HELP!! Gaining TOO much weight!!

[showjumper]

I am gaining way too much weight on raw foods I've been trying to stay raw but I cry every night over my weight, HELP!!

To give you some background I am 4 ft. 10 in. tall and before I started on raw foods I was in transition to being a vegan. I had a 25.5 inch waist and weighed 98 lbs. which was a healthy weight for my height. I was completely happy with my body but chose raw food to improve my health.

I did fine on raw food for the first six months I felt great, my weight stayed the same but my body looked better my body was healing it was fabulous. Then I decided to do the arise and shine cleanse, BIG mistake. I lost a little weight while doing it but only lasted 11 days because I was STARVING everyday and I hated that feeling. My tummy was grumbling every minute of the day. Well after I stopped I went back to the exact raw food diet I had been eating the previous six months and now I GAINED two extra pounds and weighed 100. I figured okay 100 lbs. not so bad.

I did another arise and shine cleanse a few months later and only made it 15 days. I can't stand that starving feeling I don't know how people do that, I can't starve myself like that. Anyway, so after 15 days I went back again to my same raw foods diet and this time I gained another extra two pounds so now I weigh 102 lbs. I know that's not a lot but that is 4 lbs. more and I was frustrated.

I was exercising everyday between 50-90 minutes. In Jan. of 2006 I had been raw for 1 1/2 years and was frustrated because I look flabbier than before I went raw so I decided to really kick up my exercise. I started running and weight lifting. This entire summer I was running between 6 and 13 miles a day and alternating with long weight training workouts. I was exercising many days for 2 - 2 1/2 hours a day. But the weight just kept on coming!!!!

I went from 104......106.......108 now I am TEN POUNDS heavier than when I started and my waist has gone from 25.5 inches to 27.5 inches.

My typical diet is:

Green smoothie in the morning: Water, leafy greens, banana, mango

Breakfast: banana, raisins, sprouted oats, cashew milk

Lunch: BIG salad

Snacks: apples, oranges, maya bars

Dinner: Broccoli & cauliflower in cashew sauce, salads, sundried tomato based vegetable soups etc...

I dont' eat a lot of nuts at all, infact I NEVER snack on them. I eat them occasionally in sauces or nut milks.

If anyone has any thoughts or suggestions I would love it. My clothes don't fit anymore, my stomach is flabby and I am gaining weight uncontrollably. I am worried that the cleanses have ruined my metabolism! I am scared because I have not been able to stop the weight gain it just keeps going up! I am not a fruitarian and prefer not to go that route, I tried that and felt famished every minute of the day and it stopped my menstrual period because I wasn't getting enough fats. HELP!!

Thanks a bunch,

minirunner

[Sharon in Colorado]

Maybe leave out the cashew and maya bars for a little while, and eat more water rich fruits and veggies. See how that goes for a week or 2.

[sungoddess]

the stopping of menstruation COULD have been a goood sign... they say on high fruit low fat women stop mentruating but don't stop ovulating.

I am sorry you are going through this! You exercise so much! I wish I could do that... What is a rise and shine cleanse????

[freetarian]

they say on high fruit low fat women stop mentruating but don't stop ovulating.

How does that work? What do you mean by that?

[daisyduke]

I was in the exact same position as you. At first lost weight, then exercised 2-3 hours a day and kept on gaining. After a consult with Dr. Doug, I realized that I was exercising too much, not getting enough rest, and had developed adrenal fatigue. That led to too much cortisol production and weight gain. If I were you, I would take a good month or more of no exercise and lots of rest. Then start exercising again and you're weight will drop. Best of luck!

[Sunshine9]

What do you mean by "starving" on the arise & shine cleanse? Did you follow the protocol?

For the first week, you are still eating 2.5 meals a day plus all those shakes..
Then into the second week it's still 2 meals. You can eat as much as you want. Why were you so hungry?

Sounds like you are over-exercising

Do you do anything to relax? Just to nourish yourself? Read.. take baths.. do yoga?

[Purl]

FWIW-maya bars are very high in fat. 9 grams for just one bars, so if you are eating a few day, plus the other high fat stuff...

never knew that about adrenal fatigue-how do you find out about that? what kind of testing is involved. Hmmm...that may be the answer to my "issues" :cool:

[rawstrawberry]

Remember weight is just a number. If you are exercising a lot and weigh lifting you are gaining muscle.

