Am I eating enough calories?

Kbeller1988

I'm working with a weightloss office that tells me to eat 1,400 calories a day plus cardio and strength training 5 times a week. The nutritionalist set my plan and the doctor gave me medicine. I also go to college and do a lot of walking.

I try to stay at my limit of 1,400 calories a day, I don't eat my exercise calories and I try not to be over more than 50 calories a day. I am extremely tired from about 3 pm on, always freezing, and my weightloss has slowed down. I actually gained a pound this week.

I am on medicines from the weightloss office such as a water pill, a sugar stabilizer and an appetite surppressant.

My diary is open so feel free to look. Any advice is appreciated.

caracrawford1

Aside from the sugar stabilizer, is the water pill and "appetite suppressant" (I am assuming this means diet pills/phentermine) truly necessary?:huh:
Also, weight, age, height is necessary.

Aero1dynamic

From what I understand, your doctor has told you to consume 1400 cals a day....When you work out, you're burning X amount of calories....you should be tracking your calorie burn and eating BACK those calories to hit your net 1400

Kbeller1988

Weight is 299
Height is 5'10"
Age is 26

Well the medicines are meant to help the healthy weight loss process begin. I can stop at any time but doing it on my own before has resulted in extreme loss of 30+ in one month and if I stop it shot my weight up 40+. I just wanted some help this time.

Kalikel

Is this a regular doctor, in a regular doctor's office?

Or is this some weight loss clinic place?

Water pills are not given out for weight loss. Not by good doctors. That doesn't mean there aren't good reasons to take them or that weight won't decrease when you start, but all of this sounds weird and fishy to me.

If you haven't seen your doctor, a regular MD or DO in their own offices, do that. Tell them about these meds you're taking and how you're feeling. Soon.

miniwaankerbot

Pay attention to what kind of calories you're eating. Junk and processed food calories are not equal to calories from lean proteins, good fats and fruits/veggies. Try to limit the foods with ingredients you can't pronounce. I tried to lose weight for 20 years and never could do it until I started eating the right kind of calories.

Not sure if you were already doing that.

chilly1470

According to my calculations, at lightly active, you should be eating around 1900 calories daily to lose 2 lb per week. Sometimes if you are eating too light your weight loss will stall. I would also quit the diet pill, but I am not a doctor. Just my opinion. You can do this with no artificial help.

davert123

My advice is to have a read though this.

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1080242-a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants

From what I've seen it would appear you are not eating enough. You need to be getting enough of the major macros into you (i.e. as the person above said eating 1400 cals of junk won't cut it, you need to eat the right types of food - MFP helps you do this by displaying macros, protein, carbs etc. You need to try and keep these close to what MFP says) . The big problem for us all is that if we cut back too much we will burn muscle instead of fat. I was watching a reputable science TV programme in the UK and it showed that people who cut back hard like you are doing are going to burn about 50:50 fat to muscle - not what you are wanting to do I'm sure. The sexypants link along with the links you can follow off from it will honestly point you in the right direction If you follow all of them you will see that at least one explodes into many other links - read these as well. It will take you a few hours but what's a few hours if you get a better life out of it :-) The big problem (in my experience with the people I have seen) is that GP doctors don't fully understand how your body works - I've also seen people claiming to be professional dietary advisers etc on here struggling with some very basic concepts (not all of them for sure but definitely more than one). These links offer solid advice for us based on peer reviewed science literature rather than opinion and broscience.
Good luck mate
Dave

MKEgal

I'm working with a weightloss office that tells me to eat 1,400 calories a day plus cardio and strength training 5 times a week. The nutritionalist set my plan and the doctor gave me medicine.

You say you're currently 299 and 5'10".
So you're eating nearly 3000 cal per day to support that. Cutting that in half is not reasonable! At most, cut 1000 cal per day (eat 2000 total, ignore exercise like you've been doing). As you drop weight & hit a plateau, cut 50 cal so you keep steadily losing.

