Newbie...help with numbers, please...

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  • alskarani
    alskarani Posts: 83
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    Also, I'm wondering how to make sure I'm getting enough nutrients and protein and things like that...last time I lost weight, I also lost my period, and it's started to do funny things again. I'm also losing hair. I want to be better about eating what I need to! How do I know what I should aim for?
  • alskarani
    alskarani Posts: 83
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    Any responses?
  • neaneacc
    neaneacc Posts: 224 Member
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    Alskarani,

    1,000 calories is fairly low. I know it sounds weird, but you need to eat to keep your body running properly. Try to focus less on how many calories and more about what you need nutritionally. Also, make sure you are drinking at least 8 glasses of real water. If possible quit "fake" sugars as they seem to create more troubles than they solve.
    Increased weight, funny periods, losing hair are all possible signs of a thyroid disorder. I am not a doctor, but those same symptoms got me a diagnosis with blood work of hashimoto's thyroditis. In short, my antibodies attack my thyroid. This is bad because your thyroid controls a lot of functions in the body including your metabolism. If you haven't seen a doctor it might be worth the trip. Any hormonal imbalance can make losing weight really difficult, and many conditions are treatable.
    I hope this helps.

    Renee
  • alskarani
    alskarani Posts: 83
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    I don't have any thyroid issues, I had that checked. I think the symptoms are from not eating enough, which I'm trying to address. This happened once before, and that was to blame. But I'm still unclear (sorry!) whether is should aim for 1200 or higher, and how to make sure/track what nutrients I need. I might be missing something, but I'm confused. Again, sorry!
  • sandravillanueva80
    sandravillanueva80 Posts: 1
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    alskarani wrote: »
    Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR): 1672
    Daily calories to maintain weight (TDEE) : 2299
    Daily calories based on goal in step 6: 1839

    But then why am I gaining on 1000 a day? With light exercise? I'm really scared to eat 1800 calories in a day! (This is 20% reduction). It seems so high! Why would MFP have me at 1200 if that weren't what I should do?

    Your body need food for fuel. 1000 calories isn't enough and if you are exercising you ate burning muscle not fat. Your body naturally stores fat when it thinks you ate starving it at. And you are. So eat adequately, and eat at minimum 14000 calories a day.
  • alskarani
    alskarani Posts: 83
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    I'm not trying to argue that 1000 is what I should be doing, but I'm confused about where 1400 comes from, and I don't understand how to make sure to get enough nutrients and protein and such. How is that calculated?
  • MelodyandBarbells
    MelodyandBarbells Posts: 7,725 Member
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    alskarani wrote: »
    I'm not trying to argue that 1000 is what I should be doing, but I'm confused about where 1400 comes from, and I don't understand how to make sure to get enough nutrients and protein and such. How is that calculated?

    I assume MKEgal has selected 1400 cals because she feels comfortable with that number and hasn't lost her hair or period. Okay ignore the smart alecky comment. The point is there could be a tendency to want to lose as fast as possible, but you do have to listen to your body
  • arobed53
    arobed53 Posts: 2,004 Member
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    On the average, a woman needs 1200 for doing absolutely nothing. So eating below that tells your body you're starving and it will not release anything so you don't lose. When you log your food, it will show you your carbs, fat, protein, sodium and sugar and you can see if you are getting enough of them. If you go to reports, you an see how you are doing on fiber, iron, vitamins A & C, calcium and iron. If you aren't getting enough, then you can choose foods that will help you get there. I am not as tall as you but when I was in weight loss mode, I don't think I ever got less that 1700 calories a day. Hope this helps a little.
  • MelodyandBarbells
    MelodyandBarbells Posts: 7,725 Member
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    So there are all these sites where you can calculate your daily intake, but using plain MFP method works just as well, and that's where your 1800 cals for 0.5 lb per week came from. You could also do 1600 for 1 lb per week - just plug your stats into MFP.

    If you want to go lower, yeah you can. But note that daily calories for one person may not be enough for the other, just depending on your daily lifestyle/activity. If you're starting to show symptoms of being undernourished, time to add one or two hundred calories

    How to setup protein etc: 40/30/30 is a Common macro split I hear. This means 40% of your daily calories come from carbs, 30 protein and 30 fat. You have account settings where you can specify this. As far as other nutrients, eat lots of fruit and vegetables - done. What to eat specifically? That's all you, buddy
  • alskarani
    alskarani Posts: 83
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    Thanks for your feedback! I reset my goal to do one pound per week. My new goal is 1,590. I would like to change macros to 40/30/30, but not sure how to do that? I checked under settings, couldn't find it. (I'm on my phone, which makes it a bit difficult.)

