Going off diet but *not* gaining weight. Worrying?

[choie]

This probably seems like a weird question, but I’m paranoid and a hypochondriac, not a good combo. I’m even a hypochondriac by proxy.

My severely overweight friend got married back in January and in preparation for that, starting about six weeks earlier (mid-November), began a doctor-supervised very low calorie diet. She said it was 800 - 900 cals and 30 - 50 carbs a day via 3 shakes and 1 low-cal meal. She started at 332lbs and by the wedding reached 309. Not exactly a significant loss for someone of her size, but they say losing even 10% of your weight can help, and it did make her feel better and more active. And the confidence absolutely helped her for her wedding.

However, shortly after, she went off the diet (which I always felt was a pretty unrealistic diet, but she wanted to lose the maximum amount of weight in a hurry) and went back to her old ways of eating/living, which from what she tells me averages about 2,000 - 2,500 cals. a day, and not exercising. Though she didn’t exercise while she was dieting either, actually.

(OTOH, I have noticed her still being marginally more physically resiliant than she used to be before the diet; now when we walk together she’s less winded and doesn’t complain about her back anymore after just a block, which is awesome. It really seems to make her feel more free and optimistic.)

She’s been talking about going back on the diet but hasn’t yet. (I think the marriage stress has gotten to her, but that’s another topic.) Anyway yesterday she called me all happy that she finally got the courage to weigh herself after about six weeks of not being on her diet and apparently she’s at 308. One pound less!

How on earth is this possible? Going from practically a starvation diet to bingeing at up to 2,500 calories a day and she loses a pound in two months? I admit a pound isn’t a huge weight loss, but I’d have expected her to have gained weight back pretty quickly.

She’s prediabetic but untreated (obviously or she wouldn’t be eating like she does); does not seem to have symptoms of having moved from pre- to regular diabetes, though I know there’s really not much difference between them. I’ve asked her and she says there’s no excess thirst, urination, that sort of thing. No cardiac problems or anything that she’s mentioned to me.

One difference is that she has reduced one of her anti-anxiety medications, a benzo, but I don’t think that would have helped her maintain the weight lost this way. So what the heck, can someone that heavy actually just maintain–even lose a pound–even after going back to old habits? Or could there be something wrong with her? I love her like a sister and I’m certainly happy that she hasn’t gained (though her face looks a bit more bloated, but that might be the extra sodium I suppose) and is feeling so much better about herself. I just don’t like this nagging paranoia that something’s wrong.

What do you think, am I worried about her for nothing? It’s none of my business except she’s a dear friend and I’ve encouraged her to see her doctor just to rule out anything. (If she does go back on this diet, she would be seeing a doctor regularly.)

So far aside from that suggestion, I’ve been keeping my mouth shut and been supportive and happy for her. I don’t want to infect her with my own paranoia.

Short version: Is 2,000 - 2,500 calories something someone could eat a day and still maintain one’s weight, even if you’re that heavy and sedentary?

[DataX]

2500 calories a day is not that much. Someone around 300 pounds - and totally sedentary - is using around 2500 calories.

She probably was eating more than 2500 calories - had to learn not to binge to stick to such a ridiculously low diet - and rebounded to 2500 calories without extra mindless shoveling.

I am ~200 pounds - and when I monitor my caloric intake - I can easily lose wait at ~1975 calories a day.

[romadea]

The more you weigh, the more you have to eat to maintain that weight. I would guess that she was probably eating more than 2,500 calories a day before the diet, but being on the diet got her used to eating much less than that. So now she might have the illusion that she’s eating the same way she did before the diet, when she’s actually eating less because her perception of feeling full has changed. Just a possibility. I’ve known a lot of people who have also gone on very low-calorie crash diets who report that when they got off the diet, they felt satiated much more quickly than they had before the diet. I’m not sure if the stomach actually physically shrinks, but that’s apparently what it feels like.

[choie]

Thanks for the responses!

@DataX

2500 calories a day is not that much. Someone around 300 pounds - and totally sedentary - is using around 2500 calories.

