OK have at it

psuLemon

What are you trying to accomplish? If you want to look better, than you should be aiming to gain muscle. But even if you are sedentary with NO exercise, your TDEE is around 1581. But if you are active with kids or you workout, your TDEE is higher and under eating is just killing your metabolism.

I am trying to get back to where I was last year. Which was 10 pounds lighter, felt better, looked better, clothes fit better. People were complementing me. The most recent "complement" I have gotten was "oh your getting fatter!" Seriously.

Stop worrying about weight. Also, if anyone is saying you are getting fatter, they are crazy. YOu don't have much room to do anything except increase weight by increasing muscle mass. Below is the result from doing so.


http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/392784-skinny-fat-vs-fit-photo?hl=skinny+fat&page=2#posts-5441852

andrearaquel48

I looked back a couple of weeks and I think you do need to eat more calories, but also to change your eating habits some. For starters I don't think eating 1000 calories every day and then once in a while eating 2000 calories is the proper way to zigzag, although I'm no expert. How about trying to up your daily calories to about 1500-1600 on average, and then zigzag between 1300 - 1800? But more importantly I think you would benefit from changing your diet - I see a lot of processed meats, vitamins, and supplements, but very few fresh fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and lean meats. Just my un-expert opinion! Congrats on your progress so far and good luck!

SparklesPlenty

And last, talk to your doctor and get an idea of what a healthy wt would be for you. I know the shorter we are the less we weigh, so talk to him/her and get an idea of where you should be with your wt.

Good luck to you, I hope you are able to meet your goals.

I have spoken to my doctor and he put my healthy weight at 105.

Thank you for your help!

Hanablu2

Your body thinks it's starving. I only looked at the past three days including today you had a 98 calorie lunch! You are not even eating 1200 calories a day. Your body thinks it's starving so everything you eat it's storing.

tampatha

Just some observations, although nothing that has not already been said...you need to eat a bit more and add some more fruits and veggies into your diet. For your snack instead of the trail mix, try some carrots or celery with a bit of hummus or FF ranch dressing....

I am currently in a weight management health program and the dietician says to eat every three hours whether it is a meal or a snack to keep the body's metabolism going. I personally have to set a timer to help me with this as I can go up to 6 hours between meals which obviously isn't good. She also says to try to have at least 3 of the 4 food groups at each meal if you can and then 2 at your snack...'

some favorite snack I like are graham wafers with peanut butter, apples & peanut butter and even just a cup of homemade vegetable soup made with low sodium chicken broth and just whatever veggies I have in the fridge. I make a big pot of it and then just eat it throughout the week...

It looks like you eat a lot of the same foods during the week...try mixing it up a bit. I do that as well sometimes, and so my body falls into a rut of sorts, you want to keep throwing your body for a loop so that it has to work harder to burn up the calories from the different foods you are giving it...instead of that liverwurst I believe it was, buy a rotisserie chicken and take the skin off..it's great for sandwiches or on salads. Salads at lunch are great and then I usually vary the toppings, so some chicken, or tuna or deli ham/turkey things like that, sometimes just a hard boiled egg on it....

melsinct

You will likely try and look for every other answer under the sun because you don't like my opinion, but to me it is pretty obvious what the problem is.

I value your opinion, which is why I asked for it. I would appreciate it if you wouldn't pigeonhole me into this persona of narrow mindedness.

How is it narrow minded? I looked through your diary and it is obvious to me (as well as many others posting here) that the clear answer is you are not eating enough. I know many people on MFP who try to sustain <1200 calorie living hate that answer. I am guessing you knew the answer, as from the get go you mentioned not eating enough.

You know what you need to do. You can keep struggling as you are currently or you can choose the healthy option and fuel that body of yours! You have come such a long way, you deserve to keep that body of yours healthy, strong and lean. If you keep under-eating and you do lose weight again it will be lean muscle mass, not fat. Either way, you aren't doing yourself any favors by not eating.

