Major dilemma!!!!!

emmab0902

I have been on MFP for about 6 weeks now. In that time i have made a LOT of positive changes - more protein, wayyyyy less sugar, regular exercise etc. Overall if we ignore the numbers game (have lost zilch), I am sure I can only be a lot healthier.

BUT....

I am still struggling with this whole net calories thing! I have just looked at a report and it says I have been netting around 900 calories most days. As bad as this sounds, I am not skipping meals or going hungry, and I have lots of energy and feel satisfied.

Please bear in mind this important fact - I am on beta blockers which I know for a fact lowers metabolism and decreases fat oxidation, and I also KNOW i am eating SIGNIFICANTLY MORE than pre MFP, so am more than a bit anxious about upping my intake.

If i was to even up it to net 1000 most days for starters, am I likely to have rapid weight gain??

P.S My food and exercise diaries are open.

Athena413

I kind of glanced at your diary and it doesn't look like you're just eating crap, but I've worked with several nurses, dietitians, athletes, and personal trainers and all of them have told me to never consume less than 1,200...now that's consuming, not netting. You will get a lot of mixed reviews on here as to whether or not you should eat back your exercise calories. There are people that swear by it and say eating back your exercise calories to reach your MFP net goal is the only way to go. I personally rarely eat back all of my exercise calories - my trainer told me not to...BUT I ALWAYS consume at least 1,200 no matter what. I think a lot of it depends on the individual and how your body reacts to different things. Try adding more calories for a couple weeks and test it out - you're not just going to balloon up. If you start eating more and start seeing losses, then continue to eat back your exercise calories. If that doesn't work - try zig-zagging your calories - which is basically being under one day, over the next, under the third day, and so on...sometimes your body just needs to be confused. Obviously what you're doing isn't working for you or you wouldn't be asking, so try changing some things up and see how that works for you.

Also - what exercises are you doing? Most women focus on cardio and don't give weight training the time of day, when in all actuality weight training helps you burn fat and lose weight more efficiently than cardio does.

The key is to find something that works for you and let everyone else worry about themselves.

angel79202

Hey,
Take it from someone who knows..you might want to eat a bit more..the base minimum that you should be eating is 1200 calories then there is the debate whether or not to eat the exercise ones but at minimum try to up the intake to 1200..it's something that I used to struggle with and trust me you do not want to throw your body into starvation mode

Southernsister

As crazy as it seems You need to eat your calories. I vvorry about that too. Do you take anything for metabolism? Or fat blockers? You also need to be one a good multi. I vvould search out metabolism building foods also. Are you vvorking out at all?Drinking lots of vvater?

TaraTLC83

because you have a smaller amount to loose your body is holding on to every last ounce of fat in your body because you just aren't eating enough. Don't you get the little red disclaimer MFP pops up at the bottom when you are under your calorie goal? You are consistently 200+ calories under your goal.

I'm sure if I didn't eat back my calories every once in a while it wouldn't be a big deal but thats because I have 50 pounds of fat to loose.

DiamondRubyMom

You should talk with the doctor who prescribed the beta blockers as to how much it slows yyour metabolism. Tell him your desires to lose weight and I'm sure he could help you. That being said upping your calories by 100 per day should take you 35 day to gain one pound as there are 3500 calories in a pound. I recommend trying it for a couple of weeks to see if it helps. I upped mine by 150 calories a day after a frustrating platue and have started losing weight again. Most people trying to lose weight eat too little not too much.

emmab0902

For those who asked, my exercise is as follows.

Have recently started 30 day shred - on day 11 today and will likely now drop back to 4-5 times a week rather than daily, due to also starting a 3x per week programme at the gym. that programme is about 50 minutes, alternating between 10 mins cardio and then 10 mins weights.

I also swim 1-2 times a week which usually looks like about 2.5km in about 50 minutes.

I don't take any meds other than a low dose beta blocker and the contraceptive pill, and drink at least 8 cups of water a day. When I swim I drink about 5 cups then alone as I find it makes me really thirsty!

Brandicaloriecountess

I would suggest eating a little bit more.

emmab0902

You should talk with the doctor who prescribed the beta blockers as to how much it slows yyour metabolism. Tell him your desires to lose weight and I'm sure he could help you.

I have asked him several times, more around the way it puts a hand brake on fitness rather than weight loss per se. I am happy to stay at a similar weight but want to shift body composition. He has no idea how much it reduces metabolism! I have recently halved my meds to a very low dose, but I used to lose weight quite easily, even in my mid 30s or so.

MinaAriel

I was looking at your food diary and it says your goal is often under 1200 calories. Do you have it set manually or did you allow MFP to design a plan for you? It just seems really low to me but I'm fairly new to this.


You sure are burning a lot of extra calories exercising. Congrats on having all that extra energy but you definitely will want to eat maybe half those calories back, just for fueling purposes.

I can't see your net calories. What are they?

MinaAriel

Ok, after doing the math, it looks like you have your calorie goal set at 1000. That is really low. Age and insufficient calories both affect metabolism. Maybe aim for a 1200 calorie goal and net at least 1000?

emmab0902

I set it at 1000 to factor in the beta blockers (known to lower metabolism).

I am also in regular contact with a nutritionist who reviews my food and exercise etc, and hope to see her again in the next two weeks. It's funny cos I feel like I am eating a lot, yet netting about 900 most days (except if I have a rest day.) Am wondering if my pre MFP intake was really low and my body is still getting used to eating more than before.

Re how much the beta blockers lower metabolism my only guess is by looking at how much they have dropped my resting HR - from 65 to 50 ie 23% - not sure if that implies a similar drop in metabolic rate??

meerkat70

Even allowing for the beta blockers that's a very low intake.even 1200 is low for an active person. Up it to 1200 for a week. See how you get on. If you don't gain, then you know you're ok. Upping by a few hundred Will not produce rapid gain. You'll still have a significant deficit.

The only way to answer your question is to try it for a week or two and see.