My daily allotment is so low and I'm losing my will.

threnjen

So, I am actually one of those people whose BMR is very low and as such my calorie allotment is so low. I get mega jealous at all of the threads that I see where people get to eat 1500, 1700, 2000 calories. It's starting to sink into my brain that as I lose weight I will be allowed to eat even fewer calories and the despair is starting to set in and threaten to derail me.

I am 5'1", 149 pounds, 33 year old female. 36% body fat.

If you enter in my stats at the various TDEE calculators such as:
http://www.fat2fitradio.com/tools/bmr/
http://iifym.com/tdee-calculator/
http://scoobysworkshop.com/accurate-calorie-calculator/

And run both Mifflin St-Jeor and Katch McCardle, you'll find that my stats are, averaged from all given data points,

BMR 1311
TDEE for Sedentary 1574
TDEE for Light 1803

I really am rather Sedentary, I work from home so I don't really leave the house a lot. Doing a 20% reduction of the average of Sedentary and Light gives me..... 1351 calories. I can't even TDEE -20% on Sedentary because it drops me under my BMR.
I eat back my exercise calories at 80% of what is reported by my Polar heart rate monitor, so on days where I don't exercise I eat only 1350 calories. My workouts are 30 minutes but record only about 180 calories.

I feel like every food decision I make lately pivots on protein. I make room for snacks but I "feel" like all I eat is greek yogurt, protein shakes and cottage cheese.

I don't know what my point is. I feel like I have suddenly realized that this is my life now. It threatens to derail me. I find myself wanting to give up. I know I can't and won't, but I'm having a bad day.

Most days it doesn't bother me to have to budget so carefully, but some days I feel like I just can't do it.

kirkor

I feel like every food decision I make lately pivots on protein. I make room for snacks but I "feel" like all I eat is greek yogurt, protein shakes and cottage cheese.

Do you eat meat, fish, and eggs?

marjoleina

I think that is difficult when you start feeing constraint by your calories. Can you increase you excersise so you can eat a little more? I eat a lot of fruit and tomatoes en red peppers and cucumbers since they are all lower in calories. And a kind of greel yogurt with protein powder added to it and that is filing and about 230 calories. But I agree that sometimes it is difficult. But I think being heavy is more difficult. Perhaps include more variety in your food?

jamesryanfletcher

Most References recommend a minimum protein intake of 1 g per pound of lean body mass (LBM). At 149 lbs and 36% BF, you have an LBM of around 95.4 lbs. What are your macronutrient goals?

liftingandlipstick

Try ditching the protein shake- you'll feel more satisfied eating your calories than drinking them. If you're trying to keep your snacks protein high, you can replace a protein shake with a protein bar (I personally like Quest, Balance and Snickers Marathon bars), hard boiled eggs, string cheese, beef jerky, sardines/herring/other little cans of oily fish. Or you could add more protein during your meals- I see a few meals that are just salads, or mixed veggies. Add a can of tuna to that, or some chopped bacon (bacon is only 40 calories per slice, don't be afraid of it!).

threnjen

Most References recommend a minimum protein intake of 1 g per pound of lean body mass (LBM). At 149 lbs and 36% BF, you have an LBM of around 95.4 lbs. What are your macronutrient goals?

I aim for at least 90g. That is tough. I sometimes make it to 100-105.

I eat meat, although usually just at dinner. I'm not vegetarian or vegan or anything. I'm looking for other places to up my protein. Like I made a very common dish tonight that is largely ground turkey and veggies and uses a bit of orzo pasta and replaced half the orzo with quinoa since it has protein.

Re: protein shake comment from another person, I should call it less of a protein shake and more of a DIY full meal replacement. It actually fills me up a lot and without it I don't think I could manage any of this at all. I would certainly not hit my protein macros. The shake is actually a good mix of protein, carbs and fat and is extremely filling. Without the shake I would be struggling to make it to dinner.
http://diy.soylent.me/recipes/chocolate-silk
It's a modified version of that recipe, but more protein and less carbs, and tuned for a 400cal jar. I love them and so does my hubby, they are actually getting him to "eat" lunch!
Normally I would agree with you as I have never been one to drink calories at all, but the meal replacement is a lifesaver for me.

On the plus side we've been eating at home all the time so I can weigh every last thing I put in my mouth, and saving a lot of money. Restaurants are very annoying to me now unless they have their nutrition info online.

