I'm new here and have a couple questions . .

leah102408

Hello there ! My name is Leah , i'm 20 years old and MORBIDLY obese . ( try looking at that on your health records ) . I've seen lots of success stories on here , and I recently found out I have hypothyroidism , and since I started taking my medication , I've noticed i've been loosing weight without trying , so I think it's time to try ! Anyways , here are my questions . .

My Net Calories Goal is 2,270 calories/day . . Thee past two days ( first two days on this diet ) i've eaten as normal , and still have over 1,000 calories left . . and thee only reason I have used so many is bc I drank 2% milk and some artificially sweetened kool-aid after 8 cups of water . I've never been a big eater . Am I supposed to eat all those calories ? Would my results be less than projected if I don't ?

Well . I had some other questions as well , but I didn't think to write them down . So I guess i'll stick with my one question for now . . any help would be GREATLY appreciated . Thanks for your time (:

helenmelon29

Hi,

You net caleries seems high to me, but if thats what MFP suggested then yes you should eat that much.

When I started I had just over a stone to lose (14lb) and set it as 0.5lb per week and I had to eat approx 1500 cals plus my exercise calories. What are you set to lose each week?

Make sure you continue to drink lots of water and eat plenty of fruit and veg.

Good luck, x

leah102408

Thanks for you're response ! I'm set to lose 1lb a week . . from what i've been reading in the boards , 2,270 seems high to me as well , but I'm also much bigger than other's i've seen . . thanks , I usually hate drinking plain water , but this medicine makes my mouth so dry that i'm happy to drink lots of water haha (:

Any suggestions for thee rest of those calories ?

Good luck to you too !

momof3and3

Hi Leah!
Welcome!
Yes, eat the calories that are given to you, but just double check your goals and such, they seem a bit high. But if all is good, than try and eat them...not eating your calories is just as bad for you as overeating...your body needs the fuel!

Try and eat every 2-3 hours, even if it is a small snack...so an idea is snack, breakfast, snack, lunch, snack, dinner, snack.... drink water all day long....

snack ideas...apple with 1 tbl peanutbutter, apple with string cheese, portion size of nuts with fruit, greek yogurt....

there are a lot of people here who have lost a ton of weight...if you search the forums you can find them...
Good luck! You can do this!

leah102408

Thank you for your response ! I'll try to eat them all . Maybe I'm eating too many low calorie foods ? I literally put EVERYTHING in my food diary . . And I do drink water all day long , I think that's why I'm not very hungry ( on top of my medicine affecting my appetite ) . . Maybe I'm reading the goal thing wrong . . I'll copy & paste it , someone please let me know if I'm just reading it wrong ! lol



Nutritional Goals
Goals

Net Calories Consumed* / Day
2,270 calories/day

Carbs / Day
312 g

Fat / Day
76 g

Protein / Day
85 g

Airbear3

how did you come up with that high of a calorie count? something is wrong...unless your exercising like a mad woman that should be wayyyy lower!

leah102408

LOL . I'm only exercising 4 times a week , an hour each . . I don't know why it's so high . . it's the highest i've seen on thee message boards so far . . what should I do ?

sewedo1

I do not eat all of my calories every day, but am usually within 50 to 300 calories. I'm having no difficulty losing and am not losing too rapidly. If you are eating similarly to prior to your attempt to lose weight and not reaching your set calories, I would start thinking about the types of foods eaten (too much processed or high sugar for example) or possibly not eating the calories throughout the day to allow the metabolism to get a jump start. I would suggest distributing the calories over 4-6 mini-meals per day and avoiding a lot of processed foods. Also be sure to drink water and move. Plan exercise into your day to get strong and healthy. I also have hypothyroidism and take synthroid (have for about 10 years). Hypothyroidism can contribute to the slowed metabolism and the medication can be a boost, but it is not an answer to significant weight-loss. In addition, it is not unusual to lose more than a pound a week if you are "morbidly" obese initially. No matter the weight, we all have weeks of pounds lost and other weeks with ounces and some without loss even though we're following the settings. Persist and you'll benefit. Listen to your body and good luck in your journey of treating it well.

MaximalLife

Hello there ! My name is Leah , i'm 20 years old and MORBIDLY obese . ( try looking at that on your health records ) . I've seen lots of success stories on here , and I recently found out I have hypothyroidism , and since I started taking my medication , I've noticed i've been loosing weight without trying , so I think it's time to try ! Anyways , here are my questions . .

My Net Calories Goal is 2,270 calories/day . . Thee past two days ( first two days on this diet ) i've eaten as normal , and still have over 1,000 calories left . . and thee only reason I have used so many is bc I drank 2% milk and some artificially sweetened kool-aid after 8 cups of water . I've never been a big eater . Am I supposed to eat all those calories ? Would my results be less than projected if I don't ?

Well . I had some other questions as well , but I didn't think to write them down . So I guess i'll stick with my one question for now . . any help would be GREATLY appreciated . Thanks for your time (:

Yes, eat the calories or the weight you lose will be muscle which will lower your metabolism, causing you to fail in the end when you gain all the weight back.

