Weight-Loss Help Please

Weight-Loss
tenshiblue

tenshiblue

New member
I just recently started counting calories. I realize that I'm only really eating about 1100 to 1500 calories a day. I didn't realize I was restricting myself so much until I really started looking into the calorie content of my foods.

Looking up at the various calculations online. It looks like my resting metabolic rate is about 1370. I also maintain a fairly active lifestyle. My work requires that I'm on my feet walking all the time. I do aerobic 3 days a week and weight train 3 days a week.

I just don't feel the need to eat more than what I'm already eating now. I wonder if my body's metabolism have adjusted to my low calorie intake. It seems like I'm not having much luck with losing weight no matter what I do.
 
Have you tried eating more or even less than you do now?

Believe I read somewhere on here that when you get to a plateau you kind of have to switch up how much you eat and that can break your body out of its spell and get you losing weight again.
 
Well, I don't want to eat less than I am now. I have no desire to starve myself. I eat a lot of healthy food. Regardless of what I eat, I don't like the feeling of being bloated if I eat too much. So I stick with smaller meals. I eat snacks (low fat yogurt, fruit, milk etc.) throughout the day too in the hopes that it will keep my metabolism up. I don't like empty calories like soda and juices. My staple drink is just plain water. I have no desire to stuff myself with junk food just to boost my calorie intake. The best thing I can think of to do is supplement more whey protein powder in my diet for extra calorie intake.

My doctor told me it would be very hard for me to lose weight. It would take a lot of effort on my part to do so. I guess the bottom line for me is losing weight would be great, but if it doesn't happen I can live with it. What I really want is to drop my body fat percentage and lose my belly and hip fat.

I'm just afraid that I messed up my metabolism so bad by not eating enough calories that my body is on a constant energy conservation mode. I'm afraid that I'm not burning off the fat on my body :(
 
My Doctor Told Me

My doctor told me it would be very hard for me to lose weight. WHY did he/she
TELL you this? Do you believe it?

I'm just afraid that I messed up my metabolism so bad by not eating enough calories that my body is on a constant energy conservation mode. I'm afraid that I'm not burning off the fat on my body

No this is not related to metabolism. It could be related to your body refusing to drop weight because it is in 'starvation mode" or not.

Why does a very low calorie intake slow down weight loss?

Quite simply, your body goes into 'starvation mode'. This mechanism, which is thought to have evolved as a defence against starvation, means the body becomes super efficient at making the most of the calories it does get from food and drink. The main way it does this is to protect its fat stores and instead use lean tissue or muscle to provide it with some of the calories it needs to keep functioning. This directly leads to a loss of muscle, which in turn lowers metabolic rate so that the body needs fewer calories to keep ticking over and weight loss slows down. Of course, this is the perfect solution if you're in a famine situation. But if you're trying to lose weight, it's going to do little to help you shift those unwanted pounds.
So how many calories should I have to prevent starvation mode?

Unfortunately, there's no single answer to this question. As everyone's metabolism varies in the first place, so too will the point when the body starts to use muscle to provide it with calories in a 'famine-type' situation. That's why WLR works out suitable calorie intakes for each member on an individual basis and never lets you opt to lose more than 2lb a week, which would require a severely restricted calorie intake. In other words, if you stick to the calorie intake recommended by WLR, you can be sure your body won't go into starvation mode.

As a general rule though, most nutrition experts recommend never going below 1,000-1,200 calories a day if you're dieting on your own. It's also worth bearing in mind that the body doesn't suddenly 'enter' and 'leave' starvation mode, like crossing the border from Devon into Cornwall. It's a gradual process - so you don't need to panic if you do go below your calorie intake very occasionally.
ps Keep in mind even low fat yogurt has a lot of sugar, 44g, #2 ingredient. Sugar can interfere with weight loss.
 
Thank you for the link, that was a great website. I think I will try to get my caloric intake to the 1500 to 1600 range daily. But I will choose to eat healthier food even though it has less calories. The way I think about this is my diet is a lifestyle not a temporary "diet".
 
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