I'm actually pretty happy with my satiety. I am just griping I think. Sucks to not get to eat very much I'm not actually going hungry. I just have to be so VIGILANT. I feel like I don't have any leeway for error. It requires a whole lot of attention. It's a bit fatiguing isn't it? And sometimes I just want to let loose and EAT ALL THE THINGS

threnjen

Mmmm bacon

I don't eat a lot of eggs just because they make me think "breakfast" and I don't eat breakfast often. I like eggs though. I like most things. Except my spouse won't eat fish, so we don't have that. Most meat we eat is ground turkey.

ChrisM8971

With 29 lbs to go I would suggest that TDEE -20% is a bit too aggressive if using that method and if going by MFP settings you shouldn't be looking for more than a loss of 1 lb per week.

I got a little confused as to which method you are using because you mention the TDEE calculators then say you eat back 80% of your exercise calories, which you don't do using TDEE only MFP

Also there is no reason why you cannot eat below your BMR, most of us sedentary people have to in order to lose weight at a reasonable rate. Our bodies can take a surprising amount of energy from our fat stores and you will find that as you slow down your weight loss as you approach your goal or start to add in more exercise you will naturally start to eat above your BMR again.

I have always struggled to get to the 1 g per lb of LBM protein goal myself and while I think its ideal its probably not essential so if dropping your goal slightly makes the difference between sticking with this or not sticking with this then by all means eat less protein

What sort of exercise do you do at the moment?

threnjen

Even if I could go under bmr I wouldn't. Mfp places me at 1200 entering just 1 lb per week.i tried that at first and it was agony to go net 1200. I wasn't satisfied until I bumped up to net 1400. Had to drop it to 1350 after re evaluating bmr for current weight.
I know I am mixing methods, I prefer to eat less on days I don't exercise and more on days I do. So I use a sedentary TDEE and then eat my exercise calories on days I work out. Which is most days.
I work out 5-6 days a week doing a Jillian Michaels strength circuit video like Ripped in 30. I don't do straight cardio. I just don't find it very useful although I suppose I could eat more. I do like to run but can't often. I have two little kids so I usually exercise in the house when they are home.

Apologies for typos I can barely see this text box on my phone, doesn't want to zoom in

I'm not having problems bring full. .. I'm just experiencing a day of "is this all there is? ? Forever? ???"

SezxyStef

Even if I could go under bmr I wouldn't. Mfp places me at 1200 entering just 1 lb per week.i tried that at first and it was agony to go net 1200. I wasn't satisfied until I bumped up to net 1400. Had to drop it to 1350 after re evaluating bmr for current weight.
I know I am mixing methods, I prefer to eat less on days I don't exercise and more on days I do. So I use a sedentary TDEE and then eat my exercise calories on days I work out. Which is most days.
I work out 5-6 days a week doing a Jillian Michaels strength circuit video like Ripped in 30. I don't do straight cardio. I just don't find it very useful although I suppose I could eat more. I do like to run but can't often. I have two little kids so I usually exercise in the house when they are home.

Apologies for typos I can barely see this text box on my phone, doesn't want to zoom in

I'm not having problems bring full. .. I'm just experiencing a day of "is this all there is? ? Forever? ???"

Eating below your BMR is not the devil.

If you have 75+ lbs to lose 2 lbs/week is ideal
If you have 40-75 lbs to lose 1.5 lbs/week is ideal
If you have 25-40 lbs to lose 1 lbs/week is ideal
If you have 15 -25 lbs to lose 0.5 to 1.0 lbs/week is ideal
If you have less than 15 lbs to lose 0.5 lbs/week is ideal

As for the "is this all there is?" days...no...when I started with MFP my TDEE was 1995...and now it's 2100 so if you can raise that with your exercise.

And as for you mixing methods that will cause a few issues.

I took your stats to IIFYM and this is what I found

BMR =1302
TDEE=1910 (using kache macardle) so TDEE-20% is 1590...(based on BF%)
TDEE=2099 (using harris benedict) so TDEE-20% is 1680 (based on exercise)
And since you do exercise most days why confuse the situation with the mix/match method. If you eat 1590 calories a day and continue your exercise as you stated you will lose a lb a week and not be losing your will...

I imgaine that what MFP gives you for calories + exercise calories comes close to these numbers anyway. Perhaps pick a method NEAT or TDEE...follow it and work with that and as you lose weight you actually get to up calories and in about a months time you could be eating close to 1800 and still losing weight...not sure how that could cause you to lose your will.

jessupbrady

...It's starting to sink into my brain that as I lose weight I will be allowed to eat even fewer calories and the despair is starting to set in and threaten to derail me.

I am 5'1", 149 pounds, 33 year old female. 36% body fat.

If you enter in my stats at the various TDEE calculators such as:

http://iifym.com/tdee-calculator/

...

