Going over calories daily - Advice?

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  • cavia
    cavia Posts: 457 Member
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    Thanks for more advice; I'm reading everything and trying not to freak out at the suggestion I eat more. I will gain weight if I do that, and then it will be like my entire year and a half, bust my *kitten*, constant restriction and working out would be for absolutely nothing. *sigh* I don't know what I would do if that happened. I feel like that would ruin me mentally.

    I do weigh everything I eat., I've gotten good at judging meat portions without the scale (though I do double check most times), but I'm still weighing things like peanut butter, or nuts of any kind, or quinoa, or pasta if I eat it, or berries if I eat them, etc.

    For those who asked, I have a severe needle phobia that restricts me from bloodwork, surgeries, immunizations ... I spent years in therapy for it, and nothing changed. I almost had a very, very serious problem two years ago when my gallbladder started shutting down and began hardening, because I couldn't go get the tests done to verify what was happening.

    And yes, I am typically exhausted so it takes nothing for me to cry. And if I try to do some body weight stuff - push up, lunges, squats, etc - I usually end up in tears because even after consistently doing them I see no improvement in anything. I'm talking weeks, and no improvement, so when I try to do them I just know I'm getting nowhere and end up in tears and feeling very, very negative. It's disheartening. Running is the only thing that makes me feel better; I like getting out there and getting time to myself and usually feel like doing it every day though I force rest days from time to time.

    I sleep at least 8 hours a night, sometimes 9. On weekends, I usually sleep 8-10 hours plus a 1 1/2 to 3 hour nap daily. So I must be getting enough sleep, right??

    But I will closely read that link.

    Do you wake up refreshed from a night of sleep? Or do you wake up just as tired as when you went to bed?

    Ask your doctor for some Valium and take one before you get bloodwork done. If you're hypo - do you really want to walk around exhausted, putting weight on as time goes by? I was 38 when I was diagnosed. Never swallowed a pill before that and here I find out I have to take one every day. I cried at the thought of it - and the pills are freakin' tiny! Took me 6 months of 'practicing' before I was able to swallow a pill albeit with difficulty. I'm sympathetic to your phobia of needles, but we're talking about your health and quality of life.
  • AmyRhubarb
    AmyRhubarb Posts: 6,890 Member
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    freak out at the suggestion I eat more. I will gain weight if I do that, and then it will be like my entire year and a half, bust my *kitten*, constant restriction
    Eating more does away with the constant restriction. I don't restrict anything - I make better choices than I used to as far as portion sizes and how often I indulge in favorite foods, but I still eat burgers weekly, drink beer, eat pizza, ice cream & other sweets, because it fits in my goals. And even when it doesn't every so often (go look at my weekend - Greek Festival on Friday, up to the lake for burgers & beer on Saturday, way over goal both days!), yeah I may show a gain of a few pounds on the scale, in fact I did show a gain on Sunday. Is it fat? NO! Do my clothes still fit and my body look the same as it did Thursday? YES! Water weight, too much sodium, alcohol, sore muscles, time of the month - all of these things can show as a gain from day to day, but it's not a FAT gain - it's a normal body fluctuation and no reason for a freak out. :tongue:

    My weight was back down two pounds as of this morning. And tomorrow I expect it will be up again, because I pushed hard in my workout this morning, and will be sore tomorrow. Not a big deal.
  • runfree78
    runfree78 Posts: 25 Member
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    Take a step back and take a breather. Knowing that you have an issue like that changes the landscape, which we didn't know about before. If you spent years in therapy, then you know that we have to live in reality. And the reality is, if you can't do what everybody else does to get the results they get, you may not be able to get the results they get. Sorry for the hard home truth, but you may need just accept that you cannot weigh 110 pounds, and at 5' 2", that's really ok.

    But I was JUST a couple of months ago close to my goal weight! Just recently! I have put on 7 lbs, with very little effort, and nothing is making it go away.
    If you're typically exhausted, why not see a doctor who understands about your needle phobia and will endeavor to help you treat your symptoms? It's not normal to be exhausted if you're sleeping enough, which it sounds like you are.

    If it were me, I'd be far more concerned about the constant exhaustion and crying so easily than the slow weight gain that's probably due in part to depression.

    Do you take an anti-depressant? Are you still in therapy?

    If your phobia is confined to needles, perhaps you could get your resting metabolic rate checked. That doesn't require anything except sitting still for a few minutes while breathing through a tube. Or perhaps a sleep study, to make sure that the quality of sleep you're getting is adequate.