Muscle can push out any extra fat even if you don't have much. Maybe try doing only body weight exerecises??

[PantryRaider]

Here is something else to consider....

If you eat the diet of a 300 pound person, you will weigh 300 pounds. If you eat what a 220 person eats, you will weight 220 pounds. If you eat the diet of a 150 pound person, you will weigh 150 pounds.

Keep in mind that the difference between weighing 150 pounds and 160 pounds is only 125 calories a day.

About the calories in an apple and half a banana.

Raw or cooked.. makes no difference... a calorie is a calorie. What we don't consume, we wear.

I never lost weight and kept it off, raw or otherwise, until I bought a digital scale and weighed my food. Always a shock to see how much I am actually consuming in my latest raw food concoction or green smoothie.

Weight control is constant vigilance and portion control. You gotta weigh your food.

[Raw Magwene]

Cool it on the exercising! When I joined a local running club, all the women there warned me that they hadn't lost weight while training to run their first marathon; too much to expect from your body without feeding it enough for maintenance at least.

I don't know what the fast is that you mentioned, but my feeling with fasting and cleansing is that when I start to feel honest hunger, it's time to ease back to regular (raw) food. I don't think you messed up your metabolism with those fasts, but I must say, I'm not a doctor, or any kind of medical professional at all, so maybe you should consult someone who is?

Also, it's interesting that you mention 2" gain in your waist. Anywhere else? Hips, bust? arms, thighs??? If not, that 2" sounds like it could be due to digestive issues. It seems possible that you could have some food sensitivities or allergies that are causing bloating or swelling in your belly? I have that problem with wheat, sugar cane, or if I eat too much dried fruit, raw honey, agave.

Is there anything you're not digesting too well?

[sport]

How does that work? What do you mean by that?
What they mean is that animals in the wild do not bleed monthly and we do not need to either. It is a product of eating cooked foods and some long time raw fooders can find that it stops. That does not mean that they are not fertile or healthy, just that they are natural.

[rawfigure]

Reduce the exercise...do less stressful work outs for 2-3 weeks. Intensive long work outs can cause hormoal changes, water weight gain as someone else mentioned. Muscle gain takes a longer time for a female so as someone mentioned it may be muscle, alittle could be but in a month or two...not much more than a pound, maybe two.

Try eating mono meals , super clean and light for two weeks, no nuts, nut milks and change some food choices for a few wekks then recheck your measures !

[dreamrawalwz]

I suggest exercising less. It can and will cause adrenal fatigue. If you're doing weights you'll gain muscle weight, not fat! How does your body look? Anyone's weight can fluctuate 5 pounds or more.

As for food, you seem to be eating a lot of nuts. Cashews are not raw in the first place so that may be part of your problem. Even if they say they're "raw" they most likely aren't. Are the Maya bars completely raw? Sometimes those type of bars are heated, but still say raw. I'm not familiar with Maya bars so I wouldn't know. I say incorporate more fresh fruits and veggies. Add in avocado. It's a different type of fat. Sometimes oats can affect people as well.

As someone else said, it's just a number. 4 pounds is not a lot at all, even on a petite person. Water weight fluctuates. Do you fit the same in your clothes? Do you look the same in the mirror?

[chilove]

Hi there,

If you cut out nuts and other fats and focus on eating delicious, satisfying, sweet fruit I'm sure you will notice a big difference in your weigth and how you feel overall. Just be sure to check in yourself that you are staying satisfied emotionally. Sometimes we need the more complex recipes and combinations when we first start out on raw.

All the best,

Audrey
www.rawhealing.com

[showjumper]

It isn't muscle, trust me, My stomach is flabby, hanging over my pants that don't fit anymore. I've gained weight around my hips, bust and waist. I used to be bust 32, waist 25.5, hips 33. Now I am bust 33, waist 27.5, hips, 34.5. I can pinch way more 'squish' than I could before. There is a lot more flab over the muscle than before. 10 pounds is just way too much. I tried for awhile to eat really well while I was training for a half marathon I was doing green smoothies, fruit and salads or vegetables or broth style soups for dinner but when I decreased my training for the winter, now exercising 50-90 min. a day instead of 1 1/2 -2 1/2 hours up goes the weight.

When I snack on a Maya bar, I eat 1/4 of the bar a day so definately not eating too much of it, I NEVER eat the whole thing at once unless I'm on the run and don't eat much else.

