Enough Calories?

Panda_Poptarts

Hi guys -

Not sure if I'm eating enough! I feel like I am eating an appropriate amount, and my macros are good for keto. However, I have been losing weight pretty slowly, which doesn't seem quite right.

I'm 5'11 and 258, and eating 1400 - 1500 calories per day (don't look at today - I'm nauseous and not hungry). I've plugged my stats into various calculators that push me more towards the 1800 - 2000 range without exercise, and I spend 8 - 10 hours per week at the gym.

Am I losing weight slowly because I'm eating too little? That seems very backwards...

auntstephie321

It does sound like you're eating too little. You'd really have to define slowly though. How much have you lost in the past 4 weeks? Keep in mind some of us don't lose for weeks then have a big loss then don't lose for weeks again. I don't believe the low intake would make you lose slower though, your body may be working on something else, especially if you recently started working it.

Panda_Poptarts

auntstephie321 wrote: »

It does sound like you're eating too little. You'd really have to define slowly though. How much have you lost in the past 4 weeks? Keep in mind some of us don't lose for weeks then have a big loss then don't lose for weeks again. I don't believe the low intake would make you lose slower though, your body may be working on something else, especially if you recently started working it.

Looks like 4 pounds this month. I went down a little bit lower, but then added back what I assume is water weight the next day.

I am at the gym most days. I'm a little bit frustrated, but still determined to keep up on the path I'm on. I've lost all 65 pounds painstakingly. I just want to see some more progress in the right direction.

auntstephie321

Do you take measurements or photos for comparison. I bet you'd see some major changes with those, the scale is a jerk and can't be trusted, especially when you are doing lots of exercise. If you aren't hungry don't worry about eating more but don't areas if you have day's you want to eat me. I'm still losing and I'm 5'5 148 and eating 1700 a day and I don't workout nearly as much as you do.

Panda_Poptarts

auntstephie321 wrote: »

Do you take measurements or photos for comparison. I bet you'd see some major changes with those, the scale is a jerk and can't be trusted, especially when you are doing lots of exercise. If you aren't hungry don't worry about eating more but don't areas if you have day's you want to eat me. I'm still losing and I'm 5'5 148 and eating 1700 a day and I don't workout nearly as much as you do.

I go to bed a touch hungry and wake up starving. Otherwise, I'm fine. I used to eat 1200 and that was SO not okay.

There has been a major change in shape. I'm down several sizes and looking slimmer and tighter. It's just that there's SO far to go still, sometimes that's overwhelming. I'm looking at like 140lb total loss -- literally a person! I just want to make sure I'm doing this correctly, and healthily.

auntstephie321

It sounds like your doing great. Keep taking photos if you can in same outfit, I swear I'd have quit long ago if I couldn't see the progress in my pics. 1200 definitely not ok, I used to do that too, I can't believe now that I ever starved myself like that. Be careful at the level you might want to up it a little and see how you feel. I ended up seeing my hair thin after about 8 months of 1400 cals last year since I've increased its grown back but I was freaking out at the time. Also with the strength training your doing you want to make sure you're replenishing enough so your muscles can repair and grow. It'll be slow at times and fast at other times but by the end you'll be nice and toned and the fat will have melted away.

kimmydear

I'm not sure how correct my thinking is, but some days I eat more calories and some days less. If I'm not really hungry, I'm not worried about it being less. I do worry about too many days being more though. I have mine set at 1400 (pretty close to what the calculators told me) and often eat less. However, I do not work out at the rate you do, not nearly. Good for you!

Panda_Poptarts

My calculators recommend 2000 at a minimum - 1800 if I plug in "sedentary" which I am so NOT anymore! I have a sneaking feeling I may not be giving myself enough nutrients. @auntstephie321 I had the hair thinning as well at 1200 calories, and it's growing back in pretty nicely. I have noticed in the past several weeks some other issues. I have had eczema on my scalp in the past (not for like 5 years now!) and it's back with extra brutality. My skin seems to be drier and less supple too. Could be the weather though, I suppose.

