Weight loss help!?!?!

lulurose410

I started actively trying to lose weight in October.. I lost my first 17 pounds very fast. (Or so it felt like) I think it was about a little over a month. I Got down to 312 and now I went back up to 314. And haven't gone anywhere for about 3 weeks and I feel like I have been working way harder than I did when I lost my first 17 pounds. Does any body have any suggestions to help me get over this? I am starting to get discouraged because nothing is happening.

vismal

I'm guessing a lot of that 17 lbs was water weight. This is likely why you are stalling now. How many calories a day are you eating? How are you measuring your food?

lulurose410

I would say that I eat no more than 1200 calories a day. And I have a food scale that I measure my meats with. I really only eat chicken and fruits and vegetables.

ana3067

Set up a reasonable calorie goal (1200 is extremely steep at your weight), weigh all your foods because you're probably eating more than you think (although likely not so much that you'd stop losing weight), and relax because you already lost a fair bit of weight in a short amount of time. As long as you remain consistent and accurate in your intake/logging and set a reasonable goal then you will continue losing over time.

ElizabethMaryam

Maybe also weigh your other food items (as you stated you are only weighing your meat). I was surprised at the weight of many food items when I started weighing everything. Some things I was underestimating ... some things I was overestimating. (ie. apples, cheese, onions, etc). It all makes a difference, especially when your calorie allotment is low (such as with 1200 cals). Take care

sodakat

There just is NO WAY you would not be losing weight on a regular basis if eating no more than 1200 calories a day, considering your age and weight. I feel pretty strongly that your body burns at least 2,000 calories a day, regardless if you do nothing but sit. So, you should be able to eat way more than 1200 calories a day and lose weight.

This means you are not accurately figuring the calories you are consuming. The only way you can be sure how much you are eating is to weigh all solids and measure all liquids. Everything else is guess work.

When I decided to lose weight about a year ago, I cut back and ate smaller portions (I thought). I lost about 10 pounds pretty fast. I weighed 233 when I started, btw. A few months later I had lost no additional weight and was discouraged. Realistically, I was not eating as little as I planned and hoped. Then I found MFP, bought a food scale and buckled down. I weighed 225 at that point, am 40 years older than you and likely much shorter (5'2") so my daily calorie allotment was lower than yours would be, but it was much higher than 1200!

As soon as I started weighing everything and carefully finding the correct entry in the MFP database so I could log accurately, I began losing weight weekly.

You will too. Don't be discouraged. Also, why not let MFP set your daily calorie goals, based on your current weight/age/height? Then you can eat back some exercise calories and have a decent daily allotment.

If you want specific help because you are POSITVE you are eating 1200 calories a day, change the privacy setting on your diary to public so that MFP members can take a look and give you some ideas of where you may be going wrong.

radiosilents

Agree with what has been said – if you are eating that little, you should definitely be seeing losses. I'm at 311 now down from 372, and it has not been a straight shot down. Sometimes I'll play with the same two pounds for a month. It does get discouraging, but I know that weight loss or not I am still making positive changes for my health, so I just keep at it. The weight does come off eventually! Maybe framing this so that it's not just about weight loss will help? That you do it to do something good for your body? Find a way to eat that is sustainable but will still net in loss, even if it is slow. Slow loss is more likely to stay off, anyway!

Definitely let MFP calculate how much you should eat. Mine just went down a little, but I have been eating at about 1800 cals for a while, it's down to 1640 now – chances are I will give myself a little leeway and/or up my exercise so I can eat a little more.

Either way you should aim to make this a lifestyle change, something that you can easily live with. Deprivation doesn't help.

