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MalineVD
Posts: 649 Member
Hey guys,
I have a question.
For years I was able to maintain a good healthy weight. I've eaten healthy for almost all my life and exercise regularly. Due to some changes in my life, I haven't been able to do lots of sports with a 15 pound gain as a result (in 1 year). I know everything starts with a good diet, but my diet hasn't changed that much. I still eat really healthy and i've cut back my portions because of the lack of exercise. I'm at 1200 kcal a day and I stick to it well, except sometimes I go over because I had some extra nuts or an extra piece of fruit or something like that. I don't eat junkfood, never eat candy (once in a while a piece of dark chocolate but that's it), don't drink soda or whatever. Oh and all my meals are homecooked. So I don't feel like there are a lot of things I could do in the diet area. But I find it very very hard to lose those 15 pounds again. I'm slowly creating more time to work out again, but it's really hard with my workschedule.
I don't feel like I should reduce my calorie intake, because I'm only at 1200 and I used to eat a lot more when I worked out a lot. it feels like (because I've always eaten healthy and there's not much to change there) it's harder because I have limited possibilities to make a positive change. And I still have more than 2 months before my work situation changes and I'll have more time to go to the gym or running or whatever
Do you guys see another solution for the meanwhile?
Thank you!
I have a question.
For years I was able to maintain a good healthy weight. I've eaten healthy for almost all my life and exercise regularly. Due to some changes in my life, I haven't been able to do lots of sports with a 15 pound gain as a result (in 1 year). I know everything starts with a good diet, but my diet hasn't changed that much. I still eat really healthy and i've cut back my portions because of the lack of exercise. I'm at 1200 kcal a day and I stick to it well, except sometimes I go over because I had some extra nuts or an extra piece of fruit or something like that. I don't eat junkfood, never eat candy (once in a while a piece of dark chocolate but that's it), don't drink soda or whatever. Oh and all my meals are homecooked. So I don't feel like there are a lot of things I could do in the diet area. But I find it very very hard to lose those 15 pounds again. I'm slowly creating more time to work out again, but it's really hard with my workschedule.
I don't feel like I should reduce my calorie intake, because I'm only at 1200 and I used to eat a lot more when I worked out a lot. it feels like (because I've always eaten healthy and there's not much to change there) it's harder because I have limited possibilities to make a positive change. And I still have more than 2 months before my work situation changes and I'll have more time to go to the gym or running or whatever
Do you guys see another solution for the meanwhile?
Thank you!
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Replies
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Maline,
I'm going to suggest that you are eating more than you realize because if you were truly eating 1200 calories you would be losing weight, and you would not have gained 15 pounds in a year. It's really easy to underestimate our calorie intake.
Eating healthy has nothing to do with weight loss. If you eat over your maintenance, you will gain weight no matter what you eat.
The only way to really know how much you are eating is to weight and log all your food, and to make sure your food entries are correct (MFP has ALOT of inaccurate ones). Otherwise, it's a guessing game.
Also, if you feel you truly are eating 1200 calories and not losing, then it's time for a doctor's visit.0 -
I'm more than twice you're age and I'm losing weight on 1200 calories a day with very little exercise thanks to a medical condition acting up.
No, you should not reduce your caloric intake, but chances are that you're eating more than you think you are. Studies have shown that people tend to greatly underestimate how much they're eating.
As for 1200 calories, unless you're really short, that might even be too little for you to eat.
Have you entered your stats into the web site?
How tall are you and how much do you weigh currently?
The only way to be sure how many calories you're consuming is to weigh your food using a kitchen scale and track your intake using correct data base entries that you've verified with either the USDA website or nutritiondata.self.com.
Also bear in mind that you have very little to lose. Weight loss happens pretty slowly in that situation.0 -
Maline,
I'm going to suggest that you are eating more than you realize because if you were truly eating 1200 calories you would be losing weight, and you would not have gained 15 pounds in a year. It's really easy to underestimate our calorie intake.
Eating healthy has nothing to do with weight loss. If you eat over your maintenance, you will gain weight no matter what you eat.
