How little is too little when dealing with calories?
maxitwinkle
Posts: 1 Member
Hi all, I've been using MFP for about 2 years but this is my first post! Backstory, I'm 174cm (5'7"ish) and normally weigh between 80-83kg. I use MFP in the summer when I can devote myself to weighing food and counting calories as I find it too much to do when studying (vet student).
I've never had trouble losing weight on MFP, I can normally lose .5kg a week, the lowest I've been is 78kg but I can't get much below that and during term time it normally creeps up to about 82kg. And I don't really like yo-yoing so I aim for 80 which is normally do-able!
Anyway, to the point. I weighed myself last week and I was the heaviest I've been - 84.7kg! So I started logging my food and increased my gym days (I do a mixure of cardio/weights/yoga). MFP had me on a calorie count of about 1400 calories which I was in deficit of every day but one and I didn't log my exercise at all.
So I weigh myself today and I've GAINED weight! It's a bit crazy, this has never happened before. I looked back through all my old food diaries and when I was losing consistently I was eating between 1600-1800 calories. So is it worth upping the calorie intake? I don't find it too hard sticking to 1400 but its boring! I know I've only been back on MFP for a week but like I said normally when I starting logging my food I have no trouble losing weight.
Any thoughts?
PS sorry for massive long post!
I've never had trouble losing weight on MFP, I can normally lose .5kg a week, the lowest I've been is 78kg but I can't get much below that and during term time it normally creeps up to about 82kg. And I don't really like yo-yoing so I aim for 80 which is normally do-able!
Anyway, to the point. I weighed myself last week and I was the heaviest I've been - 84.7kg! So I started logging my food and increased my gym days (I do a mixure of cardio/weights/yoga). MFP had me on a calorie count of about 1400 calories which I was in deficit of every day but one and I didn't log my exercise at all.
So I weigh myself today and I've GAINED weight! It's a bit crazy, this has never happened before. I looked back through all my old food diaries and when I was losing consistently I was eating between 1600-1800 calories. So is it worth upping the calorie intake? I don't find it too hard sticking to 1400 but its boring! I know I've only been back on MFP for a week but like I said normally when I starting logging my food I have no trouble losing weight.
Any thoughts?
PS sorry for massive long post!
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Replies
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Weight (water weight) fluctuates naturally, independently of fat gain/loss, and new exercise regimens usually makes your body hold water, to repair damage to muscle tissue. Constipation, TOM, ovulation, and a number of other things can cause fluctuations. Nothing to worry about.
You won't lose more if you up your intake. That is physichally, mathematically and logically impossible. The back story is one of two - either unrelated: your body lets go of water just after you have increased calories, or mildly related: a more moderate calorie deficit makes you more likely to stick to your plan and record everything accurately, and when you are properly fuelled, you will have energy to work out, and tend to move more, doing your your normal day to day non-exercise activities.
Regarding yo-yo-ing, and water weight, and what's "normal" - I'm in maintenance and have a range of 3 kilos that I aim to stay within; that's the most "stable" I can manage. It's up to you to pick your own goalweight, but it should be an informed choice.0 -
You increased your exercise so of course your muscles are going to retain water for repair. That's normal.
As for "how much is too little"... recommended amount for women is 1200 calories NET. But even that isn't appropriate for most women. Other than that, you'll know it's too little when your hair is falling out, you feel weak, lethargic, etc.
Anyhow, give it more time. Weight loss isn't linear in the least.0 -
You increased your exercise so of course your muscles are going to retain water for repair. That's normal.
As for "how much is too little"... recommended amount for women is 1200 calories NET. But even that isn't appropriate for most women. Other than that, you'll know it's too little when your hair is falling out, you feel weak, lethargic, etc.
Anyhow, give it more time. Weight loss isn't linear in the least.
Uh, no. 1200 is NOT a universal number for all women. Some small women would maintain on 1200.
Jesus, there so much false information on these forums. No wonder they have such a bad reputation.0 -
You increased your exercise so of course your muscles are going to retain water for repair. That's normal.
