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true caloric needs and metabplism

unknown

I workout with my trainer 3x a week, mostly calisthenics like squats, wood chops, rows, things like that. My BMI is about 48 now, and dropping at a pretty good rate. I am morbidly obese and trying hard to change that. MFP has my caloric need set at 1384 a day. I am type II diabetic and I am told to eat more often in little quantities to keep up the metabolism, but I just can't seem to squeeze in 5 or 6 meals a day! I can barely take in 1200 calories in 3 to 4 meals a day. I eat very healthy and my food choices generally are not high in calories. I am told when I work out I really need to get those calories in or I will kill my metabolism. I have taken to using high protein shakes and fruit smoothies, and lots of fish and broccoli. I would like to hear several schools of thought on this because I am interested in what members say about this subject. I saw my doc today and she said it sounds like I am making great choices in my food choices but to take note of my portion sizes. I use small size paper plates and bowls, so I fail to see that as an issue. My trainer says "be patient".

unknown

you do not need to eat five or six meals a day to "boost" metabolism, that is a myth. So eat one meal, six meals or three meals, it does not matter. You should make sure hat you are eating to the number that you have been given my MFP which appears to be 1384. And yes, you should eat to that number as chronic under eating can lead to metabolic adaptation.

I would suggest getting food scale and weighing all solid foods.

unknown

You don't "keep up your metabolism" by eating more frequently. For weight loss, it's all about CICO. I would suggest you try pre-logging your days and trying to introduce more calorie dense foods such as peanut butter, avocados, nuts, etc.

unknown

You didn't give height and weight, but I assume 1384 (my god that is specific!) kcals per day is a huge deficit. If you are truly eating that, or 1200kcal per day, you do risk losing lean body mass, even if you are doing strength training. That could potentially have an impact on metabolism.

Using small plates is not exactly the same as following portion size. Do you have and use a food scale?

unknown

First of all, there's no need to eat six meals unless you want to. It makes no difference.It's about calories not meal timing. Are you weighing and measuring your food? Small plates mean nothing. Everything must be weighed

unknown

Thank you all for your input. I have kept my food diary private and only my trainer has access to it.
MFP cautions people to weigh all of the suggestions I receive in the columns, and at this time I am confused and my head is spinning off into another dimension. I see many of you are very active people, builders and toners alike, so I do trust your advice. I am somewhat sedentary, according to MFP, even if I exercise 5x a week.
At this time I weigh 285 lbs, and I am 5'4" tall.
I do have a weight watchers scale and the thing is a piece of...well, you know. It is NOT accurate. It seems the only scale I can trust is at the docs office because it is checked and calibrated on a monthly basis. It is, however, digital. There is an analog scale at the gym, so maybe I should be logging my weight from that. I only weigh myself 1x a month.
I weigh my fruits and my meat choices. I have a culinary scale so I can convert ounces to grams when necessary. I go by most serving suggestions from the nutritional panels. I avoid most processed food.
I limit my chicken to 3 oz. portions and my fish portions are usually 6 oz. per fillet (white fish only). I make stews and soups using a lot of winter veggies and mostly chicken and lo sodium stock. I eat a lot of green vegetables and allow myself one 16 to 20 oz. smoothie a day, with a cup of Kale, 1/2 avocado, 3/4 cup strawberries, a Fuji apple, and a pineapple spear. I have it in the late afternoon, because I get insomnia if I eat it too late. Yeah, I am sharing a lot on this public forum, but I want those who respond to see what I am dealing with, so I can get some ideas to tweak my program if needed.
I work out 3x a week with my trainer, and walk the local park 1 1/2 miles usually on Mondays and Fridays. I have severe osteoarthritis in my knees and must walk at a slow pace so I don't go lame for 3 days. I am a prime candidate for knee(s) replacement, but at this weight, it ain't happnin. That's me in a nutshell. I have upped my protein to over 80 grams a day but haven't quite reached 100 per day. I do have an old issue with kidney stones, so I try to keep my sodium low. I really do appreciate any suggestions and ideas in food, or in fitness that will help me to fine tune my program. Thank you for your interest.

unknown

Meal timing is irrelevant UNLESS you need to eat frequently to manage your insulin / medical condition

Sounds like you are doing very well to be honest .. huge life changes well made

Are you eating back your exercise calories?

Do you eat the smoothie because you love it? That's the only reason I would liquidise my food to be honest.

