Can't get it through my head to eat more calories
honeybasil
Posts: 5 Member
i just started this whole food logging journey, and I would only like to lose about 10 pounds or even just lower my body fat percentage. I have struggled with eating disorders in the past, and I can't seem to get it through my head that I can actually eat more. Currently I am set at 1200 calories per day but have not been eating back my exercise calories. I always stay pretty much the same, although I don't make a big deal out of weighing myself since that's what got me into trouble years ago. I would just like to fit in smaller size clothes, and I am trying to be more conscious of eating more protein, veggies and less carbs. I am about 150 at 5'8" and had my fourth baby 10 months ago. I work out 6 days a week, although just got serious about it again postpartum around 4 months ago. Have you had more success eating less or eating a little bit more? Currently, I am not even netting the 1200 after exercising, and I'm struggling how to add that in without too many carbs or without mentally thinking I am overeating. I am so used to eating the smaller amount. It's such a mental game!
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Replies
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If you don't eat enough, your body will hold on to the excess.
You can add some small things that are healthy which will add some calories. Olive oil, Avocado, Nuts are a few that come to mind.
I am 5'6" and weigh 157 and my calorie goal every day is just over 1,600, including exercise calories. I am not losing fast, but this is better than starving and no energy at 1,200.0 -
If you don't eat enough, your body will hold on to the excess.
There is no "excess", but what happens is your body is in starvation mode. it is ravaging what muscle mass you have and create in order to survive.
You either want to become healthy or you dont. Make the choice and take action. It truly is as simple as that.0 -
i completely get it!
i often find that eating-back all my exercise calories is just way too much food, especially when my protein levels are high that day.
i never force myself to eat just for the sake of having my "net calories" reach a certain point .0 -
you need carbs when you're working out...and your body will begin to digest lean muscle mass only once your fat stores are depleted, but seeing asyou're looking to drop some weight i guess that you still have some fat stores. ive had success on the 1200 calorie diet with eating back about 3/4 of what i work off. also, about 2 days a week i bring my net caloric intake up from 1200 to around 1500 to give my metabolism a shock and its worked wonders and ogtten me past a few plateaus. i also work out 6 days a week.0
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Lifting weights will help you tone up and reduce your body fat percentage. You also won't gain while lifting as long as you're in a calorie deficit.0
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I say eat your exercise calories! You earned them and working out 6 days a week is pretty darn active.0
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i just started this whole food logging journey, and I would only like to lose about 10 pounds or even just lower my body fat percentage. I have struggled with eating disorders in the past, and I can't seem to get it through my head that I can actually eat more. Currently I am set at 1200 calories per day but have not been eating back my exercise calories. I always stay pretty much the same, although I don't make a big deal out of weighing myself since that's what got me into trouble years ago. I would just like to fit in smaller size clothes, and I am trying to be more conscious of eating more protein, veggies and less carbs. I am about 150 at 5'8" and had my fourth baby 10 months ago. I work out 6 days a week, although just got serious about it again postpartum around 4 months ago. Have you had more success eating less or eating a little bit more? Currently, I am not even netting the 1200 after exercising, and I'm struggling how to add that in without too many carbs or without mentally thinking I am overeating. I am so used to eating the smaller amount. It's such a mental game!
You body loses weight in chunks, not linear. I have found that you can do everything right and your weight loss seems to plateau but if you are patient and keep exercising and eating at a deficit (however slight) you will lose it, it will suddenly "whoosh". There are so many variables for the scale; water retention, digestion, allergies, sodium, carbs, water intake, DOMS, inflammation, the list goes on. People mistakenly think they lose or gain weight when they eat more or less because of these fluctuations.
Losing weight requires tremendous patience. You will not lose it when you want it or where you want it. The body does its thing. Some apparent plateaus can last a month or so. You can not make it happen faster. You must focus on two things; calories and exercise. Nothing else matters. Scales and metrics don't matter. The day in and day out grind of exercise and calories are all that matters. It is not very exciting until things fall into place. You get your victories and you ride one victory to the next.
The scale is a trend tool. The scale is good but put it away and only check once a week and only use it as a trend tool. It will fluctuate, it does not matter. Take front side and back progress pictures at least once a month. You will see differences that the metrics won't tell you and it's that little bit of NSV that will keep you going until the next victory.
If you have a lot of body fat reserves you would be surprised at how little you can eat (unless you have emotional eating issues or disorders). The leaner you get the less your body has to draw from and then you have to taper up your calories. There is no such thing as starvation mode for woman over 12% body fat or men over 6% body fat. I pretty much proved that for myself by staying strong and building muscle and doing what I did. I'm the leanest, most muscular, and most fit that I have ever been in my life at almost 52 years old.
Seperating out the the two things worked for me:
1) Eat less to lose fat.
2) Exercise to gain or maintain lean body mass.
Ignore exercise calories because it's insignificant when you don't have to worry about starvation mode anymore and it's highly over rated. Of course you burn energy, but not nearly what any of the devices say you do.
