Hello! Looking for inspiration from other athletes

marilynmoberlynielson

Hey! I'm Marilyn and have used MFP on and off through a couple of decades. I've weighed between 140 and 150 lbs for most of my life. That's really big for a NCAA Division 1 distance runner! And yet - I was 🤣 I still run about 40 miles per week, lift a couple of times, swim and bike and backpack and take walks, etc.

I'd really like to pull my weight back down from about 153 to the low 140s. This feels almost insurmountable because, in general, I can only lose about a quarter pound a week on 1200 - 1400 calories. At that level, I am SO hungry. It'd be great to not be thinking about food all the time.

Maybe someone else here has a similar experience? Any other big, strong women with incredibly efficient metabolisms? 🤣

At the very least, being back on MFP will remind me to get better nutrition!

Hope to meet some friends!

AnnPT77

Hello, and welcome!

I would think that as a Div I athlete, you would probably have muscle mass than average. How tall are you, and do you have any reasonable estimate of body fat percent? (If you do, please comment whether from DEXA, caliper, . . . whatever.) I know that Div I athletes are often tested for various sport-related things, so I'm also wondering if you've had any kind of exhaled-gasses RMR test?

I'm not in your demographic, but I have to say I've always been intrigued by what people consider an "efficient" metabolism. Obviously, the reality of "metabolism" varies individually for individual reasons, but it's common for folks here to think an "efficient" metabolism (paradoxically) is one that triggers faster weight loss at higher calories, which has always seemed weird to me. You're saying the opposite, as I understand it, which makes more sense to me definitionally.

You don't say how tall you are, but an accurate 1200-1400 gross calorie intake does seem really low for someone of your weight and activity level.

Like I said, I'm not in your demographic. I'm a li'l ol' lady, age 68, currently 5'5" and lower 130s pounds, sedentary outside of intentional exercise (which isn't massive). I'd lose pretty fast on 1200-1400 gross calories (but I admit I'm a mysteriously good li'l ol' calorie burner for some reason(s)). I do know and have known a bunch of Div I female athletes (rowers). Your experience seems unusual, as I'm sure you know.

I'm wondering whether you have access to dietitians, metabolic testing, etc., that might help you with this?

I'm also curious what your "dieting history" might be, for example whether you've been calorie cutting steeply and often in the past, whether you've lost a material amount of weight in the past, whether you've yo-yo-ed in weight, and that sort of thing.

Best wishes!