Greek 0% yogurt is great protein .. I love it with blackberries

How is your weight loss going?

unknown

Meal timing is pretty much irrelevant, with the exception of during endurance activities.

unknown

The most startling Thing to me is the lack of fat in your diet. You mention half an avocado - that is not enough fat to sustain healthy body function or hormone levels, and to enable you to absorb nutrients better. You may be dieting, but you need fat. Avo is great, as is oily fish, nuts/seeds, coconut oil, fattier meat (organic is better if you can get it), olive oils. It will also get your calories up as it is calorie dense.

I don't understand needing to eat off small plates. I eat for volume and most of my meals go in family sized salad bowls. I just make less calorie dense choices!

unknown

People 'recommending' that meal times are irrelevant clearly have a) not read your post or b) know nothing about diabetes

unknown

elliej 書きました: »

People 'recommending' that meal times are irrelevant clearly have a) not read your post or b) know nothing about diabetes

This forum doesn't deal with medical advice, only weight loss. For weight loss, meal times are irrelevant.

unknown

elliej 書きました: »

People 'recommending' that meal times are irrelevant clearly have a) not read your post or b) know nothing about diabetes

and your genius advice for OP is …????

unknown

elliej 書きました: »

People 'recommending' that meal times are irrelevant clearly have a) not read your post or b) know nothing about diabetes

A couple of People have mentioned that, sans medical issues, meal time is not important. At first, I thought OP was going to say they need to eat several meals so they boost metabolism. But finding out that they are diabetic DOES change that. Many diabetics eat multiple times a day.

OP, kudos to you for taking the first step! It's the hardest, believe me, I know.

It sounds like you are developing a good lifestyle! It's gonna be a slow, long hard process, and it's going to be worth it!

I'm sure you know, but make sure to consult with your doctor on your loss progress. Give HIM access to your food diary as well. It's good to have advice of a trainer, as they are genrally healthy and fit, but it'd be more beneficial to share this with your doctor, since he is the one that can (legally) give medical advice regarding your diabetes and journey.

Good luck!

unknown

I'm confused--is your doctor recommending more eating times? I think that is sometimes recommended for diabetics to keep blood sugar under control (nothing to do with metabolism). Maybe someone with Type II could weigh in?

It's also sometimes recommended if someone has trouble eating enough, which sounds like an issue here.

Things like nuts can be good snacks, probably good for a diabetic (low carb), and calorie dense. Maybe try adding those? I'd also ask for a referral to a dietician if you haven't--lots of the Type II diabetics here seem to have gotten really good advise in controlling their condition through nutrition and I think that would be helpful.

You do want to eat your calories, which sound like they have a good deficit in them, if you are working out and want to keep feeling motivated and energetic and not burn out.

unknown

flamingblades 書きました: »

I workout with my trainer 3x a week, mostly calisthenics like squats, wood chops, rows, things like that. My BMI is about 48 now, and dropping at a pretty good rate. I am morbidly obese and trying hard to change that. MFP has my caloric need set at 1384 a day. I am type II diabetic and I am told to eat more often in little quantities to keep up the metabolism, but I just can't seem to squeeze in 5 or 6 meals a day! I can barely take in 1200 calories in 3 to 4 meals a day. I eat very healthy and my food choices generally are not high in calories. I am told when I work out I really need to get those calories in or I will kill my metabolism. I have taken to using high protein shakes and fruit smoothies, and lots of fish and broccoli. I would like to hear several schools of thought on this because I am interested in what members say about this subject. I saw my doc today and she said it sounds like I am making great choices in my food choices but to take note of my portion sizes. I use small size paper plates and bowls, so I fail to see that as an issue. My trainer says "be patient".

OP specifically tied it to metabolism …..not regulating blood sugar….

@elliej I guess you did not read the post either….

unknown

flamingblades 書きました: »

