Diet Advice?

[unforth]

Okay, so I've been dieting since August, and I've lost 15 pounds or so. That's good, and it pleases me immensely.

HOWEVER. I've been eating 1200 cal/day for like 3 months. According to online calculators, this should equal about 2 lbs/week in weight loss. Instead, I've been holding pretty much steady except for in January, when I lost a bunch. This is starting to piss me off pretty seriously, mostly because it takes constant control to eat that little and it's maddening that it's not really producing results. I'm starting to think that it's too little. I'm walking 30 min/day now with the Jonie dog, and I'm really starting to think that my body is hoarding calories instead of burning them because I'm eating too little. Does that actually happen, ya think? According, again, to online calculators my body should be using about 1900 a day; I'd have to have no metabolism to speak of to not lose weight eating as little as I do.

So I've been thinking that I should up my intake to about 1400 per day. If it doesn't work, I can always go back down, right? I'm just worried that I'm running out of patience and won't give it enough time...it's not that I'm running out of patience for dieting, it's that I'm running out of patience for giving changes I make enough time to really settle in...

Right. Anyone have any thoughts on any of this? I'm not sure what I'm really trying to say, I'm just frustrated and I want to be 140 lbs again, dammit!.

Comments

[fallenrose.livejournal.com]

What are you eating? The calories don't mean a whole lot to me - though I know 1200 is pretty low, I don't know how that compares with, say, how much I eat every day, though I can't imagine I eat either that little or a full 2000... I do know about nutrition though, and there are many, many factors to weight loss besides calorie consumption and exercise. One thing I can tell you for sure is that you need to be 1) getting plenty of sleep and 2) drinking lots and lots of water, because, believe it or not, those both have a big effect on weight loss. I've seen it myself.
Since I've had to research nutrition lately since I'm changing my diet, I can tell you some about that. Eating so few calories you might not be getting all the nutrients you need, and besides being unhealthy that probably could be hampering the weight loss. A lot of vitamins and minerals are fat-soluble, and it could be that your body is trying to keep it around? Not sure. I know you are counting calories, but are you keeping track of eating what and how much you are eating? I'd be glad to sit down and talk and see if I can help. :)

[unforth.livejournal.com]

I'm mostly eating starches, with snatches of protein in there (examples include oatmeal, muffins, pierogies, pasta, ultra-lean beef hamburgers, that sort of thing.) I definitely think I need more protein in my diet. And thanks for the advice on drinking - I was wondering about that. I don't think I drink enough; I've been trying to work on that, but it's hard to drink when I'm at work. You've suggested a lot along the lines what I've sort of been thinking, actually - checking if I'm getting enough protein and carbs and, heck, even enough fat (I eat pretty little fat...).

So yeah. Thanks! :)

Where do you do your research?

[moonandserpent.livejournal.com]

More protein, less starches, more water, more small meals spaced out across the day.

[fallenrose.livejournal.com]

Uh. Whoa. I definitely have some suggestions... o.O
In the interest of knowing what would be involved, I just recently read a book called "Becoming Vegan," which is specifically geared toward addressing nutritional needs in a vegan diet, but it has so much useful general nutritional information! I know a lot more about nutrition now! And I think I can see some definite holes in your diet. Like, oh, half the food pyramid. I can get the book back out from the library so that I can look some stuff up and we can talk.
If you're really trying to lose weight, good nutrition is the first step. There's plenty of places online to find information on nutrition. I would say keep track of your food intake for a week and then look at the overall patterns, especially how they relate to the (admittedly imperfect) food pyramid. I can say this much: a good place to start would be working more fresh fruit and veggies into your diet! Seriously. I think it could be a great idea to just leave fresh fruit out of your calorie count and allow yourself as much as you want. It's something that's good to indulge in, especially if you're not eating much of it. And I find it's a lot easier to work in veggies if you have some good, easy, standby recipes. I'm not always the best about eating enough fruit or veggies, either - I find carbohydrates a big standby like you! (Also, starches and carbohydrates are not the same thing, and I think you mean the latter.) So I will see if I have any easy recipes I think you (as an omnivore) might like. And let me know if/when you want to get together, and I will nab that book so I can look things up.

