Under 1200 calories and started gaining weight
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First thank you for the reponses. I'll try to address the questions asked, sorry if I miss any. I'll look into opening my diary, not sure how and I'm at work. I DO weigh and measure everything except the sugar free gum I chew. I'm 5'1 and weighed 181 this morning. I weigh myself everyday and only log it once a week on the same say wearing the same outfit. Most of my walking is done at work. Every time I get bloodwork they say I'm perfectly healthy, my dr said 1200 was still to much which is why I try to stay under. My starting weight was 198 but I did a strict 2 week carb and dairy free diet before I started tracking my food. I've been tracking for approximately a month and half losing about 2 pounds a week until 2 weeks ago. I agree with my calorie intake I should be losing that's why I came here. Thank you again for the responses.
I agree it is very suspicious for a doctor to be telling a healthy person to eat fewer than 1200 calories a day.
2 weeks is not considered a real stall, sometimes the scale just does not cooperate despite progress being made. As already mentioned, weight loss is not always linear, and sometimes you just have weeks where you don't see the loss on the scale, you will probably see a larger than normal drop at a later in time. There are all sorts of things that contribute to water retention that can mask results temporarily (I suspect you are female, any chance you had your period in the time you havn't seen loss?)
It sounds like you have been losing 2lbs/week up until the past 2 weeks, just keep doing what you are doing and I have a feeling you will see a big drop soon. However; I do think upping to at least 1200 calories a day is a good idea.
~best wishes
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OP -- My suggestion: look for threads / groups with women who are 5'2" and less. What you are saying is common, and what you are doing is perfectly fine.
Some of the responses you are getting about calorie counts will not help you given your situation. If you keep doing what you are doing, you will lose. And, again, seek out advice / ideas from shorter women. Other people really do not get it.
Also, as someone else said: weight loss does not always consistently, predictably go down. It is not uncommon for stalls.
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youdoyou2016 wrote: »OP -- My suggestion: look for threads / groups with women who are 5'2" and less. What you are saying is common, and what you are doing is perfectly fine.
Some of the responses you are getting about calorie counts will not help you given your situation. If you keep doing what you are doing, you will lose. And, again, seek out advice / ideas from shorter women. Other people really do not get it.
Also, as someone else said: weight loss does not always consistently, predictably go down. It is not uncommon for stalls.
She isn't short enough for 1100 calories to be an appropriate goal, especially with an active lifestyle11 -
youdoyou2016 wrote: »OP -- My suggestion: look for threads / groups with women who are 5'2" and less. What you are saying is common, and what you are doing is perfectly fine.
Some of the responses you are getting about calorie counts will not help you given your situation. If you keep doing what you are doing, you will lose. And, again, seek out advice / ideas from shorter women. Other people really do not get it.
Also, as someone else said: weight loss does not always consistently, predictably go down. It is not uncommon for stalls.
She isn't short enough for 1100 calories to be an appropriate goal, especially with an active lifestyle
I love irony.
I'm the same height as you, started at a higher weight, similar activity level (lost 100+ over a year, about 10 more to go.) The main thing, in my opinion, is to keep at it because it's not unusual to have a stall for a couple of weeks or even have the scale go up. You need more data. Once you have more information and time, you can adjust from there. And, again (!), people on here talk like they have knowledge when, in fact, they are opinions. Inevitably you'll find someone 4'11" telling you she eats 1700 calories and loses weight. Maybe -- but, really, only you know how your body works, and you just need more time and information to make decisions. Do a search for 5'2" and under folks -- you'll learn a lot. It's very helpful to see a variety of approaches and hear others' experiences.
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youdoyou2016 wrote: »youdoyou2016 wrote: »OP -- My suggestion: look for threads / groups with women who are 5'2" and less. What you are saying is common, and what you are doing is perfectly fine.
Some of the responses you are getting about calorie counts will not help you given your situation. If you keep doing what you are doing, you will lose. And, again, seek out advice / ideas from shorter women. Other people really do not get it.
