So a month ago I was 5’11" 193, trying to ultimately get down to around 180. Around the same time I switched back to dairy (I was doing the whole no-dairy thing for about six months until I realized it was pointless and expensive since I am not lactose intolerant).
Now I have been losing weight rather quickly - I am down to 187 in a little over a month. The odd thing is I have actually been consuming MORE calories (around 4000/day, up from 3300-3500 when I was consuming non-dairy, mostly soy milk) since I switched to dairy but the weight continues to melt off.
I am training around 15 hours a week now and in the build I phase. I don’t feel overtrained, my resting HR is steady and my splits are improving in all three sports. I have read that there is some evidence that soy milk, which I was drinking a ton of until about a month ago, can slow down your metabolism.
Anyone else have any ideas? I have looked around for various caloric needs formulas that say someone who is 5’11" 190’ish should be losing weight on 4000 calories a day, even with a training volume of 15 hours a week. Anyone else experienced something like this? Am I just interpreting the formulas incorrectly?
The one problem I have with a lot of the caloric needs calculators is they are very vague about your level of activity, only asking you to specify “active” or “very active” etc. 15 hours a week for crazy HIM and IM triathletes is pretty normal, so my notion of what would constitute “very active” is pretty skewed!
That doesn’t seem too quick. You said in a little over a month (I’ll take that to mean ~5 weeks) you went from 193 to 187. That’s 1.2 pounds per week. From everything I’ve read here, it seems like 1 pound a week is what to shoot for, so I’d say you’re fine.
I am not concerned about losing weight - in fact I am quite happy since I know it’s going to shave time off my run and give me the abs of a Greek God eventually
I just find it odd that I am eating MORE calories now and losing weight.
I sometimes think that it’s a seasonal biochemical thing. I can’t really provide extensive documentation for my n=1 study, but it seems that once the snow melts I can either a) eat the same amount and lose weight, or b) pig out more often but still maintain weight.
My training load does increase slightly in the spring, but probably not enough to account for the entire difference.
I’ve read, for those that are hypothyroid, that soy can block the absorption of T3 of T4, I don’t recall which. I don’t know if this would impact normal folks, but when your thyroid hormones are low, your metabolism is low. I just avoid soy since I am hypo.
i lost about 25 pounds a couple years ago eating like a pig. i think it was all the training
i did wonder when it would stop though. it stopped at 153 and has basically stayed there since all while still
eating like a pig (good food, but lots).
I like glitch’s analysis, cant argue with math usually… i assume if you were having GI issues you’d have mentioned them but in addition to type I diabetes, this can also be symptomatic of ulcerative colitis; so assuming you are otherwise healthy, enjoy the weight loss
One more curiosity: did your dairy reintroduction manifest itself by mostly milk or by yogurts, etc?
It wouldn’t hurt to talk to a dr. Some of us have metabolisms that sort of spin out of control - when I get into really good shape, my metabolism goes into overdrive and I start self-cannibalizing.
I had a nutritionist tell me that, unchecked, the “condition” can really fuck up my organs. Something about processing waste too fast or not fast enough or something plus overheating… It’s been a while since I was in good enough shape to worry! Basically, the remedy for me was the opposite of a healthy diet. 6-8 High fat, high calorie meals per day. I used to suck down a few Boosts (back when it came in a can and was called Susta-Cal) in between classes and eat giant plates of spaghetti w/ meat sauce with a side of a whole pizza. Just like every other college kid, but my freshman 15 had a minus in front of it.
Were I you, I wouldn’t be terribly concerned just yet. I’m nearly your height and I was getting down into the low 130s when I first got worried about it.
I go through about the same thing every year…5’10 160lb during the winter and then it drops off like water no matter how much I eat until I stabilize at around 145-150lb. But then there is very little movement either way, so you may just wait and see if your body is settling into a healthy natural weight.
