Increasing calorie intake for 55 year old & TDEE doubts

BalletBallistics

Hello !

I'm new here . Originally joined while researching effective weight loss methods for my mother who is 216 lbs , 5 feet tall and 55 years old . I have been reading through the forums and now I'm all confused and beginning to worry about my weight as well :laugh:

My mother doesn't really eat all that much as to get to this weight . Both of us would be more in the 1200-1300 calories per day range . Me perhaps lesser since I never had much of an appetite . We eat the same food , except I eat lesser quantities (too less , many say) , and use full fat products while she uses low fat and skimmed . We didn't start working out seriously until recently either .

I gathered from what I read here that she might have gained so much weight because she needs to eat more . I checked out fat2fit from some of the posts here and according to that she must eat 1616 calories per day . But she has high blood pressure and cholestrol issues and I'm worried eating more might not be best for her and might even lead to heart problems . She often gets health complications when she has more food or more of anything sweet or fatty on special occassions . Has anyone here with similar health issues increased calorie intake without any problems ?

Me on the other hand am 22 and at a healthy enough weight of 110 lbs for quite a long time now , no matter what I eat or how much I work out . I started working out and being more active since last year , more to get a toned body than to lose weight , particularly since I have a bit of stomach flab inspite of being the right weight . I was neverthless expecting some slight weight loss with the exercise I was doing . But while I have become more toned , the weight has remained constant . I'm worried now that as time passes , I'll also get overweight .

Overall , I'm still confused with the whole eat more business . I realise I must also eat more since my workouts leave me severely fatigued . According to fat2fit , I should eat 1808 cals (I feel like I'd explode if I eat that much :noway: ) just to maintain my 110 lbs . But how is that even possible when I only eat a max of 1250 or so on most days ? :huh: I have been the same weight for about 5 years now . Has my body just been eating up my muscle stores ? Do I even have all that much muscle ? I must admit I am and have always been rather frail . So that might have something to do with it .

I was wondering why humans have quite so much trouble staying in shape , how it fits on an evolutionary basis - if humans are just not meant to be fit for some reason . Reading about TDEE and BMR and eating more has given me the impression that people gain weight because they don't eat enough (I'm talking about normal people with healthy appetites , not the stereotypical over-weight person who sits around watching TV and eating cup-cakes all day ) But if that is the case , then how does almost everyone have weight problems ? I am so confused , I'd use some velociraptor meme if I weren't so tired :sad:

Its all a bit too much to take in , being a complete newbie to the diet and nutrition arena . Thanks in advance to anyone who would read this long post and reply

mtruitt01

As I understand it-- when you fill out your stats--
If you have over 50 lbs to lose you can plug in 'lose 2 lbs a week' (or less) but if you have 50 or less to lose it is suggested that you lose no more than a pound a week.
Of course one can play around with it, and put in that they want to lose 1/2 pound a week.
Log your food daily!!! Weigh and measure to the best of your ability. Get a food scale. Don't think you're on a diet. You're educating yourself about portion size, about calories, about protein, fats and carbs. Be in it for the long haul.
I've been here a month and lost 13 lbs.

Rosyone

1200 - 1300 calories to maintain 216 lbs is very low. While I can't say your mother is underestimating her calories, a lot of people do until they've tracked them for a while. If I were your mom I'd log while eating normally for a week or so to see where I stand.

rosebette

I'm also 55 and around 5'2" -- 5'1.5" actually. I weight 120 lbs. and work out about 5 days a week. When I was your age, I was between 104-110 and didn't work out at all, was fairly thin and somewhat frail and weak. I have a medium to large frame (my wrist circum is around 6") so 104 was pretty thin for me. I ate anything I wanted and never tracked calories or worked out. I am a bit heavier now, but much stronger and more muscular.

I don't think people gain from eating too little, I think they gain from eating too much and moving too little. The only time I put on significant weight was when I broke my foot 5-6 years ago. I was inactive for about 3 months, but eating at my normal rate, I put on 20 lbs., which put me at around 140. It took about 6 months to lose the weight that it took me less than 3 to put on. Once a woman is over 40, her metabolism slows down, so it gets easier to gain on much less food, and if she is inactive, she will gain even more. This is the cycle that many people fall into as they age. When people on MFP are advised to eat more, they are usually people who are plateauing, working out and not feeding their muscles. That's not the case with your mom.

