Going over calories daily - Advice?
runfree78
Posts: 25 Member
Hi!
I'm 35, 121 lbs, 5'2". I started tracking on here EVERY SINGLE THING going into my mouth and find that I'm going over my recommended 1200 calories.
I gain weight like it's a marathon ... I was 113.8 back in like, March, and every couple of weeks a 1/2 lb or a lb sneaks on and never leaves. It builds slowly but steadily, and never reverses. Last year I had a personal trainer through July and went from 135 lbs to 122 lbs, and then I was on my own, losing another 8 lbs, but since then I have not changed my diet or my habits and continue to gain!
I now walk/jog/run about 4-6 times a week, between 2 and 4 miles. For the life of me, I can't add in weights or other cardio. I try to force myself, but I end up just crying because I hate it so much. Yep, real mature. I've started to think about doing split runs, getting in two miles in the morning before work and then running another two at night; right now, I run around sunset time.
When I first joined here, someone said something about I'm not eating enough - but if I up my calories (as I have unintentionally done now), I just see more weight gain and no loss.
I am hungry ALL this time - ALL THE TIME. I just got done with my lunch at work (4 oz baked chicken strips and broccoli), and could eat another lunch right now happily and not blink an eye. I will be hungry the rest of the day, to the point of almost being in tears. (this is why I've been going over in calories; I am so, so hungry and I can only deny myself for so long before I hit the fridge again) I am tired ALL the time - I often lay down in bed several times during the day during the weekend just to rest, and have taken 2 naps in one day more than once! I was off soda completely, but have found that the caffeine is the only thing that gets me to a decent wakefulness and have started drinking a diet coke in the morning again.
Any advice, besides "see a doctor"? Unfortunately a doctor can't help me; I can't have blood work done so there's no way of knowing if there's a thyroid issue or other medical issue or anything. I'm very unhappy and very uncomfortable at this weight.
I'm 35, 121 lbs, 5'2". I started tracking on here EVERY SINGLE THING going into my mouth and find that I'm going over my recommended 1200 calories.
I gain weight like it's a marathon ... I was 113.8 back in like, March, and every couple of weeks a 1/2 lb or a lb sneaks on and never leaves. It builds slowly but steadily, and never reverses. Last year I had a personal trainer through July and went from 135 lbs to 122 lbs, and then I was on my own, losing another 8 lbs, but since then I have not changed my diet or my habits and continue to gain!
I now walk/jog/run about 4-6 times a week, between 2 and 4 miles. For the life of me, I can't add in weights or other cardio. I try to force myself, but I end up just crying because I hate it so much. Yep, real mature. I've started to think about doing split runs, getting in two miles in the morning before work and then running another two at night; right now, I run around sunset time.
When I first joined here, someone said something about I'm not eating enough - but if I up my calories (as I have unintentionally done now), I just see more weight gain and no loss.
I am hungry ALL this time - ALL THE TIME. I just got done with my lunch at work (4 oz baked chicken strips and broccoli), and could eat another lunch right now happily and not blink an eye. I will be hungry the rest of the day, to the point of almost being in tears. (this is why I've been going over in calories; I am so, so hungry and I can only deny myself for so long before I hit the fridge again) I am tired ALL the time - I often lay down in bed several times during the day during the weekend just to rest, and have taken 2 naps in one day more than once! I was off soda completely, but have found that the caffeine is the only thing that gets me to a decent wakefulness and have started drinking a diet coke in the morning again.
Any advice, besides "see a doctor"? Unfortunately a doctor can't help me; I can't have blood work done so there's no way of knowing if there's a thyroid issue or other medical issue or anything. I'm very unhappy and very uncomfortable at this weight.
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1200 is too low. I don't know what kind of diet you used last time, but you might have damaged your metabolism by not eating enough. It is normal to gain some water weight when you stop losing weight though, are you sure it's not the weight gain you see when you up your calories?
Go to that site http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/ , enter your info, select lightly active and 15%. Eat what it tells you to eat. Yes you might gain a little but it's the only way you'll be able to lose weight in the long run without starving yourself. Heck you should even eat your maintenance calories for 2 months to totally reset your metabolism... You'll gain a bit but you'll be able to lose on a healthier 1400 calories after.
Also make sure to eat whole foods and a lot of protein.0 -
Your body is in need of more foods. Sounds like it is time to up the calories. Have you tried eating 5 small meals a day.
Lack of food your body needs is causing you to be hungry and tried all the time. Look at it this way lets say your body is your car. Can you run your car without gas? No so your body is running on empty so add some gas to it.0 -
1200 is too low. I don't know what kind of diet you used last time, but you might have damaged your metabolism by not eating enough. It is normal to gain some water weight when you stop losing weight though, are you sure it's not the weight gain you see when you up your calories?
Go to that site http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/ , enter your info, select lightly active and 15%. Eat what it tells you to eat. Yes you might gain a little but it's the only way you'll be able to lose weight in the long run without starving yourself. Heck you should even eat your maintenance calories for 2 months to totally reset your metabolism... You'll gain a bit but you'll be able to lose on a healthier 1400 calories after.
