Would like advice please.

77Bailey77

Hi, I am unfortunately someone who has all her life believed in the 1200 calorie route. The past 6 weeks I have ate 1300 calories daily (thought I was being a slight rebel having an extra hundred!!) I have also worked up to walking 90 minutes Monday to Friday at a reasonable pace with my small dog, which we both enjoy. I also try to swim 3 times a week. I am unable to do any lifting due to medical conditions and on Consultants advice. After these six weeks of diligent weighing of food and exercise I have managed to gain a pound. I was at the stage of almost accepting this is the size I am meant to be when I came across this group. It's like it was heaven sent!
I have read avidly for days, the explanations and reasons etc and think "I understand this" and then I read something else and think "nope, I don't". My stats are as follows. (I would be so very grateful for advice as I am on my 2nd day of increased calories now and would like to know if I am headed in the right direction or completely off course. I have been on diets since I was 21 and am 49 now so enough is enough. I want to do it right once and for all)!
I am Female, 49 yrs and as of today weigh 93.5 kgs.
I used Scooby and came up with:

BMR 1619
TDEE 2227
step 6 1893

So I ate 1800 yesterday and plan on eating 18/1900 for at least 4 weeks and then increasing to 2200 for a month and then seeing where my weight is at.
Could you please tell me if this sounds about right.
I did post a couple of days ago, but am sure it was in the wrong place! I have also joined the group now. I am in this for the long haul.
Many thanks in advance. (I apologise for the lengthy, muddled mail).

BM

heybales

If you think you have really been eating 1200 and maintained weight, then couple of things.

Either your system has been slowed WAY down - do NOT start eating 1800 immediately. If you do you will have a surplus of 600-800 calories daily, you will gain 1.5 lbs weekly of fat, until your body decides to speed up.
Increase by 100 daily for a week at a time, allow body to speed up slowly - don't shock it the other direction.

Or, your food logging is really terrible and wiping out the deficit you could have had. In which case again - jumping up to logged 1800 inaccurate but in reality 2200 would be disaster too.
So another good reason to increase slowly.

Do you weigh all your foods that enter your mouth?
Even packaged items. Package may say it contains 350 g, you may eat the whole thing, but "about 2 servings" is not exact enough. If serving is 147 g, then that is more than 2 servings. Do the math if you don't, in that case 350/147=2.38 servings. That sort of thing adds up fast.

Also, since you've been on diets for so long - I doubt greatly you have the average muscle mass you would otherwise have - which means that BMR is elevated above a better estimate, which means the TDEE is inflated too above reality.

If you can get a bodyfat % estimate, then use the Katch BMR option on the scooby Most accurate link option.

Or use the spreadsheet on my profile page to get best estimates of everything, and then work your way up slowly to eat at that TDEE estimate.
Stay on Simple Setup and Progress tabs only, delete all sample data in yellow cells once done looking at it, and enter your own.

77Bailey77

Thank you so much for the reply. I will definitely follow your advice of increasing the calories slowly. I really am meticulous in my weighing and logging of food. For example each time I have PB I weigh the spoon, tare, and then weigh it again with PB. I also weigh each piece of fruit, never just use "an apple". I rarely eat packaged (other than tofu) and never fast food. I am a vegetarian (Over 30 years) so eat a lot of fresh veg and beans/pulses. I had blood works last week and all was OK with that. I do take B12 and iron supplements as prescribed as I have a blood disorder. I would have thought my logging was maybe the one thing I was accurate about in my weight loss efforts! I realise now I have practically done everything else wrong in my endeavours to lose weight all these years.

I don't have a body fat estimate but am keen to use the spreadsheet.
Thank you again for the advice.
BM

Jennbecca33

Hi there! We are glad you found EM2WL! Heybales gave you great advice. It sounds as if you are very careful in weighing out your foods, so that for sure tells us you have been greatly under eating. So yes, increase those calories slowly and give your body time to adjust. Here is a great post by Kiki that will help you in knowing what to expect when increasing your calories:

http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/521728/upping-cals-what-to-expect-why-you-need-patience/p1

Sometimes for those that have been under eating for a very long time, we suggest a full metabolism reset, which would mean that you would increase your calories slowly all the way up to your TDEE and eat there for a minimum of 8-12 weeks to allow your metabolism to heal - then you can introduce a small deficit again for weight loss. It's a longer process, but very worth it in the end. This may be something you need to consider as you increase your calories. Be sure to post back here and let us know how you are doing and if you have more questions. Also, you can check out the main webpage at www.em2wl.com for more support and forums. You can add me for support here on MFP as well. Again, welcome!

77Bailey77

Hi and thank you so much for the warm welcome. I am definitely going to follow the advice I have been given. This group feels like a light at the end of the tunnel. I really don't mind how long it takes to reach or maintain at my TDEE, I have faith that I am on the right road and it will all be good in the end. To be honest it feels like there is a weight off my shoulders in that I am doing something positively and correctly. Thanks to you and Heybales for the very welcome support and advice.
BM x

heybales

And guess what other benefit to this new direction?

Your body can heal better when it's not trying to slow things down due to lack of calories.
So medical conditions is an extra stress your body didn't need piled on top of with more.
With lack of food not being a stress, the body can handle other stresses better.

Good job on the food weighing, I was kind of hoping it was that issue, because that means you likely have decent combo of lost muscle mass, and suppressed system.

You can correct one now, the other can't be until you can strength train at some hopeful point down the road.

But one at a time. Keep it up, especially looking at the big picture.
Some people hear 8-12 weeks and think that's a long time, totally forgetting the 6 months of no weight loss they had already. Or the previous 4 attempts of losing and gaining same weight.

77Bailey77

Thanks Heybales, lovely to have your support. I will be delighted if I have this sorted in 12 weeks, I am looking on that timescale as a bonus! I honestly have no intentions of rushing this, I am enjoying carefully planning the extra calories already If you don't mind I will be popping in here on at least a weekly basis. I feel any problems can be nipped in the bud then before they have chance to escalate.
Thanks again, BM x