Still losing on 2,500 calories a day?

Spiderkeys
Spiderkeys Posts: 338 Member
in Goal: Maintaining Weight
Ive been on 2,500 calories a day for quite a while, 300 more than MFP recommends to maintain, I started at my goal weight of 75kg, I got it to stall at 72kg for serveral weeks, upped them when I seem to be losing, now im suddendly 69kg, this week I seem to be losing half a pound a day, the same speed when I was in weight loss mode at only 1,400 a day.

Now I see why ppl say "eat more to lose", or maybe im not eating as much as I think, im not a breakfast eater, but do have big lunches and dinners, and can't end the day without a big bowl of chocolate icecream, and I snack and eat fruit all day long,

Obviously I must try uppering my calories more, makes little sense but I continue to lose any more I be underweight.

Replies

  • _lyndseybrooke_
    _lyndseybrooke_ Posts: 2,561 Member
    I wish this were my problem.

    killin+me.gif

    The solution: eat more!
  • pookeyism
    pookeyism Posts: 84 Member
    I was somewhere in the 2200-2400 range (more some days) before I blew my shoulder and couldn't do ANYTHING for about 4 months...if you slow down, you have to modify your intake ASAP. Or at least I should have. I gained somewhere between 15-20 lbs in 3 months.

    I didn't eat poorly, I just kept eating the healthy foods, kind of thinking - I dunno - it wouldn't build up so fast. It did, however.
  • 3dogsrunning
    3dogsrunning Posts: 27,167 Member
    MFP is just a guideline, there is no guarantee that is your exact number. Keep in mind that everything else is just an estimate too. Most people tend ot under report their calories but it is possible you are overestimating them as well. Keep consistently logging and move your calorie goal up slowly until you reach the level you are maintaining.

    How long have you been eating at maintainance?

    Also, keep in mind that MFP doesn't include exercise.
  • williams969
    williams969 Posts: 2,528 Member
    I wish this were my problem.

    killin+me.gif

    The solution: eat more!

    Ha, yep, my sentiments! Seriously though, OP, what is your activity level like? Do you have an active job? Exercise routine? I will tell you, in my youthful years, I maintained on ~3,000 kcals daily at 130lbs (59kg). I didn't think I was more active than average, but I worked at a dry cleaners/shirt laundry. Yeah, that's super active compared to the rest of the world.

    Have you tried this calculator? http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/

    You can input your activity based on hours (ignore the light/moderate/strenuous, just go off hours per week, including some of your work activities if a highly physical job). I find this calculator much more tailored to individuals than MFP's. Let us know.
  • meeralacey
    meeralacey Posts: 7 Member
    you may want to get your thyroid checked if you are loosing weight with out trying. hyperthyroid can cause that
  • steve0820
    steve0820 Posts: 510 Member
    Ha, yep, my sentiments! Seriously though, OP, what is your activity level like? Do you have an active job? Exercise routine? I will tell you, in my youthful years, I maintained on ~3,000 kcals daily at 130lbs (59kg). I didn't think I was more active than average, but I worked at a dry cleaners/shirt laundry. Yeah, that's super active compared to the rest of the world.

    Have you tried this calculator? http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/

    You can input your activity based on hours (ignore the light/moderate/strenuous, just go off hours per week, including some of your work activities if a highly physical job). I find this calculator much more tailored to individuals than MFP's. Let us know.

    I agree! I'm on week 5 of my cut, i'm losing average 1lbs\week @ 2500 cal average (some days a little more some less). Maintenance around 3000, and bulking @ 3500 +. You really have to look at your lifestyle. I work nights and a desk job, but when I'm home, I don't stop with kids and daily chores. I lift 4 days a week, and conditioning (running, heavy bag, skip rope) about 2 days a week.

    I 2nd Scooby's calculator, it gives you a lot of data to work with.
  • mebepiglet123
    mebepiglet123 Posts: 327 Member
    Just keep upping those calories slowly... 200 a week say... U lucky lucky thing. I've got a spare 20 lbs u can have.????????????????
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
    MFP says I should maintain on 1600, but it's actually 2000.... Eat more! Simples!
  • Mischievous_Rascal
    Mischievous_Rascal Posts: 1,791 Member
    Ive been on 2,500 calories a day for quite a while, 300 more than MFP recommends to maintain, I started at my goal weight of 75kg, I got it to stall at 72kg for serveral weeks, upped them when I seem to be losing, now im suddendly 69kg, this week I seem to be losing half a pound a day, the same speed when I was in weight loss mode at only 1,400 a day.

