Increasing My Calories

GRILLZGIRL
GRILLZGIRL Posts: 32 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Stats: 5'4" 171.2 38y/o Office job, sedentary - on my feet after work chasing a 5 year old, cooking, cleaning, etc. I do not count this as exercise.

I started out on 1200 calories initially. I soon realized that this was too aggressive (2 lbs per week). So I backed down to 1.5 lbs per week and MFP gave me 1350 calories. Well as of today (been on 1350 a few days) I am still starving, tired, and weak. I moved to .5 lb a week loss today and I now have 1550 calories.

My question is this: Did I increase too much? I want to lose weight but I'm in no hurry. It came on slow so I don't expect it to come off fast. I would love to lose 2 lbs per week but I'm not going to starve myself to do it.

Thanks!

Replies

  • nordlead2005
    nordlead2005 Posts: 1,303 Member
    Do what you can sustain, that is what is important.

    Also, your numbers don't make sense. The difference between 2lb/week and 1.5lb/week is probably explained by you hitting the 1200 calorie floor. However, if 1.5lb/week is 1350 calories, then 0.5lb/week should be 1850 not 1550. 1lb/week would be 1600.

    Finally, compare real life results (over a few weeks) against your expected results and adjust as necessary. If you really are chasing a kid around after work you are probably lightly active, not sedentary. I have a desk job and I'm much closer to lightly active than sedentary.
  • GRILLZGIRL
    GRILLZGIRL Posts: 32 Member
    Hmmm, let me check my numbers and make sure I didn't make a mistake in my initial post.

    I do have a desk job but I'm so conflicted between lightly active and sedentary?? I get up from my desk several times per day to go to the copier, walk a good distance to restroom, etc. so perhaps I should change to lightly active. Will be back. Thanks so much for the response.
  • nordlead2005
    nordlead2005 Posts: 1,303 Member
    GRILLZGIRL wrote: »
    Hmmm, let me check my numbers and make sure I didn't make a mistake in my initial post.

    I do have a desk job but I'm so conflicted between lightly active and sedentary?? I get up from my desk several times per day to go to the copier, walk a good distance to restroom, etc. so perhaps I should change to lightly active. Will be back. Thanks so much for the response.

    like I said, compare to real life results. The tool puts out an estimate (which is good starting point), but we can make it better by using real data.
  • callsitlikeiseeit
    callsitlikeiseeit Posts: 8,626 Member
    youre sedentary, dear.

    up it to 1500 and eat and lose slowly. its all good, and this way you wont be starving and ditch all your efforts.
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
    A pound a week is reasonable given your stats, but go half a pound of its easier for you
  • GRILLZGIRL
    GRILLZGIRL Posts: 32 Member
    Sedentary:

    2 pounds: 1200
    1.5 pounds: 1270
    1 pound: 1300
    .5 pound: 1550

    Lightly Active:
    2 pounds: 1200
    1.5 pounds: 1270
    1.0 pound: 1520
    .5 pound: 1770
  • GRILLZGIRL
    GRILLZGIRL Posts: 32 Member
    callsitlikeiseeit wrote: »
    youre sedentary, dear.

    up it to 1500 and eat and lose slowly. its all good, and this way you wont be starving and ditch all your efforts.

    Thank you. I am staying with sedentary. I appreciate your response.
  • shinycrazy
    shinycrazy Posts: 1,081 Member
    google BMR calculator. Subtract 500 calories from that number and net that amount of calories after eating and exercise. Should be good for a pound a week.
  • GRILLZGIRL
    GRILLZGIRL Posts: 32 Member
    TavistockToad wrote: »
    A pound a week is reasonable given your stats, but go half a pound of its easier for you

    Thank you. I am going to go with .5 pound per week. Some days I'm good with around 1300 but other days I'm starving so if I get to eat more by being patient that works for me.
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
    shinycrazy wrote: »
    google BMR calculator. Subtract 500 calories from that number and net that amount of calories after eating and exercise. Should be good for a pound a week.

    I think you're confusing TDEE and bmr
  • GRILLZGIRL
    GRILLZGIRL Posts: 32 Member
    shinycrazy wrote: »
    google BMR calculator. Subtract 500 calories from that number and net that amount of calories after eating and exercise. Should be good for a pound a week.

    I got 1442 for BMR?
  • nordlead2005
    nordlead2005 Posts: 1,303 Member
    GRILLZGIRL wrote: »
    Sedentary:

    2 pounds: 1200
    1.5 pounds: 1270
    1 pound: 1300
    .5 pound: 1550

    Lightly Active:
    2 pounds: 1200
    1.5 pounds: 1270
    1.0 pound: 1520
    .5 pound: 1770

    weird, I didn't know MFP fudged the numbers so bad when you are near the calorie limit, I thought it just pegged everything to the limit if it was too agressive. 350 calories/day difference doesn't equate to a 1.5lb/week difference.

    Anyways, none of that matters. 1500 sounds like a decent starting point, log with that for 4-6 weeks and see what your real life results are.
  • nordlead2005
    nordlead2005 Posts: 1,303 Member
    GRILLZGIRL wrote: »
    shinycrazy wrote: »
    google BMR calculator. Subtract 500 calories from that number and net that amount of calories after eating and exercise. Should be good for a pound a week.

    I got 1442 for BMR?

    Her advise would have been good if she said TDEE calculator. BMR is your base metabolic rate, which is a useful estimate for calculating various things. It isn't something you should directly be making calorie intake decisions off of.
  • StaciMarie1974
    StaciMarie1974 Posts: 4,138 Member
    If 1.5 was 1350, then going to .5 per week should have been 1850. Double check your #s perhaps? I'd aim for 1, which should put you around 1600. For me, 1400-1600 was a good range. (I prefer a range to a single target.) I went from 178.8 to under 130, eating in that range for 6 months and then 1600-1800 for a few months. Also office job, now 41, though my youngest is starting high school next year. I make sure to get 10k + steps almost every day. Now maintain around 1750. (Though I aim for a deficit during the week, and eat higher on the weekends.)
    GRILLZGIRL wrote: »
    Stats: 5'4" 171.2 38y/o Office job, sedentary - on my feet after work chasing a 5 year old, cooking, cleaning, etc. I do not count this as exercise.

    I started out on 1200 calories initially. I soon realized that this was too aggressive (2 lbs per week). So I backed down to 1.5 lbs per week and MFP gave me 1350 calories. Well as of today (been on 1350 a few days) I am still starving, tired, and weak. I moved to .5 lb a week loss today and I now have 1550 calories.

    My question is this: Did I increase too much? I want to lose weight but I'm in no hurry. It came on slow so I don't expect it to come off fast. I would love to lose 2 lbs per week but I'm not going to starve myself to do it.

    Thanks!

  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
    I think 1550 is fine. If you're not losing, readjust.

    For what it's worth, you might want to look at your diet too and make sure that you eat plenty of protein, fat, and fiber... they fill you up more than carbs.
  • GRILLZGIRL
    GRILLZGIRL Posts: 32 Member
    Francl27 wrote: »
    I think 1550 is fine. If you're not losing, readjust.

    For what it's worth, you might want to look at your diet too and make sure that you eat plenty of protein, fat, and fiber... they fill you up more than carbs.

    Thank you. I will do that. I know I need to up my fiber some for sure.

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