Calories question..

[Guest]

Ok, I've been curious about this for a while and finally started keeping track and as it turns out, I have been consuming less calories than I'm supposed to need just to survive and yet I'm not only not losing weight, but I'm actually gaining some.

I'm not dieting, and I don't care much if I lose weight or not, because I'm not really overweight, but I was surprised that I haven't considering I don't eat a lot and have finally started working out quite a bit more than past couple of months. So I started tracking:

Today, I ate approximately 1,562 calories. Yesterday, 1,600. The day before 1,745. I'm probably padding these quite a bit since I'm trying to make sure that I am actually eating as little as I think I am.

I work out in some form or another at least 5 days a week, always at least 20 minutes, and sometimes 2 hours. I average say, 200 hours per week.

Not a lot of it is weights or resistance, so I'm not creating tons of new muscle that is heavier than fat. Plus, my clothes tell me I'm pretty much where I have been.

So, I'm curious how this can be. I understand the simple math, that I have to eat less than I expend, but since I've proven to myself that I am, in fact, doing that, I'm stumped.

The only thing I can come up with is that especially with my thyroid shutting down last summer, it has slowed my metabolism down so I'm not using what is generally accepted to run the basic functions. I've seen all kinds of estimates, usually 17 calories per lb to maintain all your functions, and more conservative estimates of 14. Using 14 times 140 = 1,960.

Overall, this is a good thing, right? It means I'm more efficient.

Or am I missing something?

(PS, I'm not looking for diet tips. I'd prefer not to gain anymore weight but I don't really care if I lose existing weight. I work out to keep my cholestorl levels down, not to get skinny. This was just an interesting side issue that came up.)

[grampster]

Er....ummmm....The Weightiforous Theorem is at work here.  The older you get, the less you eat and the more you exerecise, the more you gain weight = the higher the anxiety.

O + L + e x G = HA.

Bottom line.  Lost cause.  Shed the guilt, eat a moon pie, have a pepsi and read a good book.

[Stickjockey]

How much, in terms of pure substance, are you eating? I ask because one thing that can cause a "diet" (I hate that word; it's "die" with a "t" on the end) to fail is that if there's not enough actual "stuff in yer gut" your body will think you're trying to starve it to death, and will hoard calories by actually slowing your metabolism down. The people I've talked to that have had dieticians make up an eating plan for them have almost always said that they had to get used to eating so much more than they were used to. It'
s just that the stuff they were eating was more efficient fuel.

[Guest]

Well, I'm not dieting, because if I want to eat something, I do, and I'm not attempting to lose weight. But to answer the question, mostly, I eat decently, because I have high cholesterol and don't take medication for it, so I try to eat fairly low fat stuff and don't eat a lot of meat and only rarely red meat. Doesn't mean I don't have chocolate when I want it, but its not a significant portion of my diet.

[280plus]

You did mean 20 hours and not 200 right?

Generally when you start an exercise program you DO tend to put on weight because, even though you can't tell, you ARE replacing fat with muscle. Do not use the scale as your measuring stick. It causes more discouragement than anything else because it can change from day to day. Use the mirror. If you are happy with the way you look and you feel good that's all that counts. As far as I can tell from your pictures you are but a little bit of a thing. 1600 calories a day might actually be about right for you.

Um, grampster? I believe the correct beverage to go with a Moonpie is RC Cola.

[Guest]

Heh..I wasn't sure I should have started this because of the whole-women-as-usually-obsessed-with-weight thing.

The fact is, I'm not trying to lose weight. However, I was surprised when I was weighed last week and I'd gained a few lbs. Since I was kind of mentally calculating what I eat, vs. what I use up, it didn't seem right. So, I kept track and then added them up, and I'm not eating enough to gain weight. But I still am. And I didn't try to avoid eating anything while I was keeping track, so it was pretty accurate.

Nah, I don't think I'm building up a great amount of muscle and I'm not getting slimmer. I can tell by my clothes. I'm gaining weight. According to all the scales I've seen, I barely eat enough to keep a bedridden person maintaining their weight, and I'm fairly active.

I suspect my thyroid, to be honest. I'm also still sleepier than I used to be before I started having problems and occasionally need a nap now, although I'm feeling great most days and for the most part, think things are fine again.  

And, yea, I meant 200 minutes a week.

[280plus]

LOL,,,I thought 200 hours was a bit excessive. Especially after I figured out there ain't 200 hours in a week.

Well, If that's the case get you to the doctor and find out. BTW,,,how's the kid and the new job?

[Devonai]

Stickjockey is right about putting your body into "starvation mode."  I've experienced the same thing.

Calorie counting is the only way I was able to lose weight and keep it off, sixty-five pounds worth no less.  It isn't a sure thing, however, as I've experienced unexplained weight gain and loss while on strict calorie counting.  Finding a diet that really works is a long process that requires a lot of experimentation and patience.

