Posts by taranimator

Oh man... I'm the same way!!  I've hit the floor many mornings.  So I wear a helmet to bed.  Just kiddin'

Other posters also mentioned  the anemia/hypoglycemia thing, which I've also been through.  Get your bloodwork done regularly.

I have quite low blood pressure (runs in the family).  One trick is to get up slowly.. just sit up for a second, put your feet on the floor, then stand up without taking a great big breath, just gently make sure your standing up before you start walking anywhere.  If you collapse, hopefully you'll fall back on the bed. 

If hypoglycemia's an issue, I always try to eat a snack near bedtime so I'm not famished in the a.m.

I have a high-glycemic whole-food hit first thing (like juice or cereal) before going anywhere, chased with something more complex (fat/fibre/protein).

I also keep "Glucose Tabs" around ... everywhere - in my purse, bedside table, etc.  They're cheap, compact, low-cal, and just tweak the old blood-sugar asap.  I do mean -- in seconds. 

Feel free to PM me about hypoglycemia and exercise -- it can be an issue sometimes. 

I was so relieved to see all the people with this same problem!  We're the 'fainty gals'.. haha..  

Yesyesyes!!  AWESOME gadget -- not spamming here --  it really helped me a lot.  My hubby's is better -- it has a feature that keeps his HR from infecting MY HRM... mine is the old style.  Every time we run together, my monitor adds his HR to mine .. argh!!

But yes, I love my watch .. a lot!  Keeps me in the 'zone'.. haha.. 

Muttlover: I concur.. just adding -- make sure you get enough protein to build up your muscle.

Get your iron levels checked, just for good measure.  I was severely anemic for years and didn't realize.  The iron kicked my butt!  Same deal with my sister.

Be kind to yourself.  It's only while you're resting that your body builds and repairs tissue.  

Hello, hello.. I'm a convert from the much more rough-and-tumble Oxygen fitness forum where things quickly degenerate into name-calling and other annoying behaviour.  There isn't anyone around there to help people get the info they need, or to ask people to 'play nice'. I was so glad to find the calmer, saner world of Calorie-Count and I was honoured to be asked to be a volunteer moderator.

I, too, was curious when I started using this site because everyone seemed so nice, and the moderators were always nearby, offering help or redirecting people to useful information.  I figured that people were working hard behind the scenes to keep at bay the inevitable onslaught of weirdness that usually pervades forums, and that turned out to be true.  Because it's so constructive, this site has attracted many smart, fun, helpful people.  Glad you stopped by. 

I just wanted you to know that the mods aren't steering people's discussions or editing posts without consultation, and they try to be as judicious as possible.  People post some whacky stuff sometimes, which is totally fine.  If members seem to be  encouraging disordered eating, or are verbally abusing each other, mods might intervene, but this happens very, very rarely.  

I agree with everyone.  It would be pretty much impossible to fit enough micro- and macro-nutrients into a calorie load that small. 

Like lozibeth said -- creating a calorie deficit is one thing, but it should not exceed 500-1000 cal's.  That means that if you have a gruelling day (say you're a triathlete, or a mountain climber etc), you might burn upwards of 3000 calories, then you need a  LOT more calories to compensate for your energy expenditure so it won't dip below your needs and leave you gasping on the asphalt. 

If you undereat, your body will burn valuable muscle for fuel -- muscle you need not only to move you around for the next 80 years, but muscle that burns calories.  If you want to be a lean, mean, calorie-burning machine, get thee to thy gym!!

Fit, strong, athletic people eat lots of healthy food:  about 15-22 calories per pound of bodyweight per day from lean protein, fibre-rich fruits, veggies, whole grains, and unsaturated fat.  You need tons of vitamins and minerals, esp. calcium, to support your body while you're dieting, especially if you're still growing -- which is into your early 20's. 

You can be lean and eat like a champion -- when great food fuels an active lifestyle, the results are dazzling!! 

Read up on some of the amazing nutrition info here on C-C!! 

Apologies to  Laurieellen for the sidebar convo -- did you get your question answered?

Hi mikelane -- yes, I understand what you're saying -- I used to say the same things and quoted the same WHO stats for years.  As a wannabe vegetarian myself, I've followed with interest the success of vegetarian Olympic atheletes and world-class bodybuilders.  But aside from your valid point about them needing more cal's all around than you or me, I think high-performance endurance athletes and strength athletes have completely different dietary needs from each other.  Fueling with sport-specific ratios of fats/proteins/carbs for different activities is a whole science in itself.

Meantime, back to the ordinary Joe/Jane fitness buff... the question of how much protein we need is so hotly contested all over the media, I wouldn't say any one source can give the definitive view.  I can say that all the bodybuilders I read (I do spend a lot of time in the weight room, so I'm interested in their viewpoint) depend on extra protein to build more mass.  This belief may not be accepted outside the strength-training world, but it is so universally accepted within it, I decided to try it for myself with unquestionably positive results.  Still -- everyone's body is different, and I think you need to experiment and figure out what works for you.

My experience is this: I followed the WHO guidelines nearly all my life -- eating mostly vegetarian, grain- and plant-based diet -- but I was deteriorating into hypoglycemia and anemia and heading straight for diabetes.  I had a nutritionist hand me a diet I thought was insane -- 6 servings of protein a day!! But I recovered within a month.  The results were dramatic.  As I regained my strength, I started weight training.  The end result is I feel at 40 better than I ever did in my 20's. 

What's really funny is that my parents have always eaten that high-protein diet -- and I was always on my veggie soapbox telling them they were going to ruin their kidneys eating too much protein.. haha.. but now they're laughing at me -- well, with me, I hope.  :o)   I've come to believe that some folks can do well on an all-plant diet, but just as some are unable to drink cow's milk, it just ain't for everybody. 