Also make sure to eat whole foods and a lot of protein.
For my initial weight loss, I ate 5 meals a day, ran 4 days a week, and worked out with a PT 2x a week. After that, I just stuck to the 1200-1400 calories and ran and ran and ran. I do that now - but I just keep gaining. I have been eating the same and gaining since before the spring (and I do mean "eating the same", as I have pretty much the same meals every single day), so I'd think I'd be "reset" by now, right? I should have started seeing weight loss again by now ... but I haven't. And at my size, every single pound I gain makes a huge difference in how I look and feel. I am already crying almost every morning putting on my clothes because I feel HUGE and nothing fits and I have no money for even MORE clothes (since I had to buy new stuff when I lost the weight), so the idea gaining even another pound makes me feel really, really horrible.
That calculator tells me that my BMR is 1300. So I'm pretty much eating that now, and hungry all the time. For the record I eat 80-110 g of protein every day - should I be eating more??Read this.
I tried, but it is VERY garbled and VERY hard to read. Is there a better version that you know of?0 -
Here's the condensed version of In Place of a Road Map: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/975025-in-place-of-a-road-map-short-n-sweet0
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Sound likes you added body muscles and you can not lose that. Muscle weighs more than fat.0
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yup. this.Here's the condensed version of In Place of a Road Map: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/975025-in-place-of-a-road-map-short-n-sweet
but not this. not ever this. ever.Sound likes you added body muscles and you can not lose that. Muscle weighs more than fat.0 -
Sound likes you added body muscles and you can not lose that. Muscle weighs more than fat.
No, a pound is a pound and you don't gain muscle eating at a deficit.0 -
Sound likes you added body muscles and you can not lose that. Muscle weighs more than fat.
Of course you can lose lean muscle mass. And it's pretty difficult to build any significant muscle mass while eating at a calorie deficit.0 -
yup. this.Here's the condensed version of In Place of a Road Map: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/975025-in-place-of-a-road-map-short-n-sweet
but not this. not ever this. ever.Sound likes you added body muscles and you can not lose that. Muscle weighs more than fat.
✔ to reading the road map.
✖ to adding muscle on a deficit - ever. Ever!0 -
Here's the condensed version of In Place of a Road Map: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/975025-in-place-of-a-road-map-short-n-sweet
Read and follow this...it'll change everything for you!0 -
Based on your weight height and age your TDEE is 1700 calories assuming you work out 4 times a week. Here is the think, a 500 cal cut puts you at 1200 calories. If you're only doing cardio you are pretty much losing some lean muscle and fat. Here is the thing, muscle burns more calories since if requires more energy just to maintain.
How about you add maybe 3 weigh training days plus your cardio and eat at 1300 calories.0 -
You cry doing weights?0
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Set your goal for a slower loss. I could not stick to 1600 calories a day ever, but I have next to no trouble sticking to 1800 calories. Being hungry all the time is your body's way of saying it needs more nutrition. Your lunch sounded fine, but what other stuff do you eat? I find I do best if I get 5 servings of fruit/vegetables a day, a little bit of starchy carbs at each meal, and lots of lean protein.
Did you say you're weighing all non-liquid food on a kitchen scale when you're logging it?0 -
The only real way to find out what's going on is to see a doctor. You could be in pre-menopause. When I was, i only had to smell food to gain weight. No matter what I did, there was no leveling out. Try a public health clinic if you can't afford the blood work.0
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You don't have to starve to lose weight. Follow the road map.0
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Sound likes you added body muscles and you can not lose that. Muscle weighs more than fat.
No, a pound is a pound and you don't gain muscle eating at a deficit.
A 1" square cube of muscle weighs more than a 1" square cube of fat because it's more dense. When people say "muscle weighs more than fat," they're comparing volume, not weight.0 -
Why can't you get bloodwork done?0
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Here's the condensed version of In Place of a Road Map: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/975025-in-place-of-a-road-map-short-n-sweet
And don't worry if you gain in the first couple of weeks of upping your calories. It will be water weight, and will come off as your body gets used to increased calories.
It works for me.0 -
Sound likes you added body muscles and you can not lose that. Muscle weighs more than fat.
No, a pound is a pound and you don't gain muscle eating at a deficit.
A 1" square cube of muscle weighs more than a 1" square cube of fat because it's more dense. When people say "muscle weighs more than fat," they're comparing volume, not weight.
Yes, but she isn't gaining muscle eating 1200 calories.0 -
...and that advice is often thrown around by folks that don't understand it.Sound likes you added body muscles and you can not lose that. Muscle weighs more than fat.
No, a pound is a pound and you don't gain muscle eating at a deficit.
A 1" square cube of muscle weighs more than a 1" square cube of fat because it's more dense. When people say "muscle weighs more than fat," they're comparing volume, not weight.
Yes, but she isn't gaining muscle eating 1200 calories.
typical scenario is:
OP: "I'm not losing weight because I'm doing it wrong"
Responder: "Maybe you're gaining muscle!!! :drinker: :drinker:
:drinker: :smooched: :flowerforyou:!"
