Am I really eating too little? Please advise.
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aristarry
Posts: 10 Member
Hey guys! I've been using MFP for a while now and lost almost 40 lbs over the last year (from 198 at my heaviest). I've now reached a plateau at 160 (with no inches lost either), and I'm wondering if I need to *increase* my caloric intake to keep the momentum going.
AGE: 27
HT: 5'5"
SW: 198
CW: 160
GW: 135
Harris BMR: 1530
Katch BMR: 1380
TDEE: About 2300
MFP calorie goal: 1330. I do eat around that on average.
Exercise: Zumba 2x week (3-4x when I don't have grad school) + walking wherever possible
If anyone can take a look at my food diary and tell me what I may be doing wrong or what I can tweak/change regarding calorie goals or food specifics, I'd really appreciate it. Should I be eating my goal AFTER exercise (Net)? More? Less? I'm trying to figure out the magic number at this point in my progress. Till now I've kinda looked at the 1330 MFP has set and try to keep between that and 1200, but now I'm learning that might not be the best way to look at it.
I don't necessarily want to eat a *whole* lot more (I find it very difficult to eat more meals when I'm simply not hungry), but if you think it would really help to increase my calories I'll give it a shot and attempt to retrain my body to expect more food. In the past I *have* noticed a 1-lb drop or no weight gain on weekends where I've gone well over my 1330 goal (enough to feel quite guilty until I saw the scale), so maybe it's worth exploring. I'm just afraid to put on more weight again if it doesn't work, because I've come so far already.
I'd be happy to clarify if there are any questions about my routine. Thanks.
AGE: 27
HT: 5'5"
SW: 198
CW: 160
GW: 135
Harris BMR: 1530
Katch BMR: 1380
TDEE: About 2300
MFP calorie goal: 1330. I do eat around that on average.
Exercise: Zumba 2x week (3-4x when I don't have grad school) + walking wherever possible
If anyone can take a look at my food diary and tell me what I may be doing wrong or what I can tweak/change regarding calorie goals or food specifics, I'd really appreciate it. Should I be eating my goal AFTER exercise (Net)? More? Less? I'm trying to figure out the magic number at this point in my progress. Till now I've kinda looked at the 1330 MFP has set and try to keep between that and 1200, but now I'm learning that might not be the best way to look at it.
I don't necessarily want to eat a *whole* lot more (I find it very difficult to eat more meals when I'm simply not hungry), but if you think it would really help to increase my calories I'll give it a shot and attempt to retrain my body to expect more food. In the past I *have* noticed a 1-lb drop or no weight gain on weekends where I've gone well over my 1330 goal (enough to feel quite guilty until I saw the scale), so maybe it's worth exploring. I'm just afraid to put on more weight again if it doesn't work, because I've come so far already.
I'd be happy to clarify if there are any questions about my routine. Thanks.
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Replies
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I would definitely increase your calories. You're eating well below your BMR, and a 1000-calorie deficit when you have that little left to lose is too large. Try doing a 15% cut from your TDEE, so around 1955 calories a day, and eat that every day, regardless of exercise (the calorie deficit is built it). Also try to increase your protein (especially if you've been following MFP's default macro suggestions; its way too low). Try to stay off the scale for a while when you up your calories, because you may stay the same or even gain a little because you've been eating so few calories, but if you can stick it out for 6-8 weeks you should start seeing some results in terms of inches lost, increased energy and overall health, and ultimately the scale victories as well
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Yes, I would increase. I also agree that as you get close to goal large deficits can work against you. If you can go up to TDEE (including exercise) for 6-8 weeks and decrease your calories by 250 calories after that you should see healthy weight loss.0
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Thanks for the input. I think I'll try increasing my goal to 1500 for the rest of the week, and then higher the week after, to get my body used to eating more again.
As far as increasing protein, what %s should I set on my pie chart and/or Nutrition Goals for Carbs/Protein/Fat? I'm not familiar with what I really should be having, and it has seemed like MFP's numbers are a little skimpy, even on the healthy side. As far as I understand it, having the Fat % higher than Carb % also seems to be a safe thing, as long as the fats are healthy ones. Can someone suggest good base numbers to really start from and see if that fits my diet and lifestyle better than MFP's default suggestions? Is there a website that has good suggestions by age/height or something?0 -
I think a lot of people on here use 40/30/30 as their macros.0
