Sticking to 1200 net calories a day. No weightloss. Why?

drlynned

I'm doing a great job of sticking to my 1200 net calories a day. Sometimes a little less, like 1150, but nothing drastic. Two weeks ago, I lost 2.7 pounds. This week, I lost 0. Didn't gain either, but didn't lose. I thought staying at a consistent 1200 calories would help me lose 1.5 pounds a week. What gives? Advice? Suggestions? Anything, is appreciated. (My stats: 5'4", 153 pounds. Goal is 145 pounds).

On the plus side, I have a NSV. My size 10 jeans no longer fit. Way too loose to wear without a belt!!! Never thought I'd be in the single digits for clothes. NEVER! Super excited about this. :drinker:

tiedye

You answered your own question...who cares about the scale if your body composition is changing?

Way to go girl

briar_rose

What's your exercise routine like? Make sure you are drinking lots of water. Eat at least 1200 per day...anything less might put your body into starvation mode.

Rae6503

You have 4lbs left to lose? You shouldn't be trying for 1.5lbs per week. 0.5 is a better goal.

bjberry

Muscle takes up less space than fat for the same amount of weight.
Example: 5 lbs of fat =
But 5 lbs of muscle = .
So you may not have lost weight because you gained muscle.
Congrats!!! :drinker: (lots of water)

kristenswangin

I'm having this problem as well, but is been two weeks...1200 calories a day, give or take 50, in addition to exercising an hour in morning, mostly kickboxing...pants are definitely loose, but no pounds going away. Very frustrating! Plus, all the suggestions on how to up my calorie count include nuts, which I am allergic to. Probably going into starvation mode would be my guess, since my BMR is 1400 and I'm not eating replacement calories...just not hungry.

Ebbykins

You have 4lbs left to lose? You shouldn't be trying for 1.5lbs per week. 0.5 is a better goal.

^^ Yep, yep!

shorty458

That has happened to me. I'm 5'0 and on a 1200 calorie diet. I went one time 3 weeks w/o weight loss. I was walking, eating right around 1200 calories, etc. Same as you - I was stuck on 153. I was so frustrated. Then one day all of a sudden, the weight finally starting coming back off.

Ebbykins

Muscle takes up less space than fat for the same amount of weight.
Example: 5 lbs of fat =
But 5 lbs of muscle = .
So you may not have lost weight because you gained muscle.
Congrats!!! :drinker: (lots of water)

You cannot gain that much muscle in a deficit like she is but yes on the water.

sweetiebelle

Your doing a great job so don't stop. The weight will come off. Give it time.

vettle

up your calorie intake by 100 more calories. trust me.

Fatbuster205

Yep 0.5lbs a week at this stage! You have done so well just be patient and keep doing what you are doing!

TavistockToad

You answered your own question...who cares about the scale if your body composition is changing?

Way to go girl

this! you are losing inches... thats the main thing. the scales will catch up soon!

AshleyAmmerman

Like someone said you should not be trying to loose 1.5 pounds a week with only 4 pounds to go. That is just not going to work. Also you did not explain what you do for activity. 1,150 calories is cutting it close. So many people on here are so proud of getting so far under their goal. Your body needs the proper amount of energy to function. Once you explain what you do for working out then maybe you can get a more accurate answer. cause if you are working out a lot then you need to up your calories a lot. If your just doing little things you still may need to up your intake just not as much. Good luck.

sandislim

You have 4lbs left to lose? You shouldn't be trying for 1.5lbs per week. 0.5 is a better goal.

^^ Yep, yep!

I find it a struggle to lose 1.5lbs a week and I have 50lbs left to lose

Bankman1989

Muscle takes up less space than fat for the same amount of weight.
Example: 5 lbs of fat =
But 5 lbs of muscle = .
So you may not have lost weight because you gained muscle.
Congrats!!! :drinker: (lots of water)

LOL..that's a GREAT example. If you are getting results then maybe its time to put the scale away and focus on lowering bodyfat.

Bankman1989

Muscle takes up less space than fat for the same amount of weight.
Example: 5 lbs of fat =
But 5 lbs of muscle = .
So you may not have lost weight because you gained muscle.
Congrats!!! :drinker: (lots of water)

LOL..that's a GREAT example. If you are getting results then maybe its time to put the scale away and focus on lowering bodyfat.

MummaAimz

Try changing up your exercise routine and shock your body into using up your stored fat...I was at a plateau for about a week and a half so I started doing HIIT and I lost 2 pounds this week....give it a shot!

SabrinaG1986

You have 4lbs left to lose? You shouldn't be trying for 1.5lbs per week. 0.5 is a better goal.

^^ Yep, yep!

I find it a struggle to lose 1.5lbs a week and I have 50lbs left to lose

Am I drunk? It looks like 8lbs to me?

macylane4

I was on 1200 calories a day, and didn't lose much and got mad!! Everybody told me you have to eat at least 1500 to lose so the next week I up it to 1500 calories, and lost 3 pounds! I would try to up your calories some!!!!

heyghoge

just a thought... if you only weigh once a week, you might have caught yourself on a 'high' day. i weigh every day (seems to be frowned on here, but i do it for the statistician in me) and assuming a regular schedule, i have noticed that i have a consistent pattern of weighing the same or gaining slightly for 2-3 days for every day of loss. the general trend is downward over time, but if i only weighed 1x a week there's no guarantee i'd catch myself on a 'loss' day since of course the weigh-in day is arbitrary, and i'd get the false impression that i wasn't losing when in fact, over the course of time i am.

you could also have been retaining a little water, which can make the scale fluctuate ridiculous amounts? obviously i don't know what you're eating.

but mostly i 100% agree with tiedye. you're noticing positive changes: focus on that instead of scale numbers. congrats!

niknak0508

Are you switching up your routines? That should give your body a shock and help boost your loss. Having only a few pounds to lose now, your body won't lose as quickly as it did before. I struggle with this EVERY week. One week I will lose the next two I may not. I can always tell a difference in my clothes though. Inches are way better than pounds :-) Don't become discouraged, you are so close. Keep working hard and the scale WILL move. Congrats on your NSV, that's the BEST feeling when losing weight. You are making great progress.

