I'm supposed to be consuming HOW many calories?!

AnnaDov6
AnnaDov6 Posts: 4
in Health and Weight Loss
Hi everybody :)

I've been a bit of a lurker on MFP for a long time. But I'm just really confused right now and wanted to get input from people who know better than I do about diet/losing weight and all that, haha! This is going to be so, so long - but please bear with me - I'm sorry!

Firstly, I've never, ever been an over-eater - yet I've always been the "fat girl" - ever since I was a kid. I think my "lightest" weight as an adult was 190. My weight and body image have always been a problem for me, because I could never understand why I was so fat - because I felt like I didn't eat a lot. Doctors never seemed to find anything wrong and always would just tell me "diet and exercise."

So I've been consciously dieting/exercising here and there throughout my ENTIRE life whenever I would start hating on myself for being so big (and that was often). I'd lose a little to no weight - then fall off the wagon. Then I would just go back to not really paying attention to my calorie intake - even though, again, I still never over-ate. In fact - and I know it's probably not good - but I've always stuck to one meal a day since my teen years - dinner.

Sometimes - maybe once or twice a week, I'll have 2 eggs for breakfast. I can't really eat breakfast because I get nauseous - been like that also since I was a kid. Only occasionally will I eat something for lunch - and it's usually just a sandwich or salad, something fast I can fix up. Same with dinner. Although, I won't lie, yes, occasionally BK or Wendy's was a meal on nights where I needed to focus on getting my work done - but only a couple times a week. Also, Coke has always been my evil weakness - one to two cans a day.

As of a month ago, I made the mistake of stepping on the scale (*cringe*) in I don't know how long, to find out my weight has shot up to 280lbs - that's no bueno. That's when I made the decision to attack this full on, stop drinking my daily can of coke - eat better - and try and get more exercise (which I know I wasn't getting as much as I should have, but I wasn't sitting on my butt all day either). Didn't seem so hard - and it's really not. I figured just dropping the occasional fast food and Coke from my diet would at least make a few pounds go away, but it hasn't - since I thought that was most likely my main problem.

After a month of paying attention to what I'm putting into my mouth - avoiding sugar - only drinking water and unsweetened green tea and moderately exercising 3 times a week - I've GAINED 5lbs. I'm trying to start getting into the habit of tracking my food on here, but I just get so annoyed by how long the site takes to add every little thing lol I think I've only managed to log it twice since I've started this whole deal a month ago. But I AM counting the calories as I pick things up and prepare/eat them. I tend to be keeping between 900-1400 calories - depending if I get lunch AND dinner in that day.

I thought that was a good thing, because when I first added my goal info and all of that to this site, it said my calorie intake to lose weight was 1440 calories a day. But after a month of staying around or under that mark, and not seeing any weight loss, I started looking into the forums to see if I could find any tips. I found the "In Place of a Road Map" post, where the advice was to calculate your body fat % and find out your TDEE, etc. I did so, and it's saying I'm supposed to be eating 2800 calories a day - minus 30%, bringing it down to around 1960.

That hurts my brain - partly because I'm terrified of having to eat THAT much and I'm just not sure if that really is going to be the key to making the weight come off. I'd hate to force myself to figure out how to get those extra calories in on a daily basis only to end up gaining more weight. I also just cannot find ways to consume that many calories in a single day in the first place - unless it's a holiday, in which, I probably still don't eat near that number lol But I do tend to eat more those days.

I'm a chicken and veggies girl - mostly veggies - and that's what my normal diet has always consisted of over the past 10 years or so. I'm not much of a red meat eater - and I hate pork and fish, so those have never been a part of my diet for as long as I can remember.

So I don't know why I'm not losing even just a little after a month - or why my weight shot up to 280 to begin with. Last I remember, I was around 260 a year or two ago - and I did try to diet/exercise more at that point as well, but again, just didn't stick with it as I got discouraged not seeing the numbers drop. I'm not taking any medication. I've been on BC for 8 years, but I'm pretty sure that's not causing substantial weight gain. I don't smoke. I drink only on special occasions.

