Could do with some advice please!

sprite68

I'm 5'2" and 117.6 lbs, which I know is within my healthy weight range. However, I have put on half a stone since my relationship breakdown:brokenheart: this time last year & I am trying to lose it again, both because I feel better that little bit lighter & the fact I have some lovely new clothes which are currently just that little bit too tight.

I have been doing MFP for the past 5 weeks. My weight has been going up & down by half a pound or so each week & today I am back to my starting weight!

MFP has suggested 1200 calories for me as I have a desk job. I tend to walk for around 30 minutes a day overall, between car park & office, and around the site during the day. I am also doing light weights to tone up & using an elliptical trainer twice a week at home. I usually eat some of my exercise calories, but on occasions I don't and on others I go over them.

I have had times over the past few years where I haven't been able to exercise for months as I have had pneumonia 3 times in just over 4 years :sick: . This has reduced my lung capacity - another reason for wanting to get fitter! Unfortunately I cannot run as I had a badly broken tibia and fibula several years ago & I cannot do high impact sports on it as it just gives way, hence the elliptical trainer.

Any suggestions you have would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you

blgerig

My weight also fluctuates and I don't have much to lose. I am 5'5 and started at close to 150, now at 139 looking to get to 135. I noticed results when I upped my exercise and only ate back exercise calories once or twice a week. If you can fit in an extra elliptical session or walk a couple times a week maybe that will help! Also I definitely weigh a couple pounds more the week before and of my period if that could be an issue for you...

CoderGal

I'm 5'7 and 125 pounds. I also sit at a desk all day (and night) as I'm in school and get about 40 minutes of walking on week days with about 5 minutes of lifting some tiny free weights if I remember to do it before I go to bed.

I was also doing the 1200 calorie think for months and I was loosing weight (~1 pound a week). After seeing all the comments on the board I upped it to 1340. I initially was heavier during the day but in the morning I was lighter and I was still loosing ~1 pound a week. I'm up to 1600 something now for the last few weeks (I usually go over) and I'm still loosing ~1 pound a week and lately I've been eating a lot of study/junk food and getting up to around 1990. My exercise activity hasn't changed. It doesn't make sense but thats what happened. Keep in mind that as you loose weight it's suppose to be harder to loose more weight, but for me it's been easier?

So after all that said if you go to Google scholar and do some reading you'll realize that while you're shorter and probably need less calories then taller people, your heart, brain and other organs need so many calories in the run of a day too. That on top of the fact that your body's metabolism is weird and has a way of savouring things. There's people out there who have ED who are the same size as people who eat healthy.

So, my suggestion is upping calories bit by bit. I felt fine on 1200 but I ate a certain way to enable me to do that. I find it a lot easier to naturally hit daily nutritional values without supplements now since I've upped. Try it out! Hope you find something that works for you.

jsapninz

Ok.

Because you are 5'2", and 117 lbs, your BMR is going to be around 1,230 as it is (you didn't include your age but this is at 25, if you are older it will be lower). That means your body burns that much just being alive at its current weight. If you include your TDEE (daily activity sedentary) it is 1,476. Therefore if you are eating 1,200 your deficit is only at around 276. That will get you a half a pound a week, IF you are 25 and your BMR is average. So in otherwords, you are set for VERY slow weight loss right now.

This is why you aren't losing any weight. I know, I know, that's what MFP tells you to eat. But the thing is, it has an auto stop on it to prevent your goal from being under 1,200 unless you manually set it. Yeah, it's all over the message boards NOT TO EAT UNDER 1,200....but honestly it is unreasonable to expect a 6'4" to have the same minimum calories as a 5'2" woman. I have eaten at 1,150 for 6 weeks and was totally fine (and losing at a steady rate!), and I am 5'4". My point is dropping under the 1,200 mark can be healthy (and practical if you want to lose weight) IF you are small and you are careful.

And you said you have issues working out...that's the great thing about MFP. You DON'T need to work out to lose weight if you are eating at the proper deficit. so that's ok.

I suggest you use Tools > BMR to calculate your BMR according to your age. Then multiple that number by 1.2 to get your TDEE. That number will be how much you burn to stay at your current weight without exercising just doing daily activity. That is the number you need to set your deficit from, so if you want to lose 1 lb a week you need to take 500 cals away from it. Probably, yes, under 1,200. But don't let that frighten you (or the fear mongers get to you). You are a smaller person, your body burns less than a bigger person! You can manually set your goals for this number and override MFP's 1,200 minimum by going to My Home.

And EAT BACK YOUR CALORIES since your TDEE does not include any exercise. You can either get a HRM (because other methods tend to overestimate your burn) or up your TDEE to "lightly active" (sedentary but working out 1/3 times a week, MFP's defeinitions are confusing), which has a multiplier of 1.375 x your BMR and not log them through there, but you still will be "eating them back" it just would be already included in your goal.

