What to do with a broken metabolism
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When your metabolism is broken you're dead. Quite simple.
60-70k steps per day would be at least 40km, likely more. You're not telling us you're walking a marathon every single day! At a pace of say 5 km/h you'd be walking 8 hours straight every single day without a single break. I think you're pulling our legs. And if not then you really, REALLY need to see a specialist for disordered dieting. Anorexia Athletica is a thing.
In all seriousness if you want to see a screenshot or something, just ask and I just enjoy walking. Diet wise I'm fine it's just the metabolism thing1 -
paperpudding wrote: »HHAEYOUNG73 wrote: »Redordeadhead wrote: »How many hours a day do you spend walking? What distance?
How are you measuring your food intake?
I would guess over 50% of the day
You are walking continuously for 12 hours per day?
Or, even if you meant half your awake time, about 8 hours per day?
Other than people who are doing that short term, say, extreme hikers on a hiking holiday - it seems most people would not have time, inclination or possibility of doing this.
How do you manage your college studies? 'college brat' isnt a term I am familiar with but means you are a college student, yes?
As a second year who has military credits, many classes have been put off and covered for since military credits and now it is a breeze1 -
HHAEYOUNG73 wrote: »collectingblues wrote: »HHAEYOUNG73 wrote: »1. Get a new pedometer
2. See a doctor, not random internet strangers
3. Stop eating a one-thing-only diet of chicken breast and sweet potatoes, that doesn't have enough nutrients and doesn't include all vitamins etc.
Seriously, how many miles/kilometers does your pedometer say you walk? How many hours you walk per day? 60-70k would be 6-7 hours of just walking at a fast-ish pace, no breaks.
I already saw a doctor for the disorder and RECOVERED, but I'm pretty sure I'm here because I already tried asking about steps metabolism and all that to drs
What did your doctor say about your over exercising? Did you show them your pedometer?
Just because you're not chewing and spitting anymore doesn't mean you're recovered.
He just said there's no problem with my steps. And said there's no such thing as over walking. He gave Michael Phelps or military people as an example who burn way more than me but still aren't bodily damaged
It isn't the walking that's the problem, it's the eating enough to sustain it. Phelps has a trainer, and I'm sure he has a nutritionist,..... all the bells and whistles. You?11 -
what would we need a screen shot of???
Aren't you studying online instead of in person?
Anyway that isnt really the point - I dont think spending 8 - 12 hours per day every day continuously walking is a healthy way to live.
You do not have a broken metabolism and although you asked for advice, you dont seem interested in accepting any.
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The pop-media-guru who came up with the dumb notion of a "broken metabolism" really did a disservice to a whole generation of dieters who are susceptible to science-y sounding gibberish.15
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snowflake954 wrote: »
It isn't the walking that's the problem, it's the eating enough to sustain it. Phelps has a trainer, and I'm sure he has a nutritionist,..... all the bells and whistles. You?
Actually, the walking does sound quite problematic. Excessive exercise is a common compensatory behavior in persons with eating disorders, especially males, and can be just as problematic as other behaviors, like chewing and spitting.
Enjoying walking and spending 50% of your time walking, when combined with restrictive eating and a history of eating disorders are two very different things.
OP, I would second the advice to seek a different doctor, as well as the advice of a registered dietician regarding your concerns, rather than a forum. Additionally, based on your restrictive eating, history of disordered eating, and compulsive behaviors you sound like you may need support from a team who is experienced in disordered eating and accompanying symptoms.
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I just want to mention as a healthcare provider that sometimes patients claim their doctor said something that they didn’t. I have seen patients do this in the ER where I work and they have done it to me. Either they are misinterpreting the meaning of what was said or they purposely twist the words in their mind to suit their own narrative. Also, all of the facts may not have been given to the healthcare provider.
OP knows he is eating too little and working out too much.21 -
I just want to mention as a healthcare provider that sometimes patients claim their doctor said something that they didn’t. I have seen patients do this in the ER where I work and they have done it to me. Either they are misinterpreting the meaning of what was said or they purposely twist the words in their mind to suit their own narrative. Also, all of the facts may not have been given to the healthcare provider.
OP knows he is eating too little and working out too much.
Yep. Not a healthcare person, but I have a close relative who's filled me and my wife with amazing stories of what doctors have told her over the years. Like telling us she was "diagnosed" with gout one time, and heart failure another, when no doctor had ever said either thing - she'd read on the web about gout and decided she had it and put the words into her GP's mouth, but we only learned that much later. Then a few years ago she had an acute health crisis and we ended up as the chauffeurs and then sitting in the doctor's office with her. Later she forgot we were there and described the meeting to us, and it was Un. Be. Liev. Able. how distorted her take was on what the doctor had said and diagnosed at the time. And then we had to take her to the ER not too long after and were sitting there as an actual dr collected and discussed her whole medical history, and the gap between what she told the doctor, what she'd told us, and what we knew to be the case was as wide as the universe itself.
