1200 calories per day, but losing less than 2 lbs/week

em9371

You need to be burning 500 more calories/day than you eat...which is hard (that amounts to losing 1 lb per week if you can do it). I normally burn between 300-400 calories a day doing cardio...you CANNOT eat the calories you burn. MFP has me on the 1200 calories per day program also...and I usually eat between 800-1000 and then burn the 300-400 extra. If you're eating the calories you burn, you will see very little weight loss. "Coach Calorie" I think is his name, has an excellent website with great articles about this problem and how to get the weight loss going. Also, if you're only able to do about 20 minutes a day in light exercise, that definitely will make a difference. I do at least 65 minutes/day 5-6 times per week.

^^^sorry but this is ridiculous and advising others to do this is just wrong, if you eat 800 and exercise 400 you will NET only 400 which is totally unhealthy. The goal MFP gives is NET, it states on the goal page 'net calories = total calories consumed - exercise calories burned'. The 500 cals per lb is correct, but this should be deducted from your TDEE, without your NET falling below BMR.
You will lose WEIGHT by eating such stupidly small amounts, but a lot of that will be muscle so you will end up thin and flabby, and your metabolism will be so screwed up you will very easily regain the weight if you even attempt to eat normally.

OP - you answered your own question - if you have only 30lbs to lose you should be set to lose 1lb per week max, you won't have enough fat to support a loss of 2lb/week which is why your body will cling onto the fat it does have therefore you dont lose!! Netting below BMR consistently is not healthy as you dont leave enough fuel for your body for essential processes, BMR is the calories you would burn if you were in a coma!!!

Just adjust your goal to a more healthy and realistic loss and stick to that, including eating back exercise cals. Your macros seem pretty good, maybe adjust your protein goal to 25% as you seem to be over on that most days which is good, as MFP standard 15% is very low. Try to drink more water and get in 5 portions of fruit & veg each day.

Its worth having a look at helloitsdan's post 'in place of a roadmap' which explains how many cals you should eat and why :-)

kellimr

I agree with you ~ I have done alot of research on 1200 calories and it's not that you're eating too little. I did pretty much exactly what you stated you are doing and lost 10 lbs the first month. Drinking lots of water definitely helps flush out the system and I have lost more weight with the more water I drink. Keep it up...you are doing it right and you will see results soon!! Good luck! Oh and don't eat your exercise calories back..I barely ever lost when I did this!

blynn2708

I LOVE this post! I am having the SAME issue...but after reading some of the replies....I am going to try some of the suggestions offered! I am on week three and have lost between 3-5 pounds only.

3 - 5 lbs lost in 3 weeks? There is absolutely nothing wrong with that. You don't want to lose too much too fast! :flowerforyou: That's a great weight loss!

em9371

I also had this problem, find out your BMR and dont get less than that because your body needs a certain amount of food otherwise it goes into starvation mode. I finally started doing this on monday nad already seen results and feeling better.

It says my BMR is 1,518. You think I should be eating 1,500 a day? I workout 6 days a week on average for 30 minutes a day.

you should eat more than that, you need to NET above BMR. See 'in place of a roadmap' post :-)

cbenzerga

Weight loss is never linear and water retention could be a factor. I would give it at least a full month before making any changes.

2lbs in 3 weeks is not bad at all! You don't want to loose too fast or you may not be able to maintain. After a month, re-group and try adding calories. Someone else said add a protein bar and I agree with that, but I would give it a full month before changing. Eating cleaner for the 1st month got me off the a good start, then I didn't loose for a month, upped my calories and started loosing again...go figure.

