I am not really "new" as I have been reading the posts on this board for quite a while, but this is the first time that I have posted anything.
I have been a yo-yo dieter for many years and am back on the wagon again (hoping this is the last time!!). I've been eating between 1,200 and 1,500 calories a day for the past 2 weeks and have found that my weight loss has stopped. I exercise a couple times a week. For those of you close to my weight and/or height, how many calories a day are you eating and what is your exercise level like? How much weight are you losing on average per week? I am really scared to up my calories because I am scared to gain what I've lost.
Also, I haven't been feeling pretty satisfied around 1,200 calories a day and am not really feeling hungry and wonder if others have this problem and if you do, do you eat the calories anyways so your weight loss doesn't stall or do you stop when you aren't hungry?
what were you eating beforeyuo stoped losing weight? How long were you losing for? A lot of people do have a really good couple of weeks when they first get started and then after that, things slow down. Has your loss completely stopped or are you still losing but maybe 1-2 lbs instead of 3-5 lbs a week?
The thing with calorie estimators is that they are going to just be a starting place. You need to analyze your own patterns and figure out the right amount of calories for YOU. Personally, I lose on 1200-1500 and stall and even gain when I got much above that, even though I know my calorie burn isn't that low! But it's just the right amount for me. You have to experiment until you find the right amount for you.
Also, most people find they do better when they eat less processed foods - if you aren't already doing that, you may want to consider changing what you eat and not necessarily the number of calories.
I was eating a "normal" diet of veggies, fruit, protein, some carbs before the stall. The stall started after about 2 weeks. For the past week I have been at the same number, not even a loss of 1lb.
I don't eat a lot of processed food, but could try to cut more of it out.
First, usual disclaimer: are you counting every nibble and lick, are you measuring and weighing everything that goes in your mouth? Are there off plan days where you binge and just try not to think about that because it didn't really "count"? (I have done all these things)
Provided you are really eating 1200 a day, I would really, really, really suggest you eat more. At 300ish, 1200 just isn't enough: your stomach may not grumble at you, but that doesn't mean you aren't hungry: are you tired, headachey, irritable, have trouble concentrating, forgetful, or fantasizing about "bad" food?
Put it this way: at 277, unless you are 95 years old and bedriden, you are NOT going to gain weight at 1800. Try it for two weeks. Worse case, everything stays the same as it is now. Best case, your start losing and discover you CAN lose on 1800. You can tweak it back down later when you reach a lower rate (or, keep it there and exercise more, which is more or less what I have done).
I measure my food, but haven't been weighing my chicken breasts and other foods like that, just guessing high. I should probably get a good scale and start weighing so I know I am not counting to high or low.
Based on what has been said I think I will try 1,800 for a couple weeks and see what happens.
Shmead: Are you currently eating 1,800? How many calories were you eating when you first started? Our heights and our beginning weights are very similar so I am curious about what worked for you.
I started at about 2000-2200 last July 2nd with virtually no exercise (like 5 minutes twice a day. Literally all I could do). I gradually cut down food and added more exercise, and by October was eating 1200-1300 a day. This was a mistake. My weight loss slowed, and I started eating more, about 1500--which I DID NOT believe would work, but it did--weight started coming off again, and I resumed the 2 lbs/week I had seen before. As my exercise increased, I gradually upped that--when I added light strength training I became ravenous, and went up to 1800. I am bouncing between 1600-1800 now, but I am exercising a tremendous amount.
But trust me, at our start weight 1800 is fine. It's not indulgent or "wimpy". You are exercising every time you walk across a room.
ETA: Don't "guess high"--people who do that end up eating 800-900 calories a day. Get a scale. I honestly think it's the most important $20 you can spend.
New & Calorie Question
