More calories to lose weight, advice please

BoxerBrawler
BoxerBrawler Posts: 2,032 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I just have the hardest time wrapping my head around the idea of eating more to lose more. I restrict a lot and am very accurate with my calorie logging and portion size, etc. I know that I am not eating enough calories on most days, but when I complete my log for the day and it tells me how much I'd weigh in three or four weeks I'm pumped to just keep doing what I am doing. I've been on sort of a plateau for a little bit and have tweaked my diet and exercise a bit to overcome this but it doesn't seem to be working much. My metabolism seems fine, I have plenty of energy and no physical or digestive problems to speak of. It's only 10 pounds! I feel like my body is struggling to stay where it is weight wise and my body fat percentage is very low, but I am fighting it to hit a certain number. Not even to stay at that number but just to reach it. So.... Where do I go from here?

Replies

  • hill8570
    hill8570 Posts: 1,466 Member
    So what *is* your body fat %? And how was it measured?
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    the human body doesn't like to be at a "very low" BF%...add to that, you are a female. Also, if you are already lean you will just burn muscle mass with large calorie deficits...thus you eat more but still less than your TDEE...you just have a smaller deficit to help preserve your muscle mass. Sorry...you can't go fast if you're lean.
  • BoxerBrawler
    BoxerBrawler Posts: 2,032 Member
    19% measured with calipers and a hand held for 1 to 2% accuracy.
  • BoxerBrawler
    BoxerBrawler Posts: 2,032 Member
    the human body doesn't like to be at a "very low" BF%...add to that, you are a female. Also, if you are already lean you will just burn muscle mass with large calorie deficits...thus you eat more but still less than your TDEE...you just have a smaller deficit to help preserve your muscle mass. Sorry...you can't go fast if you're lean.

    Even if I eat a lot of protein and limited carbs?
  • BoxerBrawler
    BoxerBrawler Posts: 2,032 Member
    Ugh, it's frustrating
  • Roaringgael
    Roaringgael Posts: 339 Member
    http://www.acaloriecounter.com/blog/why-am-i-not-losing-weight/

    http://www.aworkoutroutine.com/starvation-mode/
  • hill8570
    hill8570 Posts: 1,466 Member
    19% measured with calipers and a hand held for 1 to 2% accuracy.

    17%-21% is well within the "lean" range for a 45 year old worman. To go much lower, you're going to have to go into serious exercise junkie space (i.e., mulitple hours training per day). Unless there is an activity / sport you want to do that requires a much lower than normal BF%, I'd question the wisdom of dropping any more weight just to hit a goal number.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    the human body doesn't like to be at a "very low" BF%...add to that, you are a female. Also, if you are already lean you will just burn muscle mass with large calorie deficits...thus you eat more but still less than your TDEE...you just have a smaller deficit to help preserve your muscle mass. Sorry...you can't go fast if you're lean.

    Even if I eat a lot of protein and limited carbs?

    Yeah...it doesn't matter...you don't have the fat stores to burn...what else is your body going to burn for fuel? You're already super lean, why are you trying to get to some arbitrary number? I'd say just eat maintenance and hit the weight room .
  • BoxerBrawler
    BoxerBrawler Posts: 2,032 Member
    Not sure, for the challenge I guess... Silly yeah but everyone has that magic number I guess.
  • hill8570
    hill8570 Posts: 1,466 Member
    Not sure, for the challenge I guess... Silly yeah but everyone has that magic number I guess.

    Not really my business, but maybe it's time for a new challenge? You've gotten fit, now do something cool with it! Hike the Appalachian Trail, ride a bike across the US, climb Mount Everest. Or just hang out at the beach and listen to the sound of jaws dropping :happy:
  • BoxerBrawler
    BoxerBrawler Posts: 2,032 Member
    Hahaha, I like those ideas! I've just been doing this for so long I don't know how to stop, nor do I want too. I'll go a few more weeks doing what I am doing but tweak things a bit and see what happens. By March 1 if I still haven't succeeded I'll just maintain.

    Fitness junkies... Happy but never satisfied I guess.
  • mjglantz
    mjglantz Posts: 508 Member
    I can only speak to my experience and I found that not only couldn't I sustain a diet of 1200 calories (I'm 5'8") I would stop losing weight. When I started back in Oct. 2011 I set my calorie goal at 2,000 and did gradually cut that back as I lost weight but never below 1600. In April I hit my goal and started ADDING calories. I did this because I had also started going to the gym and doing cardio three times/week + weights. I kept losing weight. I kept adding calories until now I'm at 1900 and have maintained my weight within a 3 pound range for about 3 months.

    Eating too few calories confuses your body who thinks it is being starved so it slows down to conserve fat. If it has enough calories so it doesn't think it is starving, but less than you need, you'll lose weight.

    I don't pay attention to that message at the end of the day.
  • BoxerBrawler
    BoxerBrawler Posts: 2,032 Member
    Makes perfect sense. But still hard to imagine eating more to weigh less.
  • luckydays27
    luckydays27 Posts: 552 Member
    My average intake is 1850 each and every day. I am losing 1 lb a week at this point (even though I only want to lose .5 lbs a week). I weigh 151 and am 5'4" tall. I can afford to lose more weight so I am still working at it but yeah, you can eat more food and lose a fair amount of weight.
  • JonMB
    JonMB Posts: 49 Member
    Experiment. Try upping your daily calories by 150-200 for two weeks and see what happens.

    You can also try new workouts, such as weightlifting if you aren't already doing that.
  • tigerblue
    tigerblue Posts: 1,526 Member
    Eating more doesn't work for me. I've gained back ten pounds in the past year trying that. My body maintains at about 12-15% less than most calculators predict. :(

    I wish it worked for me. I have, though, figured out the numbers that work for me. Now I just have to stick with them!
  • DeBiKin
    DeBiKin Posts: 107 Member
    http://www.answerfitness.com/316/zig-zag-dieting-fitness-nerd/
    This site discusses calorie shifting.
  • Edensienna
    Edensienna Posts: 180 Member
    I'm finding it really difficult to lose these last three pounds... I still exercise and eat at a deficit but I am not getting frustrated. Being this close to my goal is testament to my hard work!

    Appreciate your achievements and go easy on your body, enjoy it and don't allow weight loss to consume you.
  • BoxerBrawler
    BoxerBrawler Posts: 2,032 Member
    Thanks for the thoughts, advice and links everyone. All good information.

    In terms of calorie cycling, I guess I sort of do that now but should figure out the math appropriately. I typically go a few days with restriction and then a couple of days with higher calories. I will look more into that.

    I certainly don't want to lose muscle, I work fairly hard at maintaining it by doing a lot of boxing for upper body and sculpting / free weights once a week. I already work out typically twice a week with a variety of cardio, endurance and strength exercises. I box almost every night which is a nice combination of intense cardio, endurance and body strength. I also take every chance I get for additional movement e.g., walking, even if it's just parking far away from where I need to be to get the extra steps, taking stairs, etc.

    Anyway... I know it's vanity, but I am not giving up on it :smile:
  • robin52077
    robin52077 Posts: 4,383 Member
    How tall are you?
  • BoxerBrawler
    BoxerBrawler Posts: 2,032 Member
    I am 5'5", 45 years old and currently weigh 120.

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