Is 2000 calories enough (for a sedentary woman) ?

[French.cat]

Hi everyone !

First of all : I'm a 31 years old, 64,9 inch, 136,6 lbs, sedentary (1 hour of walk per day) female (pardon my English). I've attached photos of my body so that you can see how I look.


Well, I'm new to peat's idea... discovered through How to Heal your Metabolism by Kate Deering. Great book by the way !
I've started "peating" more or less a week ago, in order to raise up my metabolism, and heal from mental disorders (lifelong).

Here are my issues :

- Anxiety
- Depression
- Insomnia
- Stored body fat (especially on my legs and butt, I guess it's an oestrogen dominance... )
- ADHD

I've been trying to avoid PUFA's in my meals, get some saturated fat in my plate, and I drink 1L of OJ and 1L of milk as my main drinks ! I've lowered muscle meat, stopped most of the grains (except rice sometimes, or sourdough bread) and I don't buy industrial s*it anymore, except my lovely Coco Pops but I think the ingredients are fine

I'm on board for only a week now, and I have to say I'm already delighted by the fact I FINALLY CAN SLEEP (!!!!!) and don't have much anxiety left, except when I skip the breakfast.
Salty starch (mostly potatoes) with a bit of butter help me (A LOT) to sleep, so well... I assume I've a BIG cortisol problem. My ADHD is getting under control as far as I'm getting enough protein with my meals (around 20 to 30) and not starving myself.

On Iherb, I've ordered some thyroid glandular, pregnelonone and thiamine to help me with glucose oxydation, estrogen dominance and (still) low body heat.

I'm on day 7 and things are getting great. The help I've received from all you since I've posted THIS THREAD is amazing, and I'm truly grateful for it. I know way more about nutrition within 7 days that I've known my entire life! Thanks again !

My only problem is that I am a bit concerned about my weight.

Because I'm sedentary, I think I should have around 2000 kcal...if I were already healthy.

Unfortunately, I feel like eating a lot now... Not a ton of food, but like twice the amount of food I used to eat, that is to say about 3000 KCAL on daily bases. Yes, I used to get around 1600 kcal a day... always cold, lifelong depressed, no concentration...Do you get the picture ?

My new goal in life is to be a nutrition advisor, and I want to do the best for me before helping people. I don't want to be obese !!

Do you think that I should let myself eat till my metabolism gets well again (after 15 years of injuries, eating disorders and chronic dieting) or should I practice calorie restriction ?

The ratios I try to follow are 60 % carbs, 20 % protein and 20 % fat for my 2000 kcal intake but I have to admit that I find it very hard to stick to it. 20 % of fat for 2000 kcal is only 44 gr !!!
I'm ok with 80, but less than that I don't feel full enough, and I don't wanna raise my protein intake over 100 gr a day because I think it's the best amount for me. Otherwise, I get nauseous (my liver is clearly tired )

Thanks for your help

Love,

Frenchcat

P.S : I am quite insecure with my body so please be nice, and don't insult me !

 

[youngsinatra]

First and foremost, your body looks healthy on the outside - slim and in shape. I can’t see why you think that you have excess fat on your legs and glutes. You have a great feminine body and structure!

I’d definitely eat according to your hunger signal (appetite is not hunger tho) when you are recovering from chronic dieting and high cortisol issues. Sufficient caloric intake is also important if you are taking metabolic stimulants. (you mentioned thyoid etc.) If you increase the metabolic rate, without sufficient fuel in the tank so to say, your body gets pushed into the stressed state aswell.

 

[LuMonty]

What kind of protein have you tried? My wife also doesn't like having muscle meat unless she must, and she likes whole milk, cheese and hard-boiled eggs for protein when she can. Over the last several years she has been able to tolerate more muscle meat but still prefers the other foods I mentioned if they're available.

 

[youngsinatra]

Just wanted to add another thing and that is that I would recommend to eat more solid instead of liquid foods. I never really feel satisfied, well-fueld for long with a liquid meal. I also tend to get hungry, a bit shaky (slight hypoglycemic dip) an hour or two after I consumed liquid meals. (I almost never do this anymore)

 

[French.cat]

First and foremost, your body looks healthy on the outside - slim and in shape. I can’t see why you think that you have excess fat on your legs and glutes. You have a great feminine body and structure!

I’d definitely eat according to your hunger signal (appetite is not hunger tho) when you are recovering from chronic dieting and high cortisol issues. Sufficient caloric intake is also important if you are taking metabolic stimulants. (you mentioned thyoid etc.) If you increase the metabolic rate, without sufficient fuel in the tank so to say, your body gets pushed into the stressed state aswell.

