A bit confused.

cocobot2013
cocobot2013 Posts: 46 Member
edited November 26 in Goal: Maintaining Weight
So since about August I've been maintaining my weight. I'm 5 ft 9 inches and 120ish pounds and 20 years old. But I'm set at lightly active which gives me 1930 calories a day, and I only eat between 1400-1530, not including my exercise calories, I bought a fitbit charge hr about a month ago and my weekly steps are from 80,000-100,000 but usually about 80-90 some, and my calories burned for the week are around 15,000-17,000 according to that. My weekly calorie allowance on here is 13,510, every now and again I'll go out to dinner and have to guess to log but I'll log a high amount, and this past weekend I've ate too much halloween candy but besides that, I don't understand how I'm maintaining even the regular weeks where I still have like 1,000+ calories left over? I weigh out and measure everything I eat and the only thing I can think that I log wrong is my oatmeal but I know it can't be that much off. What I'm wondering is has anyone maintained lower than their maintenance calories but still upped your calories and still maintained?? I just don't understand how for my height I can only eat like 1500 a day (with the occasional holidays/meal out)

Replies

  • Aani15
    Aani15 Posts: 172 Member
    I have learned from MFP community that we tend to overestimate calories burned and underestimate calories consumed. My take on that is, if it is true, it should reflect on a weigh scale. My weight loss has stalled (maintained) for over 2 weeks now even in a slight deficit. In your case, my best guess is your CI = CO + activity (exercise).

    I would be amazed if you're maintaining weight at a calorie deficit of an average 400 calories/day.
    I hope other MFP members may offer a better answer.
  • juggernaut1974
    juggernaut1974 Posts: 6,212 Member
    If you're maintaining, whatever you're eating (whether or not it's logged accurately) is by definition your maintenance.

    That said, 5'9 and 120 - what exactly are your goals? I certainly hope losing more weight is not on your list, as you are already pretty severly underweight.
  • cocobot2013
    cocobot2013 Posts: 46 Member
    No I don't want to lose weight, I want to maintain but I just don't understand how I'm maintaining at this? Ive been hungrier than usual lately too, and it's just been frustrating because I feel like I can't even eat more because it'll make me gain. I want to enjoy foods and its just getting annoying that other people my height etc can maintain on like 2,000 then why is mine so much lower? Cause I dont think I can keep 1400-1500ish for life?
  • BikeTourer
    BikeTourer Posts: 167 Member
    edited November 2015
    You can't maintain a daily 1000 deficit and not lose weight if you are tracking food and activity accurately. Steps really aren't an indicator of how active or inactive you are. Someone can easily hit 10,000+ and not have any active or very few "active" minutes. Steps are not a indicator of how active or inactive you are just a fun but meaningless metric you can use to get competitive with others or game to justify anything in your own mind.

    If look back at my logs, when I maintain a much smaller deficit than you are talking about I lose. When I was losing and consistent with deficits, I hit the MFP 5-week loss projections. You talk about logging high when you go out. I find I'm hard pressed not to be socked with 900-1000 calories when I eat out when I do an honest assessment, more if I also choose to have alcohol, unless I leave 1/2 to 2/3 of the meal behind. Even salads out can be a calorie minefield, blew my mind when I came across a salad on a restaurant website that by itself well over 1000 calories.

    Are you logging the exercise in MFP and have Fitbit send an adjustment? If yes, don't do that. I also suggest that you turn negative calories on as well because it keeps you honest. Not sure where you are going wrong but either your food log or you activity log is wrong.
  • rtp_slg52181
    rtp_slg52181 Posts: 73 Member
    You are quite light for your height. It is possible you are at the low end of your maintenance cals.

    What I mean by this is your body is conserving energy as much as it can by slowing cell turnover hair and nail growth and other non essential body functions.

    Most people have a range that they can maintain at. The low end where you are and a high end that can be as much as 3-500 cals more daily. At this high end you will be warm and find you have strong healthy quick growing hair and nails. Injuries will heal quicker and your body will just be happier.

    Just a FYI
    There will be an initial ~5lb gain of water/glycogen weight that won't really go away, but this it your body filling it's quick energy reserves that signal it is being properly fueled.
  • nxd10
    nxd10 Posts: 4,570 Member
    cocobot2013 wrote: »
    No I don't want to lose weight, I want to maintain but I just don't understand how I'm maintaining at this? Ive been hungrier than usual lately too, and it's just been frustrating because I feel like I can't even eat more because it'll make me gain. I want to enjoy foods and its just getting annoying that other people my height etc can maintain on like 2,000 then why is mine so much lower? Cause I dont think I can keep 1400-1500ish for life?

    If you're logging accurately, you aren't eating even close to what you should be for calories.

    You probably aren't losing because you're so thin you really can't. When I was your age, height, and weight, my ballet teachers told me I was too thin. And you know what they are about weight.

    If you're hungry, eat more. See what happens. Start slow and work up.
  • cocobot2013
    cocobot2013 Posts: 46 Member
    I'll log like anywhere between 1500-2000 for a meal out if it's somewhere local and not like Olive garden or something. And I keep mfp and my fitbit separate and don't sync them together, and I weigh out my foods like cereal, veggies, beans, potatoes, chicken etc on my food scale in the grams like it says grams on the package,the only thing I use my measuring cup or tablespoons for is like jelly, coffee creamer, milk etc, and the things I dont weigh are like the packaged yogurts, tuna bags, my two slices of bread for a sandwich, or little apple bite bags, things that say the package or container is one serving basically, so I dont understand where im apparently going wrong? And I usually just run for cardio and my treadmill usually says like 260-300 depending if I pushed myself burned and my fitbit will say like 280-400, but like I said I dont even add any exercise calories to my daily calories of 1400-500 some...
  • cocobot2013
    cocobot2013 Posts: 46 Member
    rtp_slg52181 wrote: »
    You are quite light for your height. It is possible you are at the low end of your maintenance cals.

