Eating 1500 calories a day, exercising and still not losing

Mr_Knight

Delete. Sucked in by NecroMan.

deksgrl

I am 22 and am 5 foot 11 inches and weight 189 and fluctuate. My goal is 160. Started from 227 but I lost that over steady time. I run about a mile a day. And switch to legs or arms. Ab workout. And sometimes squats

I used this calculator to get these numbers:
http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/
I used "moderately active, 3-5 hours a week of moderate exercise"

BMR: 1700 (basal metabolic rate, this is the amount of food you need just to maintain your body with no activity, i.e. laying in bed all day)
TDEE: 2636 (this is the amount known as "maintenance" where you would not gain or lose weight)
20% deficit: 2108 (eat this much and you would lose about a pound a week)

Or, set MFP to lose 1 pound a week, eat that amount PLUS more for exercise. MFP does not include exercise when it calculates what you need, but TDEE does include exercise (it means Total Daily Energy Expenditure)

A properly set MFP + exercise calories goal should be around the same as a properly set TDEE-% goal.

jacqueliner15

I am going to try eating 1800 calories for 3 days then dropping to 1500. I am going to shock my body! Do you think that's okay?

ruby70

I am wondering if you are weighing and tracking all your food and drinks. It seems like if you are eating 1500 good calories a day you should be losing even with moderate exercise. Are you eating good whole foods? I notice for myself it I try to stay in my calorie goal of 1300 and if I am eating good food and staying away from the "junk" I am starting to lose. I am 5'5 and 167 lbs.

deksgrl

I am going to try eating 1800 calories for 3 days then dropping to 1500. I am going to shock my body! Do you think that's okay?

There is no need to "shock your body". Your BMR is 1700 calories. This is the amount your organs need for proper function for breathing, heart beating, all of your brain and organ functions, this is the amount they would feed you if you were in a coma. It's not really smart to eat less than that. People who are very obese can eat less for a time, but you don't have that much left to lose.

I am wondering if you are weighing and tracking all your food and drinks. It seems like if you are eating 1500 good calories a day you should be losing even with moderate exercise. Are you eating good whole foods? I notice for myself it I try to stay in my calorie goal of 1300 and if I am eating good food and staying away from the "junk" I am starting to lose. I am 5'5 and 167 lbs.

Whether she is weighing/tracking is a good question. However since she is 5'11 and weighs more than you, and the fact that she is only 22 years old, she needs significantly more calories than you do just to function. Your BMR is probably in the 1300-1400 calorie range.

stealthq

I am going to try eating 1800 calories for 3 days then dropping to 1500. I am going to shock my body! Do you think that's okay?

There is no need to "shock your body". Your BMR is 1700 calories. This is the amount your organs need for proper function for breathing, heart beating, all of your brain and organ functions, this is the amount they would feed you if you were in a coma. It's not really smart to eat less than that. People who are very obese can eat less for a time, but you don't have that much left to lose.

I am wondering if you are weighing and tracking all your food and drinks. It seems like if you are eating 1500 good calories a day you should be losing even with moderate exercise. Are you eating good whole foods? I notice for myself it I try to stay in my calorie goal of 1300 and if I am eating good food and staying away from the "junk" I am starting to lose. I am 5'5 and 167 lbs.

Whether she is weighing/tracking is a good question. However since she is 5'11 and weighs more than you, and the fact that she is only 22 years old, she needs significantly more calories than you do just to function. Your BMR is probably in the 1300-1400 calorie range.

Just to reinforce this point - I'm 5'3", 39 yrs old, 117.5 lbs and still lose weight (slowly) on 1500 cals. She does not need to decrease her calorie target. One or a combo of the following is going on:

1) She's not weighing/measuring correctly and overestimating her intake
2) She's overestimating the calorie burns from her workouts and eats back too much (sounds like she may not be eating back anything at all, though ...)
3) She started out too aggressive on her weight loss strategy and after dropping some pounds, her body's readjusting. Not unusual for people to stall for a couple of weeks. Some for up to 6 wks before things get moving again.

Given that her target is so low and I don't think she's eating back her exercise calories, I'd bet on 3) being the culprit, but 1) could be contributing.

Misshodge64

Hello everyone and not to mention, include protein in your diet along with strength training, to build muscle mass. I wouldn't definitely eat closer to 2000 calories perhaps a lil bit more. I am a lady and I am pushing toward 1500 to 1600 per day