[curiousgeorge]

I'm just plain fat. Was before dx and even more so now. I was dx in the summer and have gained 15 lbs since then. I'm the fattest I've been in my non-pregnant adult life. I just hit 180 lbs. I am 5'5". I don't eat very much at all and its geneally a pretty good diet. I just don't get it. I have well treated thyroid issues (armour and cortef for adrenal support). I run and I'm fit but i'm FAT. I'm really worried about hitting 200lbs.

HELP. Thoughts?

[Mother of Jibril]

Sometimes, if you restrict your calories too much, your body thinks you're starving... and it starts storing every possible calorie as fat.

Could you tell us more about what your diet is like? What do you typically eat for meals and how many meals do you eat each day?

[curiousgeorge]

Well today for example.

I had home made ginger carrot soup (made up of all veggies and chicken stock) for brunch and a cup of coffee

I had some macadamia nuts and some black tea (no sugar or milk) for a snack.

Second snack of a kids yoghurt (danino with dha and omega 3 fatty acids)

and for supper I had a home made stew thing in my pressure cooker with beef, carrots, corn onion ginger broccoli, califlower. Had a bowl of this with a homemade corn meal muffin.

That's it for today so far. Will have a glass of milk and a small snack of something later.

I take 3 grains of armour, cortef, various vitamins including a b complex thng from the doc and a calcium, magnesium, D supp.

I just did a 30 min workout on the treadmill with weights. I should youtube myself... my kids think it funny. I sing Abba with my ipod and lift wights and run. I'm quite the show.

I have no doubt I'm in starvation mode but how to get out of the rut? Its crazy.

[celiac-mommy]

curiousgeorge, on Jan 7 2009, 05:55 PM, said:

Well today for example.

I had home made ginger carrot soup (made up of all veggies and chicken stock) for brunch and a cup of coffee

I had some macadamia nuts and some black tea (no sugar or milk) for a snack.

Second snack of a kids yoghurt (danino with dha and omega 3 fatty acids)

and for supper I had a home made stew thing in my pressure cooker with beef, carrots, corn onion ginger broccoli, califlower. Had a bowl of this with a homemade corn meal muffin.

That's it for today so far. Will have a glass of milk and a small snack of something later.

I take 3 grains of armour, cortef, various vitamins including a b complex thng from the doc and a calcium, magnesium, D supp.

I just did a 30 min workout on the treadmill with weights. I should youtube myself... my kids think it funny. I sing Abba with my ipod and lift wights and run. I'm quite the show.

I have no doubt I'm in starvation mode but how to get out of the rut? Its crazy.

I'm estimating ~800 calories, if you only had 1 serving of the macadamia nuts. 800 is too low for sustaining life functions-your RMR is probably twice that!! If you want to work out most days, I would aim for ~ 1400-1500 calories a day!

[MySuicidalTurtle]

Regular working out does nothing for me at all but I lost weight doing an hour of yoga 2-3 times a week. I was also watching my calorie intake. I stopped doing yoga for a few months and did more cardio, biking, and running and it did not nothing at all. So, I started doing yoga again with some running and it works well.

So, my point is that you need to find what works best with you and your body. Try new things, watch your portions, and do different work outs.

[lizard00]

Breakfast. I'm not sure how long it was until you ate, since you called it brunch. But if you do that regularly, it's not good for your body.

You need to eat breakfast, it gets your metabolism going first thing and has been proven over and over that people who eat breakfast regularly have an easier time losing weight and keeping it off.

It definitely looks like you're eating too little, and then adding in the exercise is making it worse. Because your body has to expend calories to exercise, while not really having enough to even function. If your body thinks its starving, it will take from your muscles first. Add some high calorie nutrient dense foods: nuts, avocadoes, another piece of fruit or two (although that's not so high-cal).

[nasalady]

curiousgeorge, on Jan 7 2009, 05:55 PM, said:

I have no doubt I'm in starvation mode but how to get out of the rut? Its crazy.

Unfortunately I understand all too well! I even went through a period where I wouldn't eat anything for days or even weeks at a time. Sure I lost weight, but I always gained it back plus more! And I didn't have to eat much to gain; I ate far less than many of my "skinny" friends.

