I STILL have 800 calories to eat again today!! How?????

snugsmontreal

the starvation mode is a biggie, you will hold on to excess weight because your body isn't actually getting enough. also you are eating a good amount of protein (if you are doing double cardio you need more protein than MFP recommends.) i know for myself personally i do a HIGH fiber (35 grams a day) and low-moderate carbs, i try to aim for 300 cals of exercise a day and i have been losing the weight at just a little faster than the estimates in my goals. (i don't eat back my exercise carbs)

on an extra note i noticed your water is not added in, if you are not drinking the recommended 8 glasses, or 2 liters/half gallon a day your body will actually hold excess water making you have a significant amount of water weight that will be relatively quickly lost once you up your amount of intake of water per day. you will pee more, so plan to be out with 5 kids and near a bathroom, but you might see an improvement on the weight front by just watching those 2 things (starvation and dehydration)

steelnfl

I noticed you didn't have any water logged. Be sure to drink plenty of water. I am drinking 128 ounces a day and it seems to be working.

twonkieone

well - as far as tiny meals .... the 1 1/2 cups of stuffed pepper soup felt like I ate 4 cups! no way i could add anything else. in fact, i waited an extra 45 minutes to go to gym because i was stuffed myself!

what i'm doing now as far as food and exercise i've always done - and, obviously, something is not clicking. i don't have anything to really "give up" (ie i don't drink pop, eat chips once in a blue moon, don't use salad dressing.....) --- so maybe need to figure out better portions or things to add in for more balance

twonkieone

i forgot --- probably had 10+ cups today !!

MissyAZjourney

Are you hungry? If so, eat. If not. don't. Listen to your body.

oh praise god finally someone with sense ^^^this. if we all did this there wouldn't be any weight problems. and we includes me...if I had done this I wouldn't have a weight problem.

floersh21

Actually I want to echo some other things people are saying and share my personal experience:

Awhile back I was not losing weight even though I was exercising and on a really low calorie diet. I got the advice about increasing my calories. When I upped my calories I dropped 5 lbs almost immediately. Also, incorporate more healthy fats: avocados, nuts, olive oil. They are amazing for your skin tone and texture. And your body is probably in starvation mode.

(: Good luck

That's literally EXACTLY what happened to me.

ap472111

Almost everyday I have about 800 calories left and I never feel that I'm starving myself. I think its great that you do back to back classes some days, I do the same and I always feel great after. Do what makes you feel good, if you feel that is what you want to do then do it

Brenda_1965

Nice job with the protein. I have trouble getting enough protein, and I take protein more seriously when I run hard. It looks like your minimum is 1200, so you are only 200 under. It will lecture you about starvation mode if you are under 1200. I like the almonds suggestion. Don't eat junk just to fill. Almonds are high calorie and not too filling. Good luck!

mamagooskie

I'd eat like 20 oreo cookies.

twonkieone

@ momma - i sooooo would do that if i had them.... or wine ~ think i'd get 1/2 the bottle!!!

Journalartista

i also forgot to mention that your appetite is not necessarily a good guide to go by in terms of when and what you need to eat. appetite is controlled by hormones and if those hormones are off then your appetite will be as well.

there was a point when my appetite was telling me i needed 7-8K worth of calories a day but i gained weight because that's not what my BODY needed. there are also times when because of my workouts (I do few HIIT sessions a week and HIIT affects the hormone that control appetite) i dont have an appetite. this doesnt mean that my body doesnt need those calories, it means that something is off with the hormones that control appetite.

so eat your food. dont pay attention to your appetite because it can lie to you

Thank you for this! I just had an "aha" moment! lol

twonkieone

so all this food talk made me hungry - went for pb on fresh italian bread - got me some protein and carbs .... maybe eating them at night will help since the hypoglycemia can't kick in when i'm sleeping!!

thanks all! u rock!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

rippedcutupabs

Eat a few Pop Tarts.

penniemh

I have a great book titled "Eat up, Slim down" its numbers are higher than any online food tracking I've used, however, I followed their recommendations on the # of calories to eat per day and lost 20#'s in 6 weeks (which I promptly gained back when I stopped)...that being written, what the book recommends is: find your current weight, look at your activity level, then subtract between 500-1000 calories per day from what you would need to eat to maintain your currently weight at your current activity level. This site 'told me' I should be eating ~1250 cals/per day with a sedentary activity level, I set my goal to 1320, track my activity separately and have lost 5 #'s in 3 weeks.

