Day #121 - Thursday
Starting weight: 285.2
Calories/Carbs Goals (limits): 1400 / 30.0
Tuesday’s calories & net carbs: 1407 / 30.9
Yesterday’s calories & net carbs: 1337 / 37.1
Tuesday’s exercise: 30 min. ex. bike
Yesterday’s exercise: none (knee pain)
Weight Tuesday:: 247.8 Weight Yesterday:: 247.8 Today: 247.2
Change today:: -0.6 lbs. Loss-so-far: 38.0 lbs.
Yesterday I went over my goal on net carbs. It’s good that I get to make the rules on my particular plan because I decided - back when I started counting both calories and carbs - that I would still be “on plan” if I either: a) kept at least one of ‘em (carbs or calories) below goal or b) stayed within 10g carbs or 100 calories of goal. So far I’ve been able to stick to that. Giving myself that little bit of leeway makes me feel guilty (because it feels like cheating) but it also keeps a lid on any temptation I might have to binge and go WAY over goal (probably because it feels deliciously like cheating, lol).
Now I’m faced with a decision. I’ve been reading in other people’s blogs about how many calories people are consuming and many - particularly the really successful ones - are keeping their daily caloric intake above 1500 a day, some as high as 2000 a day. I’ve read where people have upped their calories and started to see greater losses, which at first glance doesn’t seem to make sense. I know all about the body’s “starvation response,” and how if a person cuts their calories too low, their metabolism will slow down. I’ve googled this and read lots about it - and no one - and I mean no one! - has pinned down a number, the caloric level at which this occurs, because it’s different for everyone. Nor can anyone agree on how long a low caloric intake level must be maintained before this response kicks in. Some say two weeks, some say two hours.
In my googling efforts, I came across several sites which will calculate your daily caloric intake needs for you, based upon a formula which takes into consideration your height, weight, and age.
http://www.freedieting.com/tools/calorie_calculator.htm is a pretty cool one.
I also found a site that showed the formula itself, for those who want to do their own math. Being the numbers nut that I am, I had to try it out:
The Mifflin-St. Joer Equation
(Approximate calories per day for resting metabolic rate)
[ (weight-in-lbs / 2.2) * 9.99 ] + [ (height-in-inches * 2.54) * 6.25] - [ age-in-years * 4.92] +/- [ (-161 for women) or (+5 for men) ]
Mine came out to: 1682
Now here’s the thing. I did the whole calorie-counting thing from January thru May of this year. I tracked my daily activities and factored in the base metabolic rate that Fitday had estimated for me. I kept my calories between 1500 and 1900 per day. Regardless of what Fitday was saying I should have been losing, I lost only 10 lbs. In five months. It’s not that I wasn’t exercising! In the month of April I logged 135 miles of bicycling. That’s an average of 4.5 miles per day! Yet in the month of April, I lost only 2.4 lbs.
I can’t go back to that!
I’ve shared on here that I was diagnosed with Graves Disease, a malfunction of the immune system that causes the thyroid to go all wacky and overproduce. There’s no cure, all they can do is treat the symptoms. So my doctor prescribed a medication for me (which I would have to take for the rest of my life) to crank my thyroid down - which of course means it would slow my metabolism down. While taking this drug, if my resting metabolic rate was 1682, well, the drug would maybe turn it down to 1200, who knows.
I have a confession to make. About 3 months ago, I quit taking my pills.
I was feeling really good, so good that it seemed silly to be taking pills everyday. Back when I was diagnosed, I got a conflicting opinion from the tech who did the testing on my thyroid, said that if it was overproducing before, well, it wasn’t anymore. With this in mind, I know what it felt like when my thyroid was speeding (felt like I had the flu) so I knew what to watch for. I kept some pills in reserve just in case I started feeling sickly again…
And it never happened. No flu symptoms. No overwhelming fatigue. I felt great! Except for my stupid knee, I still feel great! I know I should go back and see my regular doctor, but I’m NOT going back to the endocrinologist! I truly believe that I was misdiagnosed.
SO. Now that I’m off the metabolism-slowing drugs, am I slowing it by not eating enough calories every day? Should I try upping my calories for a while and see if it makes a difference? I’m trying to decide.
I definitely don’t want to make any changes until I can start elliptical-ing again! (The 6 miles on the exercise bike the other day was a bad idea after all - the next morning I could barely walk! I’m icing the knee and taking it easy until it’s truly healed.) What I’m thinking is that maybe I’ll up my calorie goal to 1800 on days when I can exercise. (Not sure how to estimate the corresponding carb goal to go with that.)
So anyway, I need to make a decision. All input would be greatly appreciated!
CARTOON OF THE DAY
5039
wow. that’s fantastic that you listened to your body and tossed the pills. so many of us take the doctor’s words as final, and fail to listen to the smartest person for us: ourselves. great job. keep up the good work.
kt
Eileen, both times I plateaued, I upped my calories by 400 and lost 2 pounds in the next two days. Why not try upping yours by 200 for 2-3 days and see which way the scale goes? I would try to do it away from other known scale inhibitors, like if I eat wheat I automatically gain overnight, or TOM of course. Glad to hear you are resting and icing your knee - best way for it to heal. Delita
It is the biggest mystery of the whole weight loss thing. If only there was some sort of blood test or something we could all get to tell us the right calorie amount. Aside from my mess up days, my calories have pretty much always been around 1,200-1,300 with exercise sometimes daily, sometimes a couple times a week. I am 5′6″ and started out at 202 pounds. This got me through a couple pounds a week sometimes, and sometimes no pounds a week. But over nine months, it has gotten me through 59 pounds. For me, I do think the mess up days are needed. I don’t need to plan on them because they will come on their own when I am weak. But I think they do boost metabolism.
I have absolutely no idea as I don’t lose weight! ha! Really, I have been watching what I eat and sicking to WW for about 3 months for a total of 10 pounds. Meh. Good luck, though!!!
And, I am STILL cracking up about the shart. That is so funny!!
I’ll through in my 2-cents. I did Jenny Craig for a year. I was on 1200 calories a day and now in maintenance I am supposed to up that to 1600 or 1700 (can’t remember). I am 5′1″ and started at 185 pounds, am down to 140 pounds now. Don’t know if any of that helps!
Hey Eileen,
Delita’s advice is great!
I am glad that you tossed the pills. If you are feeling better, and do not need the thyroid pill, then you did the right thing.
Wouldn’t it be great if weight loss and clothes sizes worked and measured the same for everyone?
I’ve done no exercise for two weeks but it’s b/c I”m listening to my body and my body says, uh-I don’t think so, sistah. 
KEep listening to your body and keep up the good work.
I like the research you’ve done. I think I’ve heard several times that you have to have more calories than you think especially when working out. I did the calculator thing on the website you linked for me (age 36, exercise 5 x week, weighs 295, 5′8″ it gave me:
For Extreme Fat Loss: 2360 Calories/day
That seems high! I was also was surprised to find a 7 day plan and it says this :
” *Calorie cycling provides same amount of calories per week, but ‘tricks’ your body by constantly changing daily calories. This helps to prevent or break plateaus.”
I love your research and your cartoons, thanks for the added bonuses to an already awesome blog.
Good for you for listening to your body and using your mind to figure out what works best for you.
http://3fatchicks.com/diet-blogs/inkheartmeg/
p.s. I wonder if that calculator is right. I’ll have to give it a try. I’ve tried to find something like that before and had no luck! thanks again