I've gotten slack!

I just looked back and my last post was a week ago yesterday. What happened to counting calories and being accountable everyday?? I don't know, but I need to start back again.

We had a second weigh-in for my school's version of "The Biggest Loser," and in two weeks time I've lost 4.4 pounds. So I must be doing something right. Either that or I was wearing much lighter clothing yesterday than I was the first day I weighed. :-) I don't feel like I've done all that great. Especially last week. I just got so slack in every area. And boy oh boy!! Superbowl Sunday night...... I ate and ate and ate all the wrong things, but it was so good. We had some friends over and we played dominoes and ate pizza and chile and chips and dip and all kinds of stuff while we watched the game. It was fun and I had a blast, but it wasn't good for my diet. Oh and by the way...when I mention "diet" on here, please know that I'm considering it a lifestyle change and a new way of eating, but "diet" is much easier and shorter to say. I know a lot of nutrition minded people don't like the word "diet" but as I said, it's just easier.

I'm still having issues with eating enough. I posted yesterday on Storknet and got a lot of encouragement and good advice there. I'm going to post here what I wrote and some of the replies I received. I would post it all, but that would be a lot of stuff. So, I'll include the parts that seemed to help me the most and hope that no one who replied back to me there, reads this and becomes offended if they don't see their response. If I don't include something here that was written there, it's not because I didn't appreciate it (because I DID and do appreciate everyone over there), it's just that there was some repeated info. So anyway, here is my original post with a few of the replies:

My obsession in life right now is losing weight. I know you're supposed to have a certain amount of calories in your diet a day to keep from going in starvation mode. But my problem is, I don't eat ENOUGH. I'm just not hungry. I don't eat breakfast (which I know is a no-no and I'm trying to work on it). My lunches and dinners are always very small. Yesterday all I had until supper were two apples. I'm just not hungry. About three weeks ago I did really good. I brought in bananas and peanut butter and crackers and I grazed all day (or at least tried to). I know they say that's what you should do: have 5-6 small meals instead of 3 big ones. But I have a really hard time eating when I'm not hungry. Yesterday it was so bad that if I thought about food, I'd almost get nauseaus (sp?). I'm not sick, as this is the way I've been for a very long time now. I'm not a thirsty person either. Never have been. So I know I stay in a constant state of dehydration, because I don't drink the ammount of water (or anything else) that I should.Any ideas or tips on what I can/should do to change? I hate forcing myself to eat b/c it feels very counter productive to weightloss, not to mention it's just a pain in the butt. But I guess that's what I'm going to HAVE to do isn't it? I've GOT to start drinking more and getting my calorie count up. I just don't know how. I once heard someone say you have to be a special kind of stupid to forget to eat. So I guess I'm a special kind of stupid...I forget to eat and drink all the time. lol

Reply:
In my opinion the whole starvation mode is overblown. The calorie low is supposed to be 1200 but if you don't get them every single day your weight loss isn't quickly going to shut down, 1200 is a general rule. The bigger issue is that you're not getting enough nutrients. Also, calorie intake can be figured out over a period of three days or a week as opposed to 1200 every day. ~"Viketory"

First off, you are NOT a special kind of stupid. Banish that thought. It does take some planning to eat like you should. Do you have a target number you are trying to reach a day? I can sympathize with the dehydration bit because I don't drink enough, either. I try not to view what I eat as a weight loss or diet effort but rather as a lifestyle adjustment that will make me healthier. That way I'm not deprived, and slip-ups aren't an excuse to give up altogether. Short of planning what you eat, I don't know of any way to make that easier. It does get easier with time. If you've been eating too little for a long time, that will make your stomach unable to easily accomodate more and that's probably why you feel sick. Little meals is still the way to go. If you only eat little meals, then try to make them a high quality protein and a complex carbohydrate. If you can't eat a lot, then make the protein a little higher in calories than you normally would, just be sure it's high quality, low fat, and non trans fat (I was thinking about peanut butter here--which is an excellent easy way to get extra calories--providing it's natural peanut butter so you're not consuming trans fats....).Your plan of three weeks ago was a good one....you might add whole wheat crackers...some cheese if you eat it, some meats (if you don't care for packaged lunchmeats, buy quality deli meat or get precooked chicken breast)........It's all little steps. Make small goals, even if it's just that you will eat four balanced meals a day--they don't have to be huge, just make them count. If that doesn't work for you, then I suggest you see your dr. and ask for help--a referral to a nutrionist/registered dietician couldn't hurt and they could give you specific direction. ~"RLB"

I attended a nutrition class the other day and I just want to mention how important breakfast is and how it does impact on that starvation mode. Your metabolism is like a furnace and for it to be able to burn/work it needs to things. It needs fuel (food) and it needs oxygen (exercise). Without the two it is liked a banked fire that doesn't really do much but keep the chill off and sit there ready to burn. So when you get up in the morning, your fire has been banked all night. Not doing much at all. For it to really start to burn, it needs to have fuel added. So you need to eat. Not eating breakfast is one of the easiest and quickest ways to put your body into starvation mode until you do eat... And for most people it is lunch. As for not eating enough. I would be more concerned about what you are eating right now rather than the actual caloric intake. If you are only eating two apples per day you are not getting nearly enough of the nutrients that your body needs to stay healthy. Your body will eventually stop burning fat if the low caloric intake is a constant. But it will take a while to get there. It won't happen in a day or two, and maybe not even in a month. But it will eventually happen. Yes forcing yourself to eat is counterproductive and will probably force you into a mindset about food that isn't healthy. So if I were in your situation I would probably sit down the night before and set out all that you plan to eat the next day and make it my goal to consume that amount of food. And try to add some milk into that as well. It has good calories and is full of healthy nutrients. Sorry about the breakfast lecture... I have actually lost 10lbs since I started eating breakfast every day. ~"Paige"

The nutritionist at ******* in *********** told me that no normal sized adult woman should ever go under 1200 calories per day. Your body needs those calories to function in every way. You may not go into starvation mode right away but you will begin to feel sapped of energy which will make you less likely to exercise which is needed for the weightloss you desire.I know when you start eating healthy it can be hard to reach the 1200 calorie mark. You could eat fruit and veggies all day and never get there. The trick is to find some healthy high calorie snacks. Take raw almonds for example. They are very good for you and they are 10 calories EACH. Eat a handful of 20 almonds and you have eaten 200 calories that are protien filled and rich in omega oils to boot. Raw walnuts are another good choice. Don't eat your apple alone. Add a small piece of cheese or a tablespoon of natural peanut butter. Make some ranch dip using plain yogurt or low fat sour cream and dip your veggies in it to add a few extra calories. Brown rice is great for you and high in calories. Eat an avacado. Very high in calories and SO good for you as far as Omegas go. Make what you eat count. Good luck to you. ~"My_Boy's_Mom"

To all the ladies you replied back to me yesterday, Thank You very much!!!! I appreciate you all very, very much.

Ok.....

Back to keeping track of eating and excercise.

Breakfast: One small apple

Lunch: Smart Ones - Mandarin Chicken

Snack: 2Tbsp peanutbutter (190 cals)