This is scary.

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BunkyBumBum
BunkyBumBum Posts: 157 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
My details:
Female
34 years old
5'3"
152 lbs as of 15 minutes ago.

Previously I lost 75 pounds, I gained back 10 of that (and I know why, that 10 was lost when I was very stressed and not eating properly and doing much more walking than I usually do). So, no surprise, I gained back the weight I lost doing stuff out of my normal routine, but I've kept off the other 65 pounds for 3 years.

My goal is to be somewhere around 130-135, I don't care much about the number but that's generally where I feel my body looks healthy based on the fact that I wasn't always fat.

MFP has had me eating 1360 calories and I am pretty good about sticking to them, sometimes I go 100 over because if I'm starving I'll have an apple or banana instead of sit there starving all night long.

I work out 3 times per week, 15 minutes of strength training, different weight machines, 3 sets of 10 reps at a weight that is difficult enough that by the very last one I can barely eek it out. 20-30 minutes on the elliptical or arc trainer depending on what is available, 25 minutes is my usual, but some days I go to 30 if I'm feeling good, and some days when I'm dying I'll stop at 20 (that usually doesn't happen, maybe twice in the last 2 months).

I was just looking at a previous post * http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/654536-in-place-of-a-road-map-2-0-revised-7-2-12 * and I did all the calculations and measurements. According to what the topic poster told me to enter my Body fat is 43.9 (ugh), BMI is 26.9, BMR is 1998, 20% below that is 1600. So, according to that post I should be eating 1600 calories per day at light activity to lose half a pound per week (which is an amount I am cool with, I prefer to lose it slow and steady because history has told me that is the ONLY way I'm going to keep it off). Quick losses result in quick re-gains.

Going up to 1600 calories a day freaks me out. I have been gaining and losing the same 2-4 pounds for the last YEAR so something has got to change.

And - no, my journal is not open, and no, I'm not going to open it. I keep it private to keep myself honest. Just trust me when I say I eat fairly healthy (vegetarian 20+ years) and I account for every calorie. I am acutely aware of what I eat, I try very hard to keep my diet balanced.

Has anyone had success with following the directions in the post I referenced? I need a bit of reassurance that I'm not going to up my calories and find my *kitten* bigger next week.

It's actually a little absurd how nervous this makes me.
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Replies

  • AmyRhubarb
    AmyRhubarb Posts: 6,890 Member
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    I follow the road map - absolutely the best move I ever made. In the past year of eating according to the info and tools there, I have had the best success with losing the fat and keeping my lean body mass, and NOT being hungry. Just well-fueled and happy. :smile:

    Just double checking - is your BMR 1998, or is that your TDEE? Because you are supposed to subtract 20% from your TDEE, not your BMR.

    It does seem scary at first to think of eating more and actually losing, but it works. We've been told for too long that we have to eat the bare minimum and workout like crazy to lose weight/fat, but it's not true! It may take some time for your body to adjust and for you to start seeing results, but as Dan says in the topic, patience is key.

    And like I said, after a year of eating this way, I know I'm set for life - I can do this forever, and plan to stay fit and healthy for the rest of my days.

    Just so you know - he updated the thread in the last day or so, so there's a version 3 with a bit more info I think: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/912920-in-place-of-a-road-map-3-2013

    Check it out, and double check your numbers for that BMR and TDEE and make sure you've got them right. And then take the plunge - it's worth it!
  • Greenrun99
    Greenrun99 Posts: 2,065 Member
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    Going up to 1600 calories a day freaks me out. I have been gaining and losing the same 2-4 pounds for the last YEAR so something has got to change.

    That's your something that has to change.. More weights as well to get that BF% a bit lower with added protein intake. Congrats on the weight loss, but huge deficits made your BF% high, and it will be harder to lower it at lower weights.
  • dangerousdumpling
    dangerousdumpling Posts: 1,109 Member
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    I know how you feel. Isn't it strange that even though we're not getting the results we want with what we're doing we still hesitate to make changes? Last week I figured that if I'm going to lose weight slowly at 1200 calories I might as well eat more and find out what happens. Feel free to add me. If you decide to increase your calories we can update each other on our progress.