It sounds like you're doing everything you can for yourself.  I'd give it more time.

[grampster]

280,

Yep, RC it is.  Just danglin a little bait to see who'd rise.  heh.

[DrAmazon]

A "few pounds" can be due to retaining water or many other things.  The trainer that runs the gym on campus says that one should shoot for 2-3 lbs per week, and recommends weighing in only once per week.

How are you measuring your portions for your calorie counting?  I've found portion size to be the devil in the details with my weight.  A 4 oz serving of lean meat is about the size of a deck of cards.  I know darned well that I like a bigger hunk of meat than that!  

Before Christmas I was working on better portion awareness and control, combined with getting to the gym the 3 days that my schedule allowed. I lost about 10 pounds between turkey day and Christmas.  Holiday travel and franticness at work has derailed me and it's all back, but I'm getting back on track this week!

[Guest]

Yep, I took portion size into account. For instance, today, I counted my frosted miniwheats as 2 portions because who the hell eats 5 of those?? But if anything, I've counting extra.

Still, you all are missing the point: I'm not trying to lose weight and disappointed I'm not doing it. But neither should I be gaining weight, when I'm not regularly eating enough to keep your average bedridden patient from fading away. And the weight has been coming over a few months..about 7 lbs, overall, I'd say.

I really do suspect a change in my thyroid medication. When the problem was discovered last year, my TSH was 137 (Yes, I'm sure that's the number. Yes, I know its supposed to be under 5. No, it's not a typo, I had it tested several times.) My eyes were almost swollen shut and my ankles disappeared and my fingers looked like sausages. And every minute I wasn't required to be awake, I was trying to sleep. I've gotten better, but they generic they gave me last time was different than I had been taking and I've been reading that the quality varies quite a bit..so that really could be the problem. I've been more sleepy again lately and my eyes are puffier than normal. So, I've probably solved my own mystery here.

[Fly320s]

If you are on medication for a thyroid problem, check that first.  Otherwise...

Barbara, at 1500 calories a day you are eating enough to gain weight.  You can live on much less than that.  It also matters where your calories come from.  Are a lot from saturated fat, simple carbs, or sugar?  Are you properly hydrated?  I know that I lose energy quickly when I'm not hydrated enough.

[Guest]

I burn off what I eat, trust me.

I eat pretty well. I had a cinnomon roll today, but that's the exception rather than the rule. We eat a lot of whole grains, leafy stuff and fruits. Actually, the worst thing I eat tends to be sodium, rather than fat. I love salt.

I also don't eat enough calcium, which I'm making an effort to do as I get older, but that adds to the fat, which I watch because of high cholsterol. I don't like the non-fat stuff much, though.

I'm pretty sure its the generic version of Synthroid I'm taking.

[grampster]

Seriously, Barbara.  Quit fixating on this stuff.  Everything is permissable in moderation.  Not all things are beneficial, but they shoudn't be.  Takes the fun out of life.  I did what you're doing on several occasions over the years.  I gained weight.  If you're gonna exercise, you need fuel.  You then burn calories and put on muscle mass.  More weight.  Most of the people that I knew that were seriously into counting calories and exercising too much were all dead before they were 50 or shortly therafter.  Your body is a machine.  You get to use it, and you need to provide moderate maintenance.  Another friend of mine used to run several miles each day and prided himself on that.  He ate and drank anything he wanted.  He's 66 now and has Alzheimers.  Life is a crapshoot pal, have some fun.

Moderate excercise, moderate eating and drinking and you can start thinking about something else, like buying grampster a bottle of scotch as a retirement gift.

[Guest]

Did you even read the thread, Dick?

[grampster]

Ahh, you caught me.  I was waxing eloquent and needed a venue.

[Stand_watie]

I've seen a picture of you Barb, so I don't think you're trying to lose weight.

Keep in mind that everybody's metabolism is different, so rote math for figuring calorie poundage isn't necessarily correct. For example I know a 190 lb man who ran five to seven miles a day on a 1500 calorie (starvation for me, I'm about 3,000) diet who maintained his weight for years.

If you keep an accurate journal of how many calories you consume, whilst keeping a steady weight however, it should tell you what your own metabolism burns, and increasing or decreasing calories should increase or decrease body mass at aproximately 3500 calories per pound, if excercise levels remain consistent. That's theory. There are a lot of 300 lb+ people in this world who will tell you that that theory is bogus. One of them is my dear sister, and I've lived with her and seen her eating habits and know she's not a liar. Metabolism and thyroid are a factor despite the sanctimonious pronouncements of some doctors and fitness experts. That theory did work for me though, almost exactly to the pound.

Don't forget to factor in the 10 or 15 pounds of water weight that you might lose or gain monthly in calculations. The longer a period of time you use to get your baseline the more accurate it will be.