Possibly eating too little?

getfitrenee22
getfitrenee22 Posts: 44
edited November 12 in Health and Weight Loss
Does anyone else notice that 1200 net calories seems too little?

The last few weeks I've been pretty diligent about tracking food, working out 3-4 days per week yet I haven't lost much weight (although I have lost inches but clothes seems to be fitting better)...BUT I've felt very tired/worn out...the last 2 days I've cheated a bit and not had time to work out....I woke up this morning feeling amazing/energized/happy...

Could this be bc I've been too calorie restrictive?

Any advice welcome...
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Replies

  • FatFreeFrolicking
    FatFreeFrolicking Posts: 4,252 Member
    If you were truly eating 1200 calories, you'd lose weight.

    You aren't losing weight because you are eating more than you think you are.

    Do you weigh your food using a food scale? If not, that's the problem.
  • jenglish712
    jenglish712 Posts: 497 Member
    edited February 2015
    I will never get why people think eating more will cause them to lose weight.

    But... MFP is notorious for overestimating calorie burns for exercise. Many people eat 25%-75% of them back. I personally just use the TDEE method and don't put my exercise into MFP at all.
  • getfitrenee22
    getfitrenee22 Posts: 44
    I don't weigh but do measure...I also don't eat back 100% of my exercise calories...
  • rosebette
    rosebette Posts: 1,660 Member
    You could be "overtraining" or not eating enough protein. That might be why you feel a bit tired. It's difficult to know without seeing your diary and knowing what you do for workouts.
  • Aviva92
    Aviva92 Posts: 2,333 Member
    edited February 2015
    how much weight have you lost? you say you haven't lost much weight, but you have lost some weight. also weightloss is not linear. a few weeks is not enough time to know that you aren't losing weight.

    if you're feeling worn out, then you might be eating too little. dieting should not make you feel worn out. i felt fine on 1200 net calories, but not everyone does. if you don't, i think you should up your calories before your hair starts falling out or something.
  • Bugdude54
    Bugdude54 Posts: 137 Member
    I'd suggest looking at exactly what groups your calories belong to. Were you significantly carb or protein defecient? Were you eating pre and post workout? Are you someone who's extremely active and therefore maybe a 1200 cal diet is too minimal. Lots of reasons

    Feeling better after binging leads me to think it was a carb issue. Are you trying to do a low carb diet? Do you carb cycle?
  • FatFreeFrolicking
    FatFreeFrolicking Posts: 4,252 Member
    getfitrenee22 wrote: »
    I don't weigh but do measure...I also don't eat back 100% of my exercise calories...

    Measuring isn't accurate. Buy a food scale. You can purchase one from Amazon or a store like Bed, Bath, & Beyond.
  • getfitrenee22
    getfitrenee22 Posts: 44
    I think my diary is public?

    I've lost about 2.5 lbs over all...I was trying a low carb diet but believe I am eating enough protein & trying to eat really clean (except the last 2 days)...
  • Bugdude54
    Bugdude54 Posts: 137 Member
    I'm just shooting in the dark but weight loss could be a few things. You could possibly be adding muscle which weighs more than fat. If your clothes are fitting better then you're losing mass which is good. Try taking measurements and tracking them, it helps you see your progress.

    Going low carb can be tricky. Carbs are not the enemy so long as they're good carbs and they're timed correctly. There's lots of literature out there about how to carb. Most fatigue is carb related. You could have been crashing and just needed a day to ramp back up.
  • Aviva92
    Aviva92 Posts: 2,333 Member
    edited February 2015
    Bugdude54 wrote: »
    I'm just shooting in the dark but weight loss could be a few things. You could possibly be adding muscle which weighs more than fat. If your clothes are fitting better then you're losing mass which is good. Try taking measurements and tracking them, it helps you see your progress.

    Going low carb can be tricky. Carbs are not the enemy so long as they're good carbs and they're timed correctly. There's lots of literature out there about how to carb. Most fatigue is carb related. You could have been crashing and just needed a day to ramp back up.

    you would not be adding muscle weight on a deficit. this would not be the reason.

    also, not to pick this apart, but muscle does not weigh more than fat in that you would not be replacing fat with muscle and not losing weight. you need a calorie surplus to gain weight on either muscle or fat. if she's eating 1200 net calories, this will not happen. muscle is more dense than fat for the same amount of pounds, but you don't just gain muscle weight without food just like you don't gain fat without food.
  • Aviva92
    Aviva92 Posts: 2,333 Member
    oh, your food diary is not public.
  • getfitrenee22
    getfitrenee22 Posts: 44
    Ok diary is public. Maybe I am too low overall?
  • Bugdude54
    Bugdude54 Posts: 137 Member
    You are correct. A pound is a pound. What I meant is exactly as you stated. Muscle is denser and therefore slimming or smaller measurements indicate a fat loss while the scale might remain the same indicating a muscle gain.

