Rebuilding My Metabolism

All right...after weeks and weeks and weeks of attempting to read up on the evils of starvation mode and getting your body back to normal, I've decided to post an official thread which will describe my battle to get my body back to normal after dealing with overexercising, starvation mode, and living on only 1200 calories a day. 

I've been getting so frustrated lately...since about 4 weeks ago, I've really been trying to commit myself to eating normally again, attempting to get in about 1800-2000 calories a day.  You see, I've been dieting for about 4 years now.  I began this journey when I weighed 145 lbs at a height of 5' 5".  I started to actively choose healthier foods and incorporated exercise into my life.  By the end of my first year, I was down to 128...but I truly wasn't eating in the right way.  Some days I'd eat fruit only for all of my meals, and the other days, I'd try to eat salads...on top of exercising (tae bo, running, elliptical, etc).  I'd let myself eat whatever on weekends, often going overboard because I felt like I wouldn't be able to eat wonderful foods like pizza and brownies during the week.

When I returned to school in the fall, I knew I had to eat throughout the day to keep myself healthy.  So, I began eating cereal in the morning, fruits during the day for snacks, healthy wraps, and high caloried salads with salami, ham, cheese, chick peas and full-caloried dressings.  I would run, 3 days a week, for 6 miles at a time, but instead of full out running, I would run for about a mile and power walk the rest.  I also kept up my tae bo, and slowly began to add in yoga.  Again, on the weekends, I would let myself have "fun," but I wouldn't go overboard.  I basically just tried to cut out my sweets and junk food during the week.  By the time November rolled around, I was at my ideal goal weight of 120.

However, that's when it all changed.  I went through an extremely tough breakup, and it really hit me hard.  I thought I wasn't good enough, so I tried to up my workout and up my diet...meaning I severely limited myself to only eating those high-caloried salads I talked about for dinner.  Sometimes I'd eat carrots in the morning.  Sometimes I'd drink tea or pop to keep me satiated.  But I always was true to eating dinner.  However, paired with exercise (now cardio AND yoga every day), I dropped to my lowest of 110.  I also was mildy bulemic, which didn't help matters.

As I approached my 21st birthday, I knew I couldn't live like this any longer, so I began to add foods back in.  However, at this point, I also started counting calories, which I had never done before.  For about a year, I kept my weight around 115, and then finally up to 120, which is a weight I loved being at. 

I even finally decided that with as hard as I was working out, I was going to let myself eat what I wanted to when I was hungry.  However, every time I tried this, I always felt so bloated and usually reverted to trying to eat as little as I could calorically, so I could save up for when I wanted a cheat meal or snack.  Finally, by this summer, I truly decided that I no longer wanted to diet.  I wanted to be normal!  I'd watch my mom eat whatever she liked, whenever she liked, and as much as she liked.  And yet, she remained thin.  Granted, she usually had small portions.  But still...I had grown tired of watching friends eat and enjoy life...I wanted to be like them, too!

I was still willing, though, to keep up my workout routine, in order to eat whatever I'd like.  Now, when I say "whatever" I'd like, I mean that in moderation.  I'm a typically healthy person anyways, so it's not like I went crazy and began eating solely junk food and sweets.  But basically, I allowed myself things I hadn't eaten in a long time...bagels...full caloried dressings...desserts...things with an unknown calorie value, etc. 

So, this summer began my battle with getting out of starvation mode.  For two years prior, I guessed I was only getting about 1000-1200 calories per day, with exercise, so I definitely wasn't getting enough (stopping my period was enough to tell me something was wrong).  I started off great, adding calories back in, but I soon hit a road block:  my stomach wasn't adjusting to the new levels of food I was giving it.  I experienced extreme bloating, not to mention constipation (I used to take fiber pills, but really tried to get away from those to regulate my system correctly).  I also found it hard to actually add in calories, because I wasn't hungry after a big lunch.

So...the fact that my jeans were tighter made my desire to workout go way down.  I tried different things, like power walking, incorporating weights, cuttain back on cardio intensity, etc, but nothing worked.  I just kept gaining weight.

However, I certainly was less worred about "planning" for a meal, and finally could go out with my friends and have a few drinks.  I still felt guilty, though, but that's just the committee in your head telling you you stink ;) 

So, before I left for school in the fall, I was hovering around 130, give or take a few pounds.  I had read up on getting out of starvation mode, and realized that my weight gain may be in part to water retention and the fact that your body is rebuilding itself after all those years of such a low-calorie diet.  I noticed that my weight came back on only in my midsection, meaning my stomach, abdomen, hips and thighs.  My upper body and lower legs stayed pretty much the same.