I have measured my calories, I generally eat 1600-1800 a day so I'm definately not eating an excessive amount even with my cashew milk. I make my cashew milk with like 10 nuts and only use half of it so there isn't a lot of fat in there.

When I try to eat fruit and greens all day I feel hungry and deprived all day, I hate that. I generally end up snacking on some ezekiel bread and that stops the hunger. Fruit makes me hungry.

Eating fruit gives you a sugar buzz, because it is so easily utilized by the body and leaves you hungry 15 min. later. I am trying to figure out how people do that.

On the arise and shine cleanse I ate the two big salads a day like it said but still felt terribly hungry. Immediately after drinking the whole shake at another 8 oz. of water I felt hungry.

I read that cleansing or fasting for more than 3 days can disrupt your metabolism. I talked to a friend of mine who was raw for five years and said she struggled with her weight from about year one on. She quit doing 100% raw and went to 50% with a lot of high protein vegan foods and lost weight.

Before going raw I didn't count calories at all, in fact I could eat a big bowl of ice cream 4 times a week and not gain a pound. Granted my health wasn't very good, that's why I went raw but there's got to be some way to eat raw, be healthy, and not gain weight.

I'm not really into deprivation, I love raw food, I love how I feel when I eat raw BUT, I'm not ready to commit to living on apple slices and bitter greens the rest of my life. I love to make raw enchiladas, tacos, soups, corn chips etc..

The comment about over stressing the adrenal glands, I've never heard of that. I've been exercising at extremely high intensity, sweating like crazy everyday. I never thought that would be a bad thing. I guess I figured yoga doesn't burn enough calories and since I was trying to lose weight I was doing anything that would burn the most calories.

I want someone to tell me honestly, do you really eat fruit and greens all day everyday and feel full and satisfied. You dont' ever make a raw dessert or 'normal' raw meal. I've heard that women need more fat in their diet than fruit and greens provide because of their menstrual cycle and the reason it stops is because the body fat% in raw women drops to low to support the menstrual cycle.

I'll definately try to cut the intensity of my workouts, I never thought of that as a problem. Thanks for all the comments, the suggestions really helped a lot. Thanks.

[daisyduke]

I never heard of the adrenal problem either, until I had one! I exercised for at least 3 hours every day for three years prior to getting to that point. So, yes you are exercising a lot but so did I and it took three years to make it a problem! I have not had a period in two years either. Now that I'm resting and recovering, I'll probably get one. It happens when our body under recovers (or we don't get enough rest). It's really not from overtraining and low body % like we commonly think.

I eat only fruit and greens all day. I eat a green smoothie at 8:15 every morning and it holds me over until I eat a salad at 5:00 at night. I eat lots of bananas in my smoothie. Try eating more bananas, they'll help you feel full. Good luck!

[DeadNutrition]

Hm, I'm surprised at how many people in this thread think fat is the problem. Correct me if I'm wrong but aren't the membranes of neurons composed of fatty acids? I've heard that without fat, glucose and other micronutrients cannot properly enter cells. And that about 2/3 of your brain is fat. Is this true? Wouldn't this mean you need to replenish those fatty acids?

[rawfigure]

Hm, I'm surprised at how many people in this thread think fat is the problem. Correct me if I'm wrong but aren't the membranes of neurons composed of fatty acids? I've heard that without fat, glucose and other micronutrients cannot properly enter cells. And that about 2/3 of your brain is fat. Is this true? Wouldn't this mean you need to replenish those fatty acids?

With out getting technical the body will manufactur the fats in needs, there are only a few that are essential and need to be added into the diet. So no you do not have to eat a higher fat diet to be healthy.

[rawfigure]

It isn't muscle, trust me, My stomach is flabby, hanging over my pants that don't fit anymore.
I want someone to tell me honestly, do you really eat fruit and greens all day everyday and feel full and satisfied. You dont' ever make a raw dessert or 'normal' raw meal. I've heard that women need more fat in their diet than fruit and greens provide because of their menstrual cycle and the reason it stops is because the body fat% in raw women drops to low to support the menstrual cycle.

I'll definately try to cut the intensity of my workouts, I never thought of that as a problem. Thanks for all the comments, the suggestions really helped a lot. Thanks.

