Lightbulb moment!* PLEASE LET ME HAVE YOUR VIEWS
Rubyew
Posts: 49 Member
Hi everyone
I have been using MFP for 6-7 months now and have lost 37lb. I have been averaging 1.25 lb loss a week which I am perfectly happy with. I put on a few pound over the christmas holidays and have lost that, but have now stalled. More importantly I have no energy and I am constantly complaining of ailments, sore throat, tired, headache. To lose the weight I have been eating around 1200 calories each day, more some, but mostly around this limit.
In the last week I have been using a fitbit flex and realise that I burn on average 2000-2200 calories each day. This has made me consider that I am eating too few calories. I know many, many of you will say drrr yeah! to that statement but it really is only dawning on me now because things are not continuing the way they were. What I am struggling with now obviously is the idea of eating more food when I have retrained my body to eat less. But I intend to start from today to eat approx 1500-1600cals a day and see if that gives my body the reassurance it needs that all is well.
Do you think those amounts are reasonable? I guess the max would be 1700 (e.g. 500 less than 2200 to aim for about 1lb loss a week).
Has this happened to others? What worked for you?
I realise I have probably damaged my metabolism somewhat but hope this might kickstart it back to recovery.
Thanks
I have been using MFP for 6-7 months now and have lost 37lb. I have been averaging 1.25 lb loss a week which I am perfectly happy with. I put on a few pound over the christmas holidays and have lost that, but have now stalled. More importantly I have no energy and I am constantly complaining of ailments, sore throat, tired, headache. To lose the weight I have been eating around 1200 calories each day, more some, but mostly around this limit.
In the last week I have been using a fitbit flex and realise that I burn on average 2000-2200 calories each day. This has made me consider that I am eating too few calories. I know many, many of you will say drrr yeah! to that statement but it really is only dawning on me now because things are not continuing the way they were. What I am struggling with now obviously is the idea of eating more food when I have retrained my body to eat less. But I intend to start from today to eat approx 1500-1600cals a day and see if that gives my body the reassurance it needs that all is well.
Do you think those amounts are reasonable? I guess the max would be 1700 (e.g. 500 less than 2200 to aim for about 1lb loss a week).
Has this happened to others? What worked for you?
I realise I have probably damaged my metabolism somewhat but hope this might kickstart it back to recovery.
Thanks
0
Replies
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Good idea to eat more, just bear in mind that perhaps for the next week or two you may have a small weight gain while your body adjusts to the additional calories. You could also try introducting an extra 150cals per day for week and increase again the following week.
If you feel like you can't physically eat the extra calories...eat more calorie dense foods...nuts, seeds, eggs, avocado and don't forget that your body needs good fats...use olive oil for cooking or adding to salad dressing.0 -
tiptoethruthetulips wrote: »Good idea to eat more, just bear in mind that perhaps for the next week or two you may have a small weight gain while your body adjusts to the additional calories. You could also try introducting an extra 150cals per day for week and increase again the following week.
If you feel like you can't physically eat the extra calories...eat more calorie dense foods...nuts, seeds, eggs, avocado and don't forget that your body needs good fats...use olive oil for cooking or adding to salad dressing.
Thank you that is really helpful. I hadn't thought about doing it gradually but that makes sense. Thanks again.0 -
It's a good idea to eat more to support your activity level, especially if you're feeling crappy. Make sure you're logging accurately with food scale, at least at first, since you're shrinking your margin of error. I think it's likely that your logging is pretty close though, based on having been losing 1.25 lbs per week. Your rate of loss hasn't been so dramatic that I'd be worried about metabolism damage or anything like that.