I don't intend for this to come across as rude in the least, so I hope it doesn't appear that way. I am trying to virtually shake your shoulders and make you see what the rest of us do!

brittdaw32

I didn't look at your calorie thing but that's a significant jump for someone who apparently is eating few calories. Perhaps, it's not calorie related at all. The first thing that came to my mind is could you be pregnant? Something that is easily overlooked and sometimes people are unaware or have normal periods and don't have any signs until they start putting on weight. Just a thought.

d4rkn3ss06

Why is your daily goal 1,100? you need at least 1,200 on a daily basis!! it is very likely that you are under eating so much that your body is holding onto anything you eat becuase you are not giving your body the fuel it needs!! you need to eat more! eat healthy and stop depriving your body the FUEL it needs!! The calories you eat are what fuel your body!

SparklesPlenty

I didn't look at your calorie thing but that's a significant jump for someone who apparently is eating few calories. Perhaps, it's not calorie related at all. The first thing that came to my mind is could you be pregnant? Something that is easily overlooked and sometimes people are unaware or have normal periods and don't have any signs until they start putting on weight. Just a thought.

Nope, not pregnant (thank goodness).

DiannaMoorer

I agree that you need to be more consistent with your calories and that you need to eat more veggies and fruit. Keep your protein up also. Also try more cardio. Get your heart rate up for a good 45 minutes instead of 20 to 30. Look up how to do speed drills on the treadmill. They are a great fat burner. Good luck to you.:flowerforyou:

escloflowneCHANGED

It's simple, you won't lose weight with net calories of 600-1000 a day. You seem to work out so I would guess you need at least 1600 calories net to lose weight.

kiranicsmom

First of all let me just say BRAVO! It takes a lot of guts to put yourself out there for others to look at what you are eating and "offer" suggestions for what they think is better choices for you. Eating and weight loss are very personal things. Your reasons for wanting to weigh a certain weight are yours and yours alone.

I did look at your food diary and unfortunately I think that I have to concur with what a lot of posters have said.
1. Sodium might be an issue with the processed meats.
2. I think that it is great that you are drinking a shake that is high in protein because I think you might need even a little more in your day.
3. In my opinion your calories are too low. You should be eating 1200 calories every day. An occasional day where it is lower isn't going to hurt but consistently eating lower than 1200 can make our bodies go into starvation mode and then our metabolism with decrease too.
4. Fruits and veggie would help round out your day too.

Lastly, if you are so close to your goal weight, it can be harder to lose those last pounds. Keep your head up! Continue to track what you are eating and continue exercising especially with the weight training. Maybe take some of these suggestions and play around and tweek things but don't get frustrated and down about it!

Good luck!
Jenn

LordBezoar

I know you will all tell me to eat more, but if you look back several days you will see I vary my calories up and down and don't always under eat.

Nope, I looked through for a week and you definitely under-eat. You don't want to hear it, but cycling between 800 and 1100 calories is way too little fuel. You will likely try and look for every other answer under the sun because you don't like my opinion, but to me it is pretty obvious what the problem is.

Also, your diary is very light on produce. Add some fruit and veg in there!

^^ This. Also, if you are really doing 30DS, there is no way you getting enough food. You need to eat back the Calories you burn from that every day. Your body isn't going to give up the fat if it knows it isn't going to get fed properly. I didn't believe it at first either, but it is the truth.

kaitlynnme

You have already gotten quite a bit of advice here. But I do agree with the others that you need to increase your calories. I went through the same thing as you. And I know it can be scary to think that eating more will help you lose weight. You could try increasing your calories by 100 and keep it there for a week or 2 and then increase them again by another 100 for a week or 2, etc. until you get to the amount you need to be. And if you keep your diet super clean, I guarantee you will start to feel better. Are you lifting heavy when you are doing weights? You will want to lift heavy to build muscle, but you also have to eat more to fuel the muscle building and to make sure that you do not lose what you have. The more muscle you have, the more fat your body will burn. It all works together and it takes patience. It took me 6 months to get back on track where my body began to trust that I would feed it and start letting go of the fat. You can do it!

SparklesPlenty

Are you lifting heavy when you are doing weights?

