Meeting daily values and calories.... (?)

JenniferTravis9

Im on introduce yourself although i have bn a member since 2011 because I have never used the message boards. Well now, I am trumped and wanted some advice, So any and all is welcome!

To begin with, I am doing the 1200 calorie a day weight loss goal. I am 5ft 4in and 185 lbs. I have lost 5 lbs over the past week but with help as I will explain! My last 2 children (I have 4) are only 16 months apart, one just turned 4, the other is almost 3. Although while pregnant with #3 and #4 I only gained about 23 lbs with each and lost the weight subsequently there after, I was still nursing the youngest until just about a month ago! My Dr. tells me between not eating enough calories and drinking too many liquid calories (I was really stuck on about 3 Coke's a day!) I have pretty much wretched my metabolism! Anyhow....

Not that I am on a plan to eat 5-6 times daily, small healthy meals, (And I have completely nixed the soda!) as well as being prescribed phentermine to help my metabolism, I have lost 5 lbs in a week. I am also incorporating daily exersice! Now, onto my questions since you have a little of the background......

1. How can you effectivly reach 1200 calories a day without gorging yourself? I feel like I am eating constantly, the veggies are minimal calories although chock full of nutrients and everything else I eat puts me over in multiple areas!

2. How is it that Im eating only healthy foods and my sugars are EVERYDAY over!!!??? I understand there are sugars still in foods, but how the heck can I stay under on the sugars and still eat the proper amount of foods and calories?

3. Why is it that when I do finally start to get my calories around 1000, that when I post any exercise it wants me to eat MORE calories to make up for what I burned??? Isnt that the point of low calorie diet + workout is to = weigh loss???

and lastly....

4. Is it bad to be over on proteins??? I seem to be really high over on my protein every day as well!

Again, all advice is welcome! If anyone has any sample plans that are good to follow with normal everyday foods that would be great as well! I dont want to have to shop at the world maklet or health food chains just to buy groceries, I have a husband and 4 kids, so I have to keep "normal" food in my house. Basically, fresh fruit and veggies and lean proteins. Thanks in advance for replies!

MzManiak

Open your diary, please.

RoughDiamondUK

As a fellow 5' 4"-er... you should be able to eat 1500 a day at your current weight, and still lose. I'm on ~1400 a day at the moment, at ~145 pounds. I don't exercise, other than a bit of walking.

Unless you're diabetic or pre-diabetic, don't worry about the sugar, especially if the sugar is from fruit and veg and not chocolate/sweets. It's OK to go over on fibre and protein. I really think you'd be much happier on around 1500 calories a day until you drop a few more pounds off.

jonnythan

Quick notes:

1) 1200 calories is not nearly enough for you. You absolutely need to eat more. Incorporate calorie-dense foods to increase calorie intake. Milk, cheese, olive oil, Doritos, ice cream, cashews, whatever. It really doesn't matter much.

2) MFP protein goals are stupid low. Aim for at least 90 grams of protein per day, and treat that as a minimum.

3) Ignore sugar. There's no reason to track sugar.

3dogsrunning

You're diary isn't open but you said on the other post that you do eat a lot of low cal/low fat/light versions of food. Start swapping them out for the regular versions and you can get more calories without gorging yourself.

I also answered in the other post why too few calories isn't a good idea. 1200 is still really low for you. With a damaged metabolism undereating is going to continue to cause issues which will make maintainence harder.

Think of MFP's protein number as a minimum not a max. It is the very low end of the recommendation scale.

Forget the sugar unless you have a medical issue.

3dogsrunning

Here is a really great post with links and answers to a lot of your questions

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1080242-a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants


Specifically exercise calories

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/818082-exercise-calories-again-wtf

grimendale

1. How can you effectivly reach 1200 calories a day without gorging yourself? I feel like I am eating constantly, the veggies are minimal calories although chock full of nutrients and everything else I eat puts me over in multiple areas!