The initial weight loss is tempting, but more than 2lbs per week is unhealthy weight loss.
And remember to eat back your exercise calories.
Simply stated MFP has already figured out your total calories you need to eat per day to lose 1lb etc. a week. That's WITHOUT exercise. You'll notice that when you actually add exercise in, the calorie limit goes up. Why? Because it's telling you to eat your exercise calories. Large deficits aren't really good to do because while you will lose weight, what kind of weight will it be? In many cases you'll lose lean muscle tissue which LOWERS your metabolic rate even more. Then you have to eat even less to compensate for less of a calorie burn to continue to lose the same amount of weight each week.
Be efficient. Exercise hard and eat back the calories. The hard exercise will RAISE your metabolic rate and burn more fat at rest.

helenmelon29

As you have double checked everything is entered correctly then I think you should give it a go. It could be becasue you have more weight to lose. (just check what you have your activity level set as too).

I can easily get to that many cals! lol

Breakfast: peanut butter and banana on toast. or cereal, milk, & fruit or cereal, fruit, yogurt plus fresh orange or prune juice

snack: 100-150 cals, usually fruit and biscuit.

lunch: homemade soup and sandwich

snack: fruit and toast or something a bit filling before I work out.

Supper: anything really, usually include wholemeal pasta, potatoes, veg.

At the mo I should eat 1800 cals and I usually burn between 200-300 per day (this is to maintain though).

x

leah102408

I do listen to my body , that's why I haven't been eating all my calories lol . . for example - Yesterday I ate a salad around noon . Nothing special - lettuce with some fat - free ranch dressing . I wasn't hungry again until around 6 , even then I wasn't that hungry . So I ate an orange and a piece of baked chicken with lemon pepper . I've been good ever since . I jogged for an hour and a half ( which is jogging for a few minutes , then walking for a few minutes for me , for now ) . I also drank about 9 cups of water yesterday . I don't want to eat until i'm stuffed , but I've been told it's better to eat all my calories , that's why I'm confused

AZKristi

It seems like MFP may be calculating your net calorie goal based on the assumption that you want to maintain your current weight. Click on the "My Home" tab and then click on "goals." At the bottom of the right column, what is the projected weight loss?

If that is not the case, perhaps you are overestimating exercise calories? How many calories are you entering in for your hour of exercise? I've found that MFP severely overestimates the number of calories burned by exercise.

I know you say you are "morbidly obese" but that can mean a lot of different things. From your picture, you don't look significantly heavier than I was when I started. I've found that by eating about 1500-1600 calories per day and burning 5000 - 6000 calories per week, I lost about 2 lbs per week.

Hope that helps.

HeidiMightyRawr

Yes you are meant to eat all the calories MFP says to, any less than that and you increase the deficit (lose weight quicker but not always healthy)

The amounts may seem high to many who are on here but you have to realise that the heavier you are, the more calories you need to just maintain your weight, so to me 2270 seems fine for 1lb a weight loss. Also, many people on here on low calories (1200-1400) are aiming for 2lb a week loss, and list their lifestyle (doesn't include workouts, that's separate) as "sedentary". Nothing wrong with that, it's just down to preference but personally I would rather go slower as your body adjusts easier, you have less loose skin after a big weight loss, and preserve more of your muscle mass.

You'll also find, as you get lighter, your daily calories go down and down as you need less to lose the same amount of weight

IamSketchy

I think you need to add some healthy fat calories, try adding some avacado to your salad or nuts. And lean proteins too.

And eating so little, I think your body has gotten used to eating rarely, which can backfire as you can push your body into existing in a starvation mode, where it resists losing weight.

TigersFanHoosierMama

I am set to lose at 1 lb a week and I am recommended 2125 calories here on MFP. For me that seemed like a lot and I never trusted it. Then a little over a year ago I recieved a bodymedia fit as a gift and saw that I burn on a lazy day over 3000 calories. Everyone says "oh wow must be great to burn that much!" and I say - yea I'm burning that much because I'm obese! It takes my body so much work just to exist and function and carry all this around.

So, I certainly think the numbers could be correct. What I would do especially with the hypo. meds getting you back on track there - just go by the calories MFP gives you!

One thing I have had to do is to eat more fat. I think that is the only way I get my calorie counts up some. Satisfying healthy fats. An avacado is high in calories but also nutrients. Peanut butter, nuts. Of course make sure you are measuring because even though you are trying to hit your calorie goal it's a slippery slope with those because you can go over FAST.

You could take your total calorie goal and divide it by how many meals/snacks a day you eat (I know everyone says 6 - I do better with 4 )... just divide it and work on getting that many at each meal..one meal at a time.

I've always ate lower calorie foods (and yet I'm morbidly obese!). I've never drank pop. Always have had only whole wheat products, skim milks and cheeses, etc. I was just raised that way and I guess that's just what my tastes have always been. I've never even had butter or margarine in my home ever. (My daughter first saw margarine at age 4 and asked what is that?). I think I had to get away from thinking of fats as bad and realize that they can in fact be quite satisfying. It's still hard as I just prefer fruits, vegetables, lean cuts of everything. However, when I eat higher fats I lose faster and I'm not munching all the time, I feel satisfied.

