What to do..

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jodina76
jodina76 Posts: 8 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I started logging what I was eating a little while ago, not necessarily to diet yet, but to see how far off my nutrition was. I realized that I have been eating around 1200-1400 calories a day for most of my adult life. I've never been a big eater yet I've always been about 30-50lbs overweight. My diary has shown that I generally stay within all limits as far as fats, carbs, etc. So this all finally makes sense. I've always been sort of able to eat whatever I want and maintain the same weight for years and years at a time but when I want to lose it is virtually impossible. It is because I've lived my adulthood in starvation mode I guess.

So how do I break free without gaining? I get that I will have to eat more and more often. How do I figure how many calories to go up to? Should I eat up to my BMR and then start decreasing or what. Im terrified of gaining but this must be the solution? Thanks for reading.

Replies

  • aeckels616
    aeckels616 Posts: 210 Member
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    How tall are you? Do you exercise?
  • Timeforme714
    Timeforme714 Posts: 189 Member
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    Maybe if you eat the same amount of food, but add exercise?
  • jodina76
    jodina76 Posts: 8 Member
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    I am 5'3", am 35I and weigh 174. I exercise but not regularly yet. My vital tests are all very healthy ...low blood pressure, triglycerides, perfect cholesterol etc. No thyroid issues. I think I've been in starvation for so long my body just stays the same
    weight.
  • eveunderground
    eveunderground Posts: 236 Member
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    The tools on this site should tell you exactly how many calories to eat. Just follow that, and continue to update your journal and track your progress. If you're already eating in the right calorie range that the site recommends then consider focusing on the actual foods you are eating, try and choose healthy whole food options (less processed, more fresh unprocessed). What you eat is as important as how much...and ideally you want to be doing both - eating the right foods and eating the right daily amount.
  • jodina76
    jodina76 Posts: 8 Member
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    Eve that's what I've been doing. This is why im posting. My diary shows that in my everyday life I've eaten balanced meals and always below 1200-1400. So the conclusion im getting is that I must not be eating enough.
  • aeckels616
    aeckels616 Posts: 210 Member
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    You're pretty short and if you lead a sedentary life, it may be that your body only needs that many calories to "maintain" your current weight. Try exercising regularly to boost your metabolism. Particularly, build some muscle, which will have you burning more calories even when you aren't working out.
  • aeckels616
    aeckels616 Posts: 210 Member
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    Also, it's not just how many calories you eat, but WHAT you eat that can make a big difference. Things like white bread and sugar can increase inflammation in the body and tend to make people put on pounds, particularly around the middle - even people who watch their calorie intake. They spike the blood sugar, which basically tells the body to store energy in the fat cells (which is why they're especially bad for people with diabetes).

    Try a low-glycemic diet for 3-4 weeks and see if that makes a big difference.
  • jodina76
    jodina76 Posts: 8 Member
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    Thanks. I will try that. My diary is showing that I keep within all limits for sugars, fats, proteins etc. So I just don't get it. Im terrified also very bottom heavy (38-34-47) so im not holding weight in my middle really. But I will give the low sugar thing a shot!
  • eveunderground
    eveunderground Posts: 236 Member
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    How long have you been tracking for? I can't see your journal so can't give any specific suggestions on dietary changes How many meals per day do you eat? I usually try to eat every few hours to keep my energy levels up. What calorie intake did this site suggest? We're roughly the same height and I can maintain my weight (100-105lbs) on 1450-1600 calories...so that should mean that if you ate that amount you would lose weight.

    Also, it can take longer for shorter people to lose weight (I know that's the case for me) because we have to eat a minimum of 1200 for health, but still need to carry a deficit for weight loss...so if your daily calorie burn for your current weight is around 1550 then the deficit will not be very large if you were eating say 1200 calories per day (350 per day), so it will take awhile (10 days) until you see a 1 pound loss. This means you have to be really diligent and patient for a long time. The suggestion from someone above to add exercise into your routine can help as well...since it can increase your deficit for the day...and may help you see results sooner.

    Not sure if this info is helpful or more confusing!
  • jodina76
    jodina76 Posts: 8 Member
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    Oops! Meant to say 'im bottom heavy' not 'im terrified bottom'. Ha..Damn auto text!
  • jodina76
    jodina76 Posts: 8 Member
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    Eve, the site gave me about the same numbers as you. I try to eat at least 3 times a day so eating more often would help im sure. I've been logging here since the beginning of June. Lost about 8 lbs in the first 3 weeks and have stalled since.
  • eveunderground
    eveunderground Posts: 236 Member
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    Ok so if you were losing then you're probably eating the right amount, your body is adjusting, every week may not be a consistent loss...and as I mentioned with the deficit being not that huge it can take time to see the loss..things like water retention, sodium intake, bathroom schedule, time of month, all play a role in what shows up on the scale. If you really focus on getting your diet as clean as possible (as someone mentioned above, reduce or eliminate white processed flours and other sources of sugar) that should improve your results. Oh, also focus on getting a lot of fiber from vegetables to keep things moving in your system helps as well.
  • jodina76
    jodina76 Posts: 8 Member
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    Thanks..I will take a closer look at those things.
  • Jdine
    Jdine Posts: 36 Member
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    You need to increase your metabolism! For every lb of muscle you gain you will burn 40-70calories at rest.. Gain ten lbs your now burning 400-700 more calories a day.. Most ppl think their metabolism slow down with age, it does not. Your muscles atrophy with disuse. Thus you can eat the same thing and gain wt. gaining or losing wt is an accumulative process. if you need 1500 calories to maintain your wt and eat 1600 you store 100 calories for later. Remember 3500 calories equals 1lb of fat. to lose wt you need to eat less than your body needs to maintain. for example 2000 to maintain eat 1500 create a 500 calorie deficit 500x7 =3500 calories withdrawn from your stored energy(fat) Start wt training to build muscle and sculpt your body and increase your metabolism,
  • jodina76
    jodina76 Posts: 8 Member
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    Thanks. I will start strength training and cardiovascular on the regular. I think I dropped a bunch of water weight in the first month and now I am back to where Ive been (dieting or not) most of my adulthood. I've weighed 170-180 for the past 15 years. Im estimating based on my current diary that I've always eaten 1200-1400 calories during this time. So 1200-1400 must be my maintenance number if that is what I eat most days during those 15 years.

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