My doctor (endocrinologist who heads the weight loss clinic for the hospital) & dietician told me to eat 10x my healthy goal weight (based on BMI) in calories & not to eat back exercise calories.
I'm just under 5'10", my initial goal weight is 165, and I aim for 1650 cal total per day.

I am on medicines from the weightloss office such as a water pill, a sugar stabilizer and an appetite surppressant.

The diuretic ("water pill") would be if you have heart failure or kidney problems, not good for weight loss, at least not permanent & lasting weight loss.
Are you diabetic, so you need your "sugar stabilized"? Talk that one over with your regular doctor. It's not something to play around with, and again not really something to do with weight loss.
The appetite suppressant could be helpful in the short term, while you learn to eat regular portions. I used phentermine for several months until my body adjusted & I stopped being ravenous all the time. Now I'm off it & still losing.


Helpful posts:

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/819925-the-basics-don-t-complicate-it

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1080242-a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/872212-you-re-probably-eating-more-than-you-think

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/833026-important-posts-to-read


"Most weight loss occurs because of decreased caloric intake.
However, evidence shows the only way to maintain weight loss is to be engaged in regular physical activity."
http://www.cdc.gov/healthyweight/physical_activity/index.html


Goal setting, including weight, calories, and macros
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/MKEgal/view/2014-06-08-setting-goals-667045

Exercise basics
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/MKEgal/view/2014-06-08-exercise-667080

Sleep enough
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/MKEgal/view/2014-08-27-sleep-weight-control-690492

Eating higher protein & lower carbs leads to more weight loss
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/MKEgal/view/2014-08-09-high-protein-diet-685553
Try 45% carbs, 20% fat, 35% protein

Eat about half your calories for breakfast (see the last half of this post for the studies)
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/MKEgal/view/2014-06-10-some-studies-about-weight-loss-667818


Motivation & encouragement (explained in blog post)
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/MKEgal/view/2014-07-24-motivation-encouragement-680938

- Set small intermediate goals & celebrate every one.
- Take measurements.
- Take pictures.
- Weigh yourself regularly.
- Be flexible; forgive yourself.
- Celebrate the non-scale victories (NSV's)
- Don't give up!!!!
- Don't make any food forbidden.

MKEgal

Pay attention to what kind of calories you're eating. Junk and processed food calories are not equal to calories from lean proteins, good fats and fruits/veggies. Try to limit the foods with ingredients you can't pronounce.

A calorie is a calorie is a calorie.
A calorie from fat is equal to a calorie from sugar is equal to a calorie from fish is equal to a calorie from fruit, etc.

Eating more real whole food and less processed food will give more & better nutrition with fewer calories, but the body runs on CICO. If you're eating fewer calories than you're burning, you will lose weight. Doesn't matter whether you have 0.25 c of olive oil or 9 lb of carrots, as long as you're getting the same amount of calories the same weight loss/gain will result.

I would also quit the diet pill, but I am not a doctor. Just my opinion. You can do this with no artificial help.

If someone is constantly hungry, and there's a medicine that can blunt or remove that, WHY should she not take it?
If someone is in pain, would you tell them not to take something to blunt or remove the pain, just tough it out?
:mad:

If it helps her reset her hunger mechanism, learn to eat healthy portions, and not suffer while that's happening, WHY shouldn't she have help?!

MKEgal

I'm working with a weightloss office that tells me to eat 1,400 calories a day plus cardio and strength training 5 times a week.

Forgot to mention... weightlifting every other day or every 3rd day, not every day.
(Or at least, don't work the same muscles every day.)
But 30 min of cardio a day is the minimum you should do.

_HeartsOnFire_

Pay attention to what kind of calories you're eating. Junk and processed food calories are not equal to calories from lean proteins, good fats and fruits/veggies. Try to limit the foods with ingredients you can't pronounce.

A calorie is a calorie is a calorie.
A calorie from fat is equal to a calorie from sugar is equal to a calorie from fish is equal to a calorie from fruit, etc.

