Paleo vs Plant based vs low calorie?
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I've been using MFP on and off, I know about accurate logging and weighing/measuring. I am a little person, I'm 5 foot 4 with very small bones, carrying 34% body fat at size 10-12 UK. My lean size is a 6-8. I need less calories than most.
I'm 5'3" losing on 1400 calories average. I'm on the petite yet slightly muscular side, but still losing. 5'4" is about average. You mentioned body fat scales. They are not very accurate because they depend on many factors to be accurate and they tend to fluctuate in readings.2 -
I've been using MFP on and off, I know about accurate logging and weighing/measuring. I am a little person, I'm 5 foot 4 with very small bones, carrying 34% body fat at size 10-12 UK. My lean size is a 6-8. I need less calories than most.
If you're 5'4" and need to eat the calorie amount recommended for a toddler for you to lose weight, then i would be rushing myself to a doctor, because something is seriously wrong
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Thank you but I already weigh all my food and measure my liquids! When I eat packaged foods I use the calorie count on the back and make sure I find it 8n MFP. I can promise you I am being honest about my intake, I just struggle to lose on what most would consider a normal amount for a diet.
When I gained weight and didn't log, of course there was no way to know exactly what I was consuming but it was around 1200-1500 calories most days as I have never been a huge eater and I don't buy snacks or junk food generally. Occasionally when out for meals I may have had slightly more but most of the time I'd skip a meal in order to eat out etc.
Whatever you may say, I struggle to lose weight. Most days I get my 10,000 steps in and do 45 mins in the gym and still struggle. My breakfast is usually some Greek yoghurt with fruit or a protein smoothy for around 250 calories, lunch is 500-600 and I have a snack of about 150 in the evening.
I can't explain why the weight won't come off and that's why I put it down to the actual foods I'm eating or quantity of carbs.3 -
You aren't little, as in short, but perhaps you do indeed have very little muscle and a lot of body fat. In any case, I may have missed it, but do you lift weights? The best way to get our bodies to require more calories and burn more calories is to add muscle.
Do you have PCOS or any other metabolic issues?0 -
When I said 'little' I meant small framed, not a 'Little Person' (as being British have never heard that term so didn't meant to offend anyone). When I'm lean, or at least when I was the leanest I've ever been which is about 25% body fat I was a UK size 6-8 (which I believe is a US 4-6). To most people that is 'little' and was just given as an example of how small framed I am. At my current weight I'm a 10-12 (US 8-10) and that's carrying 10-15% more body fat than I should be ie. a disproportionate amount of fat. My waist is still 28 inches which is not large at all, but that gives you an idea of my shape/build.
I already do weight training and have done on and off for the last 15 years, usually 3 times a week (when I say on and off I mean depending on how good my back is as it plays up from time to time). I also do low intensity cardio most days (either walking at a reasonable pace or on the Xtrainer or Treadmill).
I have no knowledge of having PCOS though I did have a cyst removed about 3 years ago. In terms of metabolic issues I'm unsure as I don't have anything which has been diagosed. I've been on the pill for many years and I stopped that for a year to see if it would help with my weight loss but it didn't.
I really don't know why I have so many issues losing weight and can't maintain my weight by eating a normal diet (or what most people tell me I 'should' be eating for my size/activity level). I find it extremely frustrating and upsetting but as I mentioned earlier in this post my own theory is that I have borderline thyroid issues which I can't get medication to treat as they are only borderline, my body also seems to hold onto fat very easily and gains fat easily and added to that there's my age. My mother has the exact same issues as I do with weight, she's taller than me and much lighter but that's mostly through severely restricting her food intake ie. tiny portion sizes on the whole and very low cal snacks. She is also quite active.
Perhaps if I had more muscle/less fat my body would become more efficient and I hope that happens but until then I need to find a way to get the fat off.
