How to maintain and eat. HELP ME!

JeniTucker
JeniTucker Posts: 2
in Goal: Maintaining Weight
Hi. I'm new to the message board forum but I am at wits ends. I have lost over 200 pounds and now want to maintain but I am so scared that I'll gain weight that I work out 5 times a week and only eat 500-700 calories a day. I even gained a pound this week and I am freaking out. I don't know what to do or how to eat. I only know how not to eat and I still gained weight. Can anyone help me?

Replies

  • jasonmh630
    jasonmh630 Posts: 2,850 Member
    500-700 cals a day is WAYYYYYYY too little... Plus, that pound you gained is more than likely water weight. If it hasn't already, your body is going to start burning muscle as it's energy, due to your VERY low caloric intake. You'd be pleasantly surprised at your body if you just EAT some more!

    Also, your weight will fluctuate as much as 5 pounds during the week, depending on certain factors like sodium levels.
  • diannethegeek
    diannethegeek Posts: 14,776 Member
    http://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/find-help-support
  • jasonmh630
    jasonmh630 Posts: 2,850 Member
    http://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/find-help-support

    This! I think you need more help that these forums can offer. I don't mean to offend, but eating so little can be just as detrimental, if not more, than overeating.
  • CapeCodSheila
    CapeCodSheila Posts: 40 Member
    First off, congratulations for losing 200 pounds! That's amazing

    Now, are you saying you are only eating 500-700 calories a day?? That's not even enough to keep your body going if you were in a coma, seriously. You're damaging all your body systems and organs by starving them. If you're working out and not eating protein to rebuild your muscles, you are losing muscle mass. Are you seeing a theme here??

    How many calories does MFP say you should be having? At least 1200 calories I know, and if you're honest about how active you are, I'm sure your allowance is much higher. Please do yourself a favor and double your intake or you will be setting yourself up for serious illness. Your body right now is going to hold onto every ounce it can because you have forced it into starvation mode.

    Check out a few of your friends' food diaries to see how other people who have successfully lost weight are maintaining.

    If you seriously can't see yourself eating more, please seek help because what you're doing right now could kill you

    Please let us know how you make out
  • _Waffle_
    _Waffle_ Posts: 13,049 Member
    I even gained a pound this week and I am freaking out. I don't know what to do or how to eat. I only know how not to eat and I still gained weight. Can anyone help me?

    Even on maintenance your weight will fluctuate up and down a bit. You're going to go over 5 lbs and then work a tad at pulling it back down. The easy part is that you don't have to lose 200, just 5 lbs. I'm about 10 over where I want to be right now but it's nothing to worry about. Staying dead on a specific weight isn't helpful.

    Eat more calories, hit your macros (carbs, protein, fat). Personally I try to fill the protein bucket as a priority and then the rest sort of works out okay. Carbs and fat are easy to come by.

    Eat enough to fuel your body. My calorie goal today after exercise is 3,600 calories. Yours will probably be less, maybe even half of that but you need to eat or you're going to get sick or develop a serious health problem.

    Pro-tip. The more lean muscle mass you have, the more you can eat and still maintain weight.
  • jasonmh630
    jasonmh630 Posts: 2,850 Member
    The amount of calories you're eating right now is about the same as what a small child should eat.
  • WLG1974
    WLG1974 Posts: 90
    My goldfish eats more than that.
  • JeniTucker
    JeniTucker Posts: 2
    All things to consider. I will up my calories slowly so I don't shock my system and try to eat more reasonably. Thank you all for your time :wink:
  • pwittek10
    pwittek10 Posts: 723 Member
    You are at a very hard place for sure.
    Great job on the weight loss but this is even harder.
    If you find the right answer let me know too.
    I lost 127 pounds and have gained 20, I now am trying to get 10 of it back off.
    I was to skinny for my age.
    Good luck to you and I know it is worth the work
  • Linnaea27
    Linnaea27 Posts: 639 Member
    All things to consider. I will up my calories slowly so I don't shock my system and try to eat more reasonably. Thank you all for your time :wink:

    That sounds like the right approach. If you have been logging everything accurately and really have been netting 500-700 calories a day, you may be at risk for some scary side effects of coming out of, basically, starvation. In your situation, I think it would be wise to go to a nutritionist, both to make sure you don't encounter health problems from eating too little/starting to increase your calories, and for help with maintaining your weight. If you've been eating so little for a long time, your metabolism is probably going to do some wacky things at first as your intake gets more normal. . . so seeing a nutritionist is probably necessary!

    Good luck!

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