Not sure if I am eating right

ericafaye6988
ericafaye6988 Posts: 30 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Hi everyone,

I started out eating 1400 calories, saw some pounds come off. After reading about BMR and TDEE I bumped it up to 2000 calories, lost a few more pounds. Then I used this link http://www.freedieting.com/tools/calorie_calculator.htm and calculated that I should be eating about 1800 calories for fat loss (Katch-McCardle in advanced tab). I have been doing that for 2 weeks. I have seen very little results on the scale since then... even gained 2lbs. Is it too soon to tell if I found the "magic number"?

For those interested: I am 5'7'', 296lbs, 24, Female. I used a BMI calculator online and it was 46...

My diary is open. I want to make sure I do this right. Am I eating too much? Too Little? Should I give it more time on my current calories?

Replies

  • bgraz1994
    bgraz1994 Posts: 56 Member
    Finding that number will just take time, however Ilooked through your diary and saw that you often had a nutrion bar (chocolate mint etc), there was a doughnut for breakfast, and white breads. I would swap out those nutrition bars for real food and the breads for whole wheat.

    Snack Ideas to replace the bars:
    -whole wheat crackers with peanut butter
    -1 boiled egg and raw baby carrots
    -10 almonds and 1 cup of berries
    -Homemade trail mix (assorted nuts, raisins/fruits, dark chocolate bits)
    -1/2 cup of plain greek yogurt, 1/2 frozen mixed berries, 1 tbsp granola
    -Whole wheat crackers with cheese

    Goodluck !

    Oh! also, I noticed little to no water intake! try and get your eight glasses a day :)
  • janerfitnesspal145
    janerfitnesspal145 Posts: 55 Member
    In addition to the above, I'd also say to reduce your sodium (looked over your diary for the past several weeks). I know when I started looking at eating healthier and losing weight a few years ago, I was watching calories, but nothing else. I went for the first month without losing anything and finally figured out it was the amount of sodium I was consuming. When I reduced my sodium (below 2,000 mg), I started losing. Now that I'm 50 years old, I aim for less than 1,500 mg daily and higher potassium (should be around 4,700 mg daily). I know a lot of people say it's just the calories, but what makes up the calories is important, you need a good mix of nutrients. Good luck and keep going!
  • freelancejouster
    freelancejouster Posts: 478 Member
    It often takes up to a month and a half to see if your eating habits will induce weight loss. I would definitely stick with whatever you are doing for at least that long. It could be that your body is confused by how often you're changing your calorie intake. Keep off the sodium and drink lots of fluids and stick with what you're doing for another month :)
  • DaniH826
    DaniH826 Posts: 1,335 Member
    Took me about a month to find my groove, not only figuring out my caloric needs but also finding my footing with regular exercise and whatnot. Then of course came the TOM and that put another wrench in the system.

    Depending on how long you've been slugging and inactive, your body just needs some time to adapt.

    About a month in now things are finally beginning to move along ... it's a marathon, not a sprint.
  • mrsflowers47
    mrsflowers47 Posts: 10 Member
    I will be glad to share what I found. It is working for me and I am 65 years old. I buy only the food on this list and prepare it as I like. The foods are called FAT burners. I don't know if they burn fat, I do know it is working for me. Meats: beef, chicken and fish. Vegatable: Asparagus, Kale, cabbage, avocados, and lentils. Pasta - whole grain: NO BREAD keep it cooked and ready to use. Cook with Olive oil, tarragon, parmesan cheese, cinnamon and mrs dash grill mixture. Fruits: Pineapple, apples, raisins, blue berries, rasberries and dried fruit mixed with seaoned oat meal for a great snack. Juices: V8 Jucie, Pomegrante, Grape and orange juice. Other items: eggs, Yogurt, and sardines. I have 3 main meals a day and snack foods. I prepare my food ahead when possible. That seems to be working better than waiting to cook my meals. I use a lot of different sauces too. That help with the flavor I need. I was told that being able to stick with this for a full year, I have to like it. So I started finding things I like. I lost 7 lbs. my first week. I love that! Good Luck with your goal! :flowerforyou:
  • BarackMeLikeAHurricane
    BarackMeLikeAHurricane Posts: 3,400 Member
    Two weeks isn't long enough to tell. Give it 4-6 weeks. If there's still no change, decrease by 100 calories every two week until you start losing.
  • ericafaye6988
    ericafaye6988 Posts: 30 Member
    Thank you guys! I feel better now :)
  • Alta2000
    Alta2000 Posts: 655 Member
    I looked at the last 10 days. You need to try to stick to one calories level because you have been all over up and down. If you are eating at "BMR" level, or only 900 for a day, and then you exercise for 475, you need to eat this back otherwise you fall to under 1200 for that day. I went to scoobie and put your info and gives BMR of 2139 for 1-3h of light exercise per week. For 25% loss it says you should eat 2206 calories per day and your TDEE at that level to maintain is 2900. So set your calories at MFP at 1800 but try to eat at least 50% of your calories and make sure that you do not fall below 1800. Also try to cut down on sodium levels. May be switch to the chicken rice soup, or half the grilled sandwich/vegetarian sandwich instead of the soup.
  • ericafaye6988
    ericafaye6988 Posts: 30 Member
    I don't log my water. I always get over my 8 8oz glasses :) I always forget.

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