Need Weight Loss Advice- I don't think im eating enough

I just finished up my freshman year of college and somehow with out even trying, during the last year at college, I was able to loose 30 pounds. (Well I guess part of it has to do with all the walking around campus and eating the nasty cafeteria food.)

I joined this website hoping to loose some more weight, maybe 16 lbs, this summer.  (I am a female, 19 years old, 5' 10" and am currently 156 pounds.) For the past 3 months I have not gotten my period and I know that I'm not pregnant. I freaked out thinking maybe I am eating too healthy (I'm sure you can't eat too healthy but I do not eat any junk food at all). So this whole past month I have been logging in everyday what I have been eating. To my suprise I usually end up eating around 1,100 calories a day.

I am new to this whole weight loss thing and have been reading on other posts that females should eat no less than 1,200 calories a day. Help! I guess I should be eating more but how many calories should I be eating ????

Everyday I have been going to the gym and burning 300 calories on the eliptical and doing some light weight lifting/stretching.  And I eat very healthy with lots of fruit and veggies. Eating this way fills you up, so although I KNOW i need to eat more, I don't want to eat when I'm not hungry and gain weight....

Im soo confusedIf you have any advice for me, it would be greatly appreciated :)

If you're not hungry, but need an extra 100 calories per day, then cook your veggies in a spoonful of olive oil. No extra "food" for you, but you'll be getting healthy fats and about 120 calories. It's a perfect solution.

If you don't cook your own veggies or dislike olive oil, then a spoonful of peanut butter or a small handful of nuts will give you the extra 100 calories you need without requiring much effort or planning.

thank you! That is a great idea.

So is 1200 calories an okay amount for me to be eating?

How old are you? Teens are supposed to eat 1500 calories when dieting. But if you're in your twenties then 1200 is fine.

Im 19 but i will be 20 in a month

I'm almost the exact same height and weight as you (okay, 2 pounds heavier!), and I lose weight on 1600 calories a day. If you haven't already, you should set your activity level to light or moderate, and definitely up your calories. 1200 is the minimum for older, shorter, sedentary women, and you are none of those things! Definitely aim for at least 1500-1600 a day.

cosmographer-thank you for your reply! I will try to up my calorie intake then. I'm just curious, How much physical activity are you doing to loose weight while eating 1600 a day?

There's something not right here - you're eating - you're not underweight - but you're not having periods - stress maybe?  Starving yourself might cause that - but you're not doing that either.  Has this happened to you before?

No this has never happened to me before. I freaked out that maybe i was undereating and thats why I started to log my food everyday. I think i will try to up my caloric intake to 1500-1600 as was suggested in an earlier reply.

I am taking some summer classes right now so, yes,  I am under some pressure and stress but not that much.

Could the light exercize I do everyday have stopped my periods? I really don't know whats going on?

I definitely vote for 1500-1600 calories based on your activity level and age.

I'm worried that the loss of your period is not related to your diet (seriously, I doubt it is). You could have hormonal imbalances, or something far more serious. I would see your doctor.

You don't have to be underweight to be undereating. 1100 calories/day is simply not enough to provide your body with the proper amount of nutrients that it needs to function. This could definitely cause your menstrual cycle to stop.

I plugged your stats into the BMR calculator, and it says that you burn about 2420 calories/day. If you want to continue losing weight, you should eat between 1220 and 1920 calories/day (to lose 1-2 pounds per week). Since you exercise everyday, I set your activity level to "moderately active," although it might be closer to "very active," in which case you would burn around 2700 calories/day. So I would eat around 1800 calories/day, if I were you.

I also agree with yummy_kitty that you should see your doctor about your stopped periods, but I don't think it has much to do with anything other than a lack of food/nutrients. If you aren't already, you should probably take a multivitamin every day.

Good luck!

1100 is not undereating.. it is just not enough - but it could lead to underweight - either way - 3 months and no period at 1100 per day at a good weight does NOT make sense.

There is nothing magic in 1200.  Yes your period could stop eating close to 1200 or even if you ate above 1200. 

The problem is that your periods will stop when you have too high of a deficit.  Especially if you dont have a high amount of body fat to make up for the energy intake short fall.  Any time your body percieves it is "starving" because of a very high deficit you can lose your period.  Stress and lack of nutrion just add to the burden. 

Original Post by madamq:

There is nothing magic in 1200.  Yes your period could stop eating close to 1200 or even if you ate above 1200. 

The problem is that your periods will stop when you have too high of a deficit.  Especially if you dont have a high amount of body fat to make up for the energy intake short fall.  Any time your body percieves it is "starving" because of a very high deficit you can lose your period.  Stress and lack of nutrion just add to the burden. 

 

 Wow. I did not realize this. So now I have a few questions...

What is a good deficit?

If my deficit is too high will i stop loosing weight?

You should aim to lose no more than 1% of your body weight per week.  The biggest deficit you should have is 750 calories.

If you have a deficit, you will continue to lose weight.  The smaller the deficit is, the slower the weight loss will be.  750 cal deficit is 1.5 lbs per week.

Here is the formula for calculating your caloric intake. http://weightloss.about.com/od/eatsmart/a/blc alintake.htm

Original Post by musicismylife:

cosmographer-thank you for your reply! I will try to up my calorie intake then. I'm just curious, How much physical activity are you doing to loose weight while eating 1600 a day?

 

Sorry it took me so long to reply. I do about 30-45 minutes of exercise 5 days a week (including HIIT, some weights and when I'm lazy light cardio and stretching), and I try to be active on the weekends (going on long walks, bike rides, etc.). 

I'd also recommend a visit to your doctor--losing 30 pounds without trying and the loss of your period could indicate health problems that aren't directly related to your diet. 

Original Post by madamq:

There is nothing magic in 1200.  Yes your period could stop eating close to 1200 or even if you ate above 1200. 

The problem is that your periods will stop when you have too high of a deficit.  Especially if you dont have a high amount of body fat to make up for the energy intake short fall.  Any time your body percieves it is "starving" because of a very high deficit you can lose your period.  Stress and lack of nutrion just add to the burden. 

 

I am interested in your source for this - I am aware of the issues of mentrual cycles and low body fat - and of concurrent issues sugar may pose, as well as high activity - but I have not read anything about high calorie deficits causing menstrual abnormalities - can you direct me to a good source for this?

Original Post by legaleli:

Original Post by madamq:

There is nothing magic in 1200.  Yes your period could stop eating close to 1200 or even if you ate above 1200. 

The problem is that your periods will stop when you have too high of a deficit.  Especially if you dont have a high amount of body fat to make up for the energy intake short fall.  Any time your body percieves it is "starving" because of a very high deficit you can lose your period.  Stress and lack of nutrion just add to the burden. 

 

I am interested in your source for this - I am aware of the issues of mentrual cycles and low body fat - and of concurrent issues sugar may pose, as well as high activity - but I have not read anything about high calorie deficits causing menstrual abnormalities - can you direct me to a good source for this?

I also have only heard from doctors and articles about a low BMI or bodyfat % causing a loss of periods. I hadn't heard that a huge deficit would cause it (until your body ran out of it's fat/muscle stores to burn in lieu of food, obviously).