How to deal with calorie adjustments

aeloine
aeloine Posts: 2,163 Member
edited December 2017 in Health and Weight Loss
24/F/5'7"/224lbs - set to sedentary but have a FitBit for occasional work outs

I've been tracking seriously since last May, only taking a break for an international vacation where I did not have internet access. Came back, and just passed 125 days of logging. I've lost over 40 pounds since March, averaging *just* over a pound a week. I'm comfortable with that rate of loss, not really trying to speed it up.

I took a diet break, and reached a nice new low after. But then I started yo-yoing two/three pounds up/down. Have just been hanging out here since October 16th, maintaining between 223 and 225. I do well at the beginning of the week, stick to my calories, drop 1 or 2 pounds and then gain it back over the latter half of the week. It's not a plateau, this really is my fault. I'm eating back my deficit.

Mind you, I'm not really going out, I'm just *hungry*. I track everything by weighing it on the scale, understand why I'm regaining, am REALLY familiar with the MFP flow chart. My issue is that once I drop down to ~222-223, I just get So. Hungry.

At the top of the weight loss, I was losing on 1800-2000 calories a day, which was GREAT, but I'm no longer at 100 pounds to lose. Probably closer to 60-75 lbs to go, so my "wiggle room" is starting to decrease. 1,500 calories/day is just not as filling as 1,800-2,000.

I've been working on making sure that I get enough fiber (chia seeds, oats, granola, muesli) and protein (eggs, tofu, beans, chicken, turkey) to stay full longer, have tried multiple meals a day; one big meal a day; volume eating; the whole shebang. Now I just feel like a complainy-pants poster, but I'm really struggling with dropping my calories down.

TL;DR: How did you guys deal with those periodic calorie adjustments?
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Replies

  • aeloine
    aeloine Posts: 2,163 Member
    Thanks you guys. That's probably the best course of action. I'm just frustrated at myself, needed a rant, and my friends are sick of hearing about this :wink:
  • ladyhusker39
    ladyhusker39 Posts: 1,406 Member
    You're the chart lady so I'm sure you've got that down lol.

    If I were in your spot I think I'd up my burn a bit to give me more calories to eat. No so much that it increases my hunger but enough for an extra snack.
  • aeloine
    aeloine Posts: 2,163 Member
    ladyhusker39 wrote: »
    You're the chart lady so I'm sure you've got that down lol.

    If I were in your spot I think I'd up my burn a bit to give me more calories to eat. No so much that it increases my hunger but enough for an extra snack.

    That's the tricky thing though, no? :s
  • Nony_Mouse
    Nony_Mouse Posts: 5,646 Member
    Have you thought about a mid week maintenance day timed for the day before the hungries usually set in?
  • aeloine
    aeloine Posts: 2,163 Member
    Nony_Mouse wrote: »
    Have you thought about a mid week maintenance day timed for the day before the hungries usually set in?

    I hadn't, actually!
  • aeloine
    aeloine Posts: 2,163 Member
    Nony_Mouse wrote: »
    aeloine wrote: »
    Nony_Mouse wrote: »
    Have you thought about a mid week maintenance day timed for the day before the hungries usually set in?

    I hadn't, actually!

    ;)

    Suggesting that rather than the two day refeed protocol, since you still have a bit to lose, so your leptin levels shouldn't have dropped too far (and you just recently had a diet break to reset them). So maybe that plus a diet break every 8-10 weeks will do the trick for now. One day will also cut into your deficit less so you should still get ~1 lb per week loss, and it will give you a psychological break. I found with refeeds that knowing I had more cals to look forward to at the weekend made sticking to a deficit during the week much easier.

    Thanks for this. Very solid advice. The psychological part can be harder than the physical part at times.
  • Nony_Mouse
    Nony_Mouse Posts: 5,646 Member
    aeloine wrote: »
    Nony_Mouse wrote: »
    aeloine wrote: »
    Nony_Mouse wrote: »
    Have you thought about a mid week maintenance day timed for the day before the hungries usually set in?

    I hadn't, actually!

