Should I up my calories?

prettymomma16
prettymomma16 Posts: 92
in Health and Weight Loss
Hi everyone. SO this is day two for me on my 1200 calorie diet , which was recommended by MFP - I am 5'3 and not very active as I work from home on a computer). I am basically just doing everyday living with my toddler... chasing her now and then, playing, but lots of sitting and working on the computer. I am STARVING and feel so grumpy/tired. Is that just normal when you start restricting calories or is it a sign I should maybe add more? I added a 100 calorie snack this afternoon (so I will be at 1300 today) I feel a bit better. What do you think? I assume I can still lose weight with 1300 cals lol
Thanks so much!

Replies

  • JessyJ03
    JessyJ03 Posts: 627 Member
    The beginning of any new lifestyle is going to be hard. Your body is used to eating an excess amount of calories and now has to readjust to the new way of eating.

    There's three things you can do about the hunger:

    1. Eat more and lose less

    2. Exercise and eat more (you eat back your exercise calories... this will give you the same weight loss every week but will allow for more food and a better overall healthy body)

    3. Don't change a thing and hope it gets better.
  • katcunock
    katcunock Posts: 664 Member
    The beginning of any new lifestyle is going to be hard. Your body is used to eating an excess amount of calories and now has to readjust to the new way of eating.

    There's three things you can do about the hunger:

    1. Eat more and lose less


    ^bull crap.

    if you are hungry, eat! google eat more to lose weight. you should be eating at least your BMR. i am the same height as you, mostly sedentary, and eat 1750 cals on a day with no activity, and more with excercise. this gives me a 500 a day defecit from my total daily burn, and means i lose at least one pound a week.

    ultimatley, listen to your body. don't go by a computer programme that has never met you.
  • mockchoc
    mockchoc Posts: 6,573 Member
    I'm 5"2 and I eat around 1500 to 1700 a day. I have a sedentary job and only walk half an hour a day for exercise so yes you can eat a lot more and still be loosing. Find out your TDEE and take maybe 20 % off it to work out what to eat. 1200 is what I was on for a long time and it's no fun.
  • RadioactivePirate
    RadioactivePirate Posts: 212
    A rule I follow for myself is that I don't start anything I can't maintain. I'm not going to set my calorie goal at a level that's going to make me hungry and cranky all the time, because that is a recipe for failure. I'd rather lose half a pound a week and actually maintain it long-term than lose weight quicker but drop out of the program because I'm miserable.
  • JessyJ03
    JessyJ03 Posts: 627 Member
    The beginning of any new lifestyle is going to be hard. Your body is used to eating an excess amount of calories and now has to readjust to the new way of eating.

    There's three things you can do about the hunger:

    1. Eat more and lose less


    ^bull crap.

    if you are hungry, eat! google eat more to lose weight. you should be eating at least your BMR. i am the same height as you, mostly sedentary, and eat 1750 cals on a day with no activity, and more with excercise. this gives me a 500 a day defecit from my total daily burn, and means i lose at least one pound a week.

    ultimatley, listen to your body. don't go by a computer programme that has never met you.

    It's not crap... if she's eating 1000 calories under whatever amount she's supposed to have... if she changes her deficit to 800 calories under she's going to lose less weight. Simple.

    Ultimately the goal is to be healthier. If she wants to eat more a simple 30 minute walk could give her those extra 200 calories. Besides maybe she set up her thing wrong and her activity level isn't quite what she thought it was.
  • mrsknotts
    mrsknotts Posts: 115
    At suspiciously, she may not have as much weight to lose. I noticed ad I got closer to my goal finding a proper calorie intake was a bit harder. Im sure she will figure it out everyone is different
  • pullipgirl
    pullipgirl Posts: 767 Member
    If you are feeling grumpy and tired that is a sign you are not eating enough. Try upping your calories 100 - 200 calories and go from there
  • butterflygurl89
    butterflygurl89 Posts: 45
    Hey! I don't know how much you weigh, but I'm also 5"3. I feel like with chasing your toddler around, and I'm assuming cleaning, cooking, etc, you could probably be safe to tell MFP that you're "lightly active". I'm assuming that if they put you at 1200, that you must have chose "sedentary".
    I could be wrong, but that's my opinion.
    Make sure you're eating foods that have lots of natural fiber and just make healthy choices. If you're eating 1200 cals of junk food, you will definitely stay hungry because it's not real fuel.
    But if you're eating right, you shouldn't feel like you're starving. If you do, you might not be eating enough and could be putting your body into starvation mode which actually lowers your metabolism and slows down any possible weight loss.
    Eventually you may find that there are days when you actually don't feel the need to go over 1200 at all, and that's fine. But don't force it. I'm not saying to go ahead and start eating 2,000 cals a day again, but you have to find what's right for you. 1200 just might be too low.
  • katcunock
    katcunock Posts: 664 Member
    At suspiciously, she may not have as much weight to lose. I noticed ad I got closer to my goal finding a proper calorie intake was a bit harder. Im sure she will figure it out everyone is different

