Confirm suspicions

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elliej
elliej Posts: 466 Member
in Goal: Maintaining Weight
I stopped losing weight at the end of December, I went from 150lb to 120lb from May until then and have maintained within +/-2.5lb ever since. I'm 5'3.5. I now log about 1650 calories per day on lazy days and about 1800 on active ones - is that /really/ my maintenance? It seems low. I still measure but admit I'm getting a bit sloppy and mostly just eyeball, also eat out more and guestimate what I'm getting if I can't find an accurate looking entry, could I really be underestimating by 200+ cals daily?

Edit: typo
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Replies

  • kjm3579
    kjm3579 Posts: 3,974 Member
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    According to your given info. you are a few pounds under ideal weight for your height. Here is a link to a calculator to see how many calories you should be eating: http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/
  • wanttolose40lbs
    wanttolose40lbs Posts: 239 Member
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    If you're not gaining or losing then it's exactly right. You could try adding more calories and see if you still maintain your weight, it's all trial and error till you find what works for you
  • SezxyStef
    SezxyStef Posts: 15,268 Member
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    activity often dictates maitenance.

    If you aren't active then yes your maitenance will be lower.

    That being said if you are not weighing yes you are probably under esitmating intake.

    Even measuring cups don't cut it most of the time.
  • dedflwrs
    dedflwrs Posts: 251 Member
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    According to your given info. you are a few pounds under ideal weight for your height. Here is a link to a calculator to see how many calories you should be eating: http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/

    Ideal according to whom? I am 5'6", weight 118 lbs. Yes, I'm skinny but I have a clean bill of health from my doctor. I eat between 2500 to 3000 calories a day (I would not even know what I could eat to get more than that) and am within my BMI, according to my doctor, not some anonymous online "ideal:".
  • elliej
    elliej Posts: 466 Member
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    According to your given info. you are a few pounds under ideal weight for your height. Here is a link to a calculator to see how many calories you should be eating: http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/

    I appreciate your feedback but believe I am a perfectly healthy weight for my height - my BMI is 21 which is exactly in the middle of 'healthy' range
  • elliej
    elliej Posts: 466 Member
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    activity often dictates maitenance.

    If you aren't active then yes your maitenance will be lower.

    That being said if you are not weighing yes you are probably under esitmating intake.

    Even measuring cups don't cut it most of the time.

    Yeah this is a great case for starting to run again...
  • the__great__beyond
    the__great__beyond Posts: 55
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    A lot of things determine your caloric needs. Some of these are pretty clear (height, activity, etc) and some of them change as your body changes (body fat %). Its likely that as you've improved physically, you may have induced a kind of "starvation mode." As a result, your body is consuming fewer calories as your metabolism slows.

    At the same time, it is also likely that there are measurement errors in how much you think youre eating and how much you think youre burning
  • SezxyStef
    SezxyStef Posts: 15,268 Member
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    activity often dictates maitenance.

    If you aren't active then yes your maitenance will be lower.

    That being said if you are not weighing yes you are probably under esitmating intake.

    Even measuring cups don't cut it most of the time.

    Yeah this is a great case for starting to run again...

    Yah my sister is your size...same height a little bit heavier and she maintains on about 2200-2300 a day if she is working out consistently...otherwise it's down to about 1600-1700...which sucks when you are used to being able to eat more.
  • SezxyStef
    SezxyStef Posts: 15,268 Member
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    A lot of things determine your caloric needs. Some of these are pretty clear (height, activity, etc) and some of them change as your body changes (body fat %). Its likely that as you've improved physically, you may have induced a kind of "starvation mode." As a result, your body is consuming fewer calories as your metabolism slows.

    At the same time, it is also likely that there are measurement errors in how much you think youre eating and how much you think youre burning

    really....you didn't just say that a perfectly healthy woman who is in maitenance is in starvation mode....wow just wow.
  • Deipneus
    Deipneus Posts: 1,862 Member
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    I still measure but admit I'm getting a bit sloppy and mostly just eyeball, also eat out more and guestimate what I'm getting if I can't find an accurate looking entry, could I really be underestimating by 200+ cals daily?
    I've been on maintenance quite a while and my tracking gets pretty sloppy too. I don't think it matters much in my case because what causes me to gain weight is not paying attention at all.

    As for the 200 calorie overage, that's only about 12% of your daily goal. The numbers on labels are not nearly as precise as many people believe. (I've done some research on how they arrive at these numbers.) You're probably within the margin of error.
  • the__great__beyond
    the__great__beyond Posts: 55
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    A lot of things determine your caloric needs. Some of these are pretty clear (height, activity, etc) and some of them change as your body changes (body fat %). Its likely that as you've improved physically, you may have induced a kind of "starvation mode." As a result, your body is consuming fewer calories as your metabolism slows.

    At the same time, it is also likely that there are measurement errors in how much you think youre eating and how much you think youre burning

    really....you didn't just say that a perfectly healthy woman who is in maitenance is in starvation mode....wow just wow.

    No, I said that one reason why she could be plateauing at such a low calorie count is because of the body's ability to slow down its own metabolism.

    My first sentence should have kind of tipped you off to the central point - there are a lot of things that drive one's caloric fluctuations.