    Keep in mind that you can slowly increase your calories. You don't have to jump up to 1600 calories per day at once.
  • ExNihil0
    ExNihil0 Posts: 60
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    For F@#$ Sake ......EAT!!!!!!
  • diannethegeek
    diannethegeek Posts: 14,776 Member
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    The road map works for me. When I tried cutting my calories down to 1200-1400 a day and working out I stalled for over two months. Increasing my calories was the only thing that helped. I'm now eating 1700-1800 a day and still losing!
  • weird_me2
    weird_me2 Posts: 716 Member
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    Well, when you've done the same thing for so long, it is scary to think about changing, but change can be a good thing!

    I wanted to point out to you that your calculations may not be correct. If you are truly 43% body fat, that could significantly reduce your BMR and TDEE calculations. From a calculator that I used, at your weight and body fat %, your BMR would only be 1218 and TDEE at lightly active 1675. This means that eating at 1600 will pretty much put you at maintenance. If your body fat % isaccurate, you are probably going to want to continue your strength training but try to find additional ways to burn the calories to create the deficit you need to see losses. If you increase to be more moderately active, your TDEE increases by over 200 calories a day, so eating at 1600 would allow approx. a .5 lb a week loss.
  • Factory_Reset
    Factory_Reset Posts: 1,651 Member
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    For F@#$ Sake ......EAT!!!!!!

    This
  • bcattoes
    bcattoes Posts: 17,299 Member
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    OP, are you eating 1360 calories total, or net as MFP recommends? If you start at 1360 and add that exercise in, I would expect you to already be eating 1600 or more calories per day.

    MFP does underestimate the calories burned through strength training, but still. If you entered the exercises you mention I'm sure you'd "earn" at least 300 exercises calories.
  • nadz6012
    nadz6012 Posts: 126 Member
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    If you're at a relatively normal weight for how tall you are, I highly doubt you're 44% body fat.
  • ademiter
    ademiter Posts: 176 Member
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    I'm following the road map to a point - mine said eat 1900, but I'm not willing to do that just yet. I upped mine from 1200 to 1650 and I have seen results, namely that I'm not starving and I have lost 2 pounds over the last 2 weeks. I hit a wall there for a while fluctuating back and forth, so I knew something had to change!
  • teenhamodic
    teenhamodic Posts: 43
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    you need to calculate how many carbs, fats and protein macros you need.

    calories is a good indicator of how much you should eat, but when you're cuttin down on calories, you'll need the energy from somewhere and the worst thing that can happen to you is losing muscle mass.

    if you want we can PM each other and i can figure out the stats for you, assuming that you provide a bit of personal information.

    but in general, you need to eat a lot of protein to supplement for the calorie deficit...
  • bzmom
    bzmom Posts: 1,332 Member
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    Yes I for one my calculations also brought me to a 1600 calorie goal have been at 1600 and lost 3 lbs in a week (mostly from all the sodium I think I was taking in before) the only thing I did for me was that although everyone tells you to eat all your exercise calories back I have not but this is why I never get a net below 1200 and I only exercise about 2 to 4 times a week burn only about 200 to 300 calories and I dont log on the weekends where I know I go slightly over. So in the end it all evens out :happy:

    Edited to add Im 5'4" and 161 as of today
  • 1ConcreteGirl
    1ConcreteGirl Posts: 3,677 Member
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    Going up to 1600 calories a day freaks me out. I have been gaining and losing the same 2-4 pounds for the last YEAR so something has got to change.

    The fad diets and very low calorie myths that are popular are what make the common sense approach seem scary. I do know that it works though. My friend lost over 100 lbs here and then stalled out for a year. As soon as she upped her calories, she started losing again.

