Questions, I need help please, 1000 calories and metabolism

hannalunaa

I've been eating at 1000 calories a day for the past, I'd say, about 6 months. I have lost about 30 lbs and I am now about 120 lbs. Anytime I eat more than this, and I mean anything more than this, I feel like I've messed up. The highest amount of calories I've eaten in the last 6 months, and this is on very rare occasions when I just feel like I need it, maybe 3 times total, is my BMR calories [aka what my body burns if I just sat in a chair all day simply by functioning, less than maintenance calories]. I also feel like since I weigh a lot less now I don't know how many calories I can technically eat for maintenance. I can't eat anything unless I know exactly how many calories are in it. I want to continue eating 1000 a day, but I would like to know if my maintenance calories has gone down due to what I've been doing these past months, due to both my weight loss as well as possible metabolic damage. [PS I am 5'7"]

cbelc2

Please get advice from your doctor. You might need to increase your calories for maintenance, and getting the numbers from your doctor will feel less like messing up.

Unknown

This content has been removed.

middlehaitch

You probably haven't have done any metobilic damage in a few months.

Put your stats into MFP for your maintenance. Eat that, plus a percentage of your exercise calories.

It will take at least a month for you to get an accurate estimate of your maintenance due to water fluctuations during your menstrual cycle, and because your body is transiting more food. ( you may find a weight trending app useful)

FYI I am 64, 5'1, 100-105 lbs in maintenance my BMR is, supposedly, 960 cals.

I maintain easily with no exercise at 1400-1450 just doing daily activities. If I go into sloth mode (binge reading) it may drop to 1200. With my normal exercise routine, 60 x 5 a week ave, I get by on 1600-1700.

You are under eating, up your calories by 50- 100 a week until you reach maintenance. Don't worry if the scale goes up. It is just a temporary adjustment. Wait it out.

Cheers, h.

malibu927

Speak to a professional. Unless you are extremely short, 1000 calories is way too low for you.

Sp1tfire

Consult a professional.

ninerbuff

At your height, you should be eating more. But you likely won't be convinced which is why you should seek actual professional counsel on the matter.


A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

Graelwyn75

I think you have reached a point where you have become too obsessed to be able to follow any advice given here... I have been in the same situation myself. You would be best seeking some professional guidance so that you will not be so fearful and guilty when eating what your body needs for health.

Lesscookies

What's your height? But I agree with the others about seeing a health professional who can give you individualized assistance. You're 120 pounds which is normal for a lot of different heights, so the fact you're eating 1000 calories is rather alarming.

Good luck.

lucerorojo

She said she was 5'7".

Lounmoun

Start with eating the minimum 1200 calories and then add 100 calories per week until you stop losing weight. You should probably be eating 1500 at least.
But you might benefit more from not counting calories at all and just learning to feel okay.
Seek professional help. Talk to your doctor. Get into therapy.
Eating less than you need to because you feel like you are messing up when you are already at the bottom of the healthy weight range is not a healthy mindset.

malibu927

lucerorojo wrote: »

She said she was 5'7".

She added it in after many of us had replied. Which puts her near the bottom of a healthy weight range and makes professional help all the more important.

middlehaitch

malibu927 wrote: »

lucerorojo wrote: »

She said she was 5'7".

She added it in after many of us had replied. Which puts her near the bottom of a healthy weight range and makes professional help all the more important.

Yup, I replied thinking of someone in the mid healthy BMI at 120lbs.
What I posted is not invalid as far as general advise for adjusting to maintenance, but with the new information I concur with the majority of posters- professional advice is needed.

Cheers, h.

spiffychick85

As a recovered anorexic I will say that your thinking is getting scary. I started the same way and had a lot of those same fears/food thoughts. You may need help to overcome this (NOT from the internet). As far as metabolic damage goes...I think you will be fine...I ate 600 calories a day or less for years. My metabolism is not affected long term, I gain and lose like everyone else. You need to focus on having a healthy relationship with food that does not include under eating everyday which you are doing if you are eating that little.

Ready2Rock206

Agreed - a professional should be who you are speaking with before things get any worse. Don't wait until it is too late. Best of luck.

bribucks

@hannalunaa Your maintenance calories do decrease as you lose weight, however you are eating significantly less than your maintenance calories, so this won’t impact you at all right now.

You didn’t give your age or activity level, but my quick calculations put you at 1500-1600 calories to maintain if you are sedentary, and more than that if you are more active.

The fact that you are eating significantly below your BMR for an extended period of time is concerning. Don’t think of BMR as how many calories your body burns just by functioning, but rather how many calories your body needs to function. When it comes down to it, food is simply fuel.

My recommendation? Start eating 1300 calories now (your BMR). Eat 1300 every day for a week. Then next week, go up to 1400 every day. The following week, 1500.

You will not gain (true) weight by doing this. Remember that fluctuations are normal due to water weight, the mass of food you have eaten, bowel movements, menstruation, etc. You might consider using a weight trend app like Happy Scale or Libra.

Lastly, some of the wording in your post did sound to me like you may have disordered thinking and an unhealthy relationship with food, if not a full-blown ED. But, I am no doctor ... so please visit one. Find a professional who specializes in EDs. Don’t wait for it to get worse before you get help.

callsitlikeiseeit

without looking to see if your diary is even open, i would say you are eating way more than you think you are. 30 pounds in 6 months time for someone of your height on 1000 calories seems REALLY low, weight loss wise.

im 5'1 and lose a pretty consistent 2 pounds a week if i stick to 1200 cals. - which would be... 48 pounds (in an ideal world and we all know its not. even then, far more than 30) me on 1000 cals would be an even higher amount of weight lost.

kommodevaran

If you have lost one pound per week, your calorie deficit has been around 500, and with your height your TDEE would be 1700+ now, and 1800+ when you started, so you can't have been eating 1000 calories daily - thank goodness.

That said, your thoughts are disturbing. Normal eating can vary from day to day, based on how hungry we are, time to eat, how good the food tastes etc etc.

And yes, your maintenance calories are lower now, decreased by around 100. Your current maintenance level (and you should not lose any more weight now) would be around 1700 if you are sedentary, more if you are active.

davidylin

Congratulations on your hard work, dedication, and results!

I am a little concerned, however, because what you've described in your post, OP, are the potential beginnings for an unhealthy relationship with food. I hope that the feeling of having 'messed up' isn't messing up your mood or your day. So take care with that and make sure there is someone you are comfortable talking about this with.

If you're concerned that you've changed a lot and feel like MFP is not keeping up with you, I suggest recalculating your goals by following this link: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/account/change_goals_guided

If you enter a new starting weight and your new weight goals and activity levels, MFP will recalculate everything for you to start anew. Good luck and remember that the community will always be here to help.