimberly428 Posts: 237
    Well glad you were able to find out what you needed to know. You are probably 1 out of a bunch of people that would need that test and would need to eat that much to loose.
  • LisaJayne71
    LisaJayne71 Posts: 197 Member
    History: Sitting at 250 lbs at 5'3''. Got this way due to a getting older, a bad diet and birth control (the shot and then the hormonal implant.) How do I know this - looking back on patterns of my weight - I always weighed dramatically more (and couldn't' lose anything at all) during times I was on these birth controls and when I went off them, things returned to normal. This time though, I was on the birth control for 2 years solid - not a few months on and off, so the weight packed on and now I am where I am at.

    So I stopped the Birth Control. I did TONS of research. I tried out several diet tracking sites, before landing here. Spent the last 6 months recording everything I eat and all exercise I do with I would say a 95% accuracy rate. The Results - lost 6 lbs out of the gate and not a single ounce in the last 5 months.

    So I broke down and went to a Nutritionist - something that should be WAY more accessible than they are. (I had to do through 2 appointments and 3 months to finally get in to see one.) Finally though I did, and this is where the Infuriated part comes in:

    There is an ACTUAL MEDICAL TEST you can take to find out YOUR ACTUAL BMR. That means - no guessing. No wondering. No estimating.

    You fast for a few hours - breath into a tube for 10 minutes - you have an actual number telling you what your BMR is. Mine is 1880. Guess what. Every site, hell even the nutritionist, was UNDER-ESTIMATING my BMR. That means every BMR calculator and diet site was telling me I should only consume 1750 calories in order to lose 1 lb a week. Turns out for me - that ain't enough to fuel me laying in bed all day. This is what caused me to lose a few pounds when I first started dieting and then not lose anything else. This is why when i got frustrated and ate whatever - i would not gain but seem to lose some weight.

    What is most infuriating is that i had to go months and through 3 health care professionals to find out there is no need to guess. I am pretty internet savvy and of the BAJILLION sites I have read on weight loss not a single one mentioned this test. Maybe it is the 1 link I didn't click, but the general sentiment I get from almost all sites is that "you can only guess." Well that is BS.

    I am relieved that I have a fighting chance now, I know eating more will help. I am angry because I wasn't starving myself like these lunatics only eating 700 calories a day and spending 8 hours a week in the gym. I am angry because it turns out MY 700 calories a day was 1880 calories a day and every piece of information out there pointed me to the wrong Calorie Intake.

    And it all could have been avoided with this one simple test that at least for me, was the best kept secret on the planet.

    So, what is the test called???!! I would like to have this done!
  • tattereds
    tattereds Posts: 120 Member
    I'd love to know what this test is called too, please!

    I've never heard of anything like this before either. Thanks for sharing this obviously well kept secret!
  • kwardklinck
    kwardklinck Posts: 1,601
    It is frustrating that you've tried for so long with no results. Having that test was a great thing though! Now you know how many calories you need to survive and you can eat better. Just make sure the food you eat is healthy and balanced. Not all calories are created equal. I was having the same issue when I ate 1200 calories per day. Once I bumped it up to 1400 the weight was coming off. I now maintain on about 1900 per day with exercise.
  • valleyp
    valleyp Posts: 49
    I find that incredibly interesting and not illogical at all. I know people who have lost weight just by cutting out their after dinner snack or switching out the baked potato for broccoli, etc. That can only be a calorie deficite of a couple hundred calories. I am about 5'2" and 140 lbs. and when ever I drop my calories down to the MFP recommended 1200, I don't lose anything and I'm starving. I recently experimented with raising my calories to 2200 to see what would happen and it took over three weeks for me to gain 2 lbs. I dropped it down to approx. 1700 cals and in five days I lost 2 lbs. Metabolism is a very curious thing.
  • Alleghany
    Alleghany Posts: 200
    I've heard of this a few years before but never persued it b/c I didn't really need it and thought it would cost a lot. I would love to do this now, though, especially if the cost wasn't that much. How much did you have to pay? I would think that certain people would be covered at least partially by some insurance companies.

    Thx for sharing this. :flowerforyou:
  • patwil73
    patwil73 Posts: 28
    I believe she is talking about calorimetry - a test used to measure the rate of physical change. So you fast for a while so yur body is not digesting anything, and rest so your not expending energy in exercise and what is left should be your Resting Metabolic Rate. Don't know how much it would cost but it seems like a simple procedure (the work is in the calculation) so it shouldn't cost much even without insurance.

    Hope this helps
  • canstey
    canstey Posts: 118
    The original poster's numbers don't add up. If her RMR was 1880 and she did nothing all day but lay in bed, 1750 calories a day still loses weight, albeit slowly. The "starvation mode" everyone is worried about is when someone over estimates their RMR, unknowingly run a large calorie deficit and the body responds by lowering the RMR to compensate. If her RMR had been reduced to 1400 then it becomes clear why she stopped losing weight.

    I hope the OP is able to use the actual number and find success going forward but I don't understand how these specific numbers explain the previous experience.
  • amijay77
    amijay77 Posts: 13
    The original poster's numbers don't add up. If her RMR was 1880 and she did nothing all day but lay in bed, 1750 calories a day still loses weight, albeit slowly. The "starvation mode" everyone is worried about is when someone over estimates their RMR, unknowingly run a large calorie deficit and the body responds by lowering the RMR to compensate. If her RMR had been reduced to 1400 then it becomes clear why she stopped losing weight.

