I struggle to meet my calorie goal. Is it bad?

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  • mushy1342
    mushy1342 Posts: 16 Member
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    WinoGelato wrote: »
    Why do you feel bread and pasta is out of the equation?
    I’m trying to cut back on my carbohydrates intake as I gain really quick the more carbs are in my diet + I get very sluggish a few hours after I have a carb heavy meal. So I decided to cut breads and pastas (also refined sugars and potatoes) out of my diet. The carbs I get come from veggies, fruit and oats for the most part.
  • mushy1342
    mushy1342 Posts: 16 Member
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    @paperpudding thank you for your input, I will reconsider my diet for sure.
  • lynn_glenmont
    lynn_glenmont Posts: 9,994 Member
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    paperpudding wrote: »
    mushy1342 wrote: »
    @lemurcat2, thank you tons for very detailed insightful comment, I’ve been doing it for about a month now and I lost a little over 8 lbs as of last week when I weighed myself. I’m mostly concerned because I’m confused as I grew up eating a very carb heavy diet, but now since all the bread and pasta is out of equation, I’m still figuring things out.

    I am kinda worried about developing disordered way of eating (read undereating) because I have some self esteem issues so I’m trying to approach my diet a little more analytical and seek advice.
    Should get food scale some time soon.

    If you only have 20 - 30 lb to lose and you have lost 8lb in a month then that sounds far too aggressive a rate.

    You should be aiming at only 1lb a week, perhaps even only 1/2 lb.

    Sounds like you are not eating enough - regardless of the 'paper numbers' your real life results confirm that.

    ^^This, absolutely, although I would say that the results tend to roughly affirm @mushy1342 'reported calorie intake. A 2 lb/week weight on a daily intake of 800-900 calories means a TDEE of 1800-1900 calories. Assuming she's not burning a lot of calories from exercise or daily activity, a TDEE of 1800-1900 calories for someone who is 4'11" and 132 lbs seems fairly reasonable.
  • mushy1342
    mushy1342 Posts: 16 Member
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    lynn_glenmont wrote: »
    paperpudding wrote: »
    mushy1342 wrote: »
    @lemurcat2, thank you tons for very detailed insightful comment, I’ve been doing it for about a month now and I lost a little over 8 lbs as of last week when I weighed myself. I’m mostly concerned because I’m confused as I grew up eating a very carb heavy diet, but now since all the bread and pasta is out of equation, I’m still figuring things out.

    I am kinda worried about developing disordered way of eating (read undereating) because I have some self esteem issues so I’m trying to approach my diet a little more analytical and seek advice.
    Should get food scale some time soon.

    If you only have 20 - 30 lb to lose and you have lost 8lb in a month then that sounds far too aggressive a rate.

    You should be aiming at only 1lb a week, perhaps even only 1/2 lb.

    Sounds like you are not eating enough - regardless of the 'paper numbers' your real life results confirm that.

    ^^This, absolutely, although I would say that the results tend to roughly affirm @mushy1342 'reported calorie intake. A 2 lb/week weight on a daily intake of 800-900 calories means a TDEE of 1800-1900 calories. Assuming she's not burning a lot of calories from exercise or daily activity, a TDEE of 1800-1900 calories for someone who is 4'11" and 132 lbs seems fairly reasonable.

    Good to know, thanks! And no, I’m not particularly active, most of my exercise is walking my dogs and a few reps of squats and sit-ups a day. I have sedentary job.
  • Panini911
    Panini911 Posts: 2,325 Member
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    8lb in a month? so a rate of loss of 2lb/week which is very aggressive with so little to lose.

    at 132 you are just a few pounds in the overweight BMI chart. I'd recommend looking at a 0.5lb/week rate of loss (maybe max of 1lb for a few more lbs then down to 0.5)
  • lemurcat2
    lemurcat2 Posts: 7,885 Member
    edited May 2019
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    lynn_glenmont wrote: »
    paperpudding wrote: »
    mushy1342 wrote: »
    @lemurcat2, thank you tons for very detailed insightful comment, I’ve been doing it for about a month now and I lost a little over 8 lbs as of last week when I weighed myself. I’m mostly concerned because I’m confused as I grew up eating a very carb heavy diet, but now since all the bread and pasta is out of equation, I’m still figuring things out.

    I am kinda worried about developing disordered way of eating (read undereating) because I have some self esteem issues so I’m trying to approach my diet a little more analytical and seek advice.
    Should get food scale some time soon.

