Please help... Eat less or More???

jcorpern

Speaking as a Registered Nurse, I'd listen to what my primary care doctor told me to do before I listened to a personal trainer or anonymous strangers on a website. Your doctor knows your health, any co-existing conditions, you metabolism (through blood lab studies) and how much you should lose and how quickly. I think that you've got questions about what you're doing, your wisest course of action would be to go back and speak with your physician again.

rosemaryeallman

Thanks everyone for your advice. I am going to try to continue doing what the Dr. suggested. I like beans they keep me full and for some reason I seem to lose faster when I incorporate them into my diet. I am going to try to make some smarter choices to balance out my caloric intake so I don't get so hungry at night...

Poodledoodle100

Defiantly think about pre logging though as it prevents the heartache of wanting to eat something and then finding out you can't have it, if you already know you aren't gonna be able to eat the desert or whatever you won't think about it/ crave it so much. It really helps me balance my calories out and allows me to save some to 'treat' myself on a night.

rosemaryeallman

Defiantly think about pre logging though as it prevents the heartache of wanting to eat something and then finding out you can't have it, if you already know you aren't gonna be able to eat the desert or whatever you won't think about it/ crave it so much. It really helps me balance my calories out and allows me to save some to 'treat' myself on a night.

rosemaryeallman

Yes, I usually plan ahead and pre log calories

FreshKrisKreash

If you feel like you're starving at 1600 calories up your calories to 1800 and see if that helps. If you're still starving try 2000. But like other people said if you eat 5-6 small meals with about 300 calories each, you should never have time to get hungry. :flowerforyou:

Springfield1970

At 355, there's really no reason your body can't get by at 1500-1600 calories per day. Personally, if you can stick with it, 1500-1600 sounds like a better number to me.

That said, if you can't find a way to satiate yourself at 1500-1600 calories, it's better to up your caloric intake than to give up. You can eat 2200 and still lose weight, but you will lose weight more slowly.

I don't agree with this at all. At that weight, her BMR has to at least be in the 2000s and I can't imagine eating 500 less than my BMR. My body would shut down.

Your body doesn't shut down eating under your BMR at 355 lbs. With ~200lbs of excess fat, it can easily make-up the caloric deficit from your fat stores. Eating under your BMR/TDEE becomes problematic when your body cannot pull sufficient calories from your fat stores (i.e., when you're already lean and not carrying around much fat). Studies I've seen suggest your body can pull, on average, 31 kcal per pound of fat per day from your excess fat stores, which is about 6200 potential calories your body can pull from fat stores at ~200 lbs of excess fat. She may be hungry at first, particularly so depending on what food choices she makes, but her doctor is giving the best advice for her long-term health (provided she can stick with it).

This is interesting, the 31 cals thing. Do you mind sharing the study please? Wow. So obese people are safe to go under bmr if they have enough fat stores. I carry 24 pounds of fat on my body. 24x31=744. Obviously I'd be eating into lean body mass at that point so it would be crazy for a lean person to do this. Do you happen to know what the zones are to do this ie what is considered too low a body fat percentage to go under bmr?

Springfield1970

I'd split the difference (especially since you're hungry with the lower amount) and try 2000 calories a day and stick with that for a month. See what happens, and then adjust accordingly. And eat back I'd say part of your exercise calories (they are usually over estimated). So, I usually would log 2/3 of my exercise calories.

Also, if you are still hungry through out the day, be sure to try and find foods that will keep you feeling full. Satiety is very personal, but a lot of people find that lean protein keeps them feeling full longer. You can also try filling up on lower calorie vegetables to help with hunger. You can also try pre-logging your days to make sure that you have enough calories at night when you are hungrier.

Smart advice.

Springfield1970

Thanks everyone for your advice. I am going to try to continue doing what the Dr. suggested. I like beans they keep me full and for some reason I seem to lose faster when I incorporate them into my diet. I am going to try to make some smarter choices to balance out my caloric intake so I don't get so hungry at night...

Good luck Rosemary!

We are all behind you and want to help and also learn. You can trial and error on yourself, it's a work in progress and you are on a journey to health.

Just one last question....sorry....what are you doing about your exercise calories? Eating them back?

Ps I have 93 calories of 0% fat Greek yoghurt before sleep with a teaspoon of honey. It really really helps
Pps thanks for reminding me about beans! I get hungry at maintenance sometimes too (triathlon training)

mumblemagic

At 355, there's really no reason your body can't get by at 1500-1600 calories per day. Personally, if you can stick with it, 1500-1600 sounds like a better number to me.

That said, if you can't find a way to satiate yourself at 1500-1600 calories, it's better to up your caloric intake than to give up. You can eat 2200 and still lose weight, but you will lose weight more slowly.

I don't agree with this at all. At that weight, her BMR has to at least be in the 2000s and I can't imagine eating 500 less than my BMR. My body would shut down.

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/761810-the-starvation-mode-myth-again
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1077746-starvation-mode-adaptive-thermogenesis-and-weight-loss

Your body wouldn't shut down. You'd feel cr*p and you'd lose weight really quickly (probably too quickly) but you wouldn't "shut down".