I lift as heavy as I can :happy:

katlynx6

I'm by no means an expert but I have to agree with what mostly everyone else has said - eat more. I know that seems to be a pretty popular theme around MFP forums nowadays so you might be skeptical (as I was) but it really does have benefits!

I'm also 5'2 - and 108 lbs used to be my goal - until I started strength training and realized that I'd rather be toned and strong than hit a certain number on a scale. From August until December of last year I was student teaching so I was insanely busy/exhausted constantly and I never worked out and didn't count my calories but my weight was stable at 116. After I graduated, I started working again out to fill some of my newfound free time, but I didn't change my eating habits - I ate pretty much the same as when I wasn't working out (I'm a creature of habit and tend to eat alot of the same foods every day - I know what I like!). I thought that I should be losing weight since all I'd changed was that I'd started exercising (all cardio) but instead I gained! Only once I started eating more, eating exercise calories back, and strength training, did I lose anything at all. Now I've lost the pounds I gained when I wasn't eating enough plus a few extra.

I won't say that I've thrown out my scale and don't care about the numbers anymore because that's not entirely true (although I'm trying to care less) - but I feel better and weigh less than when I was netting less than 1,200 a day - usually I net around 1,300, sometimes more. Good luck!

ArroganceInStep

I'm not going to comment on eating more as many people already have and I don't think I have anything to add to that regard beyond what they've said. One point of contention I do have is on your estimate for BMR. I did a quick check and your BMR should be closer to 1325 than 1175. My $0.02

What I will mention though is consistency. I've NEVER liked the idea of zig zagging calories. I don't think it works and believe it can mask actual progress you may be making.

I would strongly suggest that you pick a calorie target and a macro target, and hit it EVERY single day for two weeks. Only after that time should you reassess and see if you should change things.

The people saying you won't lose weight eating 600 calories a day are wrong, you will lose weight that way. But it's REALLY bad for your body and you'll lose a lot of muscle mass in the process. If you liked the way you looked 10 lbs lighter, I guarantee you that losing 10 lbs of muscle won't make you look any better than you do right now.

I personally think that picking a target, even if it's below the magical 1200 calorie mark, and consistently eating that many calories along with a good balance of protein, fat, and carbs, will do much more for you than your current diet ever would. Now you *should be eating over your BMR, but that's beside the point. Try to eat a consistent amount of food, and get adequate nutrients. I suspect you'll start seeing better results.

qtiekiki

And last, talk to your doctor and get an idea of what a healthy wt would be for you. I know the shorter we are the less we weigh, so talk to him/her and get an idea of where you should be with your wt.

Good luck to you, I hope you are able to meet your goals.

I have spoken to my doctor and he put my healthy weight at 105.

Thank you for your help!

Why is your healthy weight at 105? It's a little strange to have a specific weight. A range would be more realistic. You are already in the healthy BMI range with so little body fat, so I don't understand the need of the doctor to say 105 is it.

I agree with everyone that say you are undereating, and I think you should eat more real food. I mean all you are eating for breakfast is protein powder.

SparklesPlenty

And last, talk to your doctor and get an idea of what a healthy wt would be for you. I know the shorter we are the less we weigh, so talk to him/her and get an idea of where you should be with your wt.

Good luck to you, I hope you are able to meet your goals.

I have spoken to my doctor and he put my healthy weight at 105.


Thank you for your help!

Why is your healthy weight at 105? It's a little strange to have a specific weight. A range would be more realistic. You are already in the healthy BMI range with so little body fat, so I don't understand the need of the doctor to say 105 is it.

I agree with everyone that say you are undereating, and I think you should eat more real food. I mean all you are eating for breakfast is protein powder.

He actually said 103 - 108 which is where I was at the time I talked to him. So I just went with the middle number

katcod1522

Im 5'2...my dr says my healthy weight can be anywhere from 120-136. Just sayin.

qtiekiki

And last, talk to your doctor and get an idea of what a healthy wt would be for you. I know the shorter we are the less we weigh, so talk to him/her and get an idea of where you should be with your wt.