Also, like tiptoe said, you have to give it some time for the water retention from increased carbs/calories to come and go. I would actually give it more than a couple of weeks. It can take up to a month for some. Others may not have any at all-- it just varies. Good luck!0 -
Thank you. I do try and log accurately and sometimes deliberately over estimate to allow for error. It is reassuring to see that others think this is the correct approach. I feel a bit of a dim wit for not having realised it. The lightbulb moment came about because the scales have just sat still, not one fluctuation for over two weeks now, which is just not like me at all. I normally go up and down daily, that just felt wrong especially given the fact that thanks to fitbit I know my exercise levels have increased.
I will take the advice and gradually increase, keep a close eye on the nutrition and see how it pains out.
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You don't lose weight by eating more. Though people seem to love this idea that you can have a slow metabolism, the professionals who who test metabolisms rarely see a case were someone really has a slow metabolism.0
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TimothyFish wrote: »You don't lose weight by eating more. Though people seem to love this idea that you can have a slow metabolism, the professionals who who test metabolisms rarely see a case were someone really has a slow metabolism.
Thanks... so do you suggest I carry on and perseverve?0 -
Sorry about the spelling *persevere0
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Also from what I have read it is eating enough... not more. I do understand the difference and as you can see from my post, I am not suggesting I pig out and then whinge because I haven't lost.0
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TimothyFish wrote: »You don't lose weight by eating more. Though people seem to love this idea that you can have a slow metabolism, the professionals who who test metabolisms rarely see a case were someone really has a slow metabolism.
The OP isn't talking about eating more than her tdee - she's talking about eating at a smaller deficit than she has been - to compensate for the fact she is more active than she thought she was.
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OP - You would lose weight more quickly if you keep the higher deficit (assuming you have enough weight to lose to do this healthily). But as you're already saying you feel run down from eating the lower amount then bumping your calories up, feeling healthier, and losing at a nice steady rate sounds good to me.0 -
TimothyFish wrote: »You don't lose weight by eating more. Though people seem to love this idea that you can have a slow metabolism, the professionals who who test metabolisms rarely see a case were someone really has a slow metabolism.
The OP isn't talking about eating more than her tdee - she's talking about eating at a smaller deficit than she has been - to compensate for the fact she is more active than she thought she was.
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OP - You would lose weight more quickly if you keep the higher deficit (assuming you have enough weight to lose to do this healthily). But as you're already saying you feel run down from eating the lower amount then bumping your calories up, feeling healthier, and losing at a nice steady rate sounds good to me.
Thank you! 0 -
Some people don't feel the side effects of a 1200 cal diet until they have been doing it long term. Good for you for recognizing and adjusting. Add on an additional 100 cals a week and see how it goes. You may lose a bit slower but you'll probably feel better in the long run. Good luck OP, sounds like you're on the right track.0
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TimothyFish wrote: »You don't lose weight by eating more. Though people seem to love this idea that you can have a slow metabolism, the professionals who who test metabolisms rarely see a case were someone really has a slow metabolism.
The OP isn't talking about eating more than her tdee - she's talking about eating at a smaller deficit than she has been - to compensate for the fact she is more active than she thought she was.
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OP - You would lose weight more quickly if you keep the higher deficit (assuming you have enough weight to lose to do this healthily). But as you're already saying you feel run down from eating the lower amount then bumping your calories up, feeling healthier, and losing at a nice steady rate sounds good to me.
It appeared to me that she was also saying that she hasn't been losing weight recently. The other problems aside, if you aren't losing weight and you start eating more calories, you gain weight.0 -
There appear to be many theories that contradict that thinking TimothyFish, clearly you feel it is quite cut and dry. It would have been more helfpul if you could quantify your statements instead of just putting them out there. But hey... each to their own.0
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To be clear, I don't think you're holding on to fat because your calories are too low. I think you're probably retaining water and you've reached the point where things are slower going. But given the fact that you feel crappy on your current calorie intake I think raising them a bit is the best course of action.0
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ILiftHeavyAcrylics wrote: »To be clear, I don't think you're holding on to fat because your calories are too low. I think you're probably retaining water and you've reached the point where things are slower going. But given the fact that you feel crappy on your current calorie intake I think raising them a bit is the best course of action.
