Ok, so I have been pretty good for the last 3 months. I have lost 20 lbs which I am incredibly proud of and I am actually moving ahead of schedule. That said...I am annoyed at my body. I work an active job, I work out when I can (although I am usually so exhausted after work that I don't), and I eat very healthily. HOWEVER according to The Daily Plate I should only consume about 1330 calories a day. I know that isn't as low as I can go but what bothers me is that it doesn't allow for me to go much lower as I continue to lose.
I decided to experiment and see how my body reacted to higher numbers of calories and was disappointed to see that if I go above about 1350 I start to gain again. I just...I'm frustrated because part of me feels like I should be eating more than I am but I can't. Please forgive the rant...I'm PMSing and I woke up with a migraine today.
All those calorie estimates on all the different sites are just that - estimates. The only way to know "for sure" what calorie level will produce a loss for ourselves (and then maintenance) is through trial and error. And it seems as if you've found "what works for you". Which is a good thing! Congratulations on your weight loss, thus far!!!! You should be proud.
But along with finding what works, is of course the realization of "oh my, this is all I can eat?". I definitely hear you onthat one. I've finally made peace with the fact that there is only X amount of calories I can consume a day if I want to be fit, trim and healthy. But I DO want to be fit, trim and healthy, so sticking to my calorie budget is what I will do. It's totally worth it. If those calories are spent wisely, they really can go far. Lots and lots and lots of veggies, fruits and low fat protiens.
As far as going lower in your calories as you become a lower weight, well you may not have to. You'll just have to wait and see as you get down further.
And remember, you can always add in more exercise. A great way to burn calories, so that you can consume the same number of calories.
Congrats on the lost weight, that's wonderful! It was hard for me to adjust to the smaller amount of food, as well, but eventually it starts seeming like the "right" amount of food. Not that there aren't days when I miss the huge amounts I used to previously eat.
Congrats on all of your hard work over the last 3 months and for the 20 lbs.!
I am in the same place-realizing that the quantities that I need to consume to lose weight and to get and stay fit are really, really different then what I used to eat. I am hoping that my body gets "used" to it as the chicks around here tell me. I hope yours does too!
Congrats on the weight loss.
I don't know about the Daily Plate-I signed up & put in my stats and I think the calculations were awry. It said to lose 2 lbs per week I should consume 2130 calories per day, which seemed high to me. I don't know what to tell you about the calorie intake, but you should try to get to the gym for formal exercise-it's always helped me. I am also too tired after work so I do it on my lunch break. I'm lucky to have fitness facilities nearby, but I used to just use the time to walk as well.
I comiserate with you on the migraine-I've been there!
Instead of thinking "Is that ALL I get to eat?" change it around! Notice that you really can feel satisfied most of the time with that calorie count and still lose. Wow! A good thing!
I think you might be about to discover that regular physical activity (that is, the e-word, exercise) is a key to this. For me, I'm at a weight level and age where I would not be able to lose without exercising 5 or 6 days a week. That's how I keep my metabolism going and create a calorie deficit. Otherwise I'd have to drop below 1200 cals, and that's not a good idea.
Even though I have been maintaining, I still exercise 4 or 5 days a week--just not as intensively.
So, you might want to begin thinking about how you could add regular exercise to your program.
I have myself set on sedentary in The Daily Plate, and right now it tells me 1771 to maintain my current weight, 1271 if I'm trying to lose one pound per week. As I'm not sedentary (exercise 5-6 days per week) I'm currently eating 1600ish calories per day and am still losing a pound or so per week, though I think I'm close to settling out.
You may find as you get closer to goal that the calories numbers will change some, especially if you add more exercise in during that time. And, like has already been said above, they are just estimates.
Just out of curiosity, how long did you up your calorie intake for when you raised it and gained? When I first raised mine up I gained, but after a few weeks my system got used to the higher calorie count, came back down and started losing again.
Hope your head feels better - I used to get terrible TOM migraines so I know how you feel...
I know exactly how you feel!!! I'm a nurse, so I'm running around most of my 12 hour shifts. To make matters worse, I work nights, so when I wasn't working I was still exhausted. Not to mention I had the hardest time sleeping on my nights off, and I try to switch back and forth because I have a little girl who appreciates me being awake during the day sometimes!!!! The thought of exercising on top of all that was just too daunting. I finally had an epiphany that just cutting calories and losing and gaining the same weight (which I have certainly been able to do) was never sticking, and I realized I should try formal exercise. So I joined a gym and have been strength training 2 days/week and cardio about 3 more.
I can't tell you what a difference it has made in my life. I feel 100% more energy already, and I'm still close to 300lbs! I am able to sleep great on my nights off, I can actually do stuff with my daughter, and while I slowly lose my weight, I'm starting to even feel *fit* and *strong*!!!!! That has been all the motivation I need so far to keep going. I hope I never again feel like the slug I was before, and it hasn't even been 2 months yet!!!!
Best of luck to you, and I don't think you should go much under 1300 calories. That sounds like it might put you into starvation mode to me!!!
Park your car in the farthest spot in the parking lot. Take the stairs, always instead of the elevators. Put your eliptical infront of the TV.
Do whatever you can fit into your lifestyle.
thank you for all the kind words, it really made me smile. My concern isn't as much a "is this ALL I get to eat" thing. I'm actually ok with eating this amount but what worries me is that I will progressively be able to eat fewer calories and I'm afraid that given how low the number already is it will drop into unhealthy numbers. I know that I can eat 700 calories a day and not have a problem with it but I've done that once and I almost killed myself. I don't know. The other sad thing is that even when I am really good about working out on top of my physical job I can still only eat that much. For example, last weekend I went on a 2 hour hike up 800 vertical feet. According to The Daily Plate I burned about 1200 calories. That day I consumed 1500 calories (300 more than usual) and the next day I was up a 2 or 3 lbs and one of them has stuck. I'm starting to talk in circles, my appologies I'm just frustrated.
But again, thank you all so much for reading and what you have said. And contrary to how it may seem from the tone of my posts I AM proud of all I have done.
Oh--Gee, we forgot to mention one thing: If your weight goes up, it's not necessarily because you ate too much and gained fat the day before!
That 2 pounds difference after all the hiking was probably a combination of swollen muscles and water retention! That's why a lot of people don't like to weigh every day...
Just keep in mind that it can take 2-3 days (and sometimes more) before you see effects on the scale from anything you do.
My body needs to get it's $#!& together.
The thought of exercising on top of all that was just too daunting. I finally had an epiphany that just cutting calories and losing and gaining the same weight (which I have certainly been able to do) was never sticking, and I realized I should try formal exercise. So I joined a gym and have been strength training 2 days/week and cardio about 3 more. 