Good luck to you, I hope you are able to meet your goals.

I have spoken to my doctor and he put my healthy weight at 105.


Thank you for your help!

Why is your healthy weight at 105? It's a little strange to have a specific weight. A range would be more realistic. You are already in the healthy BMI range with so little body fat, so I don't understand the need of the doctor to say 105 is it.

I agree with everyone that say you are undereating, and I think you should eat more real food. I mean all you are eating for breakfast is protein powder.

He actually said 103 - 108 which is where I was at the time I talked to him. So I just went with the middle number

That is still only the low end of the healthy BMI range for your height, and a very narrow range. I guess I just don't know what he was basing it on, if not BMI.

sizzle92

I would seriously question my doctor if they gave me a range of healthy weight like that. A good doctor wouldn't do that. I have worked in family medicine for 15 years. I want to know where he came up with these magical numbers?

I think you should look into a dietician/nutritionist's help with your diet.

Keep it up! I know it's tough. You're doing great!

SparklesPlenty

I would seriously question my doctor if they gave me a range of healthy weight like that. A good doctor wouldn't do that. I have worked in family medicine for 15 years. I want to know where he came up with these magical numbers?

I think you should look into a dietician/nutritionist's help with your diet.

Keep it up! I know it's tough. You're doing great!

He picked the numbers based on what I was fluctuating between for a year and that I was healthy at those weights.

sizzle92

and a very narrow range...................

This. Very odd.

sizzle92

I would seriously question my doctor if they gave me a range of healthy weight like that. A good doctor wouldn't do that. I have worked in family medicine for 15 years. I want to know where he came up with these magical numbers?

I think you should look into a dietician/nutritionist's help with your diet.

Keep it up! I know it's tough. You're doing great!

He picked the numbers based on what I was fluctuating between for a year and that I was healthy at those weights.

psuLemon

You have already gotten quite a bit of advice here. But I do agree with the others that you need to increase your calories. I went through the same thing as you. And I know it can be scary to think that eating more will help you lose weight. You could try increasing your calories by 100 and keep it there for a week or 2 and then increase them again by another 100 for a week or 2, etc. until you get to the amount you need to be. And if you keep your diet super clean, I guarantee you will start to feel better. Are you lifting heavy when you are doing weights? You will want to lift heavy to build muscle, but you also have to eat more to fuel the muscle building and to make sure that you do not lose what you have. The more muscle you have, the more fat your body will burn. It all works together and it takes patience. It took me 6 months to get back on track where my body began to trust that I would feed it and start letting go of the fat. You can do it!

This!!!


And she can back it up with a recent success story. I am just saying!

cpiton

I don't have much to add. Eat at your BMR--net, more vegies, less processed stuff, more water (I'm always trying to drink more water, too), etc. I eat at my BMR and eat almost all my exercise cals back and I'm finally losing again after a 6 week plateau spent eating much less. Also, I changed up my weight routine and that helped. I eat 3 meals a day, not six, and it hasn't affected my metabolism one way or the other. (I lost 50+lbs eating 3 meals) Do what seems right for you in that regard.

My point is, the one thing everyone has said here is for you to eat more. That's the one consistent piece of advice you've gotten, so I'd try that first. Maybe that's all you need to change.

I would love to hear about your progress!
Also, I think you're really brave for "putting it out there" when you needed help. Best to you! :flowerforyou:

hiker282

I think you shouldn't be going under 1500 calories, personally. Also, get off of the processed foods and eat more whole foods. I know there's a crap load of sodium in there and a lot of useless crap. Others have said to move to more fruits and veggies and lean proteins like chicken and fish and I am 100% with them.

sixisCHANGEDjk

1200 calories a day did nothing for me but make me mad. I'd change my setting to 1/2 pound a week (maybe 1 lb/week) with exercise. Eat back most or all of what you exercise. I've been doing that and realizing a 1/2 lb/week loss. Not being extremely overweight, it takes a bit of time to see some results.

SparklesPlenty

What is a good goal for sodium intake? I am always way under MAP goal levels. What should I have that set to?