~1500cal/day, feeling satisfied, but not losing weight!

yrhee
yrhee Posts: 21
in Health and Weight Loss
Hey guys,

Thanks for taking the time to read this and help answer my question! I made my food diary public (I think...I'm new here, so I don't really know how to use this). I'm netting about 1,300-1,600 calories each day, working out regularly (cardio and strength), but I'm gaining weight. I feel full and satisfied with the amount of food I am eating. If anything, sometimes I feel like I have over-eaten. I am about 5'5" and 140lbs. At the start of the summer, I was at 132lbs. What is going on? What am I doing wrong?!
«13

Replies

  • yrhee
    yrhee Posts: 21
    I should mention that I know it's not merely losing fat, but building muscle because I don't look any more "trim" or "toned". In addition, my clothes do not fit any better, they are feeling quite a big more snug.

    Also, plenty of water (8+ cups/day in the form of water, water + ACV, green tea, lemon water), 1 cup coffee/day, no alcohol whatsoever.
  • kazzsjourney
    kazzsjourney Posts: 674 Member
    Are you exercising? Cos i am not noticing your exercise included in your diary...and if thats the case you may not be netting as much as you think. Also I would track your sodium. But your eating looks quite good to me :)
  • onyxgirl17
    onyxgirl17 Posts: 1,722 Member
    It's easy for us to underestimate our calories....
  • yrhee
    yrhee Posts: 21
    Thank you for your reply!! Yes, I exercise quite regularly (at least 5 days/wk for an hour unless it is a particularly stressful week). I'm watching processed sugar...most of my sugar is from fruits--very little actual added sugar. Same with sodium, I never put salt on anything and only use Mrs. Dash spices which have no sodium. Also, I measure everything out using measuring cups, so I would think my calorie count would be pretty accurate. I log literally everything that goes in my mouth. I think I'm going crazy, I don't know why my weight is going up :(
  • FlaxMilk
    FlaxMilk Posts: 3,452 Member
    I'd try eating no more than half of your exercise calories. You're probably eating around maintenance on the days you go over or eat all your exercise calories.
  • yrhee
    yrhee Posts: 21
    Thanks!! That is VERY true, after I work out I am always SO hungry and eat almost all calories I burned. I try to make sure it isn't over my daily allowance total, but I eat a disproportionate amount immediately after workout and try to tighten up at other times of day since I worked out.
  • Jester522
    Jester522 Posts: 392
    A lot of your diet is coming from carbs... mainly sugars from dairy and fruit. Limit your fruit to morning hours and post workout. The rest should be coming from whole grains, dense starches, or legumes. I would cut out some of the little things like the Laughing Cow cheeses and up yourself on protein intake 20-30g. Fats are fine.

    You may want to consider calculating BEE and working around that number for calories. Can you be sure it's not good weight you're gaining? Do you find improvement in overall body composition?
  • yrhee
    yrhee Posts: 21
    My biceps/shoulders have gotten a big more muscular, but no where near enough to warrant an 8lb weight gain. My midsection has definitely gotten softer :(

    Can you give me an ideal % breakdown for carbs/fat/protein I should be trying to achieve? I know MFP "suggests" 55%carb, 30%fat, 15%protein, but I regularly eat WAYY higher on the protein, lower on the fat, and slightly lower on the carb percentage. The carbs I eat are mostly in the form of sugars from fruit, fiber, whole grains, and very very minimal starchy refined carbs. So you think the amount of sugar in fruit I eat could be sabatoging my weight loss? It's something I've been thinking for a while, but thought the benefits (vitamins, water content, fiber) outweighed the negatives (sugar), so haven't really watched my fruit intake.

    Also, I don't know if it matters, but I am a vegatarian and try to eat as clean as possible! Laughing cow cheese wedges, which I only recently bought have been the main highly processed food I eat.

    BEE says I should be eating even MORE calories than I currently eat. Should I try that? I already feel very satisfied...I'm pretty much never hungry, and usually err on the side of full, if anything.
  • Melonhead
    Melonhead Posts: 168
    Read this if you have a chance. It may help you

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/654536-in-place-of-a-road-map-2-0-revised-7-2-12
  • yrhee
    yrhee Posts: 21
    Thank you for that melonhead! I will try to read little by little
  • cstiles1960
    cstiles1960 Posts: 14 Member
    Have your doctor check your thyroid function.
  • leejayem
    leejayem Posts: 120 Member
    Everyone has their different experiences & opinions on what works. My experience (which is based on my endocrinologists advice) is that limiting calories to about 1200 a day works really well. I exercise for overall fitness, mental health, & cardio health but I no longer think along the lines of "burning off" excess calories eaten. That has been a trap for me in the past. I eat the calories I need each day for adequate nutrition & energy levels (verified by my endo') & for me that's 1200 max. I don't eat back exercise calories,but kudos to those who do. I am really happy with my current weight loss (7kg) as it's been very steady & so far has only stalled if I go way over my 1200 for more than a day!!!
  • keina629
    keina629 Posts: 29 Member
    I have the exact same problem - eating well (usually) and exercising loads - and my body is not changing! I figure just to keep up and SURELY something will happen - good luck :)
  • yrhee
    yrhee Posts: 21
    :) glad to know we're all in this together!