Thank you all for your input. I have kept my food diary private and only my trainer has access to it.
MFP cautions people to weigh all of the suggestions I receive in the columns, and at this time I am confused and my head is spinning off into another dimension. I see many of you are very active people, builders and toners alike, so I do trust your advice. I am somewhat sedentary, according to MFP, even if I exercise 5x a week.
At this time I weigh 285 lbs, and I am 5'4" tall.
I do have a weight watchers scale and the thing is a piece of...well, you know. It is NOT accurate. It seems the only scale I can trust is at the docs office because it is checked and calibrated on a monthly basis. It is, however, digital. There is an analog scale at the gym, so maybe I should be logging my weight from that. I only weigh myself 1x a month.
I weigh my fruits and my meat choices. I have a culinary scale so I can convert ounces to grams when necessary. I go by most serving suggestions from the nutritional panels. I avoid most processed food.
I limit my chicken to 3 oz. portions and my fish portions are usually 6 oz. per fillet (white fish only). I make stews and soups using a lot of winter veggies and mostly chicken and lo sodium stock. I eat a lot of green vegetables and allow myself one 16 to 20 oz. smoothie a day, with a cup of Kale, 1/2 avocado, 3/4 cup strawberries, a Fuji apple, and a pineapple spear. I have it in the late afternoon, because I get insomnia if I eat it too late. Yeah, I am sharing a lot on this public forum, but I want those who respond to see what I am dealing with, so I can get some ideas to tweak my program if needed.
I work out 3x a week with my trainer, and walk the local park 1 1/2 miles usually on Mondays and Fridays. I have severe osteoarthritis in my knees and must walk at a slow pace so I don't go lame for 3 days. I am a prime candidate for knee(s) replacement, but at this weight, it ain't happnin. That's me in a nutshell. I have upped my protein to over 80 grams a day but haven't quite reached 100 per day. I do have an old issue with kidney stones, so I try to keep my sodium low. I really do appreciate any suggestions and ideas in food, or in fitness that will help me to fine tune my program. Thank you for your interest.

OP - it sounds like you are on the right path. I would say keep doing what you are doing with the work outs and what not. If you find it hard to eat five or six meals then don't, but do make sure that you are eating to the number that MFP has given you.

good luck to you.

unknown

Sounds like you are doing what you need to do. Your first priority is getting to a healthier weight. You also need to manage your diabetes. You might be Able to divide your lunch in half. You might really benefit from pre packaging some lean meals ahead of time. Check out the skinny taste cookbook

unknown

I realize that, but people get stuff their doctor tells them confused all the time. My parents do, and they are smart people, it's just a situation that tends to lend to that, especially if you are someone who is reluctant to question what you are being told or ask questions. That's why I asked whether it was from her doctor.

unknown

flamingblades 書きました: »

I workout with my trainer 3x a week, mostly calisthenics like squats, wood chops, rows, things like that. My BMI is about 48 now, and dropping at a pretty good rate. I am morbidly obese and trying hard to change that. MFP has my caloric need set at 1384 a day. I am type II diabetic and I am told to eat more often in little quantities to keep up the metabolism, but I just can't seem to squeeze in 5 or 6 meals a day! I can barely take in 1200 calories in 3 to 4 meals a day. I eat very healthy and my food choices generally are not high in calories. I am told when I work out I really need to get those calories in or I will kill my metabolism. I have taken to using high protein shakes and fruit smoothies, and lots of fish and broccoli. I would like to hear several schools of thought on this because I am interested in what members say about this subject. I saw my doc today and she said it sounds like I am making great choices in my food choices but to take note of my portion sizes. I use small size paper plates and bowls, so I fail to see that as an issue. My trainer says "be patient".

You have gotten excellent advice from your Doctor. My doctor also recommended that I eat 5 or 6 times a day and it has really boosted my metabolism.

unknown

zmusic 書きました: »

My doctor also recommended that I eat 5 or 6 times a day and it has really boosted my metabolism.

How are you measuring that boost?

unknown

lemurcat12 書きました: »

I'm confused--is your doctor recommending more eating times? I think that is sometimes recommended for diabetics to keep blood sugar under control (nothing to do with metabolism). Maybe someone with Type II could weigh in?

This is correct, small snacks throughout the day can help with stabilizing blood glucose levels. Diabetics need to avoid spikes in their bgl. A giant carb filled meal followed by a slab of double chocolate cake is going to wreak havoc with blood glucose levels. I'll have three meals a day with some healthy snacks in between meals. I don't agree with the wording: "Five or Six meals a day". This makes people feel like they have to have 5 or 6 meals, which is incorrect. It's a semantics issue.

Regarding the calorie goal, it appears to be a bit low in my opinion. If it's sustainable then keep going. If you find yourself tired all the time you may consider a small bump up in calories. A dietician can help with fine tuning your calorie goal as well as recommending appropriate food choices for a diabetic. Your diet sounds on target for the most part. The fruit smoothies are very high in carbs, you may want to rethink it or tweak the recipe.

A agree with your trainer on being patient. Be consistent and stay disciplined, change will happen. Sounds like you're doing really well now. Keep up the good work.

There's a diabetes type 2 group here on MFP:
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/group/1772-type-2-diabetes-support-group