Weight loss

keloman

My current weight is 145lbs, Im 5'4 in height. My goal weight is 130 lbs. December 2011, my weight was 185 lbs. I already lost 40 lbs since I started my diet. During the first two months my weight loss was very fast, around 2-4 lbs per week. I am eating less than 1200 calories back then and doing cardio. But now, I think my weight loss slowed down. Today Im eating 800-1400 calories per day. I would just like to ask why my weight loss slowed down and what can I do to recover? Thanks!

ruby_red_rose

Hey there,
I have lost 53lbs of weight so far. It took me 5 months to lose the first 40 lbs, and then 3 months to lose the next 13 lbs. Weight loss does slow down. It is unfortunate. But keep on doing what you are doing, and you will be at your goal weight. Remember, this is not a spring, it is more like a marathon.
Best of luck!

keloman

Thanks! Btw, what is your daily calorie intake?

Pebble321

I suspect that your weight loss has slowed down because you are already in the healthy weight range and it's a whole lot harder to lose weight once you're here.

It may also be that if you are eating well below your recommended calories that your body is trying to work more efficiently with the small amount of calories you are giving it. 800 calories is very low for someone your height (same as me and I consider 1400 NET calories a very low day) and you run the risk of not taking in enough energy and nutrients to stay healthy.

I'd suggest that you use the BMR tool (in the MFP TOOLS section) to work out your BMR. This will tell you how many calories your body needs just to stay alive, even if you didn't move all day. Don't eat any less than this each day.
Keep exercising, but not to excess.
Maybe add some strength training to your exercise routine, this can help to maintain your muscle mass and helps you look leaner and more toned.

Most of all - don't be impatient. Unfortunately we can't make weight disappear overnight - and once you are close to your goal weight (as you are) it's always going to be slower.

keloman

I suspect that your weight loss has slowed down because you are already in the healthy weight range and it's a whole lot harder to lose weight once you're here.

It may also be that if you are eating well below your recommended calories that your body is trying to work more efficiently with the small amount of calories you are giving it. 800 calories is very low for someone your height (same as me and I consider 1400 NET calories a very low day) and you run the risk of not taking in enough energy and nutrients to stay healthy.

I'd suggest that you use the BMR tool (in the MFP TOOLS section) to work out your BMR. This will tell you how many calories your body needs just to stay alive, even if you didn't move all day. Don't eat any less than this each day.
Keep exercising, but not to excess.
Maybe add some strength training to your exercise routine, this can help to maintain your muscle mass and helps you look leaner and more toned.

Most of all - don't be impatient. Unfortunately we can't make weight disappear overnight - and once you are close to your goal weight (as you are) it's always going to be slower.

Thanks Rubybelle!

heybales

Because your metabolism slows down to match the level of calories it is getting. Can take anywhere from 3 days to 2-3 weeks or longer, depending how much yo-yo dieting done, how big a difference in eating now, how big a dip under your BMR, genetics, ect.

So frequent case scenario - a lady finally decides to stop current eating level, say 2400 cal, and that maintained her at 220 lbs for 30 yr F at 5'6", lightly active. (so this effect would be more drawn out at lighter overweight level of course)
Her healthy BMR is 1735.
She tells MFP Sedentary.
MFP shows daily non-exercise maintenance as 1735 x 1.25 = 2169
She selects 2 lb/wk goal.
MFP does math 2169 - 1000 = 1169, oops, for safety show 1200.

So our lady was eating at 2400, true maintenance level (notice MFP estimate was wrong because of bad selection by lady).
Now eating at 1200.
1200 cal true deficit per day from maintenance cals. No exercise involved yet.
That's 2.4 lbs / wk. For perhaps the first week.
Then metabolism must slow down, not enough cals. BMR now at 1500 for second week on avg, true maintenance would be 2062.
Still 800 cal true deficit, 1.6 lb / wk.
Now metabolism at 1300., true maintain 1788.
True deficit 588, 1.2 lb / wk.
Now at 1100 (not all food is available to BMR), true maintain 1513.
True deficit 313, 0.6 lb / wk.

At this point our lady wonders what is going on. Perhaps eats even less now, or exercises without eating cals (avg 200/day), both have the same effect, less cals for BMR so it lowers.

