Is it possible that I am not eating enough?

suiteblooms

Well here's the run down... I'm a woman, 29, 5' 8" tall, 145 lbs. I'd say I'm mostly slender with a few minor trouble spots and an increasingly toned physic. I'd like to clean up my trouble spots (love handles & thighs). More than that my goal is to be strong, be fast and maintain the body that I've built over the last 2 years. I've become a runner - completing the sd half marathon twice, and I am now registered to complete the Surfside Beach Running Bayou Marathon. I'm training several times a week totaling 18 - 22 miles per week (which will climb sharply in a few weeks) I've been burning an average of 2200 calories per week not including my strength training sessions. At this point I seem to have stopped loosing weight. (not that I have a lot to loose or that I want an unrealistic body... thanks to anyone for the concern - but I'm healthy) (thanks for your patience through all the above info)
Now... My daily goal for months has been to NET about 1300 calories a day. I don't starve myself, and I try to eat clean things. I don't worry too much if I hit 1600 calories a day, but if I eat 1800+ calories in a single day, I start to worry a little. However, I just redid my MFP goals, and it's telling me to eat 1790 cal per day; and exercise 1860 per week. This (according to the calorie counter should give me a 500 / day deficit resulting in a 1 lb per week loss. SOOO.... my question is this: Is it possible that I have not been loosing the last few lbs because my body is burning so much and consuming too little, therefore making my body hold onto the fat?
Your thoughts, experiences & expertise are much appreciated!

suiteblooms

ps... sorry I think I posted this in the wrong spot. I haven't used the message boards in forever, and I got confused and now I don't know how to move it.

heybales

First, your Diet goals and Fitness goals share NO math between them.

Set your fitness goals to nothing, and the math on diet goal for eating level stays the same.
If you have never noticed your Fitness goals on the Fitness diary, don't even worry about them, most never notice them.

With so little to lose, reasonable deficit for you really would be 1/2 lb weekly, or 250 cal deficit. That will also assist your marathon training, besides the fact 1-2 weeks coming up on it, you should eat at maintenance.
You may even need to do that when your training runs get really long, eating enough prior to be totally glycogen replenished.

And then try not to have your exercise create an even bigger deficit - by actually logging everything and eating it back correctly.

Lifting is Strength Training in case you haven't been doing that, and while it may seem low to same time cardio, that is exactly correct.

Running flat at the speeds indicated in the database is more accurate than a HRM actually - if you hit that speed on avg the entire time you are jogging.
But if you hit that pace but have inclines - you are actually burning more. If between speeds and with inclines, round up. If between speeds and level, go whichever direction is closer.

But, and here's where it's going to be a problem with the last few lbs, even if all that is dead on accurate and you are eating them back correctly.

Those burn figures also include what MFP was already counting on you burning - your non-exercise maintenance.

MFP Home - Goals - calories burned from daily activity
Take that figure divided by 1440 equals how much you were expected to burn every minute already.

So the workout burn was NOT above and beyond that, it includes that too.

So with a big training burn, you may log your exercise as 9 min/mile for 120 min, but then you need to subtract that maintenance figure x 120 min before you log and eat it back.

That way you will be keeping your 250 cal deficit.

Also weigh all your foods, measure only liquids.

You may luck out and increase that deficit on exercise days, by always rounding down your pace if you are between levels.
But if you have back to back days of big workouts - not a good idea to increase deficit.

suiteblooms

Wow! Thank you so much for taking the time to help me so much! I will have to read this a few times to let it completely sink in - I'm not super bright I think when I read it in the morning it will make perfect sense to me, and I will be able to implement some changes. Your time is so appreciated!

karen0214

bump

suiteblooms

Anyone? Bump...