What did you eat today?

[goldfinch]

Goldfinch, I am also small, though not as small as you. I found that it's virtually impossible to maintain my normal weight, exercise, and have enough energy on the amount of calories you are consuming. So, while I am not trying to lose now, I have been there, and I can say that losing a pound a week is just too tough for people who are small.
One of the things that works for me, is to periodically "mix up" or trick my body by changing how I eat. Like, do dinner for breakfast, concentrate on more protein, etc. I also have to trick my body with different kinds of exercise. That might mean nothing more than hiking a couple of days a week, or brisk walking, yoga with some brief cardio warm up, and weights/core work. Your body is a very efficient machine and is going to learn to survive on 1100 calories a day. Perhaps you should see a nutritionist. I know that at my activity level, I need to eat at least 2,000 calories a day, even though in theory, it looks like I should be able to survive on 1200. On high activity days, I probably eat more than that. My weight is stable within 3-4 lbs., but it took upping the protein and watching carbs on days I am less active.

Heh - I was about ready to freak out on you about not eating enough until you said the above. I know a number of small women who really struggle to keep a deficit when trying to lose. Yeah a 400 calorie bar will definitely destroy your totals...but really, I probably would have just eaten as normal for the rest of the day and let that be a 'surplus' day instead. Don't make yourself miserable to make the numbers! It won't leave you with enough energy to function and certainly not to exercise...and then your burn suffers and it's a vicious cycle!

How long have you been in a deficit? I ask because if it's been a long time, it may be time for a maintenance period and a bit of a 'refeed'. You may be able to reset your metabolism at a higher level if you give yourself a month or so of eating at maintenance or slightly above. You won't lose and you may gain a small amount, but then when you start cutting back again, you'll likely be able to lose more while eating more than you are now.

I have been running a deficit since the end of December, 2010. I have lost now 38 pounds, which is close to 25% of my starting weight of 158. At not quite 4'11" that put me well within the obese category. I am down to about 120, which is about a pound a week. At first I exercised not at all strenuously, but walking a fair amount. In the spring I really kicked it up when I started to bike.

I know a fair amount about nutrition and have read quite a bit pf the science about diet. I started low carb and worked up to adding carbs. My appetite is less on low carb but as far as a diet I can eat forever, I needed to add more carbs to make me happy. But I minimize rice and flour, I rarely eat bread, and my carbs are mostly from fruit which I truly love. I try to mix it up and in the last month I've allowed myself days where I eat just about anything and close to how much I want. I also vary my calories so that I average 1250-1300 a week. Some days are less. Some are more. Frankly, it is easier for me to be somewhat rigid and stick to an exact count. I vary it though to take into account activity and to try to stay out of starvation mode. Given that my weight loss has been without plateaus it has worked well.

For the most part I am ok with energy. I take walnuts and an apple on long rides. Someone here posted about making bars out of dates and cashews (not exactly low carb!) and I make them once in a while as a 100 calorie energy boost. But it has been hard kicking up the exercise and still doing weight loss. Research shows that exercise really increases the appetite and that people on weight loss diets often overestimate the calories they are burning through exercise and then over eat as a result. I am mindful of that. But being hungry lately has been a struggle.

I have thought though about taking a month off to see how maintenance will go, see if it helps kick up my metabolism by helping me build up some muscle, be less hungry and see if it helps give me even more energy for exercise. A month ago I had the goal of only losing a half a pound a week and upped my calories. This ended up causing some fluxuations, with some weeks more than a pound loss and one week with close to a pound gain. I am only 10 pounds from my goal weight. Actually, my goal is a body fat goal and I am still too high on my rough measures of body fat, just barely within normal and far from being athletic.

I also have added more walking and am doing my core exercises religiously. When I am in one place for while I am thinking of doing the couch to 5K program and some kind of work with weights, which is hard to do when living in a motorhome and traveling about.

[Crankin]

The body fat goal will be affected more (positively!) by the weight training than by diet.
It sounds like you are doing pretty much what I do, but on a much more stringent basis. The kickstarting your metabolism is exactly what I did by changing to a lower carb diet and changing my exercise patterns to rely less on just aerobic stuff. But, at this time of year, I mostly just ride and do a little core work. Just protein doesn't help me on rides, although I do eat those little packets of nuts and cranberries from Trader Joe's, sometimes, in place of a Luna Bar. But, on days I do really long or hard rides, my appetite is up a lot (after the ride) and I just eat. I don't eat junk, so it doesn't really affect my weight. I gain the same 1-2 lbs over the weekend and they are gone by Tuesday.
When I was in my thirties, I weighed about 92 pounds as a result of teaching 7 aerobics classes a week and eating really small breakfasts and lunches, on a diet high in complex carbs. That stopped working as I got closer to 40. By the time I was 45 I was 20 pounds overweight. I started cycling at age 47 and tweaking my diet. I've been at about the same weight for ten years, which is pretty much what I weighed in high school (106-107). Since i am almost 58, I am happy, but it takes constant vigilance to keep it in control.

