Beating the dead horse - calories

omma_to_3

When I started with MFP almost a year ago, I told it I wanted to lose 1 lb a week. It gave me my calorie goal and I tried to stay within that each day, and maybe twice a month have a free day. It worked well for about 5 months (I lost about 30 lbs. in 5 months). Then I hit a plateau and added in exercise. I eat most, if not all, of my exercise calories (I just used the treadmill's numbers or MFPs numbers, and it was quite accurate once I got a good HRM). I started losing again. Yay! Then Christmas hit and I got sick so I gained a little and struggled to get back into the losing category. At most, in the month of January, I was losing .5 lb a week, or staying the same. So I modified my goal to be losing 2 lbs. per week and I started losing well again (I'm averaging about 1 lb. a week with that, losing 2 lbs. one week and maintaining the next). I work out 4 to 5 times a week burning around 300 calories each time and usually eat 90%+ of that back so 4 or 5 days a week I'm eating close to 1500 calories.

Given that I was not losing well at a higher calorie count, I question the standard suggestion of eating more calories to lose weight. Do I just have a slower metabolism than most? I have hypothyroidism and PCOS so I do know that I lose slower than the average person. Every BMR calculator I use puts my BMR somewhere between 1520 and 1643.

Obviously know one can give me the "answer" and I should just try increasing my calories and see. But I'll take some random opinions LOL. I am still about 50 lbs. over the "normal" weight range (my ticker is counting down to my FIRST goal).

lizard053

As a sufferer of hypothyroidism, you're going to find you can't eat as much of your exercise calories back, and you'll probably need to cut starches down, as they seem to hurt MOST hypo's weight loss. The PCOS can also slow down your weight loss as well. Exercise is the key to losing weight for most of us with hypothyroidism. I try to net ~1300 calories a day, at 5'4" and 183 lbs. I'm losing in spurts and stutters too. Never the same number twice. Frustrating, but weight loss can be achieved, even for those of us with slower metabolisms!

melsinct

I am of the opinion that some people CLEARLY need to eat more to lose weight. These are the "I am eating 1100 calories a day, burning 500 calories at the gym and don't understand why I am not losing" people. Mainly, most of us just have to mess around with calories to find our sweet spot. Even once you find that spot, it will stop working for you at some point. So again, you adjust calories either up or down and find what works for you.

Weight loss is not linear. What works for one will not work for all- our bodies are all just too different.

jennys11

Keep up with exercising! I don't eat my earned exercise calories. I "save" them aka keep my body burning the fat on my body that is stored. I need the extra pounds gone! Fat is there for storage, so when your body feels hunger, it's going to eat the fat stored. Anyway, try eating in the following schedule. This has helped me tremendously. People say to eat 1200 calories a day... but when? Breakfast/lunch/dinner, 6 times a day, when? Jillian Michaels answered this for me and it has been working for me.

Breakfast: 250 calories
Lunch: 400 calories
Snack: 150 calories (eat between lunch/dinner)
Dinner: 400 calories

Total: 1200 calories

Eat this way for a week and watch the weight go. It's an organized way to eat to keep your metabolism up and your stomach satisfied.

omma_to_3

I really do need (mentally mind you) to eat my exercise calories. If I don't get to eat them, I won't actually do the exercise LOL. Huge incentive for me!

I have been increasing the intensity of my exercise lately which has helped me start losing again. I mean, if I keep up the avg. of 1 lb. a week, I'll be happy but I suspect it won't last too much longer.

megmo_7

What I have noticed with PCOS is that carbs are my enemy!! When I reduced my carbs it helped a lot. I am currently at a plateau but that is one thing I know worked for me.