Adrenal Fatigue does exist. I had it, I drank coffee for so long 25 years ! , that stresses the adrenals, and also intense training and extreme dieting for long periods of time.

I will be straight with you. Yes there are some who can eat fruit all day. I am one of them. I would not TOUCH fruit prior to being RAW. I was Hypoglycemic and I was lead to believe that I must not eat simple carbs, limit complex carbs. Also as a Bodybuilder I soon became the Protein Lowfat Queen for 20 years ! How wrong that was, I was starving my body for energy by eating so little carbs in my diet !

I have been eating fruit all day for months now (I am thinner than I was but still have my muscle) and then veggies in the PM. Green drink somedays not others. Today I started my day with a Green Drink thinking I needed a switch, and I was still starving....so I waited abit and had 1/2 banana, then 2 apples. I am now full and will be able to go to dinner without being hungry. Yesterday I limited my fruit and I was starving allday long, woke up this morning hungry too, even though I ate lots yesterday. Fruit satisfies me. BUT everyone is different.
I do not do recipes on a regular basis. I like simple mono eating. The fanciest I get is sprouted buckwheat granola and maybe a raw bread from time to time.

As far as calorie counting try dropping it and do what you did before. If you did not have a reference point from previously counting calories it is POSSIBLE (dispite the previous bowls of ice cream..) that you are eating more. Go back to the instinctive eating if that works for you !

I counted calories for decades (and still do somedays from old habit..) and I maintain my weight at 1200 -1400 calories and I am 5'6 1/2 " If I ate 1600 calories (eve with running and weight training) I would gain weight fast !

So based on all you say...if it is not working try something else ! There are no rules. Eat as Raw as you want....exercise as much as you want...and if you do not like the results you are getting from your diet, simply do it differently !

[Nix]

Considering your changes in metabolism, potential adrenal exhaustion and the places you are gaining the most weight, I suggest you incorporate sea veggies.
Often weight gain in the stomach area, when previously you had not experienced any gain during normal times, indicates that your thyroid needs some nutrients.
Give that a try, you can add Kelp powder to your recipes, eat dulse-add it to salads, or take encapsulated kelp or wakame.
Nix

[showjumper]

Thanks so much for all the help. I know bananas help keep me full, when my father was in the hospital I took apples and bananas with me so I didn't have to eat in the cafeteria and since I wasn't thinking of food it worked wonderfully. I guess we all have a journey of finding out about our bodies and how they function. Everyday I learn something new, and it always reaffirms my belief in raw foods.

Thanks so much everyone. I have renewed hope and out come the yoga tapes for awhile. I've been exercising at such an intensity for so many years I almost feel like yoga would be a welcomed break. :D

[Raw Magwene]

Amen, Raw Figure!

If you really feel like this is still a problem in a month or so, maybe you should see a doctor of some sort--allopath, naturopath, clinical nutritionist, something! I see a nutritionist on a regular basis and I feel that he really helps me to stay on track with my health. Even though the raw food literature claims that we should be able to get all the nutrients we need from our raw diet, because U.S. soil for growing things is so seriously depleted of nutrients, I don't think I can eat enough every day to get what my body actually does need. Don't stick to 100% raw rigidly just for the sake of being 100% raw. The bottom line is that you are trying to improve your health, and if a supplement or nutritionist or piece of chicken once a week or whatever allows you achieve radiant health, maybe that is your path, but it is always your choice to make.

[chilove]

Hello there,

I eat fruit all day and feel very satisfied, much more satisfied than when I was eating a high fat gourmet diet actually. You just need to eat larger amounts of fruit in one sitting. A typical meal for me is two honeydews or three or four large mangoes, 20-30 dates, a couple of lbs of grapes, five bananas. You get the idea, larger meals. I feel great eating this way! Humans actually need very little fat. Fruit and greens contain plenty of fat.

All the best,

Audrey
www.rawhealing.com

[rawfigure]

Hello there,

I eat fruit all day and feel very satisfied, much more satisfied than when I was eating a high fat gourmet diet actually. You just need to eat larger amounts of fruit in one sitting. A typical meal for me is two honeydews or three or four large mangoes, 20-30 dates, a couple of lbs of grapes, five bananas. You get the idea, larger meals. I feel great eating this way! Humans actually need very little fat. Fruit and greens contain plenty of fat.

