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MyFitnessPal Community

Eating more and metabolic adjustment question

Runningcircuits

Hi Everyone:
I thought I would post this to our group first since so many of you have already had success with MFP and I may get the answer here without posting on the main boards. I may have talked to you in message form about a portion of this already, so you can either ignore me or provide any additional advice you have!

For the past several years I have been running and doing loads of cardio while eating roughly 1100-1300 cals a day. I would lose a little weight, but it was very slow and eventually I would get frustrated and quit for several days or a week. Repeat cycle. I realized this was clearly not working and a couple friends and I went to a nutritionist. His plan was science-based (loved that) and depended upon me following the very specific eating plan to the letter for it to succeed. It was timed, specific meals and I lost 10 lbs in a month. I run my own business and am a single mom and can't always do something so rigid. So I quit. For about one month I ran and did cardio (I am mildly addicted to running, that won't stop) but didn't pay particular attention to what I was eating.

Still trying to get these damn 30 lbs off, I joined MFP. I did a lot of research on here and am starting to accept the fact that I probably haven't been eating enough. This concept is still absurd to me, but I am trying to open my brain and allow the info in and give it a full-on try.

So, my question is this: Is it possible that my body will need to adjust to eating more and then the weight will start to come off? Or is it possible that I am still not eating enough? I have been at this three weeks and the first couple weeks, I ate none of my exercise calories back. Since last Tuesday, I started to eat some of them back. Since last Tuesday, I have gained 2 lbs.

Any help you could offer on whether I am doing this right or not would be much appreciated. My diary is open. Yes, there is red wine on there. And a weekend trip out of town. But every week, I am below my total calories. If you think I have to cut out alcohol totally to make this work, I will attempt to deal with that.

I don't have a sweet tooth, so you won't see desserts or chocolate or anything like that. Red wine is my weakness.

Thanks again for any help, sorry about the length....I don't want to quit out of frustration like I am prone to do. I want to figure this out, get it right and be 20 lbs lighter at Christmas!

-Jen

Replies

humpbax

Hi I have been here since May this year and have found that eating the calories back still means I lose weight. I swam for two full summers and never lost anything (5-6 times a week at least an hour session) and then I realised that my caloric intake was way more than my burn. By keeping close tabs on my caloric intake and only exceeding it once a week or fortnight, I am able to eat my bingey favorites but they are not overwhelming me. I keep my diary open to help me curb the binges or overindulging of alcohol because I care about what people will think (ugly truth but it is a positive too). I usually have 100 -200 calories left over on the days when I exercise but on days when I don't exercise I may have 1- 50 calories left if I'm lucky. I'm eating what I like but measuring for portion control. I even measure my wines and spirits. If you're not hungry, you're not hungry but I find I'm hungry and it's nice to hear my stomach growling sometimes.
Hope it helps and was not overly confusing or anything. If you exercise, eat well. Drink lots of water and yes you can have a glass of wine or two if the calories fit!

Sweettart

I know its hard to believe but we need to eat to lose weight. Its like your car you need gas to run it and if you dont have gas your car wont run. If youre not fueling your body it wont run either. Dont get me wrong I still have a hard time wrapping my head around it.

Care76

I am having the same problem and was thinking of posting in the main forum. I keep putting weight on. I don't know if I need to go down or up in my calories. I tend to have calories left over most days. I don't know how to figure out what I need to eat???

Runningcircuits

I am having the same problem and was thinking of posting in the main forum. I keep putting weight on. I don't know if I need to go down or up in my calories. I tend to have calories left over most days. I don't know how to figure out what I need to eat???

I just peeked at your diary and I would say you are definitely not eating enough. Other than one day, you were pretty low on calories - and you are breastfeeding! Eat more, girl! (Pot, kettle, black....I know. I'm working on it)

whitecapwendy

yes, you will need to allow your body to adjust. I have heard people say you need to give it 2-4 weeks

Nicoleace22

yes, you will need to allow your body to adjust. I have heard people say you need to give it 2-4 weeks

Please listen to above

Also you do a lot of cardio. Mix it up with weight training is sometimes enough to give the metabolism the boot. Make sure that you do a good combo of protein and fat on the day of like milk or peanut butter. There are many others but I don't like them....

That's how I started losing. Before no matter how much cardio I did when I took a rest day it came right back.... SUCKS BIG TIME.:sad:

Care76

I am having the same problem and was thinking of posting in the main forum. I keep putting weight on. I don't know if I need to go down or up in my calories. I tend to have calories left over most days. I don't know how to figure out what I need to eat???

I just peeked at your diary and I would say you are definitely not eating enough. Other than one day, you were pretty low on calories - and you are breastfeeding! Eat more, girl! (Pot, kettle, black....I know. I'm working on it)

Yes, thank you. I feel like I am eating all the time and I have a hard time eating more when I know I am gaining weight. But I am starting to eat 2000 calories and not eating back my exercise. This was recommended to me by a mod in the main forum.

I am interested in seeing how we both do after a couple months of eating more.

Runningcircuits

I am still clueless what to do. I am showing such slow progress for the amount of working out I do. I keep playing with my settings and changing from "lose 1 lb per week" to 2 lbs and also calculating my tdee over an over.
I am losing inches and can feel a difference in my clothes and I know I should be happy about that - but I'm not. I want the numbers on the scale to move.
I haven't had a week yet where I didn't have a day that I splurged (usually on cocktails). I would like to have a full week of doing the same thing every day - I just don't know what to do.
5'6", 180 lbs and burn between 400-700 cals 5-6 days per week, which puts my tdee about 2500.

What's keeping me from switching to tdee minus 20% is that having to enter my exercise keeps me accountable for it. And what has kept me from eating more is the "in 5 weeks you will weigh..." Thing and the fact that I see many diaries eatin less or the same as me and losing. (So frustrating!!)

I just realized that this is me venting since I basically asked the same question in the OP. But if anyone has anything else to add that could help me, please let me know. I am trying really hard to stay on board here, but I fear my resolve will waver soon without some scale results.

Care76

I am no expert since I can't seem to lose weight myself, but how are you figuring your calories? Do you wear a heart rate monitor? I have seen that mfp exaggerates calories burned.

Inches lost is great! I would much rather lose inches than weight. By losing inches everybody around you can see it. By losing weight only those who know your weight will know unless it is enough to lose inches. IMO, you are getting more fit by losing inches.

I can't tell how I'm doing yet as I gained 5 pounds when I started the 30ds (water). I am now back to where I started though so I guess we'll see in a couple weeks. I had to stop the 30ds though because it killed my knees. I can't get into the doctor until next week. I am just doing strength exercises like different planks, push ups, crunches, etc. Some walking, but it wasn't helping so I stopped for a couple days.

Runningcircuits

I agree on the knees thing with 30ds. For some reason, running doesn't bother my knees, but lunges do. I just go very easy on those.

Calories running come from endomondo, which uses gps and my height and weight. Research I have done seems to think it is accurate. I would like to buy a HRM, though.

I hope you had a good week! I am going to keep researching.

Care76

I use edmondo too for when I walk. Glad to hear it is pretty accurate.