Anyone else have this problem?

[Droopy]

I only eat one meal a day and then I might have a snack later on. It's usually a big meal, but not huge. Like today I went to a Mexican restaraunt and had their Grande Burrito Fajita. It's a burrito stuffed with steak, green peepers, onions, beans and topped with melted cheese. It takes up the size of the plate they bring it out on. I might have a small bag of chips or a pastry later on tonight. And I might not. I drink diet pop and water.

The problem is that I'm 5'10" and 250 lbs. I've been holding steady at that weight for a long time. That one meal a day I eat is big, but not 250 lbs. big. At least I wouldn't think so. I'm sort of muscular, but I'm not built like a linebacker. When I was in my early twenties I weighed around 210 and I looked fit. And I ate considerably more than I do now.

What do you think the source of the problem might be?

[GCP]

1. How old are you now and how much exercise do you get?

After around age 30 our metabolic rate decreases by about 10% a year, even if everything else stays the same, so even if you eat the same (or less) than you did when you were 18, you're still fighting a losing battle against weight gain. You have to exercise regularly just to stay at a stable weight. It's a bitch.

[Droopy]

6. I'm 32

And I do not get a lot of exercise, but I get some with walking. I suppose I could use more exercise, but it doesn't seem like with my diet that I would weigh this much even if I didn't exercise.

[Vincardog]

2. You do not eat enough. Your body thinks it is starving so it will not burn

any calories. Your metabolism does not start until you eat breakfast.

[Droopy]

10. But I don't get hungry

I'd probably eat more if I got hungry. I don't feel like I'm in starvation mode.

[Cuban_Liberal]

3. It doesn't take as many calories to stay at a given weight...

... as it does to achieve that weight initially, Droopy. In addition, eating only once a day induces your body to react in 'starvation mode', whereby your metabolism actually changes and your body responds by converting even more calories into fat.

I might suggest that you eat several smaller meals throughout the day, for starters, and make them less fat-laden and meat-protein dependent. More vegetables, fresh fruit and whole grains will give you not only more balanced nutrition, but fruits and vegetables, being water-dense foods, will make you feel 'full' while at one and the same time reducing your overall caloric intake.

Do you exercise much? If not, an hour a day of even moderate exercise (walking, e.g.) can produce significant weight loss, when coupled with a reduced-calorie diet.

:)

[gmoney]

4. some say that's the wrong approach

that you're better off "grazing" throughout the day on smaller meals... even five or six small meals or snacks.

The theory is that fasting causes the body to store fat and calories, so if your essentially fasting 22 hours a day, you're tricking your body into thinking food is scarce, so you keep the weight on.

Multiple light meals lets the body know that there's no need to prepare for scarcity.

Of course, louging in the DU Lounge doesn't help.

Take it with a grain of salt... I'm way too heavy myself.

[calico1]

5. Its the way you are consuming your calories.

If you eat only one meal a day you are not "stoking your furnace" so to speak. In order for your metabolism to be higher you have to eat smaller meals and more frequently. Its a hard concept to understand but true. If you eat 2,000 a day you should try to spread them out rather than eat one big meal and a little snack. That way you will be firing up your metabolism every time you eat and this will eventually increase your metabolism.

[bearfan454]

7. Get rid of carbs and sugar.

I lost 80 lbs that way last year and I'm 48. I gained 35 back from eating like a pig and eating whatever I wanted to(carbs and sugar).

[Left Is Write]

8. You're confusing your metabolism.

You don't eat enough, or at least often enough. Your body goes into starvation mode, slowing your metabolism in an effort to hang onto every calorie.

Your best bet: eat breakfast within an hour of waking up in the morning to kickstart your metabolism. Don't go more than 3-4 hours without having something to eat. Exercise regularly, several times a week. These will all help rev up your metabolism. It also helps if you can combine a protein with a carbohydrate for each meal or snack.

If you want to rev it up even more - lift weights to help increase your lean muscle mass. Muscle mass burns more calories than does fat mass.

[Droopy]

12. As far as eating more often goes

I think my schedule could be a problem. I get up at around noon, do my morning ritual and then head out to get something to eat. Six days a week at about 5pm I go to work and work until 1am. I might be able to catch a snack in that time period, but that's about it. When I get off work I'm not hungry and go home and hang out on the computer for a little while before going to bed at 3am. I don't get hungry throughout the day. Even if I have a snack it's more out of habit than hunger. I don't feel like I'm in starvation mode.

[hippiechick]

9. You're eating the wrong stuff ...

Starchy things get stored for usage later, ie - they turn into fat.
And by only eating one full meal a day, your body chemistry isn't sure when that next meal will be, so it stores as much as possible. And I think as we get older, our bodies process foods differently.

Grazing, as a previous poster mentioned, as well as loading up on healthier things (cheese cubes, peanuts, raw veggies) will give you lower cal quick energy and not convert to flab.

I live on a 'modified Atkins' (can't live without milk, fruit and veggies) -- have basically eliminated pastas, rices, breads and potatoes from my diet. I walk 3-4 miles a day, and have lost 9 lbs since last spring. And I feel ALOT better.


Good luck !


:hippie:

[salvorhardin]

11. You might be intersted in this article

http://www.techcentralstation.com/113004E.html

[Droopy]

13. Thanks for the link. n/t

[Droopy]

15. Interesting

I don't know about that "set weight" theory. When I attempted to quit smoking a few years back I couldn't stop eating and got up to 280 lbs. I started smoking again, but ironically started lifting weights as well. I got down to about 230 before I stopped lifting weights and then jumped up to 250. That's where I've been ever since.

[sandnsea]

14. calories

You might be getting a whole lot more calories from that one big meal than you think you are. Plus alot of fat and carb calories, just like from your late night snack. That you eat without exercise before you go to sleep? I don't eat alot either, but unless I change my diet, I don't lose weight. And when you get older, you have to either exercise and add muscle to burn calories; or diet, preferably both I guess.