Aiming for 2lb pw - eating 1200cals - getting 1lb pw if I'm

cesmith5

I'm 224lbs aiming to get down to 154lbs and the weight's not shifting. I'm aiming for 2lb pw eating the recommended 1200cals pd - doing hard exercise and eating most of those cals back but only getting 1lb pw if I'm lucky. I was thinking about going up to 1400cals pd but then I might not lose anything!
Any ideas anyone? please

natashamcn

How long have you been at this?

dg09

How many weeks have you been at it? If it's just a few I'd say give it more time.

Water fluctuations could be masking your weight loss. I pack on 5-7lbs of water weight the day after my cheat days on Monday, it takes me 3-4 days to lose it. You could easily be losing 2lbs of fat maybe more, but storing extra water for whatever reason, giving you a false reading.

Just keep at it and don't get discouraged. You could also maybe let people here look at your diary to see if there's anything you could change in your diet, I'm not really good with that stuff though.

cesmith5

I've been at it for several years - eating between 1200 and 1500 cals pd without success. On MFP for 25days and sticking at 1200 cals pd apart from when I eat back the exercise cals. I'm hitting the targets for nutrition (protein / carbs / 5aday etc).

dg09

I'd suggest then to open up your food diary and letting people see if there's anything you can tweak in it.

Sabineslims

My body always struggles to lose weight with 1,200 calories. I'm always much more successful with at least 1,400. Maybe give yourself a test week and see what the results are If what you are doing is not and has not been working, you have to try something new. You can't expect different results with the same routine. Something has to change.

Also, perhaps take a look at what you are eating. Is it high in sodium? What kind of carbs are you eating? Are you incorporating variety in to your diet?

2012x

When i weighed over 200 i was eating 1500 day plus

XXXMinnieXXX

I'd open your diary for advice x

crystal2012215

My weight and goals are almost the same as yours start at 220 end at 150 .....don't give up keep trying i eat carbs one day none the next as in bread cereal pasta rice etc it seems to work for my body also try fluctuating your calories 1500 one day 1200 the next
maybe your body just needs a surprise I too wish it would come of quicker but they say the slower you lose the more likely it will stay off . Good luck and don't worry it will come off some times it just takes a while...I keep telling myself the same thing.

cjaharmon

My doctor said even one lb weight lose is better then nothing. And they say 1 to 1.5 a week is healthy.

RockChick1984

you are the exact same start weight i was, and i want to finish around 150 also... MFP set me up with 1200 cals, but after 2 weeks of pathetic losses i realised my body was hanging onto fat as i was in starvation mode, have since upped it to 1480, and even around 1650 and i seemed to be losing slightly better... just play around and see what feels right for you... feel free to add me for support and share tips if you like... good luck

Cathnger

Why not try for just 1 whole week not doing any exercise and eating purely 1,200cals per day. Then see what the scales say, if you only lose 1lb then - there must be something in your diet thats not accurate maybe. Just a thought, thats what I would do anyway.

TriedEverything

I'm afraid I've no real advice to offer, but I'm interested to see what others say, as I seem to be in a similar position as you. And it's not as though I've already lost loads of weight! I still have loads to lose, but it's moving infuriatingly slowly. :frown:

I really wonder sometimes about eating back the exercise calories - I know everyone says it's the right thing to do, but I think I might try NOT eating them back.

Hope you find a way to get things moving again! (& if you do, let me know & I'll copy you! :laugh: )

luvapooh

I am also in the same range but MFP set me up with 1630 calories. I have tried 1200 in the past and my doctor said that wasn't enough and my body was in "starvation mode" holding onto the fat. My weight loss has only been one lb a week but I'll take that since I can't workout bc of my back issues.

LillysGranny

Are you using a heart rate monitor to calculate your exercise calories? If you've just started working out, you may not be getting anywhere near the averages MFP calculates for exercise---and this seems to be especially true for the bigger people I work out with (and yes, they seem to be working HARD!) For example, I had a woman in my kickboxing class that MFP was calculating at over 1000 calories per hour, but when she finally got an HRM, it turned out to be more like 700....Her results had been like yours---doing everything right and more or less maintaining. Once she got her burn correct, she was able to hit the right intake and started losing "on schedule".

