Calories confusing me!

uwdawg07

I'm trying to get 5-6 pounds off. When I was eating 1200 calories a day, I wasn't losing any weight. For some time now (a couple months at least) I've been eating 1500-1600 calories per day, and am maintaining.

How could I maintain at 1200 and 1500-1600? If I can maintain at a higher number, why couldn't I lose at 1200?! And where should I eat to lose weight? Argh.

mockchoc

How many exercise calories do you burn a day? If you are burning a lot then 1500-1600 might be too little.

mockchoc

edited due to stoopid computer issue

uwdawg07

How many exercise calories do you burn a day? If you are burning a lot then 1500-1600 might be too little.

I burn about 230 on a walk, and around 600-700 doing my nightly workouts.

BluthLover

I hear ya sister. I maintain at 1700-2200 no lie. Like no matter what I do I'm 135. How are your macros? Are you drinking a lot of water? Have you tried taking a break from it all?

BluthLover

Have you tried netting above bmr for awhile?

tigersword

How many exercise calories do you burn a day? If you are burning a lot then 1500-1600 might be too little.

I burn about 230 on a walk, and around 600-700 doing my nightly workouts.

So, you eat 1500 calories, and then burn off 1000? You don't see the problem there? Do you eat back what you burn? Are you sure your calorie burns are accurate? How accurate is your food log? Measure everything, or estimate?

Can't give any advice without any information.

BluthLover

Agreed. I'd say up calories.

Copaiba

go to fat2fit.com to use their fitness tools and find out how many calories they recommend. I would guess you could still maintain with more calories and possibly lose with more calories. I'm 46 and work out pretty hard, not as much as you, but 3-4 times a week, 300-400 calorie burns. My maintenance is 1800 cal and I lose really well at around 1400. If you are younger and working out harder....

uwdawg07

How many exercise calories do you burn a day? If you are burning a lot then 1500-1600 might be too little.

I burn about 230 on a walk, and around 600-700 doing my nightly workouts.

So, you eat 1500 calories, and then burn off 1000? You don't see the problem there? Do you eat back what you burn? Are you sure your calorie burns are accurate? How accurate is your food log? Measure everything, or estimate?

Can't give any advice without any information.

Well, my maintenance level of calories is around 2100 (calculators say, don't know how accurate those are), and I want to lose weight, so I dropped what I eat down to 1500-1600.

I don't *know* if my calorie burns are accurate. I use a Polar FT60 heart rate monitor, set with my age, height, weight, etc. Depending on the intensity of the workout, it gives me a reading of 8-10 calories burned per minute.

I track everything I eat. Even one M&M. So, I'd say my calories eaten are very accurate.

The other thing is, everything I've read says "you can't build muscle on a calorie deficit." Well, I've built a ton of muscle. So if I was eating way under what I should have been, how did I build so much muscle?!

I have a feeling my BMR is probably freakishly low or something!

tigersword

What makes you think you've built muscle?

psuLemon

Have you ever considered try eating more. Most active women i know are eating 1700-2000... some more. And if you have plateaued why dont you set it at maintenance (2100 calories) for two weeks and then drop it to 1900 when thats done. With 6 lbs to lose you cant aim for more than 1/2 lb per week.

uwdawg07

What makes you think you've built muscle?

My eyes?! haha

2 years ago before I got sick and gained the weight, I was thin, but had little muscle. So I can see a huge difference between what I looked like then and now. I have built a lot of muscle. I've taken photos and compared as well.

Other people always comment on my muscles as well.

uwdawg07

Have you ever considered try eating more. Most active women i know are eating 1700-2000... some more. And if you have plateaued why dont you set it at maintenance (2100 calories) for two weeks and then drop it to 1900 when thats done. With 6 lbs to lose you cant aim for more than 1/2 lb per week.

I can do that. I guess I'm just confused because I feel like eating 400-500 extra calories a day is quite a bit, and I was thinking that if my problem was eating too little, I'd start losing after upping. But maybe it wasn't enough?!

1900 just seems like a lot for a 5'3" person!

1ConcreteGirl

One problem is that you're eating too little if you're only trying to lose 5-6 lbs. That is, your body knows you don't have much to lose and will hold on to the weight if you're too aggressive with your weight loss attempts. Set your calories at a 1/2 lb per week loss and make sure your TDEE/BMR are calculated accurately.

twinketta

What height and weight are you at the moment?

twinketta

Correct me if I am wrong, but I am guessing you are already underweight for your height ? And maybe you are going for some `vanity weight`

uwdawg07

What height and weight are you at the moment?

I'm like 121ish. I go up and down a pound from there every day. So definitely not underweight. I've still got this layer of fat that's driving me nuts!

DopeItUp

Have you ever considered try eating more. Most active women i know are eating 1700-2000... some more. And if you have plateaued why dont you set it at maintenance (2100 calories) for two weeks and then drop it to 1900 when thats done. With 6 lbs to lose you cant aim for more than 1/2 lb per week.