[unforth.livejournal.com]

Well the thing about vegetables is that I hate them. Fruits too. I take a multivitamin to make up for this. It's not that I don't know what I should be eating, it's that I've made the conscience decision not to eat some of that stuff. I'm tackling the protein problem already. We can chat about the other stuff some time, I'll be in touch when I'm a little less busy. :)

[fallenrose.livejournal.com]

I'm sorry, but a multivitamin will NOT make up for it. A conscious decision to leave out half the food pyramid is a completely unhealthy decision.

[unforth.livejournal.com]

It's a conscious decision to not eat something that makes me generally feel physically ill. I've been eating this way my whole life (which isn't to say that I think it's "okay" because of this, but to say that I know not eating it won't kill me).

[squishymeister.livejournal.com]

1200 is not too low, it's just about right for a young woman (no-pregnant) dieter.
Lulls happen in diets, it's because your body has adjusted to it. I'd recoment changing something, anything. You can increase for slightly for a bit, and then decrease again. Sometimes it's worth it to gain 5 and lose 10, instead of treading water. Also, your excersize is ok...but how fast are you walking? Is your heartbeat getting up to 155-165? cause if not then you aren't really getting a cardio workout. It's still excersize and healthy! But you aren't burning any fat. You also need to futz with your metabolism. You can do that by gaining muscle mostly. Also, eating sugar, even if your watching your calorie intake is bad for you.

Cassie is right, water will also help a bunch, and it'll help keep the hunger in check. Don't eat 3 hours before going to bed, try to get your excersize in early in the day (once you start, you keep burning for the rest of the day, so the earlier you get to it the longer you'll be burning) Switch to whole grain, cut out sugar, and get your heart pumping.

[unforth.livejournal.com]

My understanding, from reading I've done, is that 1200 is about the minimum that a female can eat and still be healthy. I'm gonna try to change things up like you suggest. The walking isn't really something I'm doing for exercise, I'm doing it because Jonie needs to get out of the house more. Also, I eat very little sugar, and most of that is splenda, so I probably don't have loads of problems there. :) Otherwise, thanks for the advice!

[moonartemis76.livejournal.com]

yes, your body can get too few calories and start saving them. - you asked.

*what* you eat is very important. I was forced onto a medical diet a few years back and what I learned is that counting calories won't do a thing if you aren't eating the right stuff. Alot of lowfat/low cal food is very highly processed. read that as: machines have already broken it down so your body doesn't have to. Eat foods that your bady has to work harder to process and your metabolism will kick up. ie instead of grabbing orange juice peel and eat an orange, instead of a lean cuisine role some chicken breast in spices and bake it with some broccoli. carbs are great if they are the right carbs - like 100% stone ground whole wheat! Pasta has been processed seven ways from Sunday. Celery and peanut butter is pretty good for snacks. Celery has negative calories and peanut butter has some protein.

Good luck - it's tough!! I've got some nutrition books if you'd like to read them.

you clearly have the willpower to do it though.

[d-c-m.livejournal.com]

Ditto and yes, you could probably up your calories and be fine. Give it a try and see what happens.

You are very pretty BTW. I'm wishing you well.

[unforth.livejournal.com]

Thanks for the advice, and for the support. It's not like I'm hungry all the time - in fact, I don't get all that hungry in general. I think it's support for the "my body is trying to do the best it can with what I give it" theory. I'm already pretty good about not eating processed food - I don't make TV dinners at all. Then again, I do eat pasta, so there is that. :) I wouldn't mind some nutrition stuff - I'm just glad it's not a medical diet, those are really tough from what I've heard.

[fallenrose.livejournal.com]

Seconded!

[fallenrose.livejournal.com]

And I meant to say, remember to really chew your food, too.

[ultimabaka.livejournal.com]

jeez...1200 calories seems dangerously low to me...diet or no, I would seriously consider bumping that up before you increase your likelihood of getting ill.

