Not eating enough? Help!
megdub41
Posts: 6
I'm trying to lose 10-15 pounds. I've been stuck on 160 (it goes back and forth from 158-162) for quite some time. People have told me I have toned up but I still want to lose the weight. My progress is set at one pound a week and my limit of calorie intake is 1550. When I was on Loose it! it was 1705. I work out 5-6 times a week. I do high interval training, swimming, body combat (kickboxing) and a core class. I usually workout 30-75 mins a day. When I spoke to a trainer he said I might not be eating enough. I really want to give myfitnesspal a couple of weeks to see if 1550 is enough but I'm worried. Has anyone else had this issue? I also find it difficult to eat more because I feel like I eat enough.
I'm 25 yrs old 5'8 and 160.
I'm 25 yrs old 5'8 and 160.
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Replies
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Do you eat back exercise calories?0
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I am under my calorie goal every day. I don't know how quite to reach it. I just can't get enough food in. But what has helped to increase my calorie intake a little is protein shakes. I use a low carb/sugar whey protein with original unsweetened almond milk and two tbs of peanut butter. It really adds the calories without adding sugar and carbs. You can find a lower fat peanut butter by using PB2:) I eat these after my workout or as a snack between breakfast and lunch. Hope this helps!0
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Do you eat back exercise calories?
Yeah if you're not eating back exercise calories 1550 might be a little low, because you really work out a lot! We have similar stats: I am 5'10, 150lbs, and I eat 1500 a day. I work out about a TOTAL of about an hour a week though! Maybe give it a few weeks to see how your body reacts to 1500 but you might want to eventually increase a little. A yes protein shakes are great!0 -
My guess is that you're actually creating TOO much of a calorie deficit and putting your body into fat-storage mode because it thinks it is in a famine. I've heard Jillian Michaels answer this same question numerous times, so I've basically memorized her answer, because I was doing the same thing!
First, find out how much you're actually burning in a day by finding your bmr and maybe getting a heart rate monitor, fitbit, or body bug type thing to track how much you burn when you exercise.
Then, always eat within 500-750 calories of that number. For example: I'm 25, 5'8 and about 150, and I have a desk job, so without exercising I burn about 1650 going about my normal day. If I run 5 miles that burns me about 500 calories, so that day I would have burned 2150.
My body is healthy and happy at 150, but I want cut abs and to be at 140. Jillian calls those 10lbs 'vanity pounds,' and the way to lose them is to create a calorie deficit, but not a big enough one to make the body think it is starving. And that deficit we are aiming for is 500, so I would need to eat 1650 calories that day.
Eat too little and those damn vanity pounds stay put!
Really hope this helps.0 -
My guess is that you're actually creating TOO much of a calorie deficit and putting your body into fat-storage mode because it thinks it is in a famine. I've heard Jillian Michaels answer this same question numerous times, so I've basically memorized her answer, because I was doing the same thing!
First, find out how much you're actually burning in a day by finding your bmr and maybe getting a heart rate monitor, fitbit, or body bug type thing to track how much you burn when you exercise.
Then, always eat within 500-750 calories of that number. For example: I'm 25, 5'8 and about 150, and I have a desk job, so without exercising I burn about 1650 going about my normal day. If I run 5 miles that burns me about 500 calories, so that day I would have burned 2150.
My body is healthy and happy at 150, but I want cut abs and to be at 140. Jillian calls those 10lbs 'vanity pounds,' and the way to lose them is to create a calorie deficit, but not a big enough one to make the body think it is starving. And that deficit we are aiming for is 500, so I would need to eat 1650 calories that day.
Eat too little and those damn vanity pounds stay put!
Really hope this helps.
Well said! What I did was I calculated my TDEE, and then took about 500 cals off of that to create my deficit. TDEE already includes exercise so I don't eat back exercise calories. A good website to calculate it is: http://iifym.com/tdee-calculator/0
