1400-1500 and still starving?

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  • IAMFFL
    IAMFFL Posts: 58 Member
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    alykiss wrote: »
    Thank you for all of the help, everyone! I’m going to try increasing my calories a little bit and play with my macros more or possibly relax with them a little and go from there and see if I feel better! And @msalicia07, thank you for the compliment, I appreciate it so much :smile:

    There's some good advice here especially as it relates to TDEE which is a great starting point. I agree you should be consuming more than 1400-1500. Once you figure out your correct caloric intake, you can decrease your calories and adjust your macros gradually once you start to hit plateaus - It's a marathon not a sprint! As far as adjusting your macros, it helps to know your body type to determine what macro ratios might work best for you to lose weight/body fat. I mention body fat because we often get too caught up with the number on the scale when your body fat percentage, the way your clothes fit and how you feel is just as important if not more important.

    I don't want to overwhelm you with info right now so definitely keep us posted of your progress and we can figure out what tweaks you need to make if any.

    I would say good luck but no need- You got this!! 😊
  • alykiss
    alykiss Posts: 9 Member
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    AnnPT77 wrote: »
    Leonie_M234 wrote: »
    @alykiss Good luck!! it's such an emotional journey but this place is a great source of support! come back and let us know how you get on : )

    Seconding that! It would be great if you could come back to the thread in a month or so, and let us know how you're doing. Hoping it will be very positive. 🙂

    I’ll definitely come back but I’ve kept my calories between 1500-1600 if I feel really hungry or if I workout or between 1400-1500 if not, I’m trying to go by what my body is telling me. And I’ve been doing my best to try and drink half my body weight in oz of water and I’ve noticed that’s helped quite a bit. Thanks so much for the support!!
  • heybales
    heybales Posts: 18,842 Member
    edited December 2020
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    Try getting another TDEE estimate that includes your increased daily activity, and your steady workouts.
    Just be honest with both aspects.

    Even though MFP was designed for NEAT style eating goals - it obviously can be tweaked to do TDEE.

    Just TDEE Please spreadsheet - better than rough 5 level TDEE charts from 1919 study.
    https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1G7FgNzPq3v5WMjDtH0n93LXSMRY_hjmzNTMJb3aZSxM/edit?usp=sharing
  • Speakeasy76
    Speakeasy76 Posts: 961 Member
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    I know it can be frustrating to not see progress, but you've probably seen on here (Or other places) that weight loss isn't usually a linear path downwards, but with a lot bumps and valleys along the way. Also, keep in mind that not all personal trainers actually have a degree or extensive training in nutrition, so I'd take what he or she says with a grain of salt. I will say that 20% fat isn't a lot, and could be one of the reasons you feel hungry. I'd try adding in more healthy fats like nuts, seeds, fatty fish and olive oil. I'd also maybe look at getting 25 grams of fiber a day, too.

    I do have a calorie goal, but now that I've reached my goal weight I aim for .8% of my bodyweight in protein since I strength train and want to build muscle, and 25 grams of fiber. I also try not to eat a lot of added sugar, but unfortunately MFP Doesn't differentiate between "healthy" sugar (like in fruit) vs. added.

    Just for encouragement, I'm also 5'8 and was able to *finally* lose those last 8 pounds to get to 142-143, and I'm 44! It took me a long time, though--like 5 months! My calorie goal was 1680 at the lowest, but I always eat more than that because I eat my activity calories. I knew for me, personally, in order to maintain it would have to slow and doable for me. I feel hungry at times, but I've also had to become okay with feeling a bit hungry, but never starving.