Hey thanks for your reply
Actually I have really painfull cellulite for a long time ago (10 years). My thoughts about this is that I’ve overconsumed PUFA ´s my entire life AND I suffer from really bad blood circulation. It’s a pity you can’t see my « real legs » but they are fill with horrible varices and holes of cellulite

 

[French.cat]

What kind of protein have you tried? My wife also doesn't like having muscle meat unless she must, and she likes whole milk, cheese and hard-boiled eggs for protein when she can. Over the last several years she has been able to tolerate more muscle meat but still prefers the other foods I mentioned if they're available.

Thank you for the answer.

I have the same preferences as your wife ! she rocks haha

I like chicken but I’m afraid to worsen my «leg situation » (cellulite) because of PuFA so I don’t buy it anymore. I only have red organic meat once in two days. The rest of my protein is milk cheese ans eggs as Well. I’ve tried raw versions of my favorite dairies but they are not afordable for me...
so I m looking over the best labels, and ask informations about the animal diet when I can ! I am really concern about the quality of my food (exception for coco pops haha)!

Ps : i tried scallops in spite of the price and that tasted good. I had 4 of them. I felt warm after digestion, and that was east to digest but... well... the price

 

[French.cat]

Just wanted to add another thing and that is that I would recommend to eat more solid instead of liquid foods. I never really feel satisfied, well-fueld for long with a liquid meal. I also tend to get hungry, a bit shaky (slight hypoglycemic dip) an hour or two after I consumed liquid meals. (I almost never do this anymore)

Ok ! I personnaly do good on milk and OJ, they feed me pretty well they stopped my sugar cravings... but it’s really easy to overeat on them, indeed.

 

[LuMonty]

Thank you for the answer.

I have the same preferences as your wife ! she rocks haha

I like chicken but I’m afraid to worsen my «leg situation » (cellulite) because of PuFA so I don’t buy it anymore. I only have red organic meat once in two days. The rest of my protein is milk cheese ans eggs as Well. I’ve tried raw versions of my favorite dairies but they are not afordable for me...
so I m looking over the best labels, and ask informations about the animal diet when I can ! I am really concern about the quality of my food (exception for coco pops haha)!

Ps : i tried scallops in spite of the price and that tasted good. I had 4 of them. I felt warm after digestion, and that was east to digest but... well... the price

Scallops are great but we also don't eat them much due to price. As for chicken, we use an "air fryer" which is really just a low power convection oven. The chicken drains its fat onto a tray below so the fat left is minimal. As for cellulite specifically I'd say probably 95% of hers is gone, but she has been eating this way for nearly 7 years alongside thyroid progesterone, and taurine. In fact, she loves taurine and it really did help her eat and digest better.

 

[French.cat]

Scallops are great but we also don't eat them much due to price. As for chicken, we use an "air fryer" which is really just a low power convection oven. The chicken drains its fat onto a tray below so the fat left is minimal. As for cellulite specifically I'd say probably 95% of hers is gone, but she has been eating this way for nearly 7 years alongside thyroid progesterone, and taurine. In fact, she loves taurine and it really did help her eat and digest better.

Oh my ! I look forward to try Thyroid, and pregnelonone (some is converted in progesterone ) ! I have a daily carrot as well, to get rid of the endotoxins that might be responsable of my slow digestion...and to try to lowering my oestrogens... taurine helps the digestion ? But does it also raise the cortisol ? That’s what I’ve been told lately.

 

[LuMonty]

Oh my ! I look forward to try Thyroid, and pregnelonone (some is converted in progesterone ) ! I have a daily carrot as well, to get rid of the endotoxins that might be responsable of my slow digestion...and to try to lowering my oestrogens... taurine helps the digestion ? But does it also raise the cortisol ? That’s what I’ve been told lately.

Taurine helps bile flow which is good for digestion in many ways. Until my wife used it, fatty food would always cause some sort of issues and she'ds have no way to maintain consistent blood sugar. So with after using taurine for awhile, her bile got better and fat was actually being used. I noticed she was having a bad time taking it, whcih is probably the cortisol issue you've mentioned, so I told her to always take it with food, which made it tolerable.

 

[Peatress]

You made quick progress by improving sleep - you are heading in the right direction. May I suggest holding off on thyroid and pregnelone for a little while to see how you adjust to regular eating. Those two supplement will ramp up your metabolism and my cause stress like @youngsinatra said.

I think the thiamine (perhaps a b complex) is a good idea. It can be helpful for refeeding

Refeeding Syndrome - StatPearls - NCBI Bookshelf

 

[French.cat]

You made quick progress by improving sleep - you are heading in the right direction. May I suggest holding off on thyroid and pregnelone for a little while to see how you adjust to regular eating. Those two supplement will ramp up your metabolism and my cause stress like @youngsinatra said.

