47 yo female: expectations and frustrations
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I agree with you about the need for some smaller, fitter members to have a voice. I had a naturally lean build through my mid-thirties, working out semi-regularly and eating reasonably. When I say that my goal is to get close to that again, I'm told it's too much, I am at a healthy weight already, and I must be in great shape.
No..... The scale doesn't determine my health. There is a range of healthy weights, and my goal is toward the bottom, but still perfectly healthy. And we aren't talking a high school weight goal (when I lifted weights and was still underweight), it's a healthy adult weight. Ugh. Sorry, venting.0 -
⬆️⬆️⬆️ Exactly! My goal is on the middle of the healthy bmi and actually on the high sideof ideal weight if you look at what is reccommended for small frames of my height.
I would love to be at what is reccomended for my frame size, but I am realistic enough to know that either my calorie goal would be too low for me to sustain, or I would have to up my exercise to an unreasonable amount for my life right now. When I weighed 112 lbs (my lowest post-loss weight) I was having to eat about what I am eating right now to lose in order to maintain that weight. And if I missed a workout, it was almost impossible to stay within goal. I don't want to be in that position again.
Like you, that is not even close to what my teenage weight was--I weighed about 102 lbs. That probably was underweight. At that point I had no bodyfat, but I had no muscle either!0 -
I have had the same frustrating experience as you. I finally went and got a metabolism test and found out that I have a very low metabolism with a RMR at 1180. The nutritionist recommended eating 1100-1200 calories per day and do not eat exercise calories back to lose weight. I just can't get down to 1100, but I've been trying for 1200 and up to 1300 and not eating exercise back (most of the time), and I finally have seen scale movement. It's only been 1/2 pound a week, so it's going to take alot of weeks to get where I want. I experimented for about 6 months eating 1450 per day and up to 1600 on weight lifting days, and my weight was stable so some day I hope to go back there for maintenance mode. I was very small in my 20s as well - being 118 when I was first pregnant with my daughter, so my now current 142 seems huge to me too. I've lost 5 pounds in the last 10 weeks at this lower calorie range. I don't think I"m in starvation mode or anything like that. It's my age and activity, and for what ever reason, my slow metabolism. Sidesteel recommended to me to increase my normal activity vs adding a lot more gym time and that seems to make a difference too.0
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How long had you been dieting before you had the RMR test?
Because you can effect that by the amount you diet.
Then again, it may be a very expected RMR if based on comparison to bodyfat RMR calc.0 -
If you are asking me, in the spring I did a diet/reset and didn't watch calories and put on a few pounds. over the summer I tried NRoLFW for 2-3 months and kept my calories at 1450 non lifting days and 1600 on lifting days. There was probably some food I wasn't logging as well so i think I was eating a little more than thatI lifted 3x a week, and had 1-2 zumba thrown in most weeks. My weight was very stable during that time. Then I stopped doing that when I completed phase 3 and I stopped recording my food for two months (oct/nov) but was trying to watch what I ate. then did the RMR test in nov. It's been a while since I have had bodyfat testing but last time i tested, it was high at 30% - it's probably the same or higher, since I stopped lifting.0
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Sounds much more valid then. I've just seen ones do a massive diet and exercise routine combined, and are shocked how low their RMR test is, when really, it should be expected doing an aggressive diet. But sounds like you had good leadup.
Cunningham RMR formula is good comparison to tested RMR, when you have a decent BF% figure to use.
I've found many that thought the RMR was low, but actually within 5% of calculated using Cunningham RMR formula, so not actually low at all.
Just lower LBM than desired causing that lower RMR. That could have been from prior aggressive diets too.0 -
@Ari112233, that surely is frustrating!
I've never had my metabolism tested, but Mifflin St. Jouer estimates a BMR of around 1180 for me. I don't know about RMR. But as for your maintenance, that doesn't sound far off from me.
I'm very pleased to say that for three weeks in a row, on my weigh in day I have seen a drop. About 1.2 lbs total over three weeks. The best part is that this is about what I would expect to see based on my past history and calculations! As far as I can tell from the math, my average numbers are off only about 200 calories, which I figure is a reasonable margin of error. I could easily be off in my logging by that much, or my activity monitor could be off by that much, or a combination of the two.
I did go last week for my yearly checkup, and I asked for a thyroid test. I don't expect anything abnormal there because I really don't have any other symptoms other than difficulty with weight and being colder than my family (which has been the way I am all my life. That is not a recent change!). But they are all male, so there is no way to compare their bodies to mine! In any way! (Gotta love living in the man cave!)
Anyway, it is so refreshing to actually see a correlation between my intake and my weight, instead of it just being crazy.
I am still finding it pretty difficult to eat under 1400, though!!0 -
Interesting, and good to know. . . . .