    Good luck!
  • rachelava008
    rachelava008 Posts: 2 Member
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    This is very helpful for me
  • xxzenabxx
    xxzenabxx Posts: 935 Member
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    It took me along time to accept that my TDEE was higher than expected. Something to do with fidgeting and more muscle mass? I don’t know but I ignored this for a long time and underate for quite a while (years!) simply because I thought you can’t lose weight unless you eat 1200-1600 calories. That just doesn’t work for some people! So I would advise you to be honest with yourself and put your health first. Remember, you want to do this for life, not just for a few weeks/months! When I ate 1500 calories I did lose weight but I also lost my hair, happiness and sanity. Weightloss takes time, and sometimes won’t show on the scale for up to 2 months so just be patient and trust the process and recalculate your TDEE as advised above. My TDEE is currently 2300ish so if I wanted to lose weight I just go down to 2000 calories.
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 32,195 Member
    edited December 2020
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    Speakeasy76 wrote: »
    I know it can be frustrating to not see progress, but you've probably seen on here (Or other places) that weight loss isn't usually a linear path downwards, but with a lot bumps and valleys along the way. Also, keep in mind that not all personal trainers actually have a degree or extensive training in nutrition, so I'd take what he or she says with a grain of salt. I will say that 20% fat isn't a lot, and could be one of the reasons you feel hungry. I'd try adding in more healthy fats like nuts, seeds, fatty fish and olive oil. I'd also maybe look at getting 25 grams of fiber a day, too.

    I do have a calorie goal, but now that I've reached my goal weight I aim for .8% of my bodyweight in protein since I strength train and want to build muscle, and 25 grams of fiber. I also try not to eat a lot of added sugar, but unfortunately MFP Doesn't differentiate between "healthy" sugar (like in fruit) vs. added.

    Just for encouragement, I'm also 5'8 and was able to *finally* lose those last 8 pounds to get to 142-143, and I'm 44! It took me a long time, though--like 5 months! My calorie goal was 1680 at the lowest, but I always eat more than that because I eat my activity calories. I knew for me, personally, in order to maintain it would have to slow and doable for me. I feel hungry at times, but I've also had to become okay with feeling a bit hungry, but never starving.

    Good luck!

    I'm confused. Can you clarify what you mean by ".8% of bodyweight in protein"? Or was that a typo for 0.8g/pound, in some way?

    I can't make ".8% of bodyweight in protein" come out to a realistic number for me, so I'm wondering if I'm using the wrong weight units or something.

    OP, apologies for the digression!
  • Speakeasy76
    Speakeasy76 Posts: 961 Member
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    AnnPT77 wrote: »
    Speakeasy76 wrote: »
    I know it can be frustrating to not see progress, but you've probably seen on here (Or other places) that weight loss isn't usually a linear path downwards, but with a lot bumps and valleys along the way. Also, keep in mind that not all personal trainers actually have a degree or extensive training in nutrition, so I'd take what he or she says with a grain of salt. I will say that 20% fat isn't a lot, and could be one of the reasons you feel hungry. I'd try adding in more healthy fats like nuts, seeds, fatty fish and olive oil. I'd also maybe look at getting 25 grams of fiber a day, too.

    I do have a calorie goal, but now that I've reached my goal weight I aim for .8% of my bodyweight in protein since I strength train and want to build muscle, and 25 grams of fiber. I also try not to eat a lot of added sugar, but unfortunately MFP Doesn't differentiate between "healthy" sugar (like in fruit) vs. added.

    Just for encouragement, I'm also 5'8 and was able to *finally* lose those last 8 pounds to get to 142-143, and I'm 44! It took me a long time, though--like 5 months! My calorie goal was 1680 at the lowest, but I always eat more than that because I eat my activity calories. I knew for me, personally, in order to maintain it would have to slow and doable for me. I feel hungry at times, but I've also had to become okay with feeling a bit hungry, but never starving.

    Good luck!

    I'm confused. Can you clarify what you mean by ".8% of bodyweight in protein"? Or was that a typo for 0.8g/pound, in some way?

    I can't make ".8% of bodyweight in protein" come out to a realistic number for me, so I'm wondering if I'm using the wrong weight units or something.

    OP, apologies for the digression!

    I'm sorry, I was thinking of bodyweight X .8--yeah, bodyweight X .8% would be a really low amount!

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