I'm 30 years old - 5'6" - "large frame" - built like a linebacker, except I'm female, haha. I'm planning on exercising more. Right now it's 30min of Zumba (don't judge me!) three times a week, which burns a pitiful 350-400 calories each session for me, unless my HRM is off - I never know whether or not to trust that thing. But I've been having my left foot swell up every time I exercise, so it's been uncomfortable and I'm not getting as much exercise as I'm wanting to. So I know that's one thing I do need to work on. Once my body gets used to the extra activity, I'll be doing more and getting some strength training in as well hopefully. But I definitely would need the motivation to work harder - which I'm not getting right now with not seeing anything go down - weight or inches. So it's driving me nuts instead. I just feel like I should have lost SOMETHING by now - even just one pound - a couple inches - anything.

Am I REALLY supposed to eat nearly 2000 calories a day? If so, how do I force those extra calories in? Or maybe I'm doing something completely wrong somewhere else. I know it's probably difficult to help if you don't know exactly what I'm eating, but you have to trust me when I say I really am eating healthier and staying under 1400 calories - low fat, low carbs - barely any sugar, as I don't ADD sugar to anything - just whatever is in the veggie or fruit. I actually should eat more fruit, too, but I don't - I throw a sliced orange and/or lemon into my pitcher of unsweetened green tea - that's about it lol

Any tips at all or advice any of you awesome knowledgeable folks can give, I'll be so grateful for. Thanks for reading all of this - sorry for being long-winded!

Replies

  • amberj32
    amberj32 Posts: 663 Member
    It's just not possible that you are only eating 900 - 1400 calories a day and exercising and not losing weight especially at 280 pounds. You are eating more than you think, I'm sure. You need to log your food every day and make sure to weigh everything with a digital scale. You did over eat if you got to the weight you are now. We all did.

    When I first started MFP April 29 I weighed 261. I was eating 1780 calories a day and losing weight every week. I didn't even start wishing out until the third week. I weight 235 now and I'm eating 1680 calories a day and losing. And I occasionally eat fast food.

    Logging everything you put in your mouth is the only way we can help you so we know exactly what's going on.
  • LifeWithPie
    LifeWithPie Posts: 552 Member
    There are an awful lot of excuses and contradictions in your post.
    You say you only eat one meal a day, dinner. Then you say you eat a sandwich for lunch and sometimes eggs for breakfast.
    You say you have 1 can of coke a day. Then you say 1 or 2.
    You say you eat low fat, low carb, lots of veggies, then you say you eat BK and Wendy's 'a couple times a week'.
    You say it takes too long to log all your food. Really? Logging your one simple healthy dinner takes too long?
    You say you only eat 900-1400 cals a day, but you admit you don't log. So...you don't really know how many calories you are eating then.

    If there is nothing wrong with you medically, and you said there wasn't, you're eating more than you think. Simple as that.

    You have a choice. Either get serious and make the effort to weigh and log accurately and put in the work to do this right, or stay overweight.
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
    Burning 400 cals is 'pitiful'?! WTF?

    :noway:
  • mactaffy84
    mactaffy84 Posts: 398 Member
    The previous posters said it all; in all probability, you are eating more than you think. And in case you think this is BS, go to YouTube and watch a couple episodes of "Secret Eaters". That might really open up your eyes.

    There is always a possibility, however remote, that you have some sort of funky metabolism and the typical TDEE formulas won't work for you because you require less calories than they might predict. If you think that is the case, then get yourself to a doc and get it checked out. Otherwise, you are just like the rest of us and have to be diligent about what you put in your mouth. It isn't easy. If it were easy, then there would be no overweight people in the world if they chose not to be! So it is hard. Pull up your big girl bootstraps and do the work required. Most importantly, be HONEST with yourself (who cares about anyone else?) about how much you eat. That is the only way you're going to do it.
  • editorgrrl
    editorgrrl Posts: 7,060 Member
    Make your diary public for personalized advice. Are you logging everything you eat & drink accurately & honestly? Do you weigh everything you eat—even packaged foods? Do you measure every liquid that has calories?

