Quote:
Originally Posted by Puxlut
Before I was pregnant I was on a diet that I ate any where from 1200-1800 calories a day and didn't lose alot of weight. I guess it had to do with what I was eating? (but if I remember right I was living on eggs and salads with the odd treat here and there...) I guess I'll "weight" and see what happens with my metabolism and the breastfeeding. I haven't been able to do any major excercise yet (still healing) so when I can start that, I should be ok.
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1200 is very low. I calculated my wife's (she is ~98 lbs and 5'1" if I am generous
) as a point of reference and her BMR (meaning what she would burn just lying in bed pretty much) was ~1250. I used 1.55 for her activity level (she works out intensely 3 times a week and is very active otherwise with work and kids) and I think it was ~1930 or something. She almost never logs her food, but the logs I did find averaged out to about ~1850, but they are a little old. I am sure it is a little higher now as she upped her food intake as she had stalled on some of her lifts and she then was able to continue progress.
The types of food are very important. Not all calories are created equal. Eggs and salad are great however and if most of your calories that you consumed were of that type (good amount of protien, healthy fats with carbs coming from whole foods like fruits and vegetables) then I would suspect you were not eating enough. I obviously do not know your height and weight and activity level, but I am sure you did the calculations correctly and like I said I would start at that and see how your body responds after 1 or 2 weeks. Log your food during this period to see exactly how much you are eating and what the macro nutrient breakdown is. You can then adjust accordingly. Try to have a little protein and fat at each meal as this will slow the release of glucose (sugar from carbs usually) into the blood stream. Picking low GI or more importantly low GL (Glycemic Index) carbs helps (this is where fruits (especially berries) and vegetables top the list - they also contain a ton of nutrients you do not get from processed foods).
A good explanation of fat loss and hormones involved:
http://www.fitnessspotlight.com/univ...et-secrets.htm
Depending on the types of food one is used to it can be quite a change to go to a diet that is more primal/paleo based. The first 3 weeks can be challenging because you are used to a lot more carbs as energy and you are switching to fat as an energy source.
Just so you are aware I get most of my information from these sites (and some personal experience and the experience of others)
http://www.marksdailyapple.com/
http://www.fitnessspotlight.com/
http://robbwolf.com/
http://www.board.crossfit.com/forumdisplay.php?f=8
Some people's personal experiences on how they have or are losing weight (some of them use the zone diet, which I would not really try while pregnant/nursing as it is a bit of a caloric restriction diet as it is and does not take into account nursing/needs of the baby)
http://www.board.crossfit.com/forumdisplay.php?f=15
http://www.board.crossfit.com/showthread.php?t=40093
http://www.board.crossfit.com/showthread.php?t=36565
http://www.board.crossfit.com/showthread.php?t=38806
I hope this helps!