As for "how much is too little"... recommended amount for women is 1200 calories NET. But even that isn't appropriate for most women. Other than that, you'll know it's too little when your hair is falling out, you feel weak, lethargic, etc.
Anyhow, give it more time. Weight loss isn't linear in the least.
Uh, no. 1200 is NOT a universal number for all women. Some small women would maintain on 1200.
Jesus, there so much false information on these forums. No wonder they have such a bad reputation.
@Ninkyou is right.0 -
You increased your exercise so of course your muscles are going to retain water for repair. That's normal.
As for "how much is too little"... recommended amount for women is 1200 calories NET. But even that isn't appropriate for most women. Other than that, you'll know it's too little when your hair is falling out, you feel weak, lethargic, etc.
Anyhow, give it more time. Weight loss isn't linear in the least.
Uh, no. 1200 is NOT a universal number for all women. Some small women would maintain on 1200.
Jesus, there so much false information on these forums. No wonder they have such a bad reputation.
I didn't say it was universal for all women. Did you not read the second sentence?0 -
whatever you do, you are 5,7. 1200 is too low for you. 1400 might be pushing it but only you know best. are you using a food scale? I gained weight my first week. Give it more time.0
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You increased your exercise so of course your muscles are going to retain water for repair. That's normal.
As for "how much is too little"... recommended amount for women is 1200 calories NET. But even that isn't appropriate for most women. Other than that, you'll know it's too little when your hair is falling out, you feel weak, lethargic, etc.
Anyhow, give it more time. Weight loss isn't linear in the least.
Uh, no. 1200 is NOT a universal number for all women. Some small women would maintain on 1200.
Jesus, there so much false information on these forums. No wonder they have such a bad reputation.
@WA_mama2 really now and you are just adding to the false info with this...and MFP doesn't have a bad rep people posting crap like this on the boards do...
OP I am about your stats for height but older.
When I joined MFP I was about 185lbs and lost on 1600 gross calories (about 1460+exercise)
Did that until I got down to my goal of 145 then I maintained on about 2k-2500 depending on the time of year.
The extra weight would be the exercise...give it a week or two.
Just log accurately and consistently and you will be fine.0 -
You increased your exercise so of course your muscles are going to retain water for repair. That's normal.
As for "how much is too little"... recommended amount for women is 1200 calories NET. But even that isn't appropriate for most women. Other than that, you'll know it's too little when your hair is falling out, you feel weak, lethargic, etc.
Anyhow, give it more time. Weight loss isn't linear in the least.
Uh, no. 1200 is NOT a universal number for all women. Some small women would maintain on 1200.
Jesus, there so much false information on these forums. No wonder they have such a bad reputation.
@WA_mama2 really now and you are just adding to the false info with this...and MFP doesn't have a bad rep people posting crap like this on the boards do.
These forums absolutely have a bad reputation outside of MFP.
I posted no false information, but thanks for trying.0 -
That was 1200 NET calories and 1200 as set by MFP is the lowest calorie amount the system will input.You increased your exercise so of course your muscles are going to retain water for repair. That's normal.
As for "how much is too little"... recommended amount for women is 1200 calories NET. But even that isn't appropriate for most women. Other than that, you'll know it's too little when your hair is falling out, you feel weak, lethargic, etc.
Anyhow, give it more time. Weight loss isn't linear in the least.
Uh, no. 1200 is NOT a universal number for all women. Some small women would maintain on 1200.
Jesus, there so much false information on these forums. No wonder they have such a bad reputation.
The post you responded to even floated the notion that 1200 is too low for most.
The forums have a bad reputation for those who can't seem to read.
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You increased your exercise so of course your muscles are going to retain water for repair. That's normal.
As for "how much is too little"... recommended amount for women is 1200 calories NET. But even that isn't appropriate for most women. Other than that, you'll know it's too little when your hair is falling out, you feel weak, lethargic, etc.
Anyhow, give it more time. Weight loss isn't linear in the least.
Uh, no. 1200 is NOT a universal number for all women. Some small women would maintain on 1200.
Jesus, there so much false information on these forums. No wonder they have such a bad reputation.
What she posted was right. The recommended amount for women is 1200 net. No false information from her.
