adding calories.... calories on rest day

nb658454 · June 2011

Hi, so I'm sort of new ( joined in late january this year) anyway I was at a good weight then and just trying to maintain but then I started dropping calories (not really on purpose, i just wasn't ever getting up to 1500) I've been at 1200 a day or less for about 6 months now and I'm almost underweight ( 5 feet 4 inches 98 pounds) . I run cross country and I was forced to go to the doctor (i'm 16) because I lost so much weight. The doctor sent me to a nutritionist who told me I have the female athlete triad. Basically they told me I need to increase my calories. Right now I've managed to get up to 1300 -1350 calories a day but I'm in training so I run at least 8 miles a day sometimes more, so I burn about 660 thus my net calories is usually in the 500's. Right now I know that I need to increase my calories especially to keep my energy up for training because my mileage is just going to keep increasing over the summer. The thing is that I just can't seem to add calories, I'm to afraid to change what ive been doing for so long. I'm not so much concerned with gaining a few pounds as long as its all MUSCLE( because I know I lost lots of muscle mass when I lost weight) , I'm really scared though that if I eat more I'm going to gain FAT which I do not want. So my questions are, how do I add calories and make sure its only muscle? do i only add like 100 a week? how do I know if I gain weight if its muscle or if its fat? And the last question is on my rest days, which is once a week, i don't burn the 600 or so calories so Iv'e always reduced my calorie intake to 800-900 so that my net calorie intake is not super high (because on exercise days its only like 550) so is it ok to eat regular amounts on rest days? and if i start to increase my calories on workout days do I still go ahead and increase on rest day too? I know I'm asking a lot of questions, but I'm scared to gain fat but I really know that I've slowed my metabolism and somehow need to add calories to fuel my workouts so I would appreciate if someone could help =/

therobinator · June 2011

Honey, you need to eat more, a lot more, on ALL days, and also seek the help of a nutritionist and/or psychologist. If your doctor told you that you have the female athlete triad....which means disordered eating, amenorrhea (loss of a girl's period), and osteoporosis.....you really, truly need professional help. And the fact that your doctor didn't set this up for you is a shame and a real liability Please talk to your parents and your doctor, and get the help you need. My best wishes to you.

emmalene1984 · June 2011

ok firstly, your body needs WAY more calories than you are giving it just to survive normally, at the super low amount you are taking in i imagine your body is slowing down almost to a standstil any non vital actions/organs etc. with all that exercise you are doing your body needs calories not only to perform the activitiy but to build muscle, if you are really worried about fat gain, which it sounds like you are, i suggest that you increase your calorie intake gradually, say 100 extra calories a day for a week, and then another 100 the next and so on, until you are up to about 1400 on rest days and then nearer 2000 on training days. and also, i suggest that the foods you eat to up your calorie in take be healthy, natural foods. lots of veggies and fruit, whole grains, natural yoghurt, milk, nuts, fish, lean meat, dont forget muscle needs protein to build.

we are all here for support and IF you do see a weight increase dont panic, it will go away again, it will only be because your body is currently in starvation mode and so MAY store a little fat at the beggining of increased calories in preparation for its expected next starvation period.

good luck and i agree with therobinator, a nutritionist and or psychologist would help you a lot. x

pittsblue99 · June 2011

I agree with Robin, your doctor should have discussed with you and your parents what the plan of action needs to be. You need to eat enough calories everyday, not just some times. Without enough calories being taken in, your body will go into starvation mode and burn muscle tissue. Once that starts to happen, everything you eat will be turned directly into fat because your body thinks that it is starving and it will hold onto everything that is consumend. Honestly, you could read advice that people put on here but we are not doctors nor do we know your specific situation so you really do need to talk with your doctor about what to do next. Good luck with everything

nb658454 · June 2011

I know I need to eat more, I just can't convince myself that its ok to eat more =/ My doctor sort of set stuff up, (There setting up appointments once a month to make sure I don't drop anymore) My parents are concerned but aren't pushing me they just keep telling me to eat more and I'm too scared to and because their not pushing me I just can't bring myself to do it........ Thank you for posting a response, it made me feel better knowing that someone cared, and I'll try my best to change.

nb658454 · June 2011

Thanks so much to everyone who responded! Its really helpful and amazing to know that you guys care and want to help

I'm definitely going to try to change and will look into getting some help.

Roadie2000 · June 2011

In theory, if you want to gain weight without it being all fat you should just eat a lot more and strength train so you gain muscle. The same formulas used for losing weight can be used for gaining weight too. But your case sounds a bit more serious so do as everyone else said and talk to a specialist.

adding calories.... calories on rest day

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