Help! Weight Loss Not Working

[freyasam]

Yeah, being told that "girls need a smack in their face" doesn't exactly invite participation.

 

[charlie]

Charlie, didn't you ban superhuman? What happened to that comment you wrote?

Yes I did. Then superhuman apologized and said he would stop with the language. I thought he was sincere and gave him another chance. Then a few minutes later there is the "slap" comment.

A 2 week ban has been imposed.

 

[freyasam]

Thank you.

 

[messtafarian]

He's gotta be doing it on purpose. Who would not know that's offensive?

 

[schultz]

CALORIES IN CALORIES OUT!!!

get enough protein, focus on carbs and limit fat.

These 2 sentences contradict each other. If it's just a case of CICO, then the second sentence would be untrue/unneccessary.

And if the second sentence is true, then you're saying CICO does not apply.

Why can't both of these sentences be true?

Fatloss is calories in, calories out. The calories "out" part is not static though, it can vary based on many things, including the type and ratio of macros. Also, someone said that they stay the same weight eating both 3,000 calories and 2,000 calories. I don't see why something like this couldn't happen. In the 3,000 cal scenario the body could ramp up the metabolism and burn more calories and in the 2,000 calorie scenario the body could slow down the metabolism compensating for the lowered energy intake.

In one of the Politics and Science episodes (I think it was P&S) Ray mentions Russian research on the brain and says the brain can vary tremendously in the amount of calories it burns based on its level of stimulation and that a lot of people don't take that into consideration when they talk about how many calories a person burns. Does anybody know what I'm talking about in regards to this? I think he was also talking about treadmill walking versus a scenic walk outdoors or something... (unless this was all a dream I had... )

 

[nikotrope]

Yes he said somewhere walking in the forest was stimulating the brain more than walking in a normal setup so you'd burn more energy. He also said it was more relaxing I think.

I am the one who doesn't lose weight whatever the calorie intake. I may lose a few hundred grams in the first days then stop probably because like you said my body adapt quickly (I suppose a healthy body would make the adaption over a longer period of time).

I did a few months at 1300kcal calories in the past (when my metabolism was very bad and I would gain weight at 1800-2000kcal) and lost 10kg. But my metabolism eventually totally crashed and my weight loss stopped. So while I don't fully disagree that eating less make you lose weight, I disagree with the simplistic view that calorie and macronutrient management is the only thing that works and that it works 100% of the time.

 

[dd99]

In one of the Politics and Science episodes (I think it was P&S) Ray mentions Russian research on the brain and says the brain can vary tremendously in the amount of calories it burns based on its level of stimulation and that a lot of people don't take that into consideration when they talk about how many calories a person burns. Does anybody know what I'm talking about in regards to this? I think he was also talking about treadmill walking versus a scenic walk outdoors or something... (unless this was all a dream I had... )

I agree with this. I've just started a very interesting new job and I've been consuming an extra 500-750 calories a day for the past month, with no fat gain. Interestingly, that's just on days I'm at work - on weekends, if I ate that much, I'd feel stuffed.

 

[cout12]

Why can't both of these sentences be true?

Fatloss is calories in, calories out. The calories "out" part is not static though, it can vary based on many things, including the type and ratio of macros. Also, someone said that they stay the same weight eating both 3,000 calories and 2,000 calories. I don't see why something like this couldn't happen. In the 3,000 cal scenario the body could ramp up the metabolism and burn more calories and in the 2,000 calorie scenario the body could slow down the metabolism compensating for the lowered energy intake.

Maybe that's why some people swear by intermittent fasting, if the body takes time to adapt to lower calorie in theory intermittent fasting could work. Never tried it though.

 

[Sea]

I think that to lose body fat you should try to increase your metabolism by choosing the types of foods that do this best, while limiting the types of foods that cause digestive problems.

I think that the more food you are able to eat, without causing digestive problems, the faster your metabolism will increase and the lower body fat% you will achieve.

I think that if you have digestive troubles you should take antimicrobial herbs, pepto-bismol, aspirin or antibiotics. While making your diet higher in carbohydrates and lower in fat until you are able to kill off some bacteria.

I think that if you restrict calories, you will lose weight, but won't necessarily lose body fat and any losses won't be sustainable.

