EM2WL, insatiable hunger, lifting heavy and frowny faces..

rieann84

It's a tough world out there when you're trying to lose weight & get healthy. There's a lot of information out there. I joined MFP a little over a year ago. I weighed about 152. I didn't know much back then, so I adhered to the 1200 calorie per day suggestion and did cardio, cardio, cardio.

It kinda worked. I had a goal in mind (winter beach vacation) and I can't believe I made it down to 136! I was so close to goal. Then I got back from vacation and we just kept the party going. Nothing in the fridge so we ordered takeout. I kept slipping and never got back on track. It only took about a month before I was back up to 147. Woah. 11lbs in a month?

In a frantic, get-healthy scour of the internet I came across "In place of a road map", "eat more to weigh less", and "heavy lifting" mindset of getting healthy. It sounded appealing. Of course I want to eat more! I did NOT miss those headaches I would get while on 1200 calories, stressing about every little bite, or going to bed starving..

Enter new rules for women. I got myself on like 1800 to 1900 calories a day, but honestly I would probably eat closer to 2100+. Trying to get a lot of protein would make me overeat. And, since I was feeling strong I made excuses for indulging myself. I made strides..I felt good about my progress, but..nothing to show for it. No inches lost, no pounds lost. If anything, I was slightly bigger. Now, I know I didn't do it exactly "right"..but I can't help but think back to the days when I was losing weight on 1200 calories. It wasn't fun, but it worked. I just feel like weight lifting gives me this insatiable appetite that makes it near impossible for me to lose. Maybe I didn't give it enough time.

This sounds more like a diary entry than a forum post, so I apologize.. And I know there is almost a civil war here regarding the method to lose (1200 cals vs lifting and eating) but I'm just wondering if maybe the eat more to weigh less just isn't for me.

For example, today.. I have done NOTHING because its my day off and I kinda feel like poop. I've had this medicine head feeling for a couple days so I wanted to just take it easy. I can NOT stop eating. I just feel like I could eat SO much just everyday. I stopped lifting because I finished stage one of my program and was reluctant to continue after not seeing any results.

Just looking for advice here..so confused about what to do next. Anyone with my stats? How did you lose? I am 5'2", 154 lbs, my waist is about 35in and hips are 41.

edit: I should also mention, I feel like I keep a lot of my fat in my stomach area. I look pregnant. I have okay "curves" from the front but in a side view I really look like I am 5 months along.

jzammetti

keep on with NROLFW. And, you should calculate your BMR and TDEE (if you have not already) and eat at a reasonable deficit. Try it for a month and see how it goes - adjust as necessary after 30 day check in.

rieann84

No, not doing em2wl.. just jumping on the anti-1200 calorie bandwagon. I have fiddled with my daily calories a lot, but like I said..often going over because I am just.... hungry

I think I'm just having a pity party. What I really need to do is just cut the **** and get serious. Like I mentioned, it's just hard to have faith in eating more than 1200 calories when it hasn't seemed to do anything for me except make me bigger & weigh more.


& thankyou for that link, will check it out!

Lleldiranne

Not everyone has the same calories with EM2WL. When I calculate TDEE - 20% it gives me about 1600 calories. So if you're eating 2100 calories a day, you may be eating too much, especially based on your height and weight. I know the In place of a road map and/or the EM2WL forums have links/references to online calculators. Use one of those and then stick to those calories.

As far as feeling hungry, wouldn't 1600 or 1700 calories be a better compromise that 1200? If you're feeling headachy and grumpy and starving on 1200 calories, I would suggest that it isn't going to work for you; you're likely to slow your metabolism, and gain it all back as soon as you stop (like you've already experienced).

jstout365

I am also 5'2" and started out at 153. For me it was a matter of balance in all things. So, for me, it meant eating more than 1200, but not too close to my burn rate. I did well at 1500-1600/day. I couldn't do 1200 at all. I felt really bad by the end of the week. At first I just started working out and kind of watching what I ate. Soon the diet fell in line and I got more active at the gym. I went from 153 at the end of May 2012 to 126 in Feb 2013. Slow going at times, but I got where I wanted. At the gym I balanced some strength training and full on cardio work. In January, I switched to a full lifting program, but kept some cardio in. In mid-Feb I started Strong lifts 5x5 to focus on making strength gains. I still keep up with some cardio on non-lifting days and as long as I keep my calories close to TDEE (about 2100-2400) I can stay stable in my weight.

So, sure, 1200 doesn't work for you, but it doesn't mean you have to eat 1800 either. That 1500 would be middle of the road. Just something to consider. When it comes to hunger, it really comes down to eating nutrient dense foods that provide a lot of volume for the calories. I was never hungry on 1500 because I would eat a good balance of lean meats/fish, healthy fats, whole grains, fruit, and veggies.

So, yeah, if you need to cut the **** and get serious, do it. There is a way to eat more than 1200 and lose weight.

redraidergirl2009

I'm bumping this too. I ate 1200-1500 calories a day for months with exercise, no weightloss, then for 3 weeks I have been doing em2wl, no weight loss. So I figured I should eat at this instead of starving myself or maybe go back to eating a low calorie diet and see if I go back to em2wl and see if I will stay at that weight then after I lose weight from hardly eating. I was thinking about trying new rules of lifting for women but maybe I will just save myself the waste of time if it doesn't work.

rieann84

Not saying it doesn't work,red. I've seen SO many wonderful transformations from people. I'm just getting cranky because it doesn't seem to be doing much for me..right now atleast..

crystalflame

I will say that you're not alone in struggling with being motherfreaking hungry from lifting - I know I am, and all the women on my FL who lift are too. Lifting's a LOT easier to do in maintenance/when you're trying to gain. As others have said, you probably need to eat 1500-1600 calories (if you were getting headaches on 1200, it was too low), but you need to choose them wisely. Lots of veggies, lots of lean protein... Anything that's high volume and low cal so you can eat all day if you need to. For the situation you're in, self-discipline is key.

prattiger65

I just did a quick nasty BMR calculator based on 28/F 5'2" 154lbs. BMR is1485 and a rough TDEE for sedentary is 1782. So, unless you messed your metabolism up when you were eating 1200, this should be close numbers excluding exercise. Please take this kindly because it is meant to be kind. Underestimating intake/overestimating exercise would be my first guess. You have to weigh and measure everything you eat, and be careful not to think more of your exercise exertion. I did stronglifts 5x5 my calorie burn was @ 125 cals and I weigh 190. Don't get discouraged, you can do this! Keep working until you find what works!

Weebs628

I spent about a month between 1,800 and 1,900 calories a day and I felt like the more I ate, the more I wanted to eat! I also made poorer choices with more calories to work with. As far as being hungry when you lift, I now eat 1,650 on my non lifting days and 2,000 on my lifting days so I have that extra boost going for me. It averages out to a 10% deficit for the week, so I should still lose. Now, if I'm really craving something, I save it for a lifting day when I have extra calories.