Wow. Seriously?! I thought metabolism went down if you were that sedentary/heavy and so that’s why it’s harder to lose weight (or maintain weight loss). Is that one of those myths everyone believes that are fake? (Or used as an excuse, I guess?) Still, I know that people who are on those super-restrictive diets end up plateuing because they get used to the lower calories, don’t they? That’s got to be a metabolism thing, because who the heck only needs 800 calories to maintain a body weight unless you’re like 50 pounds and comatose?

Anyway I rather belated just did a lookup of calories needed to maintain weight and plugged in what I think are her numbers, and yup, you’re right. Huh.

She probably was eating more than 2500 calories - had to learn not to binge to stick to such a ridiculously low diet - and rebounded to 2500 calories without extra mindless shoveling.

I am ~200 pounds - and when I monitor my caloric intake - I can easily lose wait at ~1975 calories a day.

Thanks! Mmm, y’know, now that I remember, I was on Jenny Craig a kabillion years ago back in the '90s when I was at my heaviest (220) and they did put me on a higher calorie diet than they did my lighter sister who (at 150) was on JC at the same time; I was on their 1700 cal. plan, and she was on the 1200 cal. plan. Basically the difference was just that I was allowed more fruit and a couple of extra fat portions (some butter on their pancakes was allowed, for example). I lost faster than she did. Of course as I lost the weight they gradually lowered the plan, first to 1500 calories, then to the dreaded 1200 plan (no more of the extra fruit! Wah!), until I reached my goal.

@romadea

The more you weigh, the more you have to eat to maintain that weight. I would guess that she was probably eating more than 2,500 calories a day before the diet, but being on the diet got her used to eating much less than that. So now she might have the illusion that she’s eating the same way she did before the diet, when she’s actually eating less because her perception of feeling full has changed. Just a possibility. I’ve known a lot of people who have also gone on very low-calorie crash diets who report that when they got off the diet, they felt satiated much more quickly than they had before the diet. I’m not sure if the stomach actually physically shrinks, but that’s apparently what it feels like.

Incredible and helpful, thank you. I feel stupid for not thinking of this. I do know when we’ve had lunch together, I’ve noticed her eating much more slowly than she did before the diet – she says it hurts her stomach to eat as fast as she used to and you’re right, she does seem to get full more quickly. Obviously I don’t know what she does when I don’t see her.

Plus maybe she’s more, um, active than she realizes thanks to the honeymoon.

Well, this does make me feel better. It’s totally none of my business and as I’ve said, I only ever support her and I think the only time I mentioned anything was just a gentle recommendation that she should see her regular doctor before considering going back on the shake diet, just to make sure everything’s copacetic.

(The shake diet is administered at a hospital vs. her regular doctor. I mean, the hospital’s very legit – it’s NYU for pete’s sake – but y’know, I’d still imagine they’ll be more likely to push their own agenda over her regular GP who has her overall health history in mind. I still wish she’d pick something not so falsely restrictive, but it’s not my call to make and I wouldn’t dream of advising her. Even just the Jenny Craig diet I was on, not ideal in retrospect considering it wasn’t teaching me how to cook on my own until much much later in the program, was much more easy to transition from after I left it; you’re still eating real food and salads at reasonable portions.)

Anyway, blah blah. Thanks for the info and for teaching me what I really should’ve known myself considering I’ve had my own weight issues before. Plus I should’ve just looked up calories and maintaining weight, duh.

[not_what_you_d_expect]

Did the scale move houses after the wedding? Sometimes moving them will change the way they weigh. Just a thought.

[choie]

Ha! Great thread title & username combo, not what you’d expect.

Good question about the scale. Same house as they lived together for ages before taking the matrimonial leap, but for all I know she’s now using his scale, or some other difference may exist. I guess scales can probably fluctuate up to five pounds or so. Or maybe the batteries are off, who knows.

Still, under my original thinking I’d have expected more than a 5 pound differential. Of course, under my original thinking I was also a dunce. So much for that!