Why am I maintaining at 1,200 calories?

coffee_fiend

I am 5'9 and 123lbs, which puts my BMR at 1,400, however, I have been eating 1,200 calories for the past 3 months and have stayed between 121 - 123lbs and cannot reconcile this?

SmartAlec03211988

Are you measuring your food on a scale?

Slowsp0ke

This seems to be the #1 question everyone asks. All I can say is that the closer you get to your ideal weight the harder it becomes to lose weight. Your body is trying to protect you from hurting yourself. Just MO.

mrsgoodwine

Slowsp0ke wrote: »

This seems to be the #1 question everyone asks. All I can say is that the closer you get to your ideal weight the harder it becomes to lose weight. Your body is trying to protect you from hurting yourself. Just MO.

This^

Aemely

You are nearing Underweight so I agree with Slowsp0ke. Be happy, eat healthy, exercise, and maintain!

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/tools/bmi-calculator

FatFreeFrolicking

5'9" and 123 lbs makes you underweight.

You aren't losing weight because you have no weight to lose.

hortensehildegarde

BMR estimates are just that, estimates. They are calculations that estimate approximate burn but some people have slower metabolisms and some have faster so results will vary from individual to individual.

You have to be VERY exact in measurements at such low calories as 1200 to actually know for sure you aren't eating over

That all being said is my guess would be you are actually eating more than 1200 calories a day average. Even if you are underweight at some point you still lose weight eating too few calories. If not nobody would ever starve to death. And I am assuming you are not in a coma so should be burning beyond your BMR anyway. Have you been to the doctor to have bloodwork done and your hormone levels checked and whatnot?

Cilenia

Your body adjust the burning of calories to the amount of calories you eat to protect itself. So if you eat a VLCD (very low calorie diet ie 1200 calories) for an extended period of time it will adjust so that is all it needs. You break you metabolism.

Also its very easy to eat more than 1200 calories if you dont measure precisely

RHachicho

If you are small and have little/no muscle mass this is indeed possible. It is not healthy.

Kristinemomof3

Your body is holding in because it thinks you are starving it.

allanakern

if you're not happy at that weight its not because you're unhappy with the scale but with your body composition. lift weights, progressively getting heavier. build some muscle

coffee_fiend

These were all very enlightening responses! Thank you!

spots1017

You aren't losing any weight because your body is nutritionally deprived, try upping your calorie count to at least 1525. Your BMR is your Basal Metabolic Rate, which is the MINIMUM your body needs to be healthy and to not go into shutdown mode, eating such a low amount will mess your body up, and you WILL cause damage to your body. When you don't eat enough, it makes you moody, depressed, angry, tired, sad, lonely, and altogether miserable. I'm not trying to hit you over the head with it, but I've been in a situation where I cared so much about what other people though that I was eating only *500* calories a day, not only does the weight bounce back as soon as you start eating normally, but you're miserable the entire time. PLEASE think about the health of your body, and not how you THINK other people think about you. Hope it helps