Is this possible?

an accomplished calorie-counter. I'm sure that I'm not the only one here who is.

BUT...

I need an explanation; a logical one.

Based on the notebook I've kept for the past month, my highest caloric intake was 1259. My lowest was 483. My average is between 600-900.

Did not change eating habits, so I've been eating like this for a long time.

I'm aware this isn't healthy. But when I am most definitely burning (I have a very active job) more calories than I am definitely taking in, what gives with the whole "I'm gaining weight"?!

Can you really have a totally "average" bmi/weight and still be in starvation mode?

I am not a nutritionist or nutrition counselor, but I would guess that your metabolism is adapting to starvation by maintaining (conserving) your weight. You've possibly trained your body to become a slow burner. I've also recently read that gut bacteria help digest caloric intake and certain gut bacteria help some people get more calories out of the raw materials. So some people eat a banana and can get 98% of the calories out of it while others may get much fewer converted to usable energy. What do you think?

SMchan

I've never heard of some people getting more calories than others out of the same food...hmm...

So is steady diet and exercise the general answer to becoming a "fast burner"?

That being said...I have problems with steady diets, to plainly say it. I usually average on the lower end of the caloric intake spectrum and the idea of me actually consuming more than 1,000 cals per day is baffling. My recommended 1700 more so. I'd have to be eating ALL day to achieve that!!

So maybe my question is ALSO...how to train myself to keep healthy eating habits, ha?

It's actually surprising how little 700 calories can be once you figure out what to eat. To keep my calorie and burn rate even, I go and grab healthy fat and protein options. For instance I'll eat a rice cake with a tablespoon or two of almond butter (it's like peanut butter only a little leaner) with a  cut banana on top along with my meal. You can also eat baked chicken with an avocado "salsa" on top (it's just 1/2 a mashed avocado w/ salt pepper and lemon in it) with a 1/2 cup brown rice. And any kind of fruit will up your healthy calorie intake. These, I think, are delicious, easy to prepare, and help me maintain my calorie count for the day. I also think they fill you up and keep your energy level up longer. I think it's definitely better to go with the "raw" options when looking for extra calories.

Just remember, in order for your body to lose weight it needs to have exercise along with a higher calorie intake than you're used to. For example, I thought that eating 1200 cals a day and working out for an hour would help me lose weight. It turns out I lost nothing and was starving myself (meaning my body refused to let go of the fat because it already wasn't getting enough food. It thought it had to "save it for emergencies"). When I upped my intake to 1500 cals a day with the same workout time, I shed pounds off (~5 in a week). It's all a matter of balance in your decisions to create a healthy balance with your body.

Original Post by lhartma9:

Just remember, in order for your body to lose weight it needs to have exercise along with a higher calorie intake than you're used to.

WHAT?????

All this time I thought I had to BURN MORE calories than I TOOK IN.

Could you explain this a little further....I'm totally confused.  I figured if you're taking in more calories, even though you're exercising, your body will store them as fat.

im on the same boat as wahmchistine...im very confused now lol!!!

You do have to burn more callories than you take in,  but you should only be burning 500 to 1000 more calories than you take in.

So if you are only eating 600 calories a day and you are burning say 2500 your body is shutting down and going into starvation mode.  Which means your metabolism goes way down and everything is being stored as fat, your body is breaking down muscle to survive.

You need a minimum amount of calories for your body to work at optimum levels, and to lose weight. 

So if you are burning 2500 calories a day, at minimum you need to consume 1500 calories. 

Skipping breakfast will also slow down your metabolism.  The most calories you consume in a day should be at breakfast to give your body the energy it needs to make it through the day.

i feel like confused also.

i ve always tried to lose weight by changing my habits of eating. and i ve never could lose weigt. i mean yes i could but just 1-2 kgs.

i ve started exercisin 3 weeks ago and i ve noticed that nothing changed, that is how ive discovered cc last week.

anyway dont wanna take to long with my story but, my average intake must be around 800 calories and i go to gym almost everyday doin the treadmill the bicycle the weight liftin etc.

and now i see that is wrong?

but i dont starve myself to eat that less. i mean if i have to take around 1500 calories that means that i have to eat constantly and psychologicaly i ll feel like gettin fater.

what should i do? i dont get it.

I hear ya, on most days I probably would consume about 800-900 calories and think I was eating healthy because I didn't actually count and realize that I was eating that low. On days when I don't exercise I'm trying to eat 1500 calories which is a deficit of 500 from my normal matinence weight, and on days when I exercise for about an hour I'm trying to consume 2100 calories. This is VERY hard for me, because I need to find some foods that are more calorie dense, otherwise I'm going to eat more to the point where I feel like I'm going to expload just to reach my calroie intake, which is not good.


lhartma9, the rice cake idea sounds like it would help, I'll add that to the grocery list next time :)

any other ideas for some added calories? I'm just very picky on things like fish and spinach and stuff, so it's hard for me to find things that are high in nutrients I need without forcing myself to eat something I don't like. I HATE eggs, but I needed some more protein so I've added them into my diet by making french toast, because with the added milk you can't really taste the egg, but eggs aren't very high in calories

Click the Tools link on the CC home page. Run your info through the Burn Meter and Calorie Target. ANSWER THE QUESTIONS HONESTLY  That will help you understand what your body needs to either lose weight or maintain. 

Then go to the Foods link and start looking at foods you like or are available in your local market. Eating 1500 calories a day is easy when you learn what calorie dense foods you can consume that are healthy. It's all about educating yourself. 

Eating less than 1200 a day is unhealthy and eventually your body will pay the price for poor nutrition. 

CC has the tools to help you know what your body burns for fuel a day and the exercise meter will be an incentive to keep the burn high and the calories consumed under that total.

Starving your body of what it needs to function properly NEVER works for very long. Educating yourself about your body's needs then following a plan is the key to making your weight loss goal a reality. 

YOU CAN DO IT!!