All the best,

Audrey
www.rawhealing.com

Chilove, Yes ! This has been my biggest "mistake" which is now simply a new challenge. I would eat a One piece of fruit and think it was my meal, then to get hungry and say "this does not work" and go eat some Almonds..ok overeat almonds ! So I have learned that for me Two Large Apples is a Meal, or a whole Pint of Strawberries, if I have a plum meal I can eat 6 no problem, eating more is the key ! :D I still have a fear of Banana's (haven't totally let go of that old belief that they will make me fat..lol..) so I am still eating one then eating some other fruit an hour later..heck tomorrow I will try two at a meal !

[Raw Magwene]

Raw figure, I'm curious about 80-10-10. When you first started eating more fruit, did you experience any difficulty with your blood sugar--highs and lows, episodes of fatigue/sleepiness? Was the transition difficult for you in any way?

I'm a pretty simple eater right now. I generally go for salads, whole fruit, sprouts, and love my flax crackers and grawnola. Easy stuff, cause I don't have the time or inclination to do a lot of complicated food prep. The thing that keeps my diet now from being 80-10-10 is nuts (I can easily gorge myself on macadamias) and my salad dressings (I love Alissa's recipes).

Any suggestions or advice for getting to 80-10-10 from here?

Thanks!

[rawfigure]

Raw figure, I'm curious about 80-10-10. When you first started eating more fruit, did you experience any difficulty with your blood sugar--highs and lows, episodes of fatigue/sleepiness? Was the transition difficult for you in any way?

I'm a pretty simple eater right now. I generally go for salads, whole fruit, sprouts, and love my flax crackers and grawnola. Easy stuff, cause I don't have the time or inclination to do a lot of complicated food prep. The thing that keeps my diet now from being 80-10-10 is nuts (I can easily gorge myself on macadamias) and my salad dressings (I love Alissa's recipes).

Any suggestions or advice for getting to 80-10-10 from here?

Thanks!

RM....I transitioned into the more Fruit into my diet. I did not experience any blood sugar highs and lows which surprised me. A great gift to beable to eat fruit ! I added more and more to the point it is more than 1/2 of my diet.

The only thing left me tired was the nuts in my diet. For me reducing ALmonds was a challenge. I overate them so I had to limit them in my diet. If I eat more than 5-10 they become to high a fat % in my diet. I try to stay 8-1-1 BUT just the fat in fruit and veggies will sometimes bring me to 15% ! SO never a problem of not getting fat in the diet..it is everywhere :D

8-1-1 is not for everyone, for some fats digest well and it is not a problem to eat them. Try cutting them down and see how it feels !

[freetarian]

What they mean is that animals in the wild do not bleed monthly and we do not need to either. It is a product of eating cooked foods and some long time raw fooders can find that it stops. That does not mean that they are not fertile or healthy, just that they are natural.


So the egg still has to leave the body, right? Its like you just dont bleed, but there is still some monthly outflow, is that what you were saying?

I read on fruitarian.com that the menstruation sometimes stops at all, or only occurs once or twice a year.
Its really interesting that bleeding is not natural...I didnt even know animals dont bleed...I never thought about that.

Do you have some article or reference that long time raw foodists dont bleed, or that animals dont bleed?

Do you think the bleeding might have emotional reasons too and not just nutritional/chemical/physical reasons?

[Raw Magwene]

Other mammals are not a valid comparison to humans. Only humans, great apes, bats, and shrews experience true menstruation. All the others get estrus. That's why they don't have periods like us. Not because they are "more natural" than us. I'll refer you to the relevant wikipedia article.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Menstruation

From my understanding of human female fertility, in general, if you are not menstruating regularly it is because the body does not have the energetic resources, or maybe your hormone cycle is not "normal" (yes, I know that's a very subjective word!). If you're going 180+ days between cycles, you're experiencing amenorhea. This can happen when you're breastfeeding--it's hard for your body to nurture and grow two babies at once with success. Female athletes can experience it too, maybe because their body fat gets so low, or they use so much of their energy in activity.

Your menstrual cycle is actually a really healthy thing, not an inconvenience. I think that in this age of the pill and feminine hygiene and all that pap we are fed on TV, we are becoming less and less aware of the power and sacred nature of our feminine bodies.

If you have really painful cycles, your hormones could be unbalanced. A good naturopath could probably help you with that. If I was a fruitarian and I stopped having a period all together, I would definitely be concerned.