OP: "awesome! So I'm doing it right!"
other people: "no."0 -
Yeah - eat more food!Any advice, besides "see a doctor"?
You're hungry, you take two naps a day, and is the crying over adding weights or other workouts because you're exahausted, or because you hate whatever exercise you're trying to add?
This ain't rocket science - your body is asking you to FEED IT! Yes, upping your calories may cause you to gain a little at first, but just ride it out. It can take the body 4-6 weeks to adjust to a new intake, but it's worth the wait and the results.
I'll echo what others have posted - go read this thread: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/974888-in-place-of-a-road-map-2k13 Then read it again and again, because it's a lot of info, but well worth your time to go through and understand it. Find your BMR and your TDEE. Eat in between those numbers. Drink water, get good sleep, exercise - find something that you LIKE to do. If you hate weights, find something that incorporates body weight exercises, because some form or resistance training is awesome.
And have patience. Trust the process. Quit starving yourself. Find your numbers, and eat your calories. Take measurements and photos, because the scale isn't always going to tell you the whole story - it will show you every little bit of water weight, which isn't a "true gain" of fat.
Good luck.0 -
Hi Runfree!
Not sure if you are already doing this, but I have noticed that it not only matters what you eat but when you eat. For example, I try not to eat for 1 hour after exercise, to let the fat burn. Also, and this for me is critical, in the evening I have to eat at least 4-5 hours before going to bed, otherwise I gain weight even if I am below my calorie count (go figure). So I try to keep to this religiously. Also important to get enought sleep.
Hope any of this helps. Good luck! Ioulia0 -
Eat more. And exercise more too. Eat loads more.0
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maybe you're pregnant.0
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You cry doing weights?
My fat cries.0 -
No. You don't need to make it so complicated. Also, plenty of people eat just before and just after working out, to make sure there is plenty of protein available to repair the damage to their muscles. The fat will burn when you are in a calorie deficit over time. There's no magic about not eating before bed, over the long term. Sorry.Hi Runfree!
Not sure if you are already doing this, but I have noticed that it not only matters what you eat but when you eat. For example, I try not to eat for 1 hour after exercise, to let the fat burn. Also, and this for me is critical, in the evening I have to eat at least 4-5 hours before going to bed, otherwise I gain weight even if I am below my calorie count (go figure). So I try to keep to this religiously. Also important to get enought sleep.
Hope any of this helps. Good luck! Ioulia0 -
Any advice, besides "see a doctor"? Unfortunately a doctor can't help me; I can't have blood work done so there's no way of knowing if there's a thyroid issue or other medical issue or anything. I'm very unhappy and very uncomfortable at this weight.
You don't say why a doctor can't help you or why you can't have tests so if you do have hypothyroidism, you can wait until you've gained 60 plus lbs and your hair has turned gray and falls out AND you've lost all control of rationality...sorry, but that's the reality of it.
You're probably going to hear that you aren't eating enough...also possible.
Don't know what you're eating, but some calories can help us feel fuller for longer. For me, string cheese and an apple as a snack really take away the hunger pangs.
There's been a rash of research on insulin spikes recently, and how those spikes can slow metabolism. Google this - might also explain why you're hungry all the time.
If you're dealing with the last 10 lbs, that's a whole new ballgame and you'll need to work through the plateau that many folks hit.
Also, if your "diet" isn't sustainable, it's not going to work...which is why I don't "diet." I just eat a little less, exercise a little more, EVERY day. Excluding medical conditions, your body has no other option but to respond, but it might take some time.0 -
Thanks for more advice; I'm reading everything and trying not to freak out at the suggestion I eat more. I will gain weight if I do that, and then it will be like my entire year and a half, bust my *kitten*, constant restriction and working out would be for absolutely nothing. *sigh* I don't know what I would do if that happened. I feel like that would ruin me mentally.
I do weigh everything I eat., I've gotten good at judging meat portions without the scale (though I do double check most times), but I'm still weighing things like peanut butter, or nuts of any kind, or quinoa, or pasta if I eat it, or berries if I eat them, etc.
For those who asked, I have a severe needle phobia that restricts me from bloodwork, surgeries, immunizations ... I spent years in therapy for it, and nothing changed. I almost had a very, very serious problem two years ago when my gallbladder started shutting down and began hardening, because I couldn't go get the tests done to verify what was happening.
And yes, I am typically exhausted so it takes nothing for me to cry. And if I try to do some body weight stuff - push up, lunges, squats, etc - I usually end up in tears because even after consistently doing them I see no improvement in anything. I'm talking weeks, and no improvement, so when I try to do them I just know I'm getting nowhere and end up in tears and feeling very, very negative. It's disheartening. Running is the only thing that makes me feel better; I like getting out there and getting time to myself and usually feel like doing it every day though I force rest days from time to time.
I sleep at least 8 hours a night, sometimes 9. On weekends, I usually sleep 8-10 hours plus a 1 1/2 to 3 hour nap daily. So I must be getting enough sleep, right??
But I will closely read that link.0 -
you don't gain muscle eating at a deficit.
What?:noway:0
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