I'm a testimony that you can indeed stay obese by not eating enough food. I was 200 pounds and through not eating enough food, my body compensated by depriving non-essential processes of energy and thereby lowering my basal metabolic rate (BMR). In other words, my metabolism was excruciatingly slow and I had no energy because my body sure wasn't going to let me get off the couch unless I gave it more food. I felt like every day was a struggle to just live.
I started hiking to try and save my life in 2019 after getting myocarditis (heart infection) from the worst virus I've ever had! The virus itself almost took my life and my fever was unrelenting but I survived but my heart was not making it and myocarditis had set in. The cardiologist told my husband and I that it would take a miracle or I'd need a heart transplant. He said there was NOTHING that I could do. You don't tell someone with my God (and my personality) that there is nothing you can do LOL! I decided to die trying and started hiking in May 2019. I could barely make 5-10 minutes and oh my the fatigue! I just kept going and somehow dropped 15 pounds from burning off that fat, even though I was still eating barely enough food to live.
Then, I started eating more in May 2022 and just like that, I dropped weight continuously for 12 weeks! I had SO MUCH ENERGY from eating more food that I was able to exercise 5-9 hours every week. My entire life changed and my heart got even better and I no longer suffer from debilitating heart pain. I was able to eat double what I ate at 200 pounds and still lose. I also upped my weight training and packed on some nice muscle while losing fat simultaneously.