    My phobia IS confined to needles. I can't take any ADs, so those are out. I can handle doctors and testing, as long as there are NO NEEDLES. My current doc is very, very understanding; she actually took my blood herself for my surgery since I trust her so much but even then it was a circus. I may go ahead and go see her; at least let her know what's going on and see if she can refer me to anyone who can help me without poking me.
    Do you wake up refreshed from a night of sleep? Or do you wake up just as tired as when you went to bed?

    Ask your doctor for some Valium and take one before you get bloodwork done. If you're hypo - do you really want to walk around exhausted, putting weight on as time goes by?

    I wish this was possible, with all of my heart. I have taken enough valium to knock out a horse, I have been loaded up on xanax, but as soon as I sit in the chair, it flushes out of my system with adrenaline and I start shaking uncontrollably, and what happens next gets even more embarassing for a grown woman. The most they can figure is that I had something very traumatic and unknown happen to me as a child (since no one in my family can remember anything "bad" happening at a doctor's office), and even with alternate attempts at therapy like hypnosis and exposure therapies I have been unresponsive.

    As for waking up, I often wake up tired enough to go to bed again an hour later. I wake up refreshed maybe once every two weeks.
    I think you need more calories and a heavy weight lifting program, check out the book 'new rules of weight lifting for women'
    I'll look into that one; thanks.
  • carrieo888
    carrieo888 Posts: 233 Member
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    I can't see what you are eating, but if you are carb heavy, add proteins and monounsaturated fats (avocados, olives...). You may or may not need to increase calories by doing so, and should feel more sated. Though I strongly feel that you need more than 1200 cals/day, every body is different and you need to learn what it is your body is saying to you. Cravings for carbs/sugar usually indicates need for protein, salt can often mean a need for water (you may be dehydrated), chips/cookies can mean that you haven't had enough fats. Exercise is important and food is your body's fuel; if you don't give it the proper fuel, it can't perform optimally.

    Keep at it. You'll get there :-)
  • ctalimenti
    ctalimenti Posts: 865 Member
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    I keep my calories set at 1300 because I know I will go over every day. That did the trick. My norm is 1500 cals/day. I used to have it set to 1600 which is what my body needs but I went over that every day and started gaining. I have to play games with my head.
  • happyhiker83
    happyhiker83 Posts: 19
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    I want to repeat what someone else said: is it possible you could be pregnant?

    I am 5'1" and started out at 120 lbs with a goal of losing 10-12 pounds. I tried 1200 calories a day for a just a week and was miserable. Now I eat 1390 plus all my exercise calories (net calories usually come to 1600-1650) and I am still losing at least half a pound per week. Since you are petite and not overweight to begin with, you should go slowly.
  • deksgrl
    deksgrl Posts: 7,237 Member
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    If you are totally exhausted with 8-9 hours of sleep AND a nap, then either your hormones are really screwed up from under eating or lack of nutrition, or you have some other medical problem.

    I'm repeating myself for emphasis.
  • jewel22887
    jewel22887 Posts: 72
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    yeah you need to take a pregnancy test and then if that doesn't figure it out go have blood work done, have them put you under if they have to. I have hypothyroidism and it sounds right on though many of my doctors through the years have just thought I was preggo until my latest one figured it out.
  • _HeartsOnFire_
    _HeartsOnFire_ Posts: 5,304 Member
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    If you are totally exhausted with 8-9 hours of sleep AND a nap, then either your hormones are really screwed up from under eating or lack of nutrition, or you have some other medical problem.

    I'm repeating myself for emphasis.

    I'm quoting her for emphasis.
  • runfree78
    runfree78 Posts: 25 Member
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    I take a heavy duty vitamin and if I'm eating 1400 calories a day (which is my average going-over amount) then I'm probably getting adequate nutrition, so ...

    Anyway, I'm not pregnant and I did make a doctor's appointment for next week. I'll see what she has to say. There's probably nothing that can be done without blood tests, but at least I can try.
  • 3dogsrunning
    3dogsrunning Posts: 27,167 Member
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    I take a heavy duty vitamin and if I'm eating 1400 calories a day (which is my average going-over amount) then I'm probably getting adequate nutrition, so ...

    Anyway, I'm not pregnant and I did make a doctor's appointment for next week. I'll see what she has to say. There's probably nothing that can be done without blood tests, but at least I can try.

    Vitamins supplements won't ensure you are getting enough. And 1400 calories a day is on the low end. It would be challenging to make sure you get everything you need.
  • deksgrl
    deksgrl Posts: 7,237 Member
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    How much do you burn running 2-4 miles 6x a week? 400 calories per run?