Eating more real whole food and less processed food will give more & better nutrition with fewer calories, but the body runs on CICO. If you're eating fewer calories than you're burning, you will lose weight. Doesn't matter whether you have 0.25 c of olive oil or 9 lb of carrots, as long as you're getting the same amount of calories the same weight loss/gain will result.

I would also quit the diet pill, but I am not a doctor. Just my opinion. You can do this with no artificial help.

If someone is constantly hungry, and there's a medicine that can blunt or remove that, WHY should she not take it?
If someone is in pain, would you tell them not to take something to blunt or remove the pain, just tough it out?
:mad:

If it helps her reset her hunger mechanism, learn to eat healthy portions, and not suffer while that's happening, WHY shouldn't she have help?!

I agree it's OP's choice on the pills. I think most people (myself included) say no pills because they don't teach you to eat healthy portions, it doesn't teach moderation and most times (this happened to me) the weight will be gained back after the pills stop. Not automatically but eventually because of not learning portion sizes and moderation. I also do not believe they reset anything.

caracrawford1

Pay attention to what kind of calories you're eating. Junk and processed food calories are not equal to calories from lean proteins, good fats and fruits/veggies. Try to limit the foods with ingredients you can't pronounce.

A calorie is a calorie is a calorie.
A calorie from fat is equal to a calorie from sugar is equal to a calorie from fish is equal to a calorie from fruit, etc.

Eating more real whole food and less processed food will give more & better nutrition with fewer calories, but the body runs on CICO. If you're eating fewer calories than you're burning, you will lose weight. Doesn't matter whether you have 0.25 c of olive oil or 9 lb of carrots, as long as you're getting the same amount of calories the same weight loss/gain will result.

I would also quit the diet pill, but I am not a doctor. Just my opinion. You can do this with no artificial help.

If someone is constantly hungry, and there's a medicine that can blunt or remove that, WHY should she not take it?
If someone is in pain, would you tell them not to take something to blunt or remove the pain, just tough it out?
:mad:

If it helps her reset her hunger mechanism, learn to eat healthy portions, and not suffer while that's happening, WHY shouldn't she have help?!

Because, in the end, diet pills and the like do more of a disservice. You can not remain on diet pills for the rest of your life and it is better to learn to manage whatever hunger/cravings you have by learning to modify your food choices (is, more fiber, more protein) than popping an amphetamine that has serious side effects. The sooner you learn how to maximize your food choices for satiety, the sooner you also learn habits that will keep the weight off for a LIFETIME.

TheVirgoddess

Pay attention to what kind of calories you're eating. Junk and processed food calories are not equal to calories from lean proteins, good fats and fruits/veggies. Try to limit the foods with ingredients you can't pronounce. I tried to lose weight for 20 years and never could do it until I started eating the right kind of calories.

Not sure if you were already doing that.

*looks at ticker*

Yeah, you can still lose weight on "junk and processed food calories". Almost 50 pounds since April.

OP, I would quit the pills if I were you, especially since you have a history of gaining when you've stopped in the past. You can do this without that stuff!

Also, on days you exercise and you feel hungry, eat some or all of those calories back. Do you know your BMR or TDEE? If not, get those figured out - they are important numbers to get you started and to get a firm knowledge of how your body works and how weight loss works. At your weight and height, I feel like maybe you should be eating more, especially if you're working out so much.

This is all, of course, my opinion. Except for the calorie thing. That's not an opinion.

TheVirgoddess

Oh and read all the links the MKE posted - good stuff. You can do this!

Kellyfitness128

Weight is 299
Height is 5'10"
Age is 26

Well the medicines are meant to help the healthy weight loss process begin. I can stop at any time but doing it on my own before has resulted in extreme loss of 30+ in one month and if I stop it shot my weight up 40+. I just wanted some help this time.

