After living in a "3rd world" nation, I can tell you that vast majority there were starving--and of course very thin. They didn't spend their days exercising, working the fields, etc.

Yes, but they are TRULY starving also. And although I've never been to a 3rd world country, the footage that I have seen doesn't show them laying around sleeping for 12+ hours a day. They are constantly carrying water and gathering what little food they have (and the food is most likely not the same foods the original poster is eating).

If we were to truly starve this woman, the weight would definitely come off. She even said herself she is not starving herself like this. She does eat and she gave examples of what she eats.

I know you want to believe what you want to believe because scientifically it doesn't sound possible, but I did the same thing this woman is doing and I did this all the way up to 193 lbs. with the help of an endocrine problem. I COULD NOT lose the weight. I was not anorexic i.e. starving myself, but I can tell you this...I did not eat NEARLY the amount of calories and quality of foods I am eating now. So, just from my personal experience alone, I don't know what else to say except it happened to me. Had I not experienced this myself, I would probably be saying the exact same thing you are.

Here is something I found on the web pertaining to this great debated and was answered by a registered dietician:

The person asked the question: I need to ask this because I believe there is a contradiction. I read that when you starve yourself to lose weight, your body senses a famine and it stocks up on fat reserves. Thus, you would gain weight because fat is being stocked up in your body. If this is the case, then why is it that anorexics lose weight instead of gaining more weight? Aren't their bodies stocking up on fat reserves when they are starving themselves? Do you see the contradiction?

Here is the answer: Because anorexics are way beyond that point. Their body has stocked the fat reserves and then used those up too! When they say that is what happens in "starvation mode" that still means the person is eating, but just not eating enough! With anorexics they really eat very, very little so there is nothing there to even turn into fat to use as a reserve. So, no their bodies really are not stocking up on fat reserves because they are not taking in fuel to use as fat reserves. To store fat you have to feeding your body something.

Originally Posted by sexybak96:

This is gonna be hopeless.

I'd like to redirect this thread to this statement made by sexybak96, the original poster.

We at 3FC cannot allow you to think that your situation is hopeless. It is not!

You may indeed have some hard work ahead of you, but we're here to support you. As many have already said, you should try to spread your calorie intake out over the day. Some gentle exercise like walking will enliven you.

And when the going gets tough ... you come see us at 3FC and we'll buoy you up.

Originally Posted by Niecy:
To store fat you have to feeding your body something.

Yes.

Susan B--beautifully written just as every other post you write.

--With compassion, grace AND beauty!

p.s. I still don't think you should wear navy pants with black shoes though! :)

What SusanB says is what I think we all agree on here; she needs to eat more, and spread throughout the day. Not one heavy-carb, high calorie meal once a day. The body will SURELY hang onto every morsel of that and will also ensure no energy available for exercise.

I am not a long-time poster here, but (and this is something I don't really like to talk about because it was an extremely STUPID thing to do) but I suffered anorexia at one time in my late teens. I did lose the weight. Too much weight. I was 5'5" and weighed in the 90's. I would say that doing so was the cause of my thyroid imbalance, but it being hereditary, I am more inclined to say that the anorexic episode might have triggered those little antibodies to get to work.

Anyway, many years later, I could not fathom eating nothing, so began the cycle she is on. Once the weight gain started, even though I had been reading for many years that to lose, I needed to eat, I just couldn't bring myself to believe it because I had severely restricted my calorie intake before and it worked. I was no longer anorexic but still had the mindset if that makes sense.

SexyBak also seems to have these "tendencies", as she alluded to in one of her posts. And now it is no longer working and she couldn't figure out why.

In a nutshell, SusanB is also right...it is not hopeless. We are all here because we are battling some type of addiction with food whether it be overeating or undereating, and want to help ourselves and cheer each other on to a better way of life. I think SexyBak has received some wonderful, useful advice that will hopefully put her on the right path to good health, just as it did for me. It is still taking some getting used to, to think that I am eating, not starving myself, yet still losing the weight. It sometimes still seems to kind of make no sense for a split second, and that may just be something that will always be in the back of my mind due to my past. Because now that I have lost close to my first 10 pounds, I STILL wonder how much I could lose if I just withheld food for one day. I just keep trying to tell myself, sure the weight may slide right off, but when I start eating again it will come back 10 fold. And I don't want that kind of setback, I want to do this in a steady, healthy way. Something that will stick for life.

Originally Posted by Thighs Be Gone:
YES! :carrot:

p.s. I have also read several studies recently that actually say sleeping burns more calories than sitting on a couch watching TV. Ahhhh--what to believe?!!!

Really?! Do you remember when or where the study was done. I'd like to read this one. I wonder if different stages of sleep burn calories at different rates.

When I was prescribed my cpap for sleep apnea, the prescribing pulmonologist told me that I probably would lose some weight without any effort on my part. I thought he was completely nuts (or that at most, I might see 5 lbs "fall off"). I didn't give it another thought until I discovered at a doctor's appointment several months later that I had lost 20 lbs. Life was so stressful at the time, that I wasn't trying to diet at all - so to lose 20 lbs without effort or attention was a complete shock to me.


Weight loss is complicated, but there definitely is so much hope. Partly, I think we become discouraged easily, because it's such a "normal" part of weight loss, that we fall into the weight loss patterns we see around us. Most of the role models we have for weight loss follow the normal roller coaster pattern of dieting, getting discouraged, abandoning the diet....