Thank you that makes sense and yes I can see that could reasonably happen. Of course, there is also the possibility that I just have January colds, bugs and germs and this is a blip in what otherwise is a successful strategy.
Whatever happens, I intend to invest time and effort into continuing on this journey and I will make whatever adjustments are needed to do so.
All opinions and advice have been gratefully received this morning and have helped me have an objective view.
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Are you also meeting all of your macro targets? If you're doing exercise, and you're not getting enough carbs/protein it could be making you feel tired. So many people hate carbs, but they're not the enemy
I'd also suggest getting some bloods done with your doc. It may be that you're iron deficient or anaemic, which can cause tiredness/headaches/flu-ish symtoms in some people.0 -
I love lightbulb moments.
Maybe you should eat more, especially if you've been trying to do it at 1200 calories. Your body may be holding onto weight, thinking it's not going to get any more food. And if you're within 15lb of your goal, you will most likely lose more slowly.
But I would also have a physical, if you haven't had one lately and have your doctor do any blood tests or whatever to get a base wellness level.
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I maintained a 500 calorie deficit below maintenance for 14 months (always ate back activity cals) after gaining way too much from weightlifting and lost 1 lb./ week on a regular basis as planned. However, after every few lbs. of weight loss I had to recalculate BMR because my caloric requirements dropped as I got lighter. I also plateaued twice but stayed consistent with the 500 cal deficit and eventually started losing again. The first time took almost a month and the second time about 5 weeks. I think you definitely bottomed out at only 1200 cals and are on the right track bumping it up to a 500 deficit (1500-1700) as stated above. I've always used a scale for food and log all activity cals by using sport specific calculators online and still do.0
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mangrothian wrote: »Are you also meeting all of your macro targets? If you're doing exercise, and you're not getting enough carbs/protein it could be making you feel tired. So many people hate carbs, but they're not the enemy
I'd also suggest getting some bloods done with your doc. It may be that you're iron deficient or anaemic, which can cause tiredness/headaches/flu-ish symtoms in some people.
Does macro targets mean the nutrition goals? If so, no I am not and have been working hard over the last week to address that. There are some areas that I am definitly lacking in and do not meet daily, so my focus is also going to have to be diverted to these, because as you say that won't be helping how I am feeling.0 -
47Jacqueline wrote: »I love lightbulb moments.
Maybe you should eat more, especially if you've been trying to do it at 1200 calories. Your body may be holding onto weight, thinking it's not going to get any more food. And if you're within 15lb of your goal, you will most likely lose more slowly.
But I would also have a physical, if you haven't had one lately and have your doctor do any blood tests or whatever to get a base wellness level.
Thank you for taking the time to reply. Sadly I am not near goal. I have 2lb to lose to get out of the obese BMI category and then I need to address the overweight, so I will be here for some time. I do feel because I started out at 1200 I have sort of limited where I can go now... but maybe having taken on all that has been said above I need to refocus on enough water, the right nutrition, and be within a target range each day rather than a strict 1200 and see what that brings. I am contemplating a visit to the doctor also, but might try and see if things improve first.0 -
I maintained a 500 calorie deficit below maintenance for 14 months (always ate back activity cals) after gaining way too much from weightlifting and lost 1 lb./ week on a regular basis as planned. However, after every few lbs. of weight loss I had to recalculate BMR because my caloric requirements dropped as I got lighter. I also plateaued twice but stayed consistent with the 500 cal deficit and eventually started losing again. The first time took almost a month and the second time about 5 weeks. I think you definitely bottomed out at only 1200 cals and are on the right track bumping it up to a 500 deficit (1500-1700) as stated above. I've always used a scale for food and log all activity cals by using sport specific calculators online and still do.
Thank you, it is helpful to hear others experiences. Well done on your weight loss.