You are such a trooper for staying on here for 5 weeks and not seeing a wiggle in the scale! Good work!
Rule of thumb: three weeks go by and you aren't losing anything, it's because you are eating to much.

Hope this helps, and good luck!

jsapninz

I was also doing the 1200 calorie think for months and I was loosing weight (~1 pound a week). After seeing all the comments on the board I upped it to 1340. I initially was heavier during the day but in the morning I was lighter and I was still loosing ~1 pound a week. I'm up to 1600 something now for the last few weeks (I usually go over) and I'm still loosing ~1 pound a week and lately I've been eating a lot of study/junk food and getting up to around 1990. My exercise activity hasn't changed. It doesn't make sense but thats what happened. Keep in mind that as you loose weight it's suppose to be harder to loose more weight, but for me it's been easier?

You are 5'7". You are 5" taller than her! 1,200 was proabably way too few cals for you. She is 5'2". BIG DIFFERENCE.

kikih64

I suggest you read New Rules of Lifting for Women. What the author says about weight lifting and upping calories really made sense to me. I am only 5 pounds from my goal, and have started a lifting program and upped my calories. I haven't lost weight, but I am noticing looser clothing, some new definition in my arms, shoulders and abs, so I know I am making progress. I think we get too fixated on the scale, when we should be more worried about fueling our bodies and making them work. Good luck!

CoderGal

You are 5'7". You are 5" taller than her! 1,200 was proabably way too few cals for you. She is 5'2". BIG DIFFERENCE.

That's why I stated my height. I figured a person can do their own ratio calculation.

If we want to talk about ratios. What I basically did was find my TDEE for a person who doesn't move much and ate at that.

My BMI (how many calories your body needs to run your organs lying down in bed all day) is about 1340
Her BMI is about 1,141 if she's in her 40s like her profile says. So basically if she hits 1200 every day and doesn't eat under that, she's only eating enough to run herself sleeping. Bodies can do weird things when they're given so little fuel.

poster: Your TDEE (what you burn during a day if you have a desk job) is about 1499, I'd eat at least that. You're burning more if you do a little walk and some free weights every day.
http://www.fitnessfrog.com/calculators/tdee-calculator.html

I know it sounds counter intuitive (to eat less to loose weight) and you may feel fine at 1200 (I did) but I highly recommend upping your cals to at least 1499, higher if you plan to exercise.

jsapninz

My BMI (how many calories your body needs to run your organs lying down in bed all day) is about 1340
Her BMI is about 1,141 if she's in her 40s like her profile says. So basically if she hits 1200 every day and doesn't eat under that, she's only eating enough to run herself sleeping. Bodies can do weird things when they're given so little fuel.

poster: Your TDEE (what you burn during a day if you have a desk job) is about 1499, I'd eat at least that.

First off, you mean BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate) NOT BMI (or Body Mass Index). If her BMR is 1,114 and she is sedentary (multiplier is 1.2), her TDEE (Total Daily Energy Expenditure) is 1,336. That means if she eats this and continues her normal daily activity, she will stay at her EXACT weight. IF you are telling her to eat AT LEAST her TDEE she will stay THE SAME or GAIN. If she wants to LOSE weight she has to eat UNDER her TDEE (so does EVERYONE who wants to lose weight, I think you are confused on that, you probably meant not to eat under her BMR, which is a more common misconception).

If I were the original poster I would eat 1,086 cals a day, or 0.5 pound a week loss. (Along with logging and eating back ALL your calories from exercise (because her TDEE includes no exercise); get a Heart Rate Moniter for accuracy). Yeah, when you don't have much to lose, you are probably going to be eating close to or under your BMR if you want to lose at any significant rate. It's just the way the math works. Yeah yeah yeah, all the other MFP posters are going to FREAK the hell out when I say that but I'm sorry, starvation mode is largely a myth and you can't damage your metabolism that bady in a short amount of time. And I am not one to mess around and suggest less than half a pound a week for the sake of fear mongers.

Her other (fear monger satisfying) option would be to cut her current TDEE by 15% (reccomended TDEE cut for "healthy" weight loss) and eat 1,269. Then her daily defecit would be 67 cals a day (NOT alot of margin for error!!). This means it would take her SEVEN WEEKS to lose ONE pound. Yeah, good luck with sticking with THAT program.

sprite68

Wow! Thank you for all of your replies. I will have a look at some of the things you have all suggested & see where that brings me to.

This is the first time I've really taken any notice of the nutritional content of what I eat vs what I burn off, & it's a massive learning curve!