If you are not doing a weight training routine you need to start one and do it the rest of your life to ward off osteoporosis.We’ve been trying to figure out an exact NUMBER of calories that everyone should be eating, without recognizing that everyone is slightly different. In truth, the calories aren’t the end game. Your body is. So the EXACT amount of Calories that are right for you is the EXACT amount that will allow you to maintain your ideal bodyweight no matter what some calculator or chart says.
In other words, an online calculator might tell you that you need to eat 2,500 calories
per day to maintain your ideal bodyweight. But the only way to know for sure if this is
the right amount for you is to test it out. If you gain weight or can’t lose weight eating
that much, then you know you need to eat less to lose weight no matter how many
calculators and text books say otherwise.
This doesn’t mean your metabolism is broken, it just means the estimate of your needs
was just a bit off.
-John Barban0 -
I have my calorie goal set to 1400. I usually eat 1300-1400 and don't eat back many exercise calories, unless the exercise was extreme, and even that I usually can't eat all of them. 1200 is too low for many people. I was not losing as steadily at 1200 as I am at around 1400.0
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I know it's a hard mindset to break; I struggled with it for months before finally cracking my head into upping the numbers. I'd been plateauing for 3 months on 1200. I was miserable and couldn't see a successful future like that so bit the bullet and upped to 1350. I've been slowly but surely losing since.
I'm 5'4" and 126lb with a target of 112lb.0 -
i just started this whole food logging journey, and I would only like to lose about 10 pounds or even just lower my body fat percentage. I have struggled with eating disorders in the past, and I can't seem to get it through my head that I can actually eat more. Currently I am set at 1200 calories per day but have not been eating back my exercise calories. I always stay pretty much the same, although I don't make a big deal out of weighing myself since that's what got me into trouble years ago. I would just like to fit in smaller size clothes, and I am trying to be more conscious of eating more protein, veggies and less carbs. I am about 150 at 5'8" and had my fourth baby 10 months ago. I work out 6 days a week, although just got serious about it again postpartum around 4 months ago. Have you had more success eating less or eating a little bit more? Currently, I am not even netting the 1200 after exercising, and I'm struggling how to add that in without too many carbs or without mentally thinking I am overeating. I am so used to eating the smaller amount. It's such a mental game!
You body loses weight in chunks, not linear. I have found that you can do everything right and your weight loss seems to plateau but if you are patient and keep exercising and eating at a deficit (however slight) you will lose it, it will suddenly "whoosh". There are so many variables for the scale; water retention, digestion, allergies, sodium, carbs, water intake, DOMS, inflammation, the list goes on. People mistakenly think they lose or gain weight when they eat more or less because of these fluctuations.
Losing weight requires tremendous patience. You will not lose it when you want it or where you want it. The body does its thing. Some apparent plateaus can last a month or so. You can not make it happen faster. You must focus on two things; calories and exercise. Nothing else matters. Scales and metrics don't matter. The day in and day out grind of exercise and calories are all that matters. It is not very exciting until things fall into place. You get your victories and you ride one victory to the next.
The scale is a trend tool. The scale is good but put it away and only check once a week and only use it as a trend tool. It will fluctuate, it does not matter. Take front side and back progress pictures at least once a month. You will see differences that the metrics won't tell you and it's that little bit of NSV that will keep you going until the next victory.
If you have a lot of body fat reserves you would be surprised at how little you can eat (unless you have emotional eating issues or disorders). The leaner you get the less your body has to draw from and then you have to taper up your calories. There is no such thing as starvation mode for woman over 12% body fat or men over 6% body fat. I pretty much proved that for myself by staying strong and building muscle and doing what I did. I'm the leanest, most muscular, and most fit that I have ever been in my life at almost 52 years old.
Seperating out the the two things worked for me:
1) Eat less to lose fat.
2) Exercise to gain or maintain lean body mass.
Ignore exercise calories because it's insignificant when you don't have to worry about starvation mode anymore and it's highly over rated. Of course you burn energy, but not nearly what any of the devices say you do.
If you are not doing a weight training routine you need to start one and do it the rest of your life to ward off osteoporosis.We’ve been trying to figure out an exact NUMBER of calories that everyone should be eating, without recognizing that everyone is slightly different. In truth, the calories aren’t the end game. Your body is. So the EXACT amount of Calories that are right for you is the EXACT amount that will allow you to maintain your ideal bodyweight no matter what some calculator or chart says.
In other words, an online calculator might tell you that you need to eat 2,500 calories
per day to maintain your ideal bodyweight. But the only way to know for sure if this is
the right amount for you is to test it out. If you gain weight or can’t lose weight eating
that much, then you know you need to eat less to lose weight no matter how many
calculators and text books say otherwise.
This doesn’t mean your metabolism is broken, it just means the estimate of your needs
was just a bit off.
-John Barban
X2!0 -
Peanut butter is my tool for adding extra calories if I'm not hungry or feel guilty for eating. I couple of TB is 200 calories, it has good fats and protein. I try to at least net 1200 each day. When I'm not eating enough, I feel it in my workouts and therefore start a vicious cycle of undereating and underexercising.0
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Bump0
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Please go see a counsellor...
