Aa
Exercise, healthy food, weight gain
Dear Doctor,
I need help.
I am trying to lose weight since 6 mounts- I am training everyday (60 min on bicycle) and every second day interval training of 30 min. I am eating very healthy , non fatty food- daily calorie intake is about 1500.
After all that afford I am only gaining.
I am 165 cm and 63 kg. I gained since I start dieting 5 kg!
I am going to explain my history of dieting habits.
12 years ago I had bulimia for 10 years. Only two years ago I am getting out from it.
When I had bulimia I was about 45 kg sometimes till 52.
Since I am healthy ( eating still a too little calorie) I am only gaining weight. I am exercising a lot every day but it is seems to be not making any difference.
3 months ago I started Atkins diet but I also only gain. Since that time I am slowly introducing more carbs and more fruit but I am still gaining.
My dietician also has no idea what to do any more.
Please assist!
Thank you in advance
Ola Markowska
I need help.
I am trying to lose weight since 6 mounts- I am training everyday (60 min on bicycle) and every second day interval training of 30 min. I am eating very healthy , non fatty food- daily calorie intake is about 1500.
After all that afford I am only gaining.
I am 165 cm and 63 kg. I gained since I start dieting 5 kg!
I am going to explain my history of dieting habits.
12 years ago I had bulimia for 10 years. Only two years ago I am getting out from it.
When I had bulimia I was about 45 kg sometimes till 52.
Since I am healthy ( eating still a too little calorie) I am only gaining weight. I am exercising a lot every day but it is seems to be not making any difference.
3 months ago I started Atkins diet but I also only gain. Since that time I am slowly introducing more carbs and more fruit but I am still gaining.
My dietician also has no idea what to do any more.
Please assist!
Thank you in advance
Ola Markowska
COMMUNITY LEADER
Soggymoggy gave you some good advice, but I don't agree with the idea of forgetting about counting calories. If you are taking in more calories than you are burning, you will gain weight. I agree with Teresa1970 that you need to figure out your calorie needs for each day, then create a deficit, in order to lose weight. In the end, it all boils down to "calories in, calories out".
While it is good to eat lean protein, you also must get the complex carbs, good fats and diary to go with it. You must also make sure that you get plenty of vitamin B6 in order to process the protein. A good multi vitamin is best, as that insures that you are getting the proper amount of all the nutrients.
The best way to lose weight, is to get moderate exercise and eat a sensible balanced diet. Eating too much of any one food group is not good (i.e. all protein). Exercise will help build and tone muscles, so your body will look leaner; however, a pound is a pound, whether it's made of fat or protein.
If we can assist you with calculating your calorie needs, or determining which foods have which nutrients, please let us know.
All of that said, I might also recommend that you check with your doctor to make sure you don't have any underlying medical issues, following such a long period with bulimia. Eating disorders can harm parts of your body that you might not expect. "Repairing" metabolism isn't an easy or fast process. You must let your body have time to become well and refrain from extremes in order to keep it well.
There are also specific medical issues which can adversely affect your metabolism, such as hypothyroidism, insulin resistance and PCOS, to name a few. These can be serious illnesses and must always be ruled out.
While it is good to eat lean protein, you also must get the complex carbs, good fats and diary to go with it. You must also make sure that you get plenty of vitamin B6 in order to process the protein. A good multi vitamin is best, as that insures that you are getting the proper amount of all the nutrients.
The best way to lose weight, is to get moderate exercise and eat a sensible balanced diet. Eating too much of any one food group is not good (i.e. all protein). Exercise will help build and tone muscles, so your body will look leaner; however, a pound is a pound, whether it's made of fat or protein.
If we can assist you with calculating your calorie needs, or determining which foods have which nutrients, please let us know.
All of that said, I might also recommend that you check with your doctor to make sure you don't have any underlying medical issues, following such a long period with bulimia. Eating disorders can harm parts of your body that you might not expect. "Repairing" metabolism isn't an easy or fast process. You must let your body have time to become well and refrain from extremes in order to keep it well.
