Not eating enough???

[spyrosmom]

Looking for some input here.

I just started with the Daily Plate. I am 5'8" and 185, looking to get about 170, which would be 100lbs total for me. AMA says I should be btwn 141-161, but I would be quite happy at 170, and I'm pretty much happy where I am. The DP says I should net roughly 1800 cals per day. I've so far punched in breakfast, lunch and snacks for today (I haven't figured out dinner yet) and my exercise (just a dogger walk - resting today) and I am at 1100. That gives me 700 for dinner, which seems like a lot. I don't normally eat a lot on my nights I get home from work late, like tonight.

However, I write down everything I eat, and I went back and punched in the last weeks worth of food/exercises. On average, I am netting about 1200 cals a day. Which is 600 less than they want me to be. I can't eat anymore, I already eat a ton of food. I noticed my weekends (when I tend to munch all day) were right about on target, but that's mindless wandering thru the kitchen boredom eating, not hungry eating. I obviously am not starving to death if I weigh 185, but does my body think I am starving and holding on for all its worth?

I understand calories in vs calories out - but whats the deal??? Or is my body at its "happy weight" (I've been around here for a while) and it is what it is? No one in my family is slim/slender, most are overweight, so is this my set point? And should I just keep doing what I'm doing and worry more about fitness than weight?

Nan

PS - I've got my activity set at the 2nd level - I'm at a desk at work, but I am up/down all day, and the bathrooms down the hall - I'm there at least once an hour, and I walk for 10 mins 2x a day on my 15 min breaks. I don't include that as exercise. Should I scale it back to sendantary?

 

[curltess]

Fats

The easiest way to add calories without feeling like you are cramming food down your throat is adding healthy fats! I definitely think it would be worth it for you to add calories in.

Also - if you are eating a lot at night, are you sure you are still eating only 1200 calories? Are you weighing/measuring all your food?

Someone at 185 pounds should not be maintaining at 1200 calories - this is something I have been tortured with my whole life.

 

[jdawnc]

I agree with the above

A handful of nuts can go a long way! Or peanut butter!

 

[spyrosmom]

The easiest way to add calories without feeling like you are cramming food down your throat is adding healthy fats! I definitely think it would be worth it for you to add calories in.

Also - if you are eating a lot at night, are you sure you are still eating only 1200 calories? Are you weighing/measuring all your food?

Someone at 185 pounds should not be maintaining at 1200 calories - this is something I have been tortured with my whole life.

Yup, It is averaging in about 1200 net calories for the day. And I agree, I should not be holding steady at 185 with that. I've lost inches since starting STS, and a few pounds in Meso 1, but thats been it. Unless I'm losing fat and gaining muscle, but that doesn't quite seem the answer, either. The only thing that is odd, is at holiday time, I seem to lose weight. I wasn't entering calories at Halloween time and Christmas, but I know I was eating a lot of junk, candy, etc (yes, I know better) and I was writing it down as I pigged away, but during those times, my wt actually dropped a few pounds, and when I went back to normal eating, it popped back up a few pounds. So maybe there is something to be said for eating more, but obviously it can't be junk. Or the cal counts on DP are waaaaay off, but I find that hard to belive. I think my body is just silly. Someday I'll find the magic formula.

Nan

 

[looking good]

Nan,

Just to give you an idea for me....I'm 5'4 130 ish and I normally eat around 1700 to 1800 calories a day and that's with working out to Cathe on average 5 days a week.

I think you are eating to little especially with doing STS and all that cardio. If you are at 1200 I would bump somedays to 1400 and then other days to 1600 for about a week and half and see what happens. I agree eat more good fats and maybe more protein.

I think you are under eating. I would not survive on 1200 calories and do Cathe....try especially since you seem to lose around the holidays!!

Therese

 

[RapidBreath]

Its easy

I know this sounds nuts. But, yeah you are way under eating your calories and the solution is healthy fats. If I'm in danger of being below my calorie requirement (I'm guilty of it.) I add a couple of tablespoons of olive oil to my salad. It works great. Also, if you can tolerate them, walnuts at 200 calories/ounce are an easy way to get calories in. I hope those suggestions help. Once you are eating enough food you will notice your body temperature comes up. You may feel like you are on fire, which is a good thing, thats fat being burned up. You may be wondering why eating fat helps burn fat, well, there is some guess that the fat chains we eat are fat chains that our bodies need to open up the door on our fat cells. So, if we don't eat enough our bodies don't get the key (fats) to open up our stored energy (jiggle.)