    Any suggestions for slow, steady state exercise first thing in the morning vs. high intensity interval training? I've read so many articles/journals about which is better for fat loss, and can't decide which one I am more convinced by!
  • EccentricDad
    EccentricDad Posts: 875 Member
    If anything, sometimes I feel like I have over-eaten.

    Because you are!

    Being at 1500 or 1200 calories is great and all, but if you are eating most of your calories in one sitting (dinner) then you are causing your metabolism to go into shock!!!! And what is this garbage about you skipping lunch???

    I have a suggestion for you, go to your categories and chance them to the following: 1st meal, 2nd meal, 3rd meal, 4th meal, Snacks, Sweet Tooth... Now, you may never use 4th meal but it exists in the event that you get hungry again and have a "meal".

    A meal is any food you eat that includes protein. You should have a balanced "meal" every time you eat. Zone diet people will say 30% carbs, 30% fats, 40% protein; I say the best ratio is 50% carbs (25% coming from fresh veggies), 30% fats, 20% protein. Only a person who IS exercising should eat more protein. But if you are living a mostly sedentary life then you are wasting your calories eating all that protein (which is high in calorie).

    Also, next time you grab a "sugary" carb, remember that your insulin level is going to go up if it has a high glycemic index value. All breads, chips, crackers, tortillas, and processed foods have a high glycemic index value; this means it causes insulin levels to go insanely high. And while there is insulin in your blood, your fat in your fat cells cannot be burned.

    I know the food pyramid and the "myplate" both want you to eat lots of grains, but try living without them for a week (this includes corn) and see how things go for your weight loss. You may be surprised how much more energy you have getting your energy from brocolli, carrots, apples, green beans, and peas.
  • wboswell88
    wboswell88 Posts: 31
    ugh im in the same exact place!! its so frustrating!
  • yrhee
    yrhee Posts: 21
    Thank you for the detailed reply!! It feels I have over-eaten, but my BMR value seems to suggest I should actually be eating MORE calories.

    I should have mentioned this before...but I definitely do not eat all of my calories in one sitting!! hahah it definitely looks that way from my diary--you are right! But sometimes when I'm getting lazy, I simply just choose one (breakfast/lunch/dinner/snack) to enter my food into without regard to if I actually did eat it at that meal.

    I exercise regularly (5-6 hours minimum) am I eating too much protein? I've heard about 1.5 grams/kg, which is right around where I am!

    I eat very little processed sugary carbs. The tortillas I eat are 11g carbs, but 7 of those are fiber. Do not eat chips, crackers, or bread. The past 2 days have been an exception, when I found cereal in the cupboard and ate it....the last time I ate cereal was months ago. If you look at my diary, I meet grams of carbs almost daily, but much of that is in the form of fiber, and sugar, but pretty much all of that sugar is from fruit. I realize sugar is sugar, whether it comes from fruit or a cupcake, so should I cut most of my fruits out? I eat about 4 servings of fruit/day.
  • yrhee
    yrhee Posts: 21
    And I apologize if it seems like I'm "shutting down" anyone's suggestions about why I am gaining weight!! I certainly do not intend to!

    It is because I am (usually) very very thoughtful/mindful about what I eat. I read all labels for nutrition and ingredients, and if I am making a "bad" choice, it is one that I am aware of. Despite all of this, I STILL cannot figure out what is going on and don't know how I should mess around with my diet anymore in order to get results.

    At this point, I think the culprit is either A) too much sugar in the form of fruit B) hormone/thyroid problem?
  • Kelby008
    Kelby008 Posts: 11
    Could you be overestimating your calories burned? I know a lot of machines that track calories are generally way off. I use a website that takes sex, age, height, and weight into account and then just to be safe I lower those numbers just a tad.
  • geekyjock76
    geekyjock76 Posts: 2,720 Member
    If you have a metabolic testing center nearby, call and ask about scheduling an Active Metabolic Rate test or Resting Metabolic Rate test. The estimation for BMR value you are getting from various TDEE equations may be off compared to reality.
  • yrhee
    yrhee Posts: 21
    Thanks for responding!! I'll look into getting a more accurate read on BMR, because so far I've only ever used the online calculators which seem to only account for a few variables, and are pretty much "one-size-fits-all".

    It is possible I am overestimating my exercise calories burned, but I am aware of this and do not rely heavily on my exercise equipment calorie counter. If the treadmill says I burned 450 calories, I record in MFP as burning 80% (about 350-360 calories logged) because I am in decent physical fitness, am not overweight. If I go on a 45 minute walk, I will record 3.0mph walk for 35 minutes in MFP, not the full 45 minutes. I do not include any calories burned from strength training, which I would think would amount to a good amount of calories burned since I with 10lb weights (which isn't HEAVY, but still...)
  • KALMdown
    KALMdown Posts: 211 Member
    Could you be overestimating your calories burned? I know a lot of machines that track calories are generally way off. I use a website that takes sex, age, height, and weight into account and then just to be safe I lower those numbers just a tad.