Kylieikerd

You need to let your body adjust. If you are only aiming to lose 30 pounds around 1 pound a week should be your goal. 2 would be way pushing it. Also I highly recommend upping your calories to 1400. I was on 1200 for almost 2 months and as soon as I bumped the results came. You can't stick at 1200 forever and its just too low.

cynthiaj777

You need to be burning 500 more calories/day than you eat...which is hard (that amounts to losing 1 lb per week if you can do it). I normally burn between 300-400 calories a day doing cardio...you CANNOT eat the calories you burn. MFP has me on the 1200 calories per day program also...and I usually eat between 800-1000 and then burn the 300-400 extra. If you're eating the calories you burn, you will see very little weight loss. "Coach Calorie" I think is his name, has an excellent website with great articles about this problem and how to get the weight loss going. Also, if you're only able to do about 20 minutes a day in light exercise, that definitely will make a difference. I do at least 65 minutes/day 5-6 times per week.

^^^sorry but this is ridiculous and advising others to do this is just wrong, if you eat 800 and exercise 400 you will NET only 400 which is totally unhealthy. The goal MFP gives is NET, it states on the goal page 'net calories = total calories consumed - exercise calories burned'. The 500 cals per lb is correct, but this should be deducted from your TDEE, without your NET falling below BMR.
You will lose WEIGHT by eating such stupidly small amounts, but a lot of that will be muscle so you will end up thin and flabby, and your metabolism will be so screwed up you will very easily regain the weight if you even attempt to eat normally.

OP - you answered your own question - if you have only 30lbs to lose you should be set to lose 1lb per week max, you won't have enough fat to support a loss of 2lb/week which is why your body will cling onto the fat it does have therefore you dont lose!! Netting below BMR consistently is not healthy as you dont leave enough fuel for your body for essential processes, BMR is the calories you would burn if you were in a coma!!!

Just adjust your goal to a more healthy and realistic loss and stick to that, including eating back exercise cals. Your macros seem pretty good, maybe adjust your protein goal to 25% as you seem to be over on that most days which is good, as MFP standard 15% is very low. Try to drink more water and get in 5 portions of fruit & veg each day.

Its worth having a look at helloitsdan's post 'in place of a roadmap' which explains how many cals you should eat and why :-)

Agree that is horrible advice. You should be NETTING around 1500 calories at least. That means eating 1500 calories AND your exercise calories. If you burn 500 calories and only eat 1500 calories, you netted 1000 calories. That's too few to sustain your body. You should eat 2000 calories if you burn 500 calories in order to net 1500 calories.

twelbies

Try eating more frequently. I eat about 1200-1400 a day depending on my workout. What I have found works for me is eating constantly through out the day. I eat every two to three hours but very small potions. Also upped my protein.

jjelizalde

i have the same problem.
If i increase my calories, do my extra calories need to be something specific? like protein based? do i eat back my exercise calories?

In a word, yes.

JoniBologna

I also had this problem, find out your BMR and dont get less than that because your body needs a certain amount of food otherwise it goes into starvation mode. I finally started doing this on monday nad already seen results and feeling better.

It says my BMR is 1,518. You think I should be eating 1,500 a day? I workout 6 days a week on average for 30 minutes a day.

You should be at least NETTING your BMR each day. Net = calories from food - calories from exercise. I eat around 1800-2000 cals per day, and I am losing weight just fine!

lizziebeth1028

You're not eating enough. Try adjusting your settings to only one pound a week (2 is too much), increase your caloric intake and eat back your exercise calories.

sareid77

you've probably gained some muscle too.

whitm2103

Don't eat your excersize calories! And drink TONS of water!

Like this

cynthiaj777

Don't eat your excersize calories! And drink TONS of water!

Like this

First, exercise is spelled wrong. Second, you have to eat your exercise calories to fuel your work outs, body and give your body the energy to repair itself after working out. Not eating exercise calories is horrible advice.

jenniejengin

bump

Bakerchk

I have been reading a lot about the 1200 calorie diet and I've been led to believe it shouldn't be too little?
MFP recomended 1200 to me, as well.