Yes I use a scale and I am starting to really make use of the fitbit. 0 -
Set your macro's to 50% carbs, 25% protein and 25% fat . I find that easier to reach than the other adjustements I've tried so far. I have a fitbit flex too and it shows me that I burn around 2200-2400 on a regular day. So I try to eat 1700-1800 a day and that keeps me satisfied. No tiredness, more energy. 0
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OP, you have done a fantastic job so far. It is difficult mentally to keep up a deficit day after day after day for many months. What I found in my case, I was not being diligent in my logging, I had started guesstimating and rounding up etc. sometimes I think spending a couple of weeks or so eating at maintenance will help mentally. It really is all about adherence. If you are consistently in a deficit, you will consistently lose weight....OVER TIME, it isn't linear. You are doing fine, a mental break may help, it did for me.0
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Some people don't feel the side effects of a 1200 cal diet until they have been doing it long term. Good for you for recognizing and adjusting. Add on an additional 100 cals a week and see how it goes. You may lose a bit slower but you'll probably feel better in the long run. Good luck OP, sounds like you're on the right track.
This!
Gradually increase it and see how you feel. No point losing weight if you are too tired to do anything and feel like poop all the time.0 -
Lots of people report breaking plateaus by eating more for a while and then dropping back down.
The experts say stalls are common, especially around six months in. They advise eating more, enough to not lose (but not gain), for several months and then dropping back down.
I took a break and ate quite a lot extra and when I started losing again, it began dropping quicker again.
You should be eating enough so that you don't feel tired and run down. The point of losing weight is to be and feel better, not worse! So, duh, lol. If you cannot lose weight without starving yourself, you have to ask the doctor about it next time you have your check-up. If you're tired and run down on 1200, eat more. You need your strength. Life is hard enough without without adding physical weakness for no good reason.
It's a long, slow process, with times that the weight flies off and times that it goes slowly. Hang in there. 0 -
mangrothian wrote: »Are you also meeting all of your macro targets? If you're doing exercise, and you're not getting enough carbs/protein it could be making you feel tired. So many people hate carbs, but they're not the enemy
I'd also suggest getting some bloods done with your doc. It may be that you're iron deficient or anaemic, which can cause tiredness/headaches/flu-ish symtoms in some people.
Does macro targets mean the nutrition goals? If so, no I am not and have been working hard over the last week to address that. There are some areas that I am definitly lacking in and do not meet daily, so my focus is also going to have to be diverted to these, because as you say that won't be helping how I am feeling.
Yup, I mean the nutrition goals. I've been noticing on days where I have much higher activity levels, if my carbs are too low (or if I've had a good session at the gym, protein as well), I end up really tired and headachey or tempted to gnaw my own arm off from hunger.
You may not want to do this as it can get complicated, but you might want to look at your total daily energy expenditure (TDEE) instead of the MFP levels, and base your calorie reduction from there. There are some great forum posts on setting calorie levels:
community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/819055/setting-your-calorie-and-macro-targets/p1
community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1080242/a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants/p1
You may have read some of these posts already, but if you haven't, they're both really informative when getting started.
I'm also thinking of getting a fitbit to get a better idea of my activity outside of the gym. I'm trying to wait it out until the ChargeHR is released though. Have you found it makes you more aware of how inactive/active you're being?0 -
TimothyFish wrote: »TimothyFish wrote: »You don't lose weight by eating more. Though people seem to love this idea that you can have a slow metabolism, the professionals who who test metabolisms rarely see a case were someone really has a slow metabolism.
The OP isn't talking about eating more than her tdee - she's talking about eating at a smaller deficit than she has been - to compensate for the fact she is more active than she thought she was.
-
OP - You would lose weight more quickly if you keep the higher deficit (assuming you have enough weight to lose to do this healthily). But as you're already saying you feel run down from eating the lower amount then bumping your calories up, feeling healthier, and losing at a nice steady rate sounds good to me.
