1,700 Calories and hungry?!

WendyTerry420

Hey OP,

Im on 1700 and I am not hungry but I get sugar cravings in the evenings. 1700 is plenty if spread out properly and with the right macros.

But I plan to keep bumping it up fortnightly till I get to 2100-2200 (my TDEE is 2450 when active, 2100 when not) and stick there for a good 6 months to help ease my body into maintenance.

If you are hungry just up it a little and you'll still lose just not as fast. This ain't a race, only reason I am at this is because I am comfortable with this, not a huge eater, and I was previously even lower so 1700 is okay for the moment.

One word: strategize. If you are on 1700 figure out what that will mean for you over the coming months and years. You need to keep the pounds off and maintain all the good work. This has to all be part of a long term plan.

Use this simulator, it takes into consideration body changes as you go through caloric deficit (TDEE is not an exact science - bodies are different):

http://www.niddk.nih.gov/research-funding/at-niddk/labs-branches/LBM/integrative-physiology-section/body-weight-simulator/Pages/body-weight-simulator.aspx

1700 is plenty if you're a woman.

DapperKay

Hey OP,

Im on 1700 and I am not hungry but I get sugar cravings in the evenings. 1700 is plenty if spread out properly and with the right macros.

But I plan to keep bumping it up fortnightly till I get to 2100-2200 (my TDEE is 2450 when active, 2100 when not) and stick there for a good 6 months to help ease my body into maintenance.

If you are hungry just up it a little and you'll still lose just not as fast. This ain't a race, only reason I am at this is because I am comfortable with this, not a huge eater, and I was previously even lower so 1700 is okay for the moment.

One word: strategize. If you are on 1700 figure out what that will mean for you over the coming months and years. You need to keep the pounds off and maintain all the good work. This has to all be part of a long term plan.

Use this simulator, it takes into consideration body changes as you go through caloric deficit (TDEE is not an exact science - bodies are different):

http://www.niddk.nih.gov/research-funding/at-niddk/labs-branches/LBM/integrative-physiology-section/body-weight-simulator/Pages/body-weight-simulator.aspx

1700 is plenty if you're a woman.

Haha only thing is I am a 26 year old man who is very active

Unless you meant OP? He too is a man, 22.

weightxlossjourney

Try more fruits and vegetables they will keep you feeling full longer.

WendyTerry420

Hey OP,

Im on 1700 and I am not hungry but I get sugar cravings in the evenings. 1700 is plenty if spread out properly and with the right macros.

But I plan to keep bumping it up fortnightly till I get to 2100-2200 (my TDEE is 2450 when active, 2100 when not) and stick there for a good 6 months to help ease my body into maintenance.

If you are hungry just up it a little and you'll still lose just not as fast. This ain't a race, only reason I am at this is because I am comfortable with this, not a huge eater, and I was previously even lower so 1700 is okay for the moment.

One word: strategize. If you are on 1700 figure out what that will mean for you over the coming months and years. You need to keep the pounds off and maintain all the good work. This has to all be part of a long term plan.

Use this simulator, it takes into consideration body changes as you go through caloric deficit (TDEE is not an exact science - bodies are different):

http://www.niddk.nih.gov/research-funding/at-niddk/labs-branches/LBM/integrative-physiology-section/body-weight-simulator/Pages/body-weight-simulator.aspx

1700 is plenty if you're a woman.

Haha only thing is I am a 26 year old man who is very active

Unless you meant OP? He too is a man, 22.

I'm eating at 2500. Maybe try putting on some muscles so that you can eat like a man?

Dragonwolf

Just some things to consider:

- Meal composition / macros : You said you are eating more protein, which in general is good. However it is hard to know what you mean by "more". Everyone is a little different in this area and you might need to experiment to find what works for you. At 1700 calories it would be reasonable, IMHO, to just target an equal macro split (33 / 33 / 34) as a baseline. Eat that way for a week or so and see what you think. I personally dislike the default MFP macros if that is what you are using.

This. I was starving at 2000 calories with MFP's settings only tweaked for a little more protein. When I switched up the way I was eating to include more fat, I found myself satiated on closer to 1600 calories.

