Well that's quite the surprise... (weight)

[thistlechaser]

On my last post, elfy had the good suggestion to record my eating -- to use an app to count calories and track my intake. I knew I should be doing that (everyone underestimates the calories they eat), but I didn't want to... But I buckled down and decided to download an app (MyFitnessPal) and count my calories.

The app suggested 1,500 would be a better amount of calories per day than 1,200. I'm undecided on that, but the point was moot... My first day tracking, at the end of the day, I came in at barely 800 calories. o.O

I gleefully ate an extra protein bar (Quest Bars, SO GOOD!) and pondered things.

Eating too few calories can slow your weight loss down, so maybe that's been my issue these last couple months...

All in all, this is about the best "problem" one could have diet-wise.

Oddly, I find that I like tracking all the food I eat, it's interesting to see the exact numbers per meal, per day, etc.

It's also odd how different my head is now. When I realized I had 335 calories for breakfast (Quest bar, half an apple, sugarfree hot chocolate), I almost fainted thinking that was so many calories.

I hope this post doesn't come off as a humblebrag. I'm more surprised at this than anything else.

Comments

[gconnor.livejournal.com]

I do like MyFitnessPal because it also gives nutrient info. Even if you are not trying to hit specific macro numbers, it is interesting to see the average macros at the end of the week, and take note of how you feel and how well your plan is working.

I do agree that not eating enough calories can cause weight loss to stall. I had a similar issue from restricting calories too low for too long.

If you increase calories, you will probably increase total carbs. This may cause your weight to go up a couple pounds of just water weight. Not a huge deal, just be aware of it. I have found that 200 calories of just carbs will cause my weight to go up 1 pound. If you are just adding fats and protein and keeping carb grams the same you probably won't get water weight gain.
Good luck.

[thistle-chaser.livejournal.com]

Thanks for the thoughts! When I'm having a low calorie day, I've been eating an extra protein bar. 20 grams of protein, under 200 calories, and 4 carbs. While it's not "real food", it seems like the best option (plus they taste so good, I never mind eating one).