    ;)

    Suggesting that rather than the two day refeed protocol, since you still have a bit to lose, so your leptin levels shouldn't have dropped too far (and you just recently had a diet break to reset them). So maybe that plus a diet break every 8-10 weeks will do the trick for now. One day will also cut into your deficit less so you should still get ~1 lb per week loss, and it will give you a psychological break. I found with refeeds that knowing I had more cals to look forward to at the weekend made sticking to a deficit during the week much easier.

    Thanks for this. Very solid advice. The psychological part can be harder than the physical part at times.

    Indeed it can! Especially at this time of year, for people more sociable than me. Part of this whole thing is recognising patterns, and employing strategies to deal with them. If taking one day out, in a controlled manner, allows you to stick to a deficit the rest of the time, it's worth it IMHO for the really quite small slowing of weight loss. When you math it out and realise that 500 cals is only 1 lb less over 7 weeks, it doesn't seem like such a big deal.
  • lucerorojo
    lucerorojo Posts: 790 Member
    I took a break by increasing my calories 500 per day for two weeks, and backing off the exercise some. I still lost but a little less and felt a lot better. (I was on a 1000 cal deficit). I went back to a 750 cal deficit but didn't like it. I did not want to stay at 500 cal. deficit because I found myself eating high calorie snacks (going back to old pre weight loss habits). I then just manually upped my calories 150, so I'm at 600 calorie deficit and that is working well for me.

    So you may not even need to move it up 250 calories if you take a break. I also reinstated the "cheat day" once a week, which is "permission" to eat more than my deficit and usually it's about 500 calories on that day.
  • MegaMooseEsq
    MegaMooseEsq Posts: 3,118 Member
    edited December 2017
    It’s only a single data point, but I have found doing a 6/1 or 5/2 day deficit to maintenance split to be exceptionally doable. It came up kind of out of necessity for me, as going out to eat was a big thing I didn’t want to cut, but after maybe 10 months solid deficit I have found myself not running into many of the psychological or physical effects that are often mentioned on the boards.
  • maggibailey
    maggibailey Posts: 289 Member
    I think each step down takes some getting use to. Just like the first day you cut your calories and it sucks I’d think each step down has that same leading curve for your body to get use to.
  • aeloine
    aeloine Posts: 2,163 Member
    MegaMooseEsq wrote: »
    It’s only a single data point, but I have found doing a 6/1 or 5/2 day deficit to maintenance split to be exceptionally doable. It came up kind of out of necessity for me, as going out to eat was a big thing I didn’t want to cut, but after maybe 10 months solid deficit I have found myself not running into many of the psychological or physical effects that are often mentioned on the boards.

    I think that this is the general consensus. My next major goal is to lose 10 pounds In 13 weeks so *strategic* breaks like that actually seem like the best game plan.
  • Spliner1969
    Spliner1969 Posts: 3,233 Member
    All things being equal, my suggestion is to modify what you eat so that you can eat more of it, stay under your calories, and not be so hungry. It was tough for me as well. I'm lucky that I'm 6'2" tall but because I am bigger I generally have a bigger appetite as well. I had to re-learn how to make most of my recipes, learn to eat new foods, and learn to give up some things like sugar (I don't avoid it necessarily, just don't add it if a sugar free option is available), learned to bake more stuff instead of fry, and learned to use new methods to cook things on the stove top (for instance with less oil or butter). I generally substitute cauliflower for rice, and sometimes even potatoes. I learned to like salads with lower calorie vinegar/oil based dressings. There are many ways to accomplish the goal. I may be taller but you're lucky that you're 5'7" tall, it'll be easier for you than someone who is 5'2" tall for sure. Also, you can increase your exercise schedule to take care of some of the excess calories.

    I guess my .02 is adjust your life to fit what you need to eat to be happy. Don't try and out exercise a bad diet, but with adjustments here and there regular exercise can make things much easier to handle. In the winter I do 100% of my exercise inside 4-5 days a week and manage to burn up to 1000 calories on those days so it can be done.
  • Goober1142
    Goober1142 Posts: 219 Member
    I counted my macros for a.while instead of calories. It took 10 days to lose one pound instead of a week but I was full the entire time. I was always low.on fat and carbs and had to eat toast lol. The Lean Muscle Diet by Lou Schuler breaks it down and there are some great workouts in it as well.
  • fitoverfortymom
    fitoverfortymom Posts: 3,452 Member
    Can you exercise more or do anything to increase your NEAT? Maybe just adding some quick walks throughout the day or standing while you work?
  • aeloine
    aeloine Posts: 2,163 Member
    edited December 2017
    fitoverfortymom wrote: »
    Can you exercise more or do anything to increase your NEAT? Maybe just adding some quick walks throughout the day or standing while you work?

