Is1300 cals too many for some people?

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  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
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    verycherrypie wrote: »
    I think I do have to accept that being older it just must be harder but the poster that said adjust my expectations was wise.. My expectations were simply higher. I have never lost weight this slowly. First week I weighed I lost 0lb second week -2.5lb and third 0lb. I am trying to weigh once a week and to see another 0lb loss after a week of all that logging was just so disheartening.

    How often did you weigh before? I did not know how much I weighed (I had an idea, but it was a rough estimate) before I started. The first week I started weighing I weighed every day and the number jumped around a lot. If you were unlucky you may have gotten that first week's weigh-in on a low day, which would mask the loss. Other things are starting to exercise can cause water retention and women can have a lot of weigh fluctuations throughout the month -- I've found there's a pattern, but everyone's is different so you just have to know it.

    I'm 46 (was 44 when I lost most of my weight), and did 1250 + exercise calories/Fitbit adjustments at first (so I ate more than 1300 most days once I figured out how MFP worked). I'm 5'3.

    The most important thing is staying with it and being consistent--don't get frustrated with the fluctuations and the non linear results. If you lose 2.5 every two weeks (not saying that will happen, but some people lose nothing for a few weeks and have a bigger whoosh -- the body is weird sometimes), that's the same even if the loss doesn't show up in every week as losing less every week, after all.

    I found it easier to do two things -- one, focus on goals other than the scale that I had more control over (hitting my calories, eating well, exercise goals, for example), and two, while this does not work for everyone, it helped me to weigh every day and see the weird fluctuations, as I got less focused on/emotional about the weekly weigh-in. You have to not worry about those fluctuations, though -- for me this was about teaching myself not to be scared of the scale.
  • amusedmonkey
    amusedmonkey Posts: 10,330 Member
    edited April 2016
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    Just to show you that weight fluctuations are normal, and how you can find yourself losing nothing or even gaining, I'm going to post my weight loss progress bar. Look how it has ups and downs. Women are especially plagued by changing hormones, and it affects how much water your body retains, not to mention sodium, carbs, muscle repair, food in the gut and all the other reasons you really need to stop looking at weekly changes and just keep an eye in what direction your overall weight is going:

    f180zyyfdqpi.png
    64c8ajx9yrwo.png

  • blues4miles
    blues4miles Posts: 1,481 Member
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    OP are you using a food scale? Are you eating back exercise calories?
  • LivingtheLeanDream
    LivingtheLeanDream Posts: 13,342 Member
    edited April 2016
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    Your husband is heavy at 18 stone, weight will practically fly off him for a while, he could lose eating more than 2000 a day because of his weight ....it'll slow down for him too at some point when he's about 15lbs from goal - par for the course.

    Perhaps you have less to lose?(I only scanned briefly through this thread so may have missed that)

    Stick with your 1300 if as you say you are logging accurately you will lose. Move when you can so you create more if a deficit as that will help.

    I'm 5ft 2 /46 and maintaining on 2100-2300 cals- (I'm active) - when I was trying to lose, I lost 1/2lb a week eating 1800 gross cals.

    Most women need more than 1300 calories. For someone old (much older than 45 I mean), small and sedentary then yes, that's probably enough.
  • LivingtheLeanDream
    LivingtheLeanDream Posts: 13,342 Member
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    Your husband needs to eat more than 1400 cals at his weight - that's too aggressive a deficit. His health will suffer if he sticks to that.
  • AspenDan
    AspenDan Posts: 703 Member
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    The biggest hurdle for me, even after 100lb lost, has been managing expectations. I suggest maybe going 1 whole month without weighing yourself at all..that has helped me in the past.
    Also, try to remember it probably took you at least a few months, or maybe years to put on the extra weight, so it might just as well take that long to take off.
    Keep at it, good luck =)
  • LivingtheLeanDream
    LivingtheLeanDream Posts: 13,342 Member
    edited April 2016
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    Another thing, weekly weigh ins - you could step on the scale tomorrow and 1/2lb would be gone...our weight fluctuates alot from day to day. Moyne you would benefit from tracking your daily weight so you get to understand how your body works. Ie if your weighing heavier a day it's because you had that high sodium meal.. or its your TOM. So many reasons that the scale doesn't show progress so you need to measure too....and in time you'll know by your clothes getting looser.

    Don't give up. Keep going, as slow and steady does win the race :smile: . It took me a year to lose the 21lbs I needed to. I've kept it off 3 years+ and feel great.

    So remember - you're worth it! :smiley:
  • SandraSchraut
    SandraSchraut Posts: 5 Member
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    I am older and while I have lost some weight (37 pounds) I also have gained muscle so sometimes you are changing from fat to muscle and then you will see loss in inches which is great as well. I found being as active as possible is the secret for me that tends to take pounds off, and I can eat about 1500 calories and still lose weight. Good luck! you are going in the right direction but if you eat too few calories your body will go into a starvation mode and you will not lose as much. Eat good healthy food, increase protein, and avoid processed and fast food which has tons of fat and sodium.
  • LivingtheLeanDream
    LivingtheLeanDream Posts: 13,342 Member
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    Starvation mode is a myth @SandraSchraut there are 1000s of threads on here which debunk that theory.

    Well done on your weight loss to date Sandra.

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