Not sure I'm doing this right ?

cheliekayy

I've used several calorie calculators and most say I should be consuming around 1200 calories / day. I am pretty sedentary aside my little work outs. I have occasional days of lots of activity, but they are usually limited to one day on the weekend (this will pick up for me as the weather changes). I recently had surgery and my work outs a somewhat restricted. I do 15-20 minutes on the elliptical 2-3x per week and 20 minute Weight Loss Yoga 2x per week.

On days that I work out, I'm eating back at least some of the calories from them. I am NOT relying on MFP's calories burned (I use two online calculators that seem much more realistic for the amount burned during a work out).

I HAVE been losing weight. Actually, I've lost 17#'s since Febuary 1st.
Start weight 2-1 : 197#
Weight today 3-17 : 180#
I'm 5'5"

So what's wrong? I feel like crud. I'll be going about my day fine and then WHAM I feel like I'm going to pass out. Sometimes snacks help - but sometimes it's not until a meal time that it eases up. I'm also functioning every single day with a mild headache. Initially I thought this was from going off of soda (caffeine) but we're at over 6 weeks now (and I still have one soda a day) so this shouldn't be causing the head aches still. I was normally pretty high energy, taking care of the house, pets, staying up late, etc. and now I just want to go to bed. I am DRASTICALLY more tired than I was before starting and I get a solid 8-10 hours of sleep a night. ALWAYS.

Any thoughts ? (my diary is open to friends)

Iknowsaur

Are you trying to lose 2 pounds a week?
Because that would explain why it's giving you such a low number, and why you feel so terrible.
At your weight you shouldn't be expecting to lose 2 pounds a week - that is a weekly goal more suited for someone with 100+ pounds to lose.
I would try for 1 pound a week - it'll up your calories and you'll feel better.
Remember, weight loss gets slower the closer you get to your goal.

mschicagocubs

Sounds like you aren't eating enough

a_stronger_me13

If energy is consistently low and no medical conditions exist then you probably aren't eating enough. Looking at your macro and micro nutrients might be helpful too for fixing the headaches. Adequate dietary fat is necessary for proper nutrient absorption so if you're eating low fat you may be seeing the effects of that in lack of energy.

cheliekayy

Yes, I do have it set for 2 lbs / week. My doctor said this is a reasonable and attainable place to be. (Initially I had 62 lbs to lose - now I have 45 # to my goal weight ). Actually, if I change it to 1.5 or 1 # on MFP it doesn't give me any more calories. If I change it to 1/2 # it gives me a whopping 180 more per day ?

My macros are at Carbs 50%
Fat 30%
Protein 20%

And I'm usually fairly close to hitting those. (I might have one day where one is higher, but I'll make up for it the next day figuring it's the overall picture that matters most ? )

Thanks for you input - it's greatly appreciated.

serindipte

If you are going to stick to 1200 calories, they need to be food. Real food. You don't have room in that for full-sugar sodas.

mcmainsk

I think you need to eat a bit more - 1350-1400 calories vs. 1200 - and you need to have real, whole food and less processed food. And the big thing I see in your diary is breakfast - you need to stop that Dr. Pepper every morning and add in whole grain carbs, protein and fat. Set your body off on the right food in the morning - if not, it's just going to crash out on you. Low-fat greek yogurt with some nuts and berries, or eggs and whole grain toast, or steel cut oatmeal with apple chunks and nuts.

Finding_me3

If you are going to stick to 1200 calories, they need to be food. Real food. You don't have room in that for full-sugar sodas.

I beg to differ, because I would rather you enjoy a soda then restrict and then binge. It looks to me like you have 1-2 sodas per day. I would suggest having one and then having the other one diet or just try to replace it with water, THEN you can have those extra 100-150 calories from the soda and replace it with a denser protein bar or something similar to that calorie option. Does this make sense? I am not trying to tell you what to do, it is just a suggestion!

deksgrl

Figure out your BMR and TDEE.

1200 is seriously too low for someone your size, unless you are like 70 years old or something.

BMR means basal metabolic rate, it is what they would feed you if you were in a coma to keep your organs and brain functioning. I bet it's more than 1200. It is probably 1400.