To the OP: If you're hungry, try eating more protein e.g. greek yoghurt. Unless your doctor gave you a reason for suggesting the 1500 - 1600 value I suggest increasing your calories. Try eating 2000 first - go for the lowest value you can cope with (within reason). Eat back some or all of your exercise calories.

elyelyse

Regarding hunger...this has a lot to do with what you eat, not just how many calories you consume. If you want, check out my food log from yesterday...my "meals" numbers 3 and 4 provide me with almost the same number of calories, but meal 4 I ate a LOT more food. Just a good example of how you can get more food out of your calories if you make the right choices. (That's not to say you need all your meals to be filling, that meal 3 was a small amount of food, but satisfied me...as a snack, but was not enough food to feel like a full "meal".

lauren3101

If you are miserable and hungry, then up them. The best way to lose weight is the way that you will stick to, ultimately.

1500 sounds way too low for 355lb. Up your calories to what MFP recommends and log and eat back your exercise calories (or 50% of them if using MFP burn calculations).

I used to eat around 1800 and found it very hard to stick to. I now eat around 2200 - 2300, and yes, the weight comes off slightly slower, but it's much easier to stick to.

ihad

Thanks everyone for your advice. I am going to try to continue doing what the Dr. suggested. I like beans they keep me full and for some reason I seem to lose faster when I incorporate them into my diet. I am going to try to make some smarter choices to balance out my caloric intake so I don't get so hungry at night...

Be sure to check back in with the doctor periodically on how it's going, and consider asking for a reference to a nutritionist to get more detailed advice. The doctor's suggestion will have you lose the weight faster, but you also need to be able to stick with the plan for an extended period of time. If you have trouble with adherence, be ready to make ongoing adjustments rather than give up in frustration.

Good luck.

bumblebreezy91

I think you should listen to your doctor's suggestions on the days you don't work out and eat the 1500-1600. On the days you work out, you can hike it up to ~2000, but for the most part, your doctor's plan for you should be the one you follow. Fill up on 1500-1600 calories of veggies, fruits, lean meats, etc--you can find ways to be satisfied on that limit.

Best of luck.

lauragruebel34

On fitness pal I have lost almost 60 pounds and if your craving something sweet like ice cream, cookies or anything else, I took a small piece of what ever it was to kill the craving for example ice cream my boyfriend buys that all the time and I wanted some so bad so I took a tablespoon and spooned out 1 small scoop and ate it and the craving was gone, other hardest part you will flex with her weight but don't give up cause its worth sticking it out. Good Luck you need anything just add me

Joanne_Moniz

I am 31 years old. I weigh 355 lbs I am 5'6. My primary doctor suggested that I eat about 1500 to 1600 calories a day but I am starving at night and can't sleep. I am fairly active, I work out about three times a week. MFP tells me I can eat about 2200 without exercise. I was told by a personal trainer I should be eating 2674 calories a day to lose weight. 2600 hundred calories is a lot more than I am used to eating.... I lost about 15 pounds over the holidays but last week I gained a half pound. Half of the week I ate 1500-1600 calories and the other half was around 2000-2100. I am discouraged and confused. Please help.... I might attempt to increase my calorie consumption for a week to see If I can have better results. What do you think I Should do??

There is a formula to arrive at your calorie goal and it is based on several factors that you provide to MFP. What are your carbs set at?? That may be the answer to your question.

lynn1982

Regarding hunger...this has a lot to do with what you eat, not just how many calories you consume.

This is exactly what I was going to say. If what you are eating is healthy and well-balanced, then think about raising your calories. If you're missing something (such as healthy fats - that was a BIG one for me - I haven't looked at your diary, so I do not know), then try adding that first and fit it within your calories.

amy1612

I agree with those talking about what to eat to stay full. What kind of food do you eat on a daily basis, or what split of fat/carbs/protein do you have? I have a relatibely 40/30/30 protein/fat/carb split and tend to most of the time get by feeling quite full on around 1600-1700 calories.

jcorpern

With all due regard to the kindly people who sincerely want ot help you, I still have to disagree with them when they tell you so authoritatively that the calorie range you doctor gave you is too low for your health and your body. He is the person who knows your health, any co-existing medical problems, your blood chemistries and your weight. If you're having problems with the goals he gave you, rather than discuss it with trainers and anonymous strangers, you'd be better served by making an appointment and discussing your concerns with your physician.

Springfield1970

With all due regard to the kindly people who sincerely want ot help you, I still have to disagree with them when they tell you so authoritatively that the calorie range you doctor gave you is too low for your health and your body. He is the person who knows your health, any co-existing medical problems, your blood chemistries and your weight. If you're having problems with the goals he gave you, rather than discuss it with trainers and anonymous strangers, you'd be better served by making an appointment and discussing your concerns with your physician.

I wonder if this doctor gave any advice about exercise? I mean, there must be some instruction about not doing too much or too fast and then eating the calories back. What if she was doing three hours of cardio a day? That alright is it?

It just seems too basic for my liking.

Anyway I'd rather trust specialists. I've not had great experiences with doctors and their diagnosis and solutions.