Am I doing too much or not enough?

lil_br_98

Hi everyone! I've been lurking the boards for a while and decided to pose a question. I've been using mpf and Fitbit for about 6 wks now. I've lost 6lbs during that time (it came off sporadically- 4lbs in the beginning then 2lbs last week). I'm a 35 yr old woman, 5'7" currently weighing 224lb. I'm eating about 1350 calories a day and I don't normally eat into the calories I'm burning. I've been working out 4-5 days a week, giving my body a break the other days. I started noticing that instead of gaining more energy, I've actually gotten more tired recently. I'm not sure if I'm overdoing it or if im not eating enough calories.

jemhh

IMO you are undereating. 1350 is not dangerously low but it is unnecessarily low for weight loss. You should be able to easily lose weight eating 1750-1850 calories per day. The process would be more comfortable and enjoyable if you ate more.

murp4069

As someone who did the same thing for a while, I agree with the above poster in that you may not be eating enough to properly fuel your body. I went through the same thing and once I started eating back some of my exercise calories I found that I wasn't as tired during the day. Perhaps start eating back 50-75% of your exercise calories and adjust from there based on how you feel and how your weight loss progresses. Good luck!

blues4miles

Are you getting adequate sleep?

Might just be a bit of too much too soon. I find it takes me anywhere from 4 weeks to 12 weeks to adjust to a new activity level. It might just take you some more time to get used to it.

20yearsyounger

Yeah you are overdoing it. If you are going to go for 1350, at least eat back some of the calories you are burning until you don't feel like you are gaining or on par and not losing energy.

nineteentwenty

macros become very important in low-calorie diets. While it would be ideal to bump up your plan to ~1500 calories, if you prefer to eat less, then make sure you are hitting your protien goal on the daily.

erinc5

I agree that if you are tired you should eat more calories. I am 5'7" and started out this year at 175ish and am down to 160 now and have eaten anywhere between 1350-1800 each day.

I think 1350 is a fine goal for you to stick to IF you are eating back your calories from working out.

AnnPT77

I'd certainly suggest eating back 50-75% of your exercise calories, and making sure you get solid nutrition (especially sufficient protein, fats, and plenty of veggies/fruits). Sleep counts, too.

I'm 2" shorter than you, 25 years older, started at 40 pounds lighter than you are now, and lost most of my weight (around 65 pounds) at 1400-1600 net calories (i.e., eating back all my exercise calories).

The fatigue is a bad sign, an early warning. I was fatigued when I briefly went to 1200 net, and am now seeing that I was also getting brittle fingernails (they've grown out enough to see the effects), and probably other negative consequences.

You should be able to lose steadily at higher gross calories. Eating back a large portion of the exercise calories would be a good start.

lil_br_98

Thanks everyone! I'm going to start adjusting my eating habits and see if that helps.

AmyRhubarb

I also started out too low, and unsure about eating back exercise cals. Glad those days are over, because like you, I ended up exhausted, under fueled and hungry as well, and it sucked!

My goal is to eat as MANY calories as I can while still losing weight, and it is so much better. You may not have instant or fast weight loss, but you will have steady FAT loss, which is awesome. Energy for workouts and daily life, a far more reasonable calorie goal that allows for life to happen (birthdays, holidays, parties, dinners out), and best of all, it's far, far easier to stick with for GOOD, so the fat and inches come off and stay off!