    Eat 1200 PLUS exercise cals. See if your energy picks up. This is the easiest thing to try first, and it might be all you need. Why wouldn't you want to if it was as easy as that?
  • missminixx
    missminixx Posts: 13
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    Perhaps you have a sluggish thyroid like me? I was only eating 1500-1700 calories a day but still gaining weight until I took a blood test and found the cause.

    Also, I find eating higher fat meals help (good fat). I like to eat lots of salmon, coconut milk, nuts and avacado. I know it's high cal but it stops you from binging later :)
  • runfree78
    runfree78 Posts: 25 Member
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    How much do you burn running 2-4 miles 6x a week? 400 calories per run?

    Eat 1200 PLUS exercise cals. See if your energy picks up. This is the easiest thing to try first, and it might be all you need. Why wouldn't you want to if it was as easy as that?

    No I only burn about 250-280 per run. And I AM eating that back, because I'm so hungry, and I'm going over my calories, and I'm gaining weight and have been for months. I am now at the weight I was a year ago when I stopped seeing my personal trainer, and gaining, and whether I starve myself on 800 calories a day or eat at 1500-1700, I keep gaining.
  • 3dogsrunning
    3dogsrunning Posts: 27,167 Member
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    How much do you burn running 2-4 miles 6x a week? 400 calories per run?

    Eat 1200 PLUS exercise cals. See if your energy picks up. This is the easiest thing to try first, and it might be all you need. Why wouldn't you want to if it was as easy as that?

    No I only burn about 250-280 per run. And I AM eating that back, because I'm so hungry, and I'm going over my calories, and I'm gaining weight and have been for months. I am now at the weight I was a year ago when I stopped seeing my personal trainer, and gaining, and whether I starve myself on 800 calories a day or eat at 1500-1700, I keep gaining.

    Then you have a medical issue.

    Or you are underestimating your calories.

    I still recommend opening your diary.

    ETA - fixed over to underestimating.
  • themelmac
    themelmac Posts: 59 Member
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    How much do you burn running 2-4 miles 6x a week? 400 calories per run?

    Eat 1200 PLUS exercise cals. See if your energy picks up. This is the easiest thing to try first, and it might be all you need. Why wouldn't you want to if it was as easy as that?

    No I only burn about 250-280 per run. And I AM eating that back, because I'm so hungry, and I'm going over my calories, and I'm gaining weight and have been for months. I am now at the weight I was a year ago when I stopped seeing my personal trainer, and gaining, and whether I starve myself on 800 calories a day or eat at 1500-1700, I keep gaining.

    How many days in a row have you tried increasing calories? Mostly everyone on these boards who increased their calories will tell you that it can take a few weeks to level off your weight before you start losing again. It did for me. I've read where others started losing after a week. It just depends.

    I was starving eating 1,200 calories and knew I couldn't keep it up. That's when I started reading about BMR and TDEE and seeing what worked for other people.
  • judyde
    judyde Posts: 401 Member
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    If you don't give your body enough food, you are training it to hold onto whatever fat you have. Your body thinks you're starving, so it slows down your metabolism. We evolved this way since Neanderthals couldn't count on when they'd get their next meal. Worked great for them, not so much for us.

    Good luck, you're getting a lot of great advice here, you just need to follow it.
  • judyde
    judyde Posts: 401 Member
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    I noticed your ticker says you only have 5 pounds to lose. What's up with that?
  • _HeartsOnFire_
    _HeartsOnFire_ Posts: 5,304 Member
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    I noticed your ticker says you only have 5 pounds to lose. What's up with that?

    This...

    With that little to lose, it will be harder. Maybe you might need to do more strength training than cardio. But you definitely need to fuel your body and NOT "whether I starve myself on 800 calories a day"...
  • wilsoje74
    wilsoje74 Posts: 1,720 Member
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    I take a heavy duty vitamin and if I'm eating 1400 calories a day (which is my average going-over amount) then I'm probably getting adequate nutrition, so ...

    Anyway, I'm not pregnant and I did make a doctor's appointment for next week. I'll see what she has to say. There's probably nothing that can be done without blood tests, but at least I can try.

    So, just to get this straight, you will never ever be able to get bloodwork done? What if you have something majorly wrong that can be fixed? What if you had a Life threatening illness and would never know. Talk about scary. You really need to get into therapy ASAP to get over this phobia. Will you never have babies? There are needles (and a lot worse) involved in that. There are techniques to get over phobias. I would really focus on that.

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