Cycling calories

[gymrat]

If you currently cycle calories or if you've done it in the past, what was your caloric range and how long did you cycle your calories? When you stopped, did you do any sort of graduation back up to your off-day calories?

My metabolism has been in a coma and I'm trying to revivie it. I lost a signficant amount of weight in the last couple of years but I did it with caloric starvation because I didn't know better. When I tried to return to what is a healthier caloric restriction, I put on about 25 lbs and now I'm trying to lose that in a healthy way. I'm eating about 1200 calories one day and the next day I'll eat between 1600-1800 calories. I'm a personal trainer with a very active job and I work out six days a week. I do know that 1200 is low but even though my BMR is 1650, I cannot lose weight eating that amount and at this point, I'm taking the advice I've read here so many times and experimenting to find something that will work for me. Thanks in advance for any suggestions!

[nic6paul]

are you male or female? Im thinking female by the amount you eat...but you never know. Well for me on my calorie cycle Three days a week i eat 3800 cals, two days i eat 3000 calories, one day is 2500, and one day is 2000 which ends up equaling 3100 cals at the end of the week....keep in mind i do need to drop calories down so that i can start losing weight constantly. But all in all i have lost 3 pounds in two weeks. So it seems to be working.

[sickwitit]

best thing to do it on weight training days eat your normal amount then on non-weight trainign days eat less. An amount less but what i found is 35 percent of my calories less. This way your body can't get used to it and the metabolism doesnt stall.

[sooner_ed]

Originally Posted by gymrat

I work out six days a week.

Define work out. Weights? Cardio?
To jumpstart that metabolism, I recommend running. For me, running stokes my metabolism like nothing else.
If you're lifting, it also depends on your goals there as well. If you're trying to maximize muscle gains, running will not help you maximize gains in that area. If you're simply wanting to lose weight, lifting and running will do it.
Then again, it depends on how much weight your body will realistically let you lose. If you don't have that much to lose, given your body frame, then it will be more difficult to lose the weight. I'm sure you know the more weight you have to lose, the easier it is to lose.
Nonetheless, more directly, if you're just trying to stoke your metabolism, running (at least for me) is the ticket.

[gymrat]

Originally Posted by sooner_ed

Define work out. Weights? Cardio?
To jumpstart that metabolism, I recommend running. For me, running stokes my metabolism like nothing else.
If you're lifting, it also depends on your goals there as well. If you're trying to maximize muscle gains, running will not help you maximize gains in that area. If you're simply wanting to lose weight, lifting and running will do it.
Then again, it depends on how much weight your body will realistically let you lose. If you don't have that much to lose, given your body frame, then it will be more difficult to lose the weight. I'm sure you know the more weight you have to lose, the easier it is to lose.
Nonetheless, more directly, if you're just trying to stoke your metabolism, running (at least for me) is the ticket.

Both. I do 5-6 days of cardio (about an hour) and I weight train intensely about two days a week. Funny you should mention running... I have been exercising for years and have always had trouble with running probably because I'm asthmatic. (Which I always thought was strange since I kickbox and do step classes and those are very cardio-intense.) My stubbornness refuses to let running "beat" me so last week I started a running program that I found on coolrunning.com. It's their "couch potato to 5K" program and it goes very slow. The first week went well and I'm optimistic about the next week. I think my problem before was trying to do too much too soon because the baby steps are working out much better.

By the way Ed, I don't post a lot here but I read frequently and you are so inspiring. I think you've done a fantastic job and you are definitely a role model for people wanting to get started. I had to make major life changes in the way I eat as I was born in the Midwest and we eat pretty poorly. Now, when my family comes to visit they find tofu and whole wheat pasta in the pantry and insist that we go out to eat.

[Lady C]

Originally Posted by gymrat

I'm eating about 1200 calories one day and the next day I'll eat between 1600-1800 calories. I'm a personal trainer with a very active job and I work out six days a week.

Originally Posted by gymrat

I do 5-6 days of cardio (about an hour) and I weight train intensely about two days a week.

Ok that is your problem for that much activity you are eating way TOO LITTLE. I work out half as much and eat more than you. I would bump you minimum intake to 1500 and your maximum to 2000 OR cut back the carido to 3-4 days maximum.

Also the quality of the diet is a HUGE factor. An example would help.

[sooner_ed]

Originally Posted by gymrat

By the way Ed, I don't post a lot here but I read frequently and you are so inspiring. I think you've done a fantastic job and you are definitely a role model for people wanting to get started.

Thank you for the kind words gymrat. I think you give way too much credit though!
I started my exercise program March 1st, 2004. February 28th, 2005, I will be taking pics again. Then I will post my 3-1-04 and 2-28-05 pics for a one year before and after thing. I will also include a pic of my new weightlifting equipment.
So in about three weeks, get ready for some new pics. I'm really looking forward to seeing what changes have occurred after one year.

[gymrat]

Originally Posted by Lady C

Ok that is your problem for that much activity you are eating way TOO LITTLE. I work out half as much and eat more than you. I would bump you minimum intake to 1500 and your maximum to 2000 OR cut back the carido to 3-4 days maximum.

Also the quality of the diet is a HUGE factor. An example would help.

When I ate 1800 calories, I gained a signficant amount of weight over the course of a year. Per my doctor's suggestion, I cut back to 1600 calories per day and didn't lose any weight at that amount.

