Am I doing this right?

karolinacorrea

Hello people. I guess I am writing this because I need some reassurance.

I started a "counting calories" diet nearly 3 weeks ago. Basically, I swithcedmy usual not-too-healthy foods with fruits and low-calorie foods. The first week my only source of carbohydrates were whole grain breads and brown rice and so on.

After a week I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw I had lost 2 kilos!. I was very motivated but decided that I was falling short on protein so decided to include some roasts meats and grilled chicken. After that second week I lost another kilo.

Then I read that eating less than a 1200 calores/day would slow down my metabolism, and at that point I realised I had been eating between 900 and 1100 cal/day for the last week. And indeed, I started experiencing cold hands.

I decided then to boost my calorie intake to just above the 1200 cal/day (5020kj). Now I am quite mortified because it seems that this last week (the 3rd week), eating this 1200 calories/day, I have put weight back on (around a pound).

Is this normal? do I need to go back to eating less than a 1000 calories per day?. I know many of you guys are very experienced, please, give me a hand

tomhaegdorens

Don't eat less than 1000 calories! I even think you shouldn't eat less than 1200 cal/day. You won't get enough nutrition and your body will go in starvation, slow down its metabolism, break down muscles to maintain protein level. Your body can't store protein so be sure to eat enough protein every day.

2 kilos or even 1 kilo/week is a lot. I think a goal of 0.5kg/week is easier. But that's a personal choice. Also in the beginning you lose a lot of water, that's why you always lose a lot in the first week.

Don't be scared of gaining that 1 pound. That's probably just water. As long as you eat healthy and reach your goal, you will lose weight. Give it some time

Myself I eat 1600/1700 cal/day and I'm losing weight

forevertoday

This is happening to me right this second.
Ate under 1200, lost 2kg, joined MFP which told me to do 1200, gained back 0.4kg, this is a course of about 2-3 weeks, and I installed MFP app 5-6 days ago.
I am going to keep on keepin' on with what MFP has suggested because I like to give my body 4 weeks to adjust, so maybe that would be a good idea for you also ?

skinnyinnotime

Keep eating at over 1200 your body will adjust and you will start losing again.

Don't worry about starvation mode, that's not going to happen overnight! But your body does need a certain amount to function properly, so please don't deny it what it needs.

Good luck...not that luck has anything to do with it : )

Cindyinpg

Hello people. I guess I am writing this because I need some reassurance.

I started a "counting calories" diet nearly 3 weeks ago. Basically, I swithcedmy usual not-too-healthy foods with fruits and low-calorie foods. The first week my only source of carbohydrates were whole grain breads and brown rice and so on.

After a week I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw I had lost 2 kilos!. I was very motivated but decided that I was falling short on protein so decided to include some roasts meats and grilled chicken. After that second week I lost another kilo.

Then I read that eating less than a 1200 calores/day would slow down my metabolism, and at that point I realised I had been eating between 900 and 1100 cal/day for the last week. And indeed, I started experiencing cold hands.

I decided then to boost my calorie intake to just above the 1200 cal/day (5020kj). Now I am quite mortified because it seems that this last week (the 3rd week), eating this 1200 calories/day, I have put weight back on (around a pound).

Is this normal? do I need to go back to eating less than a 1000 calories per day?. I know many of you guys are very experienced, please, give me a hand

What you should do is calculate a sustainable calorie deficit so that you can eat as much as possible, yet still lose weight. Depending on what you need to lose, it is generally anywhere from .5 to 2lbs a week. You definitely don't want to drop your intake again. Starvation mode is thrown around a lot and is very misunderstood, but you still don't want to start out by eating too little for a variety of reason: adherence is not the least of them. I would chew off my own arm trying to eat that little.

Here's a great article and video on it, if you want to learn a little more:
http://www.leighpeele.com/starvation-mode

Also, definitely read this if you haven't already: it will help you calculate your goals and should answer most of your initial questions:

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/833026-important-posts-to-read

And This One Too:

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

bowlinggirl02002

From my personal experiences there are certain foods can effect you differently. I started out myself by doctors recommendation on a 1000 calorie diet which helped me get started on my weight lose, but now that I am getting a lot move active then what I was when I started I am now doing 1,200 calories. I would suggest eating at least 1,200, I have more energy now then what I did back when I started. By like I said there are different foods that can cause you to gain weight even if they are healthy for you. I am a personal believer in eating fruits & veggies that have a high water content, I seem to lose best when eating them. You might want to start watching the fat content in some of the stuff you are eating to. Lean meats are the best, chicken and fish.

karolinacorrea

Thank you for your help guys. I am determined to eat between 1200 and 1500 cal/day and I'll try to increase my workouts to at least 4 times/week. I'll see how I go from here