    Read this: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1080242-a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants
  • serindipte
    serindipte Posts: 1,557 Member
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/819055-setting-your-calorie-and-macro-targets

    If you aren't already using one, get and use a food scale. Weigh all solids. Measuring cups/spoons are not accurate:
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JVjWPclrWVY
    Neither is guessing:
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1270280-food-weighing-scale-miracles

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

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1235566-so-you-re-new-here

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

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1234699-logging-accurately-step-by-step-guide

    http://www.acaloriecounter.com/blog/why-am-i-not-losing-weight/
  • serindipte
    serindipte Posts: 1,557 Member
    Also, you may want to watch this, as well:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q3xUyIlDrJs
  • LifeWithPie
    LifeWithPie Posts: 552 Member
    The previous posters said it all; in all probability, you are eating more than you think. And in case you think this is BS, go to YouTube and watch a couple episodes of "Secret Eaters". That might really open up your eyes.

    There is always a possibility, however remote, that you have some sort of funky metabolism and the typical TDEE formulas won't work for you because you require less calories than they might predict. If you think that is the case, then get yourself to a doc and get it checked out. Otherwise, you are just like the rest of us and have to be diligent about what you put in your mouth. It isn't easy. If it were easy, then there would be no overweight people in the world if they chose not to be! So it is hard. Pull up your big girl bootstraps and do the work required. Most importantly, be HONEST with yourself (who cares about anyone else?) about how much you eat. That is the only way you're going to do it.

    Love that show!
  • serindipte
    serindipte Posts: 1,557 Member
    The previous posters said it all; in all probability, you are eating more than you think. And in case you think this is BS, go to YouTube and watch a couple episodes of "Secret Eaters". That might really open up your eyes.

    There is always a possibility, however remote, that you have some sort of funky metabolism and the typical TDEE formulas won't work for you because you require less calories than they might predict. If you think that is the case, then get yourself to a doc and get it checked out. Otherwise, you are just like the rest of us and have to be diligent about what you put in your mouth. It isn't easy. If it were easy, then there would be no overweight people in the world if they chose not to be! So it is hard. Pull up your big girl bootstraps and do the work required. Most importantly, be HONEST with yourself (who cares about anyone else?) about how much you eat. That is the only way you're going to do it.

    I was going to get the link to that series and came back to post it. Agreed, this sounds more likely than anything else.
  • mactaffy84
    mactaffy84 Posts: 398 Member
    The previous posters said it all; in all probability, you are eating more than you think. And in case you think this is BS, go to YouTube and watch a couple episodes of "Secret Eaters". That might really open up your eyes.

    There is always a possibility, however remote, that you have some sort of funky metabolism and the typical TDEE formulas won't work for you because you require less calories than they might predict. If you think that is the case, then get yourself to a doc and get it checked out. Otherwise, you are just like the rest of us and have to be diligent about what you put in your mouth. It isn't easy. If it were easy, then there would be no overweight people in the world if they chose not to be! So it is hard. Pull up your big girl bootstraps and do the work required. Most importantly, be HONEST with yourself (who cares about anyone else?) about how much you eat. That is the only way you're going to do it.

    Love that show!

    That show is the best. Leave it to the Brits! It really opened up my eyes about things. Who thought that the color of your plates or the shape of your glasses affect your food and liquid consumption?!
  • AnnaDov6
    AnnaDov6 Posts: 4
    The fast food and daily coke(s) was part of my diet BEFORE I saw that my weight got to 280 a month ago. At that point, I started cutting that stuff out and eating better. It's a long, confusing read, I'm sure - but I tried to get as much detail in as possible.

    But yeah, I've been eating better and no junk/sugary beverages and exercising more for just the month so far and haven't seen any losses whatsoever, and then I noticed the post about needing to eat more calories for my weight - and I just couldn't wrap my head around doing so - and thought maybe someone had advice/tips - or if maybe there was something I wasn't doing that I should be other than trying to get my food logs on here - which, yes, even putting in my one or two meals a day (IF I get lunch or breakfast in), is frustrating to do because you have to go back and forth to enter every ingredient in. This is something I'm trying to get into the habit of doing.