    If you only have 20 - 30 lb to lose and you have lost 8lb in a month then that sounds far too aggressive a rate.

    You should be aiming at only 1lb a week, perhaps even only 1/2 lb.

    Sounds like you are not eating enough - regardless of the 'paper numbers' your real life results confirm that.

    ^^This, absolutely, although I would say that the results tend to roughly affirm @mushy1342 'reported calorie intake. A 2 lb/week weight on a daily intake of 800-900 calories means a TDEE of 1800-1900 calories. Assuming she's not burning a lot of calories from exercise or daily activity, a TDEE of 1800-1900 calories for someone who is 4'11" and 132 lbs seems fairly reasonable.

    Agreed.

    @mushy1342, I'd go in and set yourself goals based on a 1 lb/week loss (or 0.5 lb, but personally even when you don't have much to lose I find 1 lb easier, as the margins get so small with 0.5 that you have to be a very careful logger). It may still give you 1200, maybe a bit more. I'd also log and eat back exercise cals if you have them. If you want to set a lower carb goal, do that, maybe 30% carbs? The default protein at 1200 will be low, so I'd increase that to about 30% too (you'd want around 80 g or more to preserve muscle given the healthy goal weight).

    Then focus not on cutting as much as possible, but putting together meals that you like that meet your goals. Very often I think it helps to think of nutrition as adding in foods you want to eat and not just restricting what you eat.
  • mushy1342
    mushy1342 Posts: 16 Member
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    Thank you, everybody! I certainly have a lot to adjust now, but I will definitely increase my portion sizes and be more careful about my nutrition
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 27,981 Member
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    mushy1342 wrote: »
    WinoGelato wrote: »
    Why do you feel bread and pasta is out of the equation?
    I’m trying to cut back on my carbohydrates intake as I gain really quick the more carbs are in my diet + I get very sluggish a few hours after I have a carb heavy meal. So I decided to cut breads and pastas (also refined sugars and potatoes) out of my diet. The carbs I get come from veggies, fruit and oats for the most part.

    Bread made from flour makes me sleepy too, especially in the afternoon. If I want a sandwich for lunch, I use bread made from sprouted grains, for example, from brands like Ezekial / Food for Life, which I can find in the freezer section of all my supermarkets.

    I'm ok with pasta for dinner IF I have a balanced amount of protein and veggies with it. But a low protein, large amount of pasta meal would definitely make me sluggish as well.

    (I'm not saying you must eat bread and pasta - just sharing how I manage it :) )

    Do potatoes make you sluggish too? How much protein were you getting with a potato meal?
  • mushy1342
    mushy1342 Posts: 16 Member
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    Tacklewasher wrote: »
    Hold on.

    She cut out bread and pasta. That means a lot less carbs than normal so 8 lbs in a month may be a ton of water weight.

    Maybe don't jump too much back on the more food train and see what happens over the next month. I expect your weight loss will be much slower than 8 lbs a month.

    Be careful about your nutrition, but understand that carbs >> glycogen storage >> water storage. Cut back on carbs and a lot of water goes away.

    I still get a good amount of carbs from fruits, veggies and oats though. I also wouldn’t increase my calorie intake all that much, maybe a couple eggs+double the veggies or add peanut butter to my snacks to get to 1200-1300.
  • mushy1342
    mushy1342 Posts: 16 Member
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    kshama2001 wrote: »
    mushy1342 wrote: »
    WinoGelato wrote: »
    Why do you feel bread and pasta is out of the equation?
    I’m trying to cut back on my carbohydrates intake as I gain really quick the more carbs are in my diet + I get very sluggish a few hours after I have a carb heavy meal. So I decided to cut breads and pastas (also refined sugars and potatoes) out of my diet. The carbs I get come from veggies, fruit and oats for the most part.

    Bread made from flour makes me sleepy too, especially in the afternoon. If I want a sandwich for lunch, I use bread made from sprouted grains, for example, from brands like Ezekial / Food for Life, which I can find in the freezer section of all my supermarkets.

    I'm ok with pasta for dinner IF I have a balanced amount of protein and veggies with it. But a low protein, large amount of pasta meal would definitely make me sluggish as well.

    (I'm not saying you must eat bread and pasta - just sharing how I manage it :) )

    Do potatoes make you sluggish too? How much protein were you getting with a potato meal?