Best of luck!

helixprolose

I don't think you're supposed to be eating that low of a calorie intake. What's happening is your body is going into survival mode where anything you eat since you are not eating enough is going into reserves and not being burned by the body. 1200 is very low for someone over 300 pounds. I started 4 days ago @ 310 and I lost 10 pounds as of today which I assume is water weight. But my calorie intake at 310 - 5'8 - male is supposed to be 1950. There is one thing you could do. Binge for 1 day to reset your body (Don't take it overboard but at least 2500 calories to get your body to restart. Mind you keep your sodium / sugars low because sugar will deviate the process and high sodium is dangerous for your circulation and may shock your kidneys into not being able to filter your body.) Then you will drop it down to around 1800 calories. Also if you are doing exercises that are not cardiovascular then it could be muscle formation. Easy way to keep track of this is to do your measurements. PS. I notice you say you eat meat as one of your main, not trying to be gross but maybe you just need to poop? Maybe try a women's laxative. If any of this helps please let us know so that others with the same issue can benefit from it.

broox80

I have been at this over 2 years and am 30 pounds away from hitting my 100 pound goal. The best piece of advice I have received here is that weight loss is not linear. I would go a few weeks and lose 1-3 pounds each week, then nothing for a few weeks, then 5 in a week, then gain a pound and a half. Dont stress about it. Take pics along the way and let that be your main guide. Also measure yourself. The slower you take it off, the better it will be for you in the end and during your loss. When you hit a slump, raise your cals for a few weeks and then go back down to where you typically run. When I started paying more attention to getting my protein in and intentional exercise (not counting grocery shopping or mopping the floor) I felt the best and lost much easier. You'll get there, just takes time!!! Good luck to you!!!

Unknown

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Liftng4Lis

Can you open your diary?

healthygreek

Weigh EVERYTHING that you eat!
Measure EVERYTHING caloric that you drink!
You will be losing again in no time at all!

malibu927

helixprolose wrote: »

I don't think you're supposed to be eating that low of a calorie intake. What's happening is your body is going into survival mode where anything you eat since you are not eating enough is going into reserves and not being burned by the body. 1200 is very low for someone over 300 pounds. I started 4 days ago @ 310 and I lost 10 pounds as of today which I assume is water weight. But my calorie intake at 310 - 5'8 - male is supposed to be 1950. There is one thing you could do. Binge for 1 day to reset your body (Don't take it overboard but at least 2500 calories to get your body to restart. Mind you keep your sodium / sugars low because sugar will deviate the process and high sodium is dangerous for your circulation and may shock your kidneys into not being able to filter your body.) Then you will drop it down to around 1800 calories. Also if you are doing exercises that are not cardiovascular then it could be muscle formation. Easy way to keep track of this is to do your measurements. PS. I notice you say you eat meat as one of your main, not trying to be gross but maybe you just need to poop? Maybe try a women's laxative. If any of this helps please let us know so that others with the same issue can benefit from it.

Nope. At 300 pounds, her body would easily be able to burn fat at a low intake. The problem, as others have stated, is that she isn't eating 1200.

TropicalParaMonster

Your body went into shock at the first stages and the majority of your weight loss may have been fat + water weight.
Now 1200 is definitely not feasible for your bodyweight and your energy expenditure. When exposed to sudden low caloric conditions, our body goes into starvation mode and holds onto fat so you don't lose the weight.

My advice
- Google IIFYM calculator. Input your data. You will get two numbers. Your BMR (forget it) and your TDEE (total daily energy expenditure). Your TDEE is what you burn daily to maintain your weight. -20% of your TDEE is what you should be eating. It'll calculate it for you. Don't be scared to eat more calories especially at the beginning of your journey. If you start off with 1200...when you get to your ~30lbs left, you'll find it near impossible to lose. Stick with the IIFYM calculator.
- Don't look at the scale too much. I know it's addicting. Take down your measurements and go from there.

katherine_startrek_fan

I agree with others who say to start with around 1800 calories per day.

Also, how much exercise are you getting? Getting a minimum of 30 min., 3 times a week can really help. My norm is 1+ hours per day on week days and at least 3-5 hours per day on weekends.

Also, don't forget to consume some carbs as well as sugary treats. This probably sounds counterintuitive as both can be trigger foods, but you will be more likely to binge on them at some point if you don't factor them in to a healthy lifestyle.

PeachyCarol

Nope to the starvation mode. No such thing.

I'm going with weighing/measuring inaccuracies, and adding exercise, even if it's just walking a little bit.

It's really easy to underestimate what you eat if you're just eyeballing it. I speak from experience.

helixprolose

Meh