The only way to really know how much you are eating is to weight and log all your food, and to make sure your food entries are correct (MFP has ALOT of inaccurate ones). Otherwise, it's a guessing game.
Also, if you feel you truly are eating 1200 calories and not losing, then it's time for a doctor's visit.
+1.
Start logging. Set up MFP for a healthy deficit and see what happens. 1200 calories is the lowest recommended net for most women according to many health care professionals and studies.
We would need your stats: height, age, weight, goal weight, and daily activities - in order to help you figure out what you should be eating. You will then have to learn correct food measuring and logging. And then you should start losing 0 -
Hey, thanks for the responses.
I log consistenly and weigh everything on my kitchenscale. I try to be as accurate as possible, by also viewing what's on the labels en never put anything in by "piece" or "portion size".
I am pretty short though. I'm 5'1" and I now weigh around 123.5 pounds. Doctor said I should be around 110.0 -
I'm 5'1" as well. It's slow going for us shorties when it comes to the scale moving sometimes. If you make your diary public, we might be able to analyze it to spot any problems that might be causing your standstill.0
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I don't know how old you are, but i'm 52, 5'1" and 117. I excercise 4xwk w/ cardio/weight training and stay around 1200 calories , mostly a 90/10 diet and I have not lost in over 6 months. I do eat back some excercise calories. So I am starting to realize that its how you look and feel, and not the number. If you look and feel good at 123.5 ( which is a healthy weight) then that counts more. And if you are expecting fast results, I will say the closer to goal you are, the slower it is, so be patient. Do you feel good with how you look and your clothes fit , then give yourself a break. That is easier said than done, but weight loss and fitness are not linear. just because mfp says you will lose 1lb a week at 1200 does not make it so. they don't know you and your body, its just a educated guess how much you should eat.0
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Oh and I'm 25. I work at a desk, but I do everything by bike of by foot.
My goal weight is around 110, considering this is the weight I've had last 4-5 years and I felt comfortable with that.
I used to do crossfit 3 times a week + running and yoga.
Now I try to at least do 1 workout a week.
I work more than 60 hours a week at my deskjob and also freelance as a copywriter. I live on my own, so all the cooking (I like homecooked meals and I cook pure and try not to use prepacked food) and the household is also on me. I love my family, but they live over an hour away from me, so visiting them also costs some time.0 -
And I think my diary is public now? Everything is in Dutch though, but if you'd like translations, I'm happy to do so!0
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Maybe it's time to get your thyroid checked, and any other blood values your doctor thinks could have an effect.0
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I don't know how old you are, but i'm 52, 5'1" and 117. I excercise 4xwk w/ cardio/weight training and stay around 1200 calories , mostly a 90/10 diet and I have not lost in over 6 months. I do eat back some excercise calories. So I am starting to realize that its how you look and feel, and not the number. If you look and feel good at 123.5 ( which is a healthy weight) then that counts more. And if you are expecting fast results, I will say the closer to goal you are, the slower it is, so be patient. Do you feel good with how you look and your clothes fit , then give yourself a break. That is easier said than done, but weight loss and fitness are not linear. just because mfp says you will lose 1lb a week at 1200 does not make it so. they don't know you and your body, its just a educated guess how much you should eat.
I don't really mind the extra weight. The scale is just a number. But I feel uncomfortable in my clothes and have noticed that I've lost muscle and gained fat.
It's just frustrating, because I do everything I can at this moment, but I feel like I'm stuck until my worksituation changes.0 -
How long have you been accurately logging? Also, when you do eat an extra piece of fruit, log it so you can see how much you were over for the entire week at the end. An extra piece of fruit (80-100 caloires) could add up significantly depending on your deficit amount. Also since you ARE at a healthy weight for your height, it will probably be a slow process to lose those extra pounds.
At your height is where the 1200 calories can get fuzzy. I would talk to your doctor about blood work, as well as a recommended calorie intake. Your best bet would be to talk to a dietitian though...see what they recommend calorie wise. They should also be able to tell you how to hit all the nutrients your body needs on under 1200 if you do in fact need to consume a little less than that. But please speak to a professional about lowering your calories.0 -
I've been logging for around 5 months now.
