Cravings - should I up my calories?

stephabef

Trying to figure out if I'm eating the right amount of calories. The last week or two, I've been having SO many carbohydrate cravings and the desire to binge. Prior to that, I'd been fine. I'm at 1300 calories right now, and I eat back most of my exercise calories. 5'4", around 130-135ish (haven't weighed myself in the last month or so). I work out 5-6 times a week, but lately I've been super tired. I don't want to sabotage my weight loss by upping my calories, but I really don't want to binge anymore. It was never a problem I had before.

HannahMarieMcDougald

I up my calories to 1350..a day....I need to go back to exercising... Good luck...Have you been sleeping at night?

BAfb23

are you still trying to lose weight even though you are 130 to 135? because losing more weight is not at all healthy for your body

erickirb

since you only have 20 lbs to go your goal should not to lose more than 1 lb/week, if you are set at a larger weekly goal then I would change it. once you get to the last 10-15 lbs, that goal should change to 0.5lbs/week.

erickirb

are you still trying to lose weight even though you are 130 to 135? because losing more weight is not at all healthy for your body

What are you talking about? At 5'4" she could lose more and be healthy. "ideal" weight at that height is 120lbs for a medium frame, with "average" amount of muscle.

carrie_eggo

are you still trying to lose weight even though you are 130 to 135? because losing more weight is not at all healthy for your body

How do you know that this is not healthy for her? I'm 5'6 and 123 and I think I'm pretty darn healthy. I'd like to know what you are basing this opinion on.

Debbe2

Hi
I'm interested to know if you have sugars &/or sugar substitutes daily (like in coffee, soda...) ? They can really cause cravings for some people like myself.

stephabef

It's totally healthy for me. I have a very small frame (my shoulders, for instance, have never fit right in a shirt) and at my lightest weighed a healthy 110 according to my doctor. What's more, I have plenty of muscle and eat well!

dsg2231 - I do my best to stay away from sugar substitutes, but I occasionally have a SF latte or ice cream bar.

stephabef

I up my calories to 1350..a day....I need to go back to exercising... Good luck...Have you been sleeping at night?

I've never had an issue with sleep. In fact, I've been sleeping TOO much lately. I can't seem to stay up past 7 or 8 most nights, so I average around 12 hours a night. Before I started losing weight, I'd sleep a normal 8 hours. That's another worry of mine.

retnurse

I wonder if you're not getting enough protein? Those carb cravings can be associated with "time of the month" and,
I also find that the more carbs I eat, the more I crave. You are at a good weight for 5 foot 4. Are you trying to just maintain?
If so, you could certainly add more calories.....but healthy ones like veggies, fruit or low fat cheese.

stephabef

I wonder if you're not getting enough protein? Those carb cravings can be associated with "time of the month" and,
I also find that the more carbs I eat, the more I crave. You are at a good weight for 5 foot 4. Are you trying to just maintain?
If so, you could certainly add more calories.....but healthy ones like veggies, fruit or low fat cheese.

I always go over in protein, actually. It is my TOM, so maybe that has to do with the cravings! Certainly would make sense, now that I think about it. I'm not maintaining; I'd still like to lose another 15. However, this may not be realistic as I'm building muscle at the same time.

stephabef

since you only have 20 lbs to go your goal should not to lose more than 1 lb/week, if you are set at a larger weekly goal then I would change it. once you get to the last 10-15 lbs, that goal should change to 0.5lbs/week.

Thanks! I'm at 1 lb/week at lightly active, which set my cals at 1300. However, "lightly active" is probably an understatement, since I'm both a full-time bartender/server, don't drive (I walk EVERYWHERE), and a student.

stephabef

Still looking for some input. Thanks, guys!

H_Factor

Let me first say that most folks react differently to different stimuli. What might work for me might not work for you. With that in mind, one thing I have successfully done to knock cravings to the curb is doing a 24 hour fast once a week. I started doing this at the beginning of October and I cannot overstate the impact intermittent fasting has had on my focus. I remember one week I was craving these absolutely yummy, homemade oatmeal raisin cookies that they sell downstairs. I was going to give in to the craving since I believe its okay to have things you really like on occasion....but when I went downstairs, I found out they didn't have any of the oatmeal raisin cookies I was craving. I did see a double chocolate muffin for sale and I had a mental battle for an hour about whether I should get it or not (I kid you not). Ultimately I did not get the chocolate muffin, but craving one made me realize that this was more than just wanting something I liked (the OR cookie)...this was a legit craving for something sweet. The craving continued the next day. I decided that day, EFF THIS, I'm going to fast and re-focus. I fasted for 24 hours and got rid of the craving. I've had one OR cookie since I started intermittent fasting...but it wasn't due to any craving...it was because I wanted some more carbs that day and felt like treating myself to a cookie I enjoy. Enjoyed the cookie and didn't have cravings for more sweet stuff afterwards.