There is a lot of false information on these forums. I'll agree there, but not the poster you lashed out and accused of posting misinformation.
@shell1005 that is not the recommended amount for women...that is min for women as recommended by FDA.
The amount recommended by MFP is based on stats such as age sex height weight but most of all weekly weight loss goa...otherwise why did MFP recommend me at 1460 when I first started????
Maybe because I knew 1lb a week at my weight was a good amount of weight to lose and I wasn't aiming for 2lbs a week....smh.0 -
in general, smaller women (5'7 and under) can go down to 1350, and if they're under 4'11, even under 1100. But don't go under 1350. 1400 is pretty good and you should lose weight quickly. At first it can be hard though, because, as another poster said, water retention (i.e water weight) plays a significant roll in making it seem like you've gained weight, when you really haven't. Just give it a little more time and you'll start noticing a big difference. Good luck!0
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You increased your exercise so of course your muscles are going to retain water for repair. That's normal.
As for "how much is too little"... recommended amount for women is 1200 calories NET. But even that isn't appropriate for most women. Other than that, you'll know it's too little when your hair is falling out, you feel weak, lethargic, etc.
Anyhow, give it more time. Weight loss isn't linear in the least.
Uh, no. 1200 is NOT a universal number for all women. Some small women would maintain on 1200.
Jesus, there so much false information on these forums. No wonder they have such a bad reputation.
How small are we talking that you think a persons TDEE would be 1200?
1200 is the minimum recommended but even then, is too low for so many people, especially someone who is 5'7 like the OP. I'm 5'2 and lost weight eating 1600-1900 cals.
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I'm one of those 5ft nothing people who of course can maintain on less caloires, height does matter, however...
The longer you are on a deficit and the lower the deficit, the more more the body kind of fights the fat burning process and wants to hang on to the fat. It is not starvation mode but it is sort of a survival mode. The only way to over come this is having a few more maintenance days or a week or so of maintenance, then go back to the deficit. When you do this the body will go into a more efficient fat burning with the deficit when it gets a break from so much deficit. This can also be done by bringing your calories up slightly on the deficit, yet still under maintenance, maybe not so low as 1200 although that can work some days depending on how long the deficit, body fat level, and stress.
There is no magic number on the amount of days to be at a deficit. No one can tell you. You can only determine this by your own body as it is very complicated and unique. The only thing we all have similar is that we need the deficit to lose fat, and we need the maintenance to keep hormones stable, and we need to not eat over maintenance or we gain fat.
This is probably the biggest reason why so many people rebound. They keep eating lower, and it sets up the body in the wrong direction. It is so counter intuitive for fat loss though. Not only that but it sets up up for binges.
Also, bringing up calories is one of the hardest things anyone can do because it can actually increase hunger on the way up and it's crazy, so you have to really setup your environment for success to not over eat. But it needs to be done because our bodies were not meant to be on the "corrective action" calorie deficit so much. It is medicine (the deficit) to fix a health problem (being over weight) and is not meant to be done all the time. We have to learn to take the medicine in smaller doses or it backfires.
We all have to take the time to learn our body and treat it with respect as we go. It's all in synergy, mind, body, and spirit.
Never Settle
Never Give Up
Live Your Dream0 -
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My body never fought the fat burning process. It's not a thing. Losing weight and maintaining a deficit also doesn't hurt your metabolism and make it so that you maintain on a lower number.
Wanna know what my maintenance calories are? Depending on activity...between 2400 and 3000 calories daily.
I am constantly amazed, and not in a good way, at how people keep trying to make losing weight more difficult than it needs to be. Log your food and exercise, do it as accurately as possible...maintain a deficit...and you'll lose weight.
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My body never fought the fat burning process. It's not a thing. Losing weight and maintaining a deficit also doesn't hurt your metabolism and make it so that you maintain on a lower number.
Wanna know what my maintenance calories are? Depending on activity...between 2400 and 3000 calories daily.
I am constantly amazed, and not in a good way, at how people keep trying to make losing weight more difficult than it needs to be. Log your food and exercise, do it as accurately as possible...maintain a deficit...and you'll lose weight.