As I mentioned above, I had my yearly last week, and I asked my ob/GYN to do a thyroid test because of the difficulty I have had with trying to lose, and even manage, my weight. She agreed, and then said, "I'll run a vitamin D test also because that can be an issue in weight gain too". (I had never heard of such, but why would I?). Well, my test results came back very deficient. I did a bit of Internet research (I know, the gold standard, right?) and I'm reading that vitamin D is definitely a player in weight management. It is actually not a vitamin but a hormone, that helps leptin (the hormone that signals us to stop being hungry) to work correctly. Weight gain and obesity are some of the common symptoms. Also, muscle and joint pain and overall inflammation. Could it be that my ever-present soreness that I have blamed on just being older and working out could be because of this? And it also affects mental clarity and mood. Again, I've been blaming those things on perimenopause. Wow! It will be interesting to see where this goes! This could really explain/change some things for me!
Does anyone know anything more about this?0 -
Same issue. Several on FL had it too and knew about the giving more energy benefit, and they wondered what in the world I'd do with even more energy. I didn't notice that much change though, must have been gradual enough not really noticeable.
Perfect example of how one could be vitamin deficient and until a random test never know it, but be negatively effected by that deficiency anyway.
I fully believe being too calorie deficient is same thing, stress on body, symptoms that may not stand out enough to raise a flag, but have a negative side effect whether noticed or not.
And no, not saying you are at all, merely a live example of why I use that illustration.
Oh, thanks for reminder to take my D gummy, which is sitting right here on desk so I can normally ignore it.0 -
The more I read about D the more interesting it becomes. Of course, the symptoms are pretty general, so who knows. Most of these things are small, and I've been blaming them on perimenopause. But the sleep quality, for instance. How awesome if that improved! Not that I have a problem FALLING asleep. Most nights I fall asleep almost before I lie down, but then my days are full, and my husband likes to go to bed late (he is one who has minimal sleep needs), so I am always ready to sleep. But over the last few years, staying asleep has been an issue. Again, I go back to sleep easily, but we all know that your sleep quality is not as good. I've blamed it on being a mother, since a woman's sleep patterns change irreversibly, in my experience, after babies come. Even now, I sleep with one ear listening for teens being up in the night, doing something they shouldn't! The husband will sleep through it all, and pretty much always did, even in those early days. I think it is just one of those evolutionary things!
But anyway, it would be nice to see some improvements in my life in several areas. As for the weight loss, if it is true that vitamin D helps regulate appetite, as I read, that alone would be very very welcome. I don't mind putting in the work for maintaining a healthy body, but being hungry after eating what you know is reasonable is miserable!
I may have my kids' levels tested at their next checkup too. They are both dark skinned (multi racial), and in the winter, they don't see the sun very often at all. And the younger struggles with ADD (don't even get me started on the misconceptions about this disorder. Let me just say that it is NOT just being a hyper kid. At 14 that is no longer the problem.) and has been going it for the last year without medications (we decided that the side effects were just not worth the difference of a letter grade on a report card). It seems that vitamin D helps regulate attention and focus, so you never know. . . .
It may be that the symptoms are so innocuous that we don't even know we are having them. When I was diagnosed with lupus (it has thankfully always been mild--I watched my mother die of autoimmune disease so I know how serious it can be) 18 years ago, I didn't realize how crummy it was making me feel until I got better. By the way, the best thing that happened to my lupus was losing weight and exercising regularly. I know that may not work for people when they are in the midst of a serious flare, but for me it made a huge difference.
Still seeing an overall downward trend on the scale! It should get easier as the weather continues to warm up and the fresh veggies and fruit get better and more available. . . .
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I don't know if this is the placebo effect, or if there are other factors, etc. But let me throw out these observations:
After one large dose of D3 (I am to take a large dose daily) the next morning I noticed a marked difference in soreness. This is even after a long run--I am trying to build my running back up after being a bit sporadic because of winter weather and trying to focus on strength more. But Monday afternoon I ran for almost an hour (with a few minutes walking break here and there), which is a good 15-20 minutes, at least, longer than normal. Ordinarily I would have been extremely stiff on Tuesday, but although I was stiff when I first got up, I didn't have the continual sore/stiff feeling for the rest of the day. Didn't have it today either, and I ran on Tuesday evening too. (Just 30 minutes. I couldn't resist. The weather is just too perfect!). Now, today I did some strength training, so we will see what tomorrow brings, but if I am still less sore, I am calling it a win! For years I have been sore pretty much all the time, but I blamed it on my mild lupus, my workout schedule, and getting older. So we will see!
As for the appetite, it seems to be tamed down a bit too. I easily stayed under 1400 yesterday, but then springtime means better produce and less processed stuff, so again, there are many factors. But TOM came yesterday, and normally he brings unquenchable appetitie. It is not even really hunger, just an inability to feel satisfied! And that was just not present. Today was not too bad, either, and I didn't eat nearly as healthy today. I'm still under 1300 after dinner. Room for a small treat or a bedtime drink maybe!