    I hope the OP is able to use the actual number and find success going forward but I don't understand how these specific numbers explain the previous experience.

    The health professionals explained to me that my Resting Metabolic Rate was 1880 according to the test - eating under that makes my body hold on to every calorie - it isn't starvation mode it is SURVIVAL mode. Makes sense if you think about it. Anyway going by the calculators have found on various sites hasn't worked for 6 months. I will come back in a few weeks and fill everyone in my progress.

    I was referred to the test via my Nutritionist through Kaiser Permantente. My Co-Pay was $40. Not sure what that would be without insurance.
  • canstey
    canstey Posts: 118
    The health professionals explained to me that my Resting Metabolic Rate was 1880 according to the test - eating under that makes my body hold on to every calorie - it isn't starvation mode it is SURVIVAL mode. Makes sense if you think about it. Anyway going by the calculators have found on various sites hasn't worked for 6 months. I will come back in a few weeks and fill everyone in my progress.

    I was referred to the test via my Nutritionist through Kaiser Permantente. My Co-Pay was $40. Not sure what that would be without insurance.

    These people are supposed to be "professionals" but my personal BMR/RMR is calculated 1770 and with a sedentary lifestyle my maintenance calories are 500 more so 2270. I have MFP set to lose 2lbs a week for a deficit of 1000 calories leaving me 1270 calories per day. I am losing 2 lbs a week on average and am eating 500 calories below my BMR/RMR. If you have a calorie deficit you will lose weight, 1st law of thermodynamics and you can't get around it. The risk is your body will lower your BMR/RMR to well below the current 1880 in response to a huge chronic calorie deficit and turn what you think is a deficit into a surplus or at least equivalence. However you have an actual measurement that shows you are still running a deficit.

    You may actually start losing weight again by increasing your calories as many people do and I hope you have success. Give their recommendations a try because they can't be any worse than now. However, true survival mode is when your body has no fat left and starts breaking down all your muscles and organs to survive and you lose cognitive function.

    Here is a link to better explain what starvation mode is and isn't.
    http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/1574882/starvation_mode_dispelling_the_myths.html?cat=51
  • amijay77
    amijay77 Posts: 13
    The health professionals explained to me that my Resting Metabolic Rate was 1880 according to the test - eating under that makes my body hold on to every calorie - it isn't starvation mode it is SURVIVAL mode. Makes sense if you think about it. Anyway going by the calculators have found on various sites hasn't worked for 6 months. I will come back in a few weeks and fill everyone in my progress.

    I was referred to the test via my Nutritionist through Kaiser Permantente. My Co-Pay was $40. Not sure what that would be without insurance.

    These people are supposed to be "professionals" but my personal BMR/RMR is calculated 1770 and with a sedentary lifestyle my maintenance calories are 500 more so 2270. I have MFP set to lose 2lbs a week for a deficit of 1000 calories leaving me 1270 calories per day. I am losing 2 lbs a week on average and am eating 500 calories below my BMR/RMR. If you have a calorie deficit you will lose weight, 1st law of thermodynamics and you can't get around it. The risk is your body will lower your BMR/RMR to well below the current 1880 in response to a huge chronic calorie deficit and turn what you think is a deficit into a surplus or at least equivalence. However you have an actual measurement that shows you are still running a deficit.

    You may actually start losing weight again by increasing your calories as many people do and I hope you have success. Give their recommendations a try because they can't be any worse than now. However, true survival mode is when your body has no fat left and starts breaking down all your muscles and organs to survive and you lose cognitive function.

    Here is a link to better explain what starvation mode is and isn't.
    http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/1574882/starvation_mode_dispelling_the_myths.html?cat=51

    Everyone is different I suppose. I personally have 6 months of eating under this new test number to show eating at the deficit was not losing weight - not even an ounce. This fits my problem - for a month I lost weight - 5 lbs. Since then not a single solitary ounce has been shed. The problem is that all of these sites lead you to believe that only less than 1200 calories will cause your body to fight back - when in reality, if you are a large enough person like me, even 1800 calories could cause the body to revolt.

    If there is one thing I have learned about the Science of Nutrition - it isn't One Size Fits All.

    http://www.shapeup.org/atmstd/sud10v3/sud10s7.php
  • tattereds
    tattereds Posts: 120 Member

    I was referred to the test via my Nutritionist through Kaiser Permantente. My Co-Pay was $40. Not sure what that would be without insurance.

    Hi amijay77, sorry if you already answered this, but I couldn't find the name of the actual test you had done? I really would love to find this out so that I can speak to my doctor about it. I see that you have said something about "Kaiser Permantente" but this doesn't mean anything to me sorry :embarassed: ... I'm in Australia though, so maybe it's an American thing/company? Anyways, would love to know the actual name of the test if you're willing to share! I also look forward to hearing about your success so far :flowerforyou: !
  • upsy
    upsy Posts: 42
    Oh, i would love that test, just to show others (sure they are just nice and concerned people), that i DONT need to eat more than 1000 kcal, to MAINTAIN my weight.
  • rcatr
    rcatr Posts: 374 Member
    Happy to hear you found a solution to your frustrations. I'm with ya, I'm pretty internet savvy and have found that different sites calculate somewhat different resting metabolic rates for me. One said mine was 1335. ACK! :noway: Anyhow. I'm glad you're on your way now! Good luck with your new plan! :bigsmile:
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