There are also specific medical issues which can adversely affect your metabolism, such as hypothyroidism, insulin resistance and PCOS, to name a few. These can be serious illnesses and must always be ruled out.
Thanks for advive!
I already started interval training 3 weeks ago. Sterengh training also 1 week ago and I will continue to have comunation of this two. I gain but my muscle % is increasing slovely and the fat % is decreasing but I dont see any changes . My old clothes are not fitting any more- this is worrying me. I can nearly see that I am gaining fast but that opposite what I want to achive...
I newer eat so healthy like know so I dont see any worries. I am not dieting any more.
Good luck for you to!
I already started interval training 3 weeks ago. Sterengh training also 1 week ago and I will continue to have comunation of this two. I gain but my muscle % is increasing slovely and the fat % is decreasing but I dont see any changes . My old clothes are not fitting any more- this is worrying me. I can nearly see that I am gaining fast but that opposite what I want to achive...
I newer eat so healthy like know so I dont see any worries. I am not dieting any more.
Good luck for you to!
Hi Ola,
It sounds to me that with your history of bulimia you've damaged your metabolism - I did the same thing a few years ago, although in my case it wasn't bulimia that did it. If your metabolism is damaged, your body uses fewer calories on a day-to-day basis because it has been forced into starvation mode, which means you are more likely to convert the food you eat into fat.
The damage to your metabolism CAN be repaired, and the good news is that what you need to do to repair the damage is also very good for burning fat. What you need to do - very simply - is build lean muscle. Lean muscle burns calories even when it's not working, so having more will increase your calorie burn both when you're exercising and when you're not - bodybuilders can need up to 8,000 calories per day! It's also been proven that a heavy weights set is up to eight times more effective at burning fat than steady-state aerobic exercise, and around twice as effective as interval training.
You need to do three or four heavy weights sets per week, alternating different muscle groups - I alternate shoulders/arms, chest, back and legs/bum, doing each muscle group once per week. The best thing may be to follow weights with interval training as you will then be burning all your glycogen doing weights, leaving only fat to burn during the interval training. When you do this, you MUST invest in a good quality protein supplement; I use a mixture of Total Protein and Impact Whey after lifting weights, both of which are available from myprotein.co.uk. Don't be tempted by cheap protein, because cheaper products are prepared at higher temperatures which denatures the protein and makes it less effective. To build lean muscle you MUST take in plenty of protein (equivalent to four shakes/four cans of tuna/five chicken breasts every day, to give you an idea) - otherwise you will burn muscle and damage your metabolism further, making the problem worse.
You also need to forget about your weight; muscle is very heavy compared to fat, so you may even gain weight once you start doing the weights - I'm 5kg heavier than I was before I started doing weights, but my measurements are several inches smaller and my body fat has dropped by 7%.
In terms of diet, forget calories - calorie-counting is only helpful to a point. What you need to focus on to gain muscle and burn fat is getting LOADS of good-quality protein - so lots of lean meat, fish and eggs - and vegetables. You need to change your attitude to fats as well, because you need good fats in order to help move the fat out of your cells. Steer clear of sat-fats, but unsaturated and poly-unsaturated are actually necessary and good for you - particularly good are olive oil, avocado, nuts (raw, obviously), and oily fish.
What you need to be careful with is starchy and refined carbohydrate (pasta, bread, rice, potato, sugars); these should only really be eaten in moderation immediately after a weights session. The reason these need to be treated with care is that they're both very energy dense (ie, high-calorie) AND easy to break down, which means they dump a lot of glucose into your bloodstream in a short space of time. When this happens, your body releases insulin to convert the sugar into fat to be stored for future use. Aim to get most of your carbohydrate from vegetables like cauliflower, broccoli, celery, and beans - in fact, any vegetables are good. Your dietitian really should have been able to tell you this; I suggest you consider finding another one.
I do think you need to consider carefully your motives for wanting to lose weight. Are you sure this is healthy? Given your history of bulimia you need to keep a careful eye on your thought processes to make sure they're healthy - and if any of your friends or family becomes concerned about you, be sure to listen to them.
