killer_queen
New member
I just think it's ridiculous to assume that I will gain it all back just because other people have. I'd like to think I can do better than that.
Starvation mode
- Thread starter skyler1
- Start date
What makes you different than everyone else?
I agree with Blancita. People who want to lose weight unreasonably fast are usually ones who will not keep up a healthy lifestyle afterwards, and will thus gain the weight back. Losing weight requires a permanent adjustment of lifestyle. That kind of slow and steady loss is what can be kept up because it becomes part of your life, and not something you have to consciously work for.
However, you may be in the minority who can go on a crash diet, reach their goal weigh, and then adjust their lifestyle as to keep it off. I don't know you, I can't make that judgment. But if it is useful to see why people fail.
However, you may be in the minority who can go on a crash diet, reach their goal weigh, and then adjust their lifestyle as to keep it off. I don't know you, I can't make that judgment. But if it is useful to see why people fail.
11firecrackers
New member
How can gaining it back be prevented, though?
Here's the thing:
Blancita is right. The secret to finding a diet that works is one that is healthy, effective, and maintainable.
Starving yourself is certainly effective, as in it will trigger weight loss.
But is it healthy? That depends. If you're not supplying your body with the required nutrients needed to maintain proper function, health, and tissue.... no, it's not healthy.
Maintainable?
This is the big one.
And for most, eating so few calories is not maintainable at all. And to compound this issue.... starving yourself leads to metabolic slowdown more than had you simply dieted using more sane tactics. With that in mind, coupled with the fact that depriving oneself excessively often leads to slipping and binging..... weight regain is commonplace.
To add to all this.... this isn't about losing weight. It's about losing fat. And if you take it to the extreme, chances are very good that you'll lose muscle. If you don't care what you look or feel like, have at it. But I'd say your reasoning is really off. Eating enough, eating the right things, and exercising properly helps dictate the composition of what you lose.
Blancita is right. The secret to finding a diet that works is one that is healthy, effective, and maintainable.
Starving yourself is certainly effective, as in it will trigger weight loss.
But is it healthy? That depends. If you're not supplying your body with the required nutrients needed to maintain proper function, health, and tissue.... no, it's not healthy.
Maintainable?
This is the big one.
And for most, eating so few calories is not maintainable at all. And to compound this issue.... starving yourself leads to metabolic slowdown more than had you simply dieted using more sane tactics. With that in mind, coupled with the fact that depriving oneself excessively often leads to slipping and binging..... weight regain is commonplace.
To add to all this.... this isn't about losing weight. It's about losing fat. And if you take it to the extreme, chances are very good that you'll lose muscle. If you don't care what you look or feel like, have at it. But I'd say your reasoning is really off. Eating enough, eating the right things, and exercising properly helps dictate the composition of what you lose.
11firecrackers
New member
I understand this. Completely, I do.
But I'm asking because I have already screwed myself up, starved myself for a while.
I've already gained ten pounds back and I'm afraid to gain anymore.
I'll tell you now that it wasn't hard for me to maintain the diet at all. I haven't even felt the desire to binge yet, which is strange because prior to the diet I ate my weight in pizza and poptarts every single day. I have, however, slowly increased my calories from a very low number. I have succeeded in not giving into any cravings.
I won't binge, and I won't eat unhealthy things. That being said, am I still at risk of gaining back everything I've lost?
Edit: I'd also like to add that I was overweight when I started starving myself, and I ate absolute junk. In other words, never before have I really eaten healthily. It was either too much or too little. So I don't know what will happen if I eat healthily...
But I am doing what I can to regulate my metabolism.. taking multivitamins, to ensure that I'm getting what I missed; I do quick work outs before meals to rev my metabolism, I take walks.. but I just don't know.
But I'm asking because I have already screwed myself up, starved myself for a while.
I've already gained ten pounds back and I'm afraid to gain anymore.