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Is it by any chance the time around your period, @maxitwinkle ? This could be one reason for an unexpected gain.0
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WinoGelato wrote: »You increased your exercise so of course your muscles are going to retain water for repair. That's normal.
As for "how much is too little"... recommended amount for women is 1200 calories NET. But even that isn't appropriate for most women. Other than that, you'll know it's too little when your hair is falling out, you feel weak, lethargic, etc.
Anyhow, give it more time. Weight loss isn't linear in the least.
Uh, no. 1200 is NOT a universal number for all women. Some small women would maintain on 1200.
Jesus, there so much false information on these forums. No wonder they have such a bad reputation.
How small are we talking that you think a persons TDEE would be 1200?
1200 is the minimum recommended but even then, is too low for so many people, especially someone who is 5'7 like the OP. I'm 5'2 and lost weight eating 1600-1900 cals.
I was wondering this too, as I'm 5'3, and my maintenance is nowhere near 1200. I played with the scooby calculator and using a 35 year old woman even one at 4'11 and 100 lb and sedentary would be expected to lose .5 lb/week at 1200. So 1200 net would be a perfectly good starting place.
OP isn't short anyway, so all this is irrelevant to her.0 -
You increased your exercise so of course your muscles are going to retain water for repair. That's normal.
As for "how much is too little"... recommended amount for women is 1200 calories NET. But even that isn't appropriate for most women. Other than that, you'll know it's too little when your hair is falling out, you feel weak, lethargic, etc.
Anyhow, give it more time. Weight loss isn't linear in the least.
Uh, no. 1200 is NOT a universal number for all women. Some small women would maintain on 1200.
Jesus, there so much false information on these forums. No wonder they have such a bad reputation.
@WA_mama2 really now and you are just adding to the false info with this...and MFP doesn't have a bad rep people posting crap like this on the boards do.
These forums absolutely have a bad reputation outside of MFP.
I posted no false information, but thanks for trying.
@WA_mama2 sure you did...for example some small women would maintain on 1200...give me the stats of those women please? I did some checking a 30lb child maintains on that....0 -
Hi OP. You seem to be doing all the right things. Don't get discouraged from that number on the scale. I think 1400 is a great number. I am 5'7 and usually average around 1200 a day. I think somr previous posters answered your question very well. As long as you have a deficit, you will lose. The higher the deficit, the quicker you will lose. Your body doesn't just flip a switch and say "Oh, time to stop burning fat! RETAIN FAT!" unless you have body fat percentage of less than 5%. Its more simple than that. You eat less calories than the amount you burn, therefore for your body to maintain, it MUST burn that fat to survive. Muscles are vital for our bodies while all that extra fat isnt, so why would your body attack your vital muscles before fat? It wont. People lose glycogen from their muscle mass, and thats about it.
Anyways, I got a little off topic here. But as the first poster said in their response, that number on the scale fluctuates way too much! Brush it off. You could be weighing in during a week of higher weight because of your menstrual cycle. I believe you weigh in higher a week or 2 before your actual cycle. Look it up. Its interesting. Good luck!0 -
If I do no exersise at all, and for me, those days can be often depending on how busy I am, when my total steps for the day are less than 2,000, my rate of loss at 1200 calories is about .2 to .3 pounds per week. There's simply no way for me to lose 1/2 pound per week at 1200 calories. I walk on my treadmill so that I can eat more and get a bit of a higher deficit to make 1/2 pound a possibility.
Here are three screenshots with my stats from Scooby (I put them in spoilers so my post wouldn't kill people with images)--one with a 5% reduction, 10% and 20%. At a 10% reduction of 1236 calories a day, it has me losing .3 pounds per week. I find this to be pretty accurate. I am 5'1", 44 years old and currently weigh 122 pounds.
5% calorie reduction:
10% calorie reduction:
20% calorie reduction, which would give me 1/2 pound per week but I'd probably be constantly hungry:
So unless I'm willing to go down to 1,000 calories a day (which I am certainly not!) there's no way I can lose 1/2 pound per week at my height and weight. Unless Scooby is wrong, but I have found it to be pretty accurate.0
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