Posts by mommyinweighting

I would up your calories to 1300 or even 1400 today and see what happens.  I would guess you were eating more than 2000 calories a day before calorie counting, so at 1400 you're STILL eating much less than that and should see a loss.  Better yet use the BMR tool on here and find out the maximum calories you need to exist on.  Eating anything less than than that should result in loss.  I notice for myself, if I drop too low, my body holds on to everything and the scale won't budge.  This happens sometimes when I eat 1200-1300 calories a day (which is what I'm doing right now) and you're eating considerably less than that.  I lose for a bit then get "stuck".  It seems to help me when I have a high calorie day - like tricking my body into thinking we're not on a diet anymore!  :)  As far as a scale digital's are usually more accurate.  I have a cheapie old fashioned scale that probably shows me 5 ro 6 pounds lighter than I actually am, but the loss shows up so that's what's important (and I like the lower number better lol*).  I'm 31 by the way.

I should add not feeling hungry isn't an indicator of being in starvation mode - but if you're eating very low calories and not losing, THAT is.  Some days I'm full at 1000 calories and force myself a snack just to stay in a healthy range.

Well, not knowing anything about how much  you have to lose or anything, 1400 sounds like a pretty reasonable and doable starting point.  I mean if you're 120 pounds and want to lose 5 pounds then maybe not so much, but if you're trying to lose 20, 30 or even 50 pounds, then that sounds about right.  If it's really that difficult for you to get to 1400 why not try adding one of those meal supplement shakes?  Not a meal REPLACEMENT shake, but the healthy shakes that are supposed to be full of vitamins and things you wouldn't normally get in your diet?  Drink it with lunch to add a few calories or with breakfast.  Then when it comes time to drop down to 1300 calories you have something easy you can omit from  your diet and it wouldn't be much extra work considering your schedule.  I would bring it up with your trainer, maybe he or she has an even better idea.  :)

Similar to a lot of the previous posters I agree, eating better and being more physical does make me feel SO much better.  I truly think it's all the chemicals and crap they put into processed foods, and the drug like effect too much sugar and fat have on our bodies.  It's no accident that one approach used on autistic children is DIET.  So many ailments can be cured or greatly improved just by changing diet, I think it's absolutely linked to our mental well being just the same.  Anxiety and depression also run in my family and I have experience both in my lifetime.  Only recently have I really started to connect my diet to how I'm feeling, and I notice a HUGE difference.  This is a huge motivator for me to eating better and losing weight - I'm sick of feeling like crap all the time!

Original Post by laurenmayjenkins:

So shall I aim for 1200? I was told starting at 1200 isn't a good idea because if my body hits a plateau I'll have nowhere to drop to and my body will hit starvation mode?

You  know, I have read this SO much on these forums too.  It seems there is some debate and I have no formal education in this so I truly don't know.  I think there is always room to create a deficit though because if you eat 1200 a day, then hit a plateau, you can up your exercise and create a larger calorie deficit.  HOWEVER, I have found for myself personally, I shoot for anywhere between 1200-1400 calories.  I do go over that on some days, and I do have days where I land somewhere in the 1100's.  I notice that when I eat closer to 1200 calories I will consistently lose for a few days/weeks, then bam, stop.  To jumpstart loss again, I bump up my calories for a day or two to 1500-1600 calories.  It seems to start things up again and when I drop back down to 1200 I start losing again.  So I usually just go ahead and give myself one or two high calorie days a week.  But, if you think about it, by eating like that I average out to 1300 or 1400 a day anyway so I don't know if I'm really doing anything to my metabolism or if it's more psychological in the end.

Original Post by skinnyogi:

Are you sure you're drinking enough water? I know my stomach growls sometimes when I'm dehydrated.

Why don't you schedule a snack for yourself at 2:45? A small side or fruit salad, or a handful of nuts might help you stave off that sudden crash. I eat tons of snacks throughout the day and usually eat something right around that time.

You know I had that thought today, maybe I'm thirsty?  I drink lot of coffee and since I cut out soda I haven't been replacing it with the water that I know I should be drinking.  I'm going to try that and do some better snack planning as well.  Thank you!  ;)

Thank you all so much for the insight, I truly appreciate it!  ;)

Oooh that's a VERY good idea...I think I'm going to try that!  Thanks :)

Oh I'd really like to join too! 

Age: 30 (almost 31, ack!)

Start: 216

Current: 201 (I was down to 178 and gained back!)

Goal: 123 (or there abouts)

Frame: Small/Average

Calories: 1200-1300 5 days a week, 1400-1600 2 days a week

Activity: Light/Moderate - stay at home Mom, I am moving ALL day long but not really breaking a sweat kind of moving, just chores, lots of housework, taking care of 3 children.

Female, 30, 5'2, Current Weight 207, Start Weight 216, Goal Weight 223, Frame is Small/Average

Twin or near twin feel free to message me.  Kind of looking for someone to chat with, keep each other accountable.  I like that some of you mentioned you have kids - I have 3 all under 10, my youngest under a year.  Would love to chat with someone in a similar situation so we have more in common, married, kids, trying lose at least 80-100 pounds for health more than vanity.

I eat 1200-1400 calories per day, and I do sometimes find myself still hungry.  If I plan well and fill up on fruits and veggies I'm less hungry than when I'm in a hurry and eat quick prepackaged processed foods...but I don't always have time to do that.  I try to eat a lot of snacks throughout the day so I never get to that point of where I feel like I'm "starving".  For me it helps.  A typical day for me looks like:

1 1/2 cups of Honey Bunches of Oats Cereal with 1/2 cup 1% milk (235)

cup of fruit (100)

egg salad wrap with two eggs whole wheat low cal tortilla and light mayo (255)

cup of baby carrots with light ranch dressing (100)

lowfat low cal yogurt (80)

grilled chicken wrap with low cal wrap, light ranch dressing and lettuce (310)

broccoli with zero calorie butter spray (70)

cup of fruit or prepackaged granola bar (100)

1250 calories for day, and if you're on 1400 calories per day then you could add another snack or side with your wraps.  Sometimes I find myself hungry in the evening and will just go ahead and have something small...it's better than binging on junk later in my opinion.