I don't want to get too hopeful, since what I am reading is inconclusive as to whether supplements actual help relieve symptoms, or just slowly build levels up without much noticeable change.
But if I could live with less pain and tiredness, wow! It would make upping my workouts easier. Maybe it wouldn't be such a struggle to fit in both strength and cardio. And maybe I would move more in general! Today I actually got in my step goal without my workout. That rarely happens. But today was a really busy day.
And I'm not really complaining about the way I feel. I've just brushed it off as being a busy working wife/mother of an active family. Because every woman I know who works both at home and away from home is pretty much stretched to the limit and exhausted. Especially when there are kids involved. So feeling tired and sore really is not something I have worried about. After all, I've earned that tiredness and soreness!0 -
Well, the appetite is back as I would expect for the time of month it is.
But the soreness/muscle pain still seems better! I will continue to monitor. Since it IS TOM, I won't give a weight/progress report.
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Monday report--weight steady at 132 from last Monday. Waist up .25. Calipers steady, as far as I can tell. This is good, since I'm still dealing with TOM and mid week last week I hit a new post loss high of 133.8. That night my waist bloated 4 inches! I seriously looked 6 months pregnant with my stomach looking larger than my bustline (which is not insubstantial!) I'm not even sure how that is possible! But it is.
I do continue to feel less sore and achy and I definitely have more energy. I really think that may be the vitamin D. The hunger really is better too. Except for one TOM day last week when I wanted to eat everything without stopping. That is such a miserable feeling! Again, not even true tummy rumbling hunger, just an inability to feel satisfied, even after eating.
I am hopeful for next week as the hormones settle down. At least right now I feel like I am where I was, instead of having to backtrack, progress wise, and that is really helpful psychologically!
Also, after looking back at my records, I have to confess that the biggest reason I am still struggling is that there are too many days I go over my goal. I do think I am on the right track with staying under 1400 as a goal for slow loss. Several here have confirmed it, @heybales spreadsheet confirms it, several online calculators confirm it (some say stay under 1300), my results and record keeping confirm it. The facts are staring me in the face. But my records show that over the last 14 weeks, I have averaged under 1400 only 4 weeks. And yet I am disappointed that I haven't lost more?? I have to confess that I've not been realistic! Now several of those weeks I was purposely eating at maintenance, but still, I don't always see the forest for the trees. (Or maybe it's the trees for the forest! I never could quite get that one right but you guys know what I am saying!).
Also, I've gotten sloppy with logging. I feel like I do a good job estimating, because I weighed and measured for so long, but I've checked up on myself several times last week, and I am slipping! It is so easy to accidentally eyeball a slightly larger serving. So back to checking EVERYTHING, I even weighed my 1/2 tbsp of peanut butter this morning!
So two goals-
-stay under calorie goal (I will add in calories beyond planned exercise, since I am still slowly building back my running--also, my MFP settings are pretty meaningless. I am figuring my goals in my head as I still have my account hooked to misfit for now. I just know to stay under 1400. But seeing those misfit numbers really helps inspire me to move more, so I leave them linked--as an aside, I think misfit is great at estimating non exercise activity, slightly overestimates cardio activity, and underestimates lifting/strength. So I think it sort of evens itself out over time)
-clean up logging (again!).0 -
Yay! I'm still seeing a downward trend, and I averaged over 1500 calories last week! Work has been intense lately, so I am definitely getting in more steps than usual. Several days lately I have met my step goal while at work! It will probably be like that for me for about 3 more weeks!
I'm also doing much better on my running consistency and endurance. The winter really had me off my game! I am getting three sessions a week of over 30 minutes (I am trying to consistently hit 40 minutes three times a week), and once a week I am trying for a longer session where I mix in some walking time.
I've also added back in the traditional strength training instead of circuits. Surprisingly I found I missed the lifting0 -
Another drop again this morning!! I am back to my end of vacation weight from last August! Now if I can get back to pre vacation weight, and then drop a few more. . . .
The best part is that I have been averaging just over 1500 calories a day! And my moderate meals are keeping me full, for the most part, until afternoon, which is a definite plus! There is a huge difference in satiety. Before starting the vitamin D I would often have an extra waffle at breakfast (I make whole grain protein powder waffles and freeze them. Now I'm full after the normal two waffle serving. Which comes in just under 200 cals before you add toppings). I know the hunger hormones play a part in that, and one of the first things I read about vitamin D was that it helped them to work correctly. I would definitely agree.
