Hello, I don't have many friends who are trying to lose weight so I need to post a thread on a weight loss forum as I have no one to talk to about this and google isn't being of much help...
I'm 20 yrs old, 5 feet tall, and 107 pounds and looking to be at 100. When I was 4'11'' I was 105 pounds. I have always been told I look skinny (but I want to lose weight regardless, because I do not like how my body looks no matter what anyone says), and I have kind of big boobs (D cup) so I feel like that adds to my weight somewhat, since I've never looked overweight myself but have heard the ideal weight for females is 100 pounds at 5 feet and adding 5 pounds for every inch.
Anyway, that's some basic background. I have never been interested in losing weight until recently, because I always had an EXTREMELY fast metabolism, I could completely stuff myself day in and day out when I was in high school, and never gained a single pound, would even lose weight sometimes. I was physically active from gym class.
However, after high school I've developed a sedentary lifestyle where I am on my computer the majority of the time. I gained 5 pounds and was at 110 for probably a year. I went through some difficult things which I know caused me to eat even more and put on weight from grieving and stressful life changes. Right now it isn't an option for me to change this current lifestyle, so I am just trying to do some indoor exercise and go out walking with friends when I can (but this is only a few times a month.)
I found out my BMR and calculated how many calories I would burn from the exercise I was doing, but since I can only do indoor exercise it limits me to strength training and jogging in place. As a petite woman I burn very few calories, I've been trying to lose weight for a month now and have lost 3 pounds. That may seem like a good thing, but I am really, really miserable.
I love food, so much. I love sweets, and junk food especially. I love going out to eat. I love baking. Yet in order for me to burn 1 lb per week which is what I've heard is a healthy amount, I need to be eating no more than 600-700 calories, because my BMR is around 1,100 (rounded off).
I'm becoming incredibly discouraged. I don't know how it will be possible for me to maintain the weight even if I am able to lose it. It seems like a miserable existence to have to feel like I am starving every day, and feel guilty when I splurge on the sweets and junk food I love so much. I probably sound overdramatic, but I'm telling you, food is one of the ultimate pleasures in life for me, lol.
I feel really down and upset right now because it seems like weight loss as a petite woman is practically impossible unless you are very physically active. Even the exercise I do, which I do feel is exerting myself as I am very sweaty and sore each time (I do intervals of jogging/squats/lunges/sit-ups/jumping jacks/brisk walking for an hour) is only burning something like 150-200 calories according to the online calculators.
I guess there's not really a clear answer for this. I just really needed to vent in a place where people will understand. Dieting is making me miserable, but I will be even more miserable if I have to look at my body and feel like it is ugly and chubby, even though to others I look normal or even slim.
Does anyone have any experiences to share of how they lost weight and permanently got used to eating so much less than what fills them up?
Last edited by bunnyfairy; 03-08-2015 at 06:37 AM.
bunnyfairy, congrats on your three lbs! Sometimes, the last ten pounds are the hardest.
I have found that using a calorie counter app, like My Fitness Pal, helped in the beginning of my weight loss journey. It made me write down everything that I put in my mouth, and I could see how much I was eating at breakfast, lunch, dinner and for snacks. I felt accountable, even if it was just to myself.
As for snacks? I'm finding that veggies and hummus are a good go-to snack. I also like granny smith apple slices with sharp cheddar cheese. Drinking plenty of water. You could try replacing high-fat, high-sugar snacks with healthier ones.
I know that you're discouraged, but rather than focusing on weight loss, maybe focus on changing your habits. Commit to replacing your snacks, drinking more water or exercising once a week. Pick one and change that habit; once you have it down, pick a different habit to change.
Bunnyfairy, 3 pounds in a month is really good! I know it feels slow but it is much harder to lose weight when you have less to lose. That is a good, healthy rate.
I think you are aiming way too low on calories. Your bmr (which you've calculated at 1100) is what your body burns even if you don't get out of bed all day. So every step you take, everything you do, is burning calories in addition to that. Maybe some of the petite ladies around here can share how many calories they eat, but I would think at age 20 and doing any sort of exercise, you should be able to eat 1200.
Indoor strength training is terrific exercise. Building more muscle will boost your bmr and make weight loss and maintenance easier. Even at rest, muscle burns more calories than fat does.
But here comes the tough love: if you want to lose or maintain weight, you have to cut down on the junk and treats. Period. You don't have to cut it out completely or give it up forever -- lots of people incorporate little indulgences into their plans -- but you can't eat a big bag or doritoes or box of little debbies and expect to be tiny. Those days are over.
3FC is a great place to learn -- look through old threads, ask questions. Good luck!
I'd like to congratulate you, too, on the three pound loss. You're closer than I am to your goal, and I know I'm having a very hard time, too, because of the proximity to getting to my UGW.
I would suggest speaking to a doctor about your weight goals. He can give you a number of calories that would be good for someone your height, weight, age, and activity level. I agree with TS7, as far as the number stated above. Forty nine hundred calories for the week is definitely not enough.
You want to stay healthy and beautiful, your cells need the proper nutrition to make sure everything runs right, and that includes enough protein, fat, carbs (which are in veggies and fruits), and all the other "macros," I think they call them, that are a necessary part of human nutrition.
You wrote: Does anyone have any experiences to share of how they lost weight and permanently got used to eating so much less than what fills them up?