Try eating less per meal, but have your meals more often: 5-6 smallish meals per day is good. But, as a previous poster pointed out, make sure you're eating more than 1400 calories per day if you want to get out of starvation mode!

Good luck!!
JoAnn

[curiousgeorge]

Oh brunch is generally after I get the kids out the door and the morning rush is over yet before the lunch rush.

I have a yoga date with a freind next week so we shall see.

Its so frustrating because I've never had any luck loosing weight other than when I'm post partum. Grrr.

[julirama723]

It sounds like the types of foods you are eating are healthy, but I agree with the others, you need to eat MORE!

I had to guess on your age, but by plugging 180 pounds and 5'5" into the BMR calculator, it gives you a BMR of 1579 calories. That means that your body burns 1579 calories doing nothing but breathing. If you get up, move around, do chores, exercise, etc. your body burns more calories.

Using the Harris-Benedict equation (which estimates daily caloric need based on exertion/exercise) and using the equation for "moderately active" it multiplies your BMR calories by 1.55, giving you a DAILY CALORIC REQUIREMENT OF 2447 calories. This is needed to MAINTAIN your current weight. It's recommended to cut 500 calories per day to lose weight (anything more risks starvation mode or unhealthy eating habits unless you are severely overweight) so you still need 1900 calories a day!

Here are the links for the formulas I used:

http://www.bmi-calcu...bmr-calculator/
http://www.bmi-calculator.net/bmr-calculat...edict-equation/

Running puts me in great cardiovascular shape, but as far as overall "fitness" is concerned, lifting weights gives me the body that I want. Plus, building muscle means you can burn more fat, even while at rest. Muscle is metabolically active tissue--it requires more calories to use it, and it also requires calories at rest. I ran a marathon this summer and my body was flabby, even though I was logging at least 20 miles a week for 4 months. When I weight train regularly, I shrink in size, my body is firm, and I look about 30 pounds lighter than I actually am.

You might want to try spicing up your workouts. Run on one day, do strength training the next. Go to yoga. Do pilates. Try circuit training. Go to a spinning or cycling class. After about 6 weeks your body adapts to what your doing and needs a new challenge.

[sbj]

Yes, I would change your eating plan quite a bit. You should be eating three square meals a day - at about the same time each day - and you should finish up with a snack in the early evening. (I found that while losing weight I was actually eating MORE for breakfast than I had before.) You need to get your calories from the proper balance of carbs, protein, and fat. (Don't cut anything out entirely - just eat the correct amount.) You should eat (approximately) 3 servings of vegetables, at least 2 servings of fruit, 6 servings of starches, 2 servings of fat free milk, 6 oz. of meat, and small amounts of fat and sugar each day.

Fat is not all bad and it looks as if you need a bit more. It looks as if you lack dairy. I don't see enough carbs - you should get 150-200 grams per day accounting for 50-60% of your total calories. Are you getting enough fiber? Should be 20-35 grams/day. Where's the fresh fruit? (No juice. Eat whole fruit to take advantage of the fiber.) Watch out for yogurt as it is often loaded with sugar.

I recommend following the American Diabetes Association guidelines even if you are not diabetic. Their guidelines helped me to lose 40 lbs. I'm not sure what your proper caloric intake should be but I'm 6'3" male and weigh 230 Lbs - I need to consume les than 2400 calories per day to lose weight. I would think that your intake should be about 1500-1800 calories per day but please consult a dietician.

http://www.diabetes....nd-exercise.jsp

As the link states, your best course of action is to visit a dietician who can help develop a weight loss plan with you and just for you. The rest of the advice you've received here is excellent. Cardio alone is not enough - you need strength training, too. Especially important for women with celiac disease who are at greater risk for osteoporosis.

And don't be so hard on yourself. Genetics are difficult to overcome. Losing weight will take a lot of work over a long period of time so cut yourself some slack. Your goal is good health. Don't think of this as a diet or workout plan - these are permanent lifestyle changes. You can do this.

