Weight Loss and Nutrition

Sylli123
Sylli123 Posts: 14
edited November 11 in Health and Weight Loss
Hi all,

I'm in a bit of a pickle. Recently, I started my journey toward a healthy lifestyle. But I'm having some issues with my nutrition and I'm a little concerned. To whomever can help: what you should know about me is that I've spent years of my life yoyo dieting and have gotten nowhere, so I decided to make a change. After a month of logging every bite — approximately 500 calories a day, give or take 100 — I spoke to a nutrition who said that I was seriously starving myself and therefore retaining most of what I consume. She said that combined with my slow metabolism is keeping me from getting thinner. Her advice: workout more and eat more — about 1200 calories — but healthier. That brings me to now: My workouts are going great. I'm building up my stamina and working out is starting to be more of an "I need to because I don't feel right if I don't" instead of an "I'm supposed because that's how weight loss happens." My meals, however are a whole other ball game. I'm trying my best to get as close to 1200 while consuming healthier meals. I space my meals so that they are 5 to 6 hours apart — 8am, 2pm, 8pm — but even with that, by the time lunch rolls around I'm already stuffed and by dinner I'm just nauseous and that before I even have any meals. I'm a little concerned here. The problem isn't that I'm not measuring right and that I'm underestimating, because I measure everything with the proper tools and write them all down. And my meals are pretty basic. Usually some sort of protein with some sort of vegetable combination and maybe some carbs, because let's be honest: I'm just not ready to give them up completely. I'm just worried that if I am consuming all of this, am I just setting myself up to fail? What is it that I am doing wrong? How can I fix this? Does anyone have any advice they're willing to share?

Thank you :smile:

Replies

  • moto450
    moto450 Posts: 334 Member
    Give up carbs? ? No way! I'm with you. Honestly it's about how many calories you take in and eating healthy. Your nutritionist is right. You aren't eating enough if you were around 500. That's scary low!

    I would weigh your food instead of measuring. it's much more accurate. And if your goal to lose weight is 1200 calories then make sure you reach it every day. Going too far below that, like 500, will make it so that you can't lose weight at all. as long as you are weighing your food you will know that it's accurate and you won't have to worry that your going way over because of estimating
  • moto450
    moto450 Posts: 334 Member
    also, if you are working out you should probably be eating a little bit more too on those days
  • mamadon
    mamadon Posts: 1,422 Member
    In my opinion you are setting yourself up for failure. If you continue to eat that low, you will eventually give up in frustration because it just not healthy or sustainable, Also, people who eat very low calorie over a long periods of time can potentially mess up their metabolism.
    I'll be honest, I can never understand how people can sometimes say they can barely get to 1000 calories, most of us got fat or overweight because of chronic overeating.
    You need to figure out what your TDEE is. This is your total daily energy expenditure. There are many calculators on line. If you want to maintain, this is the amount of calories you need to eat. If you want to lose, you simply subtract around 15 too 20% off of your TDEE.
    Losing weight is about the correct calorie deficit. It honestly doesnt really matter what kinds of foods you eat, as long as your in that deficit. If your looking to eat healthier however soley for nutritional purposes, thats different.
  • Sylli123
    Sylli123 Posts: 14
    Moto450: Thanks for the reply. what I meant by measuring was things that need to be weighed (meats and the likes) get weighed and things that are by cups or spoons get cups or spoons. My concern though is that I just don't know how to fit it all in without feeling sick to my stomach. And I'm tying to workout daily or at least 5 times a week when there just aren't enough hours in the day. But on days i'm working out according to the calorie counter on here, I should be eating like 1500-1700 a day. How? how do I do this without wanting to feeling sick?
  • segacs
    segacs Posts: 4,599 Member
    See a therapist. Seriously. Please, please seek some help. What you're describing is not healthy.
  • RodaRose
    RodaRose Posts: 9,562 Member
    Your dietitian has you on the right path. A therapist will help as well.
  • wrecktechno
    wrecktechno Posts: 145 Member
    Open your diet up so we can see what you're eating
  • azulvioleta6
    azulvioleta6 Posts: 4,195 Member
    I feel that way sometimes too. I eat on a schedule that is similar to yours.

    This was hard when I first started. I guess I slowly got into the habit on eating regularly, even when I am not terribly hungry. I feel better more of the time if I don't wait too long to eat. I often have a hard time getting to 1200, and I agree with you, 1700 calories a day sounds nauseating.