    I actually DO have a standing desk at work, so that's helped some. Actual exercise is tricky... there's a fine line between eating back exercise calories and eating too many calories because I exercised.

    But I do hit up Zumba classes a couple of times a week and swim laps on some off days. Very much more leaves me feeling munchier than when I started.
  • fitoverfortymom
    fitoverfortymom Posts: 3,452 Member
    edited December 2017
    aeloine wrote: »
    fitoverfortymom wrote: »
    Can you exercise more or do anything to increase your NEAT? Maybe just adding some quick walks throughout the day or standing while you work?

    I actually DO have a standing desk at work, so that's helped some. Actual exercise is tricky... there's a fine line between eating back exercise calories and eating too many calories because I exercised.

    But I do hit up Zumba classes a couple of times a week and swim laps on some off days. Very much more leaves me feeling munchier than when I started.

    Yeah. I started running because it was a cheap and easy way to get more calories. No one told me about runger, and I've been losing the same 10lbs for two months.
  • not_a_runner
    not_a_runner Posts: 1,343 Member
    I've found volume foods and finding foods that better satiate me has been somewhat helpful.
    Finding fat vs carbs satiating is personal so this may not help, but I find it easy to replace some higher fat options with more voluminous/lower cal options. Eggs for example, I can eat egg whites for similar volume, but save some calories for something else. Peanut butter, cheese, fattier meats are all places I can save some calories by reducing fat. (We need to be hitting fat minimums of course, but for me those are calories that add up quickly and can often be reduced and replaced with something more filling.)

    Bananas and oats would be another thing I would phase out (or reduce portion and add something like zucchini for more volume/less cals). Bananas aren't super high carb/calorie, but compared to berries or other fruits or veggies I find there are better options.

    Eating frequently, before I get overly hungry also seems to help for me.
  • PAV8888
    PAV8888 Posts: 14,238 Member
    edited December 2017
    GottaBurnEmAll wrote: »
    At various points over my initial 95 pound loss I had to juggle my macro balance and shift things around to enhance my satiety.

    In the realm of mutual resonation... I've noticed that at times switching things around does work. When I first started I reduced fats considerably and replaced them with protein and carbs, while replacing a lot of the carbs for lower glycemic load carbs.

    As time has gone on things that previously were extremely satiating (a 650g tub of yoplait with some all bran buds for 300 Cal) became less so. Now I change the mix by adding 3g of cocoa and 9-12g of almonds ;-)

    And at times the simple addition a little bit of fat would render a meal that was no longer as satiating significantly more so (egg white omelette with onions and green peppers cooked with no oil or butter vs cooking it with 5 to 6g of oil or butter).

    Whereas pasta was something I shied away from for a long time, now I am realizing that 100g of fresh pasta (270 Cal) with a quick and plentiful sauce of onion, garlic, celery, carrots, green pepper and canned tomatoes accented by only a few petals of parmesan and 5-7g of olive oil can be had for 500 Cal and be a good enough meal. My average calories eaten while losing more rapidly on MFP were ~2560 and while losing extremely slowly, or maintaining, have ranged between 2500 and 2900 depending on activity, so obviously 500 Cal does not mean the same to me as to someone on a 1200 regiment. Quantities may have to be adjusted accordingly.

