Weight loss for thin people?

[cpreece]

I thought I would post this here because if I posted in the Atkins forum I would get flamed for sure. Here goes:

I'm not overweight but not as thin as I would like to be either. After being on Atkins for almost 5 months I realize that I just keep playing with water weight. I don't think I've lost any actual "real weight". The reason I say this is because if I cheat even a little, I gain 3 pounds the next morning, but if I cut down on my carbs I lose those 3 pounds in a few days. Does anyone else that doesn't have much weight to lose think this as well? I want to lose real pounds. I'm going to start restricting my calories to about 1200 a day, even though I exercise for an hour every morning.

I haven't updated my stats but I confess I'm 115 today. Just water weight I'm sure :)

[catboileau]

Hi,
I have been on atkins on and off for 4 years. I have been as high as 135 (due to pregnancy fat) and as low as 105. The real key to weight loss and being healthy is weight training.

I am no expert but I started adding free weights a week ago and have really seen some great results. By restricting calories your body is going to go into starvation mode and you will not lose any weight. If you can focus on some light weight training and take your cardio down to three days a week I think that you'll be happy.

I know that people are going to say that you are too thin already. My opinion is that if you stop restricting calories, add some muscle you will look and feel better. You'll probably go up a few pounds but it will be muscle and you'll look great.

When you are as thin as you are, you need to focus on your shape and your health. Trust me, lower calorie isn't going to do it.

Hope this helps,

Catherine

[GrlyGrl]

Atkins done properly won't make you underweight.

Catherine is so right -- restricting calories will just make you lose muscle and slow your metabolism so you'll have to exercise more and eat even less just to maintain a flabby skinny body. Adding muscle helps you look slimmer and firmer -- but you have to eat properly to build muscle.

[chacha]

i'd agree with others about the muscle toning. firming up can make you look waaaay longer/leaner (think ballerina here)

but...you have to remember that you're already "medically" underweight. so, physiologically speaking, your body is going to hold on to everything it can no matter how much you restrict yourself.

that said, nobody can't loose the weight if they're seriously ok with being absolutely religious about restricting calories and increasing their exercise. just look at celebs. they're tiny to start but have no problem dropping weight for movies with the help of trainers/dieticians. (my friend who worked on the movie seabiscuit said toby mcguire dropped--and kept his weight off--because his trainer wouldn't let him eat more than about 1400 cals a day and then made him workout in the gym for like 3 hours a day! no kidding. who knows what it did to his health, but the weight did come off/stay off and it's not like the guy was overweight to begin with)

[rachelratz]

i have been in a touchy situation for a while. I lost over 40 lbs four years ago, have kept the weight off, but have become very, very thin. I now weigh 109lbs. The problem is that I can't seem to gain weight. I have tried going back to starches, etc but I would gain a little and then drop back! Although I feel fine and have energy, I think I look bad. My arms and legs (once my only really good asset) look like match sticks now. Excercise only makes it worse, I lose more weight. I left 114 lbs (the weight I was happy with) long ago. I think I let a good thing get the upper hand on me.

[orchidday]

I would definitely make an appointment with a Physician for a complete checkup. Unexplained weight loss can be indicative of many problems. Good luck!

Orchid

[skeeweeaka]

I thought I would post this here because if I posted in the Atkins forum I would get flamed for sure. Here goes:

I'm not overweight but not as thin as I would like to be either. After being on Atkins for almost 5 months I realize that I just keep playing with water weight. I don't think I've lost any actual "real weight". The reason I say this is because if I cheat even a little, I gain 3 pounds the next morning, but if I cut down on my carbs I lose those 3 pounds in a few days. Does anyone else that doesn't have much weight to lose think this as well? I want to lose real pounds. I'm going to start restricting my calories to about 1200 a day, even though I exercise for an hour every morning.

I haven't updated my stats but I confess I'm 115 today. Just water weight I'm sure :)

I've tried Atkins and every plan out there. I was on Atkins for 6 months and lost weight but as soon as I started to add carbs back like you said I would gain 5 pounds over night. I think what has been said is true...adding weight training will help build muscle which will eventually help you to burn your calories more efficiently and give you the look that you want... For me it was too restrictive but as we all know everyone is different... I now eat complex carbs when I want them I just balance them with proteins to reduce the insulin response...

TJ

[rachelratz]

orchidday:

I went to the doctor in the beginning. My husband sent me. They can not find anything wrong with me (no cancer). The doctor says I am healthy. I have been between `114 and 110 for the last four years. It could be a combination of several things. I don't eat as much as I used to. My stomach shrank along with everything else on my body. If I feel myself slipping back in weight, I try to eat more starch. The problem is that I would rather be a little heavier (118 lbs) I think I would look better. I know I need to consume more calories.

Can you tell me how to change my profile? I want it to reflect my true weight.

[Katie_uk]

hi, i used to be underweight at my 94 pounds on a 5'5 frame, but now ive gone up to 125 pounds very very quickly and look flabby, if i do atkins, how many calories should i consume, do u think? if i didnt weights 3 times a week and 30 mins cardio 3 times per week. i want to get muscle and lose the flab, what does anyone suggest about calorie intake? does anyone suggest anything better than atkins?

thanx

[EmmaJane]

samehere:

I would suggest a minimum of 1500 cals to get you out of starvation mode and stop your body from freaking out. Not what you wanted to here I bet, but like you I;ve been very underweight and learned the hard way that starvation mode is the royal road to illness and a bad body.

Sorry! You gotta eat.

[Paleoanth]

I won't flame, I promise! I looked at your picture, and I have to ask you where do you see that you need to lose more? What I see is a thin woman. What do you see when you look at yourself? That isn't a rhetorical question-I know that I don't look the same to others as I do to myself. When I was thinner I thought I looked fat, when I was fat, I lied to myself and thought I looked better than I did.

Healthy body fat percentages for women run between 20-25%. If you are an athlete, then it goes as low as 17 or 18%, but below 17% you stop your mentrual cycle.

Being seriously underweight can be even more of a health hazzard than being a little overweight.

[Iowagirl]

I think the title of your thread speaks volumes. Why on earth would thin people want to lose weight? Thin. By definition that is someone who is NOT overweight.

[rachelratz]

By Hollywood standards, I (at 5'3" and 111 lbs this morning) am considered a fatso. By the standard of culture in the US, being thin is equal to being rich, glamorous, and healthy. That is why eating disorders (and I include diets) will be with us for a long time.

[Iowagirl]

Of course there is a lot of pressure to be perfect. On the other hand, we make our own choices and it is up to each of us to decide wether or not we want to be healthy or simply emulate someone elses' idea of this.

[JBallerina]

hey cpreece -- listen, as a recovering anorexic, I know a thing or two about the desire to lose weight, even when I am already thin. I saw your picture and your current weight, and hon, you appear to be too thin. 1200 calories and 1 hour of exercise is ridiculous for a woman of your height and age. Not to mention it will undoubtedly wreak havoc on your metabolism. I have had so much nutritional counseling that it's practically bursting out of my head - my advice to you: don't lose weight (you do not need to), boost your metabolism and be kind to your body by having at least 1900 calories a day, exercise moderately 4 times a week, don't count calories, and (GASP!!) have the carbs that your body so desperately needs!