How many calories

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emyleer115
emyleer115 Posts: 19 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I've been losing weight since last June. I'm down 45 lb and have 15 more to go. These past few weeks though I haven't lost anything. Has eating below my BMR most days for the past 10 months done damage to my metabolism or something? I've even been exercising. Should I eat more? I'm only 4'11 so I figured 1200-1300 wouldn't be bad for me in the long run...

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  • shadow2soul
    shadow2soul Posts: 7,692 Member
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    Do you weigh your food on a food scale?

    As we get lighter, we have less room for errors in our logging. A few errors can add up quick and easily wipe out a deficit when your close to your goal weight.
  • emyleer115
    emyleer115 Posts: 19 Member
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    yes I do! Sometimes I don't even eat 1300 a day.
  • CharlieBeansmomTracey
    CharlieBeansmomTracey Posts: 7,682 Member
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    you are supposed to eat below your TDEE not your BMR,unless you are severely overweight/obese eating under your BMR would not be advised. your BMR is what you body burns just by being alive.at 15lbs to go you should not be eating under your BMR. the closer to goal and the less weight you have to lose the slower it is
  • emyleer115
    emyleer115 Posts: 19 Member
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    I can't really say what it was for sure, I've just used multiple online calculators that all say my BMR is about 1400 calories. I was about 50 lb overweight, and when I'm where I want to be I'll have lost about 35% of my body weight!
    So if I go back up to 1400, won't I gain weight?
  • AmyRhubarb
    AmyRhubarb Posts: 6,890 Member
    edited April 2016
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    That's often the problem with eating so low, particularly below your BMR - you have no where to go when things slow down or stall. You certainly don't want to go any lower.

    My goal has been to eat as many calories as I can while still losing weight, and it's enabled me to reach my goals, and maintain my losses for the past 4 years or so, with no stalls in progress, no yoyo dieting, no falling off any wagons. :tongue:

    Also this:
    CharlieBeansmomTracey wrote: »
    you are supposed to eat below your TDEE not your BMR,unless you are severely overweight/obese eating under your BMR would not be advised. your BMR is what you body burns just by being alive.at 15lbs to go you should not be eating under your BMR. the closer to goal and the less weight you have to lose the slower it is

  • AmyRhubarb
    AmyRhubarb Posts: 6,890 Member
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    emyleer115 wrote: »
    I can't really say what it was for sure, I've just used multiple online calculators that all say my BMR is about 1400 calories. I was about 50 lb overweight, and when I'm where I want to be I'll have lost about 35% of my body weight!
    So if I go back up to 1400, won't I gain weight?
    You might see a slight gain at first - it can take the body 4-6 weeks to adjust to new calorie intake and/or exercise, but really, if your BMR is 1400, you should be eating more than that. Do you eat back exercise cals?

  • emyleer115
    emyleer115 Posts: 19 Member
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    Usually!! Not always. I just feel like I'm constantly eating i just can't imagine having to eat more. I've been upping my calories slowly for the past few months. I've gone from 1200-1325 and i haven't seen weight loss in almost a month. But honestly my diet isn't perfect. I live a little. So maybe that's why. But I take into account when I eat unhealthy food as well... So idk.
  • brb_2013
    brb_2013 Posts: 1,197 Member
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    Do you log it when you "live a little"? That could be it. You can enjoy but you need to track so that when you do have a stall you can trace it back to that one weekend you went camping and had beers and smores, ya know?
  • emyleer115
    emyleer115 Posts: 19 Member
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    Oh yes I always look up the nutrition facts when I eat fast food. Always. And if I have a little snack I shouldn't, i always keep it in mind when I'm eating anything else that day. Trust me I know the nutrition facts and don't go overboard which is why I'm confused as to why I'm at this plateau and how to get over it!:(

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