Do I need to raise my daily calorie allowance?

jennyhart200

Hello! I have been on mfp for about 2 weeks with ultimate goal to lose 30 lbs (current stats: 24, female, 5'1", SW 148). I have a desk job so I put my activity level as sedentary and put my goal to lose 1 lb a week. These stats gave me a daily calorie allowance of 1200 calories/day. I've been mainly sticking to this (except for one day that was my dad's retirement party), with net calories around ~1170 and total calories ~1370 (been doing some moderate exercise as well). I'm happy with my weight loss so far, but I've found myself getting really hungry during the day (almost to the point of getting dizzy) and my last period ended 2 days earlier than normal. I've found myself drinking more coffee because it suppresses my appetite. Do I need to raise my daily calorie allowance or change what I've been eating? Or does it get easier as you get used to eating less?

Editme12

Well, if you're feeling sick, and you think eating will help, eat something. Personally, I reach for water over coffee only because A) I can't drink it black and drinking coffee on an empty stomach for long periods makes me feel super jittery, nauseous, and dizzy.

So it could be lack of food, or could be the coffee. Either way, drinking does help me curb the hunger. But the goal isn't to silence hunger, only quiet it. And you shouldn't feel sick.

kayeroze

5'2 female here. I have somewhere around 70# to lose a deficit cal limit of 1270 net. If you find yourself becoming dizzy or any additional health related issues, I would suggest decreasing it to a 0.5 lb loss rate and see if there are any improvements after 2 weeks. And with netting, it will probably increase to 1300ish, so aim for whatever number your receive for those two weeks before finding your happy medium between the 1lb and 0.5lb rate of loss (say 1290 calories or something).

If you still find these issues occur, go to a doctor and/or dietician to see if it's what your eating/doing that is causing these problems.

LAWoman72

With 30 lbs. to go I have slowed to .5/week cal levels, as 1200 was just really uncomfortable for me. You could go this route on a trial basis and see how you do.

I personally don't care about the slower rate of loss, though. Obviously, that's a consideration.

Theo166

I'd suggest you start out closer to maintenance and focus on logging your food and meal planning. It shouldn't be torture but you need some time and experimentation to see what foods/macros give you satiety.

You'll quickly get into a rhythm and can then start dialing down your target without starving.

SusanMFindlay

You might want to take a look at what kinds of foods you're eating. 1200 calories of nutrient dense food will leave you feeling differently than 1200 calories of less nutritious food.

Also, check your logging. While most people are prone to underestimating their food intake, if you're actually feeling dizzy, you might be one of the less common people who overestimate their food intake.

Finally, check your activity level. Even if you have a desk job, if you're on your feet a lot during the rest of the day and on weekends, sedentary may not be the right choice for you. Again, I'm basing this off your calorie intake leaving you dizzy. Do you have access to a pedometer or step counting app on your phone? If so, monitor your step count for a few typical days then use those numbers to estimate the right activity level:

Sedentary: <5000 steps/day
Lightly Active: 5000-9999 steps/day
Active: 10,000-14,999 steps/day
Very Active: more than 15,000 steps/day

If you've chosen a level that's too low, that may be the problem. I weigh about the same as you, am a few inches taller but also twice your age, and I lose weight eating a lot more than you're eating because my activity level is higher. I would be miserable on 1200 calories/day. I know some people do it, and I also know that some people need to do it. But it's not for everyone.

jennyhart200

Thanks for all of the advice. I have been rounding some entries up, "to be safe", which may be my downfall. I don't think the coffee drinking is causing my symptoms, as I was drinking 1-2 cups of black coffee already and it has only increased to ~3 cups/day. I've been a bit intense on my diet because I joined a 5 week weight loss competition with my friends and my competitiveness has come out. I will do some more experimentation on what keeps me full. I think it's a combination of carbs and protein. When I eat only one of either, I am not as full as when I get a meal with both, even if it is comparable calories.

deannalfisher

are you eating back a portion of your workout calories?

jennyhart200

Yes, I'm eating back about 85% of my exercise calories. In total, I'm eating ~1370 calories/day and then burning ~200 calories through moderate exercise (combination of rowing, C25K, and strength training).

deannalfisher

using your stats, TDEEcalculator gave you 1630 maintenance weight - with 30lbs to lose, even 1lb a week might be too much (you may struggle to lose 30lbs - 105-120 is in range, but honestly you are slightly shorter than me and I look sickly at anything less than 140lbs - so 118 might be too low)

I'd say 1630-250 (.5lb a week) = 1380 plus eat back a portion of exercise calories and then adjust

jennyhart200

Before I gained weight due to stress and lifestyle changes, I was maintaining steadily at 120. I carry weight around my stomach, so I didn't look too small even at my lowest weight, which was 112. I think that I will try to up my calories by 100 so that I net ~1270 calories/day and drink more water. My iron tends to be low, so I wonder if cutting my calories is causing that level to be too low. I will try a supplement to see if that helps.

mnbvcxzlkjhgfdsa12

I'm 5'2 and also aiming for 1200 a day. I lost c25Ib that way. I'm happy when I'm between 110 and 115Ib, things crept up a bit recently because I changed jobs and was just eating badly with all the changes so now I'm back being very focused til i get to my goal.

I excercise 3x a week (spinning) but don't eat back the calories burnt. I'm not very consistent with excercise so I consider my lifestyle sedentary.

First week or two on 1200 was difficult because at about 2.30 everyday I'd be hungry and light headed. I find that is always the case when I go from eating rubbish to a controlled diet. I just think my body is rebelling! I'd have a small box of raisins if I really had to (80 cals).

If I'm carefull to plan my food and eat lots of veg 1200 calories is no problem. I eat mountains of food and I'm not hungry. So I'd suggest looking at what foods fill you up for longest and prioritieze those in your calorie allowance. That's what works for me.

Also, keep healthy snacks on hand then if you really feel you have to eat something at least it won't be a doughnut :-)

My other tip would also be to think about when you tend to be hungry and plan around that. I always get hungry mid afternoon and in the evening watching tv so I plan my meals accordingly and make sure I have an afternoon snack and tv snack planned in. In the mornings I'm busy and don't have time to think about eating so I have a light breakfast to balance out the calories.