smartin585's Journal, 10 October 2013

It is called water weight. While I would not endorse any diet that requires you to eat only 500 cals a day it is impossible to gain fat by eating that few calories. Your goal is to lose fat not weight. Search on water weight discussions on the forum, you will find a lot of interesting information. And you will also find that you are not alone, these fluctuations happen to all of us.  

I thought about water weight or retention ,but I drink over a gallon of water a day and I go to the bathroom....constantly...I'm up about 5x during the night going to the bathroom...that makes me wonder how I could possibly be retaining water. But I agree with you that it would seem to be impossible to gain fat with what little I eat. Only two more weeks than I can be a normal person again. On a normal diet this wouldn't stress me out, heck on a normal diet I would only weigh myself 1x a week. This hcg thing says to weigh yourself everyday to make sure you are on track. I"m sure it will be okay tomorrow...sigh... 

500 calories is way, way too little. For your age/gender/current weight you should be at 1200-1400-ish. If someone eats too little calories the body goes into what I call "stranded-on-a-desert-island" mode. The body thinks it is being starved and sloooooooooooows down the metabolism tremendously. It also tries to conserve fat because the body thinks it needs it long term for survival, and will actually cause a loss of muscle mass.  

Wayne...I'm doing hcG, which causes a loss of fat vs muscle (ketosis) . I looked into that before starting this diet...I'm also under the care of a dr while I'm on it. I've read several blogs by people who have done this and have lost fat (not muscle). The metabolism will slow down, but I will also have to do a 3 week maintenance phase in which I will increase my calories to 1200 and exercise like a normal person (now I can only bike or jog just 1 mile) and it should go back to normal. I was honestly looking for an easy way to lose fat...i've gained so much weight over the past few months that I just want it off. My energy level hit the floor. I am tall (5'10) so I can weigh 190 and still look great (provided I work out). I thought dropping a lot fast would get me motivated again to get the rest of the weight off. I've spent the last two years in Egypt eating horrible food at the chow hall...no choices...near the end I gave up and ate cheese sandwiches everyday for a few months..that didn't help. Then I got back to America and ate everything I couldn't eat for two years...I gained 20 lbs in two month...yes just two months...that is a lot to gain in such a short period. While I was not exercising at the time, I truly don't believe I was eating enough to gain that much weight...but there it was...hcG had been recommended by some friends and it worked for them so here I am...doing super low cal. This ends on Oct 28..then I will transition to a mostly paleo diet (no refined foods...sugars or grains, but I will probably keep in small amounts of dairy). So I agree with everyone...500 cals a day is CRAZY, but I have committed myself to 30 days of it and I will finish. Then I will never do it again!!! 

Wayne is right, 500 calories a day is way too little to be eating and be healthy!! Your body does go into starvation mode, and your metabolism slows way down. You start to lose muscle mass, instead of gaining muscle, and it stores everything you eat as fat, to be used to fuel your body against the day that you get more food to burn. Believe me , I've been there. I have done the research too. You WANT to gain smooth muscle mass, as that burns fat!! You may gain that little bit, say that half a pound you gained, in muscle weight, but you LOSE inches!! A 500 calorie diet is just begging to fail in my opinion. The best way to take off the weight is SLOWLY!! The slow weight loss stays off, and doesn't rebound like a bungee jump!! That is really hard on your system too. Any diet that restricts you to 500 calories is not good. You might see instant results, but in the long run it just doesn't hold up. I've been battling my weight for years, and finally found out how to do it easily and simply. I wish you the best of luck. Give me a yell if you need to talk. I sent you a buddy request.  

I have heard a lot of good things about Paleo. Well, I'm glad at least that you are under a doctor's care during this. Be careful on your way to October 28th- I'm sure you'll be happy when you are able to start eating a bit more. If you need any support the Buddy system is awesome on FS, I couldn't have lost close to 30 pounds without everyone's support here! 

Thank you guys!! I definitely need the support...weight has always been a struggle for me. I have tons of friends, but none of them understand this struggle...the eat what they want and workout when they want and never have the huge gains/losses that I have experienced. They look at me like I'm a weirdo when I talk about having to be very careful about what I eat or drink. I know part of it is psychological...my relationship with food hasn't been healthy. I'm hoping that this transition to Paleo will be what I need...not a diet but a healthier way of eating and looking at food. Glad I've got y'all with me on this journey!! 

Glad to be here to help and support you! I also heard good things about Paleo. I'm just glad I found FS when I did. I never counted calories before, I just watched my portions, and dropped the starchry carbs and sugars. My problem was I never stuck to it long. I always slid back into my old way of eating. Now I have the support I need, and lots of encouragement from all my buddies!! I have found that when I log everything, it helps keep me accountable to myself, and lets me see my progress! Keep up your great work, and I hope you get through this mini trial quickly and safely!! Glad you are under a DR care too! =^.^= 

Good luck! I just want echo the earlier comments that I'm glad you are keeping this phase of your diet short term and doctor directed. I hope it helps, or at least that you can hang on until the next phase where you allow for a less restrictive way of eating. I agree with Ingria that slow and steady is what will most likely give lasting results, but I know how frustrating it is when it looks like you have Everest to scale and you are standing at the base. 

Agree with all posters above who say your calories are way too low. I know this is a temporary diet plan for you and you said you wanted to lose the weight FAST, but remember, if it comes off fast it's not likely to stay off. I recommend focusing on your health and expecting a slow and gradual weight loss with an eating and exercise plan that fits into your lifestyle, and does not leave you starving or feeling deprived. Changing a body permanently requires a change in your life, not a quick fix. Embrace the slow pace of healthy weight loss knowing that you are getting healthier. 

Eek... this sounds super drastic and I'm amazed that any doctor would endorse such a thing as calories really are way too low. It's good to hear that this is only for a short period... but just becareful you don't permanently damage your metabolism by eating so low. I too believe that "slow and steady wins the race" and nothing wrong with eating carbs... just aim for wholewheat / wholemeal and weigh everything. Just a thought, has the doc tested your thyroid if you put on 20lbs in such a short period? I've recently been diagnosed with an underactive thyroid which makes weightloss harder, but not impossible. I wish you every success though... just please be careful. 

Hey, MoonLite, with your under active thyroid, did you have severely dry skin and irregular periods as symptoms? I've had both of those for the past 6 months and read yesterday that they are two of the symptoms of hypothyroidism. I don't want to run to my doctor just yet, but just curious if you've had similar issues. Thanks.