Ok, this is my first post after lurking for a few weeks. Hello everyone. I have battled my weight most of my adult life. Two years ago I managed to get to 140lbs and that's where I want to be. Yesterday I was shocked to see I have crept up to 155lb. I try like mad to eat 1500 calories a day and for about a week I can manage it but then, usually before one week is done, I go crazy and pig out like you can not imagine so undoing any defecit I've created. In fact I probably now create at positive intake and there in lies my problem of how 15lbs has sneaked up on me over the past two years. I think.
Sorry for rambling on - I am trying to get to my question I promise. Exercise - I jog 3 to 4 miles on Mon, Wed and Fri. Then I ride 32 miles on Sat and Sun mornings (usually takes me 2.5hrs each ride). I end up tired and so hungry at some point in the week that I just end up going crazy and eating anything and everything in site till I'm stuffed. I'm wondering if it makes sense for me to up my daily calorie intake to more like 1800 - 1900??? which is what it would take for me to maintain a weight of 135lbs (if that's what I actually weighed that is). I'm wondering if I would not get AS tired and if I might have more energy for my jogs and IF I might avoid my eventual mad pig outs??? I'm wondering if overall my monthly or yearly calorie intake might be less doing it this way rather than trying to do 1500/day and not being able to keep it up. Could I possibly lose weight by eating the amount of calories I'm supposed to eat to maintain a weight I want to be?? If that makes any sense at all. How did those folks on Biggest Loser manage to work out soooooo hard when only eating so few calories?? My bike ride this morning, according to my heart rate monitor strapped to my chest calculated a 2200 calorie burn. I know it's not exact, but I'm sure it must be somewhere close. I'm open to any suggestions, ideas or advice anyone has. Sorry again for rambling, especially on my first ever post. I'll try better next time
thank you in advance

I think the question here is not how much you eat, but what exactly are you eating?

Being dizzy and not having enough energy for your workouts could be as simple as introducing more protein and carbs to your diet. It took me a few weeks of getting tired during workouts and being dizzy afterwards to realize that I needed to up my protein and carbs. It would help us figure out how to advise you if we know what you eat and when.

"How did those folks on Biggest Loser manage to work out soooooo hard when only eating so few calories??"

I think having Bob and Jillian as trainers, being on national television and the possibility of winning a quarter of a million dollars gives them extra energy.

I agree with the protein and carb suggestion. You need to look at *what* you're eating, not just how many calories on the days your workout is that intense.

Thanks for the replies so far, yes I agree, if I had Jillian or Bob pushing me and the chance of winning all that $$$ I guess I could find more energy too.
So what do I eat? When I'm behaving myself and able to stick to my 1500allowance it always starts with half cup of oatmeal with sprinkle of grape nuts and half cup of Light soy milk. Lunch is nearly always mixed salad and half cup of 4% cottage cheese and mini box of raisins. Dinner is chicken breasts, cup of brown rice and veggies or salad. I then have one of those 60cal pudding/jello things and 100 cal bag of popcorn as I am a nibble at night while I'm reading or online or whatever. For the most part I can stick to this but then somewhere in the week I end up really tired and that's when I end up pigging out and boy can I pig out!! I end up craving sugar mainly and then end up feeling sluggish and even more tired. I'm trying to come up with a method that will WORK FOR ME. I'm wondering if I eat more will I pig out less and so, overall my monthly or yearly calorie intake MIGHT be less and I might have better work outs. I just worked out my BMR for my current weight - it's 1600/day. I worked out my calorie expenditure for three jogs and two bike rides and knocked a few hundred off that and came out with approx 4,400 cals for the week. So, 1600 x 7days = 11,200/week + 4,400(exercise) = 2,228 cals per day to maintain *deep breath* ..... so, if I eat more like 1800/day I should theoretically lose weight ... albeit slowly but it's better than gaining slowly which I am doing they way I'm diong things now. Phew!

OOPS! it seems I was a tad over with my BMR number. After re-reading re-calculating in more than one site (like I usually do) I came up with a BMR of 1400 or just over. So I guess that means I need knock off 200 from my 2,228 number above. OK, this makes me think .... for me, at my age of (almost) 44, female, 5'6 and pretty active and a full-time job on my feet most of the day .... to MAINTAIN my weight I should be eating around 2000 cals a day!? I just can not stick to a 1500 calorie a day diet and maintain it long term enough to lose the ten to fifteen pounds I've gained. Not with trying to run and ride too. I don't know how people manage it and not feel tired and basically stick to it for any length of time. Bravo to them I say.

flowerchild, based on what you've given as a sample menu, are you sure that adds up to 1500 calories? It seems like a lot less. I eat about the same amount in a meal and I eat 4 mini meals plus 1 snack (and some munching on whole grain cereal and dark chocolate chips at night) and I come up with a lot less calories per day. Did you try putting your menu in a nutritional database like Fitday to see what your percentages of nutrients and total calories are? It could be that you're taking in a lot less than you think you are.

Also, I find that having the big meal in the afternoon (although I know that's not always easy, since lunch is usually at work, but I work at home, so I'm a bit flexible with this) and a smaller one at night helps keep my energy level intact. So you might try switching your dinner and lunch meals.

Tam

Go up to 1800 for 2-3 weeks and see what happens. Keep your exercise the same--don't change it. At first the scale may rise, but don't panic. Stay with it for the full length of time. Also, increase your protein percentage of nutrients.

Just a suggestion--you are an experiment of one.

Jay

I'm still pondering it Jay. Tammay you got me thinking. My daily calorie intake is around 1500 but you know, like you said, the foods I listed don't add up to that so it made me realise what I do. I think it's the odd mini choc I take at work and then in the evening when I grab a handful of grapes, then a few crumbs of blue cheese, then perhaps one more 60cal pudding. By the end of the day I have logged the 1500 but I've wasted some of those on not so filling and not so nutritious foods. I think I do this because I'm scared of eating most of my calories during the day and not having enough for my 'picking' at night (even when I'm not hungry). So in my mind, I've saving for the evening. However, this is counter productive because if I'm going running in the evening after working all day I sure as heck need more in me than half a cup of oatmeal eaten 9 hours earlier and a salad with cottage cheese eaten five hours prior. Thanks for these suggestions and questions - reading them and actually typing out what I do has made me realise a few things.

Quick update: So I thought I might up my daily calorie intake to around 1700. I also thought I would start having a protein and carb snack of around 200 cals at around 4pm and also perhaps eat a little more at dinner and have 100 to 200 cals left over for my choc pudding and the pop corn if needed/wanted. Well, it's 6pm and I had a roll with egg whites on at 4pm and as yet I have no desire to eat!! I should have gone running but things came up so if I don't make it out later then I'm doing it tomorrow. So far, that little snack and the knowledge that I have a decent size dinner yet to have - I'm just not that hungry. We shall see if this works or not.

Just want to post another update. So for almost a week I've just tried adding in a small 200 calorie snack of protein and carb around 3 to 4pm and it's made a huge difference. Thanks for the advice

I didn't read the whole thread, but just reading your first 2 posts, my suggestion would be to add some good fat to your diet. You're just about fat free from what I see there. I was super low fat for a while (about 9%, not on purpose, just forgot to replace it as I cut out some high cal foods), and had nothing energy-wise for my workouts. My trainer suggested adding fat, so I did, not a ton as I'm still trying to lose weight, but about a half to a teaspoon of olive oil with lunch and dinner, plus 2 fish oil caps (same meals), did the trick for me, in case you want to try it. My weight loss has been faster, too, since then, so it didn't hinder that at all. Anyway, hope you find something that works for you soon...good luck!