[maile]

All the advice above is good but I would caution 1 item....you should eat more but from my experience it would be easier on your system and better for you mentally if you increased the caloric intake over a couple of weeks.

from my experience, both personally and having worked for one of the national diet companies many moons ago, coming off a Very Low Calorie Diet abruptly will wreak havoc on your system. Your body is already incredibly efficient at storing calories, this is why you aren't losing weight despite your activity and caloric levels. By building up gradually with specific types of foods you can make the process a lot more enjoyable and less frustrating!!

in general:
try adding an extra serving of low glycemic fruit (berries are good) with an extra serving of protein (hard boiled egg or cottage cheese (if you can eat it)) and do this for about 4 or 5 days then add in other items such as a fat (avocado or coconut milk are good choices)

Ultimately try for 4-6 small meals per day with about 40% protein, 30% carbs and 30% fat (nope not a "Zone" person this breakdown is quite common in most of the weight loss plans out there....(as an aside I don't subscribe to the "official food pyramid" diets since I found out that the food pyramid is allegedly passed by the food lobbyists before it is published for the general public jmho!) for the carbs, you seem to be on the right track in general I'd just up the fruit intake.

this is what I would suggest to tweak your example of a "typical day" (this is just my own opinion, feel free to disregard!) but build up over a couple of weeks...

Quote

Well today for example.

I had home made ginger carrot soup (made up of all veggies and chicken stock) for brunch and a cup of coffee

- this lacks protein, adding a 1/2 c of red lentils to the dish will boost this for protein as well as fiber (plus they cook quickly without soaking) If you are trying to lose weight increasing your protein will make you more satisfied and your body will use it to build and repair the muscle that you are breaking down with your weight program

Quote

I had some macadamia nuts and some black tea (no sugar or milk) for a snack.

add half an apple, if you slice it thin it seems like more (silly, I know )

Quote

Second snack of a kids yoghurt (danino with dha and omega 3 fatty acids)

while yogurt contains some protein, your system treats it more like a carb, add a bit of cottage cheese or protein powder to round it out

Quote

and for supper I had a home made stew thing in my pressure cooker with beef, carrots, corn onion ginger broccoli, califlower. Had a bowl of this with a homemade corn meal muffin.

this looks good, no comments for this meal

Quote

That's it for today so far. Will have a glass of milk and a small snack of something later......
I just did a 30 min workout on the treadmill with weights. I should youtube myself... my kids think it funny. I sing Abba with my ipod and lift wights and run. I'm quite the show.

try having the milk and say a piece of fruit after your workout, it will do more good that way, this is also the one time where you don't necessarily need to balance the protein and carb as the timing of this snack will allow you body to use the carb right away instead of storing it for future use.

Quote

I have no doubt I'm in starvation mode but how to get out of the rut? Its crazy.

gradually! it's a pain I know, believe me I know! but gradually will be more beneficial in the long run.

[Fiddle-Faddle]

Protein! Are you having any besides for the nuts?

I would add eggs, fish, broiled chicken, and lean meat, maybe one small serving at each meal. (Are you vegetarian? If so, then you'd need to find another protein source, and iron, too.)

Look for organic, if possible--you don't need additional hormones, pesticides, and antibiotics!

[curiousgeorge]

I eat lots of meat. I have lean beef several times a week in some form or another. I still have ferritin issues though although I'm getting dextran shots and I can feel the difference.

I am 41 I know someone asked.

I bought a biggest loser work out dvd this week and did it today and it totally kicked my butt. It was cardio with weights so lets see if that helps

Thanks for thinking this through with me. I made some potato soup today for lunch and added some ham for protein (along with oinions, garlic, celery carrots). I have an issue with fruit. Its too sweet and makes me cough. I'm more of a veggie gal. Peach salsa meatloaf for supper tonight with sweet potatos.

[Fiddle-Faddle]

The other thing that occurs to me is some kind of Vitamin D deficiency? A friend of mine and her mother were recently diagnosed with this, and in the mother's case, it caused a parathyroid problem. My friend spent the whole summer outdoors, but apparently her body was not able to synthesize vitamin D from the sun--something blocked that in her system?

They are both on supplements and feeling much, much better (and my friend was also very heavy, and whenever I saw her, she ate VERY healthy meals), so I wonder if sunshine/vitamin D has anything to do with inability to lose weight?

[curiousgeorge]

Nope,, had vit D tested and it was fine. I also take a D supp.