One thing I have found out is that different sites calculate BMR, etc, in different ways, sometimes being 2 or 300 different - it's so confusing, especially when you don't have a lot to lose, but enough to make a difference to what I look & feel like at my height.

I have actually managed to lose a 'massive' 0.8lb now - a small start, but better than nothing!

Thanks again ladies - keep up the good work!

x

CoderGal

Woops yes I ment bmr thanks for the correction.

I just state what works for me. Theres a margine in error when it comes to calorie counting. The numbers on the box is an average. The calorie burns are averaged. If you are using a hrm or step counter that calculation can be way off depending on the conditions. then it depends on which calc you use for determining those numbers because there are several. I eat at and above my tdee and loose. Do what makes you feel better, I suggest eating more. Not because Im taller so for me that number would be crazy, but because Im eating at my tdee and loosing. The calculations are not precise, which is why there are several of them. We are all different. Do what works for you. Sometimes a person can binge eat and loose.

You shouldnt eat less and less until you are in the 3 digit numbers with calories and are the weight you want. Those people have ED.

If you plan on eating below the acceptable level on mfp I would suggest seeing a doctors opinion on it first for nutritions sake.

jsapninz

This is the first time I've really taken any notice of the nutritional content of what I eat vs what I burn off, & it's a massive learning curve!

It's been alot of learning for all of us. But that's part of why MFP works better long term than diet fads and cleanses. You are making REAL changes and learning REAL things. :happy:

One thing I have found out is that different sites calculate BMR, etc, in different ways, sometimes being 2 or 300 different - it's so confusing, especially when you don't have a lot to lose, but enough to make a difference to what I look & feel like at my height.

Yes, different sites calculate BMR differently. When I first started I used an average of three sites I found. But, after you are on MFP for a few weeks and you are religious about staying just under (don't leave alot of leftover cals though) your goal, you can caculate yours almost exactly by comparing how much you have been losing compared to how much you were trying to lose (if you are losing faster, your BMR is faster etc and you need to up your intake.).

I have actually managed to lose a 'massive' 0.8lb now - a small start, but better than nothing!

Thanks again ladies - keep up the good work!

Hahaha, ALL progress is PROGRESS. But don't get discouraged if you bounce up and down every day, judge your weight loss week to week. Glad to help, pass it on someday!
Good luck! :flowerforyou:

clairemarie1016

I have noticed that I lose more weight when I closely monitor my level of carbohydrates. For me, if I limit carbohydrates to a "low carbohydrate" or "very low carbohydrate" level I lose more weight than when I eat the same amount of calories without regard to how many carbohydrates I am consuming. Below is the calculator I use to determine the ratio of carbohydrate/protein/fat. This works for me but each person is different. I hope this helps!

http://www.freedieting.com/tools/nutrient_calculator.htm

BarefootGaia

My BMI (how many calories your body needs to run your organs lying down in bed all day) is about 1340
Her BMI is about 1,141 if she's in her 40s like her profile says. So basically if she hits 1200 every day and doesn't eat under that, she's only eating enough to run herself sleeping. Bodies can do weird things when they're given so little fuel.

poster: Your TDEE (what you burn during a day if you have a desk job) is about 1499, I'd eat at least that.

First off, you mean BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate) NOT BMI (or Body Mass Index). If her BMR is 1,114 and she is sedentary (multiplier is 1.2), her TDEE (Total Daily Energy Expenditure) is 1,336. That means if she eats this and continues her normal daily activity, she will stay at her EXACT weight. IF you are telling her to eat AT LEAST her TDEE she will stay THE SAME or GAIN. If she wants to LOSE weight she has to eat UNDER her TDEE (so does EVERYONE who wants to lose weight, I think you are confused on that, you probably meant not to eat under her BMR, which is a more common misconception).

If I were the original poster I would eat 1,086 cals a day, or 0.5 pound a week loss. (Along with logging and eating back ALL your calories from exercise (because her TDEE includes no exercise); get a Heart Rate Moniter for accuracy). Yeah, when you don't have much to lose, you are probably going to be eating close to or under your BMR if you want to lose at any significant rate. It's just the way the math works. Yeah yeah yeah, all the other MFP posters are going to FREAK the hell out when I say that but I'm sorry, starvation mode is largely a myth and you can't damage your metabolism that bady in a short amount of time. And I am not one to mess around and suggest less than half a pound a week for the sake of fear mongers.

Her other (fear monger satisfying) option would be to cut her current TDEE by 15% (reccomended TDEE cut for "healthy" weight loss) and eat 1,269. Then her daily defecit would be 67 cals a day (NOT alot of margin for error!!). This means it would take her SEVEN WEEKS to lose ONE pound. Yeah, good luck with sticking with THAT program.

Can/should a person really only eat 1000 calories per day long term? Is that realistic for the rest of ones life?