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MRMom · 06-06-2009, 08:01 AM

Leigh,

Thanks so much for answering both of my questions directly - that is very very helpful! (And seemingly rare on internet forums - LOL.)

>My insight is if you are really telling the truth about knowing your intake and that your daily intake is really 1000 calories everyday and has been everyday, then there is a big problem and you have a lot to prepare yourself for mentally.

>So I ask, everyday, everyweek, of every month for the past year and a half you have eaten only 1000 calories?

That has REALLY been my intake every day for years - well before the changes I made 18mos ago. I don't have binge days or cheat days (or meals). I don't go to restaurants. If we take the kids to McD's or something I take along my own salad, blah, blah. It horribly s*cks to work so hard and yet still look like someone who doesn't put any time or effort into diet or exercise. And don't even get me started on doctors. I tell them the story and they say something like, "It's hard, isn't it?" and then they're off to the next topic. They seemingly have no clue whatsoever how to deal with this sort of thing.

ANYHOW, this is all complicated by the fact that I'm currently pregnant again (I have 12 weeks left). In my last pregnancy I made the huge mistake of not increasing my calories at all (and then having no where to drop down from afterward). My rationale was if I was gaining (and quickly at that) without adding calories then I'd probably gain 100lbs if I added anything. Anyhow, I didn't make that mistake this time and recently got myself up to 1200 cals/day. Then, when I happened upon the FLTS/MRM I was looking at it as gathering info to have a plan for what do to after the baby is born. However, after further thought I realized that NOW is the golden opportunity to get started on this as I'm supposed to be gaining weight anyway (I'm up 23.5lbs so far, so no lack of gain in spite of the deficit, which is typical for me) and of course the baby could use the extra nutrients.

So last week when I got the MRM I calculated my BMR based on my prepregnancy weight, a 1.2 activity factor,a 35% reduction, and then added the 300 extra calories a day that one is supposed to add for pregnancy.

158lbs = BMR of 1488 x 1.2 = 1785 x .65 = 1160 + 300 = 1460.

So, starting last Thursday I began resting and have been eating at 1460. I assume that almost no one would recommend this for a pregnant woman, and that's why I did not mention it initially. However, given that I am resting more AND eating more on this plan than I was prior to it, it can only be all good for the baby and for myself. And I probably shouldn't have gone from 1200 to 1460 all at once, but I was impatient and hungry, so...

It's been just over a week and I've actually been thoroughly enjoying the rest and the extra food!! AND, I've only gained 1lb!! Now, if I'd gained 5lbs in a week I might not be so enthusiastic - I'm quite certain of that actually. But at this point I'm very encouraged that this could actually work.

Obviously there will be no attempts to lose fat until at least 6 weeks postpartum, but I'm wondering this - after the initial 8 week repair, would it be best to go into another repair or to go straight to maintenance?

Thanks for your time!!

Michelle

06-06-2009, 08:01 AM	#7 (permalink)
MRMom Member Join Date: May 2009 Posts: 86	Leigh, Thanks so much for answering both of my questions directly - that is very very helpful! (And seemingly rare on internet forums - LOL.) >My insight is if you are really telling the truth about knowing your intake and that your daily intake is really 1000 calories everyday and has been everyday, then there is a big problem and you have a lot to prepare yourself for mentally. >So I ask, everyday, everyweek, of every month for the past year and a half you have eaten only 1000 calories? That has REALLY been my intake every day for years - well before the changes I made 18mos ago. I don't have binge days or cheat days (or meals). I don't go to restaurants. If we take the kids to McD's or something I take along my own salad, blah, blah. It horribly s*cks to work so hard and yet still look like someone who doesn't put any time or effort into diet or exercise. And don't even get me started on doctors. I tell them the story and they say something like, "It's hard, isn't it?" and then they're off to the next topic. They seemingly have no clue whatsoever how to deal with this sort of thing. ANYHOW, this is all complicated by the fact that I'm currently pregnant again (I have 12 weeks left). In my last pregnancy I made the huge mistake of not increasing my calories at all (and then having no where to drop down from afterward). My rationale was if I was gaining (and quickly at that) without adding calories then I'd probably gain 100lbs if I added anything. Anyhow, I didn't make that mistake this time and recently got myself up to 1200 cals/day. Then, when I happened upon the FLTS/MRM I was looking at it as gathering info to have a plan for what do to after the baby is born. However, after further thought I realized that NOW is the golden opportunity to get started on this as I'm supposed to be gaining weight anyway (I'm up 23.5lbs so far, so no lack of gain in spite of the deficit, which is typical for me) and of course the baby could use the extra nutrients. So last week when I got the MRM I calculated my BMR based on my prepregnancy weight, a 1.2 activity factor,a 35% reduction, and then added the 300 extra calories a day that one is supposed to add for pregnancy. 158lbs = BMR of 1488 x 1.2 = 1785 x .65 = 1160 + 300 = 1460. So, starting last Thursday I began resting and have been eating at 1460. I assume that almost no one would recommend this for a pregnant woman, and that's why I did not mention it initially. However, given that I am resting more AND eating more on this plan than I was prior to it, it can only be all good for the baby and for myself. And I probably shouldn't have gone from 1200 to 1460 all at once, but I was impatient and hungry, so... It's been just over a week and I've actually been thoroughly enjoying the rest and the extra food!! AND, I've only gained 1lb!! Now, if I'd gained 5lbs in a week I might not be so enthusiastic - I'm quite certain of that actually. But at this point I'm very encouraged that this could actually work. Obviously there will be no attempts to lose fat until at least 6 weeks postpartum, but I'm wondering this - after the initial 8 week repair, would it be best to go into another repair or to go straight to maintenance? Thanks for your time!! Michelle