I thought the OP in this thread was trolling initially, because it all sounded so far fetched. Person goes to doctor and says: I walk 30 miles every single day, only eat chicken breasts and sweet potatoes, have a chew spit disorder, eat 1,200 calories, and am gaining weight. What do you think, doc? And the doc says: Yeah, I don't see a problem with walking 30 miles per day ... ? I mean, that's almost a punchline for a joke.
This whole situation cries out for serious treatment by trained professionals with medical degrees on their walls and is way, way, WAY beyond the pay grade of any of us commenters.19 -
How did you tell your doctor? Did you tell him you're walking 40-60km every single day or did you just mention that you walk a fair bit?
Ok, lets try something: I don't know in what time zone you are. But stop walking for today. Tomorrow, and the coming week you only walk 2000 steps max every day. That should cover all errands and a bit of house work. How do you feel about this?
Can I ask your reason why? I honestly hate just sitting down lazily doing nothing1 -
lgfrie and nooshie, yes I second that.
Have worked in medical centre for 10 years - patient's version of what Dr said is often very 'lost in translation' - sometimes genuine misunderstanding, sometimes our fault for presenting things in too much jargon, sometimes patient unintentionally or deliberately interprets things to suit their agenda, sometimes patient has not fully disclosed so our advice is not really relevant.
obviously that is why we rely on letters back from specialists/physio's etc rather than patients word of mouth.
In this case obviously we can't hear the other side of the story - ie what the doctor actually said in his/her own words with the information actually disclosed to him/her
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HHAEYOUNG73 wrote: »How did you tell your doctor? Did you tell him you're walking 40-60km every single day or did you just mention that you walk a fair bit?
Ok, lets try something: I don't know in what time zone you are. But stop walking for today. Tomorrow, and the coming week you only walk 2000 steps max every day. That should cover all errands and a bit of house work. How do you feel about this?
Can I ask your reason why? I honestly hate just sitting down lazily doing nothing
Nobody is suggesting just sitting down and doing nothing. Poster is suggesting limiting steps to a more normal regular daily life amount for 1 week.
While you are not walking you can be studying, reading, watching TV programs, doing crafts, writing letters, playing with your dog, taking photos, cooking, gardening etc etc - ie any non physical activity of everyday life.
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HHAEYOUNG73 wrote: »Can I ask your reason why? I honestly hate just sitting down lazily doing nothing
Because your body will appreciate it even if your mind does not.7 -
HHAEYOUNG73 wrote: »Can I ask your reason why? I honestly hate just sitting down lazily doing nothing
Because your body will appreciate it even if your mind does not.
Also, if you CAN'T do this OP, or if juat the idea of it causes you stress or anxiety then it highlights you need some professional help. Because the idea of sitting still for a day should not fill you with anxiety, concern or worry.13 -
HHAEYOUNG73 wrote: »Can I ask your reason why? I honestly hate just sitting down lazily doing nothing
Because your body will appreciate it even if your mind does not.
Also, if you CAN'T do this OP, or if juat the idea of it causes you stress or anxiety then it highlights you need some professional help. Because the idea of sitting still for a day should not fill you with anxiety, concern or worry.
This! Like I said: Anorexia athletica does exist, and overexercising and not wanting to stop is a clear sign of it. Basically you are wrecking your body with what you're doing. Please go seek professional help.13 -
Yea no, I just enjoy walking and if you think about the subject, would you rather be bored sitting and most likely ruining posture and spine by slouching or be subconsciously burning some extra calories by walking and getting blood circulation. Nothing to brag about but college studies are a breeze for me. And the whole doctor thing, I'm pretty sure there's no "pedometer addiction" doctor. I know that this whole stepping this MIGHT appear to be an addiction, but in th3 end it's just burning some extra calories. If you think burning calories intentionally is a disorder, then I would direct you to every fitness individual or athletes who would probably burn more than me. So my problem as aforementioned, is my METABOLISM, not so much focused on if this is a disorder or something of the sort. I just wanted some THOUGHTS about this whole metabolism thing and not waste hundreds of dollars on some generic answer like "I dontnspecialize in this field and I'm pretty sure there's no such doctor who would specialize in such a subjective topic"(from 3 doctors I asked as a side note)1
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1. As you most likely have access to databases of scholarly journals via your education program, why not search for evidence around the concept of 'active rest' and the importance of recovery time in athletic endeavors.