Since being here at school (in a very large city, so I walk more now), I've been actively trying to eat about 1800-2200 calories a day.  I know I need to get my metabolism back into shape, so I am very committed to eating more.  The mere fact that I can now eat 3 larger meals a day is great...before, my stomach was just too small. 

In my experience thus far, I've been going back and forth between 132 and 127.  On days when the scale says 127, I feel elated...maybe my metabolism is finally working again!  But then, on the days when it reads 132, I feel like maybe I'm approaching this the wrong way.  So, today I made a decision.

I'm really going to try to stick to this and post my experiences on here.  I know there are a lot of people out there going through this exact same thing (getting your body back on track after an ED), so I hope my struggle through this time can help others or give a different insight.

My latest frustration lately has been that even though I'm exercising, it doesn't feel like it's doing anything.  In fact, I really feel sometimes like my exercise only encourages bulk in my thighs.  This past Monday, I was down to 127, and felt great...I only did yoga in the morning, and about midday, I really didn't even feel compelled to go to the gym.  But I did, and the rest of the week saw the scale go up to 132.  So, I'm wondering:  if I do solely yoga for a week, while still eating more normally, what will it do to the scale?

I had a doughnut this morning.  I love doughnuts.  I can't deny that.  I've missed doughnuts.  But now that I'm going to try not going to the gym or doing tae bo for a week, do I cut back on calories, or continue to actively try to get in more? 

My goal?  I want to be able to enjoy life again.  More importantly, I want to be with family on holidays and eat foods without feeling like my stomach is going to explode.  I'm willing to stick to a committed workout regime, but not if it's not going to do any good.

I sometimes get upset, and think that maybe I should go back to how I used to eat...cereal for breakfast and lunch, low caloried snacks, and no sweets or junk food.  But I've found, I really enjoy food.  I do.  And I hate the obsession with calories or if I've been "good" or "bad" for a day.

I know that getting out of starvation mode does take time, and you will see an initial weight gain, so if that's what it takes to get my body back on track, I'm willing and ready to do that.  This thread is about not feeling bad for yourself and just logging my experiences.  I hope through this, I can find some insight for myself and give others hope to get their bodies back on track!  More to come later!

P.S.  So, for one week, I'm solely doing yoga.  Everyday.  But NO gym or tae bo.  Let's see what happens!

Katapong,

Thanks for the updates!  Congratulations on the improvement.  

Just to clarify, do you think you are currently suffering from adrenal fatigue, or was that included in the test results that came back normal? 

Also, one thing you should know that I've learned from a lot of reading on thyroid/adrenal problems lately, is that they may not be accurately measured through blood tests, but you may want to do a saliva test instead.  They're usually only available online and I think they're around $100, so it's probably not something I'm going to do.  But, I just wanted to make sure you know that so you don't think assume that the lab tests told you everything you need to know.  You may, indeed, still be suffering from adrenal fatigue, and need to keep up the stuff which will help repair your adrenals.

Fortunately, for you, that's exactly what you've started to do anyway.  Fuel your body with the right foods, don't worry so much about calories, and get only moderate exercise.  Try to avoid stress whenever possible, and learn new ways of dealing with the unavoidable stress.  Lastly, get at least 8 hours of sleep at night and even feel free to take a half-hour nap during the day if your schedule will allow.  Your adrenals will thank you and will begin to work with you to repair themselves!

Let me know what questions you have about all this... I've done a LOT of reading in just the past few weeks!:)

Amy

Well, surfergerl, I haven't actually been tested for adrenal fatigue, but I sort of self-diagnosed myself.  I've definitely heard of the saliva test for cortisol, but I, too, don't have the funds right now to just jet out the door and do that. 

I had a small setback on Friday-Saturday.  For some odd reason, despite being good all week long, I felt tremendously bloated over the weekend, and it felt like all my work had been for naught.  The weird thing is, I ate small portions for all of my meals, but it felt as if my insides were all bound up again.  To remedy this, I took sort of a "catch up" day today with my diet, and stuck to fruits, protein, and veggies.  However, I know for a fact that my calorie down was way down.  The question becomes:  how do you know when you're sabotaging your own weight loss efforts by not eating enough calories?

That's still a foreign idea to me...to eat more to lose...but I sometimes worry that might be a reason why the weight isn't coming off quicker.  I usually don't eat over 1200 calories a day when I can help it (now that I'm not exercising).  I just started that about 3 weeks ago, but I almost wonder if I should purposely amp that up to 1500.

*sigh* It's still a long, hard road.  I do believe, however, that Sweet N Low might have been part of my cause for bloating over the weekend, so I'm really going to try to cut it out of my system completely.  I'll post again once I try a few things this week with my diet!

