Nutrition and working out

Keith, you are spot on!  Some people just want to hit a number on the scale and they remain "skinny fat" while others want fitness and muscles and to gain muscles to that extent which in turn helps to increase your metabolism then you need to eat for it.

 I followed the advice on here for low carb/low calorie and am working out like crazy with heavy weights. I lost all my excess weight but....  do to fear of gaining weight because I got it in my head from hearing the various advice that carbs are bad and calories are bad and "give an inch take a mile" , I have now become anorexic and about to begin intensive treatment for the anorexia.  While not everyone will take things to the extreme like I did I do think it's important to get across different views that promote healthy eating and healthy body weight and I have found that trainers can be a good source of how to eat properly because they do know how you are working out..

The reality is that while we may be more sensitive to carbs than other people, we still need them. We just don't need them to be a huge part of our diet, but we still have physical needs. The end result in this process is to eat healthy, not eat low carb the rest of your life. Hopefully everyone here learns not to eat processed foods or to ever eat carbs as the majority of their diet.

I found all of the comments interesting. I ride my bicycle about 20 miles and do not increase my caloric or carb intake. I do eat a meal high in protein following my physical exertion. I figure I have plenty of fat fuel in my body without having to worry about adding additional calories. If I were going to ride over 25 miles I would add a piece of fruit to keep me from feeling weak and sluggish.

Personal trainers, unless they have a degree in nutrition should not be your guide about what to eat. Let your doctor be your guide and if your blood work shows a deficiency you doctor will be happy to tell you what to do to cure it.

Good luck with your training and listen to your body, not head hunger trying to justify eating more than you should. Remember the deals we all made to get us to the point of having surgery in the first place. Keep working out, it is good for you and will give you wonderful energy so you will burn even more calories.

Thank you for ALL of your feedback. I appreciate it, whether I agree with it or not :)

Keith, thank you for the detailed explanation. I am a numbers/research person, and I like to understand what exactly is going on with my body.

Frisco, I appreciate the reminder to keep it simple. I do tend to overthink things at times.

I am beginning to understand how to rearrange the foods I am already eating to get the most out of my workouts. Figured out after the first couple PT sessions that I got lightheaded toward the end and needed to eat a bit more before the session (I tend to eat more in the evening, so this is getting changed around). Starting to workout at this intensity is hard, but I am excited, and someday I truly do hope to be an athlete.

Thanks again to all of you!

I'm just going to throw my experience out at you.  I was fine on 600-700 a day working out 6 days a week for an hour, 90-100g of protein usually, less than 20g of carbs, and a gallon of water (I'm a huge water drinker).  I had the energy and stamina for my workouts, so I didn't think to change anything.  Around 9 or 9.5 months out, I was much smaller, my weight loss had all but stopped and I was exhausted, foggy, and generally grumpy.  I made the executive decision bc I'm the CEO of my life to increase my calories, and I increased my carbs with that to usually under 60.  The extra carbs came from a little dairy, the addition of a little fruit and more veggies in my day.  I also increased fat.  I have the energy I need to work out, and I'm not exhausted anymore.  I also didn't really care if I lost more weight bc I'm at the point where I'm generally pretty happy and looking more towards fitness, strength than the number on the scale.  So my non-medical advice from my own experience is, do what works for you.  If you've got the energy to do your workouts, the scale is moving in the right direction, just keep on keeping on.  I'd try to up your protein a bit, and maybe do your protein shake right after your workout to aid in muscle recovery, but if 600-800 calories is working for you, I wouldn't change it.  Just my two cents :)

My issue is with trusting myself, but when I really listen to my body, she tells me what she needs.