Not consistently sticking with calorie goal

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lightenup2016
lightenup2016 Posts: 1,055 Member
edited January 2017 in Health and Weight Loss
Hi--I've been on MFP since July 2016, and lost about 18 lbs until Thanksgiving. I'm a 43 yo female, started at 153, now at 139 after gaining back a few lbs over the holidays, and I'm working on getting back on track. I did well for a few days the first week of January, but since them I'm really having a hard time staying motivated and sticking to my deficit! I've figured that my TDEE before exercise is about 2000, so my calorie goal is 1500, plus I eat back half my exercise calories.

Granted, we've had family get-togethers and were snowed in a few days, and now my crazy PMS appetite has hit, so I'm hoping that in a couple of days I'll get back on track. I was just wondering--do you have any tips for motivation to stick to your calories? I already do IF, roughly 16:8, which has also been harder to stick with lately.

Also, I'm 10-15 lbs from my goal weight, which is on the lower end of my healthy BMI (small frame). Is it time to increase my calories some to create a smaller deficit?

Thanks for any advice!

Replies

  • leanjogreen18
    leanjogreen18 Posts: 2,492 Member
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    Your TDEE includes exercise so you don't need to eat exercise calories back if you use an outside TDEE calculator.

    If you use mfp's calculator its based off of NEAT which doesn't include exercise activity and so you would eat your exercise calories back.

    Did you use mfp's calculations?
  • lightenup2016
    lightenup2016 Posts: 1,055 Member
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    I am pretty much going by the NEAT method, I just empirically calculated mine as being higher than what MFP gave me at sedentary. I calculate my TDEE as 2000 before purposeful exercise, so I think I should lose a lb or maybe a little less per week at 1500 plus exercise.
  • animatorswearbras
    animatorswearbras Posts: 1,001 Member
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    I think if you're falling off the wagon and you're already at a healthy BMI maybe switch it to 1/2 a week, you don't have much left to go and no point making yourself miserable, just do what makes you happy and motivated, also if you're working out you'll be losing inches! Well done and good luck. x
  • CattOfTheGarage
    CattOfTheGarage Posts: 2,750 Member
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    Definitely switch to half a pound a week.

    Also, just remember January sucks. Assuming you're in the northern hemisphere, that is. It's cold, dark and anticlimactic, you're surrounded by cut price treats left over from Christmas. Keep the faith, keep fighting, it will get easier as the year turns.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,876 Member
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    I put on 8-10 Lbs pretty much every year from about October through December namely because my activity declines and I tend not to compensate for that with my diet. January is usually a transitional month for me...going through how I want to go about my training...tweaking my diet and playing with things...trying to establish routine, etc. Early January tends to be a bit hit or miss...weekends tend to not be great, etc...as the month progresses I tend to gain focus. Usually by the end of the month I'm just kinda like, "ok...let's just do this thing." IDK...I don't tend to rely much on motivation...it's an emotion that waxes and wanes...I just get to the point where I buckle down and just do. Eventually I just fall back into routine/habit.

    It also helps when the weather starts to turn and I can get back outside on my bike more often. I mostly use my indoor cycle trainer during the colder months save for the random nice day here and there, but it's not my favorite thing in the world. Once it warms up a little (and the winds die down) I love getting out on the road and it doesn't take a whole lot of effort.

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