If you don't take a multivitamin, you should definitely start. Maximum benefit for minimum work is never a bad thing, especially if, if your diet really consists of only what you listed, your intake of a number of vitamins is dangerously low.

If you ask me (and no one ever does...that's their problem $), I think you should bump the calorie count up at least 30% (replace the lean meat with regular meat, or add more fish into your diet if you can), and focus more on boosting your exercise regimen. Walking around for 30 minutes a day really isn't going to help you as much as you think it will - if at all possible, you gotta try and exert yourself more. Right now even I'm thinking of possibly getting an elliptical for my microscopic apartment (remember my hole? :P) for my (unfortunately) not so microscopic girlfriend - efficiently burning off larger swaths of calories will not only accelerate weight loss, but will help develop tone in your legs and chest. You're already cute, but you with tone....*blowakiss*

They're expensive machines, but they're definitely worth it. Minimal risk of injury, near maximum calorie burnoff efficiency for the work you'll be doin on it. You should consider one.

wub
-- Gerardo

[unforth.livejournal.com]

As I said, the walking isn't for me as much as it's for the dog. I don't really have time to do that and to do other exercise, and, well, the dog needs to get out. I wish I did have time. :(

Thanks for the help! :)

[gollumgollum.livejournal.com]

Up the calories. Quit eating starches - not only are they usually processed, but your body breaks things down in different ways. Carbs get broken down in your mouth, by your saliva, meaning that they're effectively processed before you've even swallowed, so your body doesn't have to work hardly at all to break them down.

mypyramid.gov is the new food pyramid, and it has some good information on how to spread your diet out between food groups based on certain calorie levels (for instance, if you eat 1800 calories, you should eat so many cups of fruit, so many cups of vegetables, etc - and it also tells you what they mean when they describe things in cups).

I'd advise paying a visit to the nutrition/dietician folks in the Health Center. They can help you come up with a diet that will give you a good balance of proteins and fats and such.

Water is always good - most people are dehydrated. 64 oz/day is the general recommendation; i've heard more like 100/day if you're trying to lose weight. I suggest getting a nalgene bottle and carrying it around all the time - you can get them with oz markings on the side so you know how much you're drinking.

And, last but least, keep in mind that muscle weighs more than fat. You may not get back to 140 lbs, but you might end up the same size, just more muscular.

Good luck!1

[unforth.livejournal.com]

That looks like a good page, thanks! I was thinking about calling the Health Center folks - I even looked up their phone number yesterday; I'm just trying to figure out when I can get over there. I'm also taking water to work now, so hopefully that'll help.

Thanks for the reminder on muscle mass - I'll say it a different way, then - I want to have a 28 inch waist again. :)

[mindstalk.livejournal.com]

I don't know what's normal. I always thought 2000 or under was, unless you were very active, and people who go onto calorie-restricted diets often say they're in the 1200-1500 range. And they're trying to drop 30-40% of their calories, not 60%. And when I was thinking about CR and counting my calories I seemed to find myself at 1800 a day (less than that and I'd usually be too hungry to sleep). But I found the online calculators will claim we should be eating 2500-2800 calories. Eh?! (Your 1900 seems reasonable; somehow I thought at first you had a bigger number.)

But people who try CR diets for longevity are careful to get all the nutrients they need (another name is CRON: Calorie Restriction, Optimal Nutrition). Lots and lots of veggies, a multivitamin for backup, things like that. And at 1200 they're not necessarily doing a whole lot of exercise.

And yeah, you need some fat (people can starve to death on lean game) and protein (don't want your body breaking down your own muscles. Especially heart muscle.)

[unforth.livejournal.com]

Yeah, the online calculators aren't necessarily the most reliable; they don't account for individual metabolic things of any kind. Thanks for the tips! :)

[ninja-turbo.livejournal.com]

Noting the regency pictures, I can testify that your diet has definitely had a visible effect--you look very healthy in those pics, so you're at a good place to be able to fine-tune your diet towards your next/further health goals.

Good luck!

[unforth.livejournal.com]

Thanks! :)