TDEE means total daily energy expenditure, and this is all the calories you would need in a day, it is also known as maintenance calories because at that amount you would not gain or lose.

Eat more than BMR, but less than TDEE. A 20% deficit from TDEE is a good amount, unless you are like 10 pounds from goal weight, then 10% is appropriate.

Here is one calculator to try: http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/

AliceDark

A few things jumped out: first, a lot of days you're getting most of your calories in one or two big meals. That means you're running for big chunks of the day on no fuel. Some people are totally fine doing this, but other people can get headaches, dizziness, nausea, etc. if they go for too long without eating.

Secondly, you're getting a lot of sugars and simple carbs. Soda, pretzels, stuff like that. Again, some people are totally fine with that. I would crash so hard about an hour after drinking a soda if I didn't have some protein and fat along with all that sugar.

Where did you get your macro distribution? It seems high in carbs and low in protein. Have you tried playing around with it to see if there's another distribution that might suit you better?

cheliekayy

At dinner tonight - I thought about that soda and how it could be replaced with food (nutrients) that might keep me going through the day a lot better, so that's a very good point. I'm down from 6-8 sodas a day to 1 most days now (where you see two in my diary - I had a headache and was thinking it was lack of caffeine and gave into a second one) since Feb 1st. So it's been a HUGE jump for me.

I realize that one is going to have to go, too.

I also think spreading it out is a good suggestion and something I am working on. I used to ONLY eat a huge dinner and survive the rest of the day on those aforementioned sodas. So the idea of "lunch" & "snacking" are something I have to remind myself to do. I'm sure it will become habit eventually.

Thank you again for all your suggestions.

Just keep working I guess !!!

The macros were set by MFP. Is there somewhere else I could try to calculate it ?

Anonymouze

I'm 5'5 myself, and according to Scooby's online calculator, it is unhealthy for someone my height to eat less than 1400 calories, I'm pretty sedentary as well, but I kept feeling weak/cold whenever I was eating below 1400, now that I've upped my calories I feel way better. Maybe you should give upping your intake a shot?

cheliekayy

So using the scooby calculator ....

It has my BMR at 1572 and TDEE at 1887. It recommends a daily intake of 1509 (which reflects that 20% TDEE reduction).

It says I'll lose 0.8 lbs per week. The doctor said I should aim for 2#'s a week ?

it also has my macros at 45% Protein , 35% carb and 20% fat

And if I adjust to the above formula (getting that amount of protein is gonna be really hard) - do I eat back my work out calories or no ?

Carmenbraun55

Go to "In Place of a Road MAP" there is a group. They have an awesome spread sheet that calculates everything for you.

Anonymouze

So using the scooby calculator ....

It has my BMR at 1572 and TDEE at 1887. It recommends a daily intake of 1509 (which reflects that 20% TDEE reduction).

It says I'll lose 0.8 lbs per week. The doctor said I should aim for 2#'s a week ?

it also has my macros at 45% Protein , 35% carb and 20% fat

And if I adjust to the above formula (getting that amount of protein is gonna be really hard) - do I eat back my work out calories or no ?

Um if you calculate your calories for being sedentary than I assume you should eat back at least 50% of your exercise calories, but if you put in 'lightly active' then no you should not eat back exercise calories, since it would be already calculated into your recommended calories.
Also keep in mind as you lose weight you should recalculate your daily intake for your new weight.

a_stronger_me13

So using the scooby calculator ....

It has my BMR at 1572 and TDEE at 1887. It recommends a daily intake of 1509 (which reflects that 20% TDEE reduction).

It says I'll lose 0.8 lbs per week. The doctor said I should aim for 2#'s a week ?

it also has my macros at 45% Protein , 35% carb and 20% fat

And if I adjust to the above formula (getting that amount of protein is gonna be really hard) - do I eat back my work out calories or no ?

If you set the TDEE to calculate you as being sedentary then start off eating back about 50% of your exercise calories. However, this will probably be about what it tells you if you used lightly active and if you didn't eat back exercise calories.

45% protein does seem a little high. Better guidelines would be about 1-1.5g protein per 1 lb of lean body mass or 0.8-1g protein per 1 lb of bodyweight. Fat should be at a minimum 0.35g per 1 lb of bodyweight to ensure that you have adequate dietary fat for nutrient absorption. The carbs are preferential. You can fill the rest of your calories in with carbohydrates after you protein and fat are met or you can fill them with whichever macro you prefer.

deksgrl

So using the scooby calculator ....