Also, as someone else said: weight loss does not always consistently, predictably go down. It is not uncommon for stalls.
She isn't short enough for 1100 calories to be an appropriate goal, especially with an active lifestyle
I love irony.
I'm the same height as you, started at a higher weight, similar activity level (lost 100+ over a year, about 10 more to go.) The main thing, in my opinion, is to keep at it because it's not unusual to have a stall for a couple of weeks or even have the scale go up. You need more data. Once you have more information and time, you can adjust from there. And, again (!), people on here talk like they have knowledge when, in fact, they are opinions. Inevitably you'll find someone 4'11" telling you she eats 1700 calories and loses weight. Maybe -- but, really, only you know how your body works, and you just need more time and information to make decisions. Do a search for 5'2" and under folks -- you'll learn a lot. It's very helpful to see a variety of approaches and hear others' experiences.
well considering she is losing about 2lbs/week currently, math says if she were eating 1600 calories a day she would still be losing 1lb/week, which is still an impressive loss rate.....so.....that seems based in knowledge to me7 -
youdoyou2016 wrote: »youdoyou2016 wrote: »OP -- My suggestion: look for threads / groups with women who are 5'2" and less. What you are saying is common, and what you are doing is perfectly fine.
Some of the responses you are getting about calorie counts will not help you given your situation. If you keep doing what you are doing, you will lose. And, again, seek out advice / ideas from shorter women. Other people really do not get it.
Also, as someone else said: weight loss does not always consistently, predictably go down. It is not uncommon for stalls.
She isn't short enough for 1100 calories to be an appropriate goal, especially with an active lifestyle
I love irony.
I'm the same height as you, started at a higher weight, similar activity level (lost 100+ over a year, about 10 more to go.) The main thing, in my opinion, is to keep at it because it's not unusual to have a stall for a couple of weeks or even have the scale go up. You need more data. Once you have more information and time, you can adjust from there. And, again (!), people on here talk like they have knowledge when, in fact, they are opinions. Inevitably you'll find someone 4'11" telling you she eats 1700 calories and loses weight. Maybe -- but, really, only you know how your body works, and you just need more time and information to make decisions. Do a search for 5'2" and under folks -- you'll learn a lot. It's very helpful to see a variety of approaches and hear others' experiences.
Yes, stalls are common, but it's unlikely the OP is getting adequate nutrition on 1100 calories, which is why the 1200 calorie minimum exists. I also get 10,000 steps a day at an active job (though I'm taller) and I've found I can't eat less than 1500 calories net or I start overeating. I also know several shorter women on here who ate much more than 1200 calories and lost.0 -
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If you started 2 weeks ago, give it more time..weight normally fluctuates several pounds due to water weight.
(and see obligatory chart posted by poster above).1 -
4'10" here. Losing pretty consistently on 1240 net (and I often go over - since I'm close to my goal and strength training I mostly just care that I stay under maintenance which is estimated at 1490).
It takes about a 2-week-average-buffered weight to smooth out the fluctuations in my weight.