    Do you have metabolic problems? I am a big and very active person, but my body just can't handle much more than 1200 a day. It's a medical issue in my case.
  • vixendnb
    vixendnb Posts: 1 Member
    500 calories!? I cant even imagine...!

    Hopefully this can help you..I am also on a 1200 calorie goal to lose weight...I eat very healthy and am able to reach it... here is an example of what I usually eat...not sure if you have any dietary restictions but I dont. You can substitute whatever for your diet.

    AM: 7am cup of cottage cheese, 1/2 cup blueberries, 1tbs honey...so good...

    11am: hard boiled egg, 10 baby carrots, 1/4 c hummus

    2pm: kale salad with chicken, some veggies, 2tbs olive oil, 1/2 lemon, salt and pepper

    5pm: apple or tangerine or a small yogurt

    work out cardio 60-90 minutes (I try to burn about 600-1000 calories at the gym, easily done with a cardio kickboxing class and 25 minutes on another cardio machine)

    8pm: soup of some sort and broiled salmon or some protein and veggie combo with brown rice...

    Its about 1400 calories, but burning about half of that at the gym, its only an intake of around 700 calories left..and I am active at work so I burn a lot off that way too.

    Hope that helps...good luck..you are definitely eating too low.... and love your carbs...they give you the energy you need to work out! Just keep it minimal and youre fine!





  • Driagnor
    Driagnor Posts: 323 Member
    Have you considered adding things like protein powders with full cream milk into your diet? Those allow you to up your calories without the same satiety factor as whole foods.
  • Sylli123
    Sylli123 Posts: 14
    Let me start off by saying this. I didn't realize I was eating that little until I started counting my calories. I never felt hungry. I just woke up, had some fruit for breakfast, went about my day, had like a salad or a small sandwich for lunch, then came home and made veggie soup or sauteed veggies. I felt fine. I never felt hungry, I never felt weak. I wasn't doing it intentionally, I wasn't doing it to starve myself. I felt better then than I do now.

    Mamadon: If TDEE is anything to go buy I'd be consuming 1900 a day. I can barely manage what I'm dealing with now.

    Azuvioleta6: I do have a metabolic problem. I have an elevated hypothyroidism which in my case (apparently not the same for everyone) slows down my metabolism.

    Wrecktechno: How do I do that?

    RodaRose and Segacs: again I didn't do it intentionally. I just didn't know any better.

    Vixendnb: I'm feeling sick just thinking about that all

  • Christine_72
    Christine_72 Posts: 16,049 Member
    How do people who struggle to eat 1200 calories get overweight to begin with? ?? Completely befuddles me...
  • Sylli123
    Sylli123 Posts: 14
    Drlagnor: I have tried those, but I can't hold them down (sorry If that's tmi). I've tried BeachBody's vegan meal replacements and some others that you can find at GNC. The names escape me at the moment.

    And just to add to my previous comments, when I started eating more the first time (back in mid-November, before I fell off track again, I started eating about 1100 a day. I felt so bloated and heavy that I was falling asleep at my desk mid-morning. And since I started this again the same thing is happening now
  • Sylli123
    Sylli123 Posts: 14
    Christinev297: again, my body metabolizes differently than the average person. I have a genetic condition (hypothyroidism) and it makes it harder for me to burn it off properly. When your body is starving itself, it retains as much sustenance it can get and stores it for when your body goes into starvation mode. That being said, I didn't realize that I was in that bad of a condition. I didn't realize that my body was storing things, it didn't have the proper nutrients to function. The fact that I have my condition coupled with the fact that I wasn't eating enough help hold my weight higher than what I'm striving to reach. That's why I'm here. I'm trying to get help to be healthier over all. Get my metabolism in order.
  • azulvioleta6
    azulvioleta6 Posts: 4,195 Member
    christinev297 wrote: »
    How do people who struggle to eat 1200 calories get overweight to begin with? ?? Completely befuddles me...

    Our bodies don't work the way that they should.

    In my case my BMR is about 25% of what it should be. For many years, I was eating low fat/vegetarian/high carb, which is exactly the wrong thing for me. I was also forced by disease to be totally sedentary for several years--I gained almost 100 pounds during that time.

  • Sylli123
    Sylli123 Posts: 14
    food diary is now open...whoever cares to look check out what I have planned tomorrow. It's how I originally started back in November the first time around. And I felt bloated and heavy and was falling asleep at work. It's what I'm having trouble with. Keeping my energy up when I feel so... stuffed.

    anyway, here is the link to my diary: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/food/diary/Sylli123
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