Anyway, sorry for the rambling, just wanted to throw that out there! And as a fellow woman with a higher calorie allowance feel free to add me I get kinda thrown off by all the 1200 calorie food diaries! LOL

ashlee2012

I do listen to my body , that's why I haven't been eating all my calories lol . . for example - Yesterday I ate a salad around noon . Nothing special - lettuce with some fat - free ranch dressing . I wasn't hungry again until around 6 , even then I wasn't that hungry . So I ate an orange and a piece of baked chicken with lemon pepper . I've been good ever since . I jogged for an hour and a half ( which is jogging for a few minutes , then walking for a few minutes for me , for now ) . I also drank about 9 cups of water yesterday . I don't want to eat until i'm stuffed , but I've been told it's better to eat all my calories , that's why I'm confused

I am by no means a health professional, but I have definitely been in a similar boat as you. Try little things at first. The first thing I did was stop thinking I had to eat a salad AS my meal, and now pair a salad WITH my meal. Salads can be very filling, and they are nutritious, but they aren't exactly where you need to be needing so many more calories. Try adding high protein foods to your salad like tuna or some grilled chicken. This will increase your caloric intake without making you feel like you're stuffed.

With my schedule it's difficult to make my lunches homemade daily, so what I have been doing is opting for a smart ones meal (these are great calorie-wise, but high in sodium, so it's important to balance your sodium throughout the day as not to go over) and a big old salad. I add extra veggies to my salad like tomato, cucumber, zucchini, mushrooms, and use a variety of lettuces including romaine, iceberg, and spinach for a darker green. All of those extra veggies also help add some calories, and they're not empty calories like the salad dressings themselves can be! It gets easier as you go, you're really just retraining your body to understand how it feels to be full on good, healthful foods! keep at it!

leah102408

It seems like MFP may be calculating your net calorie goal based on the assumption that you want to maintain your current weight. Click on the "My Home" tab and then click on "goals." At the bottom of the right column, what is the projected weight loss?

If that is not the case, perhaps you are overestimating exercise calories? How many calories are you entering in for your hour of exercise? I've found that MFP severely overestimates the number of calories burned by exercise.

I know you say you are "morbidly obese" but that can mean a lot of different things. From your picture, you don't look significantly heavier than I was when I started. I've found that by eating about 1500-1600 calories per day and burning 5000 - 6000 calories per week, I lost about 2 lbs per week.

Hope that helps.

My goals say I'm projected to lose 1lb a week . . as of right now I don't even think about eating my exercise calories , I have about 1,000 of my goal calories from the beginning still left . oh gosh i'm so lost .

Thanks for your reply , it does help !

leah102408

Thank you everyone for your responses ! While reading them I was getting little light bulbs like DUHH (:
Hopefully I can get this on track .
Good luck everyone !

christina0089

My goals are very high as well because like you, I am quite obese. I do not eat all of my calories simply because I can not. If I had to eat all of my calories I would be sick!! I eat healthy options and yes I think that is why I do not get all of my calories in. Because I definitley eat well just not bad for me foods. Try to get close to your calories but do not over eat just to say you hit your goal. Over eating is not going to help you in your lifestyle change. Over eating is why alot of us are in the situation we are in now. Instead try adding a few higher calorie snacks such as almonds, trail mix or peanut butter to your diet. Their are alot of great recipies for home made trail mix that you can mix in batches and bag individually to keep on hand for when you notice you are just a little to low on your caloric intake. Everyone is different and in time you will find the right combination for you.

For me I am happy if I get 2,000 cal in a day. Tho most of the time I can't quite make it. I do get very close! And because I know my metabolism needs that boost I will have a cheat day once a week. I do not go crazy but I do eat my cal or above in richer, more calorie dense foods.

Good luck on your journey!

em9371

hi Leah,
You have such a high calorie allowance as you are set to lose only 1lb per week. If you change your goals to 2lb per week, you will get 500 calories less per day (1770 net). MFP will already include the deficit to lose 2lb in your calorie allowance so if you exercise it is important to eat back your exercise cals to keep your NET calories at 1770.
you dont say what you weigh, but with 128lb to lose you can afford a 1000/day deficit, as you get smaller you will have to reduce your goal loss per week to ensure your net cals never drop below 1200, so you might as well go for the 2lb/week while your body has enough fat to maintain it.
However ... it is important not to create too big a deficit, as previous posters have said this can result in your body burning muscle rather than fat. 2lb week is the max you should aim for.
generally - 75+ lbs to lose = 2lb/week, 50-75 1.5lb/week, 25-50 1lb/week, under 25 to lose 0.5lb/week.
healthy ways to take in more calories are nuts (200 cals / 25g), peanut butter / olive oil (100 cals teaspoon), avocado (100 cals each), cheese (100 cals / 25G), whole milk instead of skimmed.
i weigh 221lbs and eat 1740 a day, my diary is open if you want a look. ive lost 23lbs in 13 weeks.
hope this helps x

leah102408

Thank you !