What frustrates me the most is that I hardly ever drink and if I do I'll have 1-3 drinks at the most, every 3-4 weeks. I also rarely eat desserts (perhaps once every fortnight but I'm very conscious of the size and how many calories I'm eating in that dessert), I exercise daily unlike many others and I still struggle so much. As I said before, my home based desk job probably doesn't help either, but other than what I'm doing already I can't see what else I can do.
I also wish people would believe me when I tell them I eat 800-1000 calories most days and weigh and measure everything! There are days when I don't count (such as at the weekend) but my diet is really not vastly different to during the week. Most weekends I'll skip breakfast as I get up late, have a reasonably large lunch and often just a snack for dinner. At most I'm eating 1300-1500 calories, but even factoring that in as a maximum and working on 1000 maximum for the other days (which is more than the reality) that's still only around 1150 calories per day on average.
I stick to what I said before ie. we are not all made the same. I also believe that there are a lot of people who eat in ways that would not be considered 'normal' or 'healthy' but they are not underweight or ill! The more people I speak to about this the more I hear stories of supposedly naturally thin people eating vlcd or skipping whole days of food in order to maintain a lean body weight etc. I honestly don't believe that everyone who is overweight is that way due to overeating. Some of us just need to eat less to be lean but because of all the information we're given and what we're told about minimum calorie numbers etc. often people are too scared to reduce calories and live with being larger. I'm not prepared to live like that so I have no choice but to eat less, like it or not.
I have a lot of active friends (of around my height ie. between 5 foot 2 and 4), who have active jobs where they're on their feet all day and who also exercise on top of that by running or cycling most days, but some also do weight training or go to gym classes too. Those people are mostly very lean, most of them eat extremely healthily, only eat small portions and drink alcohol infrequently, they skip meals if they don't exercise to compensate for burning less calories and they are all around the weight I want to get back to ie. about 120-125lbs. I have yet to meet a very active female who eats more than 1200-1500 calories a day.
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Really. Are you sure? I know loads... I'm still a bit heavier than you yourself are aiming for, but I am very active, and my daily calorie needs to maintain seem to be bang on with TDEE predictors. I eat a hell of a lot more than 1200 calories.When I said 'little' I meant small framed, not a 'Little Person' (as being British have never heard that term so didn't meant to offend anyone). When I'm lean, or at least when I was the leanest I've ever been which is about 25% body fat I was a UK size 6-8 (which I believe is a US 4-6). To most people that is 'little' and was just given as an example of how small framed I am. At my current weight I'm a 10-12 (US 8-10) and that's carrying 10-15% more body fat than I should be ie. a disproportionate amount of fat. My waist is still 28 inches which is not large at all, but that gives you an idea of my shape/build.
I already do weight training and have done on and off for the last 15 years, usually 3 times a week (when I say on and off I mean depending on how good my back is as it plays up from time to time). I also do low intensity cardio most days (either walking at a reasonable pace or on the Xtrainer or Treadmill).
I have no knowledge of having PCOS though I did have a cyst removed about 3 years ago. In terms of metabolic issues I'm unsure as I don't have anything which has been diagosed. I've been on the pill for many years and I stopped that for a year to see if it would help with my weight loss but it didn't.
I really don't know why I have so many issues losing weight and can't maintain my weight by eating a normal diet (or what most people tell me I 'should' be eating for my size/activity level). I find it extremely frustrating and upsetting but as I mentioned earlier in this post my own theory is that I have borderline thyroid issues which I can't get medication to treat as they are only borderline, my body also seems to hold onto fat very easily and gains fat easily and added to that there's my age. My mother has the exact same issues as I do with weight, she's taller than me and much lighter but that's mostly through severely restricting her food intake ie. tiny portion sizes on the whole and very low cal snacks. She is also quite active.
Perhaps if I had more muscle/less fat my body would become more efficient and I hope that happens but until then I need to find a way to get the fat off.