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Hi I am 161cm some people say 5'3 or 5'4 not really sure and I use metric, and 77.3kg (170.5lbs). I noticed that I only lost if I logged everything on a regular basis on days I have time to do that, to figure out how many calories are in the most common items I ate and I focused on nutrition not exercise and I have been steadily losing weight about .5lbs per week. I tend to eat meals with the family and focus on at least half my plate at lunch or dinner being some variety of dark greens, and with a smaller portion of protein, and carbs (pasta/potatoes/bread/carrots) so long as I am taking in a net amount of calories of 1350 I tend to lose. To low and I am hungry all the time, and miserable, and if I exercise in the day or morning I get ridiculously hungry throughout the day and angry. Your body isn't a calculator that will automatically just do as you ask and continue to drop at the same rate all the time. You will stop losing for a bit but keep at it there are a number of reasons why that scale hasn't changed. You might be gaining muscle and losing fat (great), you may fluctuate because of your monthly cycle, you may have inflammation from muscle tears, you may not have gone to the bathroom etc. Best method to track loss is by measuring fixed points on your body and compare those numbers, at the waist, 10 cm below the knee, and 10 cm above the knee. Something you can reproduce. And compare once a month and you will see changes. Or wear an outfit that is snug right now and take a picture. Repeat under similar conditions in a month, then compare. Weigh yourself however much or little that as you want just make sure you don't get stuck on the numbers. With the doctor thing just make sure that you go for a physical and check for blood sugar, and thyroid levels which they do every year for your physical, other then that so long as you have a good relationship with your physician you can always ask them to explain more about why they are recommending such a low calorie intake or they can direct you to a dietitian. Talk to them first, make sure that you trust them, then if you still feel unsure you can always seek out a second opinion.1
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Check out https://stopthethyroidmadness.com/ and https://www.yourhormones.com/ -- if you are eating what you say you are eating, and, not losing, then, there may be a medical issue. I especially also like the advice about finding another doctor (see the sttm website for ideas for one near you) *and* the advice about keto diet ratios (cutting down on sugar / carbs helped me a lot). On the "yourhormones" website they try to sell you "adaptogens". If you are hypothyroid (what is your waking body temperature?) an adaptogen won't help you. Do you have adrenal fatigue (or other fatigue symptoms) -- https://www.yourhormones.com/adrenal-fatigue/ ? What helped me, in addition to desiccated thyroid I get by prescription, was 80 mg. adrenal cortex and 80 mg. whole adrenal as well as 7-keto DHEA. I avg 1400 calories using the keto diet ratio mentioned above and while it was hard at first to cut way back on carbs and sugar, I have seen results. Good luck!
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youdoyou2016 wrote: »youdoyou2016 wrote: »OP -- My suggestion: look for threads / groups with women who are 5'2" and less. What you are saying is common, and what you are doing is perfectly fine.
Some of the responses you are getting about calorie counts will not help you given your situation. If you keep doing what you are doing, you will lose. And, again, seek out advice / ideas from shorter women. Other people really do not get it.
Also, as someone else said: weight loss does not always consistently, predictably go down. It is not uncommon for stalls.
She isn't short enough for 1100 calories to be an appropriate goal, especially with an active lifestyle
I love irony.
I'm the same height as you, started at a higher weight, similar activity level (lost 100+ over a year, about 10 more to go.) The main thing, in my opinion, is to keep at it because it's not unusual to have a stall for a couple of weeks or even have the scale go up. You need more data. Once you have more information and time, you can adjust from there. And, again (!), people on here talk like they have knowledge when, in fact, they are opinions. Inevitably you'll find someone 4'11" telling you she eats 1700 calories and loses weight. Maybe -- but, really, only you know how your body works, and you just need more time and information to make decisions. Do a search for 5'2" and under folks -- you'll learn a lot. It's very helpful to see a variety of approaches and hear others' experiences.
She was losing 2 pounds a week at 1200. No one NEEDS to lose 2 pounds a week.
What they need to do is get adequate nutrition. The lower their calorie intake, the less likely that is.
I'm 5'1", I feel qualified to comment on this. I also eat more than 1200 and lose. Since I'm lighter than the OP, my rate of loss is slower, as it should be.
OP, I noticed you said you were on a very strict no carbs diet for the first two weeks. Did you introduce more carbs recently? That could explain some glycogen/water weight regain. Don't worry, it's not fat gain. The scale will start moving downward again.7 -
youdoyou2016 wrote: »youdoyou2016 wrote: »OP -- My suggestion: look for threads / groups with women who are 5'2" and less. What you are saying is common, and what you are doing is perfectly fine.
Some of the responses you are getting about calorie counts will not help you given your situation. If you keep doing what you are doing, you will lose. And, again, seek out advice / ideas from shorter women. Other people really do not get it.
Also, as someone else said: weight loss does not always consistently, predictably go down. It is not uncommon for stalls.
She isn't short enough for 1100 calories to be an appropriate goal, especially with an active lifestyle
I love irony.
