Not seeing results... could my metabolism be stopping me?

[Spinner19641]

ChefChiTown I am not going to continue this argument any further. But FYI, I did read EVERY post more than once.

And actually I think she's ok and she is planning a good path now and some of that advice is from this forum and some from another.

Please everyone - stand down! It's enough already!

That's it from me, I am signing off.

Happy weight loss & the very best of luck to you all ...

 

[KaraCooks]

Sue - the advice you gave was 100% wrong - so perhaps you might want to read more and talk less.

If the OP is still reading, I"ll attempt to respond further. However, again, as others have said, you did ask for help. You don't get to dictate what kind of response you get. If you can't handle that, then internet forums might not be the right place for you.

Now ... on to the on topic response:

Thank you everybody for taking the time to read all my long posts, lol.

There's a difference between not getting 'what I want', which is information about this specific problem I asked about btw, and getting completely erroneous answers that tell me I'm overestimating my calories when I am NOT

The problem with that statement is that the specific problem you asked about COULD be answered with the idea that you're overestimating your calories. The truth is we don't know you from Adam and we don't know how accurate you're being. We don't know if you really think you're being accurate and you're not, or if you're lying to us, or if you're lying to yourself. If you TRULY ARE being accurate, then ignore that advice. But quite frankly we cannot NOT give that advice because 90% of the time, that's what's happening.

without taking regard of my previous history (eating dangerously low, which is stupid I know, and I never want to go back to 85 lbs or eat 600 calories again ... I just got a little crazy).

We are taking it into account. Eating stupid low calories is ... stupid. Yes. But you cannot permanently damage your metabolism by eating like that. Your body doesn't work that way. Your body adapts to survive - so that while it may temporarily lower your metabolism (this is called metabolic adaptation) it isn't permanent. It can't be. Otherwise you'd die.

I'm willing to read advice, that's not really what I'm complaining about, more so the fact that I feel like people aren't listening to me.

We are listening to you. You just don't like what we're telling you in response.

So you guys are telling me it's not possible to set your body in a, paranoid-type oh no I don't want to be starved again mode, like when I try to lose weight my body won't let me because it doesn't want to get dangerously skinny again?

Yes, that is EXACTLY what we're telling you. It's not possible.

Yeah, I'm definitely "skinny flabby", how often should I do muscle training? I'm just worried I'll get big and toned UNDER layers of fat, making me look even BIGGER and not even toned looking, because the fat will be hiding it, you know?

Women cannot get "big" w/out busting ass and often taking drugs. We don't have enough testosterone in our bodies and our muscles don't grow that way. You will build muscle, you will continue to burn fat, and you will help increase your metabolism (since muscle is metabolically active).

I would say start with eating 12 x [your current body weight] in calories AND do weight lifting (please read the sticky thread in the exercise area called The Conceptual Side of Weight Lifting). I suspect you will begin to see results quickly - not in the scale, but in the shape and composition of your body and how your clothes fit.

 

[KaraCooks]

To Sue:

The recommended intake of calories for a woman is 2000

Incorrect. That's like saying "the recommended amount of gas for your car is 10 gallons". No two people are alike. No two people have the same calorie requirements. A 5'1" woman who weighs 116 lbs is going to gain weight on 2000 calories. A 5'7" woman who weighs 150 lbs is going to lose weight on 2000 calories. Giving a blanket number is .. quite frankly ... stupid.

Some people do believe that if you have been over/under weight that it takes awhile for the metabolism to recover.

Nope.

What I do believe is that if you eat a healthy and balanced diet and avoid processed foods that your body balances itself pretty well.

It is entirely possible to eat too much of healthy foods and gain weight. Amount of food is as important as what type of food.

Toning rather than building muscle is about a combination of high cardio work (which will burn fat) and high repetition with low weights which can be done using weights or your own body weight.

Completely utterly and totally false.

Unless you start doing heavy weight work you will not build muscle as women do not naturally build muscle anyway (muscle build relies on testosterone and we don't have enough of it)

Also completely, utterly, and totally false. Women will absolutely build muscle and strength and women SHOULD do heavy weight work as low weight/high rep work is nothing but an alternate form of cardio. It will build endurance but it won't do anything about "skinny fat".

. Women with larger muscles have worked very very hard to get them.

The only true thing you've written so far. Women don't build BULKY muscle. That type of muscle development requires more testosterone than most women naturally have.