Yes, this is what I came here to post. I bet you're eating way too little with the amount of exercise you're putting in. Your metabolism will slow down to accommodate the starvation (it seems like you've been netting only a few hundred a day which is dangerously low). Take your best shot at eating at maintenance for two weeks (or more, maybe even a month) and try to get your metabolism back to normal. Then carve out a SMALL deficit. 250 calories per day TOPS. Adjust from there. You might put on a little weight initially as you readjust to eating normally but you'll take it off once you go back into a realistic deficit.

jzammetti

Have you ever considered try eating more. Most active women i know are eating 1700-2000... some more. And if you have plateaued why dont you set it at maintenance (2100 calories) for two weeks and then drop it to 1900 when thats done. With 6 lbs to lose you cant aim for more than 1/2 lb per week.

I can do that. I guess I'm just confused because I feel like eating 400-500 extra calories a day is quite a bit, and I was thinking that if my problem was eating too little, I'd start losing after upping. But maybe it wasn't enough?!

1900 just seems like a lot for a 5'3" person!

1900+ is what I will eat to maintain once I get to my goal of 120. I am 5'2" and eat 1750 to lose .5 pound a week. I work out only 3-4 days per week, so 1900 doesn't seem low to me when you work out so much.

twinketta

What height and weight are you at the moment?

so give us a clue lol

12ish isn`t really helping

uwdawg07

What height and weight are you at the moment?

so give us a clue lol

12ish isn`t really helping

This is what I said haha - " I'm like 121ish. I go up and down a pound from there every day"

So 120 - 122

uwdawg07

Have you ever considered try eating more. Most active women i know are eating 1700-2000... some more. And if you have plateaued why dont you set it at maintenance (2100 calories) for two weeks and then drop it to 1900 when thats done. With 6 lbs to lose you cant aim for more than 1/2 lb per week.

I can do that. I guess I'm just confused because I feel like eating 400-500 extra calories a day is quite a bit, and I was thinking that if my problem was eating too little, I'd start losing after upping. But maybe it wasn't enough?!

1900 just seems like a lot for a 5'3" person!

1900+ is what I will eat to maintain once I get to my goal of 120. I am 5'2" and eat 1750 to lose .5 pound a week. I work out only 3-4 days per week, so 1900 doesn't seem low to me when you work out so much.

Wow. Thanks!

Congratulations on your awesome weight loss by the way!

meghanner

Two thoughts:
1. My guess is that your calorie imput and output isn't accurate. You'd be fading away if they were correct. Use a HRM for accurate calorie burns. MFP calculations are off by upwards of 200%....this could easily be the cause of your hindered weight loss.

2. Temporarily reduce carbs to 50~ish or about 15-20% of your total intake. It will encourage fat loss.

uwdawg07

Two thoughts:
1. My guess is that your calorie imput and output isn't accurate. You'd be fading away if they were correct. Use a HRM for accurate calorie burns. MFP calculations are off by upwards of 200%....this could easily be the cause of your hindered weight loss.

2. Temporarily reduce carbs to 50~ish or about 15-20% of your total intake. It will encourage fat loss.

I do use a HRM - a good one at that! My calorie burn does seem high to me, but it is less than what the calculators on here say.

I cannot eat lower carb. I have severe hypoglycemia and I would practically die with as much exercise as I do.

BluthLover

Two thoughts:
1. My guess is that your calorie imput and output isn't accurate. You'd be fading away if they were correct. Use a HRM for accurate calorie burns. MFP calculations are off by upwards of 200%....this could easily be the cause of your hindered weight loss.

2. Temporarily reduce carbs to 50~ish or about 15-20% of your total intake. It will encourage fat loss.

She is using a HRM.

BluthLover

Honestly I would up your calories like suggested. Maintence for a few weeks then small cut.

tigersword

What makes you think you've built muscle?

My eyes?! haha

2 years ago before I got sick and gained the weight, I was thin, but had little muscle. So I can see a huge difference between what I looked like then and now. I have built a lot of muscle. I've taken photos and compared as well.

Other people always comment on my muscles as well.

The bolded part is where you gained muscle. You gained weight, added muscle, and lost weight, exposing said muscle. You did not build muscle while losing weight.

mockchoc

Have you ever considered try eating more. Most active women i know are eating 1700-2000... some more. And if you have plateaued why dont you set it at maintenance (2100 calories) for two weeks and then drop it to 1900 when thats done. With 6 lbs to lose you cant aim for more than 1/2 lb per week.

Yes, this is what I came here to post. I bet you're eating way too little with the amount of exercise you're putting in. Your metabolism will slow down to accommodate the starvation (it seems like you've been netting only a few hundred a day which is dangerously low). Take your best shot at eating at maintenance for two weeks (or more, maybe even a month) and try to get your metabolism back to normal. Then carve out a SMALL deficit. 250 calories per day TOPS. Adjust from there. You might put on a little weight initially as you readjust to eating normally but you'll take it off once you go back into a realistic deficit.

This is right. Eat at a SMALL deficit below your TDEE, 10% below is enough for you with such a small amount to lose.

psuLemon

Two thoughts:

2. Temporarily reduce carbs to 50~ish or about 15-20% of your total intake. It will encourage fat loss.

Low carb absolutely does not encourage fat loss... it encourages water/glycogen reductions.