I'm the same height as you, started at a higher weight, similar activity level (lost 100+ over a year, about 10 more to go.) The main thing, in my opinion, is to keep at it because it's not unusual to have a stall for a couple of weeks or even have the scale go up. You need more data. Once you have more information and time, you can adjust from there. And, again (!), people on here talk like they have knowledge when, in fact, they are opinions. Inevitably you'll find someone 4'11" telling you she eats 1700 calories and loses weight. Maybe -- but, really, only you know how your body works, and you just need more time and information to make decisions. Do a search for 5'2" and under folks -- you'll learn a lot. It's very helpful to see a variety of approaches and hear others' experiences.
Yes, stalls are common, but it's unlikely the OP is getting adequate nutrition on 1100 calories, which is why the 1200 calorie minimum exists. I also get 10,000 steps a day at an active job (though I'm taller) and I've found I can't eat less than 1500 calories net or I start overeating. I also know several shorter women on here who ate much more than 1200 calories and lost.
I resemble that remark in the bold...
I'm 5'2. I lost >30 lbs and was eating 1600-1800 while losing. I am currently maintaining my loss at 120 lbs, with a TDEE of about 2200.
MOST people can eat more than 1200 and still lose. Certainly the OP, who is petite but not tiny in either height or current weight, and is averaging 10K steps/day, can eat more than 1200 and still lose. If she is not losing with current intake of under 1200, it is likely that she has hit a temporary stall (seems it has been less than 2 weeks which is totally reasonable) and that she will start losing again. Also aiming for 2 lbs/week weight loss may be ok for now while she is in the upper 100s, but it may just not be actually possible without either increasing activity, or cutting calories below a recommended minimum. As active as I am now, I would have had to cut to 1200 cals to lose 2 lbs/week and that was not something that appealed to me. If I weren't as active, mathematically it wouldn't have been possible to subtract 1000 cals from my baseline without going below the bare minimum of cals.5 -
Muscleflex79 wrote: »I don't do keto, but have been in facebook groups where a lot of people are doing it and I noticed many drink bulletproof coffees that they think are so great for them (but are hundreds of extra calories)....are you counting EVERYTHING...?? while the keto people say that calories don't matter on keto - they do for weight loss.
I usually only drink water. I did have a couple spiked seltzer waters and I counted them. I quit caffeine in Sept. I don't drink anything else, no soda, no flavored water, no milk just water.0 -
I too am 5'1. I lost on 1200 cals plus around 150 to 200 cals for each hour I exercised. Not reaching anywhere near 10000 steps a day in everyday activity (which would have had me with a higher goal as I wouldn't have been sedentary).
The difference between me and the OP was that I started at 130 with a goal of 105 lbs and I am much older- menopausal at the time of losing.
1200 was appropriate for me as I was within a healthy BMI and had little to lose. I lost at 1lbs a week for the first few weeks, then my losses dropped to less than a pound a month as I got closer to my goal weight.
The problem you may have OP losing at such an aggressive deficit (as well as it being unhealthily and unsustainably low) is that you have no where to go when you reach a lower weight and needs to drop your calories to continue losing.
The alternate is eating low cal for a very long time with less and less weight loss and probably causing hormone disruptions.
You are depriving yourself of needed nutrients that may cause problems long term.
An extremely low calorie goal with a reasonable activity level not accounted for appropriately will also leave you more lethargic. Less regular every day movement lowers your NEAT, this in turn means your basic calorie goal is too high. This, in time, will cause a true stall in weight loss because daily activity has dropped below the average norm for a sedentary person.
Eating under 1200 is not needed or necessary.
Put your stats into MFP to lose 1-1.5 lbs a week, choose the appropriate activity level 'active' if you are moving around a lot at work- sedentary is for seated work.
Spend time to learn which are the correct food entries and weigh all your food every single day.
Log your exercise/steps beyond regular activity and eat back at least a portion of those calories.
Realise unless you are post menopause your weight can fluctuate a few pounds during ovulation and menstruation.