I just calculated your basal energy expenditure (calories you burn just laying in bed) and you're burning 2,157 from doing zero exercise. Since you're doing exercise as well, 1,400 is absolutely NOT enough for you! How do you feel eating that? Are you hungry/tired? I'd try eating at least 1,800 if I were you. Even 2,000 on days that you exercise. Keep in mind that the average adult needs 2,000 calories a day to maintain their weight. Since you're probably burning at least 2500-3000 calories a day, 2,000 calories a day would still put you at a healthy deficit to lose 1-2lbs a week.


EDIT: just read that you're tired and cold throughout the day. You DEFINITELY need to eat more (healthy food will help increase your energy levels)

FitOldMomma

So from a online BMR calculator with your numbers, your BMR is 2162. Using the Harris Benedict Equation, set at 'Sedentary' (1.2 x's BMR = 2594 calories per day to maintain your current weight.

For a 2 pound per week loss you require a deficit of 7000 calories.

2594 x 7 = 18158 - 7000=11158. Divide that by 7 = 1594 per day. And that is NOT counting exercise calories burned.

I would say you could safely add nearly 300 more calories to what you're now eating and still lose 2 pounds per week. On days when you workout, if you're still hungry and tired eat back some of the exercise calories.

Taking pills is a personal decision- that is 100% up to you. If they help you that's great.

To continue your weight loss long term you need to feel healthy. If you're tired and hungry every afternoon it is a signal to your body that something isn't right.

Mess around with the online calculators and then talk to your weight loss specialist you're working with.

Kbeller1988

Thank you everyone for the response. I looked at a couple of those sites you have sent but I still wasn't understanding how it works. One said I need to eat 2,500 calories a day to lose weight. I was a bit scattered. I love the fact that some of you broke it down too, it made it a lot easier to understand.

I see a lot of debate on the diet pills but I want to try to clarify some. The water pill is only taken once a week and that's only half a pill. The doctor told me to only take it if I start to become bloated (ie my rings are tight), but only in that circumstance. The diabetic pill is too help me curb binge cravings such as sweets, empty carbs, and processed junk. As for the diet pill, I only take one pill a day, half with lunch and half with dinner. They help me manage my portions right now until my stomach gets used to the lower intake of food.

TheVirgoddess

Thank you everyone for the response. I looked at a couple of those sites you have sent but I still wasn't understanding how it works. One said I need to eat 2,500 calories a day to lose weight. I was a bit scattered. I love the fact that some of you broke it down too, it made it a lot easier to understand.

I see a lot of debate on the diet pills but I want to try to clarify some. The water pill is only taken once a week and that's only half a pill. The doctor told me to only take it if I start to become bloated (ie my rings are tight), but only in that circumstance. The diabetic pill is too help me curb binge cravings such as sweets, empty carbs, and processed junk. As for the diet pill, I only take one pill a day, half with lunch and half with dinner. They help me manage my portions right now until my stomach gets used to the lower intake of food.

There are two numbers - your BMR (this number is what you burn just by being alive) and your TDEE (which is your BMR + your activity level).

You will get different numbers on different sites because sites like MFP don't factor in your exercise - this means your number will be lower and you "earn" extra calories via exercise. Sites like IIFYM (http://iifym.com/tdee-calculator/) give you the option to count how many days a week you exercise, so you get more calories, but you do NOT eat your exercise calories back.

In order to lose weight, you need to be eating less than you're burning (it's 3500 calories a week per pound). So, it looks like your BMR is 2179. That means without exercise, you'd need to eat 1679 calories a day (that's a 500 calorie a day deficit) to lose a pound a week. This is just your BMR though - obviously you're moving around, working, exercising. So if you exercise 3 times a week, that puts your TDEE at 2,997 calories. So, you'd be eating 2497 to maintain that 500 calorie a day deficit.

So, bottom line is, IMO no, you're not eating enough. You could add up to 1,000 more calories a day (assuming you're working out three times a week) and still lose. I'd play around with numbers on the site I posted above to give you a good feel for what you should be eating and what to expect from your body.

I always do the couch potato or sedentary option and track my workouts on a per workout basis on here - and I eat those calories back if I'm hungry - but you should pick the way that makes it easiest for you.