Confused About Activity Level

jessesmommfp

I am female 5’11 and 255 pounds. Yes, super tall. I just had a baby and I have a 10 year old. I work from home. I have used MFP before I had my son and lost 80 pounds. Skip to now. I think my activity level is wrong. I have myself as lightly active however I am STARVING. Not just in my hunger but my stomach is empty and eating itself. I’m eating 1700 calories a day and meal prepping. I will list a typical day below. What I am thinking is lugging around a 5 month old and cleaning house and working, even though it’s on the phone/computer I don’t think I’m ever sitting down. I never watch TV because I don’t have a time. I’m exhausted by 8pm. I must be more active than I think I am, but I’m afraid to add more calories in fear of not loosing weight. I’ve lost 11 pounds since Dec 11. Let me know what you think!

2 eggs no salt, butter or oil
2 piece Turkey sausage
Coffee with creamer

Meal prep lunch
4oz chicken breast
Beans
Cabbage
Veggie

Snack
Small pudding or jello

Dinner
Fish or chicken or steak
Small carb
Salad or potato
Very small snack or piece of chocolate (45 calorie)

Only drink water.

Teabythesea_

You say you just had a baby, are you breastfeeding? Only asking because this can result in a higher calorie burn. If you’ve lost 11 lbs in less than a month then I would not fear upping your calories, but you could slow down. There’s only one way to find out what will happen and that’s to try upping your calories and see what happens after a few weeks. 1700 does seem awfully low for someone your height who is chasing around kids and doing housework all day.

Fflpnari

My info might help.
I'm 5'10 and 215 right now. 283 was my all time high. I use a fit bit HR 2. I go off the total calories for the week and average my intake to lose 1lb a week. I eat 2400 calories on average. I learned If I go 2000 or less I start feeling like crap. Tired, dizzy, hungry.

Do you have a fitness tracker? Have you calculated your TDEE?

Anniebotnen

I think you may be able to eat a lot more and still lose weight. 11 pounds in less than a month is a lot, even if some of it was initial water loss. And if you’re breastfeeding the baby, that’s a lot of calories. You could probably eat at least 2000-2200 calories a day (more if you’re breastfeeding) and still lose 1-2 lbs a week. Consider increasing to 2000 for the next couple of weeks and see what happens to your weight, then adjust calories from there, so that you lose a maximum of 2 lbs per week.

Goober1142

When I'm low on fat, I'm starving. To stay within my calorie range and not be hungry, I have to up the protein and fat. Did that food you posted add up to 1700? Didn't look like it to me. I put half and half in my coffee and it def helps me stay full.

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JohnnytotheB

In my opinion you look like you are doing well. You lost 11 lbs in one month which is wonderful but if you are always hungry it's not sustaining. What about adding snacks during the day when you feel hungry like apples, oranges, or fruit with fiber content. Something like that will help you feel fuller. A fitbit or equiv would help you really assess how many steps/burn you have during the day. You will know for sure if you are burning a ton and can add extra calories without sacrificing the weight loss.

apullum

If you're exhausted at the end of the day, every day, then you're probably more than just "lightly active." Activity is more than just steps. You might not be doing formal exercise, but you're doing a lot of physical activity. 11 pounds is a lot to be losing in one month and I think underestimating your activity is part of it.

Your diet also looks like it doesn't have a lot of fat in it, and depending on some of the entries, may not have a lot of fiber. Those things help some people feel full and are also important nutrients that your body needs.

Take care of yourself, mama. You're working really hard. Your body needs fuel and nutrients.

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Aaron_K123

Even if you were sedentary 1700 calories for someone who weighs 255 seems low. Did you set it to lose 2 pounds a week? If so that would mean it is estimating your TDEE as being 2700. Possible you just should dial down your loss rate if you did set it as high as 2lb/wk

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PaigeAnderson1793

That seems kind of low to me. I have an almost seven year old, and I remember doing so much running around at the baby phase.