What frustrates me the most is that I hardly ever drink and if I do I'll have 1-3 drinks at the most, every 3-4 weeks. I also rarely eat desserts (perhaps once every fortnight but I'm very conscious of the size and how many calories I'm eating in that dessert), I exercise daily unlike many others and I still struggle so much. As I said before, my home based desk job probably doesn't help either, but other than what I'm doing already I can't see what else I can do.
I also wish people would believe me when I tell them I eat 800-1000 calories most days and weigh and measure everything! There are days when I don't count (such as at the weekend) but my diet is really not vastly different to during the week. Most weekends I'll skip breakfast as I get up late, have a reasonably large lunch and often just a snack for dinner. At most I'm eating 1300-1500 calories, but even factoring that in as a maximum and working on 1000 maximum for the other days (which is more than the reality) that's still only around 1150 calories per day on average.
I stick to what I said before ie. we are not all made the same. I also believe that there are a lot of people who eat in ways that would not be considered 'normal' or 'healthy' but they are not underweight or ill! The more people I speak to about this the more I hear stories of supposedly naturally thin people eating vlcd or skipping whole days of food in order to maintain a lean body weight etc. I honestly don't believe that everyone who is overweight is that way due to overeating. Some of us just need to eat less to be lean but because of all the information we're given and what we're told about minimum calorie numbers etc. often people are too scared to reduce calories and live with being larger. I'm not prepared to live like that so I have no choice but to eat less, like it or not.
I have a lot of active friends (of around my height ie. between 5 foot 2 and 4), who have active jobs where they're on their feet all day and who also exercise on top of that by running or cycling most days, but some also do weight training or go to gym classes too. Those people are mostly very lean, most of them eat extremely healthily, only eat small portions and drink alcohol infrequently, they skip meals if they don't exercise to compensate for burning less calories and they are all around the weight I want to get back to ie. about 120-125lbs. I have yet to meet a very active female who eats more than 1200-1500 calories a day.
When you say you only lose on 900 calories, what timeframe are you talking over? I'm wondering if that might be the key. I know I will lose on the standard weight loss advice, but I do have to keep to it for a fair bit before the losses necessarily show up.
How many consistent days on 900 calories would you expect to keep before you saw a loss? If someone expected immediate results, they would naturally end up having to go very low calorie.
Have you ever tried a plan a bit higher for a full two months?
EDIT: just came across this thread. The first page of posts are food for thought, in regards to the line of thought I'm following.
Please have a look. http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/113609/relatively-light-people-trying-to-get-leaner#latest
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I've been trying to lose weight for 7 whole months!! In all that time I've been averaging 1100 calories per day if you consider I've been eating less during the week and a bit more at weekends. I've also recently been averaging around 9000 steps per day as I don't always manage 10k now it's summer (and 30 degrees at 8am when I get up and around 35+ during the day lol) and it's a lot harder than a couple of months ago when I was doing a lot more walking. From mid March to mid May I didn't do much other than walking because my back was pretty bad but the rest of the time I've been doing cardio in the gym or gym classes plus weight training, in addition to walking.
I therefore wouldn't consider that to be fast weight loss and ok, I haven't been averaging 900 calories every day, but taking into account the fact we're now in August and I started on 2nd January I would have expected to have lost a lot more weight by now.
In total I've lost about 6lbs and 1-1.5% body fat which is pretty poor! Especially when I have another 25lbs at least to go!!!
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How active is "Very active" to you? I just did a monthly exercise challenge and hit 79 hours for July. I will state that a lot of it was walking 3-3.25 mph and strength training with dumbbells ranging from 3 to 10 lbs. The rest was using the often-mocked fitness glider. (Hey. It's in my basement. It's free. And it seems to be working.) Like I said above, most days I needed 1600-1700. So. Maybe I'm not "very active" since I don't usually find myself panting from over-exertion on my cardio. Weights, yes. Even so, I still need way more than 900 calories. And the weight is dropping.
