a little about what im going through and hello

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Hi everybody,
Ive been on my mfp for a year or so to log, I had pretty much been trying to lose 5-10 pds for three years on a low fat high carb controlled calories diets. There was a time when i could barely get to 1200, but eventually was at about 1350, which was my recommendation. Every time i would log out it would say "youll weigh 125 in no time!" Which was never true. After eating ( what i now have started calling a starvation diet) this way for 3 years i got depressed, lost my sex drive COMPLETELY, felt horrible, irritated, angry and TIRED ALL OF THE TIME. I went to doctors and doctors to figure out why and they SAW NOTHING WRONG.

I know its controversial or whatever, but i read gary taubes "good calories, bad calories" and it completely changed my life. I have lost really 3 lbs in the last 2 weeks cutting out most (all sugar, etc) carbs, but I FEEL SO MUCH BETTER. I eat as much as i want and have energy and am happy for the first time in three years. I really thought i was dying.

I will never try to eat 1350 calories again ever. I don't care how much i weigh, if i lose weight or not. The way i felt was insanely bad and now i feel much, much better. I cannot believe that this is the touted health logic! Because i was not healthy!

I think the world would be a nicer place if people didn't have to starve themselves and get all irritated.

Replies

  • martinel2099
    martinel2099 Posts: 899 Member
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    Hey Sarah,

    I wanted to congratulate you on your weight loss results, you've been working hard so you deserve it. Personally, i'm not a fan of any diet that is restrictive on what i can / can't wait to lose weight and for a diet to be effective doesn't mean one has to starve themselves.

    To offer some constructive criticism, To eat at a 1,200 calorie goal is aggressive and is at the threshold of calories where nutrition experts say no woman should go under. To stay at the 1,200 goal you need to be very aggressive with meal planning and make sure you eat smart. Eating one big or fatty meal at lunch will leave you tired and unsatisfied around dinner if you don't have many calories remaining.

    I also suspect that you might not have been exercising as much as you could have. I'm a big man right now, but I typically gain at least 750-850 calories on the elliptical for an hour working out at 55% of my Max Heart Rate. This workout allows me to have more freedom in my choice of meals and treats.

    I don't know your circumstances exactly but I just thought I'd offer some thoughts,your situation may vary completely but its good food for thought. Overall, do what works for you and if your Doctor isn't seeing any problems then you just might have the right idea. In general though, weight loss is a simple math formula of Calories Consumed - Calories Used. If you consume more calories than you burn then you will gain weight, 3,500 calories equal a lb of fat.
  • martinel2099
    martinel2099 Posts: 899 Member
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    also wanted to add- If you are working out the scale might not be your best indicator. When you workout more you'll start to gain more muscle mass and muscle mass weighs more than fat mass. Best indicator of results is your BMR.
  • stephaniebeaudin5
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    Woohoo well said
  • Imsarahsky
    Imsarahsky Posts: 2
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    i of course eat hella vegetables because i love them and consider them a ok in the carb form.