Confused about what my body needs to lose weight

sbiggers
sbiggers Posts: 4 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Hi everyone! I've been on MFP for a long time (some of which has been diligent, while some has not), but this is my first post so I will try to present the details.

I have always been heavier, though not really overweight. I had a high weight growing up, but a low body fat due to an extremely muscular physique. I played sports year round and ate mostly whatever I wanted until high school when I gained around 30 pounds in one year (5'3'', 151 pounds - heaviest I'd ever been). I went on weight watchers and got to my happy place over the next year, staying more or less between 135 and 140 lbs. I went to college, partied, ate too much, horrible sleep schedule, etc. and quickly approached 150.

Unfortunately, I decided to crash diet (bad, I know) by following the HCG protocol. I lost the weight quickly, but like so many others, couldn't handle the temptations during transition and put it all back on, plus some. This time, though, my body composition was different since I'd lost a substantial amount of muscle during the diet. Since then it has been a whirlwind of yo-yo dieting. I lost a decent amount of weight through Medifast, but then I studied abroad over the summer. It was the best summer of my life so I don't really regret it, but I gained around 20 lbs (167, I cried for weeks). I lost 10-15 of those pretty quickly just by not drinking as much and being more aware of what I was eating, but now I'm stuck.

If I eat more than 1300 net calories, I gain weight. Sometimes I even gain weight on less. I know that my body may be confused, so I took a few weeks off and ate around 2000 healthy-ish cals/day to try to reassure it before I dieted again. Part of me wants to do Medifast again to get the weight off quickly and then work on rebuilding my fitness levels while integrating clean eating, but I don't want to risk a regain and more yo-yo ing. I just feel very lost reading through posts saying eat the 1200 net calories, then seeing people talk about the success of upping their calories, doing cheat days, intermittent fasting, etc. I feel very overwhelmed.

Over the past two weeks I've tried to net around 1300 calories of clean food with intermittent fasting (break fast around noon, eat my cals until 9pm) and good, intense workouts. I feel stronger, my body feels better, but the scale is going up and my clothes aren't getting looser. To be fair, I'm one of those people that is quick to try to change things... like, I will make some lifestyle changes, stick to them for a week or so, then rethink what I'm doing and change it. I'm young (21), in college, and I know that this should be my prime. I care about my long term health overall and honestly the scale isn't a huge issue for me, but I'm unhappy and unhealthy and I know it. Plus, the insecurities and stress this has caused (literally, it is all I think about all day).

Can anybody offer me some guidance, support, advice, etc? Anything, really. Thanks!

Replies

  • jeffpettis
    jeffpettis Posts: 865 Member
    The short answer to your question is you have to be in a deficit. At your height, weight, and age your maintenance calories should be right around 2000 depending on your normal daily activity levels. If you are eating around 1300 and gaining weight this would lead me to believe that you may not be calculating your intake correctly. Bottom line is if you are truly in a deficit then you will lose weight. That's just the way the body works no matter what anyone tells you.
  • Mokey41
    Mokey41 Posts: 5,769 Member
    The short answer to your question is you have to be in a deficit. At your height, weight, and age your maintenance calories should be right around 2000 depending on your normal daily activity levels. If you are eating around 1300 and gaining weight this would lead me to believe that you may not be calculating your intake correctly. Bottom line is if you are truly in a deficit then you will lose weight. That's just the way the body works no matter what anyone tells you.

    ^^^ This. Something totally doesn't add up.
  • jess6742
    jess6742 Posts: 146
    I understand how you feel. I was at my heaviest when I was in college. I was overweight (5'1 and about 140 pounds). I exercised regularly(5 days a week for about 45 minutes to an hour) and thought I was eating ok. I was extremely insecure about my size and tried fad diets like slim fast and extreme calorie restricting. It was about a year after I graduated and really took stock of the situation that I realized my daily dietary habits were not actually ok. I was eating way more than what I thought and a lot of it was sugary/carby with very little protein and fats.

    Take a step back and really look at what you are consuming. Make sure you are actually eating at a deficit and making sure that you are hitting your macros. It wasn't until I started looking at it as a lifestyle change and not necessarily weight loss that changes happened. It took me a while to lose 30 pounds but I am healthier than ever. I still want to lose this last bit of vanity weight but I can maintain a healthy weight without really thinking about it because of making small lifestyle changes.

