Eating approximately 1200 or 1350 calories a day

harnessingvenus
harnessingvenus Posts: 5 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I currently weigh 156, and am 5'3". I am considered overweight according to BMI. I've been logging my food intake for 25 days now.

But I can't manage to lose weight. I broke up my meals into smaller meals throughout the day, and go for a walk every other day. I was working out about an hour five times a week until the snow hit. I was seeing improvement when I did that as far as becoming more toned, but the problem that I ran into was that I began to feel exhausted and got sick, all the meanwhile not losing any weight.

I eat really healthy for the most part, I usually get all of the nutrients I need, and I try to balance protein, fat & carbs with success. I try not to eat after 9. I am currently a student, so I am more sedentary than I would like to be, but I do exercise. Any tips? Why can't I lose weight?

Many thanks,
~HarnessingVenus

Replies

  • ladynocturne
    ladynocturne Posts: 865 Member
    Many users are going to request that you open your food diary in order to better assist you.

    Are you logging and eating your exercise calories?

    Just to let you know, the calorie goal you are given to eat to 1200-1300, already includes your deficit for weight loss, you do not even need to exercise to lose weight.

    I would highly recommend investing in a 20$ food scale and weighing everything for about 2 weeks just to be really sure you aren't accidentally over eating.
  • harnessingvenus
    harnessingvenus Posts: 5 Member
    Alright, I unlocked my food diary. Thank you for your advice.

    On days when I do work out, the app recommends that I eat a bit more than 1200, so on those days I usually eat more food. Would that account for over-eating?
  • skyfall91
    skyfall91 Posts: 74
    extra calories burned from exercise should be eaten back, or at least some of them. Youv burned energy in exercise so will need to re fuel and eat a bit more. Your intake recomended by mfp includes a calorie deficit so any more you burn should be eaten back x
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
    Do you weigh your food?
  • harnessingvenus
    harnessingvenus Posts: 5 Member
    I just pulled out a food scale, so I will start weighing my food. Thanks for the reply!
  • Psychgrrl
    Psychgrrl Posts: 3,177 Member
    In general, you're getting a lot more sugar than your intake would recommend. Can you make some swaps--change out the swordfish candy/pudding for raw veggies and hummus? Even seemingly healthy things like yogurt and protein bars can have too much added sugar.

    Sodium is another sneaky one--it's in everything! Many processed foods have a lot of added sodium. Maybe there are low-sodium versions of your soups. Or, if you have a crock pot, you can make a batch yourself!

    In general, I try to eat whole foods most of the time, that I make myself, so if I want to go a little nuts, I can. Like last week and those darn red bean pastries--YUMMY! Processed foods, I look for 15 ingredients or less--with names I recognize. Eating those quick, frozen meals didn't do much for me. But I do have a weird metabolism. :)
  • adcbing
    adcbing Posts: 10 Member
    I am in the same boat. I know I don't eat clean - I have a toddler at home, I work full time and I am a doc student too - but I measure everything and enter my own recipes and still struggle quite a bit. Then I post a loss - and then it goes right back to where it was for the next 2 weeks and then the next loss is really the same as the first. Frustrating!
  • skyfall91
    skyfall91 Posts: 74
    weighing is so important. What you think is a serving size is often way bigger then the correct portion size. Iv found that before with my own meals. Its shocking sometimes putting the correct weight of food out and thinking "wow I used to eat 2/3 times that size in one meal!"
  • harnessingvenus
    harnessingvenus Posts: 5 Member
    Great advice! My step mom was also saying I should cut out sugar.
  • kaypee65
    kaypee65 Posts: 120 Member
    Are you taking 2000 IU of vitamin D daily or getting a fair amount of sun? I really struggled to lose weight, then when I added in Vitamin D it became much easier.
  • tech_kitten
    tech_kitten Posts: 221 Member
    Correct calorie counting is important, but nutrients (especially if you are exercising) are very important too. If you are not getting the nutrients you need, add in more veggies, etc, or take a multivitamin. Also, sugar can make you more hungry, so if you are having issues with hunger, you may want to look at cutting back on sugar a bit.
  • harnessingvenus
    harnessingvenus Posts: 5 Member
    Are you taking 2000 IU of vitamin D daily or getting a fair amount of sun? I really struggled to lose weight, then when I added in Vitamin D it became much easier.

    I am taking Vitamin D supplements.
  • SezxyStef
    SezxyStef Posts: 15,267 Member
    Great advice! My step mom was also saying I should cut out sugar.

    It doesn't matter where you get your calories as long as you are eating at a reasonable deficet.

    No amout of sugar will make you keep/gain weight if your calories are in a deficet.
  • Brianna716
    Brianna716 Posts: 303 Member
    I'm also 5'3" and started at 153, and I'm a student. Do you have kitchen access or are you in a dorm with limited options? I like to cook a bunch of chicken or pork and potatoes at once then just weigh out what I want for dinner and re-heat. I think weighing your food will make a difference if you've been guessing at how much you've been eating. Feel free to add me as a friend.

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