It has my BMR at 1572 and TDEE at 1887. It recommends a daily intake of 1509 (which reflects that 20% TDEE reduction).

It says I'll lose 0.8 lbs per week. The doctor said I should aim for 2#'s a week ?

it also has my macros at 45% Protein , 35% carb and 20% fat

And if I adjust to the above formula (getting that amount of protein is gonna be really hard) - do I eat back my work out calories or no ?

Losing 2 pounds per week is for very obese people. At 5'5 and 180 pounds, you are not obese. The .8 pounds per week loss is a fine and safe level.

I do question if you are really sedentary though. Most people are lightly active at least, unless they are disabled. What does it give you if you choose lightly active as a setting (and then you would not eat any extra for exercise, it would be factored in this).

cheliekayy

I just had two surgeries (2-12) , so sedentary (for right now) is pretty accurate. When if I'm active it's to exercise or I log it.
My BMI is 30.0 so I do fall just into the obese range.

I realized something last night talking to a friend - I didn't drink enough water yesterday AT ALL. Which may account for some of how I was feeling. Replacing soda with water is a struggle for me - something I'm really going to have to watch and force myself to do. I drank about 22 oz of water lastngight before bed and I started feeling better. I drank another 8 oz in the middle of the night and this morning I feel okay. I'll keep drinking water consistently all day (and I'm going to log it so I can make sure I'm getting enough ) and we'll see how it goes toward evening because that seems to be when I'm feeling awful and the head aches start.

I also, didn't drink my morning soda and had breakfast instead. :O I'm okay with that in this moment. It could change. lol It will literally be the first time in probably 20 years that I haven't had a soda at some point during the day. If i make it.
I swear, pop is the hardest thing to give up but I'm pretty happy with going from so many to .... one .... and now (tentatively ) none in two months.

cheliekayy

I should mention this - for the past 15 years (until starting MFP) I was also pollo vegetarian. (only ate chicken). I'm allergic to eggs (yes, it's a real allergy). So chicken/nuts/beans were my only protein source. I'm struggling now because I'd rather not eat meat but there is no way for me to hit the amount of protein I should be getting without it.

I see some vegetarian diaries that have dairy whey in it. I'm going to have to look into that. Any input ? I saw it's a powder but I have no idea how to even consume it. lol

Thank you guys so much for your help!! The people on MFP have been awesome!

serindipte

I should mention this - for the past 15 years (until starting MFP) I was also pollo vegetarian. (only ate chicken). I'm allergic to eggs (yes, it's a real allergy). So chicken/nuts/beans were my only protein source. I'm struggling now because I'd rather not eat meat but there is no way for me to hit the amount of protein I should be getting without it.

I see some vegetarian diaries that have dairy whey in it. I'm going to have to look into that. Any input ? I saw it's a powder but I have no idea how to even consume it. lol

Thank you guys so much for your help!! The people on MFP have been awesome!

Not sure of your personal reasons on not wanting to eat meat but do you include fish in that? I know there are several who eat only fish and veg.. Fish and shellfish are great sources of protein, too.

The protein powders can be mixed with water and taken as is or added to smoothies/shakes if you prefer. When I make them for my son, I usually blend with almond milk, frozen banana, frozen strawberries or pineapples, and greek yogurt. (I have to add calories for him because he's underweight)

a_stronger_me13

I should mention this - for the past 15 years (until starting MFP) I was also pollo vegetarian. (only ate chicken). I'm allergic to eggs (yes, it's a real allergy). So chicken/nuts/beans were my only protein source. I'm struggling now because I'd rather not eat meat but there is no way for me to hit the amount of protein I should be getting without it.

I see some vegetarian diaries that have dairy whey in it. I'm going to have to look into that. Any input ? I saw it's a powder but I have no idea how to even consume it. lol

Thank you guys so much for your help!! The people on MFP have been awesome!

Whey, soy and pea proteins are all very effective. I like whey, I can mix it with just water or if I want something a little more rich in flavor and calories, I mix it with milk. You can also add it to yogurt.