metabolic and starvation help!

poppingcandy
poppingcandy Posts: 4
in Health and Weight Loss
hi,

i recently decided im going to lose weight so i cut back how much i was eating and cut out refined sugars, pastas, bread, milk and milk products etc most of the time. i say most of the time because every week or so i will have something i consider 'naughty'.

i am truly clueless when it comes to healthy eating and just wanted to get a jump on weightloss. i hardly ever track and log what im eating with MFP but the other day i thought id see how many calories on a average day im taking in, which is about 740cal. as i have PCOS i have been mainly watching carbs and sugars. im not hungry or tired or feeling worse for having limited my food intake, i did at the start but shrugged it off as withdrawals from sugars etc.

i have lost 6.2kgs in 6weeks (going from 74.1kg to 67.9) with hardly any excercise. i never realised how much i was restricting my calorie intake and thought the weightloss was due to no longer drinking alcohol, eating junk and eating just better in general.

when i started looking up my calorie intake i became worried with all the horror stories of gaining weight back.

i would love advice on how to keep maintaining my weight with upping my calories and do you think my metabolism is shot since i do keep having my 'naughty' treats to keep it guessing? i had a bad week where i ended up having loads of chocolate and hot chips etc and i didnt loose anything but didnt put it on and went right back to loosing again the following week.

TIA

Replies

  • Mokey41
    Mokey41 Posts: 5,769 Member
    Start eating at least 1200 calories. Full fat dairy, eggs, meats, nuts, oils will add calories without adding bulk. You may gain a couple pounds back as your body replenishes the glycogen you've depleted with your VLCD but then it should be fine again once your body finds it's balance.
  • poppingcandy
    poppingcandy Posts: 4
    thanks for your reply. il give it a shot! :smile:
  • rogerou812
    rogerou812 Posts: 6
    I defiantly like to track my intake its a big help I'm on a 1200 a day calorie right now so it helps to not eat those bbq chips and other goodies I like instead I now have sugar free dark chocolate Jello pudding as my chocolate fix or skinny cow ice cream sandwich and even pretzels instead of the chips surprising how it helps and satisfies even with 18 small pretzels
  • Mokey41
    Mokey41 Posts: 5,769 Member
    I defiantly like to track my intake its a big help I'm on a 1200 a day calorie right now so it helps to not eat those bbq chips and other goodies I like instead I now have sugar free dark chocolate Jello pudding as my chocolate fix or skinny cow ice cream sandwich and even pretzels instead of the chips surprising how it helps and satisfies even with 18 small pretzels

    No adult male should be trying to live on 1200 calories.
  • rogerou812
    rogerou812 Posts: 6
    Well that's what the plan gives me for now and its working I also add the calories gained from exercise that varies
  • QuietBloom
    QuietBloom Posts: 5,413 Member
    Well that's what the plan gives me for now and its working I also add the calories gained from exercise that varies

    What plan?
  • poppingcandy
    poppingcandy Posts: 4
    if i begin excercising like boxing and strength training should i be aiming for more than 1200cal a day?
  • Mokey41
    Mokey41 Posts: 5,769 Member
    Well that's what the plan gives me for now and its working I also add the calories gained from exercise that varies

    I'm assuming you mean that you chose the 2 lb per week level on MFP and you actually don't have much to lose or you've entered your data incorrectly. I would bet your BMR is much higher than 1200 calories. Do you realize that when you under eat like that your body starts eating muscle to supply fuel? MFP only does math, it expects you to supply the common sense.
  • Mokey41
    Mokey41 Posts: 5,769 Member
    if i begin excercising like boxing and strength training should i be aiming for more than 1200cal a day?

    Yes, you'd need to do some calculation of exercise calories burned and eat back some percentage. A good idea would be to figure out your BMR and eat at least that much.
  • meshashesha2012
    meshashesha2012 Posts: 8,329 Member
    Start eating at least 1200 calories. Full fat dairy, eggs, meats, nuts, oils will add calories without adding bulk. You may gain a couple pounds back as your body replenishes the glycogen you've depleted with your VLCD but then it should be fine again once your body finds it's balance.

    this and stop placing silly value judgments on food like naughty. the measure of your "goodness" or "badness" has nothing to do with the food you eat or your weight
  • WalkingAlong
    WalkingAlong Posts: 4,926 Member
    i would love advice on how to keep maintaining my weight with upping my calories and do you think my metabolism is shot since i do keep having my 'naughty' treats to keep it guessing?
    No disrespect intended to other posters but eating below your BMR is only forbidden on this forum. Even the MFP plan itself allows it. There's nothing dangerous about it. You can't "shoot" your metabolism or cause it to be "shot" and your body does no guessing. It burns the calories it uses for energy and stores the excess, naughty or nice. If you create deficits, counting or not counting, you should lose. Eating below 1200 or losing more than 2 lbs/week for long periods are not recommended. Besides those you're fine.
  • poppingcandy
    poppingcandy Posts: 4
    thanka for the replies. i never intended to lower my calories this much. i just wanted to start eating better food and start a healthier lifestyle that i could keep up. most of the time when i say 'naughty' food i mean i had fruit toast or multigrain bread or some vitabrits, i know these arent bad for u like chocolate and lollies (i had one bad week with this junk) but i have been trying to avoid them to a certain degree to see if that helps with weight loss.

    i have just been concerned that any progress i have made has gone out the window and im back at square one.
  • suzsy312
    suzsy312 Posts: 12
    When I decided to get fit, I had this exact same issue. I was completely under calories and always tired, but I still managed to loose weight with more calorie consumption. As any human 1200 calories should be your very minimum.

    Eat more but more of vegetables and healthy foods. consuming fruit helps to you keep you from craving anything higher in calories like candy or crackers. Also there are plenty of websites online that can help you eat correct proportions at the calories you choose.

    Exercising will help you maintain your weight HIIT workouts are absolutely the best! choosemyplate.gov is a great website to help with how much you should consume.
  • Showcase_Brodown
    Showcase_Brodown Posts: 919 Member
    ...do you think my metabolism is shot since i do keep having my 'naughty' treats to keep it guessing?

    I don't think there is anything you said that would lead me to believe that your metabolism is "shot."

    It does, however, seem like you should be eating more. You should be within about a 20% deficit. Be careful about going more than that.

    Whether you are eating naughty foods or not is only your own distinction. Your body runs on energy and it doesn't care whether that is from chocolate or celery. Pay close attention to how much energy you are providing it.

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