You already are a healthy weight for your height and are undereating if you are exercising.
You need help to get back to a healthy perspective with food and your body
Good Luck
xox0 -
The eating more thing is working for me so far
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You sound almost exactly like I was about a year ago....I was nursing exclusively, anxious to lose the baby weight from 2 pregnancies in 2 years, and eating maybe 1300 a day, on top of HIIT/cardio 5-6X a week. I lost weight and then some...but I felt like crap. I had no energy, I was exhausted all the time yet I had horrible insomnia to the point where I was lucky if I was getting 1-2 hours of sleep a night, postpartum depression which I am positive was linked to simply not eating enough. I thought I was eating healthy and doing what I was "supposed" to do to lose weight.
Back in April I discovered the Eat More 2 Weigh Less group here on MPF and also found the In Place of a Road Map post by helloitsdan. May 4th I upped my calories after not seeing any scale difference for 3 months to 1900. I will be honest and tell you that so far I haven't lost weight...in fact I have gained 8-10 lbs now eating between 2000-2300 calories a day...BUT...I FEEL SO MUCH BETTER. I sleep like a rock, I wake up refreshed, my skin and hair look healthy, my face looks healthy, I FEEL healthy. I have lost a few inches here and there but my clothes are basically fitting the same. I was a size small/4-6 so I don't really care about being too much smaller than that.
It was really hard for me to wrap my mind around eating more at first. I was very frustrated when I saw the scale go up and not down...at first. But after I started feeling so much better I knew I could never go back to only eating 1200.
I would just encourage you to check out the Eat More 2 Weigh Less group....and trust the process. Start lifting heavy and eventually you will begin to see food at fuel for your new baby muscles and not as the enemy....plus you will be more hungry.
On the days when I start to feel a little panicky about eating more, I read this post.
http://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/2011/07/21/meet-staci-your-new-powerlifting-super-hero/
I feel like I have rambled on here long enough....I hope some of it makes sense and is encouraging to you. :flowerforyou:0 -
You have only 10 pounds to lose?
I would figure your TDEE and cut 10% calories from it, then start lifting weights. You may find that the changes you see from weight lifting are what you really wanted to see from weight loss.0 -
My TDEE is something like 2200 calories! I can't imagine eating nearly 2000 calories a day! I know it's more likely body composition rather than weight that needs to change the most. I have been doing 30DS and Ripped in 30, but I'm going to start Supreme 90 next week - don't have time for p90x! I suppose I could go lift weights at the gym also, I just like having someone tell me what to do!
I'm going to try experimenting. I also realize I am only 10 months postpartum so things take a while! I'm not nursing anymore, though.0 -
2000 may seem like a lot, but that's because of your history with eating disorders and restricting calories chronically for years. 1200 net is way too low for someone at your height and weight with a goal of losing 10 lbs. Your deficit should be closer to 10% below your present TDEE, not calculated.0
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i just started this whole food logging journey, and I would only like to lose about 10 pounds or even just lower my body fat percentage. I have struggled with eating disorders in the past, and I can't seem to get it through my head that I can actually eat more. Currently I am set at 1200 calories per day but have not been eating back my exercise calories. I always stay pretty much the same, although I don't make a big deal out of weighing myself since that's what got me into trouble years ago. I would just like to fit in smaller size clothes, and I am trying to be more conscious of eating more protein, veggies and less carbs. I am about 150 at 5'8" and had my fourth baby 10 months ago. I work out 6 days a week, although just got serious about it again postpartum around 4 months ago. Have you had more success eating less or eating a little bit more? Currently, I am not even netting the 1200 after exercising, and I'm struggling how to add that in without too many carbs or without mentally thinking I am overeating. I am so used to eating the smaller amount. It's such a mental game!
I'm your height 5'8" and 143lbs. When I joined MFP over a year ago I weighed about 148 - 150 and was getting thick around my middle. After a year of struggling to lose a few pounds only to keep gaining it back...I upped my calories. And guess what....YES IT WORKS!!!!. I finally been able to lose and maintain at 143lb, plus I have lost inches. I eat between 1400-1600 calories Monday through Friday, Saturday is my 'cheat meal day' so I don't track, and Sunday I eat 1700-1800. I'm at the point where I'm in maintenance with a focus on body recomposition and I'm definitely seeing results.
It's worth it to up your calories and your protein intake....and lift weight to re-shape!0 -
Bump for later0
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Bump0
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My TDEE is something like 2200 calories! I can't imagine eating nearly 2000 calories a day! I know it's more likely body composition rather than weight that needs to change the most. I have been doing 30DS and Ripped in 30, but I'm going to start Supreme 90 next week - don't have time for p90x! I suppose I could go lift weights at the gym also, I just like having someone tell me what to do!
I'm going to try experimenting. I also realize I am only 10 months postpartum so things take a while! I'm not nursing anymore, though.
You don't have to imagine it. Just plan it and do it. It's easy if you try!
:flowerforyou: 0
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