Still losing weight on 2,000 calories?

winterpalm

For reference, I'm in my mid-twenties and 5"7 1/2.

In November 2013 I weighed myself and for the first time on the scale, saw 150 lbs. I realized weight had been creeping on for a few years and decided to add some exercise and track calories in order to get back down to where I'm most comfortable, around 130 to 135 lbs.

I hit my goal of 135 lbs in March/April of 2014, where I was eating about 1,700 net calories a day and doing Jillian Michaels DVDs about 4-5x per week. I was feeling good about myself, I had dropped down a size or two and felt great.

Once I hit 132 lbs (right in the middle of my target range) I increased calories to 2,000 net per day hoping to start maintenance.

Since that time, I've been eating 2,000 pretty consistently per day and my weight has continued to drop. I weighed myself this morning and saw 124 lbs. which leaves me at a BMI of 19. I wasn't tracking my calories at ALL before November 2013 but I'm imagining I must have been consuming a lot more than 2,000.

I've started cutting back on exercise because I simply can't keep up with my calorie goals and am still not maintaining! On the days I work out I probably eat about 2,300-2,400 total and am quite full. I also used to use my bike to commute to/from work and am wondering if I should cut back on that too.

My question is, should I be increasing my calories even higher so I can maintain this weight? Or if I'm eating such a high number of calories, should I just keep doing what I'm doing and let my body naturally settle where it does? I've started having comments from friends about my weight loss and it makes me fairly uncomfortable.

I don't log on MFP anymore since I've been on maintenance, I just kind of roughly estimate in my head (I tracked and logged EVERYTHING when I was trying to lose weight so I still have a good idea of serving sizes/general things I ate), so a typical day might be:

Breakfast-- Oatmeal and Greek yogurt with granola, coffee
Snack- Piece of fruit and 1/4 cup of nuts
Lunch- Turkey sandwich, salad w/ full-fat dressing, veggies, seeds and dried fruit, juice or iced tea
Snack- Protein shake
Dinner- BBQ chicken, rice, grilled veggies
Snack- Ice cream

Thanks for any input!!

RHachicho

Youre a pretty tall active gal aren't you Well you should eat more. In the end the final arbiter of weight loss/gain isn't some calculator somewhere it is your own body. If you are still trending downwards then you are still in a deficit. Enjoy it I say! The food that is.

einzweidrei

Eat some more calorie-dense foods.

I always read these posts about people who feel like they can't eat more and I just don't understand---that's all I want to do. LOL.

short_nerdy_lady

Nuts and seeds I find, per volume are pretty high in good fats and calories. That may help.

BlueButterfly94

Eat some more calorie-dense foods.

I always read these posts about people who feel like they can't eat more and I just don't understand---that's all I want to do. LOL.

I don't understand either >.< I used to be able to eat a frick ton, but now it's like... it /hurts/ to eat a lot

RHachicho

Eat some more calorie-dense foods.

I always read these posts about people who feel like they can't eat more and I just don't understand---that's all I want to do. LOL.

I know it seems weird but it kinda happened to me too. I went from being a very sedentary 338lb man to being an extremely active 244lb man. Initially i experimented with very low calories 1500 - 1800 to try and force the weight off but I was miserable. Eventually I settled on 2000 calories and it worked for a long long time. However recently I tracked my weight loss and I was averaging 3lb a week. Which puts me at a deficit of about 1500 a day which is definitely the wrong side of healthy. So I increased to 2500. i was totally and utterly paranoid about eating that amount of food. you would be surprised but once you stick to something for a while it becomes easier and easier. There was a time when eating a large pizza in 1 sitting was normal for me. Now my stomach groans at just the thought of it.

Sometimes upping your calories is as much an exercise of will as lowering them.

bonniejo

I think you could add some nuts to your breakfast and oil/butter to sautee veggies at dinner. That would likely add 200 calories and (hopefully!) put you at maintenance!

postrockandcats

You're quite active, so 2k cals are probably still in a deficit! Eat some more or maybe cut down to 3-4 days with Ms Michaels if you cannot stand to eat more than 2k a day.

lisabeta

If you are losing weight when you are not trying to, you should see your doctor and get checked for any underlying cause.

I'm not hinting there is anything terribly wrong: maybe you have some minor deficiency that can be easily treated -- in a young woman, I'm wondering about one of the many types of mild anaemia... Are you thinking of cutting down on the cycling because you feel too tired afterwards?

My guess is they will find nothing bad -- you sound like you eat great food and love exercise. But that's only my guess - I'm not a doctor and not guessing is what they are there for...

