Adjusting mentally to lower calories

lokihen
lokihen Posts: 382 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
After updating my goals with a lower weight, my calories dropped to 1500 (set to lose 1.5 lbs/week with 67 to go). For some reason the difference between 1570 and 1500 feels vast and I'm whining (silently, nobody needs to hear this).

Has anyone else felt something similar?

Replies

  • slaite1
    slaite1 Posts: 1,307 Member
    Any calorie drop would feel that way to me.
    The difference is 70 calories
    That's only a pound difference every 50 days

    I would personally think of it as a range, and try to eat between 1500-1570 every day, rather than be sad about those 70 calories (and it would make me sad!!) Or just keep eating 1570 and know you will lose about 1/2 pound less per month, which isn't much difference at all.

    Either way, they won't make or break you at this point, except the struggle knowing you want those 70 calories (I have literally thought of 10 things for 70 calories while writing this). Eventually you'll probably just want to slow down your loss.
  • dashaclaire
    dashaclaire Posts: 127 Member
    I feel hungry all the time, at any calorie allowance. I've accepted that hunger as burning fat. I saw a TV interview with Chris Pratt about his weight loss and he said that he just had to learn that feeling hungry was ok.

    Can you walk or do some other cardio to earn those calories back?
  • everher
    everher Posts: 909 Member
    I recalculate my calorie goal fairly often so I never see "big" drops. I do it every couple of pounds so maybe I lose 20 calories at once, which really doesn't feel like much.
  • try2again
    try2again Posts: 3,562 Member
    There's definitely a mental component. I manually set my calories to 1400 just because it *seems* better than 1370, even if I don't use them all. I also have this thing where I want to see more than 1000 calories left after breakfast. :p
  • seska422
    seska422 Posts: 3,217 Member
    I didn't lower my calories as I lost weight. I tried that at first and didn't like it because I'd have to experiment all over again to find a satisfying mix of foods that fit that new calorie goal. What I did was find a daily calorie goal that worked with my way of eating and was below my goal weight maintenance calories. That meant that my rate of loss gradually got slower as I lost weight.
  • annacole94
    annacole94 Posts: 997 Member
    Increase you activity to compensate. Eat those exercise calories. I'm down to 1270 net calories; it only works if I exercise.
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 27,893 Member
    annacole94 wrote: »
    Increase your activity to compensate. Eat those exercise calories. I'm down to 1270 net calories; it only works if I exercise.

    Yup, 70 calories means having a Ghiradelli dark chocolate and caramel vs not having one. I'd add 70 calories worth of exercise ;)

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