    regardless, if the intake is making her feel crap, i'd sugest its not right
  • KeepGoingRhonda
    KeepGoingRhonda Posts: 527 Member
    Google or check the forums here for EM2WL (eat more 2weigh less)
  • Lisha_R
    Lisha_R Posts: 92 Member
    Are you drinking water? I found when I started on this journey to get fit and loose weight drinking water was a big help. I was so dehydrated my body craved food to get fluid. I did eat under 1200 calories for several weeks and was fine. Then I decided to get fit too and found I had no energy. I found two different groups "In place of a road map: and "Eat more to weigh less". Both groups say abou the same thing. FInd out your BMR (Basic Metoboilic Requirments) and TDEE (Total Daily Energy Expenditure). Just google Scooby caluculator or Fat2fit calculator. Take a percientage off your TDEE and eat that just make sure its above your BMR.

    I now eat 1700-2000 calories a day. I lift weights 3x a week and walk 30min 3x a week. I am not loosing as quickly but I feel much better. I want this to be a lifestyle change not a quick fix that will not last.

    Good luck and don't give up. You can eat more and still loose weight.
  • svelt123
    svelt123 Posts: 173 Member
    Hi, You will love MFP, No you should not increase your calories. Try working on increasing your activity level. Maybe strolling your baby a little longer; or, parking your car farther so you have to walk more. Drink more water. If you increase your activity level you should then increase your calories. I felt the same way when I stated

    good luck !
  • FattieBabs
    FattieBabs Posts: 542 Member
    THIS !!! :-)
  • janejones120304
    janejones120304 Posts: 3
    Have you tried adjusting the amount of protein and whole grains you are eating? As a matter of full disclosure, I'm trying to maintain (or possibly even gain) weight and build muscle/strength rather than lose weight, so our situation is not really the same (although I am sure you actually get lots of exercise running after your little one :-). I've noticed, though, that there's an immense difference in how I feel eating the same amount of food when 10% of my calories come from protein versus 35-45% (which is what my personal trainer recommended to me, although again that recommendation is based on the fact that I'm trying to build muscle). Breakfast seems especially important for me. If I eat scrambled egg whites and some wheat toast with butter I feel totally different at 11AM than I do if I eat, say, healthy cereal and and some fruit -- even if the calories are exactly the same.

    I have heard several people say that the percentage of protein MFP recommends is a little low for many people, so it might be worth trying to consciously up your protein.

    Also like the comment about drinking enough water; I have read that most people don't drink enough.

    My final two cents: it's not worth it if you feel draggy and miserable! Much better to lose the weight a little more slowly and feel good doing it -- the whole point is to feel better, too :-). Good luck! I'm sure you'll figure it out with a little trial and error.
  • fmmonty
    fmmonty Posts: 2
    Carrying / chasing a toddler around burns a surprising number of calories, as does completing standard household tasks. 1200 is a very low number of calories, and unless you've got a velcro wall that you attach the toddler onto I'd expect you will easily lose weight on more.

    The question is how fast you wish to lose weight, as a larger deficit will up to a point speed up the process. The problem is that if it makes you feel miserable and unhealthy will you manage to keep it up? It might be better to have a lower target that you're happy hitting than a really hard target that you fail at.
  • RDHome224
    RDHome224 Posts: 49
    I am 5'3 and 200 pounds ( don't know your weight so can't be accurate) but I'm at 1700 calories at a mildly active day. I think you should up your calories until you start to feel more balanced, go to maybe 1300-1500 and see if you feel better. Something else you might look into is your vitamin levels, if I don't take vitamin b12 I get really tired and cranky lol. Just some thoughts
  • prettymomma16
    prettymomma16 Posts: 92
    thanks for all the feedback. I weigh 214 at the moment and ready to do this for life! Still a bit confused but I am sure It will all work out :) any more opinions are welcome!!
  • prettymomma16
    prettymomma16 Posts: 92
    great thought! I do have mild depression so I am concerned about my mood dipping.
  • nicleed
    nicleed Posts: 247 Member
    If you weigh 215 at 5'3" you probably need to eat a little more. What goals have you set?

    Remember, it's not a race....it's a lifestyle change.

    Check out http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/ and set it for a 20 per cent reduction - see what happens. Don't know how old you are, but I plugged in 30 years plus "desk job with little exercise" and got 1915 cals a day! (which is 20 per cent less that TDEE. Even a 25 percent reduction would give you 1795 (and a warning saying reducing by this much can be very dangerous.

    EAT MORE :)

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