HELP! need advice

aekibler

I have been on this site for awhile and I didnt really realize my goal was set at losing 2 pounds per week. I am supposed to eat 1200 calories a day and some days I dont eat that much. When I dont thats when I lose weight. The less I eat the more I lose it seems. I know the recommended is 1 pound a week, but if I change it to that now and start eating more I know I will gain. Help!

camille45

you will eventually gain anyway if you keep eating so little, best to go gradual to keep it off

k8ieP

agreed! Also remember to build some muscle to help use those calories!!

amg_89

you will eventually gain anyway if you keep eating so little, best to go gradual to keep it off

THIS. I used to eat like 1000 calories a day and the weight melted off. Then I started eating normal again and now i'm up 30 lbs. Don't put yourself through that.

Galleon1235

The best thing is drink plenty of water each day and that will help with the hunger and start a workout program I wouldn't suggest joining a fitness gym unless you have a friend that goes with you. I would suggest finding a sport or something you like doing and that will keep you motivated to loose the weight. I started out at 243 lbs and now weigh 177 lbs.

ksimmons19

If you're eating less than 1200 cals/day how long do you think you can sustain that? I mean as far as maintenance goes. I think it's better to go gradually and use this as a time to learn how to eat better things that you can see yourself doing for the rest of your life and not just starve yourself until you hit goal. I know this b/c i've lost 21 pounds basically doing that just staying under 1400 sometimes less than 1200 and I am at a plateau now because I hit a little binge session because I was so deprived. Luckily I didn't gain, but now I'm trying to keep my calories in a good range for my body type and for the basic metabolic needs of my body. I know if I do that for long enough, I'll hit my goal and better yet- I won't feel deprived and go for the first horrible food in front of me during a moment of weakness.

leofink

I realize that we all want to lose as quickly as possible, but please consider this: It is recommended by (I think) the USDA that the LOWEST a woman should go in her calories is 1200. MFP considers that you will be adding calories to what they suggest based on your exercise.

Everyone loses well with a severe calorie restriction, but then your body will become better and better at using only the energy that you are giving it to do the work that you are asking it to do. Eventually, your weight loss will slow. Then it will stop. You may be doing damage to your metabolism.

Our goals should be FAT loss, not WEIGHT loss. With severe calorie restrictions under 1200 calories, you might also start losing muscle (lean body tissue), especially if you are not doing resistance (weight) training.

So, if you are exercising, you should be entering your exercise into MFP and eating the additional calories it gives you.

If you are not exercising... START!! :-) It is the best thing for all of us.

If you are concerned about gaining weight, increase your calories incrementally over the next few weeks.

My wife and I have both lost a lot of weight, and the few times that we have hit real plateaus, increasing our calories jogged us free of the plateaus. It doesn't sound right, but it really is.

Try this website: fat2fitradio.com and use their TOOLS button at the top right to figure out how many calories you should be eating.

Good luck!!

jimmydeanbakker

You won't necessarily gain weight because you decide to eat a little more food. We're dealing with mathematical calculations when it comes to weight loss. If you're set to lose 2 pounds a week, then you are basically burning 7000 calories a week. Your calorie deficit will be around 1000 calories a day.

If the program has you eating 1200 calories a day, you wouldn't start gaining weight until you ate beyond 2200 calories a day. So, if you wanted to lose a pound a week, you could just cut your deficit in half, and eat 1700 calories a day.

aekibler

What do you guys have your goals set as? Lose 1 pound a week or 2?

k8ieP

It doesn't really work so predictably for me. I have it set to one pound a week but some weeks I lose nothing and then others I loose 2 pounds. I would think of everything on this site as guidelines not exact figures. Just make sure to stay close to your calorie goal while working cardio and strength training into your routine and you will get results. It will most likely be slower than you expect but it will happen.
Good luck.