Cathleenr

What's your exercise routine like? Make sure you are drinking lots of water. Eat at least 1200 per day...anything less might put your body into starvation mode.

No. It doesn't.

drlynned

I try to stick to a higher protein diet, so I eat protein cereal in morning, salad with chicken for lunch and another salad for dinner or chicken and veggies. I don't drink my calories unless if I run a lot, then I treat myself to low cal starbucks, but other than that, no drinking of calories. I run 3 miles, 3 days a week, more if I'm religiously training for a half marathon.

Only reason my weight loss goal was 1.5 pounds/week is because at 1200 calories a day, that's what myfitnesspal said I should lose in a week. I will try increasing my calorie intake a couple days a week to see if that has any effect. And honestly, if I lost 1/2 pound a week, I would be thrilled! It would at least be in the right direction, and I would love that as I"m soooo close to my goal. Thanks for all the tips/support!

tameko2

I try to stick to a higher protein diet, so I eat protein cereal in morning, salad with chicken for lunch and another salad for dinner or chicken and veggies. I don't drink my calories unless if I run a lot, then I treat myself to low cal starbucks, but other than that, no drinking of calories. I run 3 miles, 3 days a week, more if I'm religiously training for a half marathon.

Only reason my weight loss goal was 1.5 pounds/week is because at 1200 calories a day, that's what myfitnesspal said I should lose in a week. I will try increasing my calorie intake a couple days a week to see if that has any effect. And honestly, if I lost 1/2 pound a week, I would be thrilled! It would at least be in the right direction, and I would love that as I"m soooo close to my goal. Thanks for all the tips/support!

are you eating back the calories you burn when you run? If not, you should be doing that ESPECIALLY at a lower calorie level like 1200. I was eating 1450 and not eating my exercise calories and I was exhausted all the time and my metabolism slowed to an absolute crawl. Now I eat between 1700-2100 a day (...and sometimes more but I shouldn't) and I'm actually losing 1lb week (although god only knows why as I REALLY shouldn't be according to the BMR calculations.)

Kim55555

You answered your own question...who cares about the scale if your body composition is changing?

Way to go girl

that and

What a lot of you guys have to realise is that weight (as in fat) is not lost every single week. That is not how the body works. You need to average out over set time-frame of say 4-5 weeks to see your average. If your goal is to lose 1 pound a week it wont always happen every single week. You will lose 1 pound in the 1st week, you may gain .3 of a pound in the 2nd week, in the 3rd week, lose .2 of a pound, 4th week stay the same, 5th week, lose 3 pounds. So over the course of 5 weeks you have lost a total of 4 pounds.

Get it

Dont worry about your weekly weight so much. Your jeans are too loose for you which means you have lost body fat!! you've obviously retained water inside your muscles from exercising. This means that your fat loss efforts are working!! Dont change anything in your diet!!

Report back to this topic in 5 weeks time with how much you have lost in centimeters and on the scale! Keep doing exactly what you are doing and dont give up.

Also because you only have a small amount to lose it will take you some time to lose it. Body fat % and inches lost are the most important methods to go by. The pounds will take care of themselves in time.

Wish everyone would read up and do some research because there is a science behind *fat loss*.

You just have to develop a lot of patience and determination.... good luck

Kim55555

I try to stick to a higher protein diet, so I eat protein cereal in morning, salad with chicken for lunch and another salad for dinner or chicken and veggies. I don't drink my calories unless if I run a lot, then I treat myself to low cal starbucks, but other than that, no drinking of calories. I run 3 miles, 3 days a week, more if I'm religiously training for a half marathon.

Only reason my weight loss goal was 1.5 pounds/week is because at 1200 calories a day, that's what myfitnesspal said I should lose in a week. I will try increasing my calorie intake a couple days a week to see if that has any effect. And honestly, if I lost 1/2 pound a week, I would be thrilled! It would at least be in the right direction, and I would love that as I"m soooo close to my goal. Thanks for all the tips/support!

I'm a bit confused now. I thought you said your calorie intake was 1200 NET? If it is 1200 Gross then this is way to low if you are exercising. You need to increase your calories then. Its far too low IMO.

drlynned

Yes the 1200 calories a day is NET calories. If I earn 300-400 from running, I end up eating 1500-1600 total. I love running when my net calories has to be around 1200 because I get to eat more for dinner. It's great.

I've upped my net calories to 1400 calories a day, so we'll see in a few weeks how this works out.

FaithHopeBELIEVE

You answered your own question...who cares about the scale if your body composition is changing?

Way to go girl

This!

rm830

I was on 1200 calories a day, and didn't lose much and got mad!! Everybody told me you have to eat at least 1500 to lose so the next week I up it to 1500 calories, and lost 3 pounds! I would try to up your calories some!!!!

^^same here....1200 calories wasn't enough.

Christi6604

up your calorie intake by 100 more calories. trust me.

I totally agree with this....there's a thread for those trying to lose the last ten pounds that you might find helpful. Since joining that thread, I upped my calories from 1200 to 1350-1425 or so and have started dropping again. It was VERY scary to start, but is working.