Happy Nearly-Spring, everyone!  I return to this forum today bearing some exciting news that has both shocked and elated me, and I need to pass it on to you, the faithful few who have sent me countless tips and ideas for attaining my goals of weight loss.  So, here we go:

If you've been playing the home game and following along with this thread, you all know that I've been battling my metabolism for about 10 months now.  It all started this summer when I mysteriously began gaining weight, despite my workout routine and a pretty healthy diet plan.  It was unexpected, especially because the same workout routine had worked 4 years hence for me, and as an eater, I truly can't eat that much anyways.  So, as the weight began to pile on, my spirits sank and I got extremely frustrated.

As I made a big jump this fall to a new city and a new school, the weight continued to pile on, pushing me to even give up part of my intense workout routine and my diet (which wasn't working).  I went from being at a maintainable weight of 120 lbs., which was not only a great weight, but a healthy weight...to somewhere between 135 and 140.  With a frame of almost 5'5", I began to feel sluggish and lethargic.  What was I doing wrong?

For months, my mom had urged me to change up my workout routine, but I was stubborn:  I feared changing my workout would inevitably cause more weight gain, so I kept to the gym, to yoga and to weight lifting...but still the inches came.  When I went home for Christmas break, still working out hard, I would come home from the gym, feeling defeated by how tight my pants were, and seriously worried that the weight would mysteriously keep coming.  I was desperate to try anything.

So, after multiple blood tests and trips to the doctor, I was told that absolutely nothing was wrong with me...my insulin/glucose levels were perfect (above average, actually), my TH levels were fine, and even my hormones were intact.  So, what on earth was wrong with me?

I began to take matters into my own hands.  I did what anyone does with a health problem they can't diagnose and I went online to trusty Google and began researching my symptoms:  weight gain, loss of energy, depression, bloating, constipation, etc.  I got answers like "Have your hormones checked," or "Check your insulin," which left me screaming at the computer...until...

One day, I happened upon a web page that spoke about adrenal fatigue...a health problem that can go undetected unless you check for it by a saliva test (which is not usually offered in doctor's offices).  It cited a lot of the symptoms I had been experiencing, and it even had said that it can cause weight gain with a little help from the hormone known as cortisol, which is said to regulate the body's metabolism and insulin/blood sugar levels.  During times of severe stress, this hormone is pumped out faster than McDonald's dollar menu during lunchtime.  Here's a tad more info on it:

Higher and more prolonged levels of cortisol in the bloodstream (like those associated with chronic stress) have been shown to have negative effects, such as:

• Impaired cognitive performance
• Suppressed thyroid function
• Blood sugar imbalances such as hyperglycemia
• Decreased bone density
• Decrease in muscle tissue
• Higher blood pressure
• Lowered immunity and inflammatory responses in the body, slowed wound healing, and other health consequences
• Increased abdominal fat, which is associated with a greater amount of health problems than fat deposited in other areas of the body. Some of the health problems associated with increased stomach fat are heart attacks, strokes, the development of , higher levels of “bad” cholesterol (LDL) and lower levels of “good” cholesterol (HDL), which can lead to other health problems!

Abdominal fat!  That was me!  Ding ding ding!  That was where I gained most of my weight!  So, NOW what do I do about it?

With further research, I stumbled upon a wonderful article that spoke about how our bodies can seriously be effected by our hormones and the food we put into them.  It categorized us all into three body types (ovary, adrenal and liver), and gave us all the facts on all three.  I was somewhere between an ovary and adrenal body type, so I began reading up on what foods are good for me and what foods are bad...surprisingly, I was told to limit sweets and carbs (I shed a tear), and to amp up my vitamin C, veggies, protein and fruits.

Following this article, I also found a book written by the same author...an informative book known as The 7 Principles of Fat Burning by Dr. Eric Berg.  Again, he reinforces his theory on the different body types, and details them all into their own separate categories.  He gave me ideas of what to eat and when to eat them, and was very strict about eating nothing after dinner or before bed.  He said the weight loss game really just revolves around sugar, insulin and carbs, and that fat and proteins really are fair game.  Sounds good to me!

The book goes into much detail about what to eat and what not to eat, but it also says that if you're suffering from adrenal fatigue, you should STOP all intense cardio and let your body recover (for adrenal body types, that is).  What?!?  Stop cardio?  The thing that had helped me shed all my weight from 4 years ago?  Are you nuts?

Well, even if the idea was nuts, I was desperate to try anything, so in the middle of January, I began a new plan to lose weight.  I stopped doing ANY kind of exercise, giving up my once beloved yoga, and began to focus on my diet and letting my body recover.  To jump start myself, I began the Cleveland Clinic Diet, a 3 day diet plan which has been said to clean our your digestive system and just leave you feeling lighter and more energetic.  I had done this diet before, and although I had experienced no weight loss, it certainly had left me feeling better about myself.

