5' 2'' (with pcos) - 138 pounds to 115- help with diet and totals

awkwardbae

Hello. I'm currently 20 years old and I've been chubby since I was a kid. After many weightloss attempts I managed to reach 130 pounds by eating 1200 calories everyday and excercising at least half an hour daily. But I didn't manage to keep it up for long and after 4 months of being loyal to my diet I gained it all back reaching 155 pounds.

Now I've been around 138 pounds for at least a year and I want to lose all the extra weight and go down to 115. I know that by eating 1200 calories I'll lose it all but as it's been proven I won't be able to keep it up in the long run. I was kind of starving and I was super picky with my food so that it can fit in the 1200 calorie box. Some might find the calories enough, but personally I don't.

If someone has any knowledge about this nutrition-weightloss deal please help me.
Are 1200 calories the only way my body can become thin and fit? Or can I lose it all by eating a bit more? How many calories do you recommend and please help me with the totals because I have no idea.

I also have pcos that affects body weight so I think I should into account. I know that you're not a nutritionist but it would be a huge help for me to read some opinions. Thanks in advance.

janejellyroll

You've been maintaining your current weight for a year -- do you know how many calories you're eating each day now?

awkwardbae

I'm guessing something between 1500 to 1700 but I have some bad days that I eat even more than that (maybe 4 a month)

duckiethemonkey8

I try to follow a Keto diet and that works really well for many people. You can use a calculator to determine the macros and calories if you want. http://keto-calculator.ankerl.com/

janejellyroll

awkwardbae wrote: »

I'm guessing something between 1500 to 1700 but I have some bad days that I eat even more than that (maybe 4 a month)

I suggest that you log, as accurately as possible, what you're eating for the next 4-6 weeks and then create a deficit from your average. If you know the calorie range that lets you maintain your weight, it will be fairly easy to figure out how much you should eat to lose.

jemhh

awkwardbae wrote: »

I'm guessing something between 1500 to 1700 but I have some bad days that I eat even more than that (maybe 4 a month)

I would suggest logging your food every single day for a month. That means even on those 4 days when you are eating more. At the end of the month, average your calories eaten each day. Then take that number and subtract somewhere between 10% and 20%. Aim to eat that number of calories every day, or at least average it by the end of the week.

Sumiblue

I'm 5'2" & 47. I went from 138 to 115-116 with a small deficit (1/2 lb week). I strength train very regularly and I upped my protein to maintain muscle while losing. Calories will depend on your activity level but slow & steady works. I'm maintaining now on 1800-1900 calories.

kristinann308

Sumiblue wrote: »

I'm 5'2" & 47. I went from 138 to 115-116 with a small deficit (1/2 lb week). I strength train very regularly and I upped my protein to maintain muscle while losing. Calories will depend on your activity level but slow & steady works. I'm maintaining now on 1800-1900 calories.

Sumiblue - what calorie range did you lose the weight in? I know every-BODY is different. I strength-train 4-5 times a week and do cardio for at least 30-60 minutes 4-6 times a week (if not more) and at 1500 Calories, like awkwardbae, I still maintain. :-/

LeslieB042812

@jemhh has given you really good advice for finding your weight loss and maintenance calories.

Part of your question, though, seems to be how to keep with weight loss calories without wanting to stab and eat everyone who walks by. I have two tips that will (hopefully) help with that.

1. Manage your expectations. You are barely (if at all) outside of your healthy weight range now and, particularly as a petite female, your weight loss is going to be somewhat slow. I'm about the same size as you and average about a 1/2 lb per week loss--when I'm being really diligent! That's averaging over a long period of time; some weeks have no losses. If it's too hard to stick to 1200 calories, then maybe try 1300 or even 1400 and adjust your expectations of how long it will take to get to your goal and see results.
2. You can feel full on 1200 calories (if that is the calorie level you choose in the end). Play around with your "diet" to see what helps you feel most full on 1200/day (or however many you choose to eat). Some people find that a big breakfast helps them stay full and eat less, while others find that skipping breakfast and only eating lightly during the day allows them to eat a big, satisfying dinner (which helps them feel full). Still others do better with "grazing" (eating little bits throughout the day). Likewise, some people feel more full on a low carb diet (like the keto one that duckie recommends above); however others find that they need a balance of whole carbs and protein to feel full (that's me! a low or carb free meal leaves me feeling starving in an hour!). For most people, whole foods are more filling, as are high protein foods with healthy fats. I also find that volume-based eating (think BIG bowls of broth-based soup and greens-based salads) can help me feel full.

It sounds like for maintaining, you are currently eating slightly under most days and then splurging about 1 time per week. I use a similar method for maintaining, but splurge a couple of days and eat at a full weight-loss deficit for a few days. I find that using a similar methodology helps me when I'm trying to lose, too (even though it will slow down the loss). You could try eating 1200-1300 during the week and 1500-1700 one or two weekend days. That might give you the flexibility to eat your favorites and go out with friends, so you don't feel over-controled and deprived.

Oh, and congrats on losing the weight again--you have proven you can do this (twice!)!

Good luck!

awkwardbae

I'm so happy for the existance of every single one of you. You've been really nice and helpful thank you!

I'm going to follow each and every one of your advice and see what works for me I'll start by logging my food and trying to follow a diet of around 1500 calories for some weeks. My sister has seen amazing results with the keto diet but I'm such a foodie that I feel bad that I won't be able to eat some of the food I love.

Leslie's way seems really tempting, I will try that out too after the maintenance log and if it doesn't work for me then I might actually try keto since its benefits to people with pcos are great (goodbye carbs).

Thanks again guys! Have a nice day and good luck with your goals

LeslieB042812

Thanks for checking back in @awkwardbae! Let us know what ends up working for you. Good luck!

kristinann308

@awkwardbae lack of carbs make me grumpy ha! Good luck!

Sumiblue

I think my deficit was 1450-1500. I used 16:8 intermittent fasting which helped me stay on deficit but I think IF is a problem for PCOS.