    I'm sure she has already considered the obvious ones which have changed. However, I doubt she'd have posted on here if she hadn't already considered those and determined that her caloric needs were higher despite that.
  • elliej
    elliej Posts: 466 Member
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    I appreciate your input but must disagree. Firstly, I don't love being 'SHE'ed and also if you look up any number of calorie calculators the amount I'm eating is hardly "such a low calorie count". Also I'm not plateauing I'm maintaining.
  • elliej
    elliej Posts: 466 Member
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    I still measure but admit I'm getting a bit sloppy and mostly just eyeball, also eat out more and guestimate what I'm getting if I can't find an accurate looking entry, could I really be underestimating by 200+ cals daily?
    I've been on maintenance quite a while and my tracking gets pretty sloppy too. I don't think it matters much in my case because what causes me to gain weight is not paying attention at all.

    As for the 200 calorie overage, that's only about 12% of your daily goal. The numbers on labels are not nearly as precise as many people believe. (I've done some research on how they arrive at these numbers.) You're probably within the margin of error.

    I respond really well to statistics and that 12% has really hit home, thanks. Realistically 200 cals is a kitkat - I'm sure I could easily be slipping in those little added extra cals without 'logging' them - even if I was trying.
  • the__great__beyond
    the__great__beyond Posts: 55
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    I appreciate your input but must disagree. Firstly, I don't love being 'SHE'ed and also if you look up any number of calorie calculators the amount I'm eating is hardly "such a low calorie count". Also I'm not plateauing I'm maintaining.

    Umm...

    You said, and I quote:

    "I now log about 1650 calories per day on lazy days and about 1800 on active ones - is that /really/ my maintenance? It seems low."

    If I misunderstood, that's my bad...

    also, the "she'd" thing... wtf
  • SezxyStef
    SezxyStef Posts: 15,268 Member
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    I still measure but admit I'm getting a bit sloppy and mostly just eyeball, also eat out more and guestimate what I'm getting if I can't find an accurate looking entry, could I really be underestimating by 200+ cals daily?
    I've been on maintenance quite a while and my tracking gets pretty sloppy too. I don't think it matters much in my case because what causes me to gain weight is not paying attention at all.

    As for the 200 calorie overage, that's only about 12% of your daily goal. The numbers on labels are not nearly as precise as many people believe. (I've done some research on how they arrive at these numbers.) You're probably within the margin of error.

    I respond really well to statistics and that 12% has really hit home, thanks. Realistically 200 cals is a kitkat - I'm sure I could easily be slipping in those little added extra cals without 'logging' them - even if I was trying.

    Agreed and if you are in the states the FDA allows for a 20% margin of error on food labels. Not sure about other countries.

    ETA: Canadian Government also allows up to a 20% margin of error.
  • leggup
    leggup Posts: 2,942 Member
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    Yes, you're at maintenance right now. Whatever you're eating right now is your maintenance right now. It may be at 1,600 calories. Likely, you're eating a little more or less than you realize. You can raise your maintenance calories by adding muscle. Starting to run again will give you more calories each day that you work out; lifting weights will give you more calories every day. Since you are already smack dab in the middle of the BMI healthy range, lifting may help you see the results on your body that you want re: body reshaping/recomposition.
  • Jacwhite22
    Jacwhite22 Posts: 7,012 Member
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    I stopped losing weight at the end of December, I went from 150lb to 120lb from May until then and have maintained within +/-2.5lb ever since. I'm 5'3.5. I now log about 1650 calories per day on lazy days and about 1800 on active ones - is that /really/ my maintenance? It seems low. I still measure but admit I'm getting a bit sloppy and mostly just eyeball, also eat out more and guestimate what I'm getting if I can't find an accurate looking entry, could I really be underestimating by 200+ cals daily?

    Edit: typo

    If you are no longer losing or gaining.....Then yes. You are eating at maintenance.
  • elliej
    elliej Posts: 466 Member
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    I appreciate your input but must disagree. Firstly, I don't love being 'SHE'ed and also if you look up any number of calorie calculators the amount I'm eating is hardly "such a low calorie count". Also I'm not plateauing I'm maintaining.

    Umm...

    You said, and I quote:

    "I now log about 1650 calories per day on lazy days and about 1800 on active ones - is that /really/ my maintenance? It seems low."

    If I misunderstood, that's my bad...

    also, the "she'd" thing... wtf

    I'm not here for an argument. Thanks for your feedback.

    I was questioning a roughly 200 calorie potential discrepancy rather than exclaiming that these calories were really low. I had thought I'd maintain at 1800-2000 not 1600-1800 but as other posters have commented that could still be true owing to my potentially inaccurate logging/incorrect food labels.
  • VeryKatie
    VeryKatie Posts: 5,953 Member
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    According to your given info. you are a few pounds under ideal weight for your height. Here is a link to a calculator to see how many calories you should be eating: http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/

    Really? Because a 5'-6" person can be healthily 115 pounds. So how would 120 at 5' 3" be low?
  • elliej
    elliej Posts: 466 Member
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    Yes, you're at maintenance right now. Whatever you're eating right now is your maintenance right now. It may be at 1,600 calories. Likely, you're eating a little more or less than you realize. You can raise your maintenance calories by adding muscle. Starting to run again will give you more calories each day that you work out; lifting weights will give you more calories every day. Since you are already smack dab in the middle of the BMI healthy range, lifting may help you see the results on your body that you want re: body reshaping/recomposition.

    For the past 2 months I've been doing stronglifts and all but stopped cardio, but have started to aggravate an old neck injury so worried about continuing. I might give up (temporarily) on stronglifts and run more for the time being.

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