I ony get 824 calories per day? page 3

[RSL]

14 lbs is not a lot. I would focus a lot more on your 40% BF number than the 14lbs the scale says.

I am not focusing on the scale. I am focusing on my body fat percentage. According to the scale, I'm doing great! But now that I know I am 40% body fat, I know that I am doing worse and worse!

[RSL]

I wasn't questioning the numbers for your 1400 menu at all. I was questioning where you were coming up with only being "allowed" 824 calories based on the ratios you noted?

And if I add enough fat so that I am eating around 70% of my calories from fat, this is what my breakdown will look like:

824 calories
64g fat (70%)
42g protein (20%) (83.3 pounds LBM x 0.5)
20g carbs (10%)


It's probably me, LOL, but I'm not sure how you came up with that projected number.

I think you could definitely do the ratios you're looking for and come up with a higher calorie count...

I wasn't trying for a ratio. I just put in the ratios to show what they were after I came up with the other numbers. Here is the way I did it:

I took my LBM of 83.3 pounds and multiplied it by 0.5 to get my protein.
I added in my 20 grams of carbs.
I added in enough fat to get me up to around 70% of my total calories.

I'm not trying to do the ratios. I am trying to eat the right amount of protein for my lean body mass, and then add in the carbs I get and enough fat.

I could get the same ratios and eat 5000 calories, too! Ratios are not what matter - it's getting the right amount of each macronutrient for my body size and activity level.

[jo]

Due to a recent illness, inactivity and then surgery, and then complications, my body fat has gone up to 40.1%.

First of all I would say that your current situation is one brought on by unusual circumstances, and it is understandable that your body might not work to peak efficiency after all that you have been through. I looked up the maintenance level of calories for someone of your height, weight, age and activity level and it is about 1400 give or take. My advice would be to stick to that and focus on keeping your carbs low (below 30g). When you are well enough to exercise with some weights I would start a programme. Till then though, I would just aim to maintain so your body reaches a happy equilibrium. When you cut calories over a period of time your body adjusts downwards, so you may have put on a bit of weight when you went back up to maintenance, but this should come off of it's own accord if you don't panic and cut calories again. I lost 30lbs while following a maintenance diet (2200 calories for me) so it is possible.

[RSL]

My personal opinion is that you shouldn't restrict your calories that far, otherwise your metabolism will dial down even more. Just from my own trial and error, I would probably up the protein closer to .6 or even .7; have your carbs in the form of lots (LOTS) of low carb veggies, like cooked greens, tomatoes, broccoli; cooked in coconut oil, butter, or bacon fat and dial down the nuts and dairy. I think the fat can go above 70%, but not in terms of just eating high fat items, but working fat into a meal, like a veggie heavy stir-fry with small amounts of meat.

If your recovery is going well, I would recommend small amounts of exercise that does not provoke injury, perhaps arm weights or swimming pool based.

Good luck.

Thanks, E! Good advice!

[RSL]

no its not! but I feel youre being too hard on yourself post-surgery. Once you can up your activity level, things will get into gear. my advice is to eat more than youre eating now, regardless of what the scale says. you yourself agree that the calories you're "supposed" to consume after crunching the numbers is too low----it is! The muscle will be gained with increased activity and increased protein intake. Until then, I would say stop beating yourself up about your body comp, and not to look at this as one massive undertaking but a day by day promise to nourish your body and eat only the right things. The stress of all this, you being at your "wits end", is only further contributing to your problem due to heightened cortisol levels. I would say focus on a healthy recovery, experiment with some fasting, and dont dwell on the scale.

more info on how stress affects fat loss
http://www.marksdailyapple.com/how-s...-make-you-fat/

Thanks, L! All very good advice, and I will take it to heart! And I'll look at that link, too!

[RSL]

First of all I would say that your current situation is one brought on by unusual circumstances, and it is understandable that your body might not work to peak efficiency after all that you have been through. I looked up the maintenance level of calories for someone of your height, weight, age and activity level and it is about 1400 give or take. My advice would be to stick to that and focus on keeping your carbs low (below 30g). When you are well enough to exercise with some weights I would start a programme. Till then though, I would just aim to maintain so your body reaches a happy equilibrium. When you cut calories over a period of time your body adjusts downwards, so you may have put on a bit of weight when you went back up to maintenance, but this should come off of it's own accord if you don't panic and cut calories again. I lost 30lbs while following a maintenance diet (2200 calories for me) so it is possible.

Thanks, Jo, for sharing your experience! I will be really happy when I can get active again!

[lmyers04]

Thanks, L! All very good advice, and I will take it to heart! And I'll look at that link, too!

Good luck! and remember that the more lean muscle a person has, the more fat they will burn at rest. I feel as though your lost muscle is due to circumstances beyond your control, not really a flawed diet (you seem to know what to eat, which is good) and has resulted in your increased body fat %. Once you get to a place where you can build a little more lean mass, I feel like you will have a problem solved!

[Mike Alzen]

Man, it sounds like you're doing everything right. I second the stress and sleep recommendations. Also the mellow exercise, if for nothing else to improve your mood/stress levels.

