5'5 post menopausal, mod active, no thyroid

[Anonymous]

Please tell me what my calories per day should be to lose 12 lbs in 4 or 5 months.

I walk 3 miles a day- with weights.
Weights 3x a week
Otherwise moderately active

I am losing weight VERY SLOWLY on 1200 to 1300 calories, maybe 2 lbs in 3 months, sometimes 4 months. I'm not going under 1200, but maybe I should!

All the apps say different things.

[Anonymous]

What is your current weight and goal weight? I'm 5'6 and could never eat that little. I'm also post-menopausal. Can you post your typical diet? Also, are you taking any HRT? How is your sleep?

[Anonymous]

are you drinking alcohol? cut that out and you will drop weight

[Anonymous]

Ok, current weight is 160- want to be 145. Weight is dropping maybe 1 or 2 lbs every 3 or 4 months! Ridiculous. I have no metabolism it seems. People have said to eat more. When I do- weight shoots up and does not leave.

am: either an egg and egg white with vegetables and one slice of toast, blueberries OR yogurt OR yogurt, almond milk and protein powder with a few blueberries( 2 to 3 x a week)

Lunch- sliced vegetables, a piece of fruit, maybe a slice of cheese

pm- all vegetarian, beans, lentil dishes, vegetables.A slice of sourdough maybe 3 times a week. Salad every night. Low calorie dressing. Pasta maybe 2x a month. We rarely go out to eat. A treat is a slice of pizza once a month or so. A dessert treat might be ice cream- rarely. Gave up desserts a long time ago.
Calories per day, usually 1200 to 1400 on a big day. No alcohol at all.

Not on HRT- that ship sailed a long time ago, also never a candidate.

[Anonymous]

I don’t think you are eating too much, but you might be eating a few too many carbs and not enough protein.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don’t think you are eating too much, but you might be eating a few too many carbs and not enough protein.

Where are the carbs? No bread ever, I guess.

[Anonymous]

You should definitely go some days under 1200 if you are not particularly active those days, or to give your metabolisim a jolt.

It does sound like you need to limit your carbs more, unfortunately.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Ok, current weight is 160- want to be 145. Weight is dropping maybe 1 or 2 lbs every 3 or 4 months! Ridiculous. I have no metabolism it seems. People have said to eat more. When I do- weight shoots up and does not leave.

am: either an egg and egg white with vegetables and one slice of toast, blueberries OR yogurt OR yogurt, almond milk and protein powder with a few blueberries( 2 to 3 x a week)

Lunch- sliced vegetables, a piece of fruit, maybe a slice of cheese

pm- all vegetarian, beans, lentil dishes, vegetables.A slice of sourdough maybe 3 times a week. Salad every night. Low calorie dressing. Pasta maybe 2x a month. We rarely go out to eat. A treat is a slice of pizza once a month or so. A dessert treat might be ice cream- rarely. Gave up desserts a long time ago.
Calories per day, usually 1200 to 1400 on a big day. No alcohol at all.

Not on HRT- that ship sailed a long time ago, also never a candidate.

What kind of exercise are you doing? I follow a similar diet (less bread though) and am not on HRT, but I do workout 1.5-2 hours a day, 6-7x a week, plus daily walking of 1-3 miles.

[Anonymous]

One piece of bread a day is too many carbs?
The blueberries?

Fruit has the fiber, and really I put like 10 blueberries in that smoothie- there's no other sugar. A tangerine occasionally? No?

[Anonymous]

I would look into meds- Ozempic etc.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don’t think you are eating too much, but you might be eating a few too many carbs and not enough protein.

Where are the carbs? No bread ever, I guess.

Beans and legumes have a ton of carbs.

[Anonymous]

I'm a 44 year old (premenopausal) female with no thyroid, but stable on Synthroid - towards the lower end of the TSH range.

For year after my surgery, I gained weight on my previous typically American diet, even on the max dose of thyroid hormone, one that essentially makes me hyperthyroid. So I came to realize that all the usual calorie advice is wrong for me. I needed to eat less than 1200 calories every day, and stay moderately active at minimum, to get back to a weight that feels healthier. Ever since I accepted that fact, I have lost weight and am nearly at my goal. I was very happy to be able to fit into my old skirts from before my thyroid surgery.

My new diet is for reducing calories but also becoming healthier in general. I avoid eating refined carbs unless I have the occasional morning pastry or lunch with friends. I eat lean meats, no added fats or sugar (apart from the occasional chocolate square), and a small amount of whole grains. Whole fruits and veggies. No cheese and limited milk and yogurt (which is hard because I love those). I don't miss the standard white pasta/rice/bread at all, and actually prefer oats/barley/farro/buckwheat/lentils etc. I never add butter or oil and don't eat standard ice cream, cakes or cookies - I find them too sweet. On special occasions such as birthdays, I'll bake my own desserts, with one-third the amount of sugar, which is so much tastier.

[Anonymous]

I have almost exactly the same stats and my weight is pretty steady at about 1400-1450 a day. When I was more down at 1200-1300 I was losing 2-3 pounds a month.
Maybe something you’re eating is mislabeled on calories? I’m thinking of that Seinfeld with the delicious frozen yogurt place that was lying about the calories….

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have almost exactly the same stats and my weight is pretty steady at about 1400-1450 a day. When I was more down at 1200-1300 I was losing 2-3 pounds a month.
Maybe something you’re eating is mislabeled on calories? I’m thinking of that Seinfeld with the delicious frozen yogurt place that was lying about the calories….

No, nothing is mislabeled.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don’t think you are eating too much, but you might be eating a few too many carbs and not enough protein.

Where are the carbs? No bread ever, I guess.

Beans and legumes have a ton of carbs.

I am a vegetarian, and those are my protein sources.