Plase help...newbie needs advice on numbers..

skinnygurl02

Please help.
I am 41, 5" 5", 178 pounds and goal is 140.
Right now I am really not exercising...I do go out with the kids shopping on the weekends, doing chores around the house but, not exercise. Right now my bmr is 1477, tdee is 1772 and I've been eating around 1512 calories a day for 3 weeks, still not losing.

Before starting this I was eating well over my tdee for several months. Any advice would be helpful. I in the past have done the 1200 calorie diet and never wish to return to that again..

mymodernbabylon

Are you measuring EVERYTHING with a scale (except liquids)? If not, you may be eating more than you think you are - most people do.

If you are, then you do have to remember that weight loss is not an exact science so it may take a bit of time to start losing.

skinnygurl02

Yes, I measure and weigh and journal EVERYTHING...do you think my calories are set right?

Jennbecca33

I'm betting you selected sedentary (desk job) activity level on Scooby? Even though you aren't formally working out, unless you are completely sedentary for 24 hours a day, you probably need to choose lightly active and increase your calories a little bit. With the Scooby site, we also have to include our daily activity outside of exercise. Make sure you only choose 15% deficit and eat the same amount every day. You've probably been unintentionally netting below your BMR - for some that can completely stall weight loss. When I entered your information in Scooby and a 15% deficit, I came out with 1726 cals daily for about .5 lb loss per week. TDEE of 2061

http://scoobysworkshop.com/accurate-calorie-calculator/

Hope this helps...try increasing cals slowly and you should see scale moving down after your body adjusts.

skinnygurl02

That seems like an awful lot of calories for me, I ate close to 1726 last night and gained 3 pounds overnight. How much weight do you think I'll gain before I start losing again, I am so frustrated..

mymodernbabylon

What you gained was just the glucose stores adding water. You can't gain 3 lb of fat without eating around 10,000 extra calories. It's normal and it will level off and go away.

Jennbecca33

It's not too many calories but it seems a lot to you right now because you're used to eating less. You've been eating 1512 cals daily for 3 weeks and have seen zero progress. Your BMR is 1477, so you are barely eating over your BMR, which is the bare minimum we should ever eat. Eating less than this doesn't support organ functions. You don't want to take your calories down anymore. When eating at a deficit, especially a larger deficit, when you add back calories quickly, you will gain water weight and possibly fat weight as well because your metabolism may be suppressed a bit. So I mentioned increasing your calories slowly, not all at once. Increasing very slowly - maybe 100 cals per week - helps the body adjust. It's really best to stay off the scale at first so it doesn't discourage you. It's ok that you jumped right up to that calorie level, but don't let 3 lbs of water fluctuation discourage you. Most women in your situation would cut calories even lower, which will backfire and lead you into an unhealthy cycle. Increase slowly and you'll start to see your metabolism speed back up. I have no way of knowing how much you'll gain - probably not too much - before your weight will level out. If you're not comfortable eating the 1700ish number, just increase up to 1600 for awhile and see how you feel. Try reading around the forums and read some testimonies so that you can see how others have been in your place and had great success increasing their calories. You'll be just fine! Hang in there!!

skinnygurl02

Thanks so much for all your help. I am going to try to stick with 1700 and stay off the scales and see what happens!!:)