    Potatoes too, although I typically wouldn’t get too much protein with the carby meals since they’re so filling :D
  • mushy1342
    mushy1342 Posts: 16 Member
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    MayMinto wrote: »
    Sounds like you are living a banting lifestyle with intermittent fasting. Dr Jason Fung/ IDM Program/Diet Doctor will help provide you with the answer you are looking for.

    I wouldn’t be doing my own research if I could afford a dietitian to be honest.
  • lemurcat2
    lemurcat2 Posts: 7,885 Member
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    paperpudding wrote: »
    MayMinto wrote: »
    Sounds like you are living a banting lifestyle with intermittent fasting. Dr Jason Fung/ IDM Program/Diet Doctor will help provide you with the answer you are looking for.

    Not sure what a banting lifestyle is - but no, OP doesnt need those things - she just needs to eat to her correct calorie allowance (tighter logging might help you to monitor that more accurately OP) and to eat a reasonably balanced diet

    Pretty sure "Banting lifestyle" is just another term for keto, and no, OP does not appear to be doing keto, nor does she need to.

    She also is eating breakfast and dinner, so it doesn't sound like IF unless the breakfast is quite late.
  • StatChicBayes
    StatChicBayes Posts: 362 Member
    edited May 2019
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    I am your height, but still have more weight to lose :-) 145.8 currently starting from 177.1, but also have a goal of 110. I started off on 1200 calories based on MFP recommendation - I probably averaged 1100 calories based on my estimates as I went under the goal as I expected that I might be underestimating amounts. My BMR was 1500 at the beginning, (tested) so was trying to create a 1000 a day deficit through diet and exercise. Your current plan sounds very similar to mine at the beginning (I had a latte with whole milk first thing in the morning and would go the gym, but otherwise ate two main meals and snacks - overall lowish carb). I did that for about a month. I then had an appointment with a nutritionist who suggested that I should be consuming more calories than what MFP suggested. Based on observed weight loss, BMR, and tracking we worked out a plan with 1400 calories a day as the target, with 40%carbs, 30% protein, and 30% fat. This is actually pretty close to what I would need for maintenance at my goal weight of 110 if I were lightly active. This is my third attempt at weight loss (57yo) so have tried calorie restricted and low carb previously, which worked short term, but I gained weight back after having twins. I do like pasta and bread (and with kids we have pasta usually once a week). Working with the nutritionist, I have been able to work in pasta and bread and other healthy carbs (strawberries, raspberries, lentils, beans, brown rice, etc in addition to all veggies), as well as full fat milk/yogurt, half-n-half, cheese, and wine. I do weigh pasta to control my portion size and now find that I can eat it, fill full on half of what I use to eat and still lose weight (current goal is 1-2 pounds a week) but I know that will have to slow down as I get closer. I feel that I have a plan that will be sustainable from the start. I do go to the gym regularly so that my calorie deficit is from exercise as well as some restriction. (weights and cardio of various forms). From your posts it is not clear what your activity level is so that may play a role. [edited to add that your posts added since I started this :-) mention activity level. At your goal weight the Mifflin St Jeor calculator http://www.acaloriecounter.com/calculator.php would suggest 1362 calories for maintenance if you are lightly active.] At my height, I do find it hard to create a deficit of 500-1000 calories a day with diet alone so that suggestions to target a certain % of body weight maybe more sustainable.

    But as the OPs have suggested weighing food is really helpful in getting an accurate idea if what you are actually taking in, as being petite it is much harder to create deficits! I have been pleasantly surprised that the portion of duck breast actually weighed much less that I thought!

    My goal now is to have three meals spread over the day with calories more evenly distributed + a later afternoon snack (I was eating most at dinner). I now eat overnight oats with yogurt (full fat) and fruit to sweeten or eggs with my latte in the am. Lunch is usually a salad with protein/carbs/healthy oils. I found that if I did not eat enough or exercised a lot that I would end up with insomnia - increasing calories has helped greatly with that!

    If you do need to add more calories, try avocados or add healthy oils to your veggies/salads. And don't forget about having enough fiber! I usually have a tablespoon of pysillium a day or have added Nut-Thins as a snack as an alternative to nuts on some days.


    p.s. I find that weight training really helps. I might weigh more, but actually look better (imho) while still wearing a size that is smaller than what I would expect for that weight. That might be something to work in with some free weights at home...

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