I think that if you only eat to hunger then your current metabolic rate will be sustained, but won't necessarily increase.

I think that the types of foods that work best to achieve this varies on the state of one's metabolism/digestive capabilities. Personally, I have found that fat free greek yogurt and cottage cheese work well as protein sources for me. I have found that choosing honey, dried fruits, very sugary fruits, and refined grain products work best as carbohydrate sources for me. I also drink a lot of rebull, coffee and coke. I think that it is best to limit fat, especially polyunsaturated fat when your metabolism isn't that fast. I have noticed the best results by eating frequently, even when I am not hungry. I think that the more calories you are able to consume, the faster your body adjusts and increases metabolism which lowers body fat%.

I think most of the people here with slow metabolisms should be trying to consume greater than 3000 calories a day. I usually feel best at around 4000 calories, and when I started with a slower metabolism 5 months ago, I felt best at around 5000 calories a day. I think that the faster your metabolism is, the more efficient you will utilize sugar, and with a slow metabolism you might have a very high need for carbohydrate.

 

[aquaman]

aquaman: WTF are you talking about?


Im saying find your calories that makes you loose weight, get enough protein when you are eating your calories with are at least 80-100 gram wich is 400 kcals. So that liver can detox, and all that s*** RP talks about.
Focus rest on your calorie budget on carbs instead of fat since carb stimulate metabolism and are harder to store as fat then fat.

So please read what im writing ffs. jeezus

If you're not intelligent enough to understand that your comments are mutually exclusive, then there's no point of having a debate with you.

 

[aquaman]

CALORIES IN CALORIES OUT!!!

get enough protein, focus on carbs and limit fat.

These 2 sentences contradict each other. If it's just a case of CICO, then the second sentence would be untrue/unneccessary.

And if the second sentence is true, then you're saying CICO does not apply.

Why can't both of these sentences be true?

Fatloss is calories in, calories out. The calories "out" part is not static though, it can vary based on many things, including the type and ratio of macros.

Because the phrase "Calories In, Calories Out" MEANS that it doesn't matter what macros you get (or the timing of them), it's just the NUMBER of calories. So 2000 calories of fat would be the same as 2000 calories of Carbs, the same as 1000 cals of carbs and 1000 cals of protein.

So you can't say "it doesn't matter what ratio of macros you eat" and then in the next sentence say "It does matter what ratio of macros you eat".

Ya with me?

 

[schultz]

CALORIES IN CALORIES OUT!!!

get enough protein, focus on carbs and limit fat.

These 2 sentences contradict each other. If it's just a case of CICO, then the second sentence would be untrue/unneccessary.

And if the second sentence is true, then you're saying CICO does not apply.

Why can't both of these sentences be true?

Fatloss is calories in, calories out. The calories "out" part is not static though, it can vary based on many things, including the type and ratio of macros.

Because the phrase "Calories In, Calories Out" MEANS that it doesn't matter what macros you get (or the timing of them), it's just the NUMBER of calories. So 2000 calories of fat would be the same as 2000 calories of Carbs, the same as 1000 cals of carbs and 1000 cals of protein.

So you can't say "it doesn't matter what ratio of macros you eat" and then in the next sentence say "It does matter what ratio of macros you eat".

Ya with me?

I think I'm with you, if you mean that the proponents of this type of thinking (CICO), the people who promote this mentality, tend not to think that the type of macros can change a persons metabolic rate. So the "calorie in, calorie out" phrase is associated with this group of people who think that as long as you eat x amount of calories you'll lose weight.

The phrase itself is still true though, it's peoples interpretation of it that is wrong.

 

[schultz]

I found this Ray quote. I mentioned it earlier in this thread. I got it from functionalps site.

“While jogging became popular for preventing heart disease, we were frequently told by experts how many miles a person has to run to burn off a pound of fat. However, in Russia, physiologists always remember to include the brain in their calculations, and it turns out that a walk through interesting and pleasant surroundings consumes more energy than does harder but more boring exercise. An active brain consumes a tremendous amount of fuel.”

 

[thebigpeatowski]

I gained 25 pounds when switching to a RP inspired diet even while my total caloric intake went down. Pre Peat, I'd been eating two pounds of meat a day due to insatiable appetite. When I started eating lots of fruit, I was able to reduce my intake of (fatty) meat substantially. So total calories went down. And I still gained a lot of fat. Waist measurement went up considerably. I did not gain muscle--I became even weaker.

