okay, i'm not really sure if this is the right place to ask this question...but here goes...

my body is in a starvation mode....or so i call it...this is the story, and then the question...

if any of you read my intro, you already know the am't of weight i've gained over the past few years...for those who didn't really quickly this is the roller coaster i was on...

age 19 (got married, weight 135lbs, height 5'4")
age 20 (first child, preg. weight gain...65lbs...total weight 200lbs)
age 21 (lost 30 lbs-through diet/exercis- weight 170lbs)
age 22 (second child, preg. weight gain...45lbs...total weight 215lbs)
age 24 (went to correctional officer training, exercised 5 days/week...weight loss in 7 weeks - 30lbs- total weight 175lbs)
by age 28.5 (depression led to eating, and a weight gain of ...alot...ending weight 220lbs)
age 29 (pregnant with 3rd child, lost nearly 20lbs, in the first 3 months, then only gained 18lbs total....ending weight 218lbs)

now that you have a better understanding of how my weight problems began....i'm hoping to end the cycle i have started...
i am currently not eating....i know that this started before i was pregnant with my 3rd child (who is now 10months)....
i had begun eating once a day, and at some point my body began to hold onto everything i did eat and store it as fast...
i am now overweight, have hardly any appetite, and i'm carrying a ton of weight in my abdomen, obliques...etc....

someone, please tell me how to change this...
i need help/advice on what to do, to start eating again....
i need motivation to start exercising....
i'm sooo tired of being tired all the time...
i'm tired of not having the energy i once had...

please help!

hi there!

just like you trained your body to eat only once a day, you can train it to eat healthly again. Even just eating itself will help build up your metabolism...

my suggestion - plan out five small small meals a day - things like an apple, cheese and crackers, cottage cheese (all separate)... if you eat every 3 hours or so, you will start to build up the energy you need.

Your body will DEFINATELY be in starvation mode if you are't eating at least 1200 calories a day... even if it is by drinking juices, v8, milk, whatever - try your hardest to consume at least that much... and gradually increase the solid food intake.

I dont' know if you have started a diary yet - but it is a great way to track the food that you do eat, and then others can support you, encourage, offer suggestions, etc. If you post what you eat every single day - you can begin to see how it is changing, and can record how your body and energy levels are changing as well.

GOOD LUCK!!! I hope this helps!!!

have you been to your doctors at all? Tiredness and weight gain/loss problems can be symptoms of other health issues! Get a prof. opinion first!

Ok here is some motivation! You have to eat to lose fat. If you are not eating or not eating enough your body is going to lose muscle which in the end will make you look like a flabby squishy person.....I'm assuming you don't want that?

To get energy you need to EAT the energy.....food has calories and calories is energy!

You can keep doing what you are doing and keep getting the results you have always gotten or you can change.

Hope some of that helped! If you are not eating at all you need to get treated because you most likely have an eating disorder which can do things to your mind and body. Take care!

thank you all for your advice and encouragment! i haven't been on for a couple days, but i'm thinking i will start a diary on here, and hopefully that will help...we'll certainly see!

as for the eating disorder...you are probably right...i definetly have a distortion of how i view food, calories, etc...and i'm thinking i will call the dr today, and make an appt. it's funny how you can know it (i guess deep down) and then when someone says something as simple as that to me, it really hit, that i view eating in an abnormal way...almost as though it's the "enemy", and i know it's not intellectually....but somewhere up in my head it is...
i've done all of the research...i've studied eating more, and i've even bought the myoplex shakes (from the body for life program)...i've bought the exercise magazine, etc...but yet i haven't put what i know into action...and there in lies the problem, and the disorder...
thank you, krazykat, for putting it to me bluntly enough, that i have no choice but to see it...i mean that..."thank you"...
i will keep you posted on dr.'s appt...and let you know...

thank you all, and hope to talk to you again, soon (with, hopefully, good news)

Your welcome! I'm so glad that it helped and that you are getting help. Keep thinking positive and IMAGINING yourself already as a fit person and don't let anyone take that away from you and you WILL achieve it as you work towards your goals!

okay, i haven't made the dr's appt., but am happy to report that i have been forcing myself to eat breakfast every day...as a result i was actually hungry this morning!!!
as a side note, i also have eaten lunch 3x so far this week, and dinner everynight!
i'll keep you updated more, in diary once i start one!
thanks again for all the help/advice
-bobbie

Hi creampuff, I was reading your past history & could certainly appreciate your struggles. I was basically not eating enough & needed to help my metabolism kick-start itself, as well.

I agree with amomono - I recommend writing in weekly meal / beverage planner ( I have attached a rough one I put together for you to print out & write in your meals & beverages if you want to trial it. - sorry it's very basic!! )

Once you can establish a routine the easier it becomes to maintain a healthy eating pattern.

I am currently doing the Cohen's Lifestyle Program.

I wish you the very best & hope things even out for you very soon XXX

Attached Files

Weekly Menu Planner.doc (32.0 KB, 47 views)

thank you so much for meal planner, that really meant alot that you would take time, and put that together for a stranger...thank you so much!
i will start using it tomorrow, and i've already saved it, and printed ten copies, so i have that reminder to continually do it!

thanks again,
bobbie

First, yes, seeing a doctor is a good idea.
A lot of people already gave advice, but I want to give you mine as well. I do metabolism recovery programs with people sometimes. It's a frustrating process, but works if someone is patient enough. Poeple often think that in a month they should have a healthy metabolism, but it doesn't work that way.