    What I mean by this is your body is conserving energy as much as it can by slowing cell turnover hair and nail growth and other non essential body functions.

    Most people have a range that they can maintain at. The low end where you are and a high end that can be as much as 3-500 cals more daily. At this high end you will be warm and find you have strong healthy quick growing hair and nails. Injuries will heal quicker and your body will just be happier.

    Just a FYI
    There will be an initial ~5lb gain of water/glycogen weight that won't really go away, but this it your body filling it's quick energy reserves that signal it is being properly fueled.

    This is what I was wondering, if you could actually eat more but still maintain, like if you said I'm in the lower part of my maintenance, and I'm usually always cold except they days I. eat more like this past weekend with my family for halloween I ate good and I'm not as cold today.
  • scrittrice
    scrittrice Posts: 345 Member
    cocobot2013 wrote: »
    So since about August I've been maintaining my weight. I'm 5 ft 9 inches and 120ish pounds and 20 years old. But I'm set at lightly active which gives me 1930 calories a day, and I only eat between 1400-1530, not including my exercise calories, I bought a fitbit charge hr about a month ago and my weekly steps are from 80,000-100,000 but usually about 80-90 some, and my calories burned for the week are around 15,000-17,000 according to that. My weekly calorie allowance on here is 13,510, every now and again I'll go out to dinner and have to guess to log but I'll log a high amount, and this past weekend I've ate too much halloween candy but besides that, I don't understand how I'm maintaining even the regular weeks where I still have like 1,000+ calories left over? I weigh out and measure everything I eat and the only thing I can think that I log wrong is my oatmeal but I know it can't be that much off. What I'm wondering is has anyone maintained lower than their maintenance calories but still upped your calories and still maintained?? I just don't understand how for my height I can only eat like 1500 a day (with the occasional holidays/meal out)

    Something here doesn't make sense, but also, no offense, this post raises red flags about an eating disorder. In any case, if you're logging as accurately as you say you are and maintaining on such a low number, you should see a doctor. I'm more than twice your age, a little shorter than you are, and I would be really hungry on 1500 a day.
  • enterdanger
    enterdanger Posts: 2,447 Member
    I agree with the people who said to eat more. Do if for a couple weeks. Just eat at your 1930 a day from MFP. I bet you stop being as cold and hungry. This site is about being healthier and feeling good. You don't sound like you are feeling that good.
  • queenofpuppies
    queenofpuppies Posts: 189 Member
    maybe 120 is not a good place for you to maintain? Maybe you should try sitting at 125 or 130 instead. It is not that much bigger for a 5'9 woman, really still quite thin especially if you have any muscle mass, and you wont be hungry.
  • cocobot2013
    cocobot2013 Posts: 46 Member
    I think I'll give this a try.. I'm just anxious five pounds will turn into more and I'll eventually end up way past where I want to be. :( I actually have gained about 5 or so pounds since july as well which I'm fine with obviously lol I also live by myself so recipes and meals I think are getting a bit boring... I also love to eat food so I usually try to find volume foods for lower calories but eating vegetables all day for volume isnt very appealing to me but at the same time its never worth it to me to blow 200 on a donut per say, what kinds of foods do you guys eat?
  • StacyJanJ
    StacyJanJ Posts: 44 Member
    edited November 2015
    You didn't mention if you lift weights. I would recommend you add 3x a week weight training to build muscle and reduce cardio. When you put some muscle on your body you will find you can eat more food. Muscle is a very greedy tissue and needs calories. Muscle burns fat while you are sleeping, resting, sitting at a desk and is an important tissue to have, not to mention it gives beautiful sexy curves. If you do this make sure you increase your calories.
  • cocobot2013
    cocobot2013 Posts: 46 Member
    I don't like the gym so I do everything from home but I was doing more body strength videos until about a month ago I started running more and about four days a week I do one of these fitness blender squat workouts only ten minutesbut I only do about 20 pounds (I know im weak lol) and sometimes an arm video, and if I'm off ill do about 20-30 minutes using something with weights, but I just like how I can burn more calories from cardio than with weights :/
  • Kimo159
    Kimo159 Posts: 508 Member
    I would probably increase your calories slowly to get closer to the ~1900 you think you need to maintain. Add 100 calories a week and check the scale. You should expect 3-5lb glycogen weight gain. I would probably take measurements as another way to track (just for the period that you're finding your new maintenance). Stop adding calories when you start to gain inches and weight beyond what would be expected. The gradual approach allows your body some time to adapt to the extra calories.
  • cocobot2013
    cocobot2013 Posts: 46 Member
    I had thought about measuring as well so I wouldn't freak out so much seeing the scale go up a couple of pounds! Though I probably still will anyways. I'm gonna try to up my calories this week and measure as well.. once I'm not bloated from this weekend lol thank you for your input!
  • guppy1697
    guppy1697 Posts: 148 Member
    Good luck trying to add some more calories. It may result in your feeling better and maintaining the level you are at!
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