You're right, I think more exercise would help me. Not just because I'd burn more calories, but exercise really helps me manage stress and anxiety, and I'm less likely to overeat for emotional reasons when I'm working out more. I have a history of pushing my workouts up too quickly, though, and then I get burned out and quit altogether. I'm going to try to make slow changes (like 35 minutes a workout for a few weeks, then 40, then 45) so that I will keep up with it.

Who else here has an all-or-none thinking problem? It's the biggest thing to manage, for me.

HI
thanks for replying!
Well, that's me. I gave up an addiction to pain meds and smoking, at the same time.
It's not that I'm overweight. I'm probably where i need to be in terms of pounds-maybe a few pounds over at the very most.
What I don't understand is I am trying to lose the weight I have gained in the past 2 1/2 months. Not all of it is healthy, though I would like that.
I've also been anorexic and bulimic in my adult life. That was over 17 years ago it was 'active'.
What I'm doing now, to my knowledge, should be enough to lose a few pounds. That's why I am curious if I am fighting a losing battle if my body chemically is in a gain weight mode by having stopped two major addictions.

Is it possible my body is changing chemically, and I need to go a bit easier on myself.
I won't change what I am doing. I love the way I feel, and since I have never been a junk food eater there is no reason for me to start now.

To make this post 'worthy' of being on this thread, I'll add this.
I do not want to take my intake down to where my body will go into starvation mode. My feeling is I've been doing that for the past five years as I was using my drugs.

If anyone would/could reply to this posting, I'd be grateful.
Thanks to all

my post from above is quoting the wrong post! Sorry people

I still have the same thing to say!

Hi Sassy,
Now this is just my opinion, anyone here with more info please correct me if I'm mistaken....

You are not fighting a losing battle if you stick to the calories in vs. calories out formula. It's just science and it applies to all of us, apparently (although some days I have my doubts!). You CAN lose weight and/or avoid weight gain even if you're giving up 2 other addictions. In fact, maybe the coping mechanisms you are using in order to avoid pain meds and cigs can also be used to help you with your eating. But YES, you should go a bit easier on yourself. Not that you shouldn't try to stick to your eating plan, but you should be kind to yourself if you mess up, and remind yourself of how far you've come so far and how happy you are to be a healthier person.

I know that using drugs can totally take away your desire to eat, and I think that learning to eat normally after quitting drugs is like learning to eat normally after a period of anorexia. Even if your brain is in a different place (like you don't believe you're fat and you're not trying to lose weight), your body doesn't know the difference. All it knows is that it's been deprived of food and nutrients for a long time. So the body probably responds the same way anorexics do when they are in recovery and start re-feeding. Maybe you should find out how they do it without avoiding unhealthy weight gain. Most of the recovered anorexics I have met are not obese, so it must be possible.

Anyone know how it works, when you start eating again after starving?

A note I would like to add about doing small, frequent meals.

I don't recall reading the bit that doing this speeds up your metabolism. What I've always read in articles is that by eating small, frequent meals, you stabilize your insulin levels and avoid big peaks and valleys in your blood sugar during the day. This helps you avoid feeling hungry and it helps you avoid binge eating. As your body gets used to frequent, small meals, it also adjusts hormonally to using those calories you consume more readily and isn't so quick to put them into storage (fat) for future energy needs. This is in addition to helping you get the proper balance of macronutrients for your particular metabolism.

This is why so many of the body building sites, blogs and books suggest 5-6 small meals throughout the day. It does keep your metabolism moving steadily - rather than having periods between big meals where it slows down because it has nothing to work on. You still get the fast and slow times during the day, but not the big peaks and valleys that result in you feeling sluggish at certain times and starving at others.

God Bless,
mik

This as been talked to death on this site. Let me comment directly.

That's b/c it doesn't speed up your metabolism.

Obviously. But not everyone is affected the same way.

Can I see the specific research you are looking at?

And don't forget the population you are speaking to here.... 99% of them are losing weight/dieting.

Hence a caloric deficit.

Deficit = no net storage of fat.... can't create something out of nothing. That said, the bolded fat storage statement is sort of bunk.

I can and have constructed an equally balanced plan with 3 vs. 6 meals per day.