    To me, burning 300-400 calories is pitiful seeing as how I can't exercise more than 30min right now, due to the foot swelling/pain I get - I could be doubling calories burned if I could go for an hour - which I'm also trying to work on.
  • jkal1979
    jkal1979 Posts: 1,896 Member
    Logging food really isn't annoying compared to the alternative. It also gets easier as you go and have foods that you eat on a regular basis already saved. Having a smart phone makes it even easier. I weigh and log as I am putting food on my plate.

    If you truly want to lose the weight you will need to make a habit of logging your food accurately and change your mindset to a more positive one. And read all of the links that have been posted. Read them more than once. It can be done you just need to be dedicated to it.
  • editorgrrl
    editorgrrl Posts: 7,060 Member
    The fast food and daily coke(s) was part of my diet BEFORE I saw that my weight got to 280 a month ago. At that point, I started cutting that stuff out and eating better. It's a long, confusing read, I'm sure - but I tried to get as much detail in as possible.
    It doesn't matter what you eat, only HOW MUCH you eat. Everyone in this thread is telling you the same thing: log everything you eat & drink accurately & honestly. If you eat less than you burn, you will lose weight.

    Eat "healthy" (whatever that means to you) 80% of the time. Fit yummy, portion-controlled treats into your calorie goal. Deprivation can lead to bingeing.

    Please, read the Sexypants post: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1080242-a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants
  • sloane70
    sloane70 Posts: 45 Member
    Try doing everything that folks mentioned for a month. Log every meal (and it gets faster once you've done it a bit, as you can go to previous days & have favorites saved - I can log almost every meal in under 1 minute now). Log your exercise. At the end of a month of having solid data, THEN look at what's happening with your body. Guessing doesn't work. I had a visit with my nutritionist and she showed me the actual sizes of a "portion" - they're TINY compared with what I was used to. One serving of meat is about the size of the palm of my hand, for example. Weighing your food, in the beginning, is absolutely key. If you don't want to do that, then nobody here can help you (and you won't be able to figure out WHY you aren't losing weight). Without data, any effort is bound to fail.
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
    You might want to consider the quality of your workout, not just the quantity of calories you burn.... As you get smaller and fitter it'll be harder to get a massive burn!
  • AnnaDov6
    AnnaDov6 Posts: 4
    Thanks for the input and advice, everyone - I've just been confused. I know I should be logging - and I will keep trying to do so - I just figured the one or two meals a day that I have been eating lately (since starting dieting) were pretty straightforward and simple to just gauge on my own. I just expected to lose something (besides my sanity) after a month of all I've been doing so far and wasn't sure if the eating nearly 2000 calories thing was what I needed to be doing - like I said, it's hard for me to even think about how to manage to eat that many in one day.

    I'll have a look at the links some of you provided and see what I can do and invest in a food scale - see if I really was off on how many calories I was taking in. I have read that before while browsing through the forums, too.

    Not seeing any payoff to my efforts have just been really discouraging - as usual - so I just wanted to post and get some feedback. Thanks again!
  • MscGray
    MscGray Posts: 304 Member


    To me, burning 300-400 calories is pitiful seeing as how I can't exercise more than 30min right now, due to the foot swelling/pain I get - I could be doubling calories burned if I could go for an hour - which I'm also trying to work on.

    It sounds to me like you are retaining water....and MAY have hypertension.....you may want to see your docotor about that. I agree with everyone else, you are taking in more then you realize. You CAN get fat off too many fruits and veggies! Logging is a pain, but if you want to see results you have to buckle down and do it...I think that after a week or so of just logging not necessarily worrying about hitting cal goals that you will see the truth of what your taking in. Good luck!
  • WalkingAlong
    WalkingAlong Posts: 4,926 Member
    If Zumba hurts your foot, please try something else. It's not "Zumba or nothing", right?

    It's about impossible to eyeball your calories. I can very easily make a little salad that's 800 calories or a 500 calorie green smoothie. Or mindlessly snack hundreds of calories day. Before eating closer to what you think is 1900, I agree with others that you need to log correctly for a month first. It DOES get easier. If it helps, write your foods on paper first and log at the end of the day, to see how good you've been eyeballing.
  • AnnaDov6
    AnnaDov6 Posts: 4
    Even though I get an annoying foot with Zumba, I do enjoy it a lot :)

    I'd never seen my foot swell before, it was strange! But lately it's not swelling up as much as it did when I first started with Zumba. So I'm just hoping the more I move, the more my body will adjust to the impact of doing more than just walking and the swelling will eventually go away - it seems to be!