It appeared to me that she was also saying that she hasn't been losing weight recently. The other problems aside, if you aren't losing weight and you start eating more calories, you gain weight.There appear to be many theories that contradict that thinking TimothyFish, clearly you feel it is quite cut and dry. It would have been more helfpul if you could quantify your statements instead of just putting them out there. But hey... each to their own.
It is simple enough to understand. It takes energy to carry out our activities. According to FitBit, it is taking about 2000 calories for you to carry out your daily activities. That energy doesn't just appear out of thin air. You are either going to get it from the food you eat, or from fat that you stored previously. The less food you eat, the more energy your body has to get from fat. One pound of fat provides 3500 calories of energy. So every time you use 3500 more calories than what you have gotten from food, you lose a pound.
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mangrothian wrote: »mangrothian wrote: »Are you also meeting all of your macro targets? If you're doing exercise, and you're not getting enough carbs/protein it could be making you feel tired. So many people hate carbs, but they're not the enemy
I'd also suggest getting some bloods done with your doc. It may be that you're iron deficient or anaemic, which can cause tiredness/headaches/flu-ish symtoms in some people.
Does macro targets mean the nutrition goals? If so, no I am not and have been working hard over the last week to address that. There are some areas that I am definitly lacking in and do not meet daily, so my focus is also going to have to be diverted to these, because as you say that won't be helping how I am feeling.
Yup, I mean the nutrition goals. I've been noticing on days where I have much higher activity levels, if my carbs are too low (or if I've had a good session at the gym, protein as well), I end up really tired and headachey or tempted to gnaw my own arm off from hunger.
You may not want to do this as it can get complicated, but you might want to look at your total daily energy expenditure (TDEE) instead of the MFP levels, and base your calorie reduction from there. There are some great forum posts on setting calorie levels:
community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/819055/setting-your-calorie-and-macro-targets/p1
community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1080242/a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants/p1
You may have read some of these posts already, but if you haven't, they're both really informative when getting started.
I'm also thinking of getting a fitbit to get a better idea of my activity outside of the gym. I'm trying to wait it out until the ChargeHR is released though. Have you found it makes you more aware of how inactive/active you're being?
Well I think you have summed up my thinking, way better than I ever could. I didn't know it was called TDEE but I have pretty much been thinking that way thanks to fitbit. I love it and would recommend getting one (whichever model you choose). It has made me realise that I am more active than perhaps I thought AND that I do need days of inactivity, especially recently. It also gives you an outline of what I imagine is a TDEE guide, which is really what started me thinking this way.
I will read the links you sent thank you. I am supposed to be working today, so will have to do it later. 0 -
prattiger65 wrote: »OP, you have done a fantastic job so far. It is difficult mentally to keep up a deficit day after day after day for many months. What I found in my case, I was not being diligent in my logging, I had started guesstimating and rounding up etc. sometimes I think spending a couple of weeks or so eating at maintenance will help mentally. It really is all about adherence. If you are consistently in a deficit, you will consistently lose weight....OVER TIME, it isn't linear. You are doing fine, a mental break may help, it did for me.
Thank you.0 -
Lots of people report breaking plateaus by eating more for a while and then dropping back down.
The experts say stalls are common, especially around six months in. They advise eating more, enough to not lose (but not gain), for several months and then dropping back down.
I took a break and ate quite a lot extra and when I started losing again, it began dropping quicker again.
You should be eating enough so that you don't feel tired and run down. The point of losing weight is to be and feel better, not worse! So, duh, lol. If you cannot lose weight without starving yourself, you have to ask the doctor about it next time you have your check-up. If you're tired and run down on 1200, eat more. You need your strength. Life is hard enough without without adding physical weakness for no good reason.
It's a long, slow process, with times that the weight flies off and times that it goes slowly. Hang in there.
Wise words, thank you too. 0
This discussion has been closed.
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