As a general rule of thumb, you should be eating about 1g/lb LBM of protein (usually around 100g-120g), and at least .35g/lb of total body weight of protein, then fill in with fat or carbs however it makes you happy. If you're still starving at what should be a reasonable calorie intake, then try upping your fat for a while and see if it helps.

Also, as others have said, make sure you're eating enough. I've only got about 40lbs on you, and I'm female, and at 1lb/week, I'm allotted nearly 2000 calories at sedentary. 1700 is very likely way too low for you. And while you'd like to lose the weight as fast as possible (don't we all?), trying to lose 2lb/week when you're not morbidly obese isn't going to work out too well in general. You're more likely to lose quite a bit of muscle along with fat, and you're more likely to not be able to fuel your body properly for everything it needs to do. As nice as it would be to be able to rock a swimsuit with a six-pack come summer, you're better off doing it in a way that's sustainable and healthy, even if it means waiting until next summer to rock the six-pack.

Dragonwolf

1700 is plenty if you're a woman.

Haha only thing is I am a 26 year old man who is very active

Unless you meant OP? He too is a man, 22.

I'm eating at 2500. Maybe try putting on some muscles so that you can eat like a man?

They need like buttons on the forum posts. Even at sedentary, I eat about 2000.

oneloopygirl

That is enough for a woman with your stats, but men need to eat more. Seriously. I'm a woman, smaller than you, no cardio & a desk job, and I eat more than you. Come on! Eat like a man!

As of right now I have just been following what MFP recommends.

I know I have to accept that I should probably have a slower rate of weight loss, but at the same time I would love to have most of this weight off by the summer so I am not completely miserable this year. If I am for a loss of 1 pound per week I would not reach goal until close to the end of this year.

If I do chose to bump up my calories, should I just eat close to my BMR? Or would be better to just use the MFP recommendation and rely on the FitBit calorie adjustment for how many extra calories to eat?

Like everyone else, I recommend eating more. Don't set deadlines on loss. It sets you up for stress and failure. Most everyone loses fast to start and then it slows. It took me nearly 18 months to hit my ultimate goal.Trying to lose too fast generally results in falling off and rebound gains.

You should always aim to eat at least what your BMR is and eat at least some of those activity/exercise calories back. You'll stall your loss if you continue to undereat. And you'll risk long-term damage to your metabolism and loss of healthy muscle mass.

From experience... WW seems to almost make you under eat. When logging calories versus points and dual tracking for a while, I always ran out of points before calories. And I felt better after tracking here and eating more (and lost a few pounds, even though I came here in maintenance). I have a feeling I would have lost faster than the 18 months it took me if I'd come to MFP sooner.

KeepGoingKylene

I am a woman only 5'3" and I eat 1900, no wonder you are hungry!
Eat my friend, eat!

thedreamsaver

Some need to eat more frequently throughout the day so snack on low calorie veggies like carrots or bell peppers to hold you over until your meals. Works for me and I'm at 1500 cal. 47 y/o male and have lost 12 pounds in 6 weeks.

Sarah4fitness

Currently I have my weight loss goal set to lose 2 pounds a week and at a lightly active activity level because of my job. Currently this gives me a daily calorie goal of 1,710.

1,700 calories should be an adequate amount but I tend to find myself feeling hungry throughout the day. I have been hearing a lot of different pieces of advice lately such as needing to eat at my BMR or TDEE. However, doing either of these would increase my calorie goal by several hundred calories and I fear that would ultimately slow down my progress. Also part of the reason why I like the idea of a lower number is that it allows for a margin or error (ex. incorrect NI at a restaurant or underestimating a portion) but if I am at a higher calorie goal I will have less room for mistakes.

1.) Eating below your BMR will be counterproductive in the long run. If your goal is SUSTAINABLE fat loss, losing 2lbs a week consistently will be extremely difficult, and you will be hungry. The less fat your body carries, the hungrier you will be. See the following link for the science behind this.
LINK: http://teamatrain.com/are-you-really-hungry/

2.) Drink more water. I drink a gallon a day or more. More often than not, your body signals hunger when in fact you're in need of hydration. Try that.