    ^this. How are you tracking your calories burned? MFP and some HRMs run high, My Timex HRM included. So I now enter my calories burned at half of what my HRM tells me and if I use the MFP I subtract about 1/3-1/2.
  • LiZzie1917
    LiZzie1917 Posts: 65
    I'm not sure what is in that Mrs Dash but I would stick to natural foods. You might have some food intolerants that could be causing inflammation. Try going Paleo..... It's a cure all. For me it was anyway. I was alergic to everything and couldn't lose at all. Once I went Paleo/I F, I've lost 21 lbs.
  • painauxraisin
    painauxraisin Posts: 299 Member
    bumping for later!
  • LiZzie1917
    LiZzie1917 Posts: 65
    Also, If you have hypothyroid and on thyroid meds, you might want to avoid the soy. I understand it hinders the thyroid medicine from work g properly? I'm no Dr. Just a passion for nutrition. If you consider Paleo, you might have to lose the dairy and oats which were two of my problem foods.
  • yrhee
    yrhee Posts: 21
    I have not been diagnosed with a thyroid problem. I got a message from someone suggesting my protein might be too high...I'm thinking this could be it since I recently upped my protein intake about 20g in the past few weeks and that's really when I started gaining the weight now that I think back!

    I've considered going paleo, but don't know if I could get rid of oats or tortillas! Dairy would be just fine for me since I used to be vegan, and really only overload on the Greek yogurt because it has sooo much protein. I do not drink milk. Plus, I don't eat meat and from what I've read, grass-fed beef and meats are a big part, right?

    Mrs. Dash is garlic, "onion, black pepper, parsley, fennel, basil, bay, marjoram, oregano, savory, thyme, cayenne pepper, cariander, cumin, mustard, rosemary, celery seed, carrot, orange peel, spice extractives". Nutrition label has 0s all across the board. Are any of those spices irritating/problematic? I have no idea.
  • AprilRN10
    AprilRN10 Posts: 548 Member
    I think it may be that you are either overestimating calories burned or underestimating calories taken in. Mrs. Dash should be fine. We recommend it to those who want to lose weight and/or need cardiac healthy diets. I would still track sodium though since some foods are naturally high and it isn't just added salt that is an issue.
  • norcal_yogi
    norcal_yogi Posts: 675 Member
    If you have a metabolic testing center nearby, call and ask about scheduling an Active Metabolic Rate test or Resting Metabolic Rate test. The estimation for BMR value you are getting from various TDEE equations may be off compared to reality.

    this. and the cals you are eating could be very close to your specific maintenance. you could also consider IF.
  • yrhee
    yrhee Posts: 21
    What's the recommended mg for sodium? I'm averaging about 1700mg/day.

    I've read up a little on IF, and don't know where I stand on the issue. Mark's Daily Apple had an article on it a few weeks ago, suggesting it may not be as beneficial for women as it is for men!
  • Sarauk2sf
    Sarauk2sf Posts: 28,072 Member
    If anything, sometimes I feel like I have over-eaten.

    Because you are!

    Being at 1500 or 1200 calories is great and all, but if you are eating most of your calories in one sitting (dinner) then you are causing your metabolism to go into shock!!!! And what is this garbage about you skipping lunch???

    I have a suggestion for you, go to your categories and chance them to the following: 1st meal, 2nd meal, 3rd meal, 4th meal, Snacks, Sweet Tooth... Now, you may never use 4th meal but it exists in the event that you get hungry again and have a "meal".

    A meal is any food you eat that includes protein. You should have a balanced "meal" every time you eat. Zone diet people will say 30% carbs, 30% fats, 40% protein; I say the best ratio is 50% carbs (25% coming from fresh veggies), 30% fats, 20% protein. Only a person who IS exercising should eat more protein. But if you are living a mostly sedentary life then you are wasting your calories eating all that protein (which is high in calorie).

    Also, next time you grab a "sugary" carb, remember that your insulin level is going to go up if it has a high glycemic index value. All breads, chips, crackers, tortillas, and processed foods have a high glycemic index value; this means it causes insulin levels to go insanely high. And while there is insulin in your blood, your fat in your fat cells cannot be burned.

    I know the food pyramid and the "myplate" both want you to eat lots of grains, but try living without them for a week (this includes corn) and see how things go for your weight loss. You may be surprised how much more energy you have getting your energy from brocolli, carrots, apples, green beans, and peas.

    What are you talking about? The main things that are incorrect are:

    - Meal timing is irrelevent intra-day and so is macro timing from an intra day perspective (related to weight loss - personal preference is relevent)
    - Protein spikes insulin as well - and it is all pretty much irrelevent on a deficit
    - Protein is 4 calories per gram and is very satiating, so not wasted at all and still necessary to a sedentary person (but I agree not quite as much as for an active person)
    - Macros should be based on g per weight, not percentages.

Categories