So I guess it's not as easy as you write.

I gained 35 pounds when switching to RP foods....if you were previously eating a low-carb high fat diet, then you will be UNABLE to utilize the sugars that you are eating.

I made myself fully diabetic and destroyed my metabolism despite eating no sugar or grains for three years.

If the sugars can't get in to the cells to be used for energy it gets stored as fat. You have to get back to oxidizing glucose....I will be the first one to admit that this is easier said than done, but it CAN BE DONE.

You need to believe that it can be done and you need to be very persistent. It's a terrifying place to be, I was frightened out of my mind and depressed on top of it all. Be sure to get some thyroid meds.

 

[Peata]

I think that to lose body fat you should try to increase your metabolism by choosing the types of foods that do this best, while limiting the types of foods that cause digestive problems.

I think that the more food you are able to eat, without causing digestive problems, the faster your metabolism will increase and the lower body fat% you will achieve.

I think that if you have digestive troubles you should take antimicrobial herbs, pepto-bismol, aspirin or antibiotics. While making your diet higher in carbohydrates and lower in fat until you are able to kill off some bacteria.

I think that if you restrict calories, you will lose weight, but won't necessarily lose body fat and any losses won't be sustainable.

I think that if you only eat to hunger then your current metabolic rate will be sustained, but won't necessarily increase.

I think that the types of foods that work best to achieve this varies on the state of one's metabolism/digestive capabilities. Personally, I have found that fat free greek yogurt and cottage cheese work well as protein sources for me. I have found that choosing honey, dried fruits, very sugary fruits, and refined grain products work best as carbohydrate sources for me. I also drink a lot of rebull, coffee and coke. I think that it is best to limit fat, especially polyunsaturated fat when your metabolism isn't that fast. I have noticed the best results by eating frequently, even when I am not hungry. I think that the more calories you are able to consume, the faster your body adjusts and increases metabolism which lowers body fat%.

I think most of the people here with slow metabolisms should be trying to consume greater than 3000 calories a day. I usually feel best at around 4000 calories, and when I started with a slower metabolism 5 months ago, I felt best at around 5000 calories a day. I think that the faster your metabolism is, the more efficient you will utilize sugar, and with a slow metabolism you might have a very high need for carbohydrate.

Sea, I don't know if you're still around, but I just saw your post and a lot of what you wrote has been true for me in increasing metabolism. However I'm not eating 3000 calories. But there are signs my metabolism is increasing, I just still haven't lost any weight.

 

[Sea]

I think that to lose body fat you should try to increase your metabolism by choosing the types of foods that do this best, while limiting the types of foods that cause digestive problems.

I think that the more food you are able to eat, without causing digestive problems, the faster your metabolism will increase and the lower body fat% you will achieve.

I think that if you have digestive troubles you should take antimicrobial herbs, pepto-bismol, aspirin or antibiotics. While making your diet higher in carbohydrates and lower in fat until you are able to kill off some bacteria.

I think that if you restrict calories, you will lose weight, but won't necessarily lose body fat and any losses won't be sustainable.

I think that if you only eat to hunger then your current metabolic rate will be sustained, but won't necessarily increase.

I think that the types of foods that work best to achieve this varies on the state of one's metabolism/digestive capabilities. Personally, I have found that fat free greek yogurt and cottage cheese work well as protein sources for me. I have found that choosing honey, dried fruits, very sugary fruits, and refined grain products work best as carbohydrate sources for me. I also drink a lot of rebull, coffee and coke. I think that it is best to limit fat, especially polyunsaturated fat when your metabolism isn't that fast. I have noticed the best results by eating frequently, even when I am not hungry. I think that the more calories you are able to consume, the faster your body adjusts and increases metabolism which lowers body fat%.

I think most of the people here with slow metabolisms should be trying to consume greater than 3000 calories a day. I usually feel best at around 4000 calories, and when I started with a slower metabolism 5 months ago, I felt best at around 5000 calories a day. I think that the faster your metabolism is, the more efficient you will utilize sugar, and with a slow metabolism you might have a very high need for carbohydrate.

