...wha? thats not right.. (re: activity levels)

[taurushead]

hi guys, does this make sense to you???


couldn't figure out whether i was eating enough or too much or whatever else for my exercise coz on one hand, its not very strenuous due to injury but on the other, its daily and constant etc.

it made sense to me, to go with 'Sedentary' and add on the calories i burn each day...ie. add on , say, 110 (which is all i have with my measly hour walking now that the long bikerides are gone) so i won't lose ANY weight. easier than figuring out some dumb classification.

but someone else suggested logging into a calorie calculator, subtracting 'sedentary' from 'lightly active' and seeing what the different is there. and adding up my 6 (every day but one) 110s..and seeing if it makes up the difference? ie. 660, and the say the difference between sedentary and moderately active is 242 then you're not lightly. you might be moderately. BUT...now call me crazy (have exams, brain sore) but wouldn't that not work...because you're counting a whole weeks walking as ONE DAY?! this girl is a personal trainer...lol.

so im pretty sure she's got it wrong there! but just checking. coz ive been studying..and am tired...ehehehe

[taurushead]

ps. oh bummer :( with an hour walking im not even 'lightly' active anymore!! and should be eating less than i do. but think ill stick with what i eat coz i only gained going over that.
but when i was sticking to that, it was ok. even though the calculater says i only need 1600. dang. id never get enough of everything on something that low?! how are you meant to get enough vitamins etc when its such a teeny number?!

[taurushead]

back. and out of denial. if i only need 1600ish..then ill start going by that. activity level has changed, so must diet. how annoying. no time to exercise more, so no way i can lift that number, and no IDEA how ill stay full/get enough of everything when im so used to being round 2000. bah. wish id never checked.

[Libellula]

taurus, you need more than 1600 calories a day. trust me. even on days i'm not active, i eat between 1800 and 2200 calories a day. sometimes more. If i run, i could eat up to 2800 calories in a day. AT all of those levels, I'm maintaining weight. when i was walkig to and from class all day, i was eating a lot. you're still rather active when you are walking.

[choc_puddin]

brisk walking, 30mins for most days of the week (e.g 3 days or more) is enough to maintain your weight combined with a balanced diet.
With regards to your calorie intake- forget it. Just go by how you feel rather than a specific number. Stick to normal portion sizes, listen to your body and eat when hungry, not starving and stop when you feel full. It will take a while for you to really get to know your body- give it time.

[crazycutie]

Um, FYI taurus sedentary means that you're pretty much bed bound. Yes, you added 110 for calories burned in your exercise, but what about walking around your house, cooking...you need to include those to. I would say you are moderately active-
lightly active=daily activities only
moderately active=daily activities + walking at 3-4 mph for 1.5-3 miles
active=daily activities + walking over 3 miles at 3-4 mph
OR
sedentary=not even daily activities, sit one place all day
light=daily actvities
moderate=daily activities, exercise session 1-3 days a week, 20-30 minutes
active=daily activities, exersie >3 days a week, 20-30 minutes
Hope that helps! Stop obsessing! You should also consider a nutritionist.

[taurushead]

oh golly. im so sorry guys. :think: i sound like a nutter. its bizzare, most of the time im ok..its just..lately there's been so much 'experimenting' with amounts that im starting to freak out. plus exams seem to be making it happen too. sigh.
i just want to get it right, is all. :down: can't believe something so stupid is so stressful. and it really IS stressful, i haven't cried in months but when i 'realised how much i should have been eating and will have to be eating in future' and that it was so tiny compared to what ive come to enjoy, i actually did. oh the shame. thank you so much for replying, however moronic you think i might be..(what gets me is im really not. but im BECOMING DUMBER. because i waste study time thinking about things like this. arrr)

theres just so many different advice paths. you know? like Crazycutie..i would LOVE your facts to be true:o but then others say that sedentary' lifestyle ' is that of a student and DOES take into account the other stuff, and although an hours walking a day FEELS active ..its not many calories so i could understand if i was lightly active (although don't think i could be sedentary then). and because ive gained weight (just past what i'd consider 'ok' ..but by no means fat) i don't really feel comfortable just 'seeing how something goes' because i don't want to gain more (whereas before, i could see i needed to gain anyway) . sigh. if that makes any sense. it would be so much EASIER to just go 'oh ok cool. ' and just eat that much, but what if..like..no i dont know.
thanks though, for the comment. i think actually..I'll listen to it. coz the others seem just impossible.