MrsSherrill

check your BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate) which you can find in the tools tab at the top of the page. Thats the amount of calories that your body should be eating daily for your weight, hight and age. anything below your BMR could be too little for you and might be putting you into starvation mode. MFP set me up at 1200 calories but when i checked my BMR it was 1422 so i try to eat at least that everyday. your BMR will change as your weight changes so make sure you check it as you lose weight as it will change. hope that helps.

cesmith5

I do use a HRM which is really helpful - makes sure my heart rate's up there working hard and calculates the calories for me.

My BRM is 1657 but I thought you had to knock a fair bit off to lose weight and MFP recommended 1200 for 2lb pw

Kim55555

Your not eating enough!

Try this: Eat 1800 gross calories per day for 8 weeks and report back here with your fat loss results!

ps throw out the scale for the 8 weeks!

1bubblybroad

2 lb pw is too much. I know it feels like it shouldn't be I tried to start off there too. I was at 200 lbs and I'm 5'4. After a couple weeks of starving and not seeing much success, I changed my goals to the reccommended 1 lb pw and boosted up to 1420 cals pd. I do exercise and eat back about half the exercise cals. This made a big difference for me! I saw better results on the scale and I felt physically better. Not starving. Good luck to you.

ladyraven68

I do use a HRM which is really helpful - makes sure my heart rate's up there working hard and calculates the calories for me.

My BRM is 1657 but I thought you had to knock a fair bit off to lose weight and MFP recommended 1200 for 2lb pw

Don't confuse BMR for TDEE.

BMR is what your body would need if you were in a coma
Then you apply a multiplier depending on how active you are, to get your Total Daily Energy Expenditure

Have a look here.

http://www.fat2fitradio.com/

cesmith5

Thanks

XXXMinnieXXX

I'm afraid I've no real advice to offer, but I'm interested to see what others say, as I seem to be in a similar position as you. And it's not as though I've already lost loads of weight! I still have loads to lose, but it's moving infuriatingly slowly. :frown:

I really wonder sometimes about eating back the exercise calories - I know everyone says it's the right thing to do, but I think I might try NOT eating them back.

Hope you find a way to get things moving again! (& if you do, let me know & I'll copy you! :laugh: )

I've seen 3 dietitians who say if your not in a healthy BMI range but above it you DON'T have to eat your exercise calories back unless your hungry. When your closer to goal you have to eat more apparantly because the body will eat away at muscle around your organs if you don't eat enough. I don't eat my exercise calories back unless I'm hungry for them (I usually want a couple of hundred more if I've done a big work out) and I've lost 56lbs that way. X

mallory3411

Try eating more. I'm 192 and eat a minmum of 1,700 calories a day and every week I have a loss.

With anything though you need to give it some time. Just because you set the goal to 2lbs per week doesn't mean you will get that every week.

MountainMia

Looks like you've been at this for a while and doing well with building habits. I understand the frustration of working hard and not seeing results. Without seeing exactly what you are doing for exercise and nutrition, it's hard to say what little changes could bring more happy results for you. Bumping up your calories could help, but I suggest making sure they are healthy calories loaded with protein and good fats if you are really pushing your exercise.
I'm 245 and my goal is about 1600 cals a day. I'm slightly active (stay at home mom) and don't log what I do to keep the kids, dog and house running smoothly, but I DO log my intentional exercise and eat back some or most of those calories. I'v averaged a 3.6 lb loss every week and I'm not hungry... and not taking appetite suppressents. I played with my protein levels a bit and upped them to about 120 g pd. That was a huge help! Everyone runs a bit differently, but I would suggest experimenting a bit with one thing at a time. If the caloric boost doesn't help, play with the composition of those calories in your 'customize goals' section.
Good luck! Feel free to add me if ya wanna see what I'm up to.

csquirrel

Remember that slow and steady wins this race. It's not a diet that you'll stop doing when you hit your goal weight and fitness level. It's a new life plan. Losing 1 lb per week is a healthy and maintainable goal. Also it will make it easier for you to keep the weight off in the long run as you will have more time to adjust to your new lifestyle.