[goldfinch]

The body fat goal will be affected more (positively!) by the weight training than by diet.
It sounds like you are doing pretty much what I do, but on a much more stringent basis. The kickstarting your metabolism is exactly what I did by changing to a lower carb diet and changing my exercise patterns to rely less on just aerobic stuff. But, at this time of year, I mostly just ride and do a little core work. Just protein doesn't help me on rides, although I do eat those little packets of nuts and cranberries from Trader Joe's, sometimes, in place of a Luna Bar. But, on days I do really long or hard rides, my appetite is up a lot (after the ride) and I just eat. I don't eat junk, so it doesn't really affect my weight. I gain the same 1-2 lbs over the weekend and they are gone by Tuesday.
When I was in my thirties, I weighed about 92 pounds as a result of teaching 7 aerobics classes a week and eating really small breakfasts and lunches, on a diet high in complex carbs. That stopped working as I got closer to 40. By the time I was 45 I was 20 pounds overweight. I started cycling at age 47 and tweaking my diet. I've been at about the same weight for ten years, which is pretty much what I weighed in high school (106-107). Since i am almost 58, I am happy, but it takes constant vigilance to keep it in control.

I weighed about 90-95 pounds when I was in college and for a few years after but starting in the early 80s I started slowly putting on the weigh. I wish I would have started riding 10 years ago and looking at my diet then! But, it never is too late for healthy habits. I figure that constant vigilance will be the rest of my life.

[GLC1968]

The body fat goal will be affected more (positively!) by the weight training than by diet.

I wholeheartedly disagree, actually. Diet is king for body recomposition. Weight training is key for adding lean mass (or maintaining it), but you cannot add appreciable lean mass in a deficit. You can manage it with a cyclical type intake (days in surplus, days in deficit), but it must be very controlled and it's not for everyone.

Weight training is very, very important for maintaining your lean mass while losing body fat, but the nutrition is the more critical factor for fat loss.

Goldfinch - awesome job with the weight loss so far! Those last 10 are usually the hardest to get off (I've never done it!), so don't give up. It sounds like you have really done your homework.

[GLC1968]

yesterday ~

B: smoothie - 1.5 c spinach, 2/3 c blackberries, 2/3 c raw goats milk, 1/2 banana, 1 scoop protein powder

L: grilled seasoned chicken breast, steamed zucchini

D: grilled seasoned chicken breast, sauteed zucchini, roasted sweet potatoes

Snacks: 3 medjool dates, 2 handfuls of mixed nuts, 2 plums

Today:
B: apple and a smoothie - 1.5 c spinach, 1/2 c blueberries, 1/3 c cherries, 2/3 c raw goats milk, 1/2 banana, 1 scoop protein powder

L: grilled seasoned chicken breast, sauteed zucchini, roasted sweet potatoes

D: halibut, cuke/tomato salad, grilled zucchini, sauteed broccoli

Snacks: 3 medjool dates, handful of mixed nuts, 2 plums, carrots and snap peas

[Crankin]

Sorry, GLC, I guess I had my science mixed up. But, I know that weight loss is easier for me when I am doing resistance work. My body fat % rarely changes unless I totally stop moving for a few days! I guess that my whole point is that sometimes we get so caught up in the endurance stuff, we forget the other.
I guess it's a good thing that the 2 times I had to lose weight, and also after my pregnancies, I was able to lose weight my way, because I could not be so caught up in calorie counting, etc. I upped my exercise, cut portions a little, and cut out the carbs. The first time I had to lose weight, after college, I was not exercising, more than a little walking and some calisthenics. It took me a year to lose 25 pounds. Slow and steady. But, that's when I cut out the junk food and started eating right. I just can't deprive myself that much!

[GLC1968]

But, I know that weight loss is easier for me when I am doing resistance work.

I totally agree! And you are absolutely right - in the midst of endurance training, we often neglect weight training and its so important.

I think for me, the biggest benefit of resistance training (besides making me feel stronger all around) is the whole 'mix it up' factor. If I do all of one thing, loss always stagnates quickly. I need lots of variety in my activities to keep me 1) enjoying it and 2) actively losing.

[goldfinch]

I can't find the cite so my memory may be faulty. . .

I believe that if I ingest at least my basal metabolic rate worth of calories I am unlikely to lose muscle when dieting. I recall a study comparing dieters that were and were not exercising and also comparing the type of exercise, aerobic or aerobic plus resistance training. All lost fat not muscle. But the reason likely was that the diet did not severely restrict calories.

But I agree with you folks, mixing it up on the exercise front is good. For motivation and for health.