As far as the quality goes, I eat pretty clean... A typical day looks like this:

Breakfast: natural peanut butter and banana on whole wheat toast OR Kashi GoLean Crunch with organic skim milk OR protein pancakes (which are essentially egg whites, cottage cheese, and oats) with a little syrup.

Snack: grapes and granola or a protein bar

Lunch: lentil burgers (made at home w/veggies, lentils and smoked cheese), and a salad

Snack: banana yogurt shake (bananas, yogurt, vanilla and splenda) OR veggies and roasted red pepper hummus

Dinner: Tofu and black bean burritos with whole wheat tortillas, some type of vegetable (usually broccoli or green beans), strawberries

[Lady C]

hmm. . that diet is pretty good. Maybe you just need to be more patient. After the metabolism is screwed up for a long period it just take time to get back into "normal" mode. The 25 lbs are probably just a rebound thing. How long did it take to put on the 25 and how long have you been trying to take it off?

[gymrat]

Originally Posted by Lady C

hmm. . that diet is pretty good. Maybe you just need to be more patient. After the metabolism is screwed up for a long period it just take time to get back into "normal" mode. The 25 lbs are probably just a rebound thing. How long did it take to put on the 25 and how long have you been trying to take it off?

It took me about 3 or 4 months to put it on and I've been trying to take it off for a good 8 months now. I've been to my doctor and she's stumped as well. I've seen registered dieticians and had my BMR checked (which came out at 1650 but given my body's reaction to more calories, I'm not very sure that's accurate). I understand what you're saying about the metabolism rebounding... I understand that's common. However, I've read that generally takes about 8 weeks or so and I'm way past that. That's why I'm trying to go about this as scientifically as possible to try different methods and start eliminating what doesn't work.

[CF-OC_gal]

It looks like you are a vegetarian. Can you eat some fish or organic meat? I'm asking because your much of your protein sources are also starchy carb sources. Continually eating high in carbs means more weight in fluid retention.

(lentils, beans, wheat, granola chickpeas/hummus)

By the way, are you the same PT named "gymrat" on the iVillage Gymrats board?

What about thyroid? I have heard of women having to pester their doctors about thyroid tests because one is not enough and not always accurate.
So many women struggle with doctors and specialists to get their medication right at which time their weight comes off. If you have thyroid problems things like tea and soy products are not good to consume on a regular basis if you are on thyroid meds.

Here is a list of symptoms of Hypothyroidism :

Fatigue
Weakness
Weight gain or increased difficulty losing weight
Coarse, dry hair
Dry, rough pale skin
Hair loss
Cold intolerance (can't tolerate the cold like those around you)
Muscle cramps and frequent muscle aches
Constipation
Depression
Irritability
Memory loss
Abnormal menstrual cycles
Decreased libido

[gymrat]

Originally Posted by Brat

It looks like you are a vegetarian. Can you eat some fish or organic meat? I'm asking because your much of your protein sources are also starchy carb sources. Continually eating high in carbs means more weight in fluid retention.

(lentils, beans, wheat, granola chickpeas/hummus)

By the way, are you the same PT named "gymrat" on the iVillage Gymrats board?

What about thyroid? I have heard of women having to pester their doctors about thyroid tests because one is not enough and not always accurate.
So many women struggle with doctors and specialists to get their medication right at which time their weight comes off. If you have thyroid problems things like tea and soy products are not good to consume on a regular basis if you are on thyroid meds.

Here is a list of symptoms of Hypothyroidism :

Fatigue
Weakness
Weight gain or increased difficulty losing weight
Coarse, dry hair
Dry, rough pale skin
Hair loss
Cold intolerance (can't tolerate the cold like those around you)
Muscle cramps and frequent muscle aches
Constipation
Depression
Irritability
Memory loss
Abnormal menstrual cycles
Decreased libido

Yes, it's one and the same. :

I'm not actually a vegetarian. I sometimes call myself a part-time vegetarian because I don't generally eat a lot of meat. Today though, I am having chicken and beef so it just depends...

I wondered about thyroid issues as well and had a blood panel done in August. Everything came back clean. I suppose I could insist on more tests?

[Lady C]

I would try increasing the protein some and reducing the starchy carbs some. When you get hungry add in more veggies. Try this for 3-4 weeks and see if it makes a difference.

[gymrat]

Originally Posted by Lady C

I would try increasing the protein some and reducing the starchy carbs some. When you get hungry add in more veggies. Try this for 3-4 weeks and see if it makes a difference.

I often get about 100 grams of protein per day (and obviously, it's easier to hit this when I'm eating more) so I really don't think that'll make a difference. I looked back at what I posted for my menu and I have to respectfully disagree about the starchy carbs... I can't wrap my head around the fact that my whole wheat toast and whole wheat tortilla are somehow causing problems. I'm already eating a lot of veggies and I think if I added more, I'd stop enjoying them and it would become a chore vs. a pleasure.

[Lady C]

Originally Posted by gymrat

Breakfast: whole wheat toast OR Kashi GoLean Crunch OR protein pancakes (oats).
Snack: granola
Lunch: lentil burgers
Snack: roasted red pepper hummus
Dinner: black bean burritos with whole wheat tortillas,

In your example - I removed all foods except the starchy carbs. Each meal has starchy carbs. I think you would be better off only eating starchy carbs around your workout times. But since you are a trainer that may not work. I eat starchy carbs usually once or twice per day. The rest are veggies - usually fiberous ones. It can't hurt to try it for a few weeks. I am trying to help you understand how your body does or doesn't respond to various foods.