So, I've hit the milestone of an entire week of 100% mealplan compliance, after nearly a month off the wagon. I wanted to write a brief post about a phenomenon that I've observed/experienced over and over again: the myth of the magic calorie equation, that for each and every X calories you gain X pounds. "If you have just two extra grapes every day, it all accumulates to X per year" and that scare-tactic bullshit. In truth, bodies don't care much about hypothetical arithmetic.
According to the equations, I should have gained 2 pounds in the past week, and from the increase in food I *felt* like I'd gain 10 overnight. I still weigh myself every morning (a BAD habit I'm trying to break), and there has been some flux this week, mostly seems to relate to salt consumption, but ultimately my weight, on average, has gone DOWN this week, despite pretty much doubling my caloric intake. Apparently my metabolism still works, despite my abuse of it over the years...
Now this post is not supposed to celebrate lack of weight gain, because I know I will be better off with some restoration. I just sometimes like to mention examples like this because I know it's easy to get caught up in numbers and tallys and equations and calculations. It feeds the obsession and sometimes keeps us paralyzed with fear of making even the smallest changes.
There have been times when I did gain weight at approximately the rate predicted by the equations, but it never lasted indefinitely, like the diet magazine articles claim. In those cases, I invariably gained for a little while and then hit a plateau and my weight didn't budge until I made an additional jump in calories. None of this "grapes add up over time to XXX pounds" nonsense. There have been times when I slashed exercise or added calories and saw little to no change, but felt my metabolism rev up noticeably. There have also been times when I "gained" several pounds overnight due to a salty meal, only to see it melt away again the next day (a good reason not to put much stock in daily weigh-ins, flux is natural!) . In reality, your body is a dynamic thing that will adjust to the treatment it receives...just something to think about if you're currently trying to psych yourself up for a mealplan increase or something similar. (And just as a disclaimer so as not to be triggering: Chances are, if you're in that position, you *do* need the extra nutrition and weight).
Anyway, rambling now but in a nutshell, try not to assume that each tiny change you make will add up to dramatic changes like the media tries to make us believe, your body is smarter than that.
6 comments:
Cammy-
Good job on the 100% meal plan week. I know it's hard, but you're worth it and you've got people rooting for you, even when it's hard to do it yourself.
-Em
This was exactly what I needed to read at this very moment.
Fantastic on your meal plan, Cammy! That is a big deal, and I know it wasn't easy. Don't think of it as accumulating calories, though---you're accumulating good habits for your future health and happiness!
Thanks for the comment about calorie counting, by the way. I appreciate the advice and encouragement! We'll make it through this together... there's so much life to look forward to!
Congrats on meeting the meal plan for a week :) I really do think it's all about building that positive momentum!
The equations are all BS. I've seen that in my own weight gain challenge thingie. Metabolism shifts, the body makes efficient use of things, etc. It's just not as simple as basic math.
congrats on following the meal plan. i know it's far from easy!
great thoughts about calories in and calories out. all bodies are different. my naturally skinny best friend and i did an experiment in college. we ate EXACTLY the same for a few days. he lost two and i gained 1.5.
my body loves holding weight. ahhh, if only it were in vogue. still, i work on self esteem and positive body image.
hope you're feeling good today.
I always hated math anyway and never really trust numbers, even though I like to have something concrete and solid in front of me. With that said, why let a number affect how you feel? If my weight is down but I feel like crap, how is that worse/better than my weight being up a little and feeling good?
I'm rambling, but it's true that as much as we try and control things, our bodies are awesome at doing what we often make very difficult for them--finding that balance as needed.
Yay for your week! Keep it going!
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