Lots of water is good but have you thought about meeting with a personal trainer and having your BMI done? It might help. MANY people that I've talked to on here eat more than what MFP says, and they are seeing better results. I would meet with a personal trainer if possible and see what they say. Someone mentioned earlier that you should not eat your exercise calories, meaning the calories you earn (are adding to your day) when you log your workout. I could highly disagree. You're body needs fuel. I don't have statistics and I will not tell you what to do, but I don't agree with that. Everyone I know eats those calories and is losing weight. There has got to be a logical reason that those calories are added to your daily total. I've noticed with me, because I was not loosing weight for a few weeks, if I cut back on carbs (no carbs after lunch) and drank 8-10 glasses of water a day, I would lose weight.

Also measure yourself. In 3 weeks, I didn't lose a pound but I lost 2 inches off my hips and waist.

If you want to respond to me, you can message me. I will never find this post on here. haha. Good luck!

cbenzerga

You need to be burning 500 more calories/day than you eat...which is hard (that amounts to losing 1 lb per week if you can do it). I normally burn between 300-400 calories a day doing cardio...you CANNOT eat the calories you burn. MFP has me on the 1200 calories per day program also...and I usually eat between 800-1000 and then burn the 300-400 extra. If you're eating the calories you burn, you will see very little weight loss. "Coach Calorie" I think is his name, has an excellent website with great articles about this problem and how to get the weight loss going. Also, if you're only able to do about 20 minutes a day in light exercise, that definitely will make a difference. I do at least 65 minutes/day 5-6 times per week.

^^^sorry but this is ridiculous and advising others to do this is just wrong, if you eat 800 and exercise 400 you will NET only 400 which is totally unhealthy. The goal MFP gives is NET, it states on the goal page 'net calories = total calories consumed - exercise calories burned'. The 500 cals per lb is correct, but this should be deducted from your TDEE, without your NET falling below BMR.
You will lose WEIGHT by eating such stupidly small amounts, but a lot of that will be muscle so you will end up thin and flabby, and your metabolism will be so screwed up you will very easily regain the weight if you even attempt to eat normally.

OP - you answered your own question - if you have only 30lbs to lose you should be set to lose 1lb per week max, you won't have enough fat to support a loss of 2lb/week which is why your body will cling onto the fat it does have therefore you dont lose!! Netting below BMR consistently is not healthy as you dont leave enough fuel for your body for essential processes, BMR is the calories you would burn if you were in a coma!!!

Just adjust your goal to a more healthy and realistic loss and stick to that, including eating back exercise cals. Your macros seem pretty good, maybe adjust your protein goal to 25% as you seem to be over on that most days which is good, as MFP standard 15% is very low. Try to drink more water and get in 5 portions of fruit & veg each day.

Its worth having a look at helloitsdan's post 'in place of a roadmap' which explains how many cals you should eat and why :-)

Agree that is horrible advice. You should be NETTING around 1500 calories at least. That means eating 1500 calories AND your exercise calories. If you burn 500 calories and only eat 1500 calories, you netted 1000 calories. That's too few to sustain your body. You should eat 2000 calories if you burn 500 calories in order to net 1500 calories.

Thank you for posting this: MFP already counts a deficit anyway when you set your goal, and is set up for you to eat back your exercise calories.

leslisa

I understand how you feel.

I hear that alot that I'm not eating enough.

First recommendation, visit the doc. I eat ~ 1000 calories a day to loose weight, but checked with the doc. My doc is OK with my caloretic intake because I'm only 5'1" and not everyone is the same makeup and requires the same amount of calories. I do take a lot of vitamins to supplement and once I get to my target weight, I will increase to 1200, maybe 1250.

Second recommendation, visit the doc, as it might be a sign of something else. I'm a diet/exercise controlled diabetic. Part of the way I found out I was diabetic was the inability to loose weight. But thyroid problems, women problems, a whole host of issues can really effect how you lose weight.

I am lose 1 - 1 1/2 a week. Some of the things I do:

I eat breakfast, even if it's a little breakfast (BTW, a lot of restaurants now have really low cal options within 60 minutes of waking up.

I eat 6 - 7 times a day and never go longer than 3 hrs between meals. Never, ever, even if it means eating in a meeting.