One thought about the protein intake, if you're recovering from surgery you may need more protein than an otherwise healthy individual due to the repair your body is undertaking. The higher protein intakes for when you're working out are to repair tissue if I'm not mistaken, which is essentially what your body is doing now.

Also, it sounds like you have a solid grasp on what to limit in your diet, but just because I didn't see it: Limit nuts and nut butters as much as possible.

[Minxxa]

I wasn't trying for a ratio. I just put in the ratios to show what they were after I came up with the other numbers. Here is the way I did it:

I took my LBM of 83.3 pounds and multiplied it by 0.5 to get my protein.
I added in my 20 grams of carbs.
I added in enough fat to get me up to around 70% of my total calories.


I still don't get how this adds up to the 824 calories. That was my question.

Ratios are not what matter - it's getting the right amount of each macronutrient for my body size and activity level.

We're talking about the same thing. You trying to get the right amount of each macronutrient is trying to get the right ratio of fat to protein to carb. I think the issue is you're taking 70% fat as a static percentage like the carbs and protein, and I think that's where the problem is coming up.

From listening to people around here and seeing their stats, the fat ratio (percentage) is going to vary depending on that particular person's required amount of protein and carbs. So you figure out the protein you need, figure out your personal carb limit, and then add in fat for the rest of the calories needed to get you to the calorie level you need to be at. That amount might end up being 50% of your diet, or 85% of your diet, depending on the other factors. The fat percentage (ratio) is the flexible one...

So someone eating much lower in carbs like you (and me) will have a higher amount of fats in order to get where we need to be calorie-wise. For me that's 1400.

Since I'm even confusing myself, I looked and here's where Mark explains it and he's SOOO much better than I am (scroll down to fats) http://www.marksdailyapple.com/defin...l-eating-plan/

Ditto though on the stress and taking it easy. I know from experience that many things, including stress, can stall your weight loss no matter what you do. And surgery is a HUGE physical stress, as is recovery, so be kind to yourself.

Also... just tossing this in the ring... have you had your vitamin D levels checked? Having low d can stall weight loss as well, so just another piece of the puzzle...

[RSL]

Here is a little more background, in case anyone is interested:

In February 2009, I was not eating low carb, I was trying to eat (what I thought was) right, and this was me:

weight - 158.0 pounds
body fat - 72.7 pounds (46%)
lean mass - 85.3 pounds (54%)

Then, I did The Zone for 3 weeks and lost 8 pounds. Then I started Atkins and was eating around 1800-1900 calories with around 70% fat and 40 carbs or so. I did not lose weight doing that.

I then went and had my hormones checked and found out that I was estrogen dominant, practically no progesterone, and no testosterone. All three of these hormonal imbalances make weight loss extremely difficult, if not impossible. I started natural, bio-identical hormone relacement for the progesterone, and a testosterone implant.

I started lifting weights, doing low level cardio and yoga.

After 7 weeks of still losing no weight, I dropped my food to the following:

1420 calories
109g fat - (69%)
89g protein - (25%)
21g carbs - (6%)

I immediately started losing weight, and in the next four months, I had lost 17 pounds of fat and gained 7 pounds of muscle! My body fat had gone from 46% down to 35%!

At this point, it was discovered that I was also hypothyroid, and I started Armour Thyroid.

At that point, I decided to stop the testosterone implant and try the cream instead. It did not work for me, and even though I ate the same amount of food and did the same amount of exercise, I started losing muscle and gaining fat.

I finally settled in at:

1640 calories
115g fat (63%)
113g protein
39g carbs

My scale weight did not change for several months. But in October, my testosterone was so low that I could not do any more exercising, and I had to stop. Before you think I was bad for doing that, remember that I had NO testosterone, and I could not build muscle or lose fat in its absence.

In January 2010, I had my body composition done again, and found out that, in the past 5 months, I had gained 4.7 pounds of fat and had lost 3.9 pounds of muscle. My doctor told me that I needed the testosterone implant again, so I got it and started going back to the gym. But after two weeks of lifting weights and doing low level cardio, I became ill and had to stop. I eventually had to have surgery on April 13, 2010, and then I had complications. So I have been inactive.

When I was at the doctor on Tuesday, I found out about my body composition, and had my next implant put in, and had my thyroid replacement increased, because my thyroid is still low. On Wednesday, June 2, I will be released to go back to the gym. I will start lifting again, and doing my low level cardio on the treadmill. I will also be going for walks as often as possible, and my husband and I have decided to start playing tennis and doing some bike riding for fun.

I know I am feeling discouraged, but it has been very hard on me to get my health back and lose fat and build muscle and then have it all taken away in a few months. Although I am 17 pounds lighter in fat than I was when I started in February 2009, I still have gone almost back to the beginning and it's hard.

I was all excited because my body measurements are back to where they were last summer, and then I found out that I was actually "fatter" and it about broke my heart. I feel like it was all that work for nothing.

Thanks, everyone for all of your advice and help. I think that I will go ahead and stay at 1400 calories, but decrease the protein and increase the fat until I can get moving again. So I will shoot for this:

1400 calories
116g fat (74.4%)
60g protein (17.1%) (LBM x 0.7)
30g carbs (8.5%)