Opinions Needes!

LeahBluitt

Well well well I think I figured out why I have been keeping a strict 1200 calorie diet, vigorous excersize, and havnt lost a single pound in 5 weeks.
I havnt been eating back any calories... AND I have been logging insanity as 200-300 and it was so little that I wouldn't eat it back. But today I used a HRM and I burned 588 in the normal routine we do. My body has been thinking I'm only getting 600 calories and I'm probably insarvation mode!! I'm gonna eat those back starting tomorrow and see how my weightloss comes along!

Does this sound right?? Could this be the reason I havnt lost a single pound??

ywalchle

yep

defauIt

Being in too high a caloric deficit will not stop you from losing weight, it will do the opposite and make you lose weight faster.

However, the reason we don't use high caloric deficits is because they're not healthy (generally speaking). You will feel exhausted all the time, mentally run-down, your body will start cannibalizing it's own muscle to provide you with the energy you need, etc. Your metabolism will slow down slightly, but there's no such thing as a mythical starvation mode where your body slows down your metabolism by so much it negates the deficit.

My best guess is you're eating more than you think right now. The only reason weight loss doesn't happen is because you're not eating at a deficit. Full stop. It's literally impossible for your body to burn more than it consumes and not lose weight unless we're talking short term water weight gains and losses.

aqualeo1

Nope. You're eating more than you think.

LeahBluitt

Ha. But I'm NOT eating more than I think. I eat what I log and I log what I eat. There's no food I'm hiding from myself. I'm the one desperate to lose weight!
I stuck to a small caloric intake for 2 weeks before I started insanity. I lost 5 pounds. Then I started excersizing daily and havnt lost a pound since.
I don't eat mystery foods that have mystery calories that I guess at. I usually look directly at the nutrition facts and log that.

LeahBluitt

I'm 5 feet, 120 lbs. I eat 1200 per day +/- 150 and then usually do about 45 of excersizing which burns Aprox 400 calories that I usually don't eat back.
I'm just trying to figure out why I'm not losing weight.
I don't eat more than I think... I eat what I log and it's all according to the nutrition facts.

LeahBluitt

I don't weigh and measure.
I drink a slim fast that has 190 calories, I eat a protien bar that has 250 calories neither of these need to be weighed or measured.
I do eat edemame usually about a cup and very likely that it could be slightly more or slightly less, but not enough to make a huge difference.
A piece of chicken is 180 calories with skin and all. I take off the skin and still log 180.
And even with all these small pluses and minuses I'm usually under my calorie intake... NOT NET.
And I'm at a calories goal intake that I SHOULD be losing weight.
My calorie intake to stay alive is 1700, so I eat 1200 to lose. And yet I don't.
And I burn Aprox 400 calories during insanity every night. I'm completely at a loss.

aqualeo1

I'm 5 feet, 120 lbs. I eat 1200 per day +/- 150 and then usually do about 45 of excersizing which burns Aprox 400 calories that I usually don't eat back.
I'm just trying to figure out why I'm not losing weight.
I don't eat more than I think... I eat what I log and it's all according to the nutrition facts.

Do you use a food scale? Do you know packaged food nutrition labels are allowed a 20% margin of error? I'm small too - 5'2 120 lbs and at our size accuracy is so important. I'm not saying you're eating food and not logging it because you're cheating, I'm saying get a food scale. That first couple of pounds was probably water weight.

Do you really think adding exercise is preventing you from losing weight? That's kinda what you're suggesting. Your calories are off.

aqualeo1

I don't weigh and measure.
I drink a slim fast that has 190 calories, I eat a protien bar that has 250 calories neither of these need to be weighed or measured.
I do eat edemame usually about a cup and very likely that it could be slightly more or slightly less, but not enough to make a huge difference.
A piece of chicken is 180 calories with skin and all. I take off the skin and still log 180.
And even with all these small pluses and minuses I'm usually under my calorie intake... NOT NET.
And I'm at a calories goal intake that I SHOULD be losing weight.
My calorie intake to stay alive is 1700, so I eat 1200 to lose. And yet I don't.
And I burn Aprox 400 calories during insanity every night. I'm completely at a loss.

You are also confusing bmr with tdee. Bmr is calories to stay alive and at 5 ft 120 lbs there's no way yours is anywhere near 1700. That's probably your tdee (maintenance calories).

IIIIISerenityNowIIIII

If you had an open diary you could get some more help.

sola24

I am 5ft too and I eat 1600 calories and still lose weight. I dont have much muscle mass either. I think you are losing but not reflecting on scale yet and you will notice a sudden drop in weight. Weird things does happen in our body. But yes, you need to eat more if you want to be healthy and lose weight. And I dont weigh my food either, I think it will be a little obsessive for me and I am looking forward to a lifestyle change and weighing food everyday not a feasible option Then its just my personal opinion.

outofworkpediatrician

exercising to increase calorie deficit will not prevent you from losing weight. anyone alive need basic metabolic activity just to stay alive, if you eat at a deficit and increase the deficit with activity, you will lose weight faster. "starvation mode" is an over exaggerated and over generalized concept that does not apply here.
at your height and weight, your TDEE for no exercise is under 1500 cals. (if you used the calculator here at MFP, it might give you wrong calculation if you put a weight loss goal of 1 pound per week or more, as your calorie goal will be lower than 1200, which MFP will not recommend for anybody. so it will just give you a goal of 1200 and will not tell you eating at that goal will not get you your weight loss goal)
use a digital scale to weigh your food, you will probably be surprised.

aqualeo1

You don't weigh or log your food.
You assume the chicken is always 180 calories without even weighing it. Then if you eat this skin or don't eat the skin the calories don't change? How does that work?

You're not losing weight but still insist you know how much you are eating. You are not lost, you just refuse to see the facts.

Yeah seriously. How big is the piece of chicken? You need to know. A chicken breast can weigh like 12-14 oz which would be around 400 calories.

LeahBluitt

Most of the food I eat is packaged. As in slim fast shakes, bars, and yogurt.
But of course I could still be wrong.
I didn't realize my diary was closed. How do I open it??
I of course could be wrong! I don't need any one telling me I'm wrong, I just need friendly help. Cause at the end of the day, I'm the only one beating myself up over my weightloss or the loss there of.
I do feel more muscles in my legs, and I did lose and inch an a half on my waist. I'm not insisting that excersize keeps me from losing weight, but maybe just scale weight. And I just need to know that I'm still doing everything right.

If a yogurt is 200 calories and I give my daughter a few or more bites I usually don't log that I ate less, I just log the yogurt in a whole. And if the package says the chicken is 180 calories in a whole and I take off the skin and share it with my daughter of course I ate less than 180 (assuming the package is correct) but I log as a whole to give myself the benefit of the doubt. And by sharing it helps me to eat slower, and a little less.

But I will find a food scale. Thank you for that tip.

LeahBluitt

It was a drum stick. But of course it could have been more than I assumed.
I will get a scale.

LeahBluitt

Thank you. I didn't know MFP gave limits. I very well maybe eating over my limit even though my limit is 1200. It may need to be even lower.
I'll look into that.