The only thing I can figure out about the rough patch this winter when I seemed to be gaining while eating 1500, is that my logging got sloppy, and for a good bit of my "check my TDEE time" I was snowed in and really inactive. I was still doing some sort of workout every day, like a dvd, but the intensity is just not as great as a run. I did, for the most part, keep lifting too, since you can easily do that indoors, but that doesn't provide a huge burn. But I used my snow days to lie on the couch and read and watch movies and catch up on the whole season of "Homeland", etc. not burning many calories there!
One wrinkle that has me frustrated--I have been relying on Misfit heavily to set my daily calorie goal. For some reason, it won't report to MFP now. I've contacted both companies to see what is going on. I have seen a few posts from others having issues too. Hopefully this can be resolved quickly. But, in reality, I know my numbers well enough to do this just using MFP.
Also, I'm thinking of asking for a body composition analysis for Mother's Day. I would love to really know what is going on inside! Where is the best place to go for this, and what is the usual cost? (That may knock me out, with saving for college for two boys, etc. . . .)0 -
Some colleges if they do studies have Bodpod they open to the public for very reasonable cost, or hydrostatic weighing.
Other places include it in their services and tend to charge more if you don't want their other services.
Some traveling operations stop by gyms or such, but since they are taking people that didn't show up prepared, and therefore causing a worse accuracy, they don't feel like calibrating their equipment either for best accuracy.
That'll give a decent estimate. DEXA scans another level, and pay for it usually, but still check around. If at hospital, may get decent rate with insurance, even if they don't cover it, still the group rate.0 -
A wonderful thing has happened, and I think it must be the vitamin d supplementation, based on what I am reading.
My appetite has totally changed. I'm completely satisfied suddenly, while still eating moderately for my body size ( I've not run the averages for this week, but I have ranged from just under 1200 to just under 1700 for the past five or six days). And I'm continuing to lose slowly. This week my weigh in day was off because I had to lift late in the week, and I was still pretty sore this morning. My rest day this week is going to be tomorrow, so I will be interested to see where I am at after that. (Schedule is crazy right now.). Mid week last week I had a really nice dip.
But the best NSV is the appropriate appetite! I thought it was perhaps a fluke, especially since a couple of days I had long runs and had quite a few more calories to eat. But it has been like this for about 5 days! I'm sure the hormones will affect it monthly, but this is still a huge improvement.
As I've been reading, I've come across a question--some say don't start a recomp until you are under 24% bodyfat (for a woman). I've also read some similar things about bulking, but that is not in the plan for me right now, maybe never! I read of others recomping at much higher numbers, also. What is right, or maybe I should say best? Or possible?0 -
I've read your thread with great interest, and I'm happy that you found out about your vitamin D deficiency and that addressing it has helped you get a grip on things.
I've stopped assuming that hunger/appetite is the enemy, and am learning to listen to my body, because if I'm craving something then that usually means my body needs something that has to do with whatever I'm craving.
After years of compulsively weighing myself several times daily (and having my mood depend on what the stupid scale had to say), I banned my scale into the depths of a closet and only weigh myself about once a week. That alone was huge for me in helping me relax and focus on other, more important things. The way my clothes fit is usually a good indicator of where I'm at, and the scale usually confirms what I already know. I just had to learn to trust my instincts again.
I'm also menopausal and the hormone imbalance/perma-PMS/water weight bloatedness has been making me batsh!t crazy for the past few years (although I'm managing to get a grip on it, finally).
I can so relate to your struggle, and believe me when I say it's not any easier for us taller ladies who can afford to eat more calories. Our margins may be a bit more forgiving but the nature of the struggle isn't any different.
I'm currently checking into vitamin D myself because even though I (try to) eat pretty healthy and exercise regularly by way of yoga and strength training and kettlebells and am supplementing with herbs and such, there's still something missing so vitamin D is going to be my next research topic (here's to hoping!).
Also, as a mother of now young adults, I can relate to your trying to find your footing with balancing your own appetite with family meal times. My suggestion there would be for you to be more flexible and allow your body to give you clues as to when to eat. Maybe if you're not hungry, you can still participate in family meal times by just sitting at the table with something to drink and spending that special time with the folks you love as they chow down. And then just eat later on when you're actually hungry, instead of trying to force your body into something it's evidently not wanting to do. Flexibility goes a long way when we're trying to listen to our bodies and the way they're created to function, rather than always just trying to strong-arm them into submitting to our willpower. There's a healthy balance in there somewhere, yes?
Keep us posted, and good on you for finally finding something that's helpful to you! We can sometimes end up with our heads in the weeds by trying to achieve certain numbers we think we "have to have", that we forget how amazing our bodies are when it comes to telling us what they really need, and that we already have the tools we need to achieve a healthy weight range that works for us, rather than against us. Cheers!0 -
@DaniH826 --I think I might actually be able to learn to use my appetite as a guide, since it now seems to be regulated more properly! Yesterday I went to a bridal shower with all kinds of lovely things to eat, and I didn't eat a thing. Because I WASNT HUNGRY! Not being hungry is a NSV. And not eating when I am not hungry is also a NSV! There are so many times in the past when I have eaten simply because it was available, or tasted good, or was what everyone else was doing, etc. But this time, I really didn't want anything.
