Help! Regarding Calorie Intake

tibby103

Ok...New to this calorie counting. Started last week and inputted weight/height etc and myfitnesspal gave me 1200 calories and in my first week I lost 7lb, which I was over the moon with. Today I put 1/2 pound on. The only thing I can think of, is I haven't been drinking enough fluid. I know I don't drink enough, or should I increase my calories to 1600 a week. Because I thought you only started on 1200 for the first week to rev your metabolism?? I need to loose 1.5 stone by September otherwise I wont fit in my wedding dress, someone please help me xx (ps I know I should take my measurements too)

kateish417

From my experience, you definitely need to be drinking lots of water. Sometimes the small fluctuations in the scale are just water retention, and lucky for us as women, we can retain water just because of our cycle! This is my second time doing the calorie counting with my fitness pal, and the last time I did it, I ate between 1200 - 1500 calories each day and I lost over 60lbs in just over 3 months. I've put some of that back on now, and I too am getting married, so I need to get back into a leaner version of myself! You touched on the other thing I was going to say - don't be too focused on the scale. Sometimes I would gain weight and lose a half an inch, so it's just your body finding its new shape. Keep it up!

LivingtheLeanDream

Fluid actually doesn't impact weight loss imo (I drink for hydration). Weight fluctuates naturally for a host of reasons. You lost 7lbs in your first week, most of that will be water weight rather than fat loss and that is normal. The loss was always going to slow down. 2 weeks is not enough time to see progress. Keep doing what you're doing, trust the process and slowly but surely weight loss will happen. It takes time.

1200 might not be enough for you but eating more never aids weight loss unless you are burning more calories in general, then you need more of them to fuel your body efficiently.

You have plenty of time to lose that weight.
All the best.

TavistockToad

weight loss isn't linear and the first week was mainly water weight.

given that you only have 20lbs to lose you should set MFP to lose 1lb per week. that may give you more than 1200 cals to eat.

bronaghCPM

What did you set your goal to on mfp? Healthy weightloss is between a 0.5-2 pounds a week, if you're planning on counting calories for the next 8 months you could set it to 1 pound a week on mfp and see what kind of calories it gives you.
I feel like when I drink more water I lose more weight, but that could just be because if I'm making an effort to drink water I'm probably being more health conscious anyway. I try to meet the mfp goal either way, it's good for your skin, liver etc, even if it doesn't aid weightloss.

Orphia

You can be losing fat, but still "gain weight" in water or glycogen, due to exercise (muscles hold on to water to repair/grow), hormones (time of month), salty food, lots of lovely carbs, and stress.

tibby103

I set my goal to loose 1lb a week, didn't want to be in-realistic and to loose it to fast either. A few years back I dropped 4 dress sizes, 36 inches but still only lost 1 stone...so this weekend I am going to take my measurements, and in the office I am swopping tea's for water now! so hopefully, I shall see a change.... When I got my wedding dress it didn't fit, I think that's why I'm stressing lol xx

gvizzle74

tibby103 wrote: »

started on 1200 for the first week to rev your metabolism??

That's a myth. If you're ok with 1200 - keep eating 1200. Your weight fluctuates daily and is affected by a lot of things: stress, hydration, sleep, sodium, ovulating, etc. Look for trends, not just a one day blip.

cshern

Hi Tibbie, please don't worry. You will lose at approximately the rate the app explains. Twenty-one pounds should take you roughly eleven weeks. And it will take a little time for your body to "recognize the weight loss and kind of "shrink" into your new size. You have plenty of time and could even decide to consume a few more calories each day, as long as you continue to use your food diary. Just write down everything you eat. Stop weighing yourself everyday and do drink plenty of water and get as much exercise as you can. I am extremely sedentary and had a huge amount of weight to lose. So I have lost 45 pounds in 90 days. But your case will undoubtedly be different, because you haven't so much to lose so, after your initial drop of water weight, you will see the pounds drop off week by week.

Please try to stress over planning your everlasting relationship to the dear man you plan to marry, if you must stress over something :-)

turnerjwr

Try not to focus too much on small weight fluctuations. Your body will vary by a few lbs throughout the day. To test this, you can weigh yourself right before bed, and again when you wake up. For ongoing day over day weight tracking, make sure you're weighing yourself at the same time of day each day. This will help reduce the deviations due to normal daily fluctuations.

mikeandlindasept15

As my husband says, the scale is just one tool to use during your weight loss journey.

AliceDark

Your weight is going to go up and down constantly. As long as the overall trend line is going down, you're on the right track.

This thread talks about a lot of different things that can impact your weight from day to day: http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10634529/why-did-the-number-on-the-scale-go-up-this-week-heres-why#latest

AnnetteJones4

I used to think it was bs but I actually believe it is smart to take your measurements because sometimes the scale doesn't do much but the tape measure does.

tibby103

cshern wrote: »

Hi Tibbie, please don't worry. You will lose at approximately the rate the app explains. Twenty-one pounds should take you roughly eleven weeks. And it will take a little time for your body to "recognize the weight loss and kind of "shrink" into your new size. You have plenty of time and could even decide to consume a few more calories each day, as long as you continue to use your food diary. Just write down everything you eat. Stop weighing yourself everyday and do drink plenty of water and get as much exercise as you can. I am extremely sedentary and had a huge amount of weight to lose. So I have lost 45 pounds in 90 days. But your case will undoubtedly be different, because you haven't so much to lose so, after your initial drop of water weight, you will see the pounds drop off week by week.