I lost weight very slowly, at least at the end here, and am continuing to do so. My main "secret" is, for myself and with my approach, hunger is going to be a continuing, daily part of life - for the rest of my life IF I want to get and stay slim.
The other "secret" is the calorie deficit. WebMD explains it this way: "The number of calories needed for energy balance is highly individual, and it changes from day to day depending on your activity level. Weighing in once weekly (or even more often) is the easiest method to determine whether you're in energy balance. If you take in more calories than you burn, they will likely show up as weight gained, while creating a calorie deficit sends the needle on the scale counterclockwise." http://www.webmd.com/diet/weight-con...energy-balance
I think I knew, at some level, years ago that, if I really wanted to lose weight and keep it off, that it would involve being hungry a LOT of the time. I was not willing to accept that before the last two years or so.
For some reason, though, I've come to a place where I will no longer accept having flab hanging over the band of my shorts, or having my thighs way too wide for what I'm wearing. It's over. I don't know what changed, but I just see what works and what doesn't, by weighing myself almost daily. It's easy to see what doesn't work - the scale goes up.
In conclusion, I'd just like to say I won't go below a safe BMI of 18.5. That is a healthy goal. Although I might stop before I get there, I can feel confident that anywhere I decide to stop along the way will be fine. I will be hungry, all but two days a week. And that's o. k., as long as I stay in the safe BMI range, and get plenty of water, veggies, protein, vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and other nutrients, relaxation, exercise, and sleep.
God bless you on your weight-loss journey, and welcome to the Feathers' Forum!
Whoa, okay, your calories are waaaay too low! Especially if you're burning so much and doing exercise. Sounds like you may have miscalculated your BMR to me, please please eat more than that! It's likely you're doing your body a lot of harm that way, and it can even be retaining fat because it's not getting enough energy.
I'm technically an average height (5'5'') and, to maintain, I'd have to eat about 2000-2,300 calories a day. See how far that is?
First of all, your BMR is 1,331.95 calories a day, which rounds to about 1300. Using Harris Benedict's formula (I'm guessing you do moderate sports 3-5 times a week considering what you described) we multiply that by 1.55 and get 2064.5225. So you should be eating about 2065 calories a day to maintain your weight. To lose 1lb per week, you need to lose 3500 calories a week, so 500 calories per day.
(Calculated here: http://www.bmi-calculator.net/bmr-calculator/)
You should be eating 1565 calories per day. That's more than twice the amount you're currently eating.
If you feel miserable, trust me, weight loss isn't the answer! I myself made a goal to love this journey and enjoy it, and it's been difficult but rewarding. I have a very strong sweet tooth, as well, and I love to try cooking, which has actually been a lot of help. There are so many great healthy recipes online, and it's really fun to try and find new things that taste well. I don't like anything without enough spice or too raw, and it hasn't gotten in the way at all! Make colorful plates, cook awesome zucchini boats or sweet potato baked fries or two ingredient pancakes or cauliflower pizza or beet chips or zucchini pasta or banana ice cream! There's so many great things to try if you just look for a few health blogs that post recipes. A lot of people assume eating clean is about eating raw and stale things, no variation, no fun, but I've found it to be quite the opposite!
Also, no wonder you're miserable! I get extremely grumpy if I go above 2-4 hours without food, and you're really underfed as is.
P.S.: Even if you're sedentary, you need to multiply that value by 1.2, so your BMR (without any exercise at all!) is 1598.34, or 1600 calories. Good luck! (:
Wendy, thanks for that, really helpful to know that without exercise i'm still burning 1500 cals... I think the bmr calculators i was using were wrong, because I remember one telling me the 1300 number and another telling me 1,100, and i wasn't aware til recently that your bmr is basically what you burn if you are in a coma, so even if i'm not exercising i am still moving around throughout the day and doing normal activities. i'm going to set my goal at 1,000 calories per day now, which is a lot easier for me to achieve and i won't feel as hungry/tired (i know this because when i 'slip up' and go over my target of 700 cals or so, i end up being around 900 and feel very full at this point). Yayy, i can have my bowl of raisin bran tonight and don't have to feel like i need to 'exercise it off' before bed lol...
I guess at this point it seems kind of too good to be true that i can eat that much and still lose weight, because i was always under the impression that diets are only working if you feel like you're dying basically, since there is such a stigma about them being horrible. So I just figured "Oh, i feel like crap, i must be losing weight." hahaha.
My advice for you comes from years and years of yoyo dieting. If you drastically cut your calories to create a deficit, you will lose the weight (at about 3500 calories per lb). But it always comes back once you start eating "normally" again. Usually with more fat because your body has burned away muscle when dieting. And over time, this can slow down your metabolism.
The better way, I've heard, is to create changes that you can sustain for the rest of your life. 600-700 calories a day for the rest of your life doesn't seem doable. An average of 1200 - 1500, not so bad. The weight will come off slower, but the loss will be so much more sustainable. This will also let you settle into a "happy weight" for yourself.
It may mean that for you to keep yourself at your 100 lb goal, you feel like you're starving all the time and will never let yourself enjoy a treat. To me, that isn't a good way to live. I would be so sad if I could never enjoy my favorite treats again, in moderation of course! You might be happier sustaining something like 103 lbs instead if it will let you have a cupcake every once in a while. But that's just food for thought. I don't know your body. Trust your instincts here as you continue your weight loss journey.
Discouraged. ):