I see what you're saying... it can be argued that some might find it easier to get their macros in more meals.... but others not so much. Remember, there's no black/white when it comes to this stuff.

I'd beg to differ actually. I read a lot in this category.

Many of these books want you to eat more meals per unit of time for a magical increase in metabolism which is unfounded in science.

Empirical evidence would also go against this too.

This doesn't matter.

+2-2 = 0

+1-1 = 0

The net is what matters.

Have you ever trained anyone?

Not everyone operates like this. There are people on this very board that feel more awake and satiated eating fewer meals while dieting. It goes against intuition I understand..... but it is happening in the real world.

********************

Here's why I don't suggest more frequent feedings.

People have enough freaking guidelines to follow. If they jump into an eating plan, I suggest they shoot for the number of meals they are comfortable with, which more than likely will be the number of meals they are used to eating. If they are finding themselves weak, tired, and starving..... THEN reevaluate and change some things around.

Don't start off with this.

By starting off with it, it simply creates another hurdle for people to trip over, especially considering the fact that most people aren't' eating 6 meals per day to begin with.

In my experience, which you can take for what it's worth..... 3 vs. 6 meals isn't going to make one bit of difference in terms of success. It's going to be completely independent on the person.

Steve, you are so awesome. I take EVERYTHING you say to heart. You're extremely well educated and I take comfort in the fact that you know what you're talking about. I can trust what you say as not only opinion, but fact. Thank you so much.

Thanks very much for the extremely kind words!

Well I can't say I dislike the fact that you trust me.... but as I always say, I highly suggest not taking anyone's words as the gospel.

Thanks again.

No, thank you for doing what you're good at and providing me with not only motivation, but sensible biology.

Oh, I know...but it never hurts to be educated. I need to become knowledgeable if I'm to do this for the rest of my life.

I am 53 years old. I weigh 133 lbs. I am 5'3".
I workout 3-5x weekly with about 50 minutes of cardio and about 40 minutes of weight training.
I am not losing weight. In fact I am gaining, regularly. I have been told by many, including a trainer at the gym I go to to consume more calories during the day. I was, on the average taking in about 1300 a day.
I have upped it and am gaining weight.
I wasn't losing when I ate less either.
I work out hard. I push myself.
I am at a loss as what I need to do. this is me going crazy!

a) you do realize that you keep posting in a stickie thread. if you have questions pertaining to personal issues, I highly suggest starting your own thread.

b) if you are gaining weight, you are intaking too many calories. it doesn't seem to be the issue though in your case since you are exercising a lot and only eating 1300 calories. this leads me to believe 1 of 2 things:

1. something is going on with your body and you should go get some testing done by a qualified professional. i doubt this is the case, but you never know.

2. you aren't tracking your cals accurately or you aren't being as consistent as you'd like to believe relative to your intake.

Steve, I have a question about what was said with mikitta about the 3 or 6 meals a day thing.

Theoretically wouldn't it be alright just to eat when you feel hungry too? I'm not talking about the bored hungry, or the "hunger" you feel when your head is pounding, but genuinely hungry. (That is if you're "watching what you eat" anyways)

Or is creating that structure of X amount of meals a day necessary?

For some that works fine.

For others, not so much.

For some the structure is what leads to control. And control is obviously lacking or obesity wouldn't be as out of control as it is.

But for the ordinary person, the less 'structure' that needs to be in place, the better IMO. So if you can get away with 'winging' it.... by all means.

But also (I'm just trying to educate myself),would that mean it's perfectly alright not to consistently eat the same number of calories every day if that was your method of control?

For instance, my daily caloric limit is 2100 ( not higher incase of inaccuracy, so it leaves me some wiggle room ((even though I am fairly careful using both a scale and measuring tools))) however, that's just my daily max. Sometimes I'll hit it right on, other days when I'm not as hungry or don't have as much free time I might eat 1500 calories. And it's not like I'm setting it up that way, it's just the way it happens sometimes.

No.

You don't have to eat the same exact caloric intake every single day. In fact, I think trying to do so as a lifestyle is pretty ridiculous. Have a ballpark that you're trying to be in, is all.

Now if the caloric intake your're shooting for to create your deficit is 2100 calories and you find that half the time you are hitting 600 calories below that.... then that's something to consider.