Sea, I don't know if you're still around, but I just saw your post and a lot of what you wrote has been true for me in increasing metabolism. However I'm not eating 3000 calories. But there are signs my metabolism is increasing, I just still haven't lost any weight.

Hi Peata,

I don't know what you weigh or what your goal weight is, but I think it is important to note that many of us may have the wrong idea about what we should weigh. I am 27 and when I was in good shape, playing wide receiver on my high school football team, I weighed around 155 pounds(<15%bf). Before peating, I weighed around 145 after 1.5 years of low carb paleo with around 17%bf. Now after 7 months of peating I weigh 195 with <15%bf. I haven't really done any exercise, but I weigh 40 pounds more, yet have less body fat than when I started peating, and better body composition than when I weighed less, played football and was working out everyday.

I think that most humans aren't fed a great diet and as a result never reach optimal bone density or muscle mass. Therefore, if we think we are supposed to weigh a certain weight to be at a body composition we had in the past, we may very well be mistaken about what that weight is. Bones and muscle weigh quite a bit, and when you consume a peat diet these things get optimized. Now, I do have more muscle mass/exercise history than the average person, so I don't think everyone should expect to gain as much weight as I did, but I think most people's idea about what they should weigh too look a certain way is probably off a bit. I think that once your metabolism is fast, and you are always above 98 with a good pulse, without supplements, then your body composition will be close to optimal. I don't think there is anyway to sustain a low body fat without increasing the metabolism so that is all I would focus on, while trying to ignore weight in the short term.

Anyways, I think that antibiotics are a good thing to try if you haven't yet because overgrowths are likely when you are hypothyroid and they interfere with metabolism in so many different ways I think it is best to kill off as many bacteria that you can. Minocyline greatly increased my digestion. Carrots, the tetracycline and penicillin classes of antibiotics are the one's that I have heard Peat recommend. I have tried minocyline, penicllin, amoxicillin, ampicillin, and some others and I think its best to experiment to see what works best for you. I don't think you need to take them everyday or in big dosages. I think you should use antibiotics as a way to digest more food and increase total food intake so that the metabolism can increase and kill off the infection that a slower level of metabolism couldn't handle.

I think if you are struggling to eat a lot of calories then it might help to add in commercial type foods that are very calorically dense, but lack polyunsaturated fats. Eating a cereal like Cap N Crunch with milk, or a pasta with cheese can add a lot of mostly harmless calories that should help boost your metabolism. I made a big increase to my metabolism when I started eating the Trader Joe's frozen mac and cheese everyday. Its 720 calories of refined flour and various cheeses in a small dish that takes only 6 minutes to microwave.

I would focus on trying to boost your metabolism by eating whatever tastes good to you, but lacks a lot of polyunsaturated fats. A lot of your diet should be peat approved foods, but I think it can be difficult to only eat those foods, while eating enough calories to increase metabolism the fastest. The foods that you want to eat will cause you to produce to most saliva/enzymes/gastric acid so that you will digest it better. Also, supplements like Aspirin, T3, or coffee will be a lot easier to increase and utilize well, the more food that you eat.

Lastly, I would make sure to occasionally eat some eggs, shellfish, vitamin A supplement or liver to make sure you have the necessary cofacters to increase metabolism, but I really think calories are the most important.

 

[Peat's_Girl]

I know just what you mean. I was quite lean on Paleo and that is sort of the standard that I set for myself now. It's a lot more difficult for girls to be big and get away with it, though. I'd probably have to reasses my "ideal" weight too.

My thoughts on actual strategies:
-> Remove milk for a while. I know it's super anti-Peat but any time I ever stalled on any diet (I've been on many) this was the one thing that helped. I have trouble with milk but I can eat cheese and butter without ill effects.
-> Substitute butter and other fats for coconut oil.
-> Like someone said (sort of), reduce your intake of liquid fructose. For me, transitioning from Paleo to Peat, was hard because sugar messes me up if I consume it by itself/ in liquid form. Plus it's very easy to overdo it in terms of calories and energy. Maybe you have left-over "energy" from replenishing your glycogen stores and though you're not gaining weight, you can't lose it. That's my theory at least.
I even think according to Peat fruit is preferable to any juice or sugar. If it's no ripe, maybe cook it?