    Depending on the body composition it is not uncommon in the beginning for some to lose fat while gaining muscle even while calorie defecient.
    Not saying 10lbs of muscle was gained while 10lbs of fat was lost. But its possible that a 3lbs of fat was lost while .5lbs of muscle was gained equaling the 2.5lbs total loss.

    Again this depends on the body composition. A 110lb frame Not likely. A 240lb frame likely.
  • Aviva92
    Aviva92 Posts: 2,333 Member
    edited February 2015
    Bugdude54 wrote: »
    You are correct. A pound is a pound. What I meant is exactly as you stated. Muscle is denser and therefore slimming or smaller measurements indicate a fat loss while the scale might remain the same indicating a muscle gain.

    Depending on the body composition it is not uncommon in the beginning for some to lose fat while gaining muscle even while calorie defecient.
    Not saying 10lbs of muscle was gained while 10lbs of fat was lost. But its possible that a 3lbs of fat was lost while .5lbs of muscle was gained equaling the 2.5lbs total loss.

    Again this depends on the body composition. A 110lb frame Not likely. A 240lb frame likely.

    but it does not make sense for the net loss to decrease because you are adding muscle. i could see them maybe netting out to a net same weight loss, but the fact that muscle is more dense than fat has nothing to do with this. you don't lose less weight on the same calorie amount because of this. i think it's scientifically/mathematically impossible.
  • cheshirecatastrophe
    cheshirecatastrophe Posts: 1,395 Member
    You've been tracking for just over two weeks and lost 2.5 pounds. That's more than a pound per week. I'm not sure what the "weight loss" part of the problem is.

    I find 1200 gross calories to be too small *logistically*. Net calories (eating back exercise), I can handle for a few days before I want to eat all the things. A couple more days, and I find myself in front of the fridge eating all the things whether I want to or not. I'm not sure I notice a drop in overall energy level when I get like that, but it gets MUCH more difficult to "go hard" during workouts.

    It sounds like a couple days off working out and sufficient fuel was a good thing for your body, regardless of its effect on your weight loss.
  • Aviva92
    Aviva92 Posts: 2,333 Member
    yeah, it looks like you're only looking to lose 30 pounds which isn't a lot. i don't know what your starting weight is, but 1.25 pounds per week is good.
  • Blueseraphchaos
    Blueseraphchaos Posts: 843 Member
    Aviva92 wrote: »
    how much weight have you lost? you say you haven't lost much weight, but you have lost some weight. also weightloss is not linear. a few weeks is not enough time to know that you aren't losing weight.

    if you're feeling worn out, then you might be eating too little. dieting should not make you feel worn out. i felt fine on 1200 net calories, but not everyone does. if you don't, i think you should up your calories before your hair starts falling out or something.

    I second this.
  • BWBTrish
    BWBTrish Posts: 2,817 Member
    edited February 2015
    ....

    understood OP wrong :)

  • cheshirecatastrophe
    cheshirecatastrophe Posts: 1,395 Member
    TheOwlhouseDesigns wrote: »
    Now i saw some cup entrees and tps etc so i think you eat more than you think and that can be a reason why you dont lose weight.

    She's losing 1+ pound per week.

    I think the problem here is patience, not diet. :)
  • Aviva92
    Aviva92 Posts: 2,333 Member
    cheshirecatastrophe wrote: »
    TheOwlhouseDesigns wrote: »
    Now i saw some cup entrees and tps etc so i think you eat more than you think and that can be a reason why you dont lose weight.

    She's losing 1+ pound per week.

    I think the problem here is patience, not diet. :)

    this
  • ruggedshutter
    ruggedshutter Posts: 389 Member
    Aviva92 wrote: »

    you would not be adding muscle weight on a deficit. this would not be the reason.

    Why do people keep repeating this statement like it's gospel? It's not true. You can add muscle while on a calorie deficit.
  • BWBTrish
    BWBTrish Posts: 2,817 Member
    cheshirecatastrophe wrote: »
    TheOwlhouseDesigns wrote: »
    Now i saw some cup entrees and tps etc so i think you eat more than you think and that can be a reason why you dont lose weight.

    She's losing 1+ pound per week.

    I think the problem here is patience, not diet. :)

    kk sorry hehe
    thought she was saying that 1200 calories a day wasn't enough and made her tired and hungry. Not about she want losing weight (enough)

  • toddbradley404
    toddbradley404 Posts: 1
    All I know is MyFitnessPal nagged at me pretty seriously the day that I ate significantly under my calorie limit. I think it assumed I was going all eating disorder.
  • Aviva92
    Aviva92 Posts: 2,333 Member
    ruggedshutter wrote: »
    Aviva92 wrote: »

    you would not be adding muscle weight on a deficit. this would not be the reason.

