From Restricting to Eating Right

[Message1]

I used to post here in the Spring. I lost 7 pounds the right way in about 2 months. At the time I was eating between 1200-1600 calories a day. And then over the summer my treadmill broke and I gained all the weight back.

And recently, I've made a horrible mistake. At the end of October I stepped on the scale for the first time in a while and, and seeing my weight be the highest it's ever been, I snapped. The next day I stopped eating. The first half of November I was skipping meals, and the last two weeks I've been eating only 500-800 calories a day.

I'm 5'1. I went from 121 to 112 in 30 days and without hardly any exercise. And I feel trapped because I've started something that has become hard to stop. First because it's so easy and second because I'm afraid to gain it back and start over.

I want to go back to not feeling like I need to skip meals or eat 150 cal soup for lunch and dinner to lose weight, but I'm afraid of what my bad diet may have done to my metabolism. I've eaten fairly normally the past two days and I didn't gain any weight. Is it safe to assume that my metabolism is still acting normally?

I ask this because I am going to start an exercise plan, but if my metabolism has slowed then I'm going to need to exercise more in order to eat right and still lose the rest of the weight slowly to reach my target.

Will the exercise itself also increase my metabolism? I plan to either fix or get a new treadmill by the end of the year and will be going back to running 2-3 miles a day like I used to. Until then I'm going to buy some aerobics tapes to do at night. I hope that will be enough along with eating right.

Any advice for me would be great... I'm really desperate here. I don't want to be stuck in this cycle until my metabolism is non-existant. It's not healthy and was a very stupid thing to do, I know.

 

[austin_88]

I would increase your calories every day until you get to maintenance (which would be approx 1800-2000). Stay there for a week or so and then adjust it suitably (to say 1600).

Maybe try taking up a resistance training routine? Adding Muscle is a sure fire way to rev up your metabolism.

Maybe just try maintaining your current weight? Your at a perfect weight now!

 

[Message1]

Well... I was 112 on Friday and after trying to eay more I'm 113. So maybe my metabolism has slowed. But it could be too early to tell... but I really don't want to gain a few pounds to find out either...

I'm rather upset. I really have been trying to work out in my room a nights because I have no other way to exercise. It's 10 degrees outside so I can't run, I have no equipment. I think I have no choice but to join a gym. I WILL NOT gain the weight back. I was too miserable and self-conscious at my old weight and I feel so much better now.

 

[maleficent]

some weight gain is more than likely going to happen as you repair your metabolism - don't let it stop you though once you're up tto a reasonable amount of calories -the weight will come off again but fixing your metabolism is more important..

 

[Caterpillar1]

I wouldn't be surprised if that extra pound you have put on is just the weight of having more food inside you... not fat. I mean, 1500kcal worth of food is likely to weigh more than 500kcal food... I was being very restrictive before like eating one can of soup a day or something and as soon as I started to eat I 'put on' 5 pounds. But you can't put on 5lb fat in 2days by eating 1700kcal a day no matter how much your metabolism has slowed. I'm not saying your metabolism won't have slowed, it probably will have, but the weight of the food may contribute a little to any initial weight gain. You won't carry on gaining at the same rate, hopefully. And hopefully your metabolism will start to recover. I've lost one of the 5lb in the week since putting it on by eating normally and exercising. Hope that makes some sense... Also, have you thought about swimming for exercise til the weather gets a bit warmer? Might work out cheaper than joining a gym if its just for short term use. Best of luck xx

 

[Message1]

I wouldn't be surprised if that extra pound you have put on is just the weight of having more food inside you... not fat. I mean, 1500kcal worth of food is likely to weigh more than 500kcal food... I was being very restrictive before like eating one can of soup a day or something and as soon as I started to eat I 'put on' 5 pounds. But you can't put on 5lb fat in 2days by eating 1700kcal a day no matter how much your metabolism has slowed. I'm not saying your metabolism won't have slowed, it probably will have, but the weight of the food may contribute a little to any initial weight gain. You won't carry on gaining at the same rate, hopefully. And hopefully your metabolism will start to recover. I've lost one of the 5lb in the week since putting it on by eating normally and exercising. Hope that makes some sense... Also, have you thought about swimming for exercise til the weather gets a bit warmer? Might work out cheaper than joining a gym if its just for short term use. Best of luck xx

Thanks for that. So if I eat normally again I won't gain massive amounts of weight or anything? I was fearing that I would gain the 8-9 pounds I've already lost and then continue to gain weight.

I suppose that's a ridiculous thing to think... I'm being far too paranoid.

So I will probably only gain a few pounds and it should level out then?

 

[paydirt]

I think you know what you need to do. It sounds like you want to be healthy about what you do. Sounds like your biggest fear is gaining the weight back. What I would do is try a month at eating at least 1200 calories per day and documenting it as completely as possible.

Your Basal Metabolic Caloric intake is 1200, if you're 5'1, 100#, female, and 40. That is the least that your body needs to for your body to function properly (your internal organs). If it is a goal of yours to be healthy, then you should get at least 1200 calories. Any activity you do besides sitting in bed all day will count toward weight loss.