Rethinking the problem can help so much. For me, that has been only looking at the current/next pound. Sometimes I think that I will never be able to reach my goal, but I remind myself that losing one more pound or even just maintaining my current weight without regain is quite an accomplishment.

I think though here, the first step is discovering whether there is a metabolic issue underlying the fatigue and the sluggish metabolism. I know without medical insurance, that provides an added obstacle, but there are options here also.

1. The Health Department, as I mentioned. Even if they do not have free or low cost screenings, someone there should be able to provide referrals to doctors who work with uninsured patients.

2. Doctors offices - ask for the billing person. It's not well known, but many doctors offices will negotiate the cost of services. For example, they may charge patients willing to pay in cash, half or less what they would charge to patients with insurance. Or they may negotiate a payment plan that is affordable.

3. Local universities and community colleges - if there are colleges in your area that have nursing, or other medical training programs, you can often get medical services free or at a deep discount, because students are conducting the procedures. (I don't have dental insurance, and need some work done - I'm going to get my x-rays done at the technical college's dental assistant program).

4. Look in the yellow pages for the local health and social services department or call the hospital and ask for the social services department. They will be able to tell you if there is a directory printed in your area that lists health and social services resources in your area or they will have knowledge of the local resources.

Hang in there, there is hope, and a lot of people who can help.

I'm wishing you well Sexy...for me it is related to depression and ruining my metabolism from not eating. I know it sounds foreign to some, but it can happen. It's difficult but your doctor can refer you to a nutritionist.

Good luck to you...

kaplods,

It was a featured story on AOL a couple of months ago. I just Googled, "sleeping burning more calories than TV" and some sources came up. Supposedly the repairation process of cells is responsible for burning more calories than previously thought. I *think* deeper sleep burned more than lighter sleep times in the night. If I remember correctly, perhaps that could be the reason you were able to drop the 20 pounds without giving any thought to it.

For me sleeping burns more for one reason for certain. I am not up eating! That was a huge issue with me before. I had very difficult sleeping patterns before I changed my nutrition and activity. I was either sleeping too much or in most cases, way too little.

Wow! Leave for a few days and get tons of answers. You guys are great! Thanx to all for helping others understand that I'm not nuts in how I'm fat. I get the strangest looks from peeps when I tell them what's going on with me.

I've talked to my husband (who loves to eat) about what's going on and asked him to help me keep regulated on the food intake. I've also found a diet online that is based on calories and I'm starting that tomorrow. I hate using the word diet (I consider that a four letter word) but I'm using it to regulate the intake to make SURE that I get the required amount daily vs my 800-900 calorie intake daily. Also, went to the gym today for the first time in my life and walked on a treadmill for 30 mins. Thought I was going to die from that. Whew! How do people run on those things?!

And I'm glad to know there is other people who find eating hard to do. I ate yesterday like the way most people say you should. Oatmeal for breakfast, Carrots for a snack, Sandwich for lunch, piece of cheese for a snack, and turkey sausage with sauteed mushrooms and spinach and a slice of bread. Guys, I felt like Shamu. Seriously. HOW do people eat like that? And I didn't over do it with the portions. Shoot. My 11 yr old at three times as much as I did.

Thank you all for the input. We'll see how I do the first week. I've got my trusty notepad ready for marking down what I eat. Got my 64 oz of water ready to chug daily. And gonna go to the gym (evil place) again.

PS. What's a good weight for a 5'7" woman? I'm 31 on Friday. I'm trying for 150. Is that realistic? Or should I modify???

SexyBak, I was just about to turn in and saw your post. That is fantastic, girl!!!!! 30 minutes is great! I have just started to incorporate a little running (more like sprinting) for about 20 seconds, rest for the other 40. I do this for the first six minutes. It is a form of the high intensity training which I hope to work on. My workouts on both the bike and treadmill started to get easier so I knew it was time to step up, lol.

I am glad to hear that you found a program that you can work with. Some days, especially those higher calorie days, I just feel like I cannot take one more bite. Some days I am a little over and some I am little under. I just keep trying to add foods that don't have a lot of volume but more calories. But the good stuff, like a little olive oil here and there.

I determined my weight goal by sorting out when I felt and looked my best but also a weight that was attainable after 3 kids. I don't think 150 is a bad weight at all for your height. One thing I am noticing for me though is that 157 pounds with some muscle and tone looks and feels a heck of a lot different than 157 without. I am fitting into clothes that I wore when I was 153 last year and I look so much better in them. So the scales, like everyone else says, don't always tell what is going on. You may get to 155 and realize that you are as fit as a fiddle and want to stay there.

But you are doing GREAT!!!!!

SexyBak -- WTG! :carrot: When I first started here I felt so hopeless. But the wonderful people here would not let me give up. :no: So I have lost 35 lbs and it has taken me it seems like FOREVER but I did it. :D I have also been walking every single night at work on my lunch. It may not be much, but moving at all, is great. Even if you add extra steps here or there, like going to the grocery, park farther away, take the steps instead of the elevator, etc. But I am so happy that you are eating regularly. :) Just remember, you have all of us here to cheer :cheer3: you on!

:hug: