A little help please.... - 3 Fat Chicks on a Diet Weight Loss Community

findingfawn · 04-03-2008, 08:42 AM

Ok, so I'm a calorie counter and have found in the past when I entered a "diet" I needed to go drastic with the calories.. like 1,000 to 1,200 a day to see the scale move. This time I started out at 1,200 but added exercise every day, something I never worried about before. The first week and a half went great and I lost 10 pounds. Then I started feeling like my brain wasn't processing things right so I upped my calories to 1,600. According to FitDay I am burning over 3,000 a day... but I know my metabalism is slow, always has been. Anyway I figured at 1,600 I would still be losing, but I'm not.. yes I have only been up this high since Saturday... but since then the scale has gone steadily up. I have gained 2 pounds so far this week!

What do you all think... do you think that my body is hording the calories since I had it so low and soon it will turn around and start burning them, or should I drop the calories if the scale is still going up on Monday (my official weigh day)?

I'm gonna x post this on the calorie counters board, but since I'm here the most I thought I would see what you all thought! Thanks!

fiberlover · 04-03-2008, 08:44 AM

Give it time, it's only been a few days. 1600 calories is not unreasonable for your weight. I wouldn't be going lower than that. You need to give your body time to adjust.
Also - are you paying attention to what kinds of foods you are eating, or just recording the calories?

findingfawn · 04-03-2008, 08:54 AM

I am watching the foods as well... trying to make healthier choices.. (except for last night when the family was eating chips and salsa and the smell drove me to insanity so I ate some too). I am getting about 50% from carbs.. but staying away from "white carbs" (white bread, potatoes, rice, etc), 25+% from protein and around 25% from fats. The only food group I'm not getting what I should in is the bread and pasta.. which aren't my thing, never have been. I'm eating lots of fruit and veggies.

fiberlover · 04-03-2008, 09:33 AM

Sounds like you are on the right track. Just be patient

I know we all want the weight gone yesterday, but the body just does things at its own pace!

findingfawn · 04-03-2008, 09:42 AM

Thanks Lori

Merksie · 04-04-2008, 08:32 AM

Your weight can vary day by day for many reasons - in order to lose weight and keep it off in the long run, it is important to eat enough calories so that you don't damage your metabolism.

Here is a link to a great post on this subject.

http://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/showthread.php?t=133881

findingfawn · 04-04-2008, 09:10 AM

Ria, thank you so much! That was a great thread!!! I followed the link and according to the shape up sites RMR calculator I should be eating almost 1900 a day, but according to one I found the other day I was supposed to eat 1620.

I hate how they are all different..lol Oh well.. I will find the right grove someday..lol

By the way, I did see the scale going down this morning... so I must be on the right track.

Idealmuse · 04-04-2008, 12:53 PM

The first week we often have a larger # of weight loss. Lots of that is water and not real fat loss. Normally even if you did everything the same week 2/3 sometimes those losses tend to be very small.

No I don't think upping your calories has anything to do with it because yiu should still be in a good deficit. Maybe if you had such low calories for WEEKS/MONTHS it might effect your metabolism but not one week.

Make sure there isn't too much salt in your diet too so you don't retain as much water.