As for family meals, it is not usually a problem of eating with them when I am not hungry. It is much more holding off the snack monster until it is time for dinner, which tends to be late at our house. I grew up in a farm family, and we simply DID NOT EAT DINNER until the men folks were home and had showered, etc. and during the harvest and planting times often that meant dinner after 9 pm. So culturally/psychologically for me having a family sit down dinner is very very important. My husband usually arrives home about 7, and we eat now between 7 and 7:30. Even that means a long stretch between lunch and dinner (and my lunchtime is prescribed by my work schedule. Most days 11:30.).
I am still seeing the scale move very, very, very slowly down. Loss of 0.2 lbs this week. And my average intake was 1550. My misfit TDEE wasn't as high this week,though. Schedule was off, so workouts were off. Plus, for some reason my lifting workout made my lower body so sore this week I could hardly walk. I had to skip a run on the day after and just walk very very slowly. It took three days to get rid of the soreness this time, and I ended up lifting only once because of the soreness. I'm not sure why it was so much worse. There WAS a lot of leg work, but I really hadn't increased weight this week. I think it may have been the Bulgarian split squats that had not been on the program in several weeks.
So, for 8 weeks straight I have seen the scale drop now. That is probably the longest sustained drops I have had in almost three years! In 8 weeks I have lost a total of 2.2 lbs.--that is slow, but I am very encouraged. I am seeing my arms continue to lean out (probably the last place I need to get smaller, unfortunately) and they look good, and overall I seem to look trimmer, clothes fitting well, etc. waist went down 1/4 inch last week, but was up 3/4 inch today. That seems so strange to me, that I have lost weight but see very little change in the waist. I do have some water weight on me this morning though (wedding ring is a little tight).
One more thought--I keep reading so much confusing info about running. One article will say it is good, another that it will kill you, another that women near or going through menopause shouldn't run, etc, etc So much conflicting information is frustrating. I have thought of posting a question, but there is no way I would post on the main forums---the bloody melee that would result would be completely unhelpful. But I'm not sure where to post such a question. Is there a way to search the groups? Surely there has been a post about running pros and cons on this group. This seems to be a pretty balanced place. . . .
Anyone want to post a link?
Anyway, I'm not thinking of stopping running, since I do believe that the most important is finding something that you will continue to do, and running is it for me. But I do want to be smart. And do it right, because I plan on doing this for the rest of my life. And HIT running doesn't seem to do it for me, as far as the enjoyment/psychological benefits, etc. it becomes yet another thing on my to-do list. So far, a nice long slow run has not become that for me! I actually look for ways to get a run in! (And long for me means more than 30 minutes, less than an hour. Nothing crazy. Speed is about 11 minute miles.) I do like biking and swimming too, but the convenience factor for swimming makes it less desirable for me--except in summer--and biking in our city is a death wish! Too bad, because biking is like the "non exercise" exercise.
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I don't think you do the level of running that a study or too has found can cause more harm than good. It was like marathon level training at a high level, because there are plenty that can do it at a low level, but they aren't age-group finishers. You are not near that level, nothing to worry about.
Congrats on loss and having things get under control.0 -
Oh good. That was what I was thinking. After all how can something that makes me feel so good be bad? (Oh wait, what about margaritas. . .. !).
It would be nice if the media would be a bit more clear instead of just stirring up fear, etc. every time I turn around there is a FB article about fitness popping up, and how something another is forbidden, food wise or exercise wise. I love to read, but sometimes it is easy to be misled.
Thx for the reply.0 -
And thx for the congrats. It does feel really good to have it under control. It has been a long but informative journey. I feel now that I mostly have the tools I need for staying fit for the long haul, unless I get a health or injury surprise! I can take a more relaxed attitude about the whole thing,because I feel that even if I start gaining again, I can manage it.
Perhaps the next step for me will be learning to eat more intuitively, if I continue to have a more appropriate appetite. This afternoon I had to make myself eat after my run (I'm up to 47 minutes regularly now, at least once a week, shorter for other days) because I knew that the hunger would hit later, and I wouldn't have another opportunity until dinner. And for dinner, because I was not ravenous, I chose to eat my burger without chips first and then wait and see if I was still hungry. The cravings are mostly gone. Maybe later I'll have some chips, or maybe a bowl of ice cream, or maybe a glass of wine. But I won't have to choose based on what will fill my empty leg for the least number of calories. I can choose based on what strikes my fancy.