We are not told this in sex ed, but our reproductive hormones are actually really powerful aspects of our overall health. For instance, did y'all realize that having more kids, younger, and breastfeeding them longer can significantly reduce your chance of getting breast cancer? And that amenorrhea is associated with low bone density?

I just think that sometimes we get all caught up in spurious arguments about the benefits of this diet choice. But because we are making this choice, we have the responsibility to research things (at least check out wikipedia on stuff!! It's free and easy and a good start!). Just because someone or some website happens to concur with our choice of diet does not mean that they are infallible or that we don't need that grain of salt.

[freetarian]

Hm..yeah I see your points...

As for menstruation I dont have any opinion cuz Im a man, so what do I know....lol...but then again...I guess it doesnt mean they have less energy when women dont bleed...I dont know.

The reason I asked about it is that I read on fruitarian.com that the menses stop on a fruitarian diet, and it always baffled me and I actually wanted to find out if fruitarians dont bleed, but no one could give me a definite answer....I guess there are hardly any true fruitarian women out there that have first hand experiences...
Sport, whats your two cents puueeeeeeeeeeeeeeeezzzzeeeeeee?

[Pailani]

did y'all realize that having more kids, younger, and breastfeeding them longer can significantly reduce your chance of getting breast cancer? And that amenorrhea is associated with low bone density?


So - having more kids and breastfeeding them longer (which can be a cause of amenorrhea - 1-2 years per child in my case) can reduce the risk of breast cancer, but increase the risk of low bone density? This could explain why I have early osteoporosis.

[wisslewj]

ShowJumper,

It seems to me you are eating too MUCH fruit. It is carbs that actually cause fat, this is chemically proven, so the more fruit you eat the more weight you may gain. WHile fruit is obviously healthy, the best way to lose weight is to up your fat.

Without a huge explanation, fat basically carries toxins out of your cells (hence reducing weight) and nutrients to them. (hence better metabolism and burning off of excess weight.

When I upped my saturated fat via coconut oil, I lost ALL fat on my body but retained muscle tone. I literally have no fat, nor does my wife. And I would say that you gotta play with calories but we dont and no matter how many we eat, dont gain any fat.

The islanders often have higher fruit diets then other tarditional peoples and they are not fat. the reason is they eat ALOT of coconut and its oil. (they ferment the coconuts)

So my advice....make sure you are not deficient in nutrients as that can cause issues as well, and just add coconut oil to smoothies. It will help alot.

God Bless
Jeff

PS: some people gain a lil weight as well just before a healing crisis, so if your saturated fat is adequate that may be whats happening as well

[Raw Magwene]

Pailani,

I'm not sure if lactational amenorrhea is specifically associated with low bone density. I start all my searches for info with wikipedia, and they do have an article on amenorrhea. I wish you the best of health and healing.

Sara

[mschele]

Rawfigure, I always looks forward to reading your posts since I would like to have lean muscle on a raw diet. Anyway, you said not to count calories and to just go with your instinct. Do you think your metabolism with slow down if you do not consume enough calories? I know from SAD bodybuilding, it is very important to eat X number of calories to keep your metabolism up. Also do carb cycling etc. Does the same hold true for raw? I am currently eat raw all day and eat a cooked vegan meal at night and am holding on the 6 extra pounds.

Thanks.

[rawfigure]

Rawfigure, I always looks forward to reading your posts since I would like to have lean muscle on a raw diet. Anyway, you said not to count calories and to just go with your instinct. Do you think your metabolism with slow down if you do not consume enough calories? I know from SAD bodybuilding, it is very important to eat X number of calories to keep your metabolism up. Also do carb cycling etc. Does the same hold true for raw? I am currently eat raw all day and eat a cooked vegan meal at night and am holding on the 6 extra pounds.

Thanks.


It takes the Metabolism awhile to slow down if you reduce your calories. But long term low calories will reduce MET. I suggest that you do one higher calorie day every week. Not a pig out but a few hundred more cals. For example I eat 1200 ish a day then at least one day a week I may go to 1400-1500. Also traing and exercise will help with MET to.

In SAD bodybuilding the X Calories is often advocated to gain weight and add muscle. Most body builders gain unwanted weight during the off season then need to diet to lose it on season. It is better to eat what your body requores and ignore the X number of calories. :D