Also, once people realize that they are starving themselves they often make much too rapid of a calorie increase. At this point the body is so sensetive that it will store fat like crazy. When I work with people, depending on the person, I usually recommend 50 calorie increases every week or 2 weks to prevent fat gain. Gaining fat in the process is so frustrating!

Timing and type of calories is important. It's important to make sure that you're adding good carbs. Slowly increase to more meals.Eventually it would be good if you're eating 6 a day, but that will take a long time to work up to that. You can add more meals without increasing calories drastically by splitting up a 300 calorie meal in to 2 175 calorie meals. That's only a 50 calorie increase.

I hope my post was helpful, and if I wasn't clear please let me know.

Sarah

well, as an update, i went to the doctor on friday, and he is putting me on a weight loss pill, in two weeks-by then i'll have weaned the baby- and i can't tell you the name of the pill, because i cannot read the handwriting!....so, i also have paperwork to speak with a dietician, and i have to go and get my thyroid tested tomorrow morning....so i'll update, when i know more....thanks again for everything!

I lost a lot of weight and have been able to keep if off through the supplements I take on a daily basis. When I first started, I lost 18 pounds in one month, but of course I did my cardio too. I am now down to my target weight of 115 and I am able to maintain it with my supplements.

Herbalgirl

well all u need is a simple meal planner in which u willbe able to eat anything u want according to the calories amount in them and with that u can do some exercises to help u losing these xcess of fats . here is a useful link for u and ia sure that it will help as it did for me '
http://www.imsickofbeingfat.com/foru...meal-plan.html
best of luck .

Hello,

I can feel your frustration and it may seems that eating one meal a day would be the solution but as you have already realized it is not the solution.

this is a sample article about you have to understand before trying to go on a diet or start exercising.

First I need to explain to you that there is process that your body goes through to burn body fat.

So how does your body burn fat?

It is a two-step process and in order to lose body fat you need to:

1. Release the fat from the fat cells and only then
2. You can burn the fat

How does your body release the fat from the cells?

Before you can turn your body into a fat burning machine, here’s what needs to happen: your body fat needs to be released from the fat cells. You can accomplish this step successfully with your nutrition program (eating habits). Here are some specific tips that you can apply right away to achieve that.

1. Eat 4-6 small, frequent meals and never skip meals.
2. Eat natural foods; avoid processed & refined foods
3. Eat more complex carbs, fruits & vegetables.
4. Drink plenty of water


How does your body burn the fat?

You need to do some MODERATE cardio training. The key word here is moderate.

Combining restrictive dieting with too much cardio can be detrimental and I am sure you have seen those people that are doing cardio on a daily basis and still not getting anywhere. The result is a low metabolism. Low metabolism means, your body fat is not going anywhere, anytime soon. Here is what you need to do:

1. Do some moderate cardio training; the key word here is moderate
2. Never “diet” but consume just a little fewer calories than you do burn on a daily basis (No starvation diets, Please...)

Your muscle tissue is your best friend when it comes to burning body fat. You need to preserve muscle tissues in order to keep losing weight.

Most people go on a starvation diet combined a lot of cardio to lose weight. At first it may seems like this is working because the scale is saying so.

Now think about, scale weight does not tell you if weight loss is from fat, water or muscle tissue. Starvation diets combined with excessive cardio make you lose mostly muscle mass, water weight.

Scale weight by itself is not a good indicator of success.

The solution

To maintain muscle mass you need to:
1. Do some resistance training. (This is not optional, it is mandatory)


The secret

Now that you understand the whole fat burning process, I am going to reveal to you how celebrity personal trainers do to get those amazing transformations. The strategy is to combine all the steps that I outlined so the body works as a unit. First, the trainer makes sure that his client is eating the proper food on a regular basis.

By that, I mean eating so that fat WILL be released from the fat cells. Then and only then they exercise the body to burn the fat. The important idea to take from this is:

"The fat can ONLY be burned after it is released from the fat cells".

If you know anybody that has been exercising like a maniac and they don't seem to go anywhere, now you know why.

The reverse is also true, do you know somebody that is eating properly but they are not including any resistance training combined with moderate cardio. Now you know why their body still looks the same.

All you need to do is to combine a nutrition program, along with some MODERATE cardio program and maintain muscle mass with resistance training. Everything is combined with one goal in mind: Turning your body into an Automatic fat burning machine. It is that easy.

There is a final step to that process that almost nobody talks about.

It is tracking your results and adjusting your strategy.

Remember Dr Phil; don’t keep doing something that is not working. Tracking helps you determine what works for YOU and what does not. Without tracking, you have no idea on how to change your strategy.

Don't like the results you have been getting? Then CHANGE YOUR STRATEGY.

DO NOT continue doing something just because "THEY" say it's the way things should be done. Allow yourself to choose the solution that will work for you, regardless of what it may be. The only way for you to know who is right is to measure your progress and ACTUALLY track your results.

CHANGE IS HARD, but it's also worth it. Not getting results makes change EXTREMELY HARD.

Get support from friends, family or a coach who knows about body transformation. Losing weight is not as hard at it seems once you know what works for YOU.