I am now at the weight I was when I started in January 2011. I look at that and shake my head. HOW did I gain it all back (plus some). HOW?
Why does my body like to stabilize at that weight? I have spent a bulk of my adult life within those 20 pounds. I don't feel good at that weight. My blood pressure isn't good at that weight. I hate how I look at that weight. I start to have more problems with restless legs at this weight and I start snoring at this weight. Yet, that's where I go.
I don't believe in set point weights - exactly. But I do think that's around the weight where my wild, out of control eating, and my activity level tend to match up. That level of caloric intake and activity level become even and then that is the weight I sit at - fluctuating up and down a bit with more or less activity.
I have yet to find the lower end stable weight. And that is something I need to work on - where is the weight where I can maintain without having to exercise an hour a day and eat so that I don't feel like I'm starving?
When I got close to goal (past where my goal is now), I was always, always hungry and I found that if I ate around 1450-1500 calories a day and DIDN'T exercise (daily), my weight was at maintenance. I didn't lose or gain. At that point I was only losing by exercise and I couldn't eat less because I was already hungry. THAT is not maintainable. Always feeling hungry is not cool.
YET, why was I so hungry? I am eating that or less now and I'm not hungry. More muscle weight then and less now? Does my body know it has reserves to draw from where it had so little before?
I need to figure that out. WHY does it get harder to stick to a plan the longer you are on it? For now, I feel I could do this and eat this way FOREVER. Come 10 months when I'm close to goal, I'll be thinking of food every waking moment. I need to find a happy medium that isn't out of control, but also so difficult to stick to that drives me crazy too.
Restart 5/18/15
Down 8.9 pounds
I have no idea what you eat or what you weigh currently. But there is no need to "starve" while losing weight or maintaining it, unless you're hell bent on eating high-calorie low-nutrition foods. If you eat for nutrition and exercise for fitness (not to "earn" food or "burn it off" but to improve your endurance, increase muscle mass, and gain strength), your weight will naturally find its real set point. I am maintaining a 70-75 lb weight loss (I lost the weight in seven months when I was 38 years old) for eight years as of this month. I eat about 1,600-1,800 calories a day of clean food -- lean protein, veggies, minimal dairy, some fruit, minimal grains, fat from avocados, nuts, olives -- and drink a gallon of water a day. I exercise a half hour to 45 minutes five or six days a week, running and strength training. I went from 210 lbs size 18 to 140-145 lbs, size 6 and there is nothing I miss about my old life. Focus on health and weight loss will follow.
ReplyDeleteI will add that if I stopped exercising and went back to my old ways of eating (bagels...waffles...pasta...cold cuts...sandwiches...cheese and crackers...pizza...baking...etc), I bet I would gain about 40-50 lbs in less than six months and then probably level off in the 180-190 range.
DeleteI was eating like you are saying and doing an hour of cardio or strength training 6 days a week. I was hungry toward the end and I was still not at where I wanted to be. I was aiming for 25% or less body fat. I was at 26% at 169 pounds. And then I got injured and had to give up several exercise habits I had formed over two years,...then I wa at maintenance at 1450 calories of "clean" foods a day. And I was hungry. Exercise is an appetite suppressant for me. It was a double whammy.
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