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You've lost approximately 4% of your bodyweight, though? Does that make it feel less pants?
Don't compare loss numbers directly to those of people taller and heavier at starting point. Make about percentages!
What kind of cardio activity are we talking about at the gym?1 -
There are days when I don't count (such as at the weekend) but my diet is really not vastly different to during the week. Most weekends I'll skip breakfast as I get up late, have a reasonably large lunch and often just a snack for dinner. At most I'm eating 1300-1500 calories, but even factoring that in as a maximum and working on 1000 maximum for the other days (which is more than the reality) that's still only around 1150 calories per day on average.
Hmm, interesting.I have yet to meet a very active female who eats more than 1200-1500 calories a day.
Also quite interesting. I'm very active. I workout daily and average 20K steps per day. I'm 5'3" and maintain 114 pounds on 2100 to 2400 calories per day, sometimes more than that when I get over 30K steps in a day. I don't understand how these "very active" women maintain on 1200 to 1500 calories when the recommended calories for toddlers are 1000 to 1400 calories per day. Are all of these women just lacking any muscle mass whatsoever? If they're very active what exactly are they doing besides walking and eating low calorie diets? It just doesn't make any sense to me.4 -
For those who ask what I consider very active to mean? Well not doing a desk job, or if you gave a desk job then they also have some kind of commute which means they have to physically walk from A-B or walk during the day for work. On top of that they do physical exercise in their free time which could/not include steps.
Personally I average 4500 steps if I don't go for a walk so most days I try and go in the evening after work (I finish at around 7pm) and do a circuit of around 35 minutes which takes my steps up to almost 10k.
On top of that I use the gym in the mornings, doing weights 3 times a week and cardio on the other days (at least 2 days cardio in the gym on the machines - Xtrainer, Treadmill and rowing machine in my home gym, HeliumIsNoble).
I am still quite inactive compared to a lot of people I know because of my job - for example I'm in a Fitbit friends group and last week I came 6th with 56,650 steps, my top 2 friends had 84,894 and 80,083. Those people also go to gym classes 2-3 days a week. One of them I have discussed diet/weight with extensively recently and she is currently eating 500 calories of food per day plus 2x protein shakes of 200 calories each = 900 total. She has lost around 16lbs in the last 6 months.
The other 'very active' people are friends who have active jobs such as cleaning or waitressing and who also exercise by cycling, running and attending cardio based gym classes 2-3 times a week. At least one of those people only eats 2 small meals per day. She is extremely health conscious and has porridge for breakfast if she's training, a light meal such as a salad for lunch and skips dinner. Both those people are exactly my height and weigh 127 or 128lbs.
If I had a more active job, fit in my daily 10k steps and used the gym I would expect to be burning off a lot more calories and of course could probably increase my calorie intake accordingly and possibly even lose weight without trying, but that isn't the case. If I wasn't sedentary most of the time then I wouldn't dream of eating a low calorie diet because I wouldn't have to but this is the reality so I have to accept it and if I want ot lose weight I have to eat less than many people would consider eating.1 -
Also Maxematics, if I was lighter than I am now with lean muscle and low body fat I know my body would work more efficiently and I could eat a lot more. I've heard of this happening and people even struggle to keep the weight on once their metabolism works better.
Estherdragonbat - I'd say you're definitely very active. That's a lot of activity and I don't know what you do during the day for a job. If I did that there's no doubt I could eat a lot more than I can now!3 -
Maxematics wrote: »There are days when I don't count (such as at the weekend) but my diet is really not vastly different to during the week. Most weekends I'll skip breakfast as I get up late, have a reasonably large lunch and often just a snack for dinner. At most I'm eating 1300-1500 calories, but even factoring that in as a maximum and working on 1000 maximum for the other days (which is more than the reality) that's still only around 1150 calories per day on average.
Hmm, interesting.I have yet to meet a very active female who eats more than 1200-1500 calories a day.
