struggling with increased calories

amw8675309

has anyone else had the experience of finding it tougher to stay in your calorie range after increasing them?

i lost 30 pounds in roughly 5 months (july-december) eating on average 1600 calories/day (about 1300 net). during that time i rarely felt hungry, and didn't have many issues meeting my calorie target.

Since january, i've increased my intake based on my TDEE (2200) and have been averaging closer to 1900/day (1600 net) for about 2.5 months--i don't have much more to lose, maybe 5 pounds or so.

i've pretty much maintained my weight since January (and lost another 1/2 inch on my waist, hooray!) but am still finding that i occasionally binge (once or twice every 2-3 weeks, and yes i mean a true binge and not simply overeating)

so i guess my question is, even though i havent' lost a single pound while averaging 1900 calories/day is it possible that i am not eating enough? my concern is that i still have obsessive thoughts about food, am often tired despite getting 9 hours of sleep per night and have also not had a period since December. i want to be healthy and be able to keep up the lifestyle changes i've made, and not fall back into old habits (i have struggled with binge eating on/off in the past, though its been quite a few years since my binge episodes have lasted days/weeks at a time--now they are more isolated incidents.)

would it be beneficial to just take 4-6 weeks and eat at 2200/day and see if my energy levels improve and i'm able to maintain on this? it seems crazy to me that even after 2.5 months of eating 1900 calories a day i am still struggling with this! It's only a 300 calorie/day deficit, which seems reasonable to me? especially considering i haven't lost any weight in that time.

while it would be nice to lose those last few pounds, ideally what I'm looking to achieve is a healthier relationship with food, having increased energy, and figuring out a way to do this without re-gaining weight i have already lost. i'm 5'5, about 140 pounds with a 25% bf... so well within a healthy range, and not bordering on being underweight or having too low bf

ScottishMrs

I upped my calories to 1800 last week and I'm struggling to meet it. I've been drinking a protein shake a day to try to help my calories and protein along. I have been feeling better though. About the lack of period, it doesn't sound like there's any reason that you should be missing (good BMI, good BF). Have you taken a pregnancy test at all to rule that out? Since it's been more than 90 days I'd recommend taking a pregnancy test and then talking to your doctor if it's negative. I'm currently TTC and I live and breath mentrual health stuff right now and I'd be more than willing to answer any questions for you.

Tenzuya

have also not had a period since December.

Im not a doctor, but is it possible that your pregnant? if not you should really consult your doctor about this, because you may have some undiagnosed medical condition.

amw8675309

have also not had a period since December.

Im not doctor, but is it possible that your pregnant? if not you should really consult your doctor about this, because you may have some undiagnosed medical condition.

definitely not pregnant--but this has happened to me a few times in the past where i lose weight/increase activity and do not have a period for several months at a time. i had bloodwork done by my GP last month and everything came back normal, i guess my body is just more sensitive to this than some people? the thing that surprises me this time is that in the past i had a much lower calorie intake (i was young and didnt know better) when it happened and i guess i didnt expect it to eating as much as i am this time around.

amw8675309

anyone else have this happen?