Should I eat less now that I weight less to continue losing?

StrongCurves

Currently I eat 1500 calories a day. My diet consists mainly of white meat, fish and vegetables. But don't worry the carbs are there too.
I lift 3 times a week and usually do about 20-25 mins on the elipical before these sessions. Usually on my gym days I eat more and it works out a 1500ish with cardio taken into account. On the days when I don't go to the gym I'll usually jog for 20 mins - half an hour burning between 200-300 calories. On these days I stick to my 1500 limit.

My goal is to lose fat. And that is certainly what's happening. But now that I've lost a stone I'm wondering if I should reduce my calorific intake in order to continue to achieve fat loss? I read this yesterday in a body building forum, but I'm just a regular joe and wonder if this applies to me? (I am female, 22, weighing 134.6lbs with a goal weight of 126)

Yesterday I consumed 1400 cals, and went to the gym this morning and could barely do my sets. I was very disappointed and believe this could be down to not eating enough. Should I stick with 1500? So far it has worked for me. However the last few weeks my weight loss has been impressive losing 2lbs sometimes more a week. I didn't think this was possible considering my starting weight was not particularly heavy and had aimed at losing 1lb a week. But now the rate of my weight loss has slowed down to this.

I eat 3 meals a day with plenty of snacks and reasonable sized portions. Although I find i'm constantly eating and always satisfied my stomach seems to be shrinking and I can't eat as much. There have been days where at the end of the day i've consumed only 1000 calories although feeling full and eating a balanced diet. When ever I see the little "you are not eating enough calories" in red at the bottom of the screen on mfp it makes me feel guilty! What should I do??

ChristineRoze

I am exactly the same size as you and a very close goal as well :P I plan on eating 1500 until i reach my goal because when i click "complete entry" it still gives me a lower estimate in 5 weeks, so it must mean i am still losing. I'm not really in that much of a rush though so maybe you want to lose quicker?

leilaphoenix

If you haven't plateaued yet I suggest you keep at your current routine if it is working for you. When you find yourself suck at the same weight for weeks and weeks that's the time to change it up.

SunofaBeach14

If you're losing up to 2 pounds a week and running into a wall at the gym, why would you even consider cutting your calories more? There is a balance here and you need to be willing to play with it a bit. I don't know how much you weigh so I can't say for sure, but I'd suggest either sticking to 1500 (if, for example, you really aren't hitting that number regularly) and making sure you eat within a few calories of that every day, or (if you are only missing it occasionally) even bump it up a bit. I wouldn't bump it by much but try something like 1600-1700 and see if you're still losing and balance that against your gym performance and energy levels.

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StrongCurves

Thanks guys. I think you're right. Just wanted to hear some other takes on the sitch. I'll stick to 1500 and keep eating more on my gym days. I've bought some seiten (not sure if the word is the same in english) protein bars to try and boost my cal intake when I struggling to hit 1500. Cheers for the advice x

kittenful

I'd be worried about feeling weak while lifting. You need to fuel your body. If you're still losing, even at a slower rate, why would you consider cutting more?

I'm 28 years old, 5'2", 117 lbs and still losing 0.5 lbs a week while eating between 1800-2100 calories every day. Play with your numbers. I found I was much happier eating more food rather than less. The slower rate of loss works just fine for me, because slow progress is STILL progress.

Edited to add: I'm sloooooowwww. Good luck! The protein bars are an excellent idea to boost your numbers when you need them. ^_^