Not your average loser

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TessaL221
TessaL221 Posts: 106 Member
in Food and Nutrition
It's been a while since I've posted, but I really need to get some feedback on this:

I know how they say you have to get 1200+ cals in per day and make sure you eat your exercise calories, etc.

The problem is, I've lost 80 lbs and my body doesn't work that way. The times when I've done that (leaving room for error in the exercise calorie area), I've stalled and not lost anything. For me to lose, I have to remain at around 1000-1100 cals per day and watch my macros like a hawk. When I exercise, I burn about 600-1000 cals, and have a hard time even netting 0 some days. I hit plateaus with this method as well, but 2 days of letting myself off the hook on my diet (still only 100 over or so and more lenient on the macros), and I seem to lose 2 or 3 lbs again.

My question is, what are the long-term implications of this kind of diet? I listen to my body, eat as much as I can, but I just can't get that much in, and if I do, I feel sick to my stomach and don't lose.

Any thoughts would be appreciated.

Replies

  • run_momma_run
    run_momma_run Posts: 319
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    I would recommend taking this information to your doctor and see if he/she is alright with your method. Perhaps print a month's worth of your logs out to take as reference so he/she can see everything you're eating and your workouts...

    Are you short? Perhaps the 1200 isn't an accurate number for you...
  • TessaL221
    TessaL221 Posts: 106 Member
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    No, I'm 5'7"
  • Angela_MA
    Angela_MA Posts: 260
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    I would recommend taking this information to your doctor and see if he/she is alright with your method. Perhaps print a month's worth of your logs out to take as reference so he/she can see everything you're eating and your workouts...

    Are you short? Perhaps the 1200 isn't an accurate number for you...

    I second this. Talk to your doctor. You could have a thyroid problem or something else interfering with your metabolism. From my research on dieting the more you restrict your diet the more damage you will do to your metabolism. You want your metabolism to be rev up and burn calories.
  • yanicka
    yanicka Posts: 1,004 Member
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    You have obviously done alot of damage to your metabolisme. The less I have to lose, the more my calories have to go up in order for me to lose weight. It should be your case too, not going down. You are in the dreaded starvation mode. Now even if you eat just a little more you will gain weight since you pretty much tried to kill yourself and your body won't let you.

    Now what should you do? Up you calories, eat you exercices calories. You will gain weight until your body will trust you to feed it properly, then and only then will it let go of the weight.

    Or you can eat like a bird for the rest of your life.
  • TessaL221
    TessaL221 Posts: 106 Member
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    But that's the thing... I don't feel like I eat like a bird at all. I eat when I'm hungry and until I'm full... I just traded what I eat from Mcd's and fried garbage to leaner cuts of meat like chicken breast and lean beef on occasion. Before my journey I'd eat a mcd's value meal and that was it all day. I don't think I could have done damage to my metabolism because I'm pretty sure I never had one to begin with :). As a teenager I lost 15 lbs in one week by eating 500 cals per day of nothing but pepsi and pretzels... THAT was damaging to my body and I vowed never to do it again. Now I limit carbs, eat a lot of grilled chicken breast, salad, and broccoli... but those things don't have many calories to them, so I'm really making the most of the calories. On the occasion that I do eat Mcd's or Chick fil-A, I meet the 1200+, but that is the only way my body doesn't revolt (other than the too-much-fat tummy-ache). I will likely visit the doc for an appt. Thanks ladies for the suggestion. but as for obviously damaging my metabolism, I'm not sure it's so obvious.
  • yanicka
    yanicka Posts: 1,004 Member
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    You are eating 1000-1100 calories a day, exercising 600-1000 calories and not losing

    I eat 1350 calories the days I do not exercice, and up to 2000 the days I do and losing weight. I am also 5 ' tall so not that big.

    Maybe time to try something else?
  • TessaL221
    TessaL221 Posts: 106 Member
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    No, I'm saying I do lose when I do that... when I eat 1200+ exercise cals I don't lose... even if I leave 100-150 cals for a buffer.

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