    I'm going to get on to logging what I eat - good idea about writing everything down first and then putting everything on here - thank you :)
  • MelodyandBarbells
    MelodyandBarbells Posts: 7,724 Member
    Even though I get an annoying foot with Zumba, I do enjoy it a lot :)

    I'd never seen my foot swell before, it was strange! But lately it's not swelling up as much as it did when I first started with Zumba. So I'm just hoping the more I move, the more my body will adjust to the impact of doing more than just walking and the swelling will eventually go away - it seems to be!

    I'm going to get on to logging what I eat - good idea about writing everything down first and then putting everything on here - thank you :)

    I would say a generic problem like "I can't lose weight", I could see where the doctors would simply say diet and exercise. But if your complaint is my left foot swells up during exercise, I think they could come up with something a bit more targeted for you. You definitely should pay a visit to a health professional. It may even help explain why you are eating around 1400 calories or maybe a bit more but not losing weight.

    I don't get the website either. I do 99.9% of my logging using the app on my smartphone. Do you ever use it? I like being able to scan entries, and the fact that as you start typing in an entry, it automatically shrinks the list based on what you're typing. When you do a search, you see the calorie counts with the list of results without having to click into each entry. It seems some people like the website fine, but I really don't know how much of a logger I would be without the app. Check it out if you haven't yet!
  • Keepcalmanddontblink
    Keepcalmanddontblink Posts: 718 Member
    It's just not possible that you are only eating 900 - 1400 calories a day and exercising and not losing weight especially at 280 pounds. You are eating more than you think, I'm sure. You need to log your food every day and make sure to weigh everything with a digital scale. You did over eat if you got to the weight you are now. We all did.

    When I first started MFP April 29 I weighed 261. I was eating 1780 calories a day and losing weight every week. I didn't even start wishing out until the third week. I weight 235 now and I'm eating 1680 calories a day and losing. And I occasionally eat fast food.

    Logging everything you put in your mouth is the only way we can help you so we know exactly what's going on.
    This! Once you start logging EVERYTHING you eat, you will realize how much you have been eating in the past. Its an eye opener. My husband and I would have a nice dinner of baked chicken, rice and veggies, but we would just dump it on the plate and maybe, (okay always), go back for seconds or thirds.

    We assumed we didn't eat much sweets wise until we really thought about our old eating habits and saw that whenever the sweet tooth hit, off he would go to the store for a pie, or cake or ice cream, and we would have large slices, or big heaping bowls.

    The point is, that you are eating way more than you think you are. A food scale is your best friend in this lifestyle. Weigh foods before they are cooked, otherwise, you are eating more than you are logging.
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
    Either you have a medical condition, or you're eating way more than you think. Because if your health is fine, there's no way you went up to 280 pounds without overeating. I think you're in denial. But it's ok, it happens to a LOT of people.

    Bottom line... you need to track your food. Weigh it and track EVERYTHING that gets in your mouth.

    That being said, when starting a new kind of exercise, it's normal to gain weight or stall at first, so that could be part of it too.
  • Go_Mizzou99
    Go_Mizzou99 Posts: 2,628 Member
    If you are logging everything and seriously need to increase your caloric intake...try some more calorie dense foods.

    I recommend more protein (as a calorie dense food - veterans - do not hate on me). Bacon, rib-eye-steak, ground beef (70/30), etc.
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
    Also 400 calorie from exercise is awesome (but don't use MFP's numbers, they are inflated... assume you're burning less than that, unless you have a heart rate monitor with a chest strap). Now I'd have to run an hour straight to try and reach that, and still probably wouldn't...
  • fificrazy
    fificrazy Posts: 234
    TLDR all of it but when I read "dieting your whole life" it reminded me of Matt Stone's Diet Recovery. Definitely something to look into, like a reset for your body.

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