Expert: Reverend Abbott - 3/28/2007

Question
Hello, I have a question about my metabolism, and while I know that there is not a lot of information on the subject, I need to ask (because I am pretty depressed right now)

I was an overweight child who got little exercise. Then, one day I started severly restricting and over exercising. This went on for five years. I got down to about 110 lb. During the first year, it worked great. Then, I started gaining weight back even though I was exercising more and more and eating less and less. The next four years were a losing battle, my weight steadily climbing while I did nothing. When I did try to recover the first time, I gained weight even more rapidly (and then I started restricting again, and couldn't lose the weight). So I finally hit bottom and realized that if I starved I gained weight anyway, so why starve?

So I am on my second time recovering and I have been for about a month or two. My problem is that I can not stop gaining weight. I passed the average mark and am now about five pounds overweight, and it doesn't even stop there.

I am 5'6" and 156-160 lb. I have my period again (I lost it for about four of those years).

I know all about diet and exercise and I can rightfully say that I am a saint. I eat 5-6 small meals a day while getting the right amount of lean protein, good fat, and complex carbohydrates, along with plenty of fruits and veggies. I exercise every day (at least walking), I pump iron every other day for an hour, and I do 40 min-1 hr of cardio every other day. I never eat sugar or fast food.

The only wierd eating habit I still have is that I eat breakfast at midnight. I eat around 1500 cal a day now, I ate 200 cal a day at the lowest (even though I was at 150 lb at that time!!)

Honestly, I am at my wits end, I have seen a nutritionist (they tell me what I already know), I have trained with a personal trainer. Yet I continue to gain weight.

What I can't stand is that everybody thinks that I must binge or eat too much to be that weight, and it makes it hard for me because it is like they are encouraging me to start starving myself again.

What I am asking is, have you ever heard of a case like mine? How long will it take to get my metabolism back to normal (how long did it take you)? HOW can I get it back to normal?

Any help would be much appreciated, I don't think I can continue on like this.

Thank you

Answer
Yes, I've heard of this, have personally experienced this and you CAN continue.  You're a strong, well educated person (obvious) who needs to deal with weight issues by jettisoning the scale - launching it right out the door and running over it with the car (SOO empowering!).

There - that little problem is now over. Never let it into your life again.

How do you know how you're doing? How are you feeling? How are your clothes fitting?  "Fat pants" (stretch pants, sweat pants) are NOT allowed in your home any more than scales are.
 There - another problem solved.

As for eating breakfast at  midnight? If you're up at midnight and you want breakfast - then go right ahead.  It's nonsense that eating at night will make us fat. What makes us fat is eating 3,500 calories more than our bodies need (= 1 lb weight gain).

Of course you now know that starving only triggers weight GAIN by lowering our metabolism by burning muscle first - adding to fat storeage to survive the perceived famine. It may take a while for the body to get right again.
 My recovery remarkably took less than 6 months, but I attribute that to whole grains. Seriously!  I had no idea of how much a difference this would make.  That and 'good fats' like peanut butter (who knew?).  
 All those years I thought I was a vegetarian, I was just a starch'aholic (rice, pasta, breads).  Oh I still eat them, but about half as much and lots more vegetables.

 Now, as for what anyone else thinks?  Do I really have to say it?  
 We are given one life - OUR OWN. Next time someone talks about YOUR weight - ask them if it's just yours they're making a record of or if they're keeping track of everyone they meet, and gee, does it pay well? Do they have time for anything else in their lives? When they go to bed at night, are thinking about you every night or do certain people have certain nights designated?  

 What's SOOO wrong with their lives that they need yours to be concerned with?

Live for you.  Not a number, not a size, not an image. What will be remembered after you're gone won't be any of that.

 See my page if you'd like www.GetTheReal.info

 You can write anytime.