High repetition, low weights also pretty easy - squats, sit up, pushups, crunches, start with 2 kg weights and when they get too easy then step up the weight. Aim for 15 - 20 minutes work initially.

High repetition low weights are useless for any kind of proper muscle building or "toning". Read the sticky posts in the exercise area, especially the one on Weight Lifting for Women, The Conceptual Side of Weight Lifting, and anything that Steve has written.

Try and do the above consistently, 5 - 6 sessions per week.

5-6 sessions of strength/weight training per week will be counterproductive and cause damage. You should have at least 48 hours between weight lifting sessions, in order to allow recovery. It's recovery that builds the muscle and strength - if you don't allow for recovery time, then all you're doing is weakening your muscles and causing a regression. Eventually you'll overtrain to the point of injury.

There's nothing wrong with working out 6 days a week, but don't do strength/weight/bodyweight training on consecutive days. Alternate a day of weight training with a day of cardio and allow one full day off ... if you must work out every day.

None of the above will build muscle. And if want long lean muscles then add a little stretching to keep your muscles limber.

Stretching has nothing to do with "long lean muscles" and bodyweight exercises WILL build muscle for a beginner who has never done it before. However before long, adding in other weight lifting will be necessary in order to see progress.

Perhaps you should spend some time reading the sticky posts at the top of the forums.

 

[love handles]

Geez, what is wrong with people on here ?

How many times has someone said something then, someone else multi quotes to tell everyone how wrong they are? (rhetorical question)

I dont know much and all I have is my opinion.......it is my opinion here that the girl (the OP) was given a hard time.

For a lowdown on metabolism and the myths behind it, take a look here.......

BBC - Health - Healthy living - Myths about metabolism

 

[KaraCooks]

How many times has someone said something then, someone else multi quotes to tell everyone how wrong they are?

If someone posts incorrect information, then yeah, we're going to point it out.

Giving incorrect information on a weight loss forum can not only stall or reverse any weight loss, it can cause damage to someone's health. So yeah ... when soemone posts something that is nothing but a laundry list of incorrect information, I'll refute it point by point in a way that hopefully makes the correct and factual information available to anyone reading.

And that's not about "opinion". That's about what's factual and correct.

 

[Korrie]

Yea, at one point the forum was a mess...it was a combination of no one really having any idea AND people giving out uneducated ideals as to what they think will aid in weight loss.

Some very knowledgable people are on the forum now and we've worked hard to put out HEALTHY and ACCURATE information out there. No one is going to lose weight going on a guess and a prayer..you need knowledge! So no, we are not going to let people just throw out anything without some kind of correction/education on the matter.

This woman was obsessed with the idea that her metabolism was perm. screwed up and wanted to know how to lose weight given that her met. was shot. We just TRIED to explain that it was not the case and tried to show her a healthy way of losing weight...i dont' think that makes us bad people.

 

[ChefChiTown]

I dont know much and all I have is my opinion.......it is my opinion here that the girl (the OP) was given a hard time.

She got a hard time because she gave a hard time. People were offering her sound advice - GOOD advice - but she wasn't listening. Instead, she took an "I don't want to hear it" attitude with everybody and started become pouty about it, demonstrating an "I'm taking my ball and going home" mentality.

People can't get help if they don't want it. And, she obviously didn't want it. She was hoping to hear what she wanted to hear; not what she needed to hear.

To be fair though, she's not the only who has demonstrated such an attitude. There have been countless people who have come to this forum asking for advice, who have ultimately ignored everybody's attempt at offering help. And, to be honest, after a while it all gets pretty tiring.

 

[Kayshiz]

it is my opinion here that the girl (the OP) was given a hard time.

It's my opinion that she was given a lot of sound advice that she wrote off as stupid and not pertaining to her, found someone that gave the answer she wanted to hear, and then left.

Opinions are awesome like that.

 

[Wild Vulpix]

I am so appalled by the way this thread was handled by the moderators that I have requested the administrators cancel my membership.

I understand this is an opinion rather than a skilled site but she is a very young girl who needed some compassionate and considered support.

Ganging up on her and writing endless posts damning her did nothing constructive. You cannot conduct an 'intervention' online.

Please be more careful when dealing with people particularly the young and even more so when they have clearly have had a difficult history. That history was created due to other issues and those issues do not go away just because the symptoms do.