I did have bloodtests some months ago and due to some stomach etc problems, I have troubles with getting vitamins in. So I have to take vitamins D, B12, iron and magnesium.0 -
At 5'1", 1200 is very close to your TDEE. The only way you are going to see significant weight loss is to go below 1200 or to exercise enough to create a bigger calorie deficit. I'm not a medical professional, but since you are so short, there probably isn't any harm in setting your goal below the 1200 mark. You simply don't need as much food as the average person.0
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TimothyFish wrote: »At 5'1", 1200 is very close to your TDEE. The only way you are going to see significant weight loss is to go below 1200 or to exercise enough to create a bigger calorie deficit. I'm not a medical professional, but since you are so short, there probably isn't any harm in setting your goal below the 1200 mark. You simply don't need as much food as the average person.
According to fat2fit calculator, her BMR is higher than 1200. At sedentary, her TDEE is 1600 or so, but I did it without taking BF into consideration. I don't think she should go below 1200.
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It sounds like you were probably under-fat before, and needed to fatten up just a bit! Maybe buy some bigger clothes and try to feel confident maintaining?0
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looking at your entry from the other day
Homemade - Mum's Spaghetti Bolognese, 1 plate
thats not weighed. i didnt bother to continue to look, but you need to make sure you are WEIGHING EVERYTHING WITH A SCALE. EVERYTHING.
i guarantee you are eating more than you think0 -
TimothyFish wrote: »At 5'1", 1200 is very close to your TDEE. The only way you are going to see significant weight loss is to go below 1200 or to exercise enough to create a bigger calorie deficit. I'm not a medical professional, but since you are so short, there probably isn't any harm in setting your goal below the 1200 mark. You simply don't need as much food as the average person.
Oh good grief her TDEE is not near 1200, it's around 1490 according to iifym. Her BMR is around 1200, though. She does not need to eat less.
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callsitlikeiseeit wrote: »looking at your entry from the other day
Homemade - Mum's Spaghetti Bolognese, 1 plate
thats not weighed. i didnt bother to continue to look, but you need to make sure you are WEIGHING EVERYTHING WITH A SCALE. EVERYTHING.
i guarantee you are eating more than you think
I noticed another one, I think it was 225 grams of broccoli that was only 35 calories or something. 225 grams of broccoli is more than that. Are you verifying the data base entries you're selecting? Do a google search and double check the calorie counts to make sure you select the correct entry the first time you select something. Every time.
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mamapeach910 wrote: »TimothyFish wrote: »At 5'1", 1200 is very close to your TDEE. The only way you are going to see significant weight loss is to go below 1200 or to exercise enough to create a bigger calorie deficit. I'm not a medical professional, but since you are so short, there probably isn't any harm in setting your goal below the 1200 mark. You simply don't need as much food as the average person.
Oh good grief her TDEE is not near 1200, it's around 1490 according to iifym. Her BMR is around 1200, though. She does not need to eat less.
Exactly.....if anything she needs to eat MORE...and maybe accept that 108 pounds may not be maintainable for everybody, esp as we age...0 -
mamapeach910 wrote: »TimothyFish wrote: »At 5'1", 1200 is very close to your TDEE. The only way you are going to see significant weight loss is to go below 1200 or to exercise enough to create a bigger calorie deficit. I'm not a medical professional, but since you are so short, there probably isn't any harm in setting your goal below the 1200 mark. You simply don't need as much food as the average person.
Oh good grief her TDEE is not near 1200, it's around 1490 according to iifym. Her BMR is around 1200, though. She does not need to eat less.
Exactly.....if anything she needs to eat MORE...and maybe accept that 108 pounds may not be maintainable for everybody, esp as we age...
im 5'2 and 37... the only way i could get close to 108 is with an eating disorder (and ill take a hard pass on that!)
not saying thats OP's situation, just saying for ME that would be the case LOL0
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