I'll tell you now that it wasn't hard for me to maintain the diet at all. I haven't even felt the desire to binge yet, which is strange because prior to the diet I ate my weight in pizza and poptarts every single day. I have, however, slowly increased my calories from a very low number. I have succeeded in not giving into any cravings.
I won't binge, and I won't eat unhealthy things. That being said, am I still at risk of gaining back everything I've lost?
Edit: I'd also like to add that I was overweight when I started starving myself, and I ate absolute junk. In other words, never before have I really eaten healthily. It was either too much or too little. So I don't know what will happen if I eat healthily...
But I am doing what I can to regulate my metabolism.. taking multivitamins, to ensure that I'm getting what I missed; I do quick work outs before meals to rev my metabolism, I take walks.. but I just don't know.
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You don't gain weight unless you go into a caloric deficit.
The point people are making is going into a caloric surplus at some point in time is highly likely with things like:
a) hormonal fluctuations
b) reduced metabolism due to starving
c) rigidity of it all
All stemming from your extremely low intake.
And to boot, most importantly, as I've said to you numerous times now.... it's not just about weight. It's about fat.
The point people are making is going into a caloric surplus at some point in time is highly likely with things like:
a) hormonal fluctuations
b) reduced metabolism due to starving
c) rigidity of it all
All stemming from your extremely low intake.
And to boot, most importantly, as I've said to you numerous times now.... it's not just about weight. It's about fat.
11firecrackers
New member
Well I'm pretty sure we're not on the same wavelength, then...
like I just said in my thread in the nutrition section, when my weight goes up my body fat also goes up, and I look fatter. That is what I want to prevent.
like I just said in my thread in the nutrition section, when my weight goes up my body fat also goes up, and I look fatter. That is what I want to prevent.
BigMOFO
New member
I'm not sure if this will work, seeing how your metabolism has become so efficient, but maybe your goal should to be to gain some lean muscle. This will bring your metabolism up to speed. Steve, could this guy eat like 1500 -2000 calories, do some heavy weight lifting, and gain muscle seeing how his maintenance level is apparently so low at this point?
This is sort of amusing. Do you really think your taste for fatty unhealthy foods are totally behind you forever? Watch what happens as you start eating normally again. The cravings will return and I guarantee you'll be trying to lose weight yet again (like most of us who struggle with our weight).
You've already proven our point however, which is that starving oneself only leads to weight gain down the road as food is re-introduced (unless of course you never reintroduce food again, in which case you will be an anorexic, and sadly anorexics often die at some point because that's what happens when we dont eat, eventually we die). How to fix this, I dont know. But to the other person reading this thread who is currently starving herself, you may want to wake up and get a reality check about your future of either regaining your weight or becoming an anorexic, those seem to be the only 2 options with this approach.
You're clearly good at working the extreme, right? So how about getting extreme with your foods but in a more healthy direction. How about eating only whole, unprocessed foods like lots of fruits, veggies, grilled or baked chicken, whole grain bread, water and see what happens. Use your will power that some of us wish we had for good, rather than starvation.
What do I know?
"I don't want to gain weight so I'm going to starve myself with no regard for how I look or my health."
Nope, we're certainly not on the same wave length.
There's not much more anyone can say though. Sounds like you're going to do what you want regardless.
Good luck.
LandonsBaby
New member
And she wonders why I said I wouldn't argue with her.
11firecrackers
New member
...I already said that I did start eating normally again. The cravings did return, but I ignored them. I have willpower. Is that so hard to imagine?
I don't eat any unhealthy foods as it is. When I was severely restricting my diet I ate processed junk, but the only processed sort of food I eat now is basically cereal. The rest is whole wheat, fresh fruits and vegetables and baked chicken breast. Of course I want to eat junk food, but I'm not going to.
What I'm trying to figure out is if I'll be subject to weight gain even without returning to my old habits before the starvation diet.
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11firecrackers
New member
Actually, that ship's sailed. I already starved myself.
Now I'm trying to figure out a way to properly re-introduce a good amount of food without gaining weight.
Quite easily.
