on the causes of physical changes

[jazzfish]

It's been an item of faith with me that I dropped thirty-five pounds in 2006 by taking up running. However, it's recently come to my attention that there may have been additional factors involved. With that in mind, a list of possible reasons why I lost weight, and gained a good bit of it back.

Reason #1: I took up running

Argument for: I started running in late April, three times a week. By mid-July I'd lost a visible amount of weight.

Argument against: The weight loss continued into winter when I wasn't running anymore. Taking up running again this autumn for seven weeks had zero effect on my weight. (It has other health benefits, so it's not like I'm going to stop.)

Reason #2: I took up swimming

Argument for: I spent July and August going swimming two or three times a week in the afternoon, and swimming's more calorie-burning than running. No swimming the past two summers corresponds to no loss of weight.

Argument against: Weight loss continued after the pool closed on Labor Day.

Reason #3: I ate less

Argument for: If I'm acquiring fewer calories and burning the same amount (or more, see nos. 1 and 2), the excess has to come from somewhere. And when I left B'burg I also started eating a sandwich and cookie-snack-pack for lunch every day, instead of a restaurant meal with coworkers.

Argument against: Weight loss reversed itself over the course of 2007 and 2008. It's possible that my body just adapted back to acquiring fewer calories, I guess.

Reason #4: Stress / lack of sleep

Argument for: I spent 2006 from, let's say, Memorial Day through Columbus Day and then Thanksgiving through New Years, exceedingly stressed out. Most obviously over relationship stuff but also with moving, job-finding and -adapting, and Granddad's death. I was sleeping less than was perhaps ideal and generally burning my candle at both ends. 2007 and the first ten months of 2008 were a lot less stressful overall, and I regained much of the missing weight. Stress and five-hour nights started back up at the beginning of last month; I'm down about five pounds, and this after devouring at least one entire pie over Thanksgiving weekend. Also, historical data: when everything went pear-shaped in late March 2003, I dropped five pounds in a week.

Argument against: . . . I really don't want this to be right?

Comments

[europasings.livejournal.com]

First off, good luck with the weight stuff. I've dealt with this type of thing my entire life. Truth be told, I'm still some 40 odd pounds over what they (whomever they is at any given time) say I should be. However, I'm back to the weight I was for almost a decade before the cancer started. So I'm happy. If you can find that weight (and you may be there), where you feel healthy, you can walk up stairs and not pass out, and the weight is not causing major health problems, I say relax--you are good to go!

Secondly, if the loss corresponds to stress and lack of sleep, there's probably something else like eating habits or amount of heart-rate accelerating periods/activities (even if it's just going to the store with heightened speed)
that are changing. Possibly just in small sneaky ways. So try maybe keep a detailed account of everything you do and see if there are some other weird correlations instead of solely lack of sleep and stress. (If nothing else, it'll keep you focused on that instead of the stress...maybe? [hopefully look here])

Thirdly, I feel like I've been told these two things over the years weight stuff. I have no idea if they're true, but we'll operate under that assumption for this post. (People who know better, PLEASE let me know!)

1. Muscle burns more calories than fat.
Once it's created/toned, the muscle could be continuing to burn calories even when you aren't using them any more.

2. Muscle weighs more than fat.
So you built up a bunch of muscle as you ran & swam. When you stopped building/maintaining, some of the weight you lost afterwards could have been the muscle mass you had previously created.
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I don't know that any of this will help ease your mind. But I'm sending good thoughts your way regardless!

[pictsy.livejournal.com]

Yes! I cannot emphasize the muscle thing enough. Building muscle increases your resting metabolism; running does not.

[jazzfish]

. . . so running doesn't build muscle mass sufficiently to increase resting metabolism?

Bother.

[quixotic-goat.livejournal.com]

But it will drop your resting heart rate...
That said, more studies are showing that some strength training is important in it's own right. By no means am I talking about getting huge, just doing some light to moderate weight with at least moderate reps. It helps you build some muscle mass and has some different denefits than just raw cardio. I also find that I have less aches assciated with my mostly desk job when I'm doing at least a little strenght training. I read an article to that extent that I can't find now. Made sense to me, one of the couple of reasons I've actually tried to get to a gym a little more since I currently sit in front of a computer for 12+ hours a day. If gyms are a no go, you could probably accomplish most of it with a couple dumbbells, or even one of those sets of elastic tubing you stick in a door or over a bedpost and pull. Resistance/weight training, at the level we're talking I don't know how much of a difference there is.

[jazzfish]

Bleh. I can just about get myself to get out and go running, because I feel like I'm doing something other than Getting In Shape. I have some sort of mental block to spending time and money on a Gym. Probably a variant of "i should be able to take care of this nonsense on my own."

[quixotic-goat.livejournal.com]

.."i should be able to take care of this nonsense on my own."...

I feel the same way sometimes, and it often gets me in trouble. It generally means that it whatever IT is has a better than 50/50 chance of never getting done.

I just have a problem doing some stuff at home, things like this among them. If something bestirs me enough such that I get out and about, I'll go go go, but otherwise, I seem to be something of a homebudy (read lazy), so once I'm home, I start vedging very easily...

[selki.livejournal.com]

I'm convinced that the reason I was able to lose a lot of weight in 1998-1999 was because I was doing weightlifting along with some exercise and dieting.

Didn't keep up with it, hence the attempts of my doctor to scare me into taking up the big struggle again last month. I'm sad with myself, but I try to keep in mind the stuff about how almost everyone gains it back -- not for fatalism, but just so I don't yell at myself so much.

[jazzfish]

First off, good luck with the weight stuff.

Thanks! After hearing from jadelennox above, I'm less worried about it. I think. I'm mostly upset that what I thought was the result of Good Honest Work may well have just been my body reacting to stress.

Speaking of, the stress-related changes are probably simple ones. Stress < elevated heart-rate. Lack of sleep < more caffeine < elevated heart-rate. Stress < digestive oddities + loss of appetite < fewer calories.

Third: I've heard those two things myself. Just need to keep them in mind. Particularly that second one.