Too few calories?

wildrosejmj

Hi,

I'm new here but have been tracking my diet and exercise an a different site since May 10 (this one is MUCH better). I'd been trying to lose weight for over 2 years and have finally found success. I've been losing 1-1.5 calories a week going from 240 lbs to my current weight of 226. It is so amazing to finally be losing weight! I never thought calorie counting would work for me because I've always eaten way less than the recommended amount for my height/weight. When I began tracking carefully though, and making some small sacrifices here and there, I discovered that my comfortable intake was between 1100 and 1300 calories/day. I immediately thought, no wonder I wasn't losing before on all the high protein/low carb diets - I was eating way too many calories! But now, even though I'm having a very safe and comfortable weight loss, I have people look at me in shock and horror when I tell them how many calories I'm eating. More than one person expressed concern about my thyroid function. I've had my thyroid checked many times and was always told it was normal. Should I be more concerned or should I just continue on? It's been almost 3 months and I generally feel very good - not hungry or, if I am, I eat something and feel fine. I don't exercise much but do some rebounding in addition to general lifestyle exercise (I clean a gym, have a houseful of kids, etc.). Thanks!

Deo Juvante, Jen

michellekicks

I think it depends on your height too... I didn't see you mention it. If you're short, you are probably fine on 1300 or so... your weight loss may level off at some point and you may end up needing to actually eat more to continue burning fat. But I say do what works... I can eat that in a sitting lol, but whatever works for you.

wildrosejmj

Sorry - I'm 5'7". Thanks for your thoughts. )

Superblyphat

If the doctors are checking your thyroid and telling you it's fine, then I wouldn't worry about it. Just make sure you keep talking to the doctor about your concerns with the diet and thyroid. Just my opinion.

flyingpurplemonkey

My opinion, eat when you're hungry, don't if you're not (with exceptions, of course). Especially if you are eating quality food, as eating 1200 calories of cookies and chips is going to effect your body differently than 1200 calories of lean meat and vegetables. It seems to be working for now, so my guess is that it's fine for you.

Personally, I also eat around 1200 calories and I feel great.

mycrazy8splus1

if you are feeling good, losing weight, and being monitored by a doc I don't think you have anything to worry about.

meshashesha2012

i personally think there's something off. we're around the same age, you're taller and i started out at the weight you are now, but at that weight i was eating over 1.5 times that and losing 1-2 pounds a week.

have you done a lot of yo yo dieting in the past?

Growtinymusclesgrow

Dieting (even though that word should be discarded for a much better, "healthy lifestyle") is not an exact science. What works for someone, might not work for others. Everyone is different. I know quite a few people (myself included) that can go below the dreaded 1200 calories and still lose weight. The one thing that I recommend to everyone changing their eating habits is to forget about the "low carb", "low fat", etc., etc. and use the 40/30/30 concept. In case you live under a rock and don't know what that is, it is 40% of your daily caloric intake is protein, 30% carbs, and 30% fat. Another recommendation, I tell people to definitely train with weights (yes, even you women) followed by 30 minutes of HIIT training. It really works amazing...also proven in numerous studies. I have a great paper giving 50 tips, let me know if ya'll want it. I will also beat this dead horse, check out www.formulazone.com, it is an incredible site that really does a great job at teaching portion control.

wildrosejmj

Never yo yo dieted. All through highschool/early adulthood, I was around 155. I went on birth control pills senior year and gained 10 lbs. I stayed at 165 till I got pregnant several years later. After having my first child I stayed around 180. I eventually got down to 160 again but I was barely eating anything and wasn't healthy. We had several more kids and I ended up around 200 lbs. Five years later we had 2 more kids. After our last child (she's 3) I got back down to 220 but then started gaining again, without really changing anything. I topped out at 240. Over the last 2.5 yrs I'd tried high protein/low carb diets, lots of physical activity (mowing with a reel mower, walking, etc.) but just kept gaining and gaining. On May 10 I started counting my calories and bought a rebounder. This is the first time I've been able to lose weight.

Thanks for all the thoughts. I guess I'll just keep going as I am unless something changes and it stops working or I don't feel like I'm getting adequate nutrition.

PoliticalRN

If you eat too few calories your body will go into starvation mode and hold onto as much fat as it can. As humans our bodies have been conditioned to know feast and famine. It's useless to us now but back in caveman days obtaining food was more of a hit and miss. Therefore, our bodies would conserve fat in times of famine so that we don't starve. The low-carb diets do work since it prevents the glucose spike that triggers the hunger which cause individuals to over eat. Regardless you still have to watch how much you eat. I'm enrolled in the Stanford University Low-Carb Diet study and I've been losing weight steadily. I'm not hungry and I have no cravings for sweets since I don't have glucose spikes. A good book to read to understand how our metabolism and weightl-oss works is The South Beach Diet by the famed Cardiologist Dr. Agaston from Miami Beach. I hope this helps.

wildrosejmj

I appreciate the thoughts. I am definitely losing fat. I've only taken off 14 lbs but have lost 3.5 inches around my chest and my waist. I've never eaten a lot. Whenever I've looked at different eating plans, etc., I could never figure out how people could eat that much food. It was always way more than I would eat in a day. Like I said, for now, I'll just keep doing what I'm doing. I feel really good - no real cravings - am eating a lot of vegis (lots more than I used to), and don't feel hungry unless it's truly time to eat something. I begin to think everyone just has to find what works for them. Thanks again!