Exercise while systematically increasing your intake over a number weeks.
So if your 'supposed' maintenance is 2000 calories and you're currently eating 800.... it might look something like this:
Week 1: 900
Week 2: 1200
Week 3: 1500
Week 4: 1800
Week 5: 2000
It doesn't have to play exactly like that... but you get the idea.
Exercise while systematically increasing your intake over a number weeks.
So if your 'supposed' maintenance is 2000 calories and you're currently eating 800.... it might look something like this:
Week 1: 900
Week 2: 1200
Week 3: 1500
Week 4: 1800
Week 5: 2000
It doesn't have to play exactly like that... but you get the idea.
11firecrackers
New member
Hm... I should try that out.
I'm currently at 1100 though, the highest I've gone since the diet is 1700-1800 over 2 weeks and I rapidly packed on the pounds. Then again, it was winter break; I wasn't getting out of the house.
I just need an exercise plan, but at the moment my nutritionist isn't willing to work with me on that and neither are my parents. They won't let me go to the gym or anything.
What's there that I can do around the house?
There's also something a little off-topic I've been wondering, by the way: does taking long walks after large meals aid or hinder digestion?
I'm currently at 1100 though, the highest I've gone since the diet is 1700-1800 over 2 weeks and I rapidly packed on the pounds. Then again, it was winter break; I wasn't getting out of the house.
I just need an exercise plan, but at the moment my nutritionist isn't willing to work with me on that and neither are my parents. They won't let me go to the gym or anything.
What's there that I can do around the house?
There's also something a little off-topic I've been wondering, by the way: does taking long walks after large meals aid or hinder digestion?
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Exercise would help.
Plus weight gain isn't fat gain. You keep missing that point.
When you are severely restricting calories and probably eating low carb.... water/glycogen flux causes big shifts in weight. It's inevitable. So if you ever want to dig yourself out of the hole you put yourself in, you're going to have to accept this fact.
The scale does not paint a meaningful picture.
How old are you?
11firecrackers
New member
By weight gain =/= fat gain you mean that things like muscle and fluids could affect the number, right? The only thing I have against muscle is that it makes my limbs appear bulkier. Not too long ago I built up my calf muscles and my legs looked significantly bigger. What sort of things can I do to prevent bulky muscle buildup like this?
And I'm sixteen.
And I'm sixteen.
Yes.
This is why I don't ordinarily offer advice to kids.
They can't grasp the fundamentals.
I wouldn't have offered advice had I known you were only 16. I think you need to get yourself to a state where you're eating a healthy caloric intake. Focus on that.
Muscles make women look lean. If you look bulky, that means you are still carrying a good bit of fat.
I'm glad to see you're focusing on eating healthy foods. That's great! I think the weight will balance itself out if you keep that up, and try to find a good work out routine. You may gain a little weight at first, but if you keep up the healthy lifestyle (that you should've started out with in the first place rather than starving) you will eventually come right back down. And this time for good, not temporarily as occurs when you starve. Give it some time to get your metabolism back to normal and even your weight out.
I dont blame your parents for not letting you go to the gym with a bunch of adults. How about some sport activities at school? Or how about some cardio fitness DVDs to do at home. You could also go online and learn about some exercises you could do at home like squats, lunges, pushups, tricep dips, and tons of different ab exercises.
Keep this in mind. Our bodies are all built differently, some of us are stockier and build muscle easier while others are long and lean and have a more difficult time putting on muscle. I'm the former and I realized a long time ago that that's the shape of my body and I also recognized that I put on weight easy. So I decided to use the muscles to help keep fat at bay by increasing my metabolism (muscles burn calories while you're at rest, I think the jury is still out on how much this adds to your metabolism but clearly it has to be something). This worked for me for years. I could eat a lot and only lift weights a few times a week, plus maybe a walk once or twice a week, and stay at a nice weight. So work what you've got and dont try to be something you're not, it will just bring you lots of unnecessary self-loathing. Remember that a lot of people find the toned yet curvy look very appealing.