If you don't feed your body enough at an increased activity level it will hold on to the weight, also, muscle weighs more than fat, which we all already know. A nutritionist once told me after any sort of vigorous activity one should eat something High in Protein, to help the body repair itself. She recommended soy protein shakes, but I don't like soy products, so I eat peanut butter and or egg whites.

Then again, perhaps you are just at a plateau and it's time to "trick your body" into more weight loss by doing something different for exercise.

suekow

do not eat back calories burned, make sure you eat at least 1200 cal and required protein every day.

davidlbass

If you aren't hungry don't worry about it.

snugsmontreal

i am a nurse, and i have studied nutrition as part of being a nurse. so from what i know about it starvation mode has nearly nothing to do with fat stores. it has to do with muscle mass and losing it. when you are eating adequate calories your body will burn fat and build muscle, if you do not have enough intake of calories from both protein and carbs you will not burn only fat your body will literally break down your muscles for fuel. when you are in starvation mode you will get more cramping more often when you do intense workouts because of ketones (a by-product of excessive fat breakdown as a sole source of fuel that cause a lactic acid buildup).this is especially important for anyone that is hypoglycemic or diabetic to avoid as ketones can build up and cause ketoacidosis (a medical crisis for diabetics that can lead to death). when you are eating not just enough food, but balanced out between carbs/fats/proteins you will see a far better effect of fat loss and increased muscle tone. take that for what it is worth, it's been a little while since i studied nutrition intensely but that is what i can remember.

jimzisa

Have you figured out your calorie dilemma? I struggled with the total calorie problem off and on in the past. When I went back to training - endurance and heavy condition to build a base from which to move on to tougher work - I met with my MD (a board certified medical nutritionist of all things) and he ladled out the following parameters:

1. Protein intake not more than 1g per kilogram of TOTAL body weight. You really can get stronger without adding a ton of muscle mass, unless "hulked out" is what you're going for.

2. Carb intake should rough out to about 50% of total daily calorie intake - slow burn, high fiber carbs like veggies, beans, brown rice, sweet potatos only. I eat a lot of red beans and brown rice. It works.

3. No gluten, period. If bread factors into the day, only one serving per day and only whole wheat (which is tough given that few commercial brands use only whole grain flour).

4. Fat intake to not more than 20% of daily calorie intake. In my case, the cutoff is 40g per day. Just keep fat low - the whole Primal / no carb approach is not sustainable long term, at least in my case as endurance training can't persist in the face of acidosis. (The ketone problem one of your posters observed).

5. Keep up with BMI% and BF%. If you lose muscle mass, don't add protein. Rather, start by adding a few extra slow burn carbs. Your body may just need the calories to prevent metabolizing muscle tissue instead of burning the carbs. I know, right? That's the kicker. Adding more protein doesn't actually prevent muscle mass - ya just gotta replace those calories with carbs.

6. Do a little research on calorie deficit. There's a lot of nutrition information available - I've been hanging out at www.beginnertriathlete.com lately. The site has links to a lot of science based nutritional information that I've found helpful. It'll help to calculate your BMR - the site has links to the simple math you need to work the numbers. Then you can set your goals by calorie deficit and exercise. Maintain the calorie deficit and to NOT add calories because you work out. My daily calorie number is 1,900, no matter how much I exercise.

7. Keep up with the kind of exercise you do to compare how you feel to what you eat.

Sorry for running on as I have, but when I started trying to get my sexy back, I rarely hit my goals, struggled to lose weight and couldn't get over feeling tired and deeply fatigued. I ended up cutting back on protein - I was still going over my daily maximum any way - adding about 150 calories more of carbs every day to prevent muscle loss and Bob's your uncle, the fat started melting off. Oh, and work out your preferred sports drink. I'm not necessarily talking counter brand gatorade though. I use stuff called Scivation Xtend, its a zero calorie BCAA supplement that one takes during a workout. (It's made in a med lab right here in NC, but eBay has it cheaper by far). On tougher, longer days, like the first 3 hour ride I did recently, my MD recommended G2, low sugar Gatorade with alka-seltzer added in. 1 bottle per hour max. It flushes lactic acid very quickly, reduces fatigue to the point where I don't notice it at all and cuts recovery time to, well zero.

