Need help losing the last 15 kg(lost 35 kg)

misshpn

Hi guys.
I need some help and guidance, as my weightloss has been seriously slow the last couple of months. I've lost 35 kg so far, and have about 15 kg to go. I posted this thread in the general diet discussion board, and this group was suggested to me, so I'm gonna be open, and do some research, even though the idea of upping my kcal seems insane!

The last 6 months, I've been restricting my calories, starting at 1600 and now I'm only at 1250 pr. day. I don't have the energy to continue this way, and sadly I don't get to workout as much as I like(I used to workout 4 times a week, when i was on weight watchers), so I want to make a change, but still find a way to LOSE the last kgs. I'm really impatient, so I need something that'll show results!

So I'm asking you guys, what would you do, if you was me? I'm a 20-year old girl, 165 cm and 79 kg. I'm lightly active(walk around a bit every day, bike to school) and I aim to workout 2-3 times a week(1 hour intense workout). Is it really possible to lose weight while eating 1700+ kcal a day? How much should I eat? Should i "reset" my system?

Feeling a bit lost, and quite honestly scared. The thought of eating more, is making me fear that I'll ruin the progress I've made so far, but let me hear y'all opinion and expert advice

- Homa

heybales

First, keep in mind you lose weight eating less than what you burn. Simple as that.

Do you know how much you burn daily?
Did you perhaps used to log how much you ate when you maintained previous weight, because that would be the best figure to have?

Since rarely does anyone think to do that - you really have no idea what a high or low calorie level is for you, nothing to compare it too. Besides which did you exercise when eating the old way and amounts compared to now?

Would it surprise you to learn you probably ate over 2000 calories before? Or more.

So you have 2 choices now.
Keep chasing a falling metabolism in to the ground and hope you reach goal weight before it is totally burned up.
That means keep eating less and/or exercising more. Burning off likely even more muscle mass.
If you reach goal weight (big if), you'll be skinny fat, your maintenance is little to no higher, at least without gaining weight.
Any vacation eating, any splurges, any big meals, is mainly fat gain. Likely gain the weight back, potentially more.
And repeat this cycle every 2-3 years for the rest of your life.

Ask the ladies here who have spent majority of their life doing that exact same thing, the how much happiness it has given them.

Has that method been working here recently for you? Sounds like you notice a slower than expected loss already with a bit more to lose? Sure you want to be impatient and require results? Because you will fail usually if you require time based goals to be reached, you'll give up, or do things the worst way.

Or.

Unstress your body, let your metabolism come back to where it could be, even if less than prior because you burned off muscle mass.
Eat a reasonable sustainable deficit for your level of activity and learn to eat so you can continue it in to the future.

Except the fact that you have been living with reduced water weight and that was part of your weight loss.
Good required water weight, which will actually increase your LBM and your metabolism when you get it back.
Except the fact that a fast weight loss combined with 3-9 months of little to no loss (which is where you are headed probably) is not fast anymore, and reasonable goal probably would have surpassed that in the long run.

Hope this doesn't sound harsh, but hopefully the wakeup call it is intended to be. You were smart to check out something other than eating less and exercising more.

So were you at least following the MFP method and eating back exercise calories, or you really ONLY ate 1250 while doing exercise?
Have you also been good at weighing all the food you eat, measuring only liquids?
Since the burn side of the equation is a worse estimate than is possible compared to the eating side, gotta make both as best as possible.

Either way, unstressing your body for a while with a reset would probably be useful, the length of it depends on how long eating so little, what your potential could have been, and being young should help keep it brief. Lucky you hopefully, compared to discovering this at age 50 or older.

Use this to get best estimates of everything, and log your progress, and suggested eating level.
Stay on the Simple Setup tab, just read what is there and instructed.

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/961054-spreadsheet-for-bodyfat-bmr-tdee-progress-tracker

Also, I'd suggest since you burned off some muscle mass, you investigate skipping what was probably going to be an intense cardio workout, for a weight lifting workout. Think of that ability as you fill in the Activity Calculator. 3 x 45 min lifting will be better than 3 x 60 intense cardio. Plus to your concern, you won't be eating as much either.