Is it possible I'm just different?

I weigh 265 lbs. and work out 3 times a week at the gym. I do pretty intense cardio for a half hour. I have just added weight lifting to my routine, but it hasn't been long enough to give results yet.

I have been working out and counting every calorie I eat since January of 2007. I eat, on average, 2193 calories per day. I aim for 1500-1800 but often miss my target. The 2193/day is an average for the entire year. I have gained 5 lbs. this year on this diet/exercise plan.

According to the calculations, I should eat 2622.91 calories a day to maintain. Because I have gained weight on fewer calories than this, I can only assume that the formulas don't apply to me. So now I need to figure out what my maintenance calories really are so that I can eat less.

I do have a history of starving myself, and I messed up my metabolism in the past. However, this was a really long time ago. I had one starvation period about 15 years ago (for about a year) and another about 5 years ago (for 3-4 months). Now I wonder if I did permanent damage to myself, or whether my body will recover. How long will my body "remember" what I did to myself? And how many calories do I need to eat in order to lose?

How are you tracking your caloric intake?

I'd bet your calculations are off before anything else.

Maybe so. I'm calculating all my calories by reading nutrition labels, eating at restaurants that post their nutrition info, and by weighing my food and looking up calories on calorieking.com. I got a similar average with fitday.com when I used to use that. Maybe I just need to eat less, using my same (even if flawed) calculations. Just can't decide how much less.

I get frustrated because my body seems to have a mind of its own. For example, the scale shows that I have gained 3.5 lbs. since Monday, but I've stayed below 1500/day for the past 3 days. Bleh.

at your current weight 1500 calories is kinda low... I wouldn't go less than 2000 calories a day and probably even a little higher...

Have you done any measurements tosee if there's a difference there?

That would be a good place to start.

If you are eating out at restaurants a lot.... there is definitely some error.

And unless you are weighing and measuring every morsel of food and liquid that enters your mouth, there's more error.

And even if you are weighing and measuring everything, that's still a lot of play in that!

I mean it's rare, but you could have something going on medically that would affect your metabolism. If so, I'd start with getting your thyroid tested. But again, this is rare.

When is the last time you took a break from dieting?

I have had my thyroid tested recently, and it's normal. The doc thought she felt an enlarged gland so even had me do an ultrasound. Again, all clear. However, I do have a genetic predisposition to be heavier. My entire family eats really healthy food (Mediterranean-type diet) and is very active, but everyone's overweight.

Another thing is that I am heavy for my size. I wear a size 18, and while I'm not proud of that, I weigh a good 30-40 lbs. more than my size-18 sisters. And at 160 lbs. I'm a size 8. I'm also able to work out at a level that most people of my weight can't...how many people over 250 do you know who can run for 30 minutes on a treadmill? These reasons are why I'm wondering why my body is just different. But on the other hand, I am probably just consuming more calories than I think. That's the more likely answer.

As far as taking a break from dieting, that's an interesting idea. My therapist actually suggested I think about that. In all honesty, I don't think I've EVER not been "dieting," at least in my head. I don't feel like I even know how to not be on a diet. A break from dieting for me is a binge, and I do that. But a real break, that's something different. I can't even imagine it!

by break from dieting, is not binging but eating at your maintenance level... it's not eating whatever you feel like.. it's a good idea to do every so often - especially if you're at a low calorie range for a sustained amount of time

Good idea, and thanks for the tip! How often would you recommend someone take a diet break? And for how long? I will consider this.

steve will have a better answer - i'm only a guinea pig with my own body - but I've done it unintentionally for about 2 months - where i ate at maintenance... and gained about 2lbs at the beginning then it stabilized -once i started cutting back calories a bit again -the weight started dropping...

the toughest part is to find your maintenance calories - an average for some people is about 15 calories per pound but that number could go higher or lower depending on what they've done to their body..

The healthiest diet and the best exercise can't make up for over-consumption. And if people are gaining weight, they're eating too much.

This doesn't tell me anything really. It just means you are taller or your sisters carry their fat distribution differently than you.

Quite a few actually.

Body composition has to be factored here.

I'd go with the latter.

Sure, there are some genetic differences that exist. But not to the extreme. There are physiological and anatomical absolutes, and people will operate within a range of these values.

It's the only way to reverse the adaptations that accompany prolonged dieting.

This said though, if you've been binging here and there.... you probably don't need a break. I doubt it's the metabolic adaptation that's giving you problems.

maybe it's just me but I was wondering if upping the workouts would help make a difference? Like maybe an hour instead of 30 minutes or adding more days? Just curious...

Yea, there really is no black/white, right/wrong here.

If the problem is she's in a caloric surplus by a hair, upping the intensity, volume, duration, etc of the exercise may be enough to send her into a deficit.

It may not either though.

In general however, a deficit is a deficit no matter it's origin. Less food, more exercise, etc.

Not exactly about starvation, but how do I get those onto this site.
I've already got it set up on the website.
How do I bring it over here?

As for the starvation, I guess in a way when I was using, maybe I was throwing my body into a starv. mode most of the time.

Now, as I have said have gained almost 15lbs.

I will look at my portions though.

Anyone know if it is known to put weight on when stopping an addiction.

What are you talking about? the tickers? the website where you created it generally has the instructions... but try this thread

It is very common to put on weight, and sometimes a LOT of weight, when giving up another addiction. Likewise, it's not uncommon to pick up another addiction after losing weight (just see the surgery threads). I gained 30 lbs. when I quit smoking. I gained more when I quit using drugs and starving myself. Now that I'm older and wanting to take care of my whole self, I am challenged with being good to myself ALL the time in many ways. It's tough!

Most drug recovery programs are perfectly happy if you smoke 2 packs a day, gain 100 lbs., and drink nothing but coffee all day long, as long as you stay away from drugs of abuse. I disagree with this mindset. Smoking and obesity are more likely to kill you than drug use (although quality of life is a different issue). I think programs need to help people deal with their addictions while supporting all healthy behaviors. The number of obese smokers at AA meetings is astounding! It's just switching one method of avoiding emotions for another. Better to learn to deal, IMO. That said, I'm still learning...