Please try to stress over planning your everlasting relationship to the dear man you plan to marry, if you must stress over something :-)

Thankyou...believe me planning a wedding is stressful.
So far I have lost 9lb in 4 weeks, but I think I'm loosing inches just by the comments I'm getting.
I set MFP goal to loose 1lb aweek and occasionally I may eat over the 1200, but I'm doing ok and haven't felt hungry that I've needed to eat more.
Hopefully as time goes on, I will see the results. Still struggling with the fluid intake though! How do you guys drink so much lol xx

tibby103

turnerjwr wrote: »

Try not to focus too much on small weight fluctuations. Your body will vary by a few lbs throughout the day. To test this, you can weigh yourself right before bed, and again when you wake up. For ongoing day over day weight tracking, make sure you're weighing yourself at the same time of day each day. This will help reduce the deviations due to normal daily fluctuations.

I cant be jumping on the scales every day, lol I wouldn't eat anything.
I get weighed in work once a week and have started taking measurements too
x

tibby103

AnnetteJones4 wrote: »

I used to think it was bs but I actually believe it is smart to take your measurements because sometimes the scale doesn't do much but the tape measure does.

I'm going to try my dress on in a few weeks, so hopefully I will see the difference compared to last time. x

rickgarcia045

There's a big misconception when it comes to a caloric deficit. It's not anybody's fault. It's just that people haven't really been taught. So, here's a rather simple explanation:

The body uses food for absolutely everything it needs to function, most importantly, recovery. Progress is always made through recovery, but if one is not eating decent amounts of food, their recovery is slowed, thus their progress is slowed. Then just how does one ensure progress on low calorie diets? Well, you exercise to create the deficit! Not eat to stay within the deficit. For example, Michael Phelps used to eat a 10,000 calorie diet, and would train excessively, but still remain with enough caloric intake at the end of the day to spark progress. If you consider doing this, here's an example: Imagine someone with a 2,000 calorie diet. Their goal is to, at the end of the day, have eaten 1,500 calories. To do this, they train enough to burn 500 calories. BUT, to make this easier, you could subtract 100 calories from the original 2,000 calories, leaving you with 1,900, and only have to train enough to burn 400 calories. That way, you're results from training can be kept, whilst slimming you down, and leave you with enough calories at the end of the day to recover.

It is often a mistake of people's to ignore this because they want to get results faster, but there are a variety of reasons this method of reasoning can be rather ignorant at times: 1.) It is popular to reduce carbohydrates because it seems to be the quickest way to lose weight; while that seems correct, the truth is carboHYDRATES help with keeping the muscles and body hydrated, meaning, when one lessens the consumption of this macronutrient, the body holds on to less water. The truth is you can see results with a low-whatever-macronutrient diet as long as you practice good eating habits, and are training properly and with intent--it just won't be as apparent within the first few weeks. 2.) When the body is not getting enough food, it begins to store energy in the form of fat to compensate for what you're not allowing it to get. This is why people in developing countries with not enough to eat can often be seen with distended tummies, or why overweight people who jump right into eating exponentially less without prior research never seem to lose weight and give up. 3.) Progress is made through recovery! This isn't so hard to understand, it's just one of those things that's hard to accept when you're desperate about making progress. To make progress, you need to recover, to recover, you need food, but not just any food. You need food the body can use to help it with it's everyday functions. If this confuses you as you're new to this, I think Jujimufu said it best, "Just eat foods no one argues the health benefits to."

Another thing is water. Water is life, literally, and is so much more than a form of cleansing and hydration. The body uses water to carry nutrients and oxygen to the cells, helps the body absorb said nutrients and oxygen, it cushions the joints, moistens oxygen for breathing, protects and cushions vital organs, helps convert food into energy, regulates body temperature, composes 75% of the brain, makes up 83% of all blood, removes waste, and accounts for 22% of bones, and so much more!!! You're doing yourself a disservice if you're not making it a habit to drink water as consistently as possible. A good way to begin developing this habit is to drink two cups of water in the morning first thing upon waking up. That is when the body is most dehydrated after having slept without sustenance for so long.

Also, sleep. Sleep is the ultimate recovery.

A popular way to lose weight and burn fat amongst many bodybuilders is a thing called carb cycling. It can be as simple as this, please don't over think it: eat less carbs one day, more carbs the next. Frank Zane, considered to be the most aesthetic man ever, would eat less carbs for three days, and on the fourth, more carbs.

I'm giving you options here because there is a... misconception that what you're doing is how to lose weight. It can be... But it's not something that can be done everyday for the rest of the year with consistent progress. Eventually, on low calorie diets, the body learns to outsmart what you're forcing upon it, and finds way to get you to give it what it needs. Furthermore, the scale is a liar! But hips are not. Hips don't lie. For example, I used to weight 73kg, and no, I am up to 95kg, but still be able to wear the same clothes. In fact, the clothes from when I weight 73kg now fit a tad to big. This is why it's important to train if aside from health, being happy in your own body is something you strive for. You should consider lifting weights. Women can lift weights. They won't get bulky or masculine. They'll actually get tighter and clothes will become more form fitting, but the exercise discussion should be left for another day.

The point here is not just to help you on your journey. You have from now until September, and it shouldn't be about only being able to fit in the dress. It's about being able to feel good in the dress.

I hope I've been able to help. Everyone can offer you advice, but at the end of the day, absorb what is useful, reject what it useless, and add what is essentially your own.

psychod787

Heck, my weight fluctuates 6lbs a day sometimes. Listen to the people here, I wish I had known about this community before i nearly destroyed myself.