Do you have a food plan or are you eating just less of what you were before? Maybe change the foods that you are eating to more vegetables and lean protiens. Take a a good hard look at your food plan. Are you weighing and measuring all of your foods? Are you using heaping measurements or leveling off? Are you packing your measuring cups when you measure? Be really honest with yourself. You're the only one that will benefit or suffer from your actions.

Stay positive and know that you are doing great. Celebrate your success of 1 lb per week.

Cheryl

EatClenTrenHard

Make sure you do weightlifting.

Cardio will not help it.

There is no starvation mode. Its an excuse for people not to follow strict diet(to make them feel better)

EDIT: Cardio will help it, but it needs to be at least 1 hour INTERVAL cardio.

MountainMia

Make sure you do weightlifting.

Cardio will not help it.

There is no starvation mode. Its an excuse for people not to follow strict diet(to make them feel better)

EDIT: Cardio will help it, but it needs to be at least 1 hour INTERVAL cardio.

Well, sort of.

Weight lifting helps build muscle, which burns fat. It's really helpful for the long run. But it adds or maintains "weight" in the short run because muscle has weight too. Also, strenuous work that makes you sore, retains water which also has weight.

Cardio burns calories and helps strengthen your heart and aid other body functions. Experts reccommend a minimum of 20 min a day and it can definitely help break a plateau if you change it up in intensity, frequency or time. It can also give you more of a deficit in your daily caloric balanc with out making you feel hungry or drained. This can be very helpful, but it is personal and depends on your body and lifestyle. It's not bad to mix it up, and interval training is fantastic.

Starvation mode is a term too loosly used, but conveys a true principle that our bodies do naturally adapt to our conditions. If you are eating too few calories consistently over a long period, your metabolism and other chemicals in the body will adapt to this altered state and find a homeostasis or balance in this new condition. It's not starving... especially if you have fat stores. But it will slow down your weight loss progress as your body attempts to find balance. It's homeostasis at an uncomfortable altered condition, which is really hard to maintain... thus why 80%of "diets" fail. Mixing things up in the calorie department has been proven to help... but small adjustments and healthy choices are reccommended, not a Krispy Kreme bender.
It's personal. Experiment with it. MFP is a great tool and you can customize it to get the results you want.

lauehorn

I'm 224lbs aiming to get down to 154lbs and the weight's not shifting. I'm aiming for 2lb pw eating the recommended 1200cals pd - doing hard exercise and eating most of those cals back but only getting 1lb pw if I'm lucky. I was thinking about going up to 1400cals pd but then I might not lose anything!
Any ideas anyone? please

1200 calories is likely too low. Calculate your BMR and never eat below that. It's the minimum your body needs to survive. It may seem counterproductive, but you can't just cut 1,000 calories and automatically get 2 pounds/week. 1,000 off your diet may be more than your body can handle. Search for the Olivia method on MFP. I've found it to be the most successful way to achieve sustainable weight loss. Also, if you are eating whole foods and minimizing refined sugar and junk, your body will tell you when its hungry and you can eat for fuel, not for emotional reasons, boredom, or just because its around. Change your relationship with food!

dlcam61

It could be from too low of calories, eating too many starchy carbs, not enough exercise (I did see you said you are working out hard, but didn't say your schedule) or too much sodium causing water retention. On the flip side, if these are all in check (can't tell, can't see your diary) then it could be added muscle and fat loss have been at equilibrium on your scale. Weight lifting is great for increasing your basal metabolic rate so I hope you are doing that along with a good cardio routine that gets your heart pumping, but not over your max heart rate. There's several calculators on the internet, just google them if you are unsure. But above all else keep up the great work. 1 pound loss is good!! Slower the loss the more likely it is to stay off :flowerforyou:

cantjustcant

You have lost 5 pounds in 25 days!!! That is not too shabby.

Jesamess

I completely feel ya! Frustrating..... I'm about 5'3" and am floating around 205-210 and MFP says 1200/day. And I hardly ever sleep cause I have 4 small kids and work graveyard while they are sleeping. I don't know....just feel like it still should be able to happen......