Looking 4x Faster Than Settings and Feeling Bad

I've never dieted or counted calories before and I'm trying to follow the MFP settings closely, but I've rather crashed and burned this week. I'm hoping someone can help figure out where I've gone wrong.

I'm 50 days in, so I would think the initial water weight and shock of restricting calories would be over. I started at 230 and weighed at 212 this morning. I lost 4 lbs this week and 14 lbs in the last month. I have it set for losing 1 lb per week, and over the last week, counting the few exercise calories I logged (I was really busy this week!) I was under for the whole week only by 414. I don't feel hungry most of the time and the few times I've over served myself on portions I can't finish it because I'm full. On the other hand, I've always been a person who runs hot and is always in short sleeves and complaining about the heat, but I've been freezing for the last few weeks, so much so that my hands are so cold at work I have to sit on them or go wash my hands in warm water just to thaw enough to keep typing.

Since I've never counted calories, I don't know what works for me, or really even what I would normally eat, but I would estimate that I cut down from at least 2500-3000 daily, maybe more, to 1630. And at that former level I was stable, not gaining anything.

I have my activity level set at sedentary because I work a desk job (I walk around the office a lot on errands, but not *that* much, attend college classes at night and log all my exercise, even walking half a mile to class.

I'm thinking maybe either change my activity level to lightly active or my loss level to .5 lbs per week, or both. Thoughts?

Replies

lemurcat12

I'd change your activity to lightly active. I lost more than expected when I started MFP, and I think a lot of it was that I wasn't really sedentary. (And lucky you! Nice problem to have.)

sheermomentum

If I understand everything, you're eating about 1500-1550 calories a day, and you're not hungry (mostly), but you're concerned that you may be losing too fast, and then there's this weird thing with being cold. Yes? If you're not hungry now, I wouldn't worry too much about taking in more calories. Of course, you certainly can if you want to and see how it goes, but if you generally feel good, then I would say there's no need to *force yourself to eat more if you're satisfied where you are. The weight loss will probably taper off soon. Unfortunately.

If it worries, you, though, then just do it, and keep making changes until YOU are satisfied with the situation. I couldn't say if this has anything to do with your being cold, though. That might be something you want to talk to a doctor about if it keeps on, just to rule out any major issues.

jemhh

I agree. Change your settings to lightly active. That will give you 200ish more calories. Stick with it a few weeks to see if you feel a bit better.

FWIW, I sit 40+ hours a week at my job with little walking around and still would need to mark myself lightly active.

If that isn't enough, change to .5 lbs. But I would say change only 1 variable at a time.

VykkDraygoVPR

Just anecdotal, but losing weight makes me cold too. It's not too bad right now, but sometimes it gets frustrating. I started keeping a jacket at work because of this. I made a thread on it before that had some good suggestions. It might help to browse it, and see what they said. Might even do to look at the possible causes they brought up (didn't apply to me, so I don't remember them).

http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10244652/cold-limbs

firephoenix8

It's pretty cold at my office, and I've usually been the one who thought it was marginally ok, but now I've switched to being cold all the time. It's legitimately cold there, though. At home and outside in Tennessee summertime (still 80s and 90s here!) I'm not freezing, just not as hot as usual. I think I was more worried about feeling so bad, especially since I'm eating a lot healthier and was feeling a lot better at first.

I think maybe bumping up to lightly active might be a good idea. Thanks everyone

shabaity

When I'm dropping weight I'm the whack job waiting tables in a long sleeve shirt in august. I'm cold natured but it's only that bad then.

Merkavar

Are you weighing your food? Could be over estimating what your eating and under eating.

Eating 1200 calories but logging it as 1600 could explain why your losing too fast.

But like others said you might be more active than sedentary.

SLLRunner

Merkavar wrote: »

Are you weighing your food? Could be over estimating what your eating and under eating.

Eating 1200 calories but logging it as 1600 could explain why your losing too fast.

But like others said you might be more active than sedentary.

Agreed.