    Regardless, IMHO you have to not only experiment, but also to keep experimenting!
  • bellaesprita000
    bellaesprita000 Posts: 384 Member
    I'm not nearly as experienced as others in the thread, but I'll add my 2cents. I've found that with the more weight I lose, the harder it gets to drop my calories. Somewhere, either in the forums or in my home page I came across this website. Since I can't bring myself to eat under 1700 cals, I have to accept that my rate of loss will slow, but I wanted to know just how much over time. I plugged in my stats and it gave me a breakdown of how my tdee, weight, and calorie deficit would change over time eating 1700 cals everyday for the foreseeable future. It's been on point for the last 2 months. May be worth exploring with 1800-2000 cals along with other suggestions.
  • aeloine
    aeloine Posts: 2,163 Member
    Thank you everyone for your wonderful and insightful comments. I'm really taking a lot out of everything that's been said here. I've temporarily dropped my goal weight down to 1 lb/week (which bumped me up to 1750 cals) while I play around with the macros and timing of "cheat"/maintenance days throughout the week while sticking to a weekly deficit.

    Went to Zumba tonight, so I guess the macro experiment starts tonight. I have never counted my macros, just my calories. I know that there are a lot of resources on My Fitness Pal and elsewhere to help me figure it out.

    I think a lot of the suggestions here about carbs are spot on. No, they're not the enemy, but I don't stay as full for as long when I've had a carb heavy day. I'll probably be working on shifting some of the macro burden from carbs to protein but I think that's going to be somewhat of a struggle. Beans, tofu, eggs, and lean deli meats are good and well but I'm not actually a huge fan of meat. While protein shakes can really do in a pinch, I'd like to chew the limited number of calories I get daily.

    Again, thank you all for the suggestions!
  • amyepdx
    amyepdx Posts: 750 Member
    bellaesprita000 wrote: »
    I'm not nearly as experienced as others in the thread, but I'll add my 2cents. I've found that with the more weight I lose, the harder it gets to drop my calories. Somewhere, either in the forums or in my home page I came across this website. Since I can't bring myself to eat under 1700 cals, I have to accept that my rate of loss will slow, but I wanted to know just how much over time. I plugged in my stats and it gave me a breakdown of how my tdee, weight, and calorie deficit would change over time eating 1700 cals everyday for the foreseeable future. It's been on point for the last 2 months. May be worth exploring with 1800-2000 cals along with other suggestions.

    Thanks for the website link! This really helped me because I’ve got my last 20-25 to lose - ideally by my 60th birthday in Sept. It makes it look very doable at 1700 cals a day if I maintain working out 3-5 times a week. So sensible!!
  • veganbaum
    veganbaum Posts: 1,865 Member
    Just remember that there are a lot of combos to try food-wise for satiety and you may really have to experiment to find what works for you.

    I kept trying to increase my protein for satiation and it wasn't working and was very frustrating. I have found that fiber and fat generally seem to be a good combo for me to focus on for satiety, but others can work as well. I have to eat a minimum of protein, or I find I can be ravenous the day after a low protein day, but increasing it to large amounts does nothing for me. So, just experiment and give things a try. For instance, I found simply adding half an avocado to my lunch every day makes a big difference to my satiety. If I have a serving of beans, half an avocado, and a tortilla and/or a serving or two of greens for lunch, I'm not ravenous for dinner or needing an afternoon snack.
  • maybe1pe
    maybe1pe Posts: 529 Member
    edited December 2017
    I personally find that when I do lower intensity workouts I can increase the amount I burn without increasing my hunger a ton. I walk a lot because it gives me enough exercise calories that I can eat a little extra without wiping my entire deficit.

    After losing 100 lbs what honestly worked for me was setting myself to a sedentary maintenance level of calories for me MFP says 1910 and then using my exercise calories as my deficit.... I lose .3-.8 lbs a week depending on how much I'm able to get up and move around or exercise obviously and I get to eat 1900 calories. Plus it's a motivator to exercise more to create my deficit and continue working.

    I've accepted it will be slower loss during the winter because I'm not outside walking around as much and not walking my dogs as much but at the very worst case scenario I'll eat 1900 and maintain all winter until I'm able to be more active....
  • Iwantahealthierme30
    Iwantahealthierme30 Posts: 293 Member
    edited December 2017
    I started at 225 and have been losing on 1690 calories a day. I eat back my exercise calories and go over some days I'm eating for 200 pounds at the moment because I didn't want to change my calorie intake to reflect 225. It might work for you to pass that up and down thing. I'm at 221 now. MFP says I'll be somewhere between 213-215 in 5 weeks.

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