As far as you feeling tired lately, perhaps you are over training. I know a lot of folks believe that training more is the way to conquer plateaus and cravings and other stuff. I personally believe you can train too much...not give your body enough rest...and have training be counter productive.

here's my breaking a plateau blog because it contains some stuff that might be helpful.

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/H_Factor/view/breaking-a-plateau-170648

good luck to you on your continued journey!

HoLLyZ82

since you only have 20 lbs to go your goal should not to lose more than 1 lb/week, if you are set at a larger weekly goal then I would change it. once you get to the last 10-15 lbs, that goal should change to 0.5lbs/week.

^^ THIS. im 5'4" and just around 130lbs too. im in the process of upping my cals to just hit that .5lb/week as i only want to lose another 10lbs. I had the carb cravings BAD before i decided to have a higher calorie intake. perhaps you should check your macros and see what your c/p/f is set at too.

ilikejam33

You may want to have your iron levels checked. The issues you are asking about are what i always experiance when mine is getting low.

Mine has always been medium to low, however when i started excercising and eating healthy it got worse. Even with a high protein intake my iron is still hovering around needing supplements at TOM.

My Dr said that sometimes your iron can fluctuate (as with other things) when you change the way you eat and excercise.
May be worth looking into.

Good Luck

coachkathrynw

I used to have cravings, but tried a wonderful super healthy meal replacement shake (with 18 grams protein; no caffine; all natural; full of vitamins, minerals, antioxident and probiotics). I drink the shake at my toughest part of the day... for me this is in the afternoon when the kids get home from school (Oh, they will drink it too). This shake took my cravings away and helped me lose my last 6 pounds. I'm 5'3", 45 years old, 116 pounds, and 20% body fat. If you want more info, friend me. I love sharing my success and helping others.

stephabef

You may want to have your iron levels checked. The issues you are asking about are what i always experiance when mine is getting low.

Mine has always been medium to low, however when i started excercising and eating healthy it got worse. Even with a high protein intake my iron is still hovering around needing supplements at TOM.

My Dr said that sometimes your iron can fluctuate (as with other things) when you change the way you eat and excercise.
May be worth looking into.

Good Luck

This could actually be it - I tried to give blood earlier this week and was told my iron was too low. Last time I tried to give (about a month ago), I barely passed, but my blood clotted an hour in and I couldn't fill up the whole bag. Thanks!

stephabef

since you only have 20 lbs to go your goal should not to lose more than 1 lb/week, if you are set at a larger weekly goal then I would change it. once you get to the last 10-15 lbs, that goal should change to 0.5lbs/week.

^^ THIS. im 5'4" and just around 130lbs too. im in the process of upping my cals to just hit that .5lb/week as i only want to lose another 10lbs. I had the carb cravings BAD before i decided to have a higher calorie intake. perhaps you should check your macros and see what your c/p/f is set at too.

I may up mine to 1400. Thank you! It's good to get some feedback from someone in the same height/weight category as me.

jarrettd

This could actually be it - I tried to give blood earlier this week and was told my iron was too low. Last time I tried to give (about a month ago), I barely passed, but my blood clotted an hour in and I couldn't fill up the whole bag. Thanks!

You tried to give blood again in about a month? The American Red Cross will only let you give every 56 days. That is so your body can replace what was taken. I'm not sure that maintaining a calorie deficit after blood donation will allow your body to recover as quickly.

I was anemic when I was younger. It can cause all the symptoms you described, and more damage that isn't readily apparent.

Go to your doctor. Do not pass GO. Do not collect $200. Go directly to your doctor. He/she can test your iron and help you decide whether to supplement and how much. (Don't play around with this; iron is one of the supplements that you can overdose on.) You may want to consider eating at maintenance until after you get this straightened out.

stephabef

This could actually be it - I tried to give blood earlier this week and was told my iron was too low. Last time I tried to give (about a month ago), I barely passed, but my blood clotted an hour in and I couldn't fill up the whole bag. Thanks!

You tried to give blood again in about a month? The American Red Cross will only let you give every 56 days. That is so your body can replace what was taken. I'm not sure that maintaining a calorie deficit after blood donation will allow your body to recover as quickly.

I was anemic when I was younger. It can cause all the symptoms you described, and more damage that isn't readily apparent.

Go to your doctor. Do not pass GO. Do not collect $200. Go directly to your doctor. He/she can test your iron and help you decide whether to supplement and how much. (Don't play around with this; iron is one of the supplements that you can overdose on.) You may want to consider eating at maintenance until after you get this straightened out.

I was estimating on the time - it was the next time the RC came to my school. Usually, I attribute issues to my Celiac, but these were all fairly new since I started calorie counting, which is why I posted to begin with. The earliest I can see a doc is next week, but I'll definitely schedule an appointment. I would never take a supplement without getting a test done - don't worry.