Now at 900, true maintain 1238.
True deficit 238, 0.5 lb / wk.

At this point, any splurge is easily stored as fat to hold on to, as well as any inaccurate calorie count. All exercise is easily depleting glucose stores and muscle must be broken down to provide it. (eating 50% carbs on 1000 cal diet is only 500 carb calories).
Our lady weighs 210, lost mostly water weight the first week and that 2.4 lbs fat hopefully.
And seems to stall.
Exercise intense cardio and it just hastens the set point to here.
So still losing fat possible, any more weight is most likely muscle. And since a lb of muscle has 600 cal in it, that energy provided can burn up a lot of weight of muscle. Of course more than 3500 for lb of fat.

heybales

To recover, NET above your BMR by a small amount.

To accomplish that, follow advice above to look up BMR.

Yours is obviously not at the estimated healthy level right now, because you have suppressed it.

So add on 200 cal a day for a week.
Then next week increase 2 meals by 100 cal.

For MFP to show correct goal that does NOT undercut your BMR, change goal weight loss to 1 lb week, if that is still below your BMR, change to 1/2 lb week.

You'll get more loss than that probably, because the math for that goal is daily maintenance, a calculation from your BMR and based on that activity level.
Is it correct? Do you have mare daily non-exercise activity?

keloman

Because your metabolism slows down to match the level of calories it is getting. Can take anywhere from 3 days to 2-3 weeks or longer, depending how much yo-yo dieting done, how big a difference in eating now, how big a dip under your BMR, genetics, ect.

So frequent case scenario - a lady finally decides to stop current eating level, say 2400 cal, and that maintained her at 220 lbs for 30 yr F at 5'6", lightly active. (so this effect would be more drawn out at lighter overweight level of course)
Her healthy BMR is 1735.
She tells MFP Sedentary.
MFP shows daily non-exercise maintenance as 1735 x 1.25 = 2169
She selects 2 lb/wk goal.
MFP does math 2169 - 1000 = 1169, oops, for safety show 1200.

So our lady was eating at 2400, true maintenance level (notice MFP estimate was wrong because of bad selection by lady).
Now eating at 1200.
1200 cal true deficit per day from maintenance cals. No exercise involved yet.
That's 2.4 lbs / wk. For perhaps the first week.
Then metabolism must slow down, not enough cals. BMR now at 1500 for second week on avg, true maintenance would be 2062.
Still 800 cal true deficit, 1.6 lb / wk.
Now metabolism at 1300., true maintain 1788.
True deficit 588, 1.2 lb / wk.
Now at 1100 (not all food is available to BMR), true maintain 1513.
True deficit 313, 0.6 lb / wk.

At this point our lady wonders what is going on. Perhaps eats even less now, or exercises without eating cals (avg 200/day), both have the same effect, less cals for BMR so it lowers.

Now at 900, true maintain 1238.
True deficit 238, 0.5 lb / wk.

At this point, any splurge is easily stored as fat to hold on to, as well as any inaccurate calorie count. All exercise is easily depleting glucose stores and muscle must be broken down to provide it. (eating 50% carbs on 1000 cal diet is only 500 carb calories).
Our lady weighs 210, lost mostly water weight the first week and that 2.4 lbs fat hopefully.
And seems to stall.
Exercise intense cardio and it just hastens the set point to here.
So still losing fat possible, any more weight is most likely muscle. And since a lb of muscle has 600 cal in it, that energy provided can burn up a lot of weight of muscle. Of course more than 3500 for lb of fat.

Can you suggest anything for me to recover my BMR? What should I do to correct this? Thank you!

keloman

To recover, NET above your BMR by a small amount.

To accomplish that, follow advice above to look up BMR.

Yours is obviously not at the estimated healthy level right now, because you have suppressed it.

So add on 200 cal a day for a week.
Then next week increase 2 meals by 100 cal.

For MFP to show correct goal that does NOT undercut your BMR, change goal weight loss to 1 lb week, if that is still below your BMR, change to 1/2 lb week.

You'll get more loss than that probably, because the math for that goal is daily maintenance, a calculation from your BMR and based on that activity level.
Is it correct? Do you have mare daily non-exercise activity?

I jog 3-5 times a week for 30 mins. I do officework.