Am I eating enough calories?

Hi. This is my first post in about 10 years. Glad to be back. Man in my 40s. In 15 weeks I lost 52 pounds. Went from 276 to 224. Did this by getting down to 80 to 120 carbs a day and 80 to 120 g of protein a day. i’m somewhere between 800 and1200 calories a day. I am around 5‘6“. It’s amazing how much I’ve lost. I basically stopped eating carbs, junk food, and anything I really loved. My weight was killing me.
Then in weeks 16 and 17 I stopped. Just totally stopped. I’ve added more water my eyeballs are falling out. I added extra fiber through Benefiber and vegetables, but nothing is happening. I’ve been so hungry for so long. I can do this, but why am I not losing? I just ordered some resistance bands, maybe that will help. Should I be cutting calories even more? I am starting to get discouraged and I know that’s dumb. I’m open to any and all advice. Eat more, eat less, do something different? I’m willing to do what it takes. Please help. Thank you.

Replies

  • jcx13
    jcx13 Posts: 15 Member
    Some days I may only eat around 600 calories.
  • Retroguy2000
    Retroguy2000 Posts: 1,821 Member
    edited November 2023
    Congrats on the initial loss.

    Your intake of 800, sometimes 600, is not healthy though. As a 5'6" male, you should be on at least 1,200 maybe 1,500.

    I usually say, if in doubt return to maintenance for a while. Let's assume for you that's about 2,500, based on a daily average of say 1,000 ingested, and weekly loss of 3 pounds. Go to maintenance for at least half as long as you were dieting, so at least two months. You'll initially gain some weight from water, and maybe a couple pounds more, that's OK. Give yourself a nice physical and mental break. Enjoy the holiday season. You'll probably be more active due to having more energy.

    Then resume your weight loss journey, but with a more realistic deficit this time of 1,000 per day, which would put you at around 1,500 daily.

    I'd also recommend you consider lifting weights, and if you do, increase your protein to maybe 140g.
  • tomcustombuilder
    tomcustombuilder Posts: 2,187 Member
    edited November 2023
    How long has it been since no loss? If it’s been less than 3 weeks you may be retaining homeostatic water
  • no1racefan2
    no1racefan2 Posts: 90 Member
    There are so many red flags here. I urge you to consult with your physician and/or therapist to address possible ED behaviors before you go too far. They can help you figure out what to do in a healthy way.
  • jcx13
    jcx13 Posts: 15 Member
    Thank you everybody for your advice. I’m overwhelmed.
  • PAV8888
    PAV8888 Posts: 14,200 Member
    edited November 2023
    Take it easy man. The goal is to lose weight and be healthier. NOT to get sick.

    Eating at ANY level below actual maintenance means you are pushing towards losing weight. Above means you're pushing towards gaining. In a narrow band around maintenance... you're pushing to maintaining.

    The above is a very powerful concept. It helps you frame whether what you're seeing on a scale is reflective of changes to your fat levels or something else is at play.

    It also frames that weight management does not HAVE to be "do or die".

    And yes, purely on glycogen and extra food transiting your system I would expect you to show an uptick when you start to eat more normally.

    But if you don't transition to eating more normally you will get sick.

    As simple as that.