The nuts sound like a good suggestion, also other foods high in non-animal fats, like avocado...

winterpalm

Thanks, everyone!

It's funny, when I started with MFP I felt like I was hungry ALL THE TIME and would have had no problem packing away calories. I suspect before I started logging I was averaging around 3,000 per day. Now, after a few months of cutting back, I find I'm truly not hungry for more than I eat. I was thinking of purchasing some Boost of Ensure shakes or something similar, but adding more nuts and oils to my cooking might be an easier (and cheaper) way to experiment with adding calories. Thank you for those suggestions and the nudging to increase calories vs. letting weight settle.

comrade_questions

I had the same thing happen. I didn't actually start gaining until I went to basic training and was eating MREs the whole time, LOL!

HeidiCooksSupper

I was thinking of purchasing some Boost of Ensure shakes or something similar, but adding more nuts and oils to my cooking might be an easier (and cheaper) way to experiment with adding calories.

Boost ingredients (in order from most to least):
water
sugar
corn syrup
milk protein concentrate
vegetable oil
... and a whole bunch of chemicals

Ensure ingredients (in order from most to least):
water
corn maltodextrin
sugar
milk protein concentrate
soy oil
soy protein isolate
sucromalt
... etc. etc. etc.

So, let's see ... sugar water + chemicals versus nuts. I say go for the nuts.

itsbasschick

i like the idea of adding oil (butter is tasty, olive oil is good for you), but i also recommend avocado, which is packed with healthy fat and tastes great mixed with greek yogurt, pepper, dill and a teaspoon of paul newman light italian. you could add heavy cream to your oats, i suppose.

good things to add to your diet include nuts and seeds, peanut and other nut butters, nutrition shakes with carbs as well as protein. maybe yams?

RHachicho

Aye I would definitely stay clear of the shakes. Tend to be empty calories and full of crap. Nuts are great as are oils. Olives themselves are also great if you like them. Grew up in the middle east so snacking away on a bowl of olives is second nature to me lol. First time someone here in the UK went eeeew olives! I was like wtf.

kimberlyblindsey

Eat some more calorie-dense foods.

I always read these posts about people who feel like they can't eat more and I just don't understand---that's all I want to do. LOL.

This^^^x 100000. I seriously could eat 3-4 servings of peanut butter if I let myself, but of course I will practice quiet restraint, lol

vho1117

ever heard of dirty bulking? try it

Graelwyn75

Avocado - 200 calories each.
Peanut/cashew butter - 100 calories a tblespoon.

Easy way to get some extra calories.
I am tall as well (5'10) and within your goal weight range.
With my exercise, I eat anywhere from 2200-3000 calories a day.

alereck

Unless you log don't assume you are hitting your goal, my guess is you are not eating as many calories as you think you are.

I'm 5'7" , 29 years old and reached 122 lbs at one point, so I increased my calories to 1800 and have gone up to 125 and been able to maintain it. I exercise three times a week for an hour. Our stats are not too far off so I think you would be maitaining if eating 2000 + calories.

I suggest you log.

dopeysmelly

Unless you log don't assume you are hitting your goal, my guess is you are not eating as many calories as you think you are.

I'm 5'7" , 29 years old and reached 122 lbs at one point, so I increased my calories to 1800 and have gone up to 125 and been able to maintain it. I exercise three times a week for an hour. Our stats are not too far off so I think you would be maitaining if eating 2000 + calories.

I suggest you log.

That was just what I was thinking!!

Unless you log conscientiously, you won't know for sure what you're consuming, whether you're trying to lose, trying to maintain or trying to gain. Maybe drag the food scales out, log as accurately as you possibly can for a week and then reassess?

__freckles__

Unless you log don't assume you are hitting your goal, my guess is you are not eating as many calories as you think you are.

I'm 5'7" , 29 years old and reached 122 lbs at one point, so I increased my calories to 1800 and have gone up to 125 and been able to maintain it. I exercise three times a week for an hour. Our stats are not too far off so I think you would be maitaining if eating 2000 + calories.

I suggest you log.

OP - agree with above - if you're not logging then you have no idea how much you are actually eating.

But I would like to add that it's entirely possible to lose on 2,000 calories. I'm 5'8 and am losing on 1950 - but I log everything. I maintain at 2200.

MyRummyHens

I think you need to eat more. I'm 5'1 and 96-98lb, so shorter than you but with similar BMI, and I'm also very active and I need 17000 calories per week, or 2400 per day to maintain my weight. I'd say 2000 is much too low for you.

Ditto others, add a dash of oil, or a handful of nuts, grab a banana after breakfast etc to get those calories up.