All the best,
Sue

I agree completely with Sue here. Not that I want my membership canceled. And yes, I read all the posts in the topic.

It's kind of frustrating for everyone to say that you have to eat x amount, yet she's claiming to eat that very amount and not losing. She wanted to know WHY that was and what she could do about it, but instead she was called a liar. It's kind of obvious that she wanted to hear from someone who had a similar experience as her (or knew of a case) so that THEY could give a more educated advice.

Telling her to talk to her doctor is fine and all, and she probably would have if she couldn't find the information online. I don't know about everyone else, but I try to find out my own answers before I go running to my doctor about every little thing.

I don't know. Seeing mods gang up on a not troublesome member is always disheartening where ever you go.

 

[ChefChiTown]

I agree completely with Sue here. Not that I want my membership canceled. And yes, I read all the posts in the topic.

It's kind of frustrating for everyone to say that you have to eat x amount, yet she's claiming to eat that very amount and not losing. She wanted to know WHY that was and what she could do about it, but instead she was called a liar. It's kind of obvious that she wanted to hear from someone who had a similar experience as her (or knew of a case) so that THEY could give a more educated advice.

Telling her to talk to her doctor is fine and all, and she probably would have if she couldn't find the information online. I don't know about everyone else, but I try to find out my own answers before I go running to my doctor about every little thing.

I don't know. Seeing mods gang up on a not troublesome member is always disheartening where ever you go.

Just as an example...

If I say that I eat 1,500 calories a day and do enough exercise to where I would burn over 2,000 calories per day, but then I claimed that I wasn't losing any weight, then I would obviously be lying about something. Either that, or I would be wrong about something.

The math in that example would be saying that I am losing weight, but if I'm not losing weight, then obviously something is wrong. Either there is an error or I'm lying. There's no other option. Well, that's not entirely true - there could be something medically wrong, which would warrant the suggestions to go see a doctor.

Personally, I think that's why a lot of people were telling her that she's probably adding up her calories incorrectly. The math didn't add up.

 

[Kayshiz]

I don't know. Seeing mods gang up on a not troublesome member is always disheartening where ever you go.

Really? I don't get it, and someone, please, correct me if I'm wrong, but are the moderators here to hold peoples hand's and lie to their face?

I thought they were suppose to be providing the most accurate information they can and to make sure the site is not abused.

This girl was not harassed, she's 17, not stupid, and there is no reason to sugar coat life or give her drastically different advice then you would give any other member.

 

[Korrie]

lol, yea, we get that alot...someone doesnt' understand so they just attack the mods for it. Easiest road to take I suppose We get alot of people saying how awful we are...thats why the forum is so successful, because its ran by a bunch of disheartened nazis, lol

 

[Jericho]

Ok look, since I was the one who was 'attacking her', let me lay a few things down before people start getting all in a knot.

1) I stand by every single thing I said. These are the same things I would say even if I wasn't a mod now. Don't just assume I got a hair up my ass and just decided to attack this person. Also, don't assume I got some sort of pleasure from it. Another mod here will state the PMs I sent to the them about my worry about the situation.

2) Read her history she posted. If you can tell me she didn't display dangerous habits, then say so. It took me a second reading of her first post to realize this was something we shouldn't be handling. That is where my talk to someone real over talking to us. Can you tell me that, based on her history, she shouldn't be talking to professionals over us?

3) Take that out of the picture. Was the science flawed? She wanted to know if she could screw up her metabolism. We posted that she can't. She went somewhere else to get a different answer that fits what she wanted to hear. She listed a certain amount of calories that she eats but she says she still gained/maintained. What would the answer be? Her calories are off. Right? She didn't want to believe that. How often do we tell people (and have personally experienced) underestimating our calories? The math was wrong.

4) If anyone, and I mean anyone, has a problem with anything I said or the way I put it, PM me. Don't come here saying you are leaving over it or you don't like it without saying directly my name. Tell me. I listen. I am willing to see thing from a different light but don't just come here without coming to me first.

 

[Korrie]

I appreciate you putting that out there Jericho...but some people just want to bitch. Its in their nature. You will NEVER make EVERYONE happy. Just the way it is. We did the best we could with trying to help this woman. Trying to convince her that all was not lost and that her metabolism was not shot...she didnt' want to hear it. She CHOSE to go the defensive angry route...not our fault.

I really think this thread has become unproductive and it needs closed down.

 

[Jericho]

Agreed. Closing thread.