Help! Confused!

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JHoelck0928
JHoelck0928 Posts: 93 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
When I started MFP I went by the recommended calorie intake MFP gave me followed it to a tee and was seeing results, the first week or two i wasn't exercising as I wanted to get a handle on eating well because in the past it has been either exercising and still eating how I wanted which = maintaining or eating well and being lazy= slow results. Anyway so after that I started exercising, well ignorant me didn't realize you needed to eat your calories back so i was netting between 800-900 on the days I exercised which was at least 3x a week. and at 212 lbs and burning between 300-400 calories a workout we all know that's unhealthy weight loss. Now I am stuck on what to do to continue losing weight and avoid gaining from upping the calories. has anyone had this problem or made the same mistake I have? any imput or advice would be greatly appreciated as I am 100% serious about losing the weight for good. 200 lbs on a 5'5" woman's frame isn't cute.

Replies

  • yarwell
    yarwell Posts: 10,477 Member
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    so you went from 212 to 200 on this regime and are still losing but want to make it more "healthy" because you're worried about the low net calories ?
  • JHoelck0928
    JHoelck0928 Posts: 93 Member
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    well I suppose I guess what I want to know is if what I am doing is healthy. Well I hit 200 9/21/12 now I'm back up to 201.5 as of today.
  • JHoelck0928
    JHoelck0928 Posts: 93 Member
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    and from the 21st to today I've been netting between 1100 and 1200 steadily eating back some of my exercise calories and I gained.
  • Hendrix7
    Hendrix7 Posts: 1,903 Member
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    Confusing post but even if you increase calories, as long as you are sttill in a overall calorie deficit you will continue to lose weight, just a bit slower probably.

    Diary is closed so can't say much else
  • JHoelck0928
    JHoelck0928 Posts: 93 Member
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    I opened it up if anyone wants to try and figure out what the problem is
  • lynn14
    lynn14 Posts: 116
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    I was at 1200 for about 6 months and stalled, that was June. From June -Sept. I didn't lose any!!!! I was told to increase my calories because I was essentially starving myself. In Sept. I went to 1500, with exercise each day and just make sure I get to 1500. I am now starting to lose again! And this month I lost 4 and have a feeling it might be another pound at the end of this week!!! :)

    I say increase calories, make all your food choices healthy, drink lots of water and move your body EVERYDAY!! It will work! Don't give up.....you can do this and we all are here for you!
  • JHoelck0928
    JHoelck0928 Posts: 93 Member
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    Thanks! when you say you were at 1200 for 6 months do you mean you netted 1200 even after exercise daily?
  • mjj79
    mjj79 Posts: 415 Member
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    Yeah. I would say now is the time to up cals. Longer you wait the harder it is. I did 800 to 1000 for over a year, netting 500 to 700 most days. I've been working since June to "fix" this. Lots of people on here have convinced me that it will work. Best of luck to you!
  • JHoelck0928
    JHoelck0928 Posts: 93 Member
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    Interesting, there is just so much confusion with starvation mode as opposed to those who eat lots and lose. I just have no idea what to do
  • mjj79
    mjj79 Posts: 415 Member
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    Interesting, there is just so much confusion with starvation mode as opposed to those who eat lots and lose. I just have no idea what to do
    !!
    I've been there. Heck, i still am but MOST people on this site lose by eating well above 1200, so we should be able to also. We may been to "train" our metabolisms to work better, but it will be worth it. There is nothing more frustrating than eating low calorie, exercising and NOT losing :/ Someone suggested increasing calories by small increments. (Maybe 100 a week.) That seems to work better for me rather than when i tried to jump right up to bmr.
  • popzork
    popzork Posts: 78 Member
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    I know exactly the confusion you are having. I wasn't losing weight for a long time, both here and weight watchers. I went to a registered dietician who said to eat more. She was basing her suggestion on the average metabolism, just like this site.

    I gained 1.5 pounds in 3 weeks with that recommendation, so I took it a step further and got my metobolic rate tested. As it turns out, I'm a freak of nature. My metabolism was almost 500 calories a day below the average, so I am one of the rare ones who actually has to eat less to lose.

    I'm just sharing my story so you see that there isn't a correct answer. It's completely individual and you will have to mess around with the numbers to figure out what is right for you.
  • mjj79
    mjj79 Posts: 415 Member
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    I know exactly the confusion you are having. I wasn't losing weight for a long time, both here and weight watchers. I went to a registered dietician who said to eat more. She was basing her suggestion on the average metabolism, just like this site.

    I gained 1.5 pounds in 3 weeks with that recommendation, so I took it a step further and got my metobolic rate tested. As it turns out, I'm a freak of nature. My metabolism was almost 500 calories a day below the average, so I am one of the rare ones who actually has to eat less to lose.

    I'm just sharing my story so you see that there isn't a correct answer. It's completely individual and you will have to mess around with the numbers to figure out what is right for you.

    How/where did you get your rate tested? I've been wondering if this is possible? Also, theoretically, could you increase that rate by eating more? (Truly wondering bc, as i said, this has been an issue for me.)
  • popzork
    popzork Posts: 78 Member
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    I googled "RMR testing (my state)". It sent me to a few places and I made a few phone calls. As a side note, my insurance covered 2/3's of the cost, too!

    It is a 12 hour fasting, no exercise, no caffeine, resting test where they sit you down, put a noseclip on and have you breathe into a tube for 10 minutes. The machine measure CO2 output and determines your metabolism from that.

    I think the only way to increase your metabolism is by increasing muscle mass.

    My dietician reviewed my results and highly recommended that I not eat under 1000 calories. She didn't really want me eating under 1200 because of nutrient deficiency I would suffer from. She said the only other alternative is to exercise more. So, I upped my exercise and have now started losing weight again.

    I am very happy with having the testing done. I've been battling this lack of weight lose for over 3 years and now I have my answer.

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