Also quite interesting. I'm very active. I workout daily and average 20K steps per day. I'm 5'3" and maintain 114 pounds on 2100 to 2400 calories per day, sometimes more than that when I get over 30K steps in a day. I don't understand how these "very active" women maintain on 1200 to 1500 calories when the recommended calories for toddlers are 1000 to 1400 calories per day. Are all of these women just lacking any muscle mass whatsoever? If they're very active what exactly are they doing besides walking and eating low calorie diets? It just doesn't make any sense to me.
I would consider myself very active (workout six days a week, average 20k steps per day). I maintain around 110 and I eat about 2,220 calories a day. There is no way I could make it on 1,500 calories a day and I don't even have that much muscle.1 -
This thread seems to be going in circles and nothing productive is happening with it. Op- it might be a good idea to get a referral from your dr. to a registered dietician, who can help you navigate through this. Best of luck to you as you move forward!5
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Also Maxematics, if I was lighter than I am now with lean muscle and low body fat I know my body would work more efficiently and I could eat a lot more. I've heard of this happening and people even struggle to keep the weight on once their metabolism works better.
Estherdragonbat - I'd say you're definitely very active. That's a lot of activity and I don't know what you do during the day for a job. If I did that there's no doubt I could eat a lot more than I can now!
I'm a freelance editor working from home. Minus side: employment is pretty sporadic. Plus side: I've got the time to exercise.0 -
Janejellyroll, that's interesting. I looked it up and 20k steps a day could amount to a calorie burn of as much as 1000! That certainly explains why you get to eat a lot more and maintin such a low weight. If I could fit in an additional 10-15k step count on top of what I do already I'd be able to eat loads more too I'm sure. The same goes for Maxematics. I think that's what people don't factor in, being inactive/sedentary most of the time really means you pay the price as you're not buring anything off a lot of the time.
Estherdragon, it's great working from home isn't it? Freelance not so much, I was also freelance until a year and a half ago. It's definitely a plus that you get time to exercise, me too but only because I have a gym in my garage as I don't get much free time!0 -
Janejellyroll, that's interesting. I looked it up and 20k steps a day could amount to a calorie burn of as much as 1000! That certainly explains why you get to eat a lot more and maintin such a low weight. If I could fit in an additional 10-15k step count on top of what I do already I'd be able to eat loads more too I'm sure. The same goes for Maxematics. I think that's what people don't factor in, being inactive/sedentary most of the time really means you pay the price as you're not buring anything off a lot of the time.
Estherdragon, it's great working from home isn't it? Freelance not so much, I was also freelance until a year and a half ago. It's definitely a plus that you get time to exercise, me too but only because I have a gym in my garage as I don't get much free time!
Yep, it makes a huge difference. If I was sedentary, I would maintain on about 1,460 calories a day.0 -
janejellyroll wrote: »Janejellyroll, that's interesting. I looked it up and 20k steps a day could amount to a calorie burn of as much as 1000! That certainly explains why you get to eat a lot more and maintin such a low weight. If I could fit in an additional 10-15k step count on top of what I do already I'd be able to eat loads more too I'm sure. The same goes for Maxematics. I think that's what people don't factor in, being inactive/sedentary most of the time really means you pay the price as you're not buring anything off a lot of the time.
Estherdragon, it's great working from home isn't it? Freelance not so much, I was also freelance until a year and a half ago. It's definitely a plus that you get time to exercise, me too but only because I have a gym in my garage as I don't get much free time!
Yep, it makes a huge difference. If I was sedentary, I would maintain on about 1,460 calories a day.
I'm not far off that too. I try to be as active as time allows so I average 15k steps a day and then add in a lot of activity at the weekends (bike rides and long walks) so can double the calories my body would need to maintain my weight. I get mid-week workouts in whenmy daughter swims.
OP: I don't know how old you are, but age can make a difference here - it's totally unfair but it is what it is.0 -
Dopeysmelly, you're totally right. I should maybe try and do more but I feel like I'd make myself over tired if I try and get up earlier just to fit in more steps in the gym.