This diet was really in tune with what I had been reading about in the book I had found...lots of protein, fresh fruits and veggies, no carbs after lunch, eat whole grain carbs, and always pair your carbs with protein (it apparently has to do with some sort of chemical reaction...the proteins help break down the carbs).  Heck, I was even allowed full-caloried vanilla ice cream on the diet!  So, the results?

I don't think I lost a pound on the diet, but after the third day (and nearly killing anyone who ate fast food around me), I certainly felt leaner and more energetic.  In fact, my problems with my digestive tract almost cleared up, too.  Bolstered by the way I was feeling, I decided to give this new diet a real go, and began to stock up my kitchen with healthy food.

I began being very aware of carb/protein pairings, sometimes eating eggs with wheat toast...peanut butter with toast...yogurt with bananas...tuna with bread...and I seriously tried to listen to my stomach, only eating when I felt hungry and stopping when I was full.  By the time I had to go back to school at the end of January, my mom even had noticed a change in my lower body, and I could definitely see some inches coming off.  What on earth was happening?  Weight loss WITHOUT the gym?!?

I weighed myself as I began my second semester of school, and, according to the flimsy scale I have here at my place (which probably is off by a few pounds, but who cares), it said 132, which was a drop of 3 pounds since I was last there.  Things were looking up!

I continued to not exercise, only participating in a tap class 2 times a week, and only relying on the walking I do everyday in the city.  I made sure that I got up every morning and ate breakfast, opting for high fiber cereals or breads.  I stopped snacking between meals, and I even invested in some high protein, high fiber power bars that held me over until my mid-afternoon snack.  I seriously tried to limit my carbs after dinner, and I absolutely...ABSOLUTELY...had nothing to eat after dinner, no matter how hungry I got.  One of the biggest things Dr. Berg says in his book is that even the slightest indulgence before bedtime can throw off weight loss.  Plus, when I woke up in the morning, I felt lighter and no longer had a stomachache when I went to bed.

But one of the things that I really focused on was my stomach and what it was telling me.  I didn't force myself to eat if I wasn't hungry, and even at times when I felt like I was starving, I ate slowly and only until I was satiated.  I think in the past I had forgotten how to eat normally, and I've discovered that my portions are significantly smaller than they ever were.  I used to overeat (not intentionally), but I would have the mindset like "since I only eat when I'm hungry, I'm going to eat a lot now."  That just led to bloating, stomach cramps and a foul attitude from myself.

The results?  I am so happy to report that as of this morning, my rinky-dink scale in the bathroom reported me at 120 lbs...a good 12 pounds less than when I arrived back here in January. I am still stunned to think that this happened because I gave up being a gym fanatic and just let my body recharge itself.  I was always so worried about the day when I would have to give up my gym routine when my life got too busy, but now that I have, I am so much happier and worry so much less.  Plus, I now have oodles of time to enjoy a cup of coffee in the morning, respond to emails, and watch The Today Show, something I never did because I was always working out for at least 2 hours everyday.  But, now that exercise isn't ruling my life, I'm pretty okay with eating healthfully, and it doesn't feel like a severe diet.

In fact, I still indulge in chocolate, beer, wine, peanut butter, ice cream, and even hot fudge.  I just try to balance them out with healthier choices, like sugar-free ice cream and lots of fruits and veggies.  What's really exciting for me is that once my weight levels out and I plateau, I can worry even less about calories and just focus on getting protein and fiber into my diet.  For the first time in 5 years, I'm actively not thinking about calories and focusing on the nutritional content of the foods I eat.  And I cheat, too.  You need to cheat every now and then to make you stick to a healthy eating plan.

And you know what?  The funniest thing is that I actually missed certain fruits and veggies, like strawberries, carrots, peas, chick peas, olives, grapes and apples.  I actually craved grapes one morning, so I went to the store and bought a bunch.  In the past, I always felt deprived by sticking to such a healthy diet, but now, I actually miss it.  I forgot what it feels like to eat fruits and feel actually energized by them.  I don't get stomachaches nearly as much now, and I look forward to breakfast in the morning! (Granted, I still carry around 100 calorie Hostess cupcake packs, but hey!  They have 5g of fiber and 2g of protein!)

So, for those of you out there who are frustrated by your own metabolisms, I'm here to tell you that there IS an answer out there. It may require you to completely change up your routine/diet, but that may be a choice you should try.  You'll never know until you do.  If anyone is interested to hear about the articles/books I read, please let me know.  Until the next time, happy dieting!