Body Image...

[MouseWife]

Originally Posted by Prudence

Just a few months ago I did an experiment where I limited my calorie intake to 900/day and was doing regular cardio (via treadmill). I gained weight. And not muscle - my pants were in danger of not fitting. I didn't talk about it because the response is generally that I just didn't try hard enough. That I needed to cut calories further and workout longer (time I didn't have back then).

Well, one thing I would recommend is to watch 'The Biggest Loser'. That show motivates me. And, they always have tips.

And, I can tell you what happened when you gained weight. You didn't consume enough calories so your body stored them. I can't esplain' it medically BUT you do have to consume a certain amount of calories a day. Adding exercise to that will burn off calories.

Don't be hard on yourself. But, do go to the website, they might have some tips for you. Good luck.

[Disneyphile]

Originally Posted by Prudence

I've reached a point where I truly don't know what to do.

Experiment and find out what your body says it wants and needs.

Listen to how you and your body feel after eating or doing something. Does it taste good for a few moments but make you feel like crap for hours and is it worth it? Is an activity boring and repetitive and not making you feel better?

My body responds best to eating every couple hours rather than snacking. And, it's helped me curb cravings, because I still eat whatever I want, in moderation. My body also responds really well to weightlifting, which I've also found out that I enjoy far more than jumping on a "stairmaster" or exercise bike. I never tried much with weights before, because I was concerned it would make me gain numbers. And, it actually has had the opposite effect - building strength while the newly worked muscles keep burning off fat for the next 48 hours, even while I'm sleeping.

But, that's the combination that has worked well for me, without dieting, without deprivation, and without forcing myself to do something I don't want to.

Your body might tell you something completely different.

[3894]

Originally Posted by Prudence

How much do we beat ourselves up over achieving the weight perfection, though? Photos of my ancestors show them with body types similar to mine. Just a few months ago I did an experiment where I limited my calorie intake to 900/day and was doing regular cardio (via treadmill). I gained weight.

I'm here to validate this. It's my story, too, and the curse of a super-efficient metabolism.

My doctor told me that I will need to live the rest of my life at 800 cal./day. My granny was like this. In order to stay normal weight, she drank an awful lot of hot water when other people were eating.

On the positive side of things, I just bought myself a dressmaker form. Wanted one for years, just bought it now. I fiddled with the dials, got the mannequin's measurements to match mine, and stepped back. You know, I'll never be on the cover of Vogue (their loss) but now that I see me in 3-D, it ain't so terrible.

[blueerica]

I mentioned it in the Super Tuesday thread, but I've been watching Biggest Loser this season. I've never really gotten into it until now (probably because I was far too busy to really watch much TV), and I've gotten caught into the emotional content of the story.

One of the problems a lot of people had were not eating enough calories. I think I go back and forth between too many and then not enough. I wish I had the patience to actually count those damn things. If I got better about metering myself somewhat naturally, that woudl be a good solution. Or if I had a personal chef.

[blueerica]

Damn, I must've caught up on this thread right before MW posted that.

But yes, that's a huge problem for a lot of people, I think

[MouseWife]

Originally Posted by blueerica

Damn, I must've caught up on this thread right before MW posted that.

But yes, that's a huge problem for a lot of people, I think

I have watched each season. Love it. Did you watch last week? The person who was voted off? I've been dying to ask someone what they thought about that!!!

[blueerica]

Originally Posted by MouseWife

I have watched each season. Love it. Did you watch last week? The person who was voted off? I've been dying to ask someone what they thought about that!!!

I don't know whether it would warrant its own thread, since I'm not sure anyone else is really watching it, so I'll just respond right here.

This is my first season of really watching it. I'd watch it periodically, and when I was out here with J, visiting for an entire week. While I was in school, I was working and doing too much to really ensure I'd catch any shows regularly, so I made a point to not get hooked into anything.

That said, I've been watching this season pretty religiously. It's the first reality contestant show that I've watched... never could get hooked into the others. I was part-surprised and part-expected Jackie to get booted off. That team got both 'players,' IMO, and trust issues were bound to happen, sooner or later. I'm not glad, not sad, just sort of amused. But, the biggest 'player' - Mark - around got to stay in the game. The rest aren't so much players, they're competitive. Mark is really going to have to work something out with them to prevent getting dropped. I also wonder if Dan's going to have some serious issues with the entire team.

Guess I'll just have to watch tonight to find out... Barring any national event, there won't be any interruptions this time.

[MouseWife]

That is right, the part about the divorced couple was cut out because of the primaries!! Dah!!! {I guess the clip could be on line?}

Mark~dang but he is one lucky MF. He has pissed people off but he does manage to lose the weight and earn immunity.

Jackie~ I hadn't really looked at her as a 'player' {as the fellows who voted her off said, 'This person has really shown us this is a game'}. When the pink team was voted off, I didn't think too much about her walking around with her coffee cup, chatting up the yellow team, telling them who she thought should go.

But, last show, when she decided that Trent should go. Whoa. That wasn't right. She just basically took it upon herself. I was uncomfortable with that. I didn't like how she made them swear and then threw it in their faces. I think they didn't argue with her as she was coming on too strong. She was the one who had lost the least weight.

I am glad to see she kept up the work at home, I think she needed to go home. She probably fell in to the mother hen role, being the only woman on that team as well as Dans' mom.

I think Dan will have some issues but I was proud of the men who told him they knew he would but that they are a team. I hope that he will become more strong without his mom. And, learn that he can do it without her.

Okay, enough of that but I can't wait for tonight. I am addicted to this show.

3894~ That is amazing to have to consume so few calories. It isn't even 10 a.m. and I've already had about half of that.

And, GD you are so right. No matter what we want, the facts are there how our bodies run. {I forget that you ever had a weight problem}

[Ghoulish Delight]

Originally Posted by MouseWife

And, GD you are so right. No matter what we want, the facts are there how our bodies run. {I forget that you ever had a weight problem}

I've never had a weight problem, but I'm predisposed to it based on my parents. I have been good at catching myself slipping towards a problem and doing something about it short term. But each time, it takes longer to lose the few pounds I put on and would like to take off. So I need to start being serious about managing it now before it becomes a problem.

[BarTopDancer]

If you don't eat enough your body goes into starvation mode. Your metabolism will drop and you won't lose weight.

Here is an about.com link with information on how to calculate how many calories one should eat to maintain and/or lose weight.

Women:
655 + (4.3 x weight in pounds) + (4.7 x height in inches) - (4.7 x age in years)

Men:
66 + (6.3 x weight in pounds) + (12.9 x height in inches) - (6.8 x age in years)

Please note that this formula applies only to adults.

Calculate Activity
Step two: In order to incorporate activity into your daily caloric needs, do the following calculation:

* If you are sedentary : BMR x 20 percent

* If you are lightly active: BMR x 30 percent

* If you are moderately active (You exercise most days a week.): BMR x 40 percent

* If you are very active (You exercise intensely on a daily basis or for prolonged periods.): BMR x 50 percent

* If you are extra active (You do hard labor or are in athletic training.): BMR x 60 percent

Add this number to your BMR.

The result of this formula will be the number of calories you can eat every day and maintain your current weightt. In order to lose weight, you'll need to take in fewer calories than this result.

As you lose weight, you can re-calculate the formula to assess your new BMR.