    Why do people keep repeating this statement like it's gospel? It's not true. You can add muscle while on a calorie deficit.

    you can add muscle while your overall weight increases or even decreases less than it would have had you not been lifting? i doubt this. you can't create matter out of nothing.
  • ruggedshutter
    ruggedshutter Posts: 389 Member
    edited February 2015
    Aviva92 wrote: »
    you can add muscle while your overall weight increases or even decreases less than it would have had you not been lifting? i doubt this. you can't create matter out of nothing.


    http://www.sparkpeople.com/blog/blog.asp?post=you_asked_is_it_possible_to_build_muscle_and_lose_weight_at_the_same_time

    http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=123363321&page=1

    http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/fat-loss/adding-muscle-while-losing-fat-qa.html/

    http://ezinearticles.com/?Can-You-Really-Build-Muscle-and-Burn-Fat-At-The-Same-Time?&id=241073

    Those were the first four in a Google search.
  • Aviva92
    Aviva92 Posts: 2,333 Member
    edited February 2015
    ruggedshutter wrote: »
    Aviva92 wrote: »
    you can add muscle while your overall weight increases or even decreases less than it would have had you not been lifting? i doubt this. you can't create matter out of nothing.


    http://www.sparkpeople.com/blog/blog.asp?post=you_asked_is_it_possible_to_build_muscle_and_lose_weight_at_the_same_time

    http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=123363321&page=1

    http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/fat-loss/adding-muscle-while-losing-fat-qa.html/

    http://ezinearticles.com/?Can-You-Really-Build-Muscle-and-Burn-Fat-At-The-Same-Time?&id=241073

    Those were the first four in a Google search.

    read the first link. i see no mention of you overall gaining weight while on a calorie deficit upon reading it quickly. it also says it requires a fanatical attention to detail which i doubt is what the o.p. is doing.
  • kimny72
    kimny72 Posts: 16,011 Member
    getfitrenee22 wrote: »
    Does anyone else notice that 1200 net calories seems too little?

    The last few weeks I've been pretty diligent about tracking food, working out 3-4 days per week yet I haven't lost much weight (although I have lost inches but clothes seems to be fitting better)...BUT I've felt very tired/worn out...the last 2 days I've cheated a bit and not had time to work out....I woke up this morning feeling amazing/energized/happy...

    Could this be bc I've been too calorie restrictive?

    Any advice welcome...

    Did you set your goal to 2 lbs per week?
    With only 30 lbs to lose, set your goal to 1 lb per week. Eat those calories + half of your exercise calories. Make sure you are logging honestly and accurately.

    Yes, not eating enough can make you feel tired and worn out. It can also keep you from doing your best in your workouts. Good luck!
  • getfitrenee22
    getfitrenee22 Posts: 44
    TheOwlhouseDesigns wrote: »
    cheshirecatastrophe wrote: »
    TheOwlhouseDesigns wrote: »
    Now i saw some cup entrees and tps etc so i think you eat more than you think and that can be a reason why you dont lose weight.

    She's losing 1+ pound per week.

    I think the problem here is patience, not diet. :)

    kk sorry hehe
    thought she was saying that 1200 calories a day wasn't enough and made her tired and hungry. Not about she want losing weight (enough)

    I was saying 1200seems too little...bc I am tired & hungry....so far I'm happy with the weight loss/ inches lost...just wondering if anyone else has noticed these feelings/low energy when restricting calories?


  • BWBTrish
    BWBTrish Posts: 2,817 Member
    no and i do 1200 too and eat 1/4 back of my training.

    but i eat pretty balanced. And everybody is different for me its enough for now. But when i do more i eat more to fuel my body

    ( so after all i understood it right lol)
  • Aviva92
    Aviva92 Posts: 2,333 Member
    getfitrenee22 wrote: »
    TheOwlhouseDesigns wrote: »
    cheshirecatastrophe wrote: »
    TheOwlhouseDesigns wrote: »
    Now i saw some cup entrees and tps etc so i think you eat more than you think and that can be a reason why you dont lose weight.

    She's losing 1+ pound per week.

    I think the problem here is patience, not diet. :)

    kk sorry hehe
    thought she was saying that 1200 calories a day wasn't enough and made her tired and hungry. Not about she want losing weight (enough)

    I was saying 1200seems too little...bc I am tired & hungry....so far I'm happy with the weight loss/ inches lost...just wondering if anyone else has noticed these feelings/low energy when restricting calories?


    oh! i misunderstood that entirely. yeah, you should eat more if you have low energy. i never did. that is not ideal for your health imo.
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