Posts by liamdalriada

This person is obviously very shallow and, sad to say, not a "friend" in spite of being a boyfriend for a while.

Whenever anyone does a "number" on me, I think of it this way ...it was a cheap lesson to learn and I'm glad to learn it now than later.

Just imagine if you had not found out about his real character until much later.

Now, you can go on and find somebody who loves you for who you really are.

We're assuming an awful lot without knowing any facts. If your assumptions are correct, then your conclusions are correct. But that's a mighty big if ... A long time ago I found it dangerous to operate on the basis of assumptions and guesses ... hence my caution.

All I am saying is ... it depends on what the facts are, which we don't know. For instance, how much does she weigh? What's her weight goal? What's her current BMI? How tall is she?

For that matter, what does "exercise" mean? Does it mean an occasional 2-mile "power walk" around the park? Or 6-hour workouts with the local sumo wrestling squad seven days a week?  We don't know, do we?

Just a few things we are absolutely sure we don't know ... and questions that must be answered before any diagnosis can be given, Dr.'s ... (though I do marvel at your ability to diagnose a condition and prescribe treatment without seeing the "patient" or knowing anything about her). Let me just remind everyone that I concurred a long time ago with the suggestion that our drivenlass consult with a doctor and/or nutritionist for precise guidance.

p.s. drivenlass, please accept my apologies for this argument that seems to have broken out over your head and for the manner in which we seem to be talking about you as if you weren't there. I hope it hasn't been too disconcerting and that in some way, the exchange has been helpful. Please keep in mind that we're all just very concerned about you and wish you the best.

I'm not sure that 1500 is "certainly" way too little. What is too little or too much depends on body weight and age and other factors, including goals (none of which are we sure about in this case).

So, like has been suggested, a doctor or nutritionist could gauge needs exactly, but in the meantime, a website like http://nutrition.about.com/library/bl_nutriti on_guide.htm could give a rough estimate. 

Additionally, I'm not sure about the advice to stop STOP exercising" ... for one thing, metabolic rates are increased by exercising, not eating (if metabolism were increased by eating more, then I would not have gained the 80 pounds that I did when I cut out exercising and increased my caloric load!); what's more, in the long run, it probably will not help anything to become heavier and less fit. 

I'm not sure if 1,500 is too little ... it would depend on your current weight and activity level (the calculator on this site is pretty good).

Passions child has a good point ... if the body has been deprived for a while, it craves "making up" what it has missed ... and that's when you really gain weight.

In-between meal snacks are often 'deadly' because they're very often high-calorie of little nutritional value.

Sometimes, it's a matter of just being around food ... I mean if you know there's food available (like in the kitchen), you might crave it more than if you're out someplace (the park, the library, the gym ... ) wherever it's not so available. In my case, I had this thing about ice cream. If it was in the fridge, I could not resist eating it ... it was as if I could hear it call my name. So, I just stopped buying it ... and voila! no temptation.

I find that when I'm tired (low blood sugar, maybe), I get very hungry and in addition my resistence goes down.

It might be too late to help your problem (I don't know when you posted), but rather than wracking yourself with pain of self-denial that will keep you from sleeping, perhaps a moderate meal and then get some rest.

What I often do when I "fall off the wagon" is not try to make up for it ... but just pick myself up and continue with the program. I think that if you try to make up for the binge, you might end up making things worse (you'll get even hungrier and more out of control, eat even more, feel even worse ... etc)

So, don't beat yourself up about this. It happens. On the bright side, with all the work you put in, you might well have worked off a lot of those calories!  (But don't use that possibility to calculate how much more you can eat  )

The exercises look fine -- and a nice variety of them. Perhaps you could fit in a couple more exercise sessions each week.

Also, something to consider is an inexpensive weight set something like this ...

http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?pro duct_id=4404139

Maybe with dumbbell bars so you can transfer the weights to those for dumbbell exercises.

You can adjust the weights (don't try anything too heavy) ... more reps at lower weights is good. And do several different kinds of exercises. I'd suggest a kind of circuit training ... don't rest for long periods of time between sets.Try to work up a sweat ... but don't lift weights so heavy that you strain a muscle.

Walking is good (great, actually -- mile for mile you burn just as many calories as running).

Hey, and congrats on med school!

If I had a tendency to pass out, I'd be careful about swimming. Taking a walk in beautiful surroundings might be the best thing ... (mile for mile walking burns as many calories as running)

Original Post by hnierenb:

 I have not had my period since the end of January, so I was put on Provera to get it back. ...

This might be, as another poster commented, an indication that your body is not "happy." The annorexic standard of female beauty that is promulgated in the media might not be not the most healthy; what you describe as happening might be reflective of the fact that over long eons of evolution during times of famine the body went into 'starvation mode' and conserved energy by 'shutting down' functions that were not essential to the survival of the individual ... this meant shutting down the reproductive functions (meaning, menstruation). In short, your body doesn't understand you're on a diet ... it might just be that it 'reads' the current condition as 'famine' so its conserving on energy.

I did something similar today -- had a big greasy hamburger for lunch ... so now it's 10 pm when I usually get ready for bed ... but instead, I'm going out for an extra work out ... I'll work out an hour and then I'll feel virtuous and will have worked off most of those extra calories ...

It might be too late for you get in another work out tonight ... but remember what Scarlet O'Hara said ... "Tomorrow's another day!"

As for calculating the weight that one is lifting ... you add in everything. So, you would add the weight of the plates, the weight of the bar, the weight of the your sweat and tears on the bar  ... everything!

amethystgirl is absolutely right ... if you feel pain in your back, you're doing the deadlift wrong. The exercise is supposed to exercise your legs ... not your back.

To quote - "Deadlift by pushing from the heels, and bringing your hips forward. Not by pulling with your lower back." In fact, this writer swings his hips into (and under the bar) as he lifts to minimize strain on the back. (a technique Olympic wrestlers use, too, when lifting an opponent). [http://stronglifts.com/how-to-deadlift-with-p roper-technique/ ]

Or, from Wikipedia: "Improper form (not maintaining a neutral spine) can precipitate new conditions, aggravate existing ones, and possibly cause injury ..." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deadlift ]

So, in this case ... pain does not mean gain ... but just the opposite!

Original Post by hotschtuff:

.... would it be wrong to move onto a less strenous machine say, the bike?

I jst sont know where to start. ...

Nothing's "wrong." If you're just starting out, it would probably be best to start slow ... move around a lot if that's what you want to do ... at the beginning stages, just find stuff that seems like fun ... that's a concept: go to the gym and have a little fun!

Congratulations! I'm aiming for 60 pounds (at the very least). You're an inspriation.

Definitely! Cardio is cardio, and the advantage to this kind of circuit training over running or bike riding is that you work all the muscles of your body, not just the legs ... for overall fitness. As you're able, you could look to eliminating all rest periods in your work out for maximum efficiency ("rest" comes to one muscle group when you're working another -- for instance, do one thing with your legs, and then an upper body, and then stomach crunches, and then back to the legs ...)

I'd look at when you get sick ... is it long into the workout (as in, you might be overheating) or when you first start. Maybe it's a matter of getting into shape. Maybe you're just pushing yourself past your comfort level ... which is alright, I suppose .... it should pass after a while.

Also, how many times a week are you working out? If you just do one intense workout a week, you aren't giving your body enough exercise to aclimate itself to your exercising.