A 1200-1300 calorie diet may seem too severe for someone who is 216 lbs. I am willing to bet that your mom could lose on 1600 because it is still probably much less than she is used to eating. I recommend she start tracking because she will be surprised by two things -- 1;) that she may have seemed to be eating very little, but was actually eating foods that were high calorie but low volume and low nutrient density; and 2.)how much good nutritious food she can eat and still be within 1600 calories. My diary is open and you can look at what I have eaten for the week (except today when I didn't track because it's my "cheat meal" day). Most days I am eating less than 1600 calories, but lots of food and nutritious food.

As for you, if you keep active and continue to eat healthy, I wouldn't worry about getting overweight. Your mom's history does not have to be yours.

BalletBallistics

Thanks for the replies everyone !

Ok so I have tracked calories for my mom and found the culprits . Fish and rice it is , and they're her favourite . I thought more fish was supposed to be good , but it has way too many calories than I'd have thought .

@rosebette : Tracking calories had seemed like a daunting task , because I'm not very sure about the exact grams and cups consumed . But I took the plunge anyway , measuring and hunting down calorie estimates . Checking your diary helped me see how it worked . Thanks

rosebette

The fish surprises me -- the rice doesn't. I usually just limit my rice to 1/2 cup brown rice at a meal. My husband's diabetic, and white rice raises his blood sugar like you wouldn't believe. If she's eating the fish grilled or poached, it should be ok. It's the fried and breaded stuff that's the killer.

BalletBallistics

We usually have fish curry and there are supposed to be 300+ cals per slice and mom has a Lot of fish . I'm still not entirely sure of the quantities . Think I'll get food weighing scales . But for now , just reducing the intake of fish should go a long way .

scubasuenc

Most people under estimate how much they are eating by a great deal. Start off by being accurate about what your mom is eating and drinking. Measure everything and log everything.

If you can get her exercising, she should be able to lose weight on 1600 calories or so per week. I'm only 7 years younger than her and I weigh a little less. I lose consistently on 1700 calories per day while exercising 5 times per week.

For many people it isn't the food as much as it is the drinks. Make sure you are accurate on those too. Full sugar soda, fruit juice and sweet tea can really add up.

itsbasschick

i love rice, but only eat it once a week, and only a smaller amount, as it's pretty calorie heavy - 1/4 cup of unprepared rice has around 180 calories, and most people i know eat a lot more than a single serving when rice is included as part of a main dish.

btw, remember to measure and include the oils used to make foods in your calorie counts. 1 tablespoon of oil has about 120 calories, and many dishes and foods are prepared with multiple tablespoons of it.

tracymayo1

Spices, oil, cooking spray etc.. all need to be counted when you cook meals.
As for the fish, if you are buying the prepackaged fish (highliner etc...) then YES those will be higher calories and full of sodium.
I recently started making my own fish meals.
I have the recipies logged on my diary (you can review it, it is open to all).

And with the breading and all it is still under 200 calories for the meal.

Ditch the packaged food - prepare your own.
Get your food scale and weigh EVERYTHING... it is much more accurate than using cups and teaspoons.

rosebette

We usually have fish curry and there are supposed to be 300+ cals per slice and mom has a Lot of fish . I'm still not entirely sure of the quantities . Think I'll get food weighing scales . But for now , just reducing the intake of fish should go a long way .

Now that you said the word curry -- that explains a lot. Often, curry has more calories than you think because the sauce has calories. If she were just eating grilled fish with a few spices, it wouldn't be that calorie dense. Are you Indian, by the way? There might be some threads around on how to cook Indian food in a more healthy way. I love the stuff myself, but it can have a lot of calories. I have it maybe once every 3 or 4 months. I used to tutor for an Indian family, and the mother would make me a "snack" that basically covered all my calories for most of the day!

BalletBallistics

:laugh: Yes , I'm Indian .

Thanks for the tips , all !

rosebette

Tandoori grilled chicken is a very nice high protein, low calorie dish, one of my favorites.