    I don't have quite as much to lose, but just a few weeks ago, I upped my calories a bit and I was holding my breath. The scale stayed put for a couple weeks as my body adjusted, and then I had a 2.4 lb loss all at once. Trust the process. It DOES work. My only suggestion would be that you increase your calories slowly by 100 per week so that you can adjust to the change without making the scale move.
  • ravengirl1611
    ravengirl1611 Posts: 285 Member
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    I found the Dan's roadmap on the 2nd or 3rd day on here and started it right away along with strength training with a personal trainer - although the scale weight hasnt dropped as fast as I may have liked it - the other losses have been huge and Im super thrilled with my progress so far - I've lost 5% BF and untold inches (only because I havent measured in a while) at last measurements I was down a combined total of 22 inches - I've gone from a 2xl shirt to an XL shirt (super thrilled with that one!!!) As another poster mentioned make sure you're deducting from your TDEE not your BMR - or to make it easier - I keep my cals just above BMR and dont worry about TDEE (ie - BMR is 1850 - keep cals to between 1900 & 2000) I dont eat back exercise cals unless Im super hungry and below BMR and then I only eat enough to bring me back up to BMR. The big thing is the strength training - you might not see the results on the scale but you will definately see them in the mirror! Good Luck~
  • BunkyBumBum
    BunkyBumBum Posts: 157 Member
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    Just double checking - is your BMR 1998, or is that your TDEE? Because you are supposed to subtract 20% from your TDEE, not your BMR.

    Oops, it's my TDEE. I didn't even look at the BMR stuff from the top of the page for more than a quick glance!
  • Nachise
    Nachise Posts: 395 Member
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    BunkyBumBum, are you working with a nutritionist? Your caloric intake sounds a little low to me. When my nutritionist suggested that I bump my caloric intake up, that scared me. She also made specific suggestions about balancing my carbs, fats and proteins. I was going too low in fats and proteins, and the "bump up" jolted my body into weight loss again.
  • Phrick
    Phrick Posts: 2,765 Member
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    I have started and stopped MFP 3 times over the years because I would feel hungry all the time and after losing just a little I'd stall out. This time I'm doing it the "in place of a road map" way and have lost 8+ pounds in a short time and never feel deprived. My TDEE -25% is 1928 and I eat as close to that as I can manage and I'm LOSING THE WEIGHT!! It works.
  • LifeWithPie
    LifeWithPie Posts: 552 Member
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    For F@#$ Sake ......EAT!!!!!!

    This


    Soooo not helpful.
  • BunkyBumBum
    BunkyBumBum Posts: 157 Member
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    So many things to reply to, you're all offering such helpful information I don't want to miss anything!

    That's your something that has to change.. More weights as well to get that BF% a bit lower with added protein intake. Congrats on the weight loss, but huge deficits made your BF% high, and it will be harder to lower it at lower weights.

    I lost the original weight using weight watchers (old system that accounts for fiber, fat, and calories), it took a year to lose 65 pounds, my weight loss was about .5 per week, some weeks higher, some weeks lower, some weeks I gained a pound. So, that was nice and slow, except for that last 10 pounds that I gained back, but like I said, that was not expected to stay off because it was a stress loss.
    OP, are you eating 1360 calories total, or net as MFP recommends? If you start at 1360 and add that exercise in, I would expect you to already be eating 1600 or more calories per day.

    1360, then 3 days a week I get about 300 calories extra from working out.
    If you're at a relatively normal weight for how tall you are, I highly doubt you're 44% body fat.
    This number shocked me, I mean, I've got my squishy bits, but I'm a size 10 jean, pretty firmly "medium" in everything. I look like I can lose 15 pounds, I think, but I don't look like I'm half fat. I've never really calculated body fat before though, so I just took the number at face value. My scale calculates my body fat at 35%, I've never really paid attention to it though.

    I haven't spoken to a nutritionist and I do look at my end of the day nutrition totals. I should probably take those numbers from the last month and average them out to see where I'm standing with them... at some point when my 5 year old isn't climbing me.

    So, it looks like this roadmap is working for people. I'll give it a go, *gulp* (AHAHA, totally not intended, but gulp, get it, I'm gulping because I'm a bit afraid of this, but GULP, I'm eating more. Gulp gulp. I kill me!)
  • krickeyuu
    krickeyuu Posts: 344 Member
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    I am 5'4" tall and I started at 153 lbs and around 33% body fat (by my scale, not necessarily accurate I know). I usually net between 1400 and 1600 calories. I strive for 1500 calroies net. I try not to net less than 1300. I now weight 132 and am holding at that weight. Sacel shows me at around 26% body fat now.

    If going up to 1600 calroies scares you go up to 1400 or 1450 for a few weeks, then to 1500, then to 1550--see how that goes.

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