I'm almost 43 so not young anymore and I know this is perhaps part of my problem. When I was younger and I had a reasonable amount of weight to lose it seemed to come off without me even trying but I was commuting to work so did a lot of walking to the train station and between train lines, then I had to walk to the office. My office was upstairs and there was no lift so I was forced to take the stairs a lot too, then I'd hit the gym for a class for an hour or hour and a half after work etc.
Now I work from home but work from 9.30am-7pm and my lunch break is spent preparing lunch and eating it. I don't get many other breaks during the day so not many trips up/down stairs and as I'm not commuting I only exercise in the morning (for around 40 minutes) in the gym as well as doing a 35 minute walk in the evening as after that I have to be home to prepare dinner for my partner. As I don't have to walk to/from work or public transport even with the added exercise I'm lucky if I reach 10k steps most days and at weekends it's about the same or sometimes even less.
I find it easier in winter because I walk around 15 or 20k each weekend day whereas now I can't leave the house much due to the heat. I also do longer walks in the evenings in winter or do an extra walk in the morning but I think the heat knocks it out of you and I don't have the energy in summer to get up earlier (I work in 32 degree heat in my home office lol).0 -
I worry about nutrition religions. The only clear thing that reduces body weight in ever study is calorie counting. Though the odd study pops up about other programs, they are rearly repeatable studies. And when they are there creating a calorie deficit in some way.
I worry about all the food based religions floating around.0 -
Reggosse1977 I see where you're coming from but it's not about 'religions', more about what's good for the body, that's all. Of course a calorie is a calorie but just because you eat a certain number and can/can't lose weight by eating that amount it doesn't mean that the choices you are making are healthy.
I remember when almost everyone I know followed Weight Watchers a few years ago because they could eat what they wanted as long as it fell within their points allowance. That to me doesn't make sense. Not only are you going to end up hungry (because generally people will choose the unhealthy option however small the portion) but also because it's not good for your health.
I don't like any kind of extreme belief system, and that's why I was curious what others thought of Plant based, but some of it does make sense like cutting down on meat and eating more fruit and veg. The same goes for Paleo etc.
Personally I do care about my health and want to do the best so I'm healthier in later life but weight loss is my current goal so I want to find a way of eating that incorporates both.0 -
CarlaEnsink wrote: »The doctor in that video spends all of his work time looking at the research. He does this for his non profit and makes nothing off of it or his book. If you want to do the research yourself, you would have to subscribe to all of the nutrition journals, or if you currently attend college it may be available for free. If you watch the video you can hear what he says about each study and then from there do your own research to find the study and read it in its entirety.
so he gives his book away for free?2 -
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Reggosse1977 I see where you're coming from but it's not about 'religions', more about what's good for the body, that's all. Of course a calorie is a calorie but just because you eat a certain number and can/can't lose weight by eating that amount it doesn't mean that the choices you are making are healthy.
I remember when almost everyone I know followed Weight Watchers a few years ago because they could eat what they wanted as long as it fell within their points allowance. That to me doesn't make sense. Not only are you going to end up hungry (because generally people will choose the unhealthy option however small the portion) but also because it's not good for your health.
I don't like any kind of extreme belief system, and that's why I was curious what others thought of Plant based, but some of it does make sense like cutting down on meat and eating more fruit and veg. The same goes for Paleo etc.
Personally I do care about my health and want to do the best so I'm healthier in later life but weight loss is my current goal so I want to find a way of eating that incorporates both.
This sentence is categorically untrue. While the new WW plan is a pile of hot garbage, the WW plan that everyone lost weight on was based on moderation and straight up calorie counting. It's not at all unhealthy. Sure - if a person decides to eat only high calorie, nutrient deficient food, it is not ideal and they will be hungry all the time. But if any person who eats a variety of foods from a variety of sources, it was a very good program that a lot of people had success on. There is nothing wrong with the health of the majority of people who follow a variety driven, moderate diet.
