So, for the past 5 days, I counted my calories for the first time in 53 weeks. I was curious about my protein intake because I want to gain more muscle and I need to eat around 100 to 120gr of protein to see better results.
These were my calories:
Day 1 - 1842kcal
Day 2 - 1868kcal
Day 3 - 2963kcal (work party with a 3-course meal)
Day 4 - 2100kcal
Day 5 - 1910 kcal
I am pleasantly surprised by my daily calorie intake!! I used to live on 1200kcal a day. Back then, I was tired and hungry all day, and eventually gained all the weight back when I ate more than those 1200 calories. I also struggled with binge eating but not anymore. This morning, I stepped on the scale and I even lost 0,5kg (1lbs) since last week!?
I hope this shows that as a petite you don't need to eat as few calories as possible to lose weight. And I am not blessed with a fast metabolism! I was overweight as a child and even until a year ago, and obesity runs in the family. But now I work out 4-5 times a week for 1,5-2 hours at a time and I walk a lot too and doing those things helped me increase my metabolism.
This is the first time in my life that I lost a significant amount of weight in one year that I didn't regain quickly after eating almost twice the calories I was told to eat by apps like My Fitness Pal or the internet (because I believe that's why we all think we need to eat 1200kcal).
So...walk and move a lot, sign up for that gym and go lift those weights, eat your protein, carbs and fats, sleep 8 hours, and also eat balanced, healthy meals (with occasionally a pizza or cookie). Don't be afraid of calories and don't be restrictive. It will only mess up your metabolism in the long run and you will be more sensitive to binge eating. Food is fuel, not your enemy
Edit: here are my before & after pics (please click the link because I think the preview only shows my before photo!?)
These were my calories:
Day 1 - 1842kcal
Day 2 - 1868kcal
Day 3 - 2963kcal (work party with a 3-course meal)
Day 4 - 2100kcal
Day 5 - 1910 kcal
I am pleasantly surprised by my daily calorie intake!! I used to live on 1200kcal a day. Back then, I was tired and hungry all day, and eventually gained all the weight back when I ate more than those 1200 calories. I also struggled with binge eating but not anymore. This morning, I stepped on the scale and I even lost 0,5kg (1lbs) since last week!?
I hope this shows that as a petite you don't need to eat as few calories as possible to lose weight. And I am not blessed with a fast metabolism! I was overweight as a child and even until a year ago, and obesity runs in the family. But now I work out 4-5 times a week for 1,5-2 hours at a time and I walk a lot too and doing those things helped me increase my metabolism.
This is the first time in my life that I lost a significant amount of weight in one year that I didn't regain quickly after eating almost twice the calories I was told to eat by apps like My Fitness Pal or the internet (because I believe that's why we all think we need to eat 1200kcal).
So...walk and move a lot, sign up for that gym and go lift those weights, eat your protein, carbs and fats, sleep 8 hours, and also eat balanced, healthy meals (with occasionally a pizza or cookie). Don't be afraid of calories and don't be restrictive. It will only mess up your metabolism in the long run and you will be more sensitive to binge eating. Food is fuel, not your enemy
Edit: here are my before & after pics (please click the link because I think the preview only shows my before photo!?)