    Sorry for the long post. Don't stress about the weight loss and don't do a fad diet. Just take care of yourself. Make those small changes and you will lose weight. It may take longer than you'd like but it's worth it in the long run.
  • chantels1
    chantels1 Posts: 391 Member
    To stop the YO-YO dieting, you have to make a lifestyle change. What is happening is you are making drastic changes for short term. You lose the weight, then you go back to a high calorie diet and gain it back. I understand you want to lose it all now, but it took a summer to gain, it should take a summer to lose, and a lifetime of work to keep it where you want to be.

    We can all give you pointers on losing the weight, but losing is not the only adjustment we have to make. It's changing for long term success!
  • alyssabrown94
    alyssabrown94 Posts: 49
    If you are truly eating 1300 calories a day and gaining weight, I would make sure you don't have a medical problem, like hypothyroidism. Also, make sure you are drink a lot of water.
  • morticia16
    morticia16 Posts: 230 Member
    what 'jeffpettis' said
  • sbiggers
    sbiggers Posts: 4 Member
    I'm pretty sure I'm not miscalculating... I track every little thing that crosses my lips, even if it's one little pretzel that I took from a coworker. I usually take in around 1500-1600 calories, but I workout hard for 45 min to an hour. If I'm overestimating what I burned from exercise, shouldn't I still be losing weight, albeit slowly?

    I am going to really try to up my water intake. I definitely don't drink enough which could definitely be impacting my losses.

    I'm going to start fresh (thanks for the motivation, y'all) and go by the IIFYM calculator because it just requires tracking the total intake, not net calories, which stress me out. Here is what it says:
    - TDEE 2239 calories (the number I should eat to maintain based off total expenditure, including working out)
    - Aggressive weight loss (20% deficit) is 1831 calories/day (meaning that is what I eat in total, regardless of exercise, so technically that would be netting around 1400-1500 calories a day but I don't want to focus on netting)
    - Macros for IIFYM are 141g carbs, 157g protein, 70g fat, 31-39g fiber, Macros for low-carb are 114g carb, 183g protein, 71g fat.

    So my new questions are... which of the above macros do you suggest I follow? I do cardio 3 or 4x/week, and lift weights 2x/week. Regardless, suggestions for ways to easily get all my protein in?
  • sbiggers
    sbiggers Posts: 4 Member
    Thank you, jess6742 for the relatable feedback and support.
  • Ed98043
    Ed98043 Posts: 1,333 Member
    The vast majority of people who post on here that they're eating low calories and not losing (or are gaining) weight turn out to be eating more than they think they are. After some pressing questions they admit that they're just guesstimating their portion sizes or aren't logging everything such as what they drink (then they usually get all defensive and hostile when people tell them that honesty and accuracy with calorie-counting are non-negotiable). Do you measure, weigh and log everything you eat? Are you willing to open your diary?

    Edited to say: Sorry, we were typing at the same time.
  • startheory
    startheory Posts: 63
    The short answer to your question is you have to be in a deficit. At your height, weight, and age your maintenance calories should be right around 2000 depending on your normal daily activity levels. If you are eating around 1300 and gaining weight this would lead me to believe that you may not be calculating your intake correctly. Bottom line is if you are truly in a deficit then you will lose weight. That's just the way the body works no matter what anyone tells you.

    This!! I am very similar to you at 5'3. My highest was 145 which put me into the overweight category. I lost some at 1200 but stalled and was HANGRY all the time. So I upped it to TDEE minus 20%. I'm doing about 1500 calories a day, which is slightly above my BMR and working out 5 days a week. It's working for me, started losing again.

    1300 just seems too low. Are you working out enough? Drinking enough water, etc? If so, I would say see a Dr to rule out medical conditions..
  • sbiggers
    sbiggers Posts: 4 Member
    The short answer to your question is you have to be in a deficit. At your height, weight, and age your maintenance calories should be right around 2000 depending on your normal daily activity levels. If you are eating around 1300 and gaining weight this would lead me to believe that you may not be calculating your intake correctly. Bottom line is if you are truly in a deficit then you will lose weight. That's just the way the body works no matter what anyone tells you.

    This!! I am very similar to you at 5'3. My highest was 145 which put me into the overweight category. I lost some at 1200 but stalled and was HANGRY all the time. So I upped it to TDEE minus 20%. I'm doing about 1500 calories a day, which is slightly above my BMR and working out 5 days a week. It's working for me, started losing again.

    1300 just seems too low. Are you working out enough? Drinking enough water, etc? If so, I would say see a Dr to rule out medical conditions..

