Not getting thinner?

infamous1997

I'm trying to burn fat but it's not happening. Everything I insert in MFP is pretty accurate. I've been doing this for a month already and I always eat around the 1200 calorie area. Help? (I lift too and I know my weight will probably stay the same but I do not see a change at all)

tomee638

How tall are you and how much do you weigh? 1200 calorie diet is pretty slim and you may have destroyed your metabolism. Go to this site:
http://iifym.com/tdee-calculator/

And figure your Total Daily Energy Expenditure (including the number of days exercising) and then take 200 or 300 off that and that's what you should be eating. You may have just been eating too few calories that you've wrecked your metabolism and increasing your caloric intake will get you back on track. Either way, a male eating 1200 calories/day is dangerous. You certainly won't be gaining any muscle that way, you'd need a caloric surplus to gain muscle.

infamous1997

How tall are you and how much do you weigh? 1200 calorie diet is pretty slim and you may have destroyed your metabolism. Go to this site:
http://iifym.com/tdee-calculator/

And figure your Total Daily Energy Expenditure (including the number of days exercising) and then take 200 or 300 off that and that's what you should be eating. You may have just been eating too few calories that you've wrecked your metabolism and increasing your caloric intake will get you back on track. Either way, a male eating 1200 calories/day is dangerous. You certainly won't be gaining any muscle that way, you'd need a caloric surplus to gain muscle.

I'm 5'4" (Pretty short for a guy) and I weigh about 152LBs. 1200 calories was given to me by this site/app itself. (To lose 2LBs/week (I know I said I also lift but I'm trying to be cut.))

btc1987

If everything you've said is true, you're probably not tracking your intake carefully. I recently bought a food scale and I've been surprised at how off some things can be.

Losing 2 lbs per week is an extremely agressive goal when you're only talking about losing ~20 lbs overall. I'd go with something like 1lb/week maybe 1.5lbs/week.

If you're tracking your intake correctly, you should be losing.

infamous1997

If everything you've said is true, you're probably not tracking your intake carefully. I recently bought a food scale and I've been surprised at how off some things can be.

Losing 2 lbs per week is an extremely agressive goal when you're only talking about losing ~20 lbs overall. I'd go with something like 1lb/week maybe 1.5lbs/week.

If you're tracking your intake correctly, you should be losing.

So I'd have to eat a bit more to lose weight?

Where can I purchase a food scale?

btc1987

You should be losing weight at your current calorie intake. Eating more calories will not make you lose weight. I am saying that I think that goal is too aggressive to maintain with any longevity and you will still lose weight consuming more, albeit at a slower pace.

I bought my scale from Amazon. It is a EatSmart Precision Pro Digital Kitchen Scale. It was only $20 at the time, I just checked and it's $25 now. There are many of them on the market and they all do a decent job at what they're supposed to be doing.

infamous1997

You should be losing weight at your current calorie intake. Eating more calories will not make you lose weight. I am saying that I think that goal is too aggressive to maintain with any longevity and you will still lose weight consuming more, albeit at a slower pace.

I bought my scale from Amazon. It is a EatSmart Precision Pro Digital Kitchen Scale. It was only $20 at the time, I just checked and it's $25 now. There are many of them on the market and they all do a decent job at what they're supposed to be doing.

Is it possible to bring my metabolism up if I lose weight at a slower pace? (Since I'll be less aggressive with losing weight)

And I'll check those scales out.

writergeek313

Two pounds a week is way too aggressive of a goal for somebody who wants to lose less than 25 pounds. That's only realistic for somebody trying to lose 75 pounds or more. Try changing your goal to a pound a week and make sure you're logging everything accurately.

I got my food scale on Amazon for about $15. It was a big eye opener for me to the fact that I was eating more than I thought.

infamous1997

Two pounds a week is way too aggressive of a goal for somebody who wants to lose less than 25 pounds. That's only realistic for somebody trying to lose 75 pounds or more. Try changing your goal to a pound a week and make sure you're logging everything accurately.

I got my food scale on Amazon for about $15. It was a big eye opener for me to the fact that I was eating more than I thought.

So how many calories should I eat per day to lose 1 LB/Week?

SLLRunner

Two pounds a week is way too aggressive of a goal for somebody who wants to lose less than 25 pounds. That's only realistic for somebody trying to lose 75 pounds or more. Try changing your goal to a pound a week and make sure you're logging everything accurately.

I got my food scale on Amazon for about $15. It was a big eye opener for me to the fact that I was eating more than I thought.

So how many calories should I eat per day to lose 1 LB/Week?

In your MFP profile, put in that you want to lose 1 pounds a week and it will come up with your number. Eat that amount of calories, except make sure you eat a portion of any cardio calories back if you do cardio too.

As others have mentioned, a food scale is invaluable.

You said you have not lost any weight, but your ticker shows 7 pounds lost. Was this prior to MFP? What did you do to lose those pounds?

infamous1997

Two pounds a week is way too aggressive of a goal for somebody who wants to lose less than 25 pounds. That's only realistic for somebody trying to lose 75 pounds or more. Try changing your goal to a pound a week and make sure you're logging everything accurately.

I got my food scale on Amazon for about $15. It was a big eye opener for me to the fact that I was eating more than I thought.

So how many calories should I eat per day to lose 1 LB/Week?

In your MFP profile, put in that you want to lose 1 pounds a week and it will come up with your number. Eat that amount of calories, except make sure you eat a portion of any cardio calories back if you do cardio too.

As others have mentioned, a food scale is invaluable.

You said you have not lost any weight, but your ticker shows 7 pounds lost. Was this prior to MFP? What did you do to lose those pounds?

In the beginning of trying to lose weight, I've been eating 1200 calories and going to the gym. I still proceed to do the same. (I go to the gym 4x/week and I have at least 1 cheat day per week.)

fittyinthemaking

if your tracker is correct, you cant expect to look different after losing 7lb

infamous1997

if your tracker is correct, you cant expect to look different after losing 7lb

Those 7 pounds have been there since last month. I haven't updated the weight

Lelah77

I have two suggestions that aren't all that different from what others have already said, but...
1) DEFINITELY recheck your caloric intake. You can absolutely screw up your metabolism if you under eat. It can cause muscle loss, not gain. (And I agree - get a scale. It's an invaluable tool. If you don't want to get it online, they sell them at major retailers like Target & Bed, Bath & Beyond.)
2) Take your measurements. Regularly: every 2 or 4 weeks. Sometimes there is no weight lost if you are lifting as there is muscle being added as fat is lost. Keeping track of measurements is a great way to notice change when the scale isn't giving in.