Libellula- i know:think: i thought i was maintaining on a higher amount, but then figured maybe i was gaining really gradually (don't weigh myself every day. although the last 3 days i have. ) ? i dont know. i would've thought i needed more than that. but i know people who less and do more than me. but i know, its a personal thing. thanks for the input, definetely makes me think it over. and that in turn makes my heart slow down (its been pounding all morning long. argh. and i haven't even OPENED a text book)

choc pudding- thats what ive been doing lately. and i like it a lot better!! its just suddenly starting to freak me out is all. coz it seems like overkill and people keep commenting that i eat a lot and i HAVE gained weight (although that was the aim) .

sigh. confused. but slightly less freaked out actually. i love you guys, i really do. :o

[Libellula]

taurus, when people tell you "OMG YOUVE GAINED WEIGHT" or whatever, flat out tell them you are recovering from an ED and those comments hurt. i know, you're "outing" yourself, but... you may need to for your sanity.

[taurushead]

hmm. thats actually not a bad idea.

the other day the only housemate in the house im not 'friends' with (the rest of us are all bonded and merry, and he's kind of on the outer by choice..and can be mean..and weird. he's made it clear he doesn't like me but every now and then does odd thoughtful things ..or just plain strange things, like this) did that when one of my uni friends was over.
he was walking through the kitchen and my uni friend was commenting on the fact that my jeans were tighter (i guess if i haven't actually changed jeans SIZE its not the end of the world. but they were very loose, and now they're very tight.., i just want to know i can STOP . eheh) and i didn't even notice he was there until i heard this "Who the f*ck cares? she used to be a skeleton. they look better like that." and walked off. we were both standing there for about 2 minutes after he left in shock..til errupting into laughter.

doesn't sound strange..but it was.

still, i don't know about the 'outing' myself thing. i know what preconceptions i had about people who had 'issues' and that i shamefully couldn't shake them until it was me :/ ..and id rather not be thought of that way. still, like you say..it might be worth doing!!

[taurushead]

argh. just looked at another counter. after feeling good all day. looked at it, put in my stuff, it suggested 1700 and im already up to 1900..and feel like i need more . sigh. i hate this.

[taurushead]

arrr. don't know if i should be listening or ignoring. aoeughweourgbh. ok. im going to just eat more. i just..don't want to have to lose weight, coz that'll start things off again. and..i just..i dont understand how i can be all these differently lifestyles at once. i have great will power..if i just KNEW what to FREAKING DO.

ok...stopping the insanity rambles here. going to eat more. so hungry.

[piratemoon]

Taurus,:whack::hug:
I think that is what they call tough love.

You've GOT TO STOP listening to the calorie counters and start listening to your own body. (Eheh, I'm one to talk).

Trust me, I'm so scared too of getting used to a level, and then having to decrease it. So you aren't the only one. Ridiculous, huh? I get rather upset when dinner suddenly becomes huge, meaning I can't have what I normally do during the day. I hate that you feel like this, honey, because I know how horrid it is.

On the other hand, isn't it odd how sometimes friends say the "wrong" thing, and someone unexpected says the right one. I'm glad you had that to cheer yourself up.

Let us know if you do choose to "out" yourself. If you do, I hope it goes well. But I hope you make the right decision for you more than anything else.

Peace,

pirate x

[Libellula]

taurus, listen to pirate. i'm about to get out my hippie bashing stick.

guess what? your body is telling you something with this whole "needs more" stuff. it's telling you that it needs more. i am going to take away your calorie counter and activity monitor privileges :P why? i care about you, and you are driving yourself crazy with this calorie and activity counting talk. live life, love life, enjoy life at a healthy weight with no worries.

[taurushead]

so....not to sound harsh or anything..but this whole 'you need more calories'..its a total sham. i can't do up my jeans. after just two weeks of eating more. i quit. lol

[taurushead]

ps this also means that i have no idea how much to eat. apart from the other obvious downsides. i felt so good about this. but now..no. that moment where its physically unargueable that im different. where its irreversible..no. NO.

[choc_puddin]

taurus! *hugs* I worry about you!
When you start eating more after an ED then you will gain weight, because you're body is still adjusting from starvation mode to 'OMG FOOD! NUTRIENTS' mode. Please don't give up before you learn to find the balance of eating from listening to your body- you will get there, trust me.

[Libellula]

so....not to sound harsh or anything..but this whole 'you need more calories'..its a total sham. i can't do up my jeans. after just two weeks of eating more. i quit. lol

taurus, are you still seeing a therapist? i think you need to start talking to him/her about this and see a dietician...

[taurushead]

im not anymore. coz its all been fine. maybe i will..