Adjusting Calorie Intake

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spaingirl2011
spaingirl2011 Posts: 763 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Hi all! I'm appealing to the wisdom of the MFP community.

After a summer of overindulgence, I worked to get back on track September 1st. (I'm 28 years old, 5'4, currently 145lbs, would like to get to 130--and I have Hashimoto's Thyroiditis). I started September at 149lbs. MFP set me at 1360, but I adjusted it on my own to 1410. I worked really hard to keep that calorie goal and I hit the gym hard (something I enjoy doing--this isn't drudgery for me). According to my heart rate monitor, I was making some pretty big burns, but I wasn't sure how much to trust these really huge reads (I was interval running for 40 minutes and lifting heavy for 35 minutes, three days a week and interval running for 50 minutes two days a week).

In two months (the end of October), I had managed to lose almost 7lbs, putting me at 142lbs, but I had been feeling a bit rundown (I also hadn't seen much of a visual difference and the tape measure marked absolutely no difference) but had no idea how rundown until I went on vacation and ended up with a two-week cold. On top of water weight gain from illness, I also had the water weight gain from eating on vacation. I weighed 147. I bounced up and down from the high 144s to the low 146 for the month due to losing focus and tracking inconsistently (which led to eating either at my TDEE or just above it). Now, I'm holding pretty steady at 145. I really want to get back to losing, but my guess is that 1410 is too low for me (even if I was losing between .8-1lb a week).

Depending on the website, my TDEE is somewhere between 2200-2100. My heavy workout days show a calorie burn of 750-900 calories (at least according to my HRM, and I'm a bit skeptical). I've adjusted my calorie intake to 1600 on low/non workout days and 1700 on high workout days.

Am I on the right track with this? I know it's all trial and error, I just want to make sure that I'm not missing anything or overestimating burns and calorie intakes.

Thank you all so much!!

Replies

  • jessicalindsey1
    jessicalindsey1 Posts: 2
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    You might just want to try losing fat instead of weight. (though I can't really help with that one, so you could try googling it for suggestions).

    http://health.reviewship.com/customized-fat-loss-review
  • wheird
    wheird Posts: 7,963 Member
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    Try searching for a private group here that deals with Hashimoto's. I, and most others here, have little knowledge about it so I don't want to steer you in the wrong direction.
  • spaingirl2011
    spaingirl2011 Posts: 763 Member
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    That's the general plan ... but I'm having a hard time losing either weight or fat! So I'm trying to find a happy medium calorie intake range...
  • PikaKnight
    PikaKnight Posts: 34,971 Member
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    Try searching for a private group here that deals with Hashimoto's. I, and most others here, have little knowledge about it so I don't want to steer you in the wrong direction.

    ^This. Here are some links for some general tips, but I can't say whether or not they will help or apply to you with your condition :cry:

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1080242-a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1122891-9-reasons-fat-loss-is-always-slower-than-you-d-like

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1105036-article-on-flexible-dieting-by-armi-legge?page=1#posts-17068746

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/872212-you-re-probably-eating-more-than-you-think

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/819055-setting-your-calorie-and-macro-targets

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/850719-strength-training-the-basics
  • spaingirl2011
    spaingirl2011 Posts: 763 Member
    Options
    Try searching for a private group here that deals with Hashimoto's. I, and most others here, have little knowledge about it so I don't want to steer you in the wrong direction.

    ^This. Here are some links for some general tips, but I can't say whether or not they will help or apply to you with your condition :frown:

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1080242-a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1122891-9-reasons-fat-loss-is-always-slower-than-you-d-like

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1105036-article-on-flexible-dieting-by-armi-legge?page=1#posts-17068746

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/872212-you-re-probably-eating-more-than-you-think

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/819055-setting-your-calorie-and-macro-targets

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/850719-strength-training-the-basics