2. Your black and white thinking pitting endless hours of walking vs. being " bored sitting and most likely ruining posture and spine by slouching" misses the midpoint of those two extremes; a relaxing swim, a light pilates session, cleaning and vacuuming the home...
3. If you want to be a durable athlete, get a trainer who knows what they're doing.
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cont'd
Having made the above points:
"I know that this whole stepping this MIGHT appear to be an addiction, but in th3 end it's just burning some extra calories."
You are not consuming extra calories
Nor do you have extra calories in the form of body fat to burn
I'm concerned you've started this thread to seek tips that could support and enable your nutrition intake/output disorder - that's not what this site is for.16 -
HHAEYOUNG73 wrote: »Yea no, I just enjoy walking and if you think about the subject, would you rather be bored sitting and most likely ruining posture and spine by slouching or be subconsciously burning some extra calories by walking and getting blood circulation. Nothing to brag about but college studies are a breeze for me. And the whole doctor thing, I'm pretty sure there's no "pedometer addiction" doctor. I know that this whole stepping this MIGHT appear to be an addiction, but in th3 end it's just burning some extra calories. If you think burning calories intentionally is a disorder, then I would direct you to every fitness individual or athletes who would probably burn more than me. So my problem as aforementioned, is my METABOLISM, not so much focused on if this is a disorder or something of the sort. I just wanted some THOUGHTS about this whole metabolism thing and not waste hundreds of dollars on some generic answer like "I dontnspecialize in this field and I'm pretty sure there's no such doctor who would specialize in such a subjective topic"(from 3 doctors I asked as a side note)
Yes, there certainly are doctors who specialize in anorexia. And it’s not subjective. There are numbers involved. You did not find three doctors who all told such a ridiculous untruth.13 -
HHAEYOUNG73 wrote: »Yea no, I just enjoy walkingHHAEYOUNG73 wrote: »If you think burning calories intentionally is a disorder, then I would direct you to every fitness individual or athletes who would probably burn more than me.
You and I can engage in the same ACTIONS and BEHAVIORS. Yet doing so may be disordered for me, and NOT disordered for you. Or the other way around.
Are you sure you actually worked with a therapist / doctor / or registered dietitian specializing in eating disorders when you were engaged in the behavior you currently believe is cured?
Or did you manage to stop doing it, and thus you believe the issue to be resolved?
I'll let you in on a secret! This web page has links to some really helpful people:
https://support.myfitnesspal.com/hc/en-us/articles/360032625071-Eating-Disorder-Resources12 -
I enjoy walking. I like to move regularly so I don't slouch or feel stiff. I (or most people) don't feel the need to keep going for hours and hours though! I'll go for a walk a few times per week, maybe 7-15k steps, then do 30-60min of cardio or weight training or occasionally yoga if it's an "off" day, I'm active every day of the week - but in moderation. If I'm doing work at my computer I might take breaks to do short workouts or stretches. But I don't feel compelled to just... never sit still.
There *is* such a thing as doing too much. An occasional long hike would be normal, doing it every day is well beyond the norm though. It's not just the physical aspect or the idea of exercise to burn some calories, it's the mental part that's concerning - especially since you mention a history of disordered eating. Did your doctor know the specifics (hours, miles walked per day) or just heard "yeah I work out/walk regularly" which most people wouldn't think much of?
Noone's trying to stop you from working out entirely, we're just trying to point out that to the vast majority of people what you're doing sounds very excessive.
If I enjoy a glass of wine with my dinner here and there - that's fine. If I'm downing a bottle every night it becomes a problem though! If I have a piece of chocolate here and there as a part of my normal diet - I'm ok. If I binge on dozens of chocolate bars every day - it's a problem. If someone works out for an hour or two - sounds healthy. If someone tells me they're working out for 7-8h a day (unless they're some kinda pro athlete/under supervision) I'm gonna worry about them overdoing it tho!
People's metabolisms can have small variations, there *are* conditions that can change how much you burn or stuff like your appetite... but it sounds like you have bigger issues other than "maybe I'm an outlier who burns 100-200kcal less than the calculators think I should" that weren't fully resolved (the eating disorder) that are now maybe expressing themselves in different ways (the walking and only eating certain foods). That's why people are concerned and telling you it's not a healthy behaviour. You might benefit from looking for someone who does specialise in eating disorders or nutrition, not a GP. I can't imagine *every* doctor would have just gone "yeah sounds fine to me".
Also. Look. When I was in my late teens/early 20s I had some very unhealthy eating habits myself, so did some of my friends with fasting and fad diets. My metabolism wasn't "broken" from it. I'm a short woman with diagnosed hormone issues and yeah maybe I have to work a little bit harder than average to lose or maintain, but your metabolism doesn't just... die.12
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