1200 might not be enough. MFP often gives people low numbers because they are too conservative with their inputs (assuming sedentary, wanting to get 2lbs/week, etc.). MFP's goals are low in a lot of areas, particularly protein and fat. A good rule of thumb for protein is 0.8g per lbs lean body mass and for fat is 0.35g per lbs lean body mass. These are minimums, so going over is perfectly fine. Eat calorie dense foods (don't eat all fat-free, light, low calorie, etc. versions). Full fat cheese, nuts, nut butters, avocados, etc. are your friend.

2. How is it that Im eating only healthy foods and my sugars are EVERYDAY over!!!??? I understand there are sugars still in foods, but how the heck can I stay under on the sugars and still eat the proper amount of foods and calories?

Ignore sugars. MFP sets its limit based on the recommendation for added sugar, not natural sugar. There is no recognized limit for natural sugar intake. The diary does not distinguish between natural and added sugar, so eating the recommended daily fruit will almost always put you over. Many people, myself included, don't even track sugar for this reason.

3. Why is it that when I do finally start to get my calories around 1000, that when I post any exercise it wants me to eat MORE calories to make up for what I burned??? Isnt that the point of low calorie diet + workout is to = weigh loss???

MFP sets your calories at a deficit. When you exercise, you increase the size of your deficit, which can cause problems if it gets too large (nutritional deficiencies, low energy, etc.). Plus, when you eat at too large a deficit for too long, your body will start to adapt to what it is being given and try to retain fat stores against the perceived famine. You still lose weight, but more of the weight lost is muscle, which is not what you want. The point of exercise, if you are eating at a deficit, is to be healthy and to help preserve muscle tissue. This is why MFP expects you to eat more when you exercise. Even if you eat all of the calories you burned, you will still be eating at a deficit and will therefore lose weight. Exercise will just help you look better and feel better after you lose.

and lastly....

4. Is it bad to be over on proteins??? I seem to be really high over on my protein every day as well!

As I mentioned, no. Protein limits are a minimum. Being over is fine. Same goes for dietary fat.

TheEffort

BUMP (some great responses on this thread)

JenniferTravis9

BUMP (some great responses on this thread)

There are great responses! A lot of terrific answers to my questions! Still, I know what you put in your body is what keeps you going, so I do not want to eat foods like "doritos" Lol! I have never been into junk food, I eat really healthy and always have. I just found when I started tracking my food intake that my caloric intake is ALWAY low! I do not really get hungry often, maybe once a day, so eating the 5-6 meals is a challenge when I feel no hunger. Then subsequently, eating constantly makes me feel bloated. I know that gaining the weight had a lot to do with liquid calories as well as the calorie deficit. My thyroid has always bn borderline normal, never anything they would prescribe medication for. I believe the back to back babies + nursing + the calorie deficit has really just managed to ravage my metabolism. After my daughter (almost 3) was born, I was in the gym 6 days a week for 2 hrs a day busting my butt and continued to gain weight! The trainers try to tell me it was muscle but when my waist line was expanding and my clothes did not fit, I could easily argue! I understand the "starvation mode" and I really believe that even people overweight can GAIN from it! My mother is the perfect example! At almost 60 yrs old, my mother is pretty sedentary. She eats like a bird and is rarly hungry, yet she weighs around 250 at 5ft 5" (hereditary, right?) Yet, on NutriSystem, she lost 40 lbs in 5 months.... just eating 6 times a day, balanced meals! Now I'm not saying that is the case for everyone, but it seems to show some evidence that undereating at any weight can be detrimental to your health! I am really trying to eat the frequent meals! Exercise is not an issue for me, I enjoy it, just trying to eat all the time tends to be my downfall! I have even tried to break it down to eating 100 calories every hour, and I still feel bloated and tired of eating! I dont like the way the MFP diary is set as only having "Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner and snacks" When I used to keep paper journals, I just wrote the time next to it rather than making it a scheduled meal. I understand different things work for different people, but the basic principal seems to be, Eat healthy, eat small portions frequently and exercise!" I just wish the second part was a little easier for me! I LOVE the forums though! Hearing everyones advice and tips as well as all the wonderful information does add some insight! Thanks you to everyone who responded! I did indeed receive some useful information!