    Honestly, eating more is going to be really hard for me. I've eaten 1,088 calories today, and mentally it's hard to think about eating more! But I really want to do this!

    I've set my diary as public, and think I'll start another thread asking for friends who will help me stay accountable and on track.

    Again, thanks for your feedback and help.
  • arobed53
    arobed53 Posts: 2,004 Member
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    Sounds good. Slow and steady is good and easier to stay with.
  • segacs
    segacs Posts: 4,599 Member
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    alskarani wrote: »
    Honestly, eating more is going to be really hard for me. I've eaten 1,088 calories today, and mentally it's hard to think about eating more! But I really want to do this!

    If that were true you wouldn't have gained the weight in the first place. All of us gained it the same way -- by eating more calories than we burned. That means that at some stage, you were eating way more than 1,088 calories per day.

    You need to develop a healthier relationship with food. Food isn't good or bad, it's just food. Eat too little and you'll have nasty health effects like hair loss, nutritional deficiencies, hunger pangs, tiredness, headaches, a short temper, loss of your period, and maybe even slowing of brain function. Eat too much and you'll gain weight and have other health risks. It's like Goldilocks and the three bears: You gotta find the amount that's "just right".
  • alskarani
    alskarani Posts: 83
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    Yup, at some point I did. Then I developed disordered eating and lost a bunch of weight, and some of the other things you mentioned. Then I tried to "recover" and gained a lot back.

    I've started losing again, the bad way, and want to stop. But at the moment, I've been restricting to anywhere from 400 to 1000 calories. I want to stop this, so here I am.
  • segacs
    segacs Posts: 4,599 Member
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    In that case, please see a counselor. You're still demonstrating disordered eating behaviour, and believe me, this isn't a judgment or a condemnation -- we just want to see you get well and healthy. Getting some help and support is the #1 best thing you can do for yourself.
  • alskarani
    alskarani Posts: 83
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    What is disordered? I don't understand! I'm trying to get better!

    I am going to a counselor. They aren't an ed specialist, but I'm doing what I can...
  • segacs
    segacs Posts: 4,599 Member
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    alskarani wrote: »
    What is disordered? I don't understand! I'm trying to get better!

    I am going to a counselor. They aren't an ed specialist, but I'm doing what I can...

    That's great that you're trying to get better, really!

    What I meant was, if you're struggling to eat more than 1000 calories, then you're still dealing with some of your disordered eating behaviours that you referred to in your last post. If your only two settings are to eat extremely low or extremely high calories, and you struggle to eat a normal amount, then that's an ED.

    How about talking about some of this with your counselor?
  • MelodyandBarbells
    MelodyandBarbells Posts: 7,725 Member
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    Here's where to set macro percentages, and you can always change it in the future if you want: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/account/change_goals_custom

    You can consume more calories without necessarily eating a ton more volume: oil, salad dressings, peanut butter, avocado, try different types of meat other than boneless skinless chicken breast if you eat meat, etc. If you do a search you'll come up with tons of ideas

    But yeah if the struggle is more mental than just wondering how you'll physically cram more food into your day, I agree you should see if your counselor can help you sort through some of that :)
  • alskarani
    alskarani Posts: 83
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    Yes, I am still struggling. I really thought this would help...channel some determination into getting better. I have a lot of fear foods and fear of eating too much, but I thought to set a goal and try to achieve it would help.

    I'm talking about it in counseling, and start at a treatment center soon, but wanted to try to make progress even before.

    Counting calories is the only way I can think about doing this! Everything seems really out of control otherwise!
  • yirara
    yirara Posts: 9,568 Member
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    Looking at your entries from yesterday it looks like you're not weighing your food. Please use a food scale and weigh everything. I have what I would describe as a smallish banana in front of me and it weighs in at 115 grams without peel. That's 98 calories, though if I logged it as a small banana it's 90 kcal. Sure, it's a small difference, but it all adds up. You also had 8 tablespoons of hummus. I know that hummus is quite high in calories (and very yummy). What is the definition of the person who entered hummus in table spoons into the data base and how does that differ with yours? Did the person enter the information use a tablespoon full of hummus and wiped off everything that's higher than the edge? What did you do? There really is a good chance that you're eating more than you think.
  • alskarani
    alskarani Posts: 83
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    I weighed the hummus out in grams. I had 112 grams, or 4 ounces, or 8 tbsp, according to this entry. (It listed grams and tablespoons in comparison). I made my own hummus, added very little oil, and chose a hummus with a high amount of calories per 28 grams, or ounce, to be on the safe side.

    I estimated the banana, and put in more than I thought it was, because I didn't have my scale with me. If I can weigh it, I do.

    So I'm pretty sure I'm not that far off. I'm pretty exacting. For better or worse.

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