Ok vets - time to help me out

For the last 6-8 weeks or so, Ive been doing about 800 cal/ and low carb. For the first time since surgery. I got a little desperate and impatient trying to get my weight down and get closer to goal. But, I am/was miserable and I had absolutely no energy to work out. So, now I need help figuring out plan B. My problem before this little adventure is that I was fooling myself into thinking that I needed more cals/carbs than I really did and I think it really slowed my WL down even with my workouts and what not.

Soo...I have no idea where to start. I'm thinking that maybe 1100-1200 cal/day and 70-80 g of carbs in conjunction with 60-90 min of exercise a day? (or at least 4-5x a week) I am considering having more complex carbs for breakfast, a few carbs for lunch, and primarily protein for dinner/post workouts. I dont know yet whether I will be working out in the mornings or evenings or some combo, but all I know is I need more energy and a plan because I feel a little lost right now.

My goal right now is to train for some events this summer, get in good shape for PS in November, and try to maintain a slow and steady loss through out this. I am trying to get down another 20 lbs before November, so if I average 1-2 lbs per week, i'd be pretty satisfied with that.

Any thoughts? The 800 cal thing was "fun" for a minute, but I can't...do it.

No advice, but I wonder if you should have a dexa scan done so you can find out your BMR? Then at least you'll know what calorie rate you're dealing with.

 Ive thought about it, but I'm kind of worried about how much my excess skin weighs and how much it might affect it? I know the scale tells me im close to 200 lbs, but realistically...I don't know. 

I had the test done with the little electrodes all over my body in March and it told me my BMR was 2200. Which is BS because I was eating about 1400-1600 cal when I was doing most of my heavy work outs/cycling and I wasn't losing much weight at that point (maybe 5-7 lbs a month?). But then again, I think my body just wants to do whatever it feels like and maybe i'm some freak of nature that loses weights without regards to caloric input/output? Okay..just kidding :)  


I definitely think I will get it done post PS  - 

I'm sure my metabolism if FUBAR after years of trying every crazy diet known to man.... a normal person with my stats and activity and age could probably eat 2000+ calories a day and be fine.  I guess I shouldn't grumble with my 1500-1800, huh?  Could be worse.

I have no idea if the lose skin will interfere... that's an interesting thought and I'd like to know the answer if you find out.

Is is BS? If you were running a deficit of about 600 calories a day and wouldn't that work out to about 5 lbs a month? I guess there should be more than 2 more lbs a month from all of your working out though.

Idk...math was never my strongest suit.

I think you're out of my league too.
I understand the complexity of the carbs/protein while working out and still wanting to lose some fat but don't know the answer to what you're looking for.

this is the best I got

I know I stay at about 1400 calories a day with a max of 80 grams of carbs. This is more for maintenance weight. I drop the carbs to 40 and the cals to 1000 and I lose weight. Not a lot but about a pound in a week.

If I run a lot, 5 miles a day is a lot for me, then I don't count carbs but I keep them simple. Green veggies, some nuts,  a little fruit, I also make choices that are low calorie so I can keep the cal count down.

Personally, I find the simplest solution is to keep cooked meat handy. I eat a couple ounces whenever I am hungry. That kills any desire to eat anything else. Then I eat some dried cherries before/after a run so I keep up my energy levels. So far it's working. But I don't know why or how.

donna

 LOL im not really out of anyone's league. I might be in a league of my own...but don't count me out yet. 

Thanks for your input. 

I'm not vet, but krazydoglady posted (sorry, I couldn't find the post) about the amount of protein our body needs to trigger weight loss.

I'll try to paraphrase from memory, but maybe she'll come by and post it again for you.

So, our bodies need 83-100% of the total amount we will weigh at goal. I want to weight 135, so I need between 112 and 135 grams of protein a day. I need to keep my carbs under 30 if possible (I'm usually between 30-35).

I've been doing this and my calories have been about 1000-1200/day. I use 1-2 shakes to get my protein that high.

I'm in a stall right now, so I can't really tell if it's working for weight loss, but I can tell you that I feel 100% better. I work out a lot and 800 calories doesn't give me near what I need in a day.

I hope this helps.

I am only parroting Dr. Cirangle now, or what I think he might tell you.  So with that caveat, here goes.  I want to know what percentage of your calories at 800 calories a day came from protein and how much came from carbs. If you are eating more than 40 grams of carbs a day, I am pretty sure you would need to cup them down.  He doesn't really believe in increasing calories unless you are exercising more than an hour (very intensely) a day.  If you are, then I would go to 1000-1200 calories and still keep the carbs very low.  This means that you would be eating more protein and more fats.  I would also contact MacMadame and see what she will tell you, as she is the athlete in our bunch that has had the most one-on one time with Dr. Cirangle about these matters. 

I know I should continue with the low carb thing...but I just don't know if I can. Even after 6 weeks, I couldn't function or find the energy to do much...even after a couple days of carbs, it makes a huge difference in my energy and abilty to push myself, but I need to find a balancing point. I know I don't need 100g of carbs to go workout but 40 isnt quite cutting it. 

I think maybe i'm just more in a mental funk and don't wanna do this anymore. Blahhh.