This truly is uncharted territory for me. . . . And I'm definitely not complaining!0 -
@tigerblue I took your experience to heart, researched my vitamin D, and decided to put myself on a regimen. As it turns out I must have been pretty deficient, because my appetite has normalized further since starting to take it twice a day just last week. Good thing I decided to trust my body's clues and see if there was a deficiency lurking. I will get things confirmed with this year's annual blood tests, by adding a vitamin D level into the mix, and discuss further with my M.D. so she knows what I'm doing and can provide further feedback.
Weight has been slooowly moving downward (a result of putting myself on a calorie deficit before I started the vitamin D ... although maintaining that deficit has suddenly gotten way easier) -- which is thrilling because menopause means I've been wrangling my body over every.single.fat.cell it seems like LOL. I'm definitely not complaining either! It was like another puzzle piece just fell into place.
I might just trust intuitive eating again a few months down the road, which has never worked for me very consistently. Being vitamin D deficient makes a lot of sense, as I've never been a major outdoor person and tend to avoid the midday sun like the plague as we live in a southern state and it's just too dang hot during that time. I've struggled with my appetite my entire life (which has always been ravenous even when I'm not super active physically) and now I'm thinking ... how deficient have I been all this time, really? And have beaten myself up for no reason over my weight struggles. Boo. Hiss. Gah. That's alright though, better late than never.
I can't comment about running, but I will say that it's EXTREMELY important to continue strength training, WAY more important than cardio (moderate cardio even with "just" walking is fine really, unless you love running, in which case have at it) -- especially at our age. Muscle mass, muscle mass, muscle mass. Build it. Use it. Love it. It will help you stay active and healthy for years to come and avoid all kinds of troubles down the road. If we have a bit of spare fat around the edges, that's not a bad thing, as long as our muscle mass is sufficient.
By all means if you want to run, then do so, but please don't sacrifice strength training for it.
Here are a couple of articles for you to check into regarding this:
http://pjmedia.com/lifestyle/2015/04/09/losing-bodyfat-or-gaining-muscle-mass-which-is-more-important
(this article is written by Mark Rippetoe, a man who knows what he's talking about when it comes to strength)
http://www.niashanks.com/strength-training-benefits
(this article is written by Nia Shanks, a women's strength coach who also knows what she's talking about when it comes to strength training, food issues and a host of other women-related things).
Cheers!0 -
@DaniH826--I agree, it is definitely easier to eat at goal, whatever it is, now that my appetite is appropriate. Notice I said appropriate, not controlled! Yesterday may prove that mine is not quite controlled! Donuts for breakfast and party buffet for dinner. My healthiest choice of the day was spaghetti and meat sauce! Calories were not outrageous, but oh, the lack of nutrition! But that is why I do MFP and not some weird low carb or other exclusion type diet. I can live my life and eat normally, or even a bit beyond normal, and participate in the food that culturally accompanies life's accomplishments (here in the south, school concerts, graduations, sports seasons conclusions, and pretty much everything else is celebrated with decadent food! Probably that way other places too, but southerners tend to go over the top, culturally, with everything--our hair was bigger in the 80's, our houses are over-decorated, our clothes are fussier, etc. . . In college I remember my California roommate was appalled by my excess! And I couldn't understand her simplicity!)
Anyway, MFP lets me stay in touch with reality, but gives me the freedom to deal with life, and then move back to healthier eating! When I did low glycemic, I stopped eating anywhere outside my own house! Not sustainable!
Seriously though, I am still thankful to not feel the constant need to be eating, and if I don't make a single gain in fitness or weight beyond this, I feel like I can live my life. If it truly is vitamin D as I suspect, the nutrition scientists seriously need to figure this out and get the research, etc!
An observation. Misfit has updated their site so I can easily see weekly and monthly averages. Back in February and March when I was struggling so much, my average TDEE was 1600-1700. This month I have averaged 2000! That is the difference that being at work, and having access to outside so I can run regularly will do! Is it any wonder that I was gaining weight during those months? I was reporting an intake of around 1500, but if you factor in 10% error, which I figure is reasonable for both my logging and the TDEE reported by misfit, you can see what the problem was! BTW @DaniH826--I really do like running, and I was glad to see warmer weather so I could run more. It is the only exercise I have found that I consistently WANT to do. Thx for the reminder about strength, though. I can use those encouragements anytime, as I can always convince myself to NOT lift on any given day for just about any reason!!
My NSV: (TOM is here so the only victories I will see will be away from the scale this week). Yesterday I stretched my bare (yay spring) legs out in front of me, and lo and behold, I have calf muscles! There was actually a bit of roundness to the sides of my lower legs! Three or four years ago, after losing my weight, I had someone tell me I had the skinniest legs they had ever seen. This was not a compliment!! (At least not to me. Also, for the record, at my highest weight of 156 lbs, wearing a size 14, I still had skinny legs! Thigh gap?? not a problem! Well, maybe no thigh gap at 156, but they were still skinny!) I'm still not seeing the ab fat budge, but at least there are improvements. I'm not sure if the ab fat is an age thing or what. It is like my mid section is just THICK now, and as a young person it wasn't. As a young woman, at around 105 lbs, I had the classic 36-24-36 hourglass (except it sat on toothpick legs, as I mentioned above!) and ab fat just didn't happen! Age has definitely changed the fat distribution for me!