Best of luck - and remember that being healthy does mean understanding that the occasional takeaway or slice of cake isn't the end of the world.
It sounds to me that with your history of bulimia you've damaged your metabolism - I did the same thing a few years ago, although in my case it wasn't bulimia that did it. If your metabolism is damaged, your body uses fewer calories on a day-to-day basis because it has been forced into starvation mode, which means you are more likely to convert the food you eat into fat.
The damage to your metabolism CAN be repaired, and the good news is that what you need to do to repair the damage is also very good for burning fat. What you need to do - very simply - is build lean muscle. Lean muscle burns calories even when it's not working, so having more will increase your calorie burn both when you're exercising and when you're not - bodybuilders can need up to 8,000 calories per day! It's also been proven that a heavy weights set is up to eight times more effective at burning fat than steady-state aerobic exercise, and around twice as effective as interval training.
You need to do three or four heavy weights sets per week, alternating different muscle groups - I alternate shoulders/arms, chest, back and legs/bum, doing each muscle group once per week. The best thing may be to follow weights with interval training as you will then be burning all your glycogen doing weights, leaving only fat to burn during the interval training. When you do this, you MUST invest in a good quality protein supplement; I use a mixture of Total Protein and Impact Whey after lifting weights, both of which are available from myprotein.co.uk. Don't be tempted by cheap protein, because cheaper products are prepared at higher temperatures which denatures the protein and makes it less effective. To build lean muscle you MUST take in plenty of protein (equivalent to four shakes/four cans of tuna/five chicken breasts every day, to give you an idea) - otherwise you will burn muscle and damage your metabolism further, making the problem worse.
You also need to forget about your weight; muscle is very heavy compared to fat, so you may even gain weight once you start doing the weights - I'm 5kg heavier than I was before I started doing weights, but my measurements are several inches smaller and my body fat has dropped by 7%.
In terms of diet, forget calories - calorie-counting is only helpful to a point. What you need to focus on to gain muscle and burn fat is getting LOADS of good-quality protein - so lots of lean meat, fish and eggs - and vegetables. You need to change your attitude to fats as well, because you need good fats in order to help move the fat out of your cells. Steer clear of sat-fats, but unsaturated and poly-unsaturated are actually necessary and good for you - particularly good are olive oil, avocado, nuts (raw, obviously), and oily fish.
What you need to be careful with is starchy and refined carbohydrate (pasta, bread, rice, potato, sugars); these should only really be eaten in moderation immediately after a weights session. The reason these need to be treated with care is that they're both very energy dense (ie, high-calorie) AND easy to break down, which means they dump a lot of glucose into your bloodstream in a short space of time. When this happens, your body releases insulin to convert the sugar into fat to be stored for future use. Aim to get most of your carbohydrate from vegetables like cauliflower, broccoli, celery, and beans - in fact, any vegetables are good. Your dietitian really should have been able to tell you this; I suggest you consider finding another one.
I do think you need to consider carefully your motives for wanting to lose weight. Are you sure this is healthy? Given your history of bulimia you need to keep a careful eye on your thought processes to make sure they're healthy - and if any of your friends or family becomes concerned about you, be sure to listen to them.
Best of luck - and remember that being healthy does mean understanding that the occasional takeaway or slice of cake isn't the end of the world.
Go to a website that can calculate your BMI, it should also calculate your calorie intake to maintain your weight at a moderate to active lifestyle, from there you can figure how many calories you need to take in to lose weight. It takes a deficit of 3500 calories to lose 1 pound.
Have an Answer?
You are reading content posted in the Weight Loss and Fitness Community
14 super-healthy foods that are worth the hype
Small changes make a big impact with these easy ways to cut hundreds of calories a day.
Forget the fountain of youth – try flossing instead! Here are 11 surprising ways to live longer.
From STD tests to mammograms, find out which screening tests you need - and when to get them.
Tips and moves to ease backaches
Here are 12 simple – and fun! – ways to boost your brainpower.
