Fighting the urge to over restrict!

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Catloin
Catloin Posts: 14
in Health and Weight Loss
Ok so I need some help! I've done mfp before and lost 20kgs eating 1200 calories and netting about 800-900. It wasn't sustainable and I eventually put it all back on. So now I've used the BMR method and found out I should be eating 1800! It sounds high but I guess it makes sense. I'm 5'10, 19 years old, very muscular through my legs and currently weigh about 98kgs. I'd like to get down to 70kgs but I'll confirm that closer to that weight. So now to the problem, I find that I'm struggling mentally to allow myself to eat the 1800 and usually end up only eating 1500 and netting about 1200. Is this detrimental long term? Does 1800 sound right to you guys?

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  • shadow2soul
    shadow2soul Posts: 7,692 Member
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    Depends on how active you are. I'm 5'4.5", 24 yrs old, 171.8lbs (78.09kg if my conversion is correct) and my average daily intake is about 1920 calories.
  • Catloin
    Catloin Posts: 14
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    I'm mostly sedentary until I do deliberate exercise but I factored that into the calorie algorithm.
  • segacs
    segacs Posts: 4,599 Member
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    At your height and weight, yes, that seems about right.

    I know there's a common misperception that, well, some calorie deficit is good, therefore more must be better. But if you over-restrict, you'll not be able to fuel your body and you will likely find yourself right back where you were last time, not sustaining the loss and yo-yoing back again.

    Eat more food! Try adding some calorie-dense foods to add back calories. For instance, just 2tbsp of peanut butter will net you an easy 160 calories.

    Target a slow, steady, sustainable pace. Remember, this isn't a diet; it's a lifestyle change.

    Good luck!
  • shadow2soul
    shadow2soul Posts: 7,692 Member
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    1800 is probably about right.

    As for allowing yourself to eat that much, do you weigh your food or just use measuring cups or just guess?
  • AngelAura777
    AngelAura777 Posts: 225 Member
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    If you are doing weights it helps ALOT to eat more I found I was getting nowhere fast eating low cal and doing heaps of cardio. But when you do eat more it should be good real food that isnt processed. Focusing on what you eat instead of how much you eat makes a world of difference. And you also need to be eating a good variety of foods to make sure you are not deficient in vitamins and minerals and it is impossible to fulfil the wide range of needs of your body with only a small amount of food.
  • segacs
    segacs Posts: 4,599 Member
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    And don't be afraid to seek help if you need it! Calorie counting is a useful tool for many people, but if your natural tendency is to go to extremes, obsessively count, or eat far too little, then it might not be the best approach for you. At least, not without support.

    MFP has some excellent basic resources for a variety of eating and other psychological issues here: http://myfitnesspal.desk.com/customer/portal/articles/1575987-eating-disorder-resources. I'm not necessarily saying that any of these apply to you, but if they do, you'll find a lot of good information and some tips on how to get support.

    You're 19 and you have your whole adult life ahead of you to build and maintain healthy habits. Now is a great time to start!
  • Catloin
    Catloin Posts: 14
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    I'm not properly lifting at the moment I just build muscle very fast and retain it so my muscle is left over from my soccer days and I still do some body resistance weights. But I do plan to start lifting soon so thankyou Angel!

    I do weight and measure all my foods.

    And thankyou segacs! That's what I needed to hear! I love eating healthily but when I am trying to diet I avoid things like olive oil and nuts like the plague because they're so high but I need to remember they're ok now! Thankyou all

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