Transitioning to summer: I'm a little worried here. Hopefully my Misfit connection will work again soon (the company is supposedly working on the issue that was presented by the app update, but it still is not resolved and MFP and Misfit are not "communicating" and sharing my info). That would help. Here is my issue. I am so much less active outside of workouts during the summer because I am not at work. (Small house--I can walk the entire house in 15 steps!). I am going to have to either adjust my eating again, or add more workout to compensate for less non exercise activity. I will have more time, so maybe I'll just add in an extra walk each day. Or maybe a swim. Could be the time to start training for the triathlon that is on my bucket list?? Anyway, I definitely will have to be sensitive to the change.0 -
Yea winter time can be hard to get enough exercise in if what you love happens outside. Maybe get a kettlebell or something for next winter. They're super fun! And you can do it in front of the TV. They have a metric crapton of kettlebell videos on Youtube if you're interested. You can also get cardio in by simply lowering weights when you train and doing more reps by way of superset interval cycles (with good form of course).
Here's a GOMA (Get Off My *kitten*) website you can check out (http://www.quittingthesitting.com) for ideas on how to just get more steps in during the day and challenge yourself. It doesn't have to be ONE thing we need to focus on. Any activity is good, and it all adds up.
I'm contemplating getting a fitness tracker but I'm afraid it'll make my OCD tendencies go nuts. I had to quit logging for a while because I was hyperfocused on every calorie I was taking in. So ... hmmmm. Still chewing on the idea. For now I'm using my phone's step tracker which is fine for the most part. I'd really like to get something I can wear as a watch though. How do you like the Misfit?0 -
@DaniH826 -- i did kettlebell and light-weights-as-cardio and bodyweight type exercise videos to stay at least active during the indoor days, but I just don't get as good a burn (partly because HR is up and down--I use the circuit training numbers from MFP for estimating burn--they were close to what my HRM was saying when I used one, for what that is worth. Also I can really only stand those videos, or even the treadmill or elliptical or stationary bike, for about 30 minutes!)
I will check out the link. You are right any moving is better than not.
I really like the misfit. I got the flash, which was on sale for $25 at Christmas. It's regularly $50. (The $99.00 shine has the same mechanisms but is in a jewelry quality shell, and it is beautiful. It is appropriate even for business or dress attire. I would love to have one!). It seems to track my movements well, without over-tracking my arm movements (bodymedia I had before counted typing as exercise, and you can only imagine what it did with piano playing--and I'm a musician/conductor/drummer). It's numbers line up with several online calculators as well as @heybales spreadsheet TDEE estimator. It ranges from about 1750-2250 a day for me. Besides the low price, I chose it because I can wear it several different places--wrist, shoe, collar, pocket, bra, etc and get a good reading. I especially wanted that feature after having so much trouble with arm movement and the BodyMedia(now the jawbone). Misfit also acts as a cool faceless wristwatch, and I like that. I've ended up wearing it on my wrist, since it seems to work well that way without going crazy when I drum or conduct, and I like the watch feature.
With any monitor, you have to take it with a grain of salt--I'm sure there is built in margin of error!0 -
More proof of vitamin D at work here?? Read on and see what you think.
Today I had an early morning meeting at work, so it was too early for me to eat before I left for work. I tucked a Kind bar into my bag. I wasn't starving or anything, so no big deal. I did pack my normal huge travel jug of coffee though, and I forgot to take my vitamin D. As is usually the case when I drink a lot of coffee on an empty stomach (or with a lot of sugary food--I don't have any sugar or sweetener in my coffee btw, just because of personal preference. I do love a couple of tbsp of half and half, though), I got a case of the shakes about 30 minutes in. (This is yet another reason I've not tried any kind of IF regimen). So I ate my kind bar. An hour later I was still shaky, so I headed to the nearby Taco Bell for the free cinco de mayo biscuit taco, thinking at least there would be protein in the eggs. (BTW don't bother if you haven't tried this fast food delicacy. 470 calories of meh. Totally not worth it. At least the McDonald's biscuit is fluffy and buttery!). By lunch, I was envisioning huge amounts of food--like a major Big Mac craving, or a huge bowl of meaty chili--basically high protein and fat things--and lots of them! This was something that hasn't happened in weeks, and actually, I've not had a CRAVING like that in months. I got home and I think I've settled things down a bit with high protein greek yogurt and chia seeds and high protein granola, plus hummus and pretzels. I knew without a doubt that my body was asking for protein first, so I didn't give into the cravings. I'm feeling better already. But now I have 185 calories left for the rest of the day. Guess I'll be going over. Oh well.
