From naturally thin to needing to lose some pounds
My life as a formerly naturally thin person (5’6” varying within 120-135 pounds), and now someone who is in the slightly overweight category who has some trouble with CICO and losing weight (5’6” varying within 150-160 pounds).
I had read the post about the habits of the OP’s naturally thin friends (from about a week ago) and it got me thinking. I used to think I could eat anything and not gain weight. Whenever I did gain weight it was from being sedentary and lifestyle changes (such as not being able to get up and walk or playing a sport). For example, when I was naturally skinny, I would eat bad food but now that I think about it, it would be likely only once a day.
I would eat half a pound of American cheese slice by slice with a can of soda and be absolutely stuffed. It would take me a few hours to eat it. I looked that up and it’s 630 calories, plus the 150 or so for the soda. That’s about 800 calories for the day. I wouldn’t really eat anything else except perhaps snack on strawberries and have a couple of bites of spiced chicken breast on the bone and salad lathered with olive oil for dinner.
When I worked at a farm, I ate 8 ears of roasted corn for the day, a chocolate chip cookie or two and nothing else. I wasn’t into soda unless it was paired with full fat cheese. When I DID gain weight (up to 5-10 pounds), it was because I ate things like an entire baked ziti with soda every single night, and drank wine or beer those days too, and a sandwich for lunch and Snackwells or something. But if I went back to my better lifestyle (such as summertime), I would be out and about roller-blading or working and not eat pasta at all (just because it wasn’t convenient).
When I was naturally thin, I would eat half a cheese sandwich with a 20 oz coke for lunch and maybe eat some chicken and salad for dinner with a handful of pasta on the side. This is all when I was about 110-115 pounds. I was FULL after that half sandwich.
I think my body in some ways naturally craved the right amount of calories for maintenance.
Now that I am overweight and trying to lose it, my body is craving the right amount of calories for maintenance still.
So, it’s not like thin people have some superhuman control. They just eat until they are full.
Gaining weight, past maintenance calories on the other hand, for me was usually due to lifestyle changes that made eating at maintenance difficult. For example, if I worked long hours, sitting in a chair or if I was on the computer every day instead of rehearsing for a play or a sport. Then I’d pile on the pounds, and even when I went back to more activity my body wanted to maintain. So if I could go back in time and change something, it would be to realize at 120 pounds that I could in fact gain weight, and it wasn’t due to some superior metabolism but that I was active and eating right for my size. I wouldn’t allow myself to just sit around and eat. Now it’s so much harder because my body craves the extra calories.
I also noticed I gained weight after I started drinking coffee (with milk and sugar) in the morning before work. I love coffee like that, and I especially love it during the long winters. I used to not eat until lunch naturally. I wonder if that hit of sugar or breaking the fast in the morning caused some of it…
So this is relatively new to me, this having to lose weight thing, and I wonder, how do you deal with feeling too fat to join an exercise group? For example, I was thinking of going to a yoga class today but the idea of putting on my workout pants when I feel bigger makes me anxious. I would almost rather lose some weight CICO than go to the gym and put on things that aren’t comfortable. Long ramble over, but just wanted to share my thoughts in response to that post. Wishing everyone here good luck.
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