So I hope we can all experiment with different diets and find what works -- and tweak it as necessary. 

I'd like to try going back to eating more plant-based proteins and see how I feel... I love vegetarian food!! 

Oh my gosh, I've never heard of someone drinking so much water it made them wake up feeling sick and thirsty!!  Extreme thirst can signal the onset of diabetes... You said this has happened a few times over a few weeks, so a persistent stomach bug is a possibility too....as is .. um.. pregnancy??  I'd see your doctor right away, no matter what. 

neni's got a good point too.... add a little drop of juice or something in there.

Hmm.. I just converted your 50 oz average to litres (I'm Canadian! :o)  and it's only about 1.5 litres -- I drink about 3 x that much per day.. so I don't think you're overdoing it.

Time for a check-up! good luck

It must be annoying to have suffered with a horrible disease to hear people with much less trouble complaining about their lot -- but I don't think definining people's disordered eating will go anywhere but in circles --

Who's sick?  who's just faking?  does it matter?  maybe a mildly poor relationship with food today will downgrade into a terrible ED tomorrow..

What matters the most is that if you're in a position to extend support to a fellow-ED sufferer (real or imagined) it would be amazing if you would. 

That's so interesting lovemusic -- so what is the safe amount of carbs for diabetics?  That would be so frustrating for me.. I love my carbs..

lorieellen -- Your diet seems way too low in fat.  You should get about double your current amount of healthy fats from monounsaturated and polyunsaturated sources like nuts, avocados, and olive oils. 

Do you have a target for carbs?  

I've been keeping very healthy on a 50/25/25 or 60/20/20 mix of carbs/fat/protein myself -- I eat a looooot of protein for a 'gal (sometimes upwards of 120 gr, hee hee).  That usually works out to about 2100 cal's -- 100 g protein, 100 g fat, 200 g carbs.  I do a lot of weight training, so I find that works for me. 

The Mayo Clinic recommends women get 21-25 g fibre per day, men, 30 -38.  That seems very low to me, maybe the minimum. 

The WHO recommendation for protein posted above seems like a bare minimum too -- ok for sedentary folks, maybe.  And 75% carbs!! wow.. I used to be a semi-vegetarian on a similar diet, and it was a disaster for me!  I have reactive hypoglycemia, though, so I found a plant-based diet harder to balance than the higher-protein version I have now. 

You have to experiment to find what suits you -- sounds like you're on the right track, though!

You sound like you're on the perfect path to health!  At your age, your body is still growing and building muscle with all your great physical activity, so you'll have to put up with some fluctuations.. It's a pain, I know, but since you seem to be wavering in and around variations on a perfect weight, you needn't worry about the numbers on the scale as much as your strength and energy -- and your personal sense of well-being. 

Actually, varying your caloric intake day to day is a recommended style of eating for folks like dieters who don't want to lose lean mass, or bodybuilders who want to gain lean mass while not gaining too much -- or even losing -- fat... I'm trying that myself these days. 

While I'd say your target of 2000 cal's a day is about right, there's no telling exactly how many is perfect for you.. and if you find it just a tad too much, then maybe 1800, or even 1856 might work better -- the best way to look at it is an average over a few days or a week.  On very active days, you'll need a little more, on rest days, maybe a bit less. 

A couple of things to consider -- that bloated feeling may be caused by other things -- fibre, more sodium than usual, eating later in the day, TTOM, etc...

Another thing to consider... If you do end up overeating just a tad for a few weeks while you're in a heavy weight-training phase, you will be giving your body lots of muscle-building nutrition (*eat lots of lean protein!).  Later, when you're in a lighter phase, you could easily cut up (ie -- lose any extra fat you might have added in the process) and voila -- lean mass-o-rama.  I accidentally did that a year ago -- gained about 7 pounds, haha.. oops! -- but it was actually mostly muscle, and then when I leaned out (thanks to this site) -- my bodyfat was way lower!  It turned out to be the best thing I ever did. 

Too much information?  Sorry !    I'm really happy for you that you're on such a healthy course so young... it will have lifelong benefits!

Good luck!

If you're pretty sedentary and undereating now.. and you jump-start your metabolism by eating more frequent, healthy meals, more calories, and working out, you will not believe the difference in your body, your energy level, and your sense of well-being, in just a few months.  If you really embrace a healthier lifestyle, the results can be dramatic. 

Take your 'before' pics and/or write some journal entries now.. then look back in a year and see what I mean. 

Hit the gym, my friend!! but don't overdo it -- your first year should be about learning good form and building strength and resilience in your joints and tendons.  Get good advice (there's lots on this site!) and   find a supportive training partner if you can.  It's proven to be more effective than any supplements by a mile.

Hmmm.... I would definitely see a doctor to rule out a UTI (urinary tract) infection.  They can lurk about in the bg, never really getting better, which can lead to complications.  I used to get 'em a lot and started taking cranberry extract cap's preventatively. 

I've been having the same issue with my beloved Diet Pepsi which I have about once every day.  (*note hypocrisy alert -- I told someone earlier not to drink artificially sweetened stuff)  It just amp's up my bladder response time!!  I can tell it's just my body saying, 'what the $&%& is that !!  let's get it outta here asap!'.. another reason for me to quit my lifelong habit.

This is apparently common in peri-menopause as the muscles lose their elasticity... I know there is treatment using sensors to train muscles to gain strength.  Definitely find a great gynocologist to ask about this problem.  I've read stories about runners who were able to fix it.