I don't understand! 1200 calories a day and gaining weight!

Carolyn_T

Pretty obvious really...

I'm trying to lose weight quickly, so for teh last 3 months Ive been on 1200 calories a day... but just seem to be averaging weight. Either that or some days I seem to suddenly gain a few inches and my trousers are tight.

I know I should probably up the calorie consumption - buut if I'm gaining weight at 1200, I'm a little scared to do that in case I majorly balloon.

Any tips? Advice? I do exercise too!

HELP!

Thanks in advance lovelies x

brookepenni

What kinds of foods are you fitting into your 1200 calories? Fruits and veggies, lean meats or highly processed and takeaway type meals?

What about water? Water is needed in the body to process EVERY chemical reaction - and whats a chemical reaction - metabolism!!!

Other people on here will comment on making sure you eat your exercise calories back - so I'll leave it up to them.

acuratlsd

I would suggest you lower your carb intake. You had 5 pieces of bread just for breakfast.

You don't setup your diary all that well so its hard to compare between days.

Carolyn_T

I normally have two slices of wholewheat toast for breakfast, a sandwich for lunch and then some meat with roast veg for tea or an omelette. I may have a couple of bananas too. I do normally get my 5 a day, and occasionally go for processed foods but usually not.

Water - i cant stand it but am drinking 2 litres of cordial a day.

Thanks

taso42

Flipped back several days and the only day filled in is today. My first suspicion is that you are not estimating your intake accurately.

alysonleanne

Eat better food, and eat more of it. I upped my intake from 1200 to 1500 and kept doing the same exercises, and the weight is dropping off like it did when I first started, now. It seems to work for a lot of people, so it's worth a shot.

meaganh13

I would up your calorie intake to about 1400-1500. I was on 1200 for a month and gained 3lbs. I have only lost one in a couple of weeks, but at least I'm not gaining! I really haven't started a regimented workout plan yet, but hope to soon. Also, stay away from the 'evil whites': bread, sugar, potatoes, flour, etc. I am currently reading an excellent book "This is Why You're Fat" and it's helping me to make better choices and even though the scale isn't showing results, I just "feel" better. Good luck and don't give up!

gashinshotan

I think you may be misjudging portion sizes.

Carolyn_T

Ok... maybe I will up my calories to 1500 - just scared!

I will also try and reduce my carb intake - but I just find all other food boring!

My diary has been offline for the last few weeks, but I am definitely not underestimating my intake... if anything I am bigging it up!

Thanks x

angelapolite

I normally have two slices of wholewheat toast for breakfast, a sandwich for lunch and then some meat with roast veg for tea or an omelette. I may have a couple of bananas too. I do normally get my 5 a day, and occasionally go for processed foods but usually not.

Water - i cant stand it but am drinking 2 litres of cordial a day.

Thanks

Too many bananas and bread. Lower your sugar and carbs. I usually have 120g carbs and 15g of sugar, it works.

Ilovedrinkingtea

Flipped back several days and the only day filled in is today. My first suspicion is that you are not estimating your intake accurately.

Yeah, so did I, for best results you need to log the good, the bad and the ugly, that way you can see what works and what doesn't. You could also try adjusting your calorie goals. Are you exercising? You need to move about, this will also boost your metabolism. Drink water and ditch the cordial, as it will be full of sugar which will encourage you to hold onto water. Try to eat clean and avoid processed foods. Remember there is no quick fix and losing weight is a slow process, stay with it!

xx

lizziebeth1028

Flipped back several days and the only day filled in is today. My first suspicion is that you are not estimating your intake accurately.

^ This

How do you know you're getting 1200 calories a day if you are not logging in your food intake? Plus..because your diary is blank, we will be unable to help you.

ajfrench

I'm not sure if you're just not logging your food and exercise, but there seems to be little exercise logged. Always a good place to start for losing weight.

russelljclarke

If you're at 1200 and exercising, you're probably way under MFPs net calories,so you're probably in starvation mode. I was there too, this summer, and after research started eating up my net calories. It worked, and I started to lose weight once more and never plateaued again. Don't worry!

alysonleanne

Ok... maybe I will up my calories to 1500 - just scared!

I will also try and reduce my carb intake - but I just find all other food boring!

My diary has been offline for the last few weeks, but I am definitely not underestimating my intake... if anything I am bigging it up!

Thanks x

It scared me to up my intake, too. But it worked for me, so it may work for you!

aubreyjordan

Bananas have some of the highest sugar content of all fruits. Sugar is sugar once inside the body. Carbs also get converted to sugar once consumed, so if you have a high carb diet, you're not doing yourself a favor.

lizziebeth1028

Ok... maybe I will up my calories to 1500 - just scared!

I will also try and reduce my carb intake - but I just find all other food boring!

My diary has been offline for the last few weeks, but I am definitely not underestimating my intake... if anything I am bigging it up!

Thanks x

OK then if you're sure about your intake being 1200, you should make an appointment with your doctor to have your thyroid checked

lizziebeth1028

I normally have two slices of wholewheat toast for breakfast, a sandwich for lunch and then some meat with roast veg for tea or an omelette. I may have a couple of bananas too. I do normally get my 5 a day, and occasionally go for processed foods but usually not.

Water - i cant stand it but am drinking 2 litres of cordial a day.

Thanks

What is cordial? Is that some sort of fruit drink?

sager01

2 liters of cordial a day - that will do it! The secret to losing weight is burning more calories than you take in. My advice would be to stop drinking sugery cordial and start drinking water and exercise to burn calories - get your heart rate up (not just a slow walk)

Carolyn_T

You guys are all so awesome!!!!!

Your feedback is brilliant,

I know my calorie consumption is 1200 each day without logging because Ive been calorie counting for so long I know what each food is worth - if you look back a few months you will see I was logging regularly.

I really do hate water - but I will try to drink more.

It seems definitely that getting out of starvation mode is a good idea! Which muppet did I hear it from then that 1200 calories is the best way to lose weight???

Thanks x

Hellbent_Heidi

Adjust to track your sodium (lunchmeat is HORRIBLE), drink all of your water, and start tracking everything. You're probably eating more calories than you realize...or if you're working out a ton (and not tracking the burns), you might be eating too little. If you don't track everything though, people aren't going to be able to give you helpful advice.
Good luck!