I think the thiamine (perhaps a b complex) is a good idea. It can be helpful for refeeding

Refeeding Syndrome - StatPearls - NCBI Bookshelf

Actually i just bought my supplements on Iherb but did not try them yet my order should arrive in a few days now.
I’ll start With 50 mg pregnelonone and 1/2 grain of thyroid gland. For B1 i don’t know ! I just though it’s a major help yes, especialy for refeeding while eating High carb ! I’ve read a recent thread about how a B1 deficiency could lead to unability of the liver to metabolise glucose properly and that look like diabet symptoms such as blurry vision, fatigue or brain fog after carb consumption, and I have all the panel

 

[Regina]

Hi everyone !

First of all : I'm a 31 years old, 64,9 inch, 136,6 lbs, sedentary (1 hour of walk per day) female (pardon my English). I've attached photos of my body so that you can see how I look.


Well, I'm new to peat's idea... discovered through How to Heal your Metabolism by Kate Deering. Great book by the way !
I've started "peating" more or less a week ago, in order to raise up my metabolism, and heal from mental disorders (lifelong).

Here are my issues :

- Anxiety
- Depression
- Insomnia
- Stored body fat (especially on my legs and butt, I guess it's an oestrogen dominance... )
- ADHD

I've been trying to avoid PUFA's in my meals, get some saturated fat in my plate, and I drink 1L of OJ and 1L of milk as my main drinks ! I've lowered muscle meat, stopped most of the grains (except rice sometimes, or sourdough bread) and I don't buy industrial s*it anymore, except my lovely Coco Pops but I think the ingredients are fine

I'm on board for only a week now, and I have to say I'm already delighted by the fact I FINALLY CAN SLEEP (!!!!!) and don't have much anxiety left, except when I skip the breakfast.
Salty starch (mostly potatoes) with a bit of butter help me (A LOT) to sleep, so well... I assume I've a BIG cortisol problem. My ADHD is getting under control as far as I'm getting enough protein with my meals (around 20 to 30) and not starving myself.

On Iherb, I've ordered some thyroid glandular, pregnelonone and thiamine to help me with glucose oxydation, estrogen dominance and (still) low body heat.

I'm on day 7 and things are getting great. The help I've received from all you since I've posted THIS THREAD is amazing, and I'm truly grateful for it. I know way more about nutrition within 7 days that I've known my entire life! Thanks again !

My only problem is that I am a bit concerned about my weight.

Because I'm sedentary, I think I should have around 2000 kcal...if I were already healthy.

Unfortunately, I feel like eating a lot now... Not a ton of food, but like twice the amount of food I used to eat, that is to say about 3000 KCAL on daily bases. Yes, I used to get around 1600 kcal a day... always cold, lifelong depressed, no concentration...Do you get the picture ?

My new goal in life is to be a nutrition advisor, and I want to do the best for me before helping people. I don't want to be obese !!

Do you think that I should let myself eat till my metabolism gets well again (after 15 years of injuries, eating disorders and chronic dieting) or should I practice calorie restriction ?

The ratios I try to follow are 60 % carbs, 20 % protein and 20 % fat for my 2000 kcal intake but I have to admit that I find it very hard to stick to it. 20 % of fat for 2000 kcal is only 44 gr !!!
I'm ok with 80, but less than that I don't feel full enough, and I don't wanna raise my protein intake over 100 gr a day because I think it's the best amount for me. Otherwise, I get nauseous (my liver is clearly tired )

Thanks for your help

Love,

Frenchcat

P.S : I am quite insecure with my body so please be nice, and don't insult me !

First of all, you look great. Not fat at all and the proportions are great.
You hold your clavicle nicely in the 2nd picture. In the 3rd pic, you let your shoulders slump forward a bit. That structure alone can contribute to lowered mood.
In the 2nd pic better, it's like you are owning your space better. So posture is something to keep in mind.

I think just keep doing what you have started. Lowwww PUFA, milk, OJ, etc....
It is already working !
And the pregnenolone should squelch anxiety.

You are well on your way. Keep getting good sleep. And when you inhale through your nose, send it to your heart and smile saying to yourself 'I love me.' As you expand your posture proudly.






I think just keep doing what you have started.

 

[geusterman]

You may never have adopted strength training as part of your lifestyle but please consider it. Strong girls last a long time. Your muscles are the core of your metabolism. The stronger you get the more active you want to be. The shape of your muscles is what you’re really after and they are also your big fuel burners, predominantly fat.