The fact that you state that a moderate approach to diet and eating is "unhealthy" makes me think that you do have a certain "religious" thought process about food, whether you're willing to recognize it or not. Which is fine - it's fine to have those feelings and thoughts. It's not ok when you start to tell people that a moderate approach is "unhealthy", because for the vast majority of people... it is healthy.
I was a hard core paleo believe for many years. I honestly felt amazing when I was following it and I was really quite thin. My teeth were in better shape and I slept well and my allergic reactions were really quite small... all good things. But that doesn't mean that it's optimal or the best way to eat. It just worked well for me at that time.
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Accidentalpancake, not quite sure what you mean by that? Most of my friends are between 35 & 55 and are into fitness and watch their weight. None of them are able to eat loads and maintain their weight.
Not sure where all these people are who can, but then again most of the people I know consider themselves fit but you wouldn't know they were fit by looking at them ie. they're not very lean don't have much visible muscle, have an average amount of body fat and they don't all weight train so perhaps that's why they can't eat more and burn off the excess, who knows.0 -
Thank you but I already weigh all my food and measure my liquids! When I eat packaged foods I use the calorie count on the back and make sure I find it 8n MFP. I can promise you I am being honest about my intake, I just struggle to lose on what most would consider a normal amount for a diet.
When I gained weight and didn't log, of course there was no way to know exactly what I was consuming but it was around 1200-1500 calories most days as I have never been a huge eater and I don't buy snacks or junk food generally. Occasionally when out for meals I may have had slightly more but most of the time I'd skip a meal in order to eat out etc.
Whatever you may say, I struggle to lose weight. Most days I get my 10,000 steps in and do 45 mins in the gym and still struggle. My breakfast is usually some Greek yoghurt with fruit or a protein smoothy for around 250 calories, lunch is 500-600 and I have a snack of about 150 in the evening.
I can't explain why the weight won't come off and that's why I put it down to the actual foods I'm eating or quantity of carbs.
if you arent weighing your packaged food that can be adding up too. packaged food can be off by up to 20%. being a huge eater means nothing. you can be someone who eats a lot of low calorie foods or you could eat a lot of high calorie foods. as for not buying snacks or junk food you can still become overweight eating too many fruits and veggies too. as for the protein smoothies are you making them yourself? if so are you weighing the protein(the scoops can be way off too). trust me I learned all this the hard way .
I lost weight then gained half back because I wasnt weighing food. once I weighed everything,exactly even packaged food I started losing again(and I have a metabolic disorder and going through perimenopause and never had to eat less than 1300-even when I was sedentary). it could be those small differences you make that can start the weight loss again.even 2 apples of the same size can vary in calories.1 -
Accidentalpancake, not quite sure what you mean by that? Most of my friends are between 35 & 55 and are into fitness and watch their weight. None of them are able to eat loads and maintain their weight.
I had lunch with one of them yesterday. She ate fried chicken tacos, looks amazing, and can still fit into her senior prom dress at 40.
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All in all, I think your perception of 'very active' is off. Could this be contributing to your slower-than-desired progress?
Consider also, that you're not spending a whole week, as in 24/7, in company with several very active women who aren't dieting, to see what very active women at healthy weights eat over the course of an average week.2 -
Further, things like under-desk cycles may be worth you looking into. http://www.workwhilewalking.com/desk-cycle-reviews#gsc.tab=00
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When I said 'little' I meant small framed, not a 'Little Person' (as being British have never heard that term so didn't meant to offend anyone). When I'm lean, or at least when I was the leanest I've ever been which is about 25% body fat I was a UK size 6-8 (which I believe is a US 4-6). To most people that is 'little' and was just given as an example of how small framed I am. At my current weight I'm a 10-12 (US 8-10) and that's carrying 10-15% more body fat than I should be ie. a disproportionate amount of fat. My waist is still 28 inches which is not large at all, but that gives you an idea of my shape/build.