CMYKRGB

Are your clothes fitting any looser? Are you lifting weights? Could it be you are gaining lean muscle which weighs more than fat?

Panda_Poptarts

CMYKRGB wrote: »

Are your clothes fitting any looser? Are you lifting weights? Could it be you are gaining lean muscle which weighs more than fat?

Very likely. I can feel some muscle development in my arms and shoulders. My clothes are all huge on me, and I've dropped sizes. I should probably stop weighing myself for awhile, since I recently started lifting.

Dragonwolf

You still can eat several hundred more calories and shouldn't have an issue, though may need to take it slowly due to your history of severe calorie restriction.

To compare, I'm 5'9.5" and 255lb as of this morning. I'm somewhere between sedentary and lightly active most days. Today was on the slightly higher end, as I went grocery shopping and did some chores that had me up and down the stairs several times in the day. I've got a Fitbit, so it's pretty good at tracking caloric expenditure. I'm allotted just shy of 2300 calories for today, which includes the 500 calorie deficit to lose weight. When I'm completely sedentary, it generally runs about 1700. When I'm really, really active (like last Memorial Day weekend, when I worked on my garden for a day, hauling mulch and stuff), I had as much as 3,700 allotted to me (again, still with a 500 calorie deficit).

You have an inch and a half on me, so you should be able to sustain these numbers (and more) and still lose weight, too, once your body adjusts to an adequate level of food.

Also, 4 pounds in a month is not "really slowly," but actually right on track for what's considered a sustainable loss rate. As someone else mentioned, body composition changes can make the scale stop moving, so don't put too much stock in it by itself.

macchiatto

Interesting about the hair loss; I'm eating at 1350 and had noticed increased hair loss lately. I was wondering if it had something to do with the woe; hadn't thought it might actually be the calorie level. (Though for my stats I think it probably is around a 500-calorie deficit.)

Panda_Poptarts

Dragonwolf wrote: »

You still can eat several hundred more calories and shouldn't have an issue, though may need to take it slowly due to your history of severe calorie restriction.

To compare, I'm 5'9.5" and 255lb as of this morning. I'm somewhere between sedentary and lightly active most days. Today was on the slightly higher end, as I went grocery shopping and did some chores that had me up and down the stairs several times in the day. I've got a Fitbit, so it's pretty good at tracking caloric expenditure. I'm allotted just shy of 2300 calories for today, which includes the 500 calorie deficit to lose weight. When I'm completely sedentary, it generally runs about 1700. When I'm really, really active (like last Memorial Day weekend, when I worked on my garden for a day, hauling mulch and stuff), I had as much as 3,700 allotted to me (again, still with a 500 calorie deficit).

You have an inch and a half on me, so you should be able to sustain these numbers (and more) and still lose weight, too, once your body adjusts to an adequate level of food.

Also, 4 pounds in a month is not "really slowly," but actually right on track for what's considered a sustainable loss rate. As someone else mentioned, body composition changes can make the scale stop moving, so don't put too much stock in it by itself.

Thanks so much for this post. This is very, very helpful - and right in line with what I am trying to tell myself every day. I think a big part of it is psychological. I've been overweight since I was young - around 7 years old. I look in the mirror and chronically see "fat", although I logically realize that my body fat is down 20%, I'm building muscles, and dropping inches. There is absolutely a psychological aspect there that I need to overcome.

I don't think I'd considered my dietary history to be "severe calorie restriction" until recently. I started eating at 1800 at the request of my trainer, figuring that even with exercise, I'll net out to a healthier total intake than I have been. The scale is up a pound, which is stressing me out, but I hear that's normal, right? The good news is I FEEL healthier. More energy, sleeping better, less irritable. I think I need to give this a try for awhile and stop being so scared of such a "big" calorie intake.