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SusanaLdn
SusanaLdn Posts: 121 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Hello everyone,

My name is Susana. I live in London and I have been on MPF before. Unfortunately it all went downhill, I put about a stone on (more than I had to lose when I first started! Ah!) and now I am back with a new account because I couldn't figure out how to reset the old one. Oh well.

So one of the things I remember making it really difficult to follow MPF's indications was that I was constantly hungry. From day 1 MPF has always set my goal to 1200cals/day. I don't know how many of you manage to stick to this, but I find it extremely low and totally fun deprived! I do want to shape up. I don't feel horrible about my body, I don't want to kill myself in the gym, I don't dream of being 'skinny'. I have about 8kg to lose and I'd like to make it in good spirits, especially because I am fighting a problem with VitD and calcium and can't really exercise much at this point. Maybe in another couple of months. It's a chronic thing.

Soooo...

These are the numbers MPF tool gave me:

BMI: 22.6 (this is healthy)
(Target weight range: 49.2-66.4kg > I am a bit over 59 now, so just a bit over half way)

Estimated BMR: 1,273 calories/day
(TargetCals/Day given to me by MPF: 1200)


Now... Are my maths and logic all wrong, or if my BMR (the amount of daily energy expended at absolute rest) is of 1273, shouldn't I be eating AT LEAST that same amount? And if I try other calculators, my BMR is even higher:

MBR: 1603 with FitnessFrog (http://www.fitnessfrog.com/calculators/tdee-calculator.html)
or even
BMR is: 1,341 calories/day
TDEE is: 1,609 calories/day
(http://www.hi-blood-pressure.com/index.php?text-ID=Basal-Metabolism-And-TDEE-Calculator)

Should I be eating more? Because 1200/cals definitely seems not enough, and I am not one of those people who after all proof still insist that starving yourself must be the way. Besides, this is what I was doing here for quite a few months, exercising at the same time and eating my calories back, and it just didn't work... Please, wise healthy people out there, give me ideas!

For details:

37 years old
1.63 / 5.3"
60kg / 9.4st / 132.3lb
vegetarian
+/- 2lt water/day
currently no exercise, but I walk a lot



I hope this is enough info and I hope someone can give me some ideas, tell me your own story, what works for you, or any advice. Show me your secret for good weight loss, I'll show you my secret recipe to banana and walnut cake! ;)

All the best for everyone, you are amazing inspiration! :)

Replies

  • melaniecheeks
    melaniecheeks Posts: 6,349 Member
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    Hi Susana, and welcome back to MFP!

    Since you don't have much to lose, any weight is going to come off really slowly - did you aim for 0.5 lb per week when setting up the figures?

    Also, I always remember that all the figures being thrown about are estimates - there's nothing magical about a BMR figure churned out by a website, and your actual daily requirements change from day to day.

    1200 is really hard to stick to - might be better to try 1300 to begin with and see how you get on. Is exercise really not an option?
  • goron59
    goron59 Posts: 890 Member
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    Welcome back :)

    I find all these numbers a bit off.... e.g., my TDEE (from various sources) would be approx 2400 kcal but if I net that amount, i put on weight at about 3kg/month. I guess I must be /really/ sedentary!

    Anyways, if your TDEE is 1600, then netting 1400 should slowly bring the weight down. If not, then it should go lower, but if you make it too low for too long, your metabolism will slow making it harder to lose... You might have to just maintain weight until you can exercise again ?

    Generally though you look great are a good weight and so long as you don't put that stone back on, you'll be rocking it :)
  • SusanaLdn
    SusanaLdn Posts: 121 Member
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    Thank you :)

    At this point, exercise is not really an option. I guess I could do some swimming, but my schedule of work/university make it pretty complicated. What I enjoy is running, and until the doctor tells me not to I'll keep on taking all the tablets until I find a way ;)

    I will up my calories to 1300 and see if it makes it any easier. Also I guess having eaten enough to put all this weight on I have gained some bad habits, so I'll just try to refocus.

    Thanks again and keep around!
  • SteveTries
    SteveTries Posts: 723 Member
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    It seems reasonable to suggest that for your height, weight and gender your probably have a maintenance caloric need of 1800-2000 a day. So I would echo the previous respondants and start in at 1400 and just see what happens. You can tweak up or down 100 a week if you are losing too slowly or are too low on energy. I'm assuming your goal is about 0.5kgs a week?? I would expect you to be hitting that at these calorie levels, with Saturday off the diet and back up to maintenance level.

    good luck with it!
  • mickipedia
    mickipedia Posts: 889 Member
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    I'm disappointed for what this is actually about :(
  • SusanaLdn
    SusanaLdn Posts: 121 Member
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    It seems reasonable to suggest that for your height, weight and gender your probably have a maintenance caloric need of 1800-2000 a day. So I would echo the previous respondants and start in at 1400 and just see what happens. You can tweak up or down 100 a week if you are losing too slowly or are too low on energy. I'm assuming your goal is about 0.5kgs a week?? I would expect you to be hitting that at these calorie levels, with Saturday off the diet and back up to maintenance level.

    good luck with it!


    Well, I'd like to lose quicker like everyone else, but I am ok with 0.5kg a week, given I wasn't losing anything at all before! So do you recommend 1400?.. Hmm, i'll give that a try for two weeks and then jump on the scale again? It doesn't seem like it would be possible to put any weight on with those numbers, so I'll give it a try. Plus, it's too tempting... Yum, another 200cals a day, I can go craaaazy! ;)

    Thank you :)
  • SusanaLdn
    SusanaLdn Posts: 121 Member
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    I'm disappointed for what this is actually about :(

    I know, I'm sorry, sneaky way to get your attention... But do you want the recipe?! ;)
  • melaniecheeks
    melaniecheeks Posts: 6,349 Member
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    I made a great banana bread last week - my husband is just out of hospital after a heart operation, so I had a fruit basket to do something creative with, in a heart-healthy way!

    I used 2 mashed bananas, mixed with half and half wholemeal and self-raising floor. Golden caster sugar and an omega-3 egg. A handful of sultanas soaked in tea, and some crushed walnuts. Flavoured with cinnamon, and - just cos I had it on hand - some comb honey.
  • polarsjewel
    polarsjewel Posts: 1,726 Member
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    *kicks rocks* tease! Welcome back though :)
  • fisherlassie
    fisherlassie Posts: 542 Member
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    Walking is exercise! You can add that as exercise and then eat more!
  • SusanaLdn
    SusanaLdn Posts: 121 Member
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    That's what I've been doing :) Actually, I'll start taking walking AS exercise... Go for walks, once I can't run. If I walk to my boyfriend's house from University, that's 2.4hours walking, so that should be good! :)
  • RoboLikes
    RoboLikes Posts: 519 Member
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    I'm disappointed for what this is actually about :(

    Ditto

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