I recently gained 10 pounds. My "normal" weight is 140. I'm 5'9". Having been on the McDougall diet for over 3 years, I was astounded to have learned that I gained weight. It sort of crept up on me. And this was without oils. I think the culprit was over eating, too much tofu, empty calories via sugars (agave, dates, "healthy" sweet treats).
Anyway, I'm using the CRON-o-METER to help me gauge where I'm at with fat consumption, and calories. I can't seem to get below 1900 calories without feeling very tired and extremely cold, to the point of shivering. I'm meeting all of my nutrient needs (vitamins, minerals, fiber, and protein) with 1900 calories, but I'm wondering if the deficiency in calories is causing the tiredness and cold. I hear about others getting down to 1200 calories a day, and I could not imagine that! I'd have to sleep all day if I did that.
I wear sweaters (sometimes doubling up), and socks, drink hot tea, and keep my thermostat at 68, and I still feel cold if I restrict my calories. I've found when I'm feeling very tired, it's usually after not having eaten for 4 or 5 hours and my total daily calories are pretty low. As soon as I eat, I warm up, I have energy, and I'm ready to go about my day.
I should also note I also nurse my 17 month old baby, three times a day and exercise about an hour a day (I also run around taking care of my two other young children), so I am pretty active.
Does anyone have any thoughts on this? I would like to lose weight but it's discouraging if I can't lose the weight because I'm not able to get my calorie count down due to this fatigue/cold issue.
I understand the MWL approach of eating only unprocessed plants, and I do that, but I'm afraid that I will not lose the weight I need if I don't also pay attention to my caloric intake as well, considering that I gained weight eating the McDougall diet because I wasn't paying attention.
Hope this makes sense, and I'd love to hear from any of you (especially breast feeding moms!)