It can also be affected when one has had more salt than usual in a meal, is one has exerted oneself and muscles need to recover, or if one is holding on to more waste than usual ( constipated or a high calorie day).
Please review what you are doing-
is it the calorie level and low carb sustainable long term?
If not, go to your doctor, get a physical to make sure there are no underlying medical problems and get a referral to a RD to guide you through your weight loss.
Cheers, h.9 -
niketasebakeng wrote: »If it's on the scale could it be muscle gain?
Nope.
Muscle gain is very difficult to attain, especially for women.5 -
First thank you for the reponses. I'll try to address the questions asked, sorry if I miss any. I'll look into opening my diary, not sure how and I'm at work. I DO weigh and measure everything except the sugar free gum I chew. I'm 5'1 and weighed 181 this morning. I weigh myself everyday and only log it once a week on the same say wearing the same outfit. Most of my walking is done at work. Every time I get bloodwork they say I'm perfectly healthy, my dr said 1200 was still to much which is why I try to stay under. My starting weight was 198 but I did a strict 2 week carb and dairy free diet before I started tracking my food. I've been tracking for approximately a month and half losing about 2 pounds a week until 2 weeks ago. I agree with my calorie intake I should be losing that's why I came here. Thank you again for the responses.
Wait. You've lost 17 pounds? And, it's just been the last two weeks when you have not lost?
That sounds like normal weight fluctuations to me.7 -
One of the things about low carb eating is that your body dumps a lot of water, then seems to hold on to it for a while, then dumps more. That makes for some really frustrating plateau periods but some very exciting 'whooshes' as well. Over time, you will see the numbers decrease, but it can be very erratic. IIRC, I lost 10 pounds, then 4, then nothing for about a month, then 3 or 4, etc.
As someone stated above, taking measurements can be a better way to see what is happening with your body. You may find that your waist or thigh measurements decrease more regularly than the scale does.1 -
First thank you for the reponses. I'll try to address the questions asked, sorry if I miss any. I'll look into opening my diary, not sure how and I'm at work. I DO weigh and measure everything except the sugar free gum I chew. I'm 5'1 and weighed 181 this morning. I weigh myself everyday and only log it once a week on the same say wearing the same outfit. Most of my walking is done at work. Every time I get bloodwork they say I'm perfectly healthy, my dr said 1200 was still to much which is why I try to stay under. My starting weight was 198 but I did a strict 2 week carb and dairy free diet before I started tracking my food. I've been tracking for approximately a month and half losing about 2 pounds a week until 2 weeks ago. I agree with my calorie intake I should be losing that's why I came here. Thank you again for the responses.
Really this thread should read: I have lost 17 pounds since starting at about 2 pounds a week until 2 weeks ago and then I stopped losing.
OP does not need to change your calories unless you feel light-headed or are showing other signs of malnutrition such as getting sick a lot, brittle nails, and hair that is following out.
Also, to all the people saying that the doctor has no nutrition training, are any of you qualified to speak on behalf of the medical association? How do you know doctors don't receive nutrition training, have you gone through medical school? And stop taking everything you hear from patients second hand at face value. I am a registered dietitian, have heard doctors (and nurses and pharmacists!) give sound advice only for the patient to turn around a month later and interpret what was said said in such a way I can only suspect they didn't listen to a word the doctor said.
Even if some doctors give bad advice, you can't judge the entire profession based on one or two bad apples, it really seems like people just want to feel smart by saying doctors don't know anything. But because someone on here read a few articles on someone's blog they are somehow a nutrition authority. /end rant.
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Its only been 2 weeks, Nothing to worry about but i feel i should mention how my body works. I only track my weight loss every 5 pounds, Which for me is the 12th of every month past few months. I hover between say 145-150 all month hitting 145 on dehydrated days near the final 2 weeks and then finally stay under 145 on the 12thish.. Which is when my period ends. I only tack it once im comfortable that i am staying under it. Female hormones are strange even if you dont get periods you can still have the hormone swings which make weight very annoying to track. With time youll see how your body works and itl stop freaking you out im sure.0
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