    Thank you for the feedback! Are you netting 1500 calories after exercise, or taking in 1500 and exercising to net much lower? All of the women in my family have hypothyroidism except my mom, so maybe I should go get that checked out.
  • Hezzietiger1
    Hezzietiger1 Posts: 1,256 Member
    Just eat 1300 and forget the net factor. If ur gaining ur not at a deficit. Let the exercise b a benefit and just eat 1300.
  • startheory
    startheory Posts: 63
    The short answer to your question is you have to be in a deficit. At your height, weight, and age your maintenance calories should be right around 2000 depending on your normal daily activity levels. If you are eating around 1300 and gaining weight this would lead me to believe that you may not be calculating your intake correctly. Bottom line is if you are truly in a deficit then you will lose weight. That's just the way the body works no matter what anyone tells you.

    This!! I am very similar to you at 5'3. My highest was 145 which put me into the overweight category. I lost some at 1200 but stalled and was HANGRY all the time. So I upped it to TDEE minus 20%. I'm doing about 1500 calories a day, which is slightly above my BMR and working out 5 days a week. It's working for me, started losing again.

    1300 just seems too low. Are you working out enough? Drinking enough water, etc? If so, I would say see a Dr to rule out medical conditions..

    Thank you for the feedback! Are you netting 1500 calories after exercise, or taking in 1500 and exercising to net much lower? All of the women in my family have hypothyroidism except my mom, so maybe I should go get that checked out.


    I don't eat ANY exercise calories back. I'm too focused on losing these last few pounds at this point. I think most who do the TDEE minus 20% don't eat calories back either. Since upping my calories I always still save room for dessert too so I don't feel deprived :)
  • BeachGingerOnTheRocks
    BeachGingerOnTheRocks Posts: 3,927 Member


    I don't eat ANY exercise calories back. I'm too focused on losing these last few pounds at this point. I think most who do the TDEE minus 20% don't eat calories back either. Since upping my calories I always still save room for dessert too so I don't feel deprived :)

    With TDEE, the exercise calories are incorporated into the final tally, so you don't eat anything back on top of TDEE-20%.

    Agreed with the posters that say get your thyroid checked. Particularly if you have a family history. Besides, the yo-yo dieting and hcg and the like can have detrimental effects, and if that's the case, you need to get that fixed while you're still young.

    Also, get a food scale and make 100% sure you are eating the calories you think you are eating. Weighing food is the most accurate by a long shot. Cup measures and packaging estimates can be deceptive.
  • loothi
    loothi Posts: 11
    Hiya,

    I'm a newbie so won't try to offer any advice about TDEEs and what is normal or not. What I got from reading your post was an impression of the anxiety you're having.

    I guess you just want to stabilise (on a gentle, healthy weight loss plan then a maintainable eating pattern).

    Although the tech and knowledge that's available to us all here, articles, diet ideas and calorie trackers... in some ways it's a bit overwhelming with so much advice from so many sources.

    I know it's probably expensive, but I'd think a consultations with a nutritionist of some sort might help, so you've some professional support and advice.

    Just wanted to mention that since no-one else has. Also perhaps feed back to your doctor? I don't know how useful they are but in general it's good for them to know what going on with you, and to keep an eye.

    Hope some light comes from behind the clouds. :)

    xx
  • Flora_k
    Flora_k Posts: 72 Member
    I can so relate to what you are saying. I did the Omnitrition version of the hCG diet for one month. When I had to stop due to side effects, I couldn't stop gaining even while eating below my BMR. Basically I had just really messed up my metabolism. The doctor didn't want me eating lower than my BMR because my heart was affected by the diet. I pretty much had to let the weight come back on and it was frustrating because I would have been losing weight with those calories before the diet. I gained it all back plus some while eating healthy! Anyhow, it took months to get my metabolsim back and it is still not back. My body changed too. When I got back to the same weight where I had started, those clothes were too tight! It was clear that I lost muscle and gained fat.

    So, finally decided to go back to Weight Watchers. I had great success with it after my first child and kept it off but with having another child and then later medical issues, I had gained weight. I halfheartedly went back to WWs a couple times but never lasted more than a few weeks. I just wasn't motivated I guess. Now, after what this hCG diet did to my body, I'm motivated. I started again several weeks ago and I'm down 10 lbs. Of course, I'm eating three times what I was eating on the hCG thing so I'm able to exercise daily and I am. It is helping immensely.

    Stay away from fad diets. They are bad news. Work on getting your metabolism back. It'll mean some weight gain but once your weight stabilized, it just won't be such a fight to lose that weight if you just eat healthy, watch your calories and exercise!

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