tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-239703775224526488.post7567311490181026343..comments2023-05-03T03:01:09.021-07:00Comments on Screaming Fat Girl: A representative dayscreaming fatgirlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09556199963917842135noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-239703775224526488.post-76915628797620190452010-08-21T23:10:43.087-07:002010-08-21T23:10:43.087-07:00LOL. Everyone is commenting like I've decided ...LOL. Everyone is commenting like I've decided to give some things up already!<br /><br />I'm only going to give things up proportionally and only if it appears to be absolutely necessary to do so. I'll still have it all, just less. <br /><br />However, I hope that things continue at a reasonable pace and I can keep on with this eating plan until "the end". At that point, the plan would be to gradually scale up my eating until my weight remained stable... but that's getting way ahead of myself. I still have a year and 7 or 8 months to get the losing finished before I have to worry about maintaining.<br /><br />Thanks to all for the comments! I really appreciate it!<br /><br />Rebecca: I'm dubious of all of the information about "what it takes" because I think most of the studies are short-term. I think that the body can be reset back to a less spartan level through time as the metabolism and endocrinology may "heal" through time. While I believe previously obese people may require lower calories in general for a short time, I'm not sure that they need to do it forever. I could be wrong, but it's my sense that most studies are really too short to walk away with any permanent notions of what is required. I'm just going to play it by ear, and hope not to stick at 1200 all of the time for a long time. I could do it, but I really don't want to, nor do I want my body to think that's going to be the norm. <br /><br />I'm pretty patient. If I plateau, I'm likely to wait it out rather than cut calories. Also, I'm not getting back on that exercise like a demon bandwagon. I've been there, and it ruled my life and ultimately contributed to my regaining when I couldn't continue doing it. <br /><br />I hope I'm not proven wrong. Fortunately, I'm an individual, and what works or is necessary for everyone else who takes part in short-term clinical studies may not necessarily apply to me. I realize that is more of a hope than anything else, but it is not a vain one. ;-)screaming fatgirlhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09556199963917842135noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-239703775224526488.post-56324461323212867432010-08-21T21:49:15.704-07:002010-08-21T21:49:15.704-07:00Okay, I already commented more than my share, but ...Okay, I already commented more than my share, but I just gotta add this: I vote for keeping the chocolate too! :)<br /><br />-RebeccaAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-239703775224526488.post-3042072754185629982010-08-21T12:09:48.113-07:002010-08-21T12:09:48.113-07:00I don't think you should be too worried about ...I don't think you should be too worried about dropping to 1200 calories, if that becomes necessary, because there are some good studies that show lower calories may be required for continued weight loss. The following post from the "Refuse to Regain" blog explains the concept quite well. The body doesn't inevitably go into *starvation mode* at 1200 calories. On the contrary, when calories drop low enough, for a long enough time, it signals the body to start using fat stores. Of course, I still believe that bodies are different from each other, and that the same body reacts differently under different conditions. My own body becomes more efficient with calories when I am under extreme stress...thus I gain weight easier, or I tend to plateau if I'm restricting calories. I don't know if my metabolism actually changes, or if hormones like cortisol cause changes in insulin resistance (which I suspect), and thus more calories are stored rather than burned, I only know it is a real phenomenon I have observed over decades of closely monitored eating.<br /><br />Here's the aforementioned website: http://refusetoregain.com/refusetoregain/2010/06/why-your-weight-loss-diet-isnt-working.html<br /><br />It is more challenging, in my perspective, to get a well balanced diet on 1200 calories as compared to 1500 or 1600. But like anything else, you can condition yourself to tolerate discomfort when you know that it is a temporary condition. The biggest issue for me has been getting past the changes in my body related to aging. Study after study shows that older women who have never been overweight must exercise 1 hour a day to prevent a 5 lb increase every 3 or so years. I suspect (based on my own experiences and those of several fat and ex-fat friends): formerly obese women must exercise even more than 1 hour to keep the weight off. Or, alternatively, they must cut calories lower than women who have never been obese. <br /><br />It's all quite interesting! One good thing about doing more exercise, as tolerated: regular cardio may help maintain executive functioning in the frontal lobes. That should also help me sort all this information out as time progresses. :)<br /><br />-RebeccaAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-239703775224526488.post-70046390975039267662010-08-21T07:33:02.604-07:002010-08-21T07:33:02.604-07:00Sounds great! And I say to keep the chocolate. Dep...Sounds great! And I say to keep the chocolate. Deprivation forever just doesn't last...forever.NewMehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11172571318565002724noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-239703775224526488.post-77472459598518726922010-08-21T06:49:26.865-07:002010-08-21T06:49:26.865-07:00It's all about what you can live with. I'...It's all about what you can live with. I'd keep the chocolate and the pretzels!Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01219895604370083732noreply@blogger.com