I just used the one site, This is what I found for your measurments with the TDEE plan:
Miffin-St Jeor: 1815
Harris-Benedict: 1973
Katch-McCardle: 1796

Now, if you are eating at least 80% and less than 90% of those calories, to lose weight that puts your averages to: 1465 - 1648

Now your fear of eating less because you weigh less is ungrounded. The closer you are to your goal the closer you will eat to your TDEE.

I ran the same numbers and dropped you 29 lbs (based on your ticker), and this is what I found:
Miffin-St Jeor: 1633
Harris-Benedict: 1800
Katch-McCardle: 1805 (based on 20% body fat - since you will be losing this)

The average of those three is: 1746

You will actually have to eat more. You have to remember your exercise will help you strengthen your muscle (you won't build muscle - but make your existing muscle stronger) and that muscle will need more fuel. This is actually why people struggle with their last 10-20lbs. They starve themselves.

It is equally important to know a person will not feel "full" by eating an enormous amount of calories. The feeling of "full" comes from the quantity of food. Fruits and vegetables are perfect for this! In fact, because they consume more calories to digest then the fruit/vegetable provides you will find a great list of snack options if you do an Internet search for "Zero Calorie" foods or "Negative Calorie" foods.

MelodyandBarbells

It's so confusing. You plugged .5 lb into MFP, got 1400 calories, that seemed to be working then you dropped it down yourself and are now saying you're jealous of people that get to eat 1500 calories? As far as whichever days you prefer to eat more, that's fine, so long as you're fueling your body properly over the short term (like not feeling faint during the workouts themselves?) and over the long term

Yes, with your exercise you really should be able to lose eating 1700/1800 calories per day. If you really love running you may wish to look into a running stroller for the kids and get in touch with some Moms that do this. Haul them in and go running/jogging. Or keep doing something in the house, great results either way

evileen99

I'm not trying to sound snarky, but my MEASURED BMR is 1157 and I have no trouble creating a deficit while eating over 2000 calories. You are simply going to have to get up and move more. Take a short walk (outside or on the treadmill) before you start work. Take a couple of minutes every hour and do some squats, lunges, or arm work with hand weights. Do you have stairs in your house? If so, aim to climb 5 flights an hour. You don't have to work out like a beast to burn calories, you just have to move.

segovm

I feel you.

I know for a fact that I personally am miserable once I get down below about 1700 a day and even that takes some creative food planning just to keep me from getting hungry. When my schedule gets a little thrown off the first thing that pops into my head is how wonderfully nice it would be to sit down and eat like I used to, without restraint, until I was so full I could just lay down and take a nap.

This probably sounds a little dumb but I don't have many coping strategies but I'll share what I have.

I've plotted out a few of the fast food restaurants I like that are over 10 miles from my house and if I really want something I ride my bike there and back. I normally get the "healthiest" bad thing but it's still a fix.

My go to meal is FILLING. I have a 5.3 ounce turkey burger and either a big bowl of broccoli or peas coming in between 300-400 calories. It's been over a month and I have yet to be hungry or craving anything after putting one of those in me. Looking through your diary, I don't know if you have the same density of food, I would still be hungry after eating what you are but we are all different.

I've done the skinny and healthy thing before when I was in my twenties and my mindset at the time, which I try to focus on now, was that food is not a treat, reward or even a punishment but fuel for my body. I put in only as much as it needed and the best I could of that. I think people get heavy when they start making food something it's not and build up emotions around a simple energy exchange.

Anyway, good luck! I think you'll find you can afford more calories than you are probably eating right now as you iron out all the kinks. No reason to feel punished just for eating well and trying to maintain a healthy weight.

Francl27

My BMR isn't much higher than yours and I'm eating 1800 to lose... which is my sedentary TDEE as well. But I exercise more so I can eat more... If you feel that you can't eat much, it's really your own fault for not exercising more.

But yes, everything revolves around protein unfortunately, no way around it.

adorable_aly

I pretty much agree with the others, my bmr is pretty low because I'm only 4"11 and 114lbs, but if i want to eat more then I need to throw in more exercise, I personally eat around 1500 a day, to lose half a pound a week. I think it's also important to remember it's all proportional, smaller people simply don't need as many calories, but remember that losing 10lbs would look a lot more on us then it would be on a taller person. Finally, don't worry what someone else is doing, concentrate on yourself, someone will always be eating more than you, losing more weight per week etc, but that doesn't matter, as long as you are making progress on your journey.

elsinora

Seriously varying up your meals make a massive difference. One of the best things I learned was not cutting anything out and putting variety into your diet! Also, why drink your calories rather than eat them? If you are more for that go for soups that can be big in volume and low in calls!