OK, now I am rambling. Sorry about that but your topic is close to my heart / waistline and I've spent a lot of time figuring this stuff out for myself, the hard way.

Good luck.

Shesasuperstaryea1

I've got a 700 cal bomb of deliciousness for you
greek yogurt + peanut butter + chocolate protein powder + coconut oil. It's called sludge.

AWESOME suggestion! :-)

neanderthin

Have you figured out your calorie dilemma? I struggled with the total calorie problem off and on in the past. When I went back to training - endurance and heavy condition to build a base from which to move on to tougher work - I met with my MD (a board certified medical nutritionist of all things) and he ladled out the following parameters:

1. Protein intake not more than 1g per kilogram of TOTAL body weight. You really can get stronger without adding a ton of muscle mass, unless "hulked out" is what you're going for.

2. Carb intake should rough out to about 50% of total daily calorie intake - slow burn, high fiber carbs like veggies, beans, brown rice, sweet potatos only. I eat a lot of red beans and brown rice. It works.

3. No gluten, period. If bread factors into the day, only one serving per day and only whole wheat (which is tough given that few commercial brands use only whole grain flour).

4. Fat intake to not more than 20% of daily calorie intake. In my case, the cutoff is 40g per day. Just keep fat low - the whole Primal / no carb approach is not sustainable long term, at least in my case as endurance training can't persist in the face of acidosis. (The ketone problem one of your posters observed).

5. Keep up with BMI% and BF%. If you lose muscle mass, don't add protein. Rather, start by adding a few extra slow burn carbs. Your body may just need the calories to prevent metabolizing muscle tissue instead of burning the carbs. I know, right? That's the kicker. Adding more protein doesn't actually prevent muscle mass - ya just gotta replace those calories with carbs.

6. Do a little research on calorie deficit. There's a lot of nutrition information available - I've been hanging out at www.beginnertriathlete.com lately. The site has links to a lot of science based nutritional information that I've found helpful. It'll help to calculate your BMR - the site has links to the simple math you need to work the numbers. Then you can set your goals by calorie deficit and exercise. Maintain the calorie deficit and to NOT add calories because you work out. My daily calorie number is 1,900, no matter how much I exercise.

7. Keep up with the kind of exercise you do to compare how you feel to what you eat.

Sorry for running on as I have, but when I started trying to get my sexy back, I rarely hit my goals, struggled to lose weight and couldn't get over feeling tired and deeply fatigued. I ended up cutting back on protein - I was still going over my daily maximum any way - adding about 150 calories more of carbs every day to prevent muscle loss and Bob's your uncle, the fat started melting off. Oh, and work out your preferred sports drink. I'm not necessarily talking counter brand gatorade though. I use stuff called Scivation Xtend, its a zero calorie BCAA supplement that one takes during a workout. (It's made in a med lab right here in NC, but eBay has it cheaper by far). On tougher, longer days, like the first 3 hour ride I did recently, my MD recommended G2, low sugar Gatorade with alka-seltzer added in. 1 bottle per hour max. It flushes lactic acid very quickly, reduces fatigue to the point where I don't notice it at all and cuts recovery time to, well zero.

OK, now I am rambling. Sorry about that but your topic is close to my heart / waistline and I've spent a lot of time figuring this stuff out for myself, the hard way.

Good luck.

Yoy.

Shesasuperstaryea1

I Googled 800 calories and found this, fortuately I am also a member on this site :-)
Here's how I solved my dilemma.
Pero - Mini Sweet Peppers (Yellow, Red, Orange), 3 peppers (85 g) 25 5 0 1 0 3 (Sliced thin)
Buitoni - Four Cheese Ravioli, 1 1/4 cups (105g) 340 42 12 15 630 2
Sunflower - Organic Coconut Oil-Expeller Pressed, 1 Tbsp 120 0 14 0 0 0 (I sauteed the peppers on high heat while the ravioli boiled)
Whole Fresh Basil Leaves, 5 leaves 1 0 0 0 0 0 (Added this at last minute, so glad I did!)
Mix it all together, add salt & pepper to taste and viola!
Bowlful seems huge compared to my portion sizes lately and its very filling and not so flabby for a late dinner such as mine. :happy: