Oh god, I need help

Oh god, I need help		a-tizzle
		Jul 25 2008 14:43
Ok, this is my first post here, so I'm a little shakey about what I should be saying... For the longest time (say, 2-3 months) I have been on a 1000-1100 kcal diet with more cardio than anything (doing gym never appealed too me, and as I',m still in school, its hard to get out too a gym), and I kinda miss propper eating (darn my sweet too, you!) and I have a couple of questions: 1) If I increase too the 2500 recomended by CC, will I gain weight right away, or should I slowly build up? 2) I have no idea what I should fill my remaining calories with! I get my 52 grams of Protien, I get low to none fat and I try to keep carbs to a minimum (Except for the last 2 days, I discovered that white bread with salt = GREAT!) What should I fill the remainder with? Also, my cheat days, I tend to LOVE Peanut Butter, If I snack on Peanut Butter thru-out the day, should I class that as my cheat? or Get something else? And now that I think about it, is there a good way to burn the calories from alcohol? I had a theory that drinking 3 litres of water before hand and then drinking, I would more or less, pee some of them out, am I an idiot or is this logic? (calories from booze being liquid ect, ect....) anyway, thats it for now, thanks!

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#1	kristicro	Jul 25 2008 14:50
You may gain a little weight, but if you are doing intense cardio, you really need to eat more. You need carbs (fruits, whole grains), lean meat and protein, veggies, and dairy for your body to function. If you want to work up to the amount you should be eating, then go for a week at 1500, then up it to 2000 the next week. I don't drink at all, so I can't give any weight loss advice on it, but I do know it is empty calories, they have no nutritional value. But if you want to splurge once or twice a week with a drink, then just count the calories and be done with it. You can't counteract calories of any kind by drinking more water. You might want to try some resistance training to mix it up a bit with your body. You can get a set of resistance bands and workout DVD for under $30 and you can do some toning exercises at home. A well rounded exercise and eating plan will be the healthiest for you in the long run. Weight loss is a short-term goal, healthy living is forever.
#2	haley_2008	Jul 25 2008 14:59
Yes you need to eat more but I would SLOWLY add calories back into your diet....like maybe 50 calories per day if you don't want to see a sudden weight increase. Are you eating your fruits and veggies?? Whole grains?? I would slow it down on the peanut butter. You may be taking in more 'fat grams' than you know. Are you counting every calorie you consume? ~H~
#3	lionpaw	Jul 25 2008 14:59
I would definitely eat more. You're probably not getting all the vitamins and minerals you need with that few calories, for one thing. I would also build up slowly. You have effectively been starving yourself, which means your body has lowered its own metabolism to compensate, and it's saving everything it can - every time you eat a little extra, your body says 'YAY! Extra! Save it! Turn it into fat, quick!' The result of this is that for a few weeks after you raise your calories, you WILL gain weight - because your body is storing as much as it can. It will take a few weeks for your body to rearrange itself. Raising your calories slowly should help compensate a little for this. As far as alcohol is concerned, the way to burn off alcohol calories is the same way you burn off any calories. You will not pee any of the alcohol out - your kidneys don't remove it from your bloodstream. You will pee out a lot of the other things that come with alcohol, which should reduce the severity of your hangovers, but you'll still have all the alcohol in your system.
#4	a-tizzle	Jul 25 2008 15:31
So I still have to more or less burn off the booze thru activity? Thats cool, but my question links back to the diet... I find it really easy to cope without carbs, wholemeal break OR white. Is that a big factor? I would say most of my nutrition comes from Soy and fruit/veggies. I take a multi vitamin everyday and Iron/Calcium/Vitamin C suppliments (Vegetarianisim, ftl). Would increasing my fruit/veggie intake cover my lack of calories?
#5	jamminatorr	Jul 25 2008 16:08
This may sound counter-intuitive, but you NEED fats in a healthy diet. Start including more calorie dense good fatty foods. -nuts -avacado -olive oil -fish oils That will bring your calorie count higher.
#6	gi-jane	Jul 25 2008 16:16
Just a word on the alcohol.. There's a lot more going on in a glass of booze than a lot of calories (and drinking water doesn't eliminate them...). So never confuse alcohol with 'food' because they're entirely different things. If you're serious about being healthy then it pays to keep your alcohol intake well under the recommended 14 units a week. If you're 'still at school' should you even be drinking at all? Eat more..... You need carbohydrates, fats, proteins and fruit & vegetables for a balanced diet. You might find this link useful which is specifically aimed at teens http://www.eatwell.gov.uk/agesandstages/teens/
#7	chriiis	Jul 25 2008 17:23
eating under 1200 calories a day is unhealthy for women. To add to jamminatorr's list: organic peanut butter and almond butter are great sources of fat Incorporating healthy fats into your daily diet is a good thing and will not make you gain fat. Eating the wrong fats, and/or exceeding your daily calorie needs will make you gain weight and potentially lead to other health problems. By wrong fats I especially mean trans fat (cut it out completely), too much saturated fat, hydrogenated oils, corn oil, cottonseed oil, margarine.
#8	no_audience	Jul 25 2008 19:15
Hiya a-tizzle! I would suggest building up in 300kcal increments. You may gain a little weight (like 0.5-2 lbs) right when you up it, but trust me it will subside, and go back down to where you are now if you are in a healthy range. Lots of ways to fill those calories in! I would suggest doing this in a healthy way, with cereals, granola bars, and of course peanut butter. Personally I am a peanut butter and banana sandwich fanatic, and I find that those really help to bump the calories up! Other foods? Cheese and grapes! I tend to do 1-2 slices of havarti cheese (240kcal) and 1-2 cups of grapes (~220 kcal). It's really nice, especially on a hot summer day! Any questions, feel free to e-mail. :)
#9	a-tizzle	Jul 25 2008 22:11
OK guys, thanks for all the help! I'm gonns start increasing my intake slowly, 100-150 kcal every 2-3 weeks, to get my body used to all the extra intake. Yesterday was my first total cheat day and I think my body hates me for it, I have never felt to crappy after a day of solid eating/drinking in my life! Oh well, all part of the learning process, I spose! I'm gonna have a Meal replacement thing that my mum had, cause I have been using them, and they have a good balance of what I need for my day, and then some, so its all good! >) Also, should I be aiming at 52 grams of protien a day? That what I read, but I find it hard to get there with my whey and Soy Protiens, am I going about this all the right way? Thanks for all your help guys again, with you guys helping, I know I'll get to my goal! <33333
#10	morrighu	Jul 26 2008 02:48
Here's how to calculate what you SHOULD be consuming for calories so that you don't get yourself into trouble again.... Let's say that you swim for an hour and that burns 650 calories. I'll use myself here, because I don't see your stats. I'm female, 40, 5'8" and 200#. Your calorie deficit should be 500-700 calories per day. My BMR is 1600. 1600 + 650 = 2250 2250 - 700 = 1550 <-- this is what you eat for a 700 calorie deficit. 2250 - 500 = 1750 <-- this is what you eat for a 500 calorie deficit. It's not all that hard :) You can go here - http://www.phord.com/cc/ - plug in your stats and get your BMR.
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