WalkingAlong

I totally feel ya. I'm in a similar boat. Some suggestions:

* Working from home is a good excuse of mine, too. But try this, it can make a huge difference in your overall burn level. Use a Fitbit if you don't believe me. Every hour, get up and move for 5-10 minutes. Jump on a rebounder, swing a kettlebell, walk around the block, do a portion of an exercise DVD, anything. Do that for the first 6 hours of your workday and maybe add a little activity after work. Or set up a treadmill desk. It can be done cheaply and you can rack up a lot of activity at a slow walk while on the computer or phone.

* Remember the deficit phase isn't FOREVER. You'll get hundreds more calories to eat in maintenance.

* Find new recipes and foods you like. It helps.

* Quit counting for a week and wing it. At the end of the day maybe jot your food down on paper and enter it all at the end of the week, if you must have the data. You might find you actually do fine with the noose of counting off your neck.

* Before feeling sorry for yourself for needing to eat less, remember that your body is full with less so in a way you have an advantage. You can feel great at 1500 whereas a lot of people here feel terrible at it. You can eat half or a third of a restaurant meal. Your whole eating life is cheaper and less work!

* Stay out of the 'low-calorie shaming' threads here. You're normal, you're not weak, lazy, stupid, misinformed and/or obsessed with dieting, as they often come right and accuse.

Good luck!

Francl27

* Remember the deficit phase isn't FOREVER. You'll get hundreds more calories to eat in maintenance.

Actually that's why people gain weight back... You don't get hundreds more. Often you actually get to eat not much more than what your initial goal was, because you are way lighter.

threnjen

Thanks everyone for the various kicks in the pants, it has been sincerely useful.

I was having a "poor me" day yesterday apparently. I'm not feeling so bad today about things.

Here's my various notes, although I realize entirely that only I care about what I am doing. But I want to convey that I read all of the comments and thought about them

* As I thought about comments regarding satiety, I realized that being sated is definitely not the issue for me. It's food boredom. So I need to mix it up.
* Even though being sated is not a problem, paying such close attention is really tedious. However I have not been at this for long enough to trust myself just yet to "wing it". Day 42 today with no missed days of logging. Maybe when I hit 2 months time I will try "winging it" for a few days to test my own judgement. I have been getting pretty good at eyeballing weights of a lot of things!
* MFP didn't give me 1400 and I dropped below... it gave me 1200 and I said no way and went up! I'm not going to live on 1200 calories.
* I comprehend that I seem to be confusing the issue with my selection of methods. I enjoy eating back my exercise calories because it motivates me to work out harder some days. How should I go about determining my baseline if I prefer to eat back my exercise calories? This is why I was just using Sedentary/Light TDEE-20% so that exercise was always "extra" credit. Again, if I tell MFP 1 lb a week at sedentary it will tell me to net 1200 and just... no.
* I will have to find more ways to move at home. Kids are too old for stroller but too young to be effective biking partners while I run.
* Just re: the tread desk comment, I used to have a tread desk and hubby and I played video games 5 nights a week and I was my lowest weight in years :P Unfortunately my particular work doesn't have me sitting at a computer for large swaths, I don't really want to get into it but I wouldn't be able to utilize it. But my spouse still uses his tread desk every time he works at home and I just want to give a shout out to how AMAZING tread desks are. We built ours with cheap Craigslist treadmills and Ikea desks. Unfortunately I can't even use his when he is not here as our heights are sooooo different, I wouldn't be able to computer or watch anything =/
* My nutrigoo is way more filling than any soup that I make. You'll just have to trust me on this one. I realized about myself that I don't give a flying fig about breakfast or lunch. I just want to subsist comfortably until dinner which is the meal that I am interested in, and evening snacks. The nutrigoo that hubby and I make is like a meal pill. Really filling for a long time. He loves it and he's not trying to lose weight at all. he no longer has to get up from his desk at work to eat lunch, so he has been raving.

Sorry for my pity-poor-me last night. I've been waffling around 149 slightly up and down for the last week and a half so now I'm stressing, am I STILL eating too much?? No freaking way. Hopefully it's just water weight.


It's demotivating and increases my pity-poor-me sometimes when we hang with our best friend family. Mom of that family is my height, 100 pounds soaking wet, exercises once a week at BEST, and easily eats double the food I eat AND knocks back a couple of beers to wash it down. We eat with them 1-3 nights a week so I see it all the time. She must have amazing metabolism. I have to accept that I can and never will be her. I can only be me!

threnjen

Also I'm planning to reduce my per-week loss goals when I get a little lower. My prize in another 9 pounds is a more accurate bathroom scale - one of the EatSmart body fat ones that measures to .2 pounds. My current only goes .5 pounds. This will help me make my goals tighter.