    Thanks! So far, according to lab results, my medicine is working like it's supposed to, so now it's about trying to figure out what to do about calorie intake and whether or not I'm burning less than my HRM seems to say that I am.
  • wheird
    wheird Posts: 7,963 Member
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    General wisdom tells me that you should track your weight over a month or two, trying to keep your consumption and exercise as static as possible, and adjust your intake based on how much you're losing on average.
  • Toyasecret
    Toyasecret Posts: 4
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    Hi I have a question I'm doing between 60-90 minutes of cardio a day(5x) a week burning between 800-1200 calories each workout . Is 1800 calories a day to much or to little calories? Typically I eat between 1400-1600 when I workout like this. Is this a good way to go?
  • spaingirl2011
    spaingirl2011 Posts: 763 Member
    Options
    General wisdom tells me that you should track your weight over a month or two, trying to keep your consumption and exercise as static as possible, and adjust your intake based on how much you're losing on average.

    That's probably a good idea. I acknowledge the fact that this last month has been pretty inconsistent--which makes it a bit tricky when you try to figure out something new! I just remember feeling really hungry and exhausted in September--but mostly October. I care more about what I see in the mirror and I wasn't seeing much then...
  • spaingirl2011
    spaingirl2011 Posts: 763 Member
    Options
    Hi I have a question I'm doing between 60-90 minutes of cardio a day(5x) a week burning between 800-1200 calories each workout . Is 1800 calories a day to much or to little calories? Typically I eat between 1400-1600 when I workout like this. Is this a good way to go?

    Ha! That's what I'm trying to figure out. Looks like trial and error may be the best judge.
  • PikaKnight
    PikaKnight Posts: 34,971 Member
    Options
    General wisdom tells me that you should track your weight over a month or two, trying to keep your consumption and exercise as static as possible, and adjust your intake based on how much you're losing on average.

    That's probably a good idea. I acknowledge the fact that this last month has been pretty inconsistent--which makes it a bit tricky when you try to figure out something new! I just remember feeling really hungry and exhausted in September--but mostly October. I care more about what I see in the mirror and I wasn't seeing much then...

    I agree with Reality. Maybe try just setting a base calorie goal (i.e. 2000 or whatever your TDEE -15 or -20% is) and eat that without adding any additional exercise calories. (You can still log exercise, but just change the burn to 1 cal).

    Do this for 4-6 weeks (while weighing out your food as accurately and often as you can) and then adjust as needed. Just make sure that whenever you change your calorie goals or exercise routine, that you give your body about 4 weeks to adjust before making additional changes.
  • spaingirl2011
    spaingirl2011 Posts: 763 Member
    Options
    General wisdom tells me that you should track your weight over a month or two, trying to keep your consumption and exercise as static as possible, and adjust your intake based on how much you're losing on average.

    That's probably a good idea. I acknowledge the fact that this last month has been pretty inconsistent--which makes it a bit tricky when you try to figure out something new! I just remember feeling really hungry and exhausted in September--but mostly October. I care more about what I see in the mirror and I wasn't seeing much then...

    I agree with Reality. Maybe try just setting a base calorie goal (i.e. 2000 or whatever your TDEE -15 or -20% is) and eat that without adding any additional exercise calories. (You can still log exercise, but just change the burn to 1 cal).

    Do this for 4-6 weeks (while weighing out your food as accurately and often as you can) and then adjust as needed. Just make sure that whenever you change your calorie goals or exercise routine, that you give your body about 4 weeks to adjust before making additional changes.

    Thanks! I think that may be the way to go. I try to give things at least 4 weeks before I start freaking out (haha). I'll hang in there and see what happens!
  • wheird
    wheird Posts: 7,963 Member
    Options
    Hi I have a question I'm doing between 60-90 minutes of cardio a day(5x) a week burning between 800-1200 calories each workout . Is 1800 calories a day to much or to little calories? Typically I eat between 1400-1600 when I workout like this. Is this a good way to go?

    Psst, thread hijacking is a no-no.

    But to answer your question, if you're eating 1,400-1,600 NET (meaning 1,400-1,600 plus your exercise calories) then you're fine. But if you're eating only 1,400-1,600 calories without eating your exercise calories back, this gives you a Net Daily average of 400-800 calories, which is too low.
  • Toyasecret
    Toyasecret Posts: 4
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    Yea it's a total of 1400-1600 calories a day, I usually don't eat the total calories back.

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