Hungry and frustrated

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graysmom2005
graysmom2005 Posts: 1,882 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
After eating more of my exercise calories for a couple of weeks I have put on weight and feel yuck. Every other website but this one says that for someone that's highly active should eat between 1600-1900 calories a day. No one else mentions eating over 2000 calories a day to "net" anything. I have been careful about "netting" for months now and I haven't gotten anywhere. I workout a ton, so I have to eat a ton, and i'm not losing. So I'm trying to stay within my limits today and now I'm starving. I'm almost up to 1800 calories today and it says I have over 600 left to eat. I'm so confused and beaten down with this. Am I going to have to have a rumbly belly in order to drop any weight?

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  • maidentl
    maidentl Posts: 3,203 Member
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    Looking at your photos, you seem to be in good shape. Maybe you don't need to lose any more pounds but continue to focus on the working out to change the composition of your body?
  • McKayMachina
    McKayMachina Posts: 2,672 Member
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    Looking at your photos, you seem to be in good shape. Maybe you don't need to lose any more pounds but continue to focus on the working out to change the composition of your body?

    I agree with this completely.

    Also, are you using a HRM or using MFP's calorie burns? As far as I can tell, MFP overestimates burns by as much as 200%. If you don't have a HRM, like me, use this:

    http://www.braydenwm.com/calburn.htm

    Hope it helps.
  • SunshineKisses_2012
    SunshineKisses_2012 Posts: 471 Member
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    Looking at your photos, you seem to be in good shape. Maybe you don't need to lose any more pounds but continue to focus on the working out to change the composition of your body?
    [/quote

    I'm going to have to agree with ^ that. You have a very nice shape, nothing protruding that shouldn't. If I were you, I would focus on toning and not losing. But that's just my humble opinion.
  • MrsJax11
    MrsJax11 Posts: 354 Member
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    There could be a few things:
    First, are you using a food scale and measuring cups to portion your foods? I find I can go way over or under if I try to eyeball.
    Your exercise -- perhaps you should try using a heart rate monitor. Calories burned can vary greatly with intensity and individual.
    Also, have you had your blood chemistry checked? You could be experiencing a hormonal imbalance that is causing the weight to stick.
    Finally, be patient. As a woman, our monthly cycles can affect our weight. The other day I gained two pounds...in reality are those two pounds of fat? No because I am positive that I didn't consume an excess of 7,000 calories...
    From your picture you look very healthy, and it says that you have been a member since 2010, so what has worked for you in the past?
  • minimommy1
    minimommy1 Posts: 84 Member
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    May I suggest that if your tummy is rummbling then eat alot more veggies and fruits which are all low in calories.
    Don't forget the protein and some fats though.
  • jsteinberger423
    jsteinberger423 Posts: 10 Member
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    I don't use the "net calories" on here. For me, the purpose of working out is to supplement my weight lose....not some scheme so I can "buy back" calories.

    I am fairly active (I run, bike, hike, lift weights, spin class) and I aim to eat about 1600-1700 calories per day - regardless of how much (or little) I work out. It is very difficult to estimate how many calories you burn and from what I have seen from this program it is grossly overestimated.

    I would suggest you should calculate your maintenance calories (you can get a ball park # from other websites) and then subtract 500 from it. That is (roughly) what you should be consuming in order to lose (roughly) a lb a week. For me, I don't want to subtract all of that 500 from food I intake so I dropped about 350 calories from my maintenance. I figure the other 150 I will burn off through various exercise. Some days I eat a little more, same days I work out more so eventually it will even out to about a 500/day deficit.

    I hope that helps.
  • muffintopminx
    muffintopminx Posts: 541 Member
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    I rarely eat back all my exercise calories - only half at the most (this excludes spike days like birthdays where I go over LOTS).
    I tried eating back my exercise calories during the first month and lost 1 freakin' measly pound and I was working my *kitten* off doing Turbo Fire religiously. So I stopped eating all my exercise calories and that's when the 1lb per week loss started happening.

    Everybody's body is different, especially how we process calories ingested and burned. I take MFP's rules with a grain of salt. It's not a one size fits all method, so I've had to experiment to make it work for me. In fact, I'm still trying to streamline it for maximum results.

    I will say this, with my method (that's actually working at a healthy rate of loss), I am still HUNGRY a lot of the time. I want to eat everything all the time, mostly I suspect out of boredom, but it still feels like hunger to me, ugh.

    How's your sodium intake everyday? That's a big obstacle for me and can mean the difference between 3-4lbs.

    Not sure if I helped at all but hope you break thru this stall soon! GOOD LUCK!!!!
  • McKayMachina
    McKayMachina Posts: 2,672 Member
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    I don't use the "net calories" on here. For me, the purpose of working out is to supplement my weight lose....not some scheme so I can "buy back" calories.

    I am fairly active (I run, bike, hike, lift weights, spin class) and I aim to eat about 1600-1700 calories per day - regardless of how much (or little) I work out. It is very difficult to estimate how many calories you burn and from what I have seen from this program it is grossly overestimated.

    I would suggest you should calculate your maintenance calories (you can get a ball park # from other websites) and then subtract 500 from it. That is (roughly) what you should be consuming in order to lose (roughly) a lb a week. For me, I don't want to subtract all of that 500 from food I intake so I dropped about 350 calories from my maintenance. I figure the other 150 I will burn off through various exercise. Some days I eat a little more, same days I work out more so eventually it will even out to about a 500/day deficit.

    I hope that helps.

    It's not "some scheme buy back calories". :/ MFP has figured out a healthy system and it works like a charm. I've lost 57 lbs. doing it this way. You're doing the EXACT same thing I am. You're just counting it differently.
  • graysmom2005
    graysmom2005 Posts: 1,882 Member
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    Thanks for all the input. I use a Polar HRM and I measure with a scale and cup/tablespoons religiously, so everything should be pretty spot on. I burned over 800 cals today and at 1800 I'm still very hungry.
  • cinico
    cinico Posts: 294 Member
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    Hey there!! I am frustrated to as I really wanted the" eat more to loose " ideal to work for me!! Unfortunatly I have gained 4 pounds since I increased over the last several weeks and no signs of it comming down!! :sad:

    I just received in the mail the "Primal Blueprint" I am going to try and embrace those prinicpals. Maybe for me was just eating too many carbs! I guess I will see!
    Cindy
  • routerguy666
    routerguy666 Posts: 188
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    Just suggestions:

    - Cut your carb intake to 100 or less

    - Get your protein intake over 125

    - Eat a salad at least once a day

    - Cut a lot (or all) of the processed food

    I eat around 1500 calories a day, work out like a bandit, and the only times I'm hungry are when it's time to eat. Everyone's different, but this was what my doctor told me to do and it's worked.
  • cthoma70
    cthoma70 Posts: 228 Member
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    You look great to me. But you may be get weight from muslce, which is good. So stick with it, you've lost 35 pounds so you know how to lose it. Just do what you have done in the past. Good luck:smile:
  • jenpolak
    jenpolak Posts: 6 Member
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    I think you look amazing in your photos and are in fantastic looking shape! I know sometimes we get so hung-up looking at that darn scale that we forget we are doing this to feel better and be healthier!

    I was told to eat the protein of your meal first, it makes your belly full. Also, I have tried switching to Whole Grains for starches, no white bread, rice or potatoes. Whole grains make you full and don't stick to the ribs as well. Make sure you are eating vegetables and or a salad everyday. Fiber helps to keep your body regular.
  • muffintopminx
    muffintopminx Posts: 541 Member
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    Just read this and thought of you. Some really good info that may help:

    http://body-improvements.com/resources/eat/

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