3.) If you're REALLY dedicated to fat loss, make fewer "mistakes". Measure your food on a scale. Know how many grams and ounces of foods you're actually consuming. If you're eating out a lot, it's VERY difficult to know exactly what you're eating. Know what makes eating out taste good? Fats. Butter. Sugar. Do some research about the places you're eating, if they don't post nutrition facts about each food, maybe choose a different place to eat. (And know that even if they DO post nutrition facts, they're a rough estimate as serving sizes and portions will vary depending on the cook.)

lilawolf

Do a couple of hard core cardio sessions a week so that you can eat more. I am on 1750 a day, to lose half a pound a week, but most of my deficit for the week comes from exercise. 2 lifting sessions, 2 martial arts classes, and a run/random. The lifting actually makes me hungrier, but the martial arts and other all out cardio make me less hungry on that day usually so I have a big deficit which I use later in the week. YMMV. Some people get hungry for more extra cals than they burned so they feel less satisfied, but I find that it curbs my appetite to an extent.

Weekly averages are what's important. I end up doing mini cycles where the beginning of the week I eat quite a bit under especially on my MA day, then Fri-Sun I eat at or above maintenance. Because these days give me more freedom, let me eat the higher cal things that I like (such as pizza), and let me get completely full for a couple days, I feel that it's easier to stick to.

ETA: I also think that you should eat more, but didn't want to beat a dead horse. Even 100 cals may make a big difference to how you feel and how muscle mass is maintained without making a big difference to your weight loss.

ElliottTN

I go to 1700 or below when I am cutting while being extremely active.

You will hear a good deal about how eating clean vs eating dirty | meal timing doesn't matter and for the most part it is true BUT when you start slashing your calories like this it really does. Plenty of water, plenty of greens, plenty of protein, don't skip out on carbs but don't go crazy. Fat is normally good but if I let it go above my macros it cause me to get hungry. Smaller, spaced out meals. Just a few things that help me but you have to find the right tricks that work for you.

Oh, and don't pay attention to the "sustainable" crowd. Why would you ever want to sustain 2 lbs of weight loss for extended periods of time. You do it to cut down then ease back up. No one can "sustain" a caloric deficit like everyone preaches they should or else they would eventually die.

1princesswarrior

You're getting a lot of excellent advice here. You need to eat more. MFP is designed so you eat for your goals. It gives you a calorie allowance at a reasonable deficit and then you eat your exercise calories back. Maybe try that for a few weeks.

Here's a question for you. Do you want to look good for one summer or be healthy for a lifetime?

Weight loss is not a sprint, it's a marathon and about building lifelong habits. Personally I want to add years to my life, do I want to look good this summer, yes, will it kill me if I don't, no. Will a lifetime of poor eating habits catch up to you? Absolutely.

annie7hudds

I ignored MFP advice of eating 1200 cals per day.

I am tall, and run a lot. 1200 cals per day is nowhere near enough for me.

So, I upped it to 1700 - and eat SOME of my exercise cals back.

My weight loss is slow, but logging my food and exercise keeps me on track.

DapperKay

Hey OP,

Im on 1700 and I am not hungry but I get sugar cravings in the evenings. 1700 is plenty if spread out properly and with the right macros.

But I plan to keep bumping it up fortnightly till I get to 2100-2200 (my TDEE is 2450 when active, 2100 when not) and stick there for a good 6 months to help ease my body into maintenance.

If you are hungry just up it a little and you'll still lose just not as fast. This ain't a race, only reason I am at this is because I am comfortable with this, not a huge eater, and I was previously even lower so 1700 is okay for the moment.

One word: strategize. If you are on 1700 figure out what that will mean for you over the coming months and years. You need to keep the pounds off and maintain all the good work. This has to all be part of a long term plan.

Use this simulator, it takes into consideration body changes as you go through caloric deficit (TDEE is not an exact science - bodies are different):

http://www.niddk.nih.gov/research-funding/at-niddk/labs-branches/LBM/integrative-physiology-section/body-weight-simulator/Pages/body-weight-simulator.aspx

1700 is plenty if you're a woman.

Haha only thing is I am a 26 year old man who is very active

Unless you meant OP? He too is a man, 22.

I'm eating at 2500. Maybe try putting on some muscles so that you can eat like a man?

Haha is that your attempt at trash talking? What are you, 13?