Hello!
As you can see, I am a fairly new member to the site. I used to weigh 271 but used weight watchers and got down to 190. That was in 2007. I managed to maintain until this year. Then i proceeded to gain and regain the same 10-15 pounds.
I think i was bored with weight watchers so i decided to switch to calorie counting. I used some different calorie calculators they all say i should be eating 1600 calories. My exercise level is anywhere from light to medium. I have been accounting for all of my calories, sometimes forcing myself to eat to get to the 1600 calories. I've done it fora week now and I HAVE GAINED WEIGHT! I am so frustrated. I finally just broke down and started crying.
I am so tired of being overweight and non-healthy. I decided to post and come to the board for support so I don't just give up because i know that isn't the answer.
I know I've read that calorie counting takes a little bit to get used to, my question is how much lower should i go? Obviously I know 1600 is not the right answer, and to think some calorie sites want me to go higher? wow.
Any advice?? Should I go to 1400 for a few days to see what happens?
Thank you for listening! Everyone here is so great!
CC calculators are only a very rough inexact starting point. For me, even at my start weight 1600 is way to high. For me, I would adjust downwards. It is all about the calorie deficit. I would also make sure my food was all nutritous, tasty,& filling.
at 4'10"... and your amount of exercise... your calorie count should be around 1200... I mean... my recommended is 1600. I'm 5'11"... and am doing 45 minutes jogging or horseback riding every day. That... and I carry a giant bookbag FULL of books around a pretty large school campus everyday.
So yeah... I'd first go to 1400... see what happens. Then... if that's not good enough (wait a couple weeks... this is what I'm trying to learn patience on... ), then decrease it to more around 1200.
Sometimes it takes a lot of trial and error to find the right calorie amount. If you can, I suggest you make an appointment to see a registered dietician. He/she will be able to help you determine what a good starting point is.
I am glad you decided to keep trying and not give up. Don't ever give up!
I am slightly taller than you at 5 feet even. I would gain at 1600. I lost on about 1400 and maintain on about 1400 calories a day. It takes some experimenting to get the right amount of calories. Remember this we shorties cannot eat the same number of calories as our taller sisters do.Try lowering your calories and see what happens.
Honestly, i think calorie counters are a little bit skewed especially for overweight people.
I calculated the calories i should intake it came up to be above 1000 your calculation
Which is b.s. if you ask me for several reasons
1) there are 3500 calories in a pound so if you cut 500 from the 2000 calorie diet ur supposed to lose a pound a week. But honestly my metabolism is much slower than that of someone with normal bmi, so it takes my body longer to process the calories
2) girl dont force yourself to eat to keep up with a dumb calculator!
also dont break down sweetie this happens to all of us
i was doing so well in january, but at a college trip i like let myself go (and actuallyt got food poisoning from all the fat that was in a philly cheesesteak, since i my body got used to eating healthy food lol)
but now im back to exercising a lot and eatingwell so dont lose hop! just lose weight lol
also, i find that when i exercise more, i want to eat less
Thank you so much for the advice! I really do appreciate it!
I will try everything everyone says. I know you guys have the experience and i really like calorie counting, just not the gaining part. Again, thank you so much for the support.
Tomorrow is a new day and i'm going to lower to 1400 and go from there. And stop worrying about the stupid calculators. lol
Any advice?? Should I go to 1400 for a few days to see what happens?
Thank you for listening! Everyone here is so great!
Welcome. That sentence in your original post is part of your problem right there. NOTHING takes a few days. You have to work for SEVERAL WEEKS to see results when trying anything. Dropping 200 calories a day would only mean in a few days (using 5 as a few) lose 4.5 ounces of weight. Give it time and realize that its not day to day that really matters.
Calorie calculators are just a starting point - you have to adjust up or down once you see how you do on a certain amount of food. And if you were gaining on 1600 calories, that may be too much for you. I would not lose if I were consistently eating that much - I try to average between 1350 and 1400, which means there may be a day here and there that I hit 1600 but other days when I'm at 1200.
I would definitely cut back to 1400 and give it some time to see what happens.
I've done it fora week now and I HAVE GAINED WEIGHT! I am so frustrated. I finally just broke down and started crying.
How much of a gain was it in a week? What kind of food were you eating? How was your sodium? Where are you in your cycle? A lot of things can cause a "gain" that isn't necessarily fat tissue.
I think a week is too early to get this upset over it. Maybe even too early to tell if adjusting is needed.
But if you are going to adjust to "1400 for a few days to see what happens..."
Prepare yourself emotionally. Are you going to get all upset again in a few days if the scale doesn't go down? Are you going to give it more than a few days to actually "take" this time? You only gave the 1600 a week. That's just a few days too.
I'm not being mean here... I'm just saying that perhaps you need to a) think about all variables that influence the scale and b) think about your emotional preparedness.
Dieting can do a number on people's heads in many ways and you'll weather the journey better if you know this, what trigger you and to look for it, and how to keep your emotional balance.
oops, I guess I didn't read carefully enough, I thought the 10-15 lb up and down was on 1600 calories.
In that case, I agree with others that it can take more than a few days to see how a certain calorie level works for you. However, I think either 1400 or 1600 is a reasonable starting place and if you are having to force yourself to eat more to get up to 1600 calories, I would definitely not do that.
How many WW points did you have when you were successfully losing? If you still have your journals, look at what you ate then and use that as a guide. It's all trial and error to find the right level, and of course, that can change as your body changes.
The calorie calculator I used told me I needed over 1700. This was after I had started to CC at 1200. I knew that calculator was off! It's trial and error at first. I happened to zoom in on my number by using a chart I had and subtracted 1,000 calories off for weight loss. So, I've been loosing weight steadily.
I would start with 1400 first and after you feel that out decide from there.
So Frustrated I'm crying
), then decrease it to more around 1200. 
Sometimes it takes a lot of trial and error to find the right calorie amount. If you can, I suggest you make an appointment to see a registered dietician. He/she will be able to help you determine what a good starting point is.