I already do weight training and have done on and off for the last 15 years, usually 3 times a week (when I say on and off I mean depending on how good my back is as it plays up from time to time). I also do low intensity cardio most days (either walking at a reasonable pace or on the Xtrainer or Treadmill).
I have no knowledge of having PCOS though I did have a cyst removed about 3 years ago. In terms of metabolic issues I'm unsure as I don't have anything which has been diagosed. I've been on the pill for many years and I stopped that for a year to see if it would help with my weight loss but it didn't.
I really don't know why I have so many issues losing weight and can't maintain my weight by eating a normal diet (or what most people tell me I 'should' be eating for my size/activity level). I find it extremely frustrating and upsetting but as I mentioned earlier in this post my own theory is that I have borderline thyroid issues which I can't get medication to treat as they are only borderline, my body also seems to hold onto fat very easily and gains fat easily and added to that there's my age. My mother has the exact same issues as I do with weight, she's taller than me and much lighter but that's mostly through severely restricting her food intake ie. tiny portion sizes on the whole and very low cal snacks. She is also quite active.
Perhaps if I had more muscle/less fat my body would become more efficient and I hope that happens but until then I need to find a way to get the fat off.
What frustrates me the most is that I hardly ever drink and if I do I'll have 1-3 drinks at the most, every 3-4 weeks. I also rarely eat desserts (perhaps once every fortnight but I'm very conscious of the size and how many calories I'm eating in that dessert), I exercise daily unlike many others and I still struggle so much. As I said before, my home based desk job probably doesn't help either, but other than what I'm doing already I can't see what else I can do.
I also wish people would believe me when I tell them I eat 800-1000 calories most days and weigh and measure everything! There are days when I don't count (such as at the weekend) but my diet is really not vastly different to during the week. Most weekends I'll skip breakfast as I get up late, have a reasonably large lunch and often just a snack for dinner. At most I'm eating 1300-1500 calories, but even factoring that in as a maximum and working on 1000 maximum for the other days (which is more than the reality) that's still only around 1150 calories per day on average.
I stick to what I said before ie. we are not all made the same. I also believe that there are a lot of people who eat in ways that would not be considered 'normal' or 'healthy' but they are not underweight or ill! The more people I speak to about this the more I hear stories of supposedly naturally thin people eating vlcd or skipping whole days of food in order to maintain a lean body weight etc. I honestly don't believe that everyone who is overweight is that way due to overeating. Some of us just need to eat less to be lean but because of all the information we're given and what we're told about minimum calorie numbers etc. often people are too scared to reduce calories and live with being larger. I'm not prepared to live like that so I have no choice but to eat less, like it or not.
I have a lot of active friends (of around my height ie. between 5 foot 2 and 4), who have active jobs where they're on their feet all day and who also exercise on top of that by running or cycling most days, but some also do weight training or go to gym classes too. Those people are mostly very lean, most of them eat extremely healthily, only eat small portions and drink alcohol infrequently, they skip meals if they don't exercise to compensate for burning less calories and they are all around the weight I want to get back to ie. about 120-125lbs. I have yet to meet a very active female who eats more than 1200-1500 calories a day.
My wife and I hang out with a lot of fitness people...every woman I know who is active and fit eats more than 2,000 calories per day. My wife is 5'2" and 125 Lbs and maintains on around 2300 calories per day...more when she's 1/2 marathon training like now. She cuts really easily on about 1800 calories. My wife's trainer and our very good friend is a personal trainer and her and her husband own their own gym...she's also a competitive and sponsored cyclist, both road and cyclocross...that lady puts some food away...like way more than 1200-1500 calories.
I'm thinking maybe you are underestimating what "very active" is...
The women I know who eat like birdies aren't really trying to be fit...they're trying to be skinny.6
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