Back at my family home for summer- scared about losing progress

[tomheadrick]

So since the start of the new year I’ve been in a deficit, eating 1200 cals a day, and I’ve seen great progress. I’ve gone from 59kg to 48kg (I’m 4’10) and I’m so proud of what I’ve done. I’d still like to lose a little more though, or at least maintain, but I’m running into a problem.

I’m a uni student and the only reason I’ve been able to lose this weight is because I’ve been living independently away from my family home. My parents are relatively health conscious, my mum especially is very physically active, but they’re taller than me, eat a lot more than me, and a lot of our family activities involve eating in restaurants and cafes, eating nice home cooked meals, or drinking together in pubs- so a LOT of calories are involved!

It’s not an abnormal amount of food, it’s just more than my body needs, but if I don’t eat what they think is a normal amount of food they get worried- just today I had my mum ask if I was eating properly. It’s a massive struggle, I’m probably consuming like 2000 cals a day when my TDEE is 1500. I am going to talk to my parents about it, but I already know their reaction will be “you don’t need to lose weight you look fine!” And feed me even more it’s sweet but ahhhhhh

How can I survive this summer! I’m here til September when I move out again and getting very stressed lol. I’m thinking to maybe focus on body recomp? Try and cut the cals down a little bit but focus mainly on building some muscle. I’m not sure though if I can keep that up for the whole summer without gaining more fat than I’d like. I really don’t have much experience with building muscle e.g. the kind of cals I would need to eat to sustain that, how much I’d need to work out. Can anyone recommend some good resources for starting out please? Up until now my journey has been very weight loss focused haha.

And just any tips please for keeping on your goals in this kind of situation? Thank you so much !

 

[aabel]

@tomheadrick Spend the summer focused on maintenance! Give your body a break from the low calories you’ve been consuming since January. Focus on protein, fiber, vegetables and getting in daily steps.

 

[lily7]

@tomheadrick Learn to say "no thank you." No one is forcing food down your throat. Yes you might feel some pressure to eat as much as everyone else and drink with everyone else but you don't HAVE to. This is practice in setting your boundaries with them and sticking to those boundaries. They'll adjust their expectations over time. If they question your dieting, explain how much better you're feeling and let them know you're truly okay (if you are). At the same time, allow yourself to have fun and don't miss out on experiences/time you cant get back with loved ones because you're afraid of weight gain. Balance is key. Do your best not to let their words and actions under your skin too much and enjoy your summer home!