*sustainable* caloric intake and eating habits?

kater8er

Last summer I lost about 20 lbs while on MFP...The weight came off pretty quickly, within a matter of 2 months or so. I was eating 1240 cals a day, plus only half of my exercise cals, and working out incessantly with super hard interval workouts. I consumed virtually no sugar and carbs, and was a slave to MFP. I was about halfway to my goal, but then I found I couldn't sustain that kind of low cal eating and exercising and gained most of the weight back.

Once school started back up again, I had no time to work out for 90 minutes, and I was staying up really late to finish assignments, interview for jobs, run the club I was president of, etc. So 1240 cals quickly became a fantasy--even when I ate super filling things, I needed more. This just resulted in a slow weight gain. Over the 1st semester, I gained 4 lbs, the last semester, I gained 8--partly due to a health thing I was going through that kept me from working out, but also due to too much eating.

Now I'm trying this again--but I don't want to get in that rut. Losing 20 lbs so quickly was an amazing feeling, but I wish I had gone slower and gotten myself down gradually so I could sustain the weight loss. What I'm wondering is if there's an ideal deficit or way to gradually slim down? I know that ultimately it's a healthy lifestyle I'm aiming for, and hopefully the excess weight will come off. Currently I'm set at 1240 cals.

kitinboots

I would up your calories a little. I too found 1200 to little to sustain along with a normal life, so now I aim for 1400 (which is more like my BMR anyway) and eat almost all my exercise calories (I guage a feeling whether or not I need them all). I still go over sometimes, but on good days I don't feel like its a struggle.

bcattoes

Change your setting to lose 1 or .5 lbs per week, and eat most or all of your exercise calories back. Don't eat very low carb if that's not something you can do long term. Just try to focus on a variety of healthy foods that you enjoy. Losing weight won't be such a struggle if you just think of what you'll be able maintain long term and go with that.