    Now I see why ppl say "eat more to lose", or maybe im not eating as much as I think, im not a breakfast eater, but do have big lunches and dinners, and can't end the day without a big bowl of chocolate icecream, and I snack and eat fruit all day long,

    Obviously I must try uppering my calories more, makes little sense but I continue to lose any more I be underweight.

    You sound like you naturally do intermittent fasting like I do! I can't do breakfast either. Try www.leangains.com for a good read on this, or check out the forums here on MFP. There are a few groups, as well.

    Back to your question, though. What is your workout routine like? And you may be logging more than you think. Do you use a food scale? Maintenance is even harder work than losing was, in my opinion, because you have such a small margin to play with. I didn't get a scale until I couldn't stop losing either.
  • Linnaea27
    Linnaea27 Posts: 639 Member
    I actually have been having a similar problem. I've been following MFP's maintenance recommendation for me (1610 cals/day) for about a month now and lost 3 more pounds!!! I've heard from others that their maintenance was 200-300 calories over the MFP recommendation, so try upping yours a couple hundred calories a day. I'm trying to gain back a couple of the pounds I lost at the moment, and it is a very strange change in attitude and habits. It's good though-- having a better than average metabolism means being able to be a little less controlling with food!
  • Spiderkeys
    Spiderkeys Posts: 338 Member
    Thing is, It's not that I'm trying to lose weight, just trying not to put on weight. I just don't know what number it will stop at, I thought the scale stops somewhere for everyone, there will be nothing left of me it drops to zero. now I've got 13 pounds of slack space, which is 13 pounds of unplanned weight loss, so can risk playing around with the numbers more, also thinking a cheat day or two will immediately boost numbers of the scale, but wouldn't it only be temporary weight gain?

    Just looked at Scooby's calculator and this puts me at 2,500 a day, unlike MFP's 2,200 a day

    I wouldnt call myself extremely active, I like to be on my feet alot, walk a lot, but do spend too much time on a computer, so considered myself lightly active.
  • mebepiglet123
    mebepiglet123 Posts: 327 Member
    Like you say you have room to experiment....I say do it... Enjoy...
  • heybales
    heybales Posts: 18,842 Member
    Thing is, It's not that I'm trying to lose weight, just trying not to put on weight. I just don't know what number it will stop at, I thought the scale stops somewhere for everyone, there will be nothing left of me it drops to zero. now I've got 13 pounds of slack space, which is 13 pounds of unplanned weight loss, so can risk playing around with the numbers more, also thinking a cheat day or two will immediately boost numbers of the scale, but wouldn't it only be temporary weight gain?

    Just looked at Scooby's calculator and this puts me at 2,500 a day, unlike MFP's 2,200 a day

    I wouldnt call myself extremely active, I like to be on my feet alot, walk a lot, but do spend too much time on a computer, so considered myself lightly active.

    So MFP's maintenance is NON-exercise maintenance - their activity levels are for daily life.

    That TDEE calc INCLUDES exercise, and assumes daily life is sedentary otherwise that exercise is built on top of.

    Lightly Active sounds correct for MFP.

    But then do you exercise at all?
    That would be logged, it would increase your maintenance for that day, or TDEE, and you would of course eat more that day.
    Using MFP method.

    If you are doing the exact same routine you were doing your last 2 weeks losing weight, you can nail your TDEE exactly and don't worry about guessing from 5 different levels.

    Looking at last 2 weeks of intentional weight loss - what did you eat, in total not net, on average daily.

    Those same last 2 weeks - how much weight did you lose?

    Weight lost x 3500 (assuming just fat hopefully) / 14 days = deficit from amount burned.

    Average eaten daily + deficit = TDEE on average for whatever the level of daily activity and exercise was.

    Eat that much.
  • chrisdavey
    chrisdavey Posts: 9,834 Member
    If you already know that you are losing on 2500 a day then don't worry about calculators. They are only estimates. All that matters is that you eat some more if you don't want to lose any more. Simple :smile:
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
    If you already know that you are losing on 2500 a day then don't worry about calculators. They are only estimates. All that matters is that you eat some more if you don't want to lose any more. Simple :smile:

    Exactly!
  • WLG1974
    WLG1974 Posts: 90
    I WISH I could do that!

    I HATE YOU! no, I don't just kidding.

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