Update on gaining a half pound after being so good!
Well, it's now a week later since I got on the scale and saw that I had actually gained a half pound! After being so good on my diet, I was so disappointed. But I asked all you wonderful ladies for advice (and encouragement) and took it! Now I'm down 3 pounds from the reading last week!!!! woohooo!!!!!
I took your advice and raised my calories to 1300-1400 a day. I looked back at my journal and I was actually only averaging about 1000 calories a day - not enough! I planned to increase my exercise, but that didn't exactly happen (I still plan to do more). But raising the calories has definitely worked. This has taught me an important lesson - be patient and stick it out, the weight will eventually come off.
When you eat too few calories over a period of time--we're talking more than a few days--then the body thinks famine has come. Evidently under these conditions, the body shifts metabolism downward to conserve what reserves it has.
This is a useful strategy for real starvation conditions, but it doesn't do much good for people 'only' trying to lose weight.
Often people who are overweight have a slower metabolism to begin with, and 'starvation' diets only make it worse. So, when the person goes back to eating 'normally' again, the weight often piles back on...
The best way to change metabolism is through activity--and for most of us, that means regular exercise, preferably on a daily basis. In addition, well-toned and exercised muscle burns fat efficiently for fuel.
The common lore is that keeping calories above 1200 avoids the switch into famine metabolism. But of course, this varies for different people, and an occasional dip below 1200 probably does no harm.
This intrigues me a great deal, actually, because there are so many differing theories. I have definitely heard the famine theory countless times, but I have also heard that this theory is just a myth. I've also heard countless times - ad nauseum - that it comes down to the simple physics of calories in vs. calories out and that we tend to want to complicate the equation to give ourselves excuses. Does anyone know of any studies that support what anecdotally I've heard so many times on this board - that increasing calories helps push through plateaus?
This intrigues me a great deal, actually, because there are so many differing theories. I have definitely heard the famine theory countless times, but I have also heard that this theory is just a myth.
As a former anorexic, I can tell you that at least in my personal experience there's no such a thing like a "starvation mode". I lowered and lowered my calorie intake ( probably until I reached the 300-400 calories range. I was not even counting calories, it was just that I was not hungry anymore) and I kept losing weight at a steady pace until my mind, and not my body, said enough it's enough. But what it's true about that theory, is that when you start to eating "normal" after starving yourself you are going to gain weight faster until your body reaches again a balance. In my experience, I didn't altered my metabolism to the point that it doesn't work properly anymore, so I don't know if what I did when I was younger is going to have an effect on my weight at the long term. But of course, I wouldn't recomend starvation (living under 1000 calories or similar if you are not supervised by a doctor) to anyone because it's not healthy. Well, that's rather obvious isn't it?
Update on gaining a half pound after being so good!
Good for you! Glad to hear that you made it work! 
on your hard work! Keep it up!
