Am I eating enough?

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phoebejeeby
phoebejeeby Posts: 62 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Hi I think I'm not eating enough but i need another (experienced or educated) opinion. Here are my stats:

Female
202 lbs
5' 6"

Desk Job
Doing Insanity, so five, 40 minute intense aerobic workouts ( I am guessing at a 425 cal burn per workout) and one 25 minute pilates/yoga type workout.

I'm 4 weeks into Insanity and having good results, but gaining lbs. Pics show weight coming off belly and clothes are looser. (not posted just yet)

My diary is open. but here is my quick summary of it I aim for 1600 net cals per day. I am netting a little lower during the week and on the weekends higher than 1600 (damn you alcohol!) So it averages out to 1600 - 1700 net. I weigh my food for accuracy. I drink too much alcohol...but other than that I think I do pretty well. i watch my carbs, eat lots of lean protein and veggies. I cook as many meals as i can from scratch and drink lots of water.

I want to lose 40 lbs, but I'm not on a timeline or anything. I would love to lose a lb a week and I think at my weight this should be doable. Help is much appreciated.

Replies

  • Just_Jon
    Just_Jon Posts: 108 Member
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    If the weight never came off but you dropped 6 sizes (not sure of your size right now), would that be good or bad?

    I guess I'm wondering why you chose weight as your goal. Maybe it should be size reduction. Sounds like you are making excellent progress in improving your fitness level.
  • phoebejeeby
    phoebejeeby Posts: 62 Member
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    I should have left out the fact that i'm not losing weight, to not confuse my question. I'm having great progress (lose clothing, changes in how I am shaped) so the fact that its not reflected on the scale yet is not really bothering me. I just want to make sure I am fueling myself properly for my workouts. I do not want to lose muscle.
  • hwoeltjen
    hwoeltjen Posts: 199 Member
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    You aren't going to lose muscle unless your deficit is extremely low. Even then, it's not like your body feeds off of lean body mass. There is a small window of time that your body will break down muscle tissue for energy. It doesn't do this for very long.

    MFP gives you recommendations as far as how many calories you should be eating to lose 1lb per week. I would recommend you follow those guidelines and adjust as necessary.

    Nobody is going to be able to tell you how many calories to eat. Even if they do give you a number it will not necessarily be accurate.

    Let me also note that you cannot prevent muscle loss on a deficit. Even experienced bodybuilders will lose some muscle when they cut calories. Don't worry so much about that. A great way to tell if you are getting the calories you need is to analyze your performance during your workouts. Feeling tired, recovering slowly, or getting dizzy are all signs that your body is not getting the energy it needs.

    This isn't necessarily bad for weight loss. You will still lose fat. However, you don't want to feel like garbage during exercise. It can cause injuries and generally doesn't make the exercise process very fun.
  • phoebejeeby
    phoebejeeby Posts: 62 Member
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    Thanks! I think that is great advice. I will listen to my body more and use that as a gage.
  • wheird
    wheird Posts: 7,963 Member
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    You aren't going to lose muscle unless your deficit is extremely low. Even then, it's not like your body feeds off of lean body mass. There is a small window of time that your body will break down muscle tissue for energy. It doesn't do this for very long.

    This is in direct conflict with
    Let me also note that you cannot prevent muscle loss on a deficit. Even experienced bodybuilders will lose some muscle when they cut calories. Don't worry so much about that. A great way to tell if you are getting the calories you need is to analyze your performance during your workouts. Feeling tired, recovering slowly, or getting dizzy are all signs that your body is not getting the energy it needs.

    This.

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