And for what it's worth, I prefer husky guys and so do A LOT OF GIRLS ;P
Keep doing what you're doing, it's OBVIOUSLY working and don't stress (stress would make it worse).
One day you might find yourself leaner.
This could be the preferable state of the two (this or being unable to gain any weight or muscle).

 

[Peata]

Hi Sea, and thanks for responding.

Unfortunately, my weight gain is mostly fat. It's all over me, but most noticeable in the belly, which is supposed to be the worst place to carry it. I need to lose 30 pounds at least. I would be happy to lose one pound at this point, as it's been 14 months at least since the unwanted gain started and I couldn't lose any weight.

For the last 1.5 weeks, I've been eating every 2 - 3 hours whether hungry or not, and my metabolism seems to have fired up almost immediately from this. I also make sure to have protein with each meal and I think that has made a huge difference - the balance of protein and carbs at each meal or snack. Almost everything has improved. I never had an issue with pulse, and my pulse is always between 80 - 96. The big thing is the increase in temps. My temps are never lower than 97.9 when I wake, and go up above 98.6 during the day, rarely if ever drop below 98.0 during day now. All this started immediately, within the first 24 hours after I started eating every 2 - 3 hours a balanced meal. I feel warm in extremities and even tip of nose which used to be cold. Energy and mood good. Outer corner of brows filling in again. Sleep is awesome. There are still some issues that may fix with time, but I can live with them if they don't. The only thing I earnestly want to change that has not changed is the stubborn weight.

Before I fixed my metabolism, I tried everything I could think of to get weight loss going - calorie restriction, played with the macros (low fat, no starch, high protein, etc.), tried supplements including caffeine, niacinamide, aspirin, etc, more exercise including weights, etc etc. Now that my metabolism has perked up, I hope the weight loss will come. Maybe I'm eating too many calories. Maybe it's not enough. I've been trying to experiment with raising and lowering them in this warmer state, but haven't seen anything different either way. Frustrating.

I'm happy though otherwise, as I said things are going well. It's just that I know this extra fat, especially in the belly (which looks like a volleyball under my skin, ugh) can't be healthy and is probably keeping my estrogen higher.

I did use antibiotics over the winter but they only seemed to harm my intestines or make no difference. I don't seem to have too many GI issues these days apart from tom.

My pufa intake did creep up a little over the last month (averaging 5 g. daily just this last week) so I'm going to make sure to keep that lower.

If there are any other suggestions based on what I just shared that I'm doing, much appreciated. Thank you.

 

[SQu]

I can confirm what sea says. I put on weight from low carb background in the way bigpeat mentions. It was before peating though. Just by stopping dieting. Recently, it's been dropping. The most was when it was school holidays and I could stay in bed later. this was after stopping low fat and calorie counting. I have cheese every day now and that means without counting calories or macros I know I'm getting fair bit of fat. but I kept fat very low for 3 weeks before this and it may have helped my liver. Otherwise I'm concentrating on food that appeals because as sea says it digests better. not stressing about macros or a bit of starch sometimes I'm sure is helping too. I have a long way to go but am very happy so far. I do take t3 and other supps and eat homecooked foods.I aim to raise metabolism, lower pufa and stress, lower estrogen, digest well , and heal my liver.

 

[EIRE24]

I can confirm what sea says. I put on weight from low carb background in the way bigpeat mentions. It was before peating though. Just by stopping dieting. Recently, it's been dropping. The most was when it was school holidays and I could stay in bed later. this was after stopping low fat and calorie counting. I have cheese every day now and that means without counting calories or macros I know I'm getting fair bit of fat. but I kept fat very low for 3 weeks before this and it may have helped my liver. Otherwise I'm concentrating on food that appeals because as sea says it digests better. not stressing about macros or a bit of starch sometimes I'm sure is helping too. I have a long way to go but am very happy so far. I do take t3 and other supps and eat homecooked foods.I aim to raise metabolism, lower pufa and stress, lower estrogen, digest well , and heal my liver.

Sueq,

When you stopped dieting, in what sense were you dieting? Low calorie and low carb? When you stopped dieting and gained the weight were you eating "the peat diet" as some would say? What did your low fat diet look like?

Sorry for all the questions, I just find it interesting.