So, could it be the skipping of the vitamin D, or is it the other factors--like being off schedule and having a snack for breakfast instead of the usual higher protein better breakfast (6g protein vs 14+g usually). And TOM factors in here too, as my appetite is always increased then. Plus I had a long run (53 minutes) yesterday. I ate back most of my calories (all but 88) but it could be that I burned more than I thought (I logged 525 cals burned) and today was my body's way of making up. I guess there is no way to know, really.
Anyway, definite strangeness.
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I was told it took a bit of time for the Vit D to build up, and likewise if I missed a day a bit of time to lower. Hence the reason why the prescription level was not every day, but like every 3rd or 4th day, don't recall.
I doubt one missed morning had an effect that fast.
But having a long run that you didn't refill carbs on from last meal (probably), and skipped breakfast, sure could have given you low blood sugar.
Feeling more hungry than perhaps the body really needed to be fed, except for the blood sugar.0 -
Well, that's kind of what I had thought too, based on what I had read, but yesterday certainly made me think!
I went back and looked at dinner stats from the night before. I had plenty of calories overall for the day, (although I am attempting to eat at deficit of about 250-350) and carbs were high enough for the day, but my dinner was not especially high in carbs. Even with a pretty large glass of wine it still came in under 40.
Regardless, I will need a better plan for breakfast-on-the-go, since I will have these meetings weekly for awhile. Evidently I'd do better to go ahead and eat breakfast super early and plan a snack later. I sure don't want to repeat yesterday!
Also, I believe that if I continue to build time into my running, I am going to have to address eating differently. I've never really felt that my eating at a deficit affected my performance (except for once a year and a half ago when I did Body Revolution--the first month I was so hungry I had to eat at maintenance. After about a month my body adjusted to the increased/different type activity and I was able to cut back some, but I definitely felt a difference that time). But for my long runs lately I feel like my legs run out of gas. I have plenty of cardiovascular endurance left, but legs have no energy. Near the end of Monday's run I took my heart rate--156. That is so much lower than the way I would end my runs the first year I started running (4 years ago). Then I would end up at 170+. So I guess that is a sign of improvement in health and fitness! Yesterday I had not met my activity/step goal by the time I finished my workout (lifting), so I planned a short 10-15 minute run after. The legs just wouldn't do it. So I walked 30 minutes instead. Which was not a problem yesterday since I had plenty of time. (Here also is my other frustration--non exercise activity is sooooooo variable for me. Last week because of what I had going on at work I was meeting my goal before lunch. Yesterday, without a focused effort, it wasn't going to happen at all. That makes it very, very difficult to determine TDEE, eating plans, etc. it even varies from week to week and month to month. Which is why I keep going back to net calories method (also I have to confess that I just WONT stick to a steady goal that is much under 1450 a day. I can do it on occaision, but not for the long haul. 1500 and up I do okay, but for my lifestyle, less just doesn't happen. I also confess that part of that is choice, but I'm just being honest here!) Last week To compensate I just logged and ate any work activity that my misfit tagged as "light" or above. Seems to work okay I guess. But that explains some of my long term frustration for sure.
Anyway, I am reluctant to change anything, as the weight loss seems to be working well right now. But I've definitely been thinking. And moving into summer might be the time to make any changes, with a little more schedule flexibility. But of course there will be less daily activity for me during summer, not being at work. Probably it would be good for me to look at performance goals outside of removing the pad of fat from the waist/abs! I've not really had one, other than make sure and do something active most days. (Based on advice from a friend who is 65 and looks 40--when we asked how he did it, he said "I do something exercise wise every day"). I do tend to feel a good bit of accomplishment associated with adding time to my running, but there really is no reason for it other than just pleasing myself. I still have yet to actually do a race or event. It really is all about how it makes me feel (psychologically and physically).
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I'll bet it's not your legs - it's your low blood sugar.
Your legs have enough carbs and fat available to go a lot longer than you do.
But your mental state with low blood sugar will feel like they don't.
Indeed, 40 g or 40 calories of carbs for dinner after a 1 hr run - you were no where near topping off probably even the liver stores, then you fasted all night, so no wonder you had problems in the morning.
You'll need to eat more carbs after the run, if you want to have a decent workout the next day. Or enough carbs in meals between workouts to top stuff back off.
Carbs to protein ratio of 4:1 has been shown to increase the uptake in to the muscle for glucose storage when eaten within 30 min, and again within 2 hrs for next meal. Of course, that doesn't help your low blood sugar issue since that can't be put back in to the blood. And if it took away from the liver getting refilled - you still got problems.
You'll likely have to think of either better meal/snack timing to allow you to have a good workout, and then better timing to aid recovery from it.
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