I eat a lot of protein. Not the Atkins diet, but after research on university reports it looks like protein burns more cal to digest (people had always said it, but I like to verify stuff).

I drink ice water. A lot of ice water. Per Web MD, it increases your metabolism 30%. Don't know if that's true as other sites don't give a specific number. Plus your body won't retain water if you are putting water into it

I exercise 3 times a day. Not crazy like. But I take the dog for a 15 minute walk in the morning (climb out of bed, put on my walking flip flops - I do live in FL and ), do my workout around noon just before I eat lunch, and then I go for another leasurely walk or bike ride or play baseball with my kid, whatever in the evening, anything to keep my metabolism up during the day.

I eat "fat blockers" and drink antioxidents. My fav snack is almonds (they are awesome and I really like them, look up their benefits) with 6 almonds = 42 cals I can add them to everything from lo cal yogurt to salad=), broccoli, apples (careful as they have a lot of sugar - although grannies and figi's are listed lower on my diabetic option food choice chart the doc gave me than golden del, red del, etc.). I drink green tea, rooibos tea, etc. along with the water (To be blunt, I pee a lot).

I do yoga on the weekends. I suck at it really but it is relaxing and I need the stress relief. When I'm super stressed it's almost impossible for me to loose.

I do other stuff as well, but those are the main ones. Unlike many, I have a "cheat day", too. Sunday I can eat up to 1500 cals so my hubby and I go out to eat breakfast often (restaurants usually have their nutritional values including cals and sodium on hand) as it's the easiest meal for me to get what feels normal and still stay in my goal that day.

wareagle8706

I have been reading a lot about the 1200 calorie diet and I've been led to believe it shouldn't be too little?
MFP recomended 1200 to me, as well.

I tried 1200 for a while. I lost weight but also muscle mass, not fat. That was very unhealthy. Now I eat 1500 per day and try to work off 300 per day for a NET of 1200. That works much better for me. Weight training is also a good thing because the more muscle mass you gain the faster your body burns energy (calories). Try adding some weight lifting to your week. Doesn't have to be heavy. But don't stress so much about the scale. The fat will come off and you will begin to feel your clothes fitting better even if that scale doesn't budge much. Also, relax, stressing over it can cause your body to release cortisol into the blood stream which tells your body to hold onto that fat instead of letting it go.

Honestly, I doubt you're going to lose 2 lbs/week, especially if you aren't working out/exercising. Whole grains, protein, and water instead of soda are always solid choices regardless of anything else. Also lean protein such a turkey and fish.

Eleisabelle

Research BMR and TDEE. You should ALWAYS net above your BMR to avoid major health problems. If you have a deficit below TDEE, you'll lose. With as little to lose as you have, it will be slow, and it should be slow to make it last.

UrbanRunner81

eat above your BMR. you should net over your bmr everyday. Lift weights, heavy preferably.

I eat 1900 before exercise, but typical days I eat close to 2500 calories. I lift heavy and do high intensity interval training a few days a week.
I feel satisfied, never hungry. You will plateau less and lose weight a nice steady rate.

ladyraven68

You need to be burning 500 more calories/day than you eat...which is hard (that amounts to losing 1 lb per week if you can do it). I normally burn between 300-400 calories a day doing cardio...you CANNOT eat the calories you burn. MFP has me on the 1200 calories per day program also...and I usually eat between 800-1000 and then burn the 300-400 extra. If you're eating the calories you burn, you will see very little weight loss. "Coach Calorie" I think is his name, has an excellent website with great articles about this problem and how to get the weight loss going. Also, if you're only able to do about 20 minutes a day in light exercise, that definitely will make a difference. I do at least 65 minutes/day 5-6 times per week. And like several others have mentioned....DRINK AT LEAST 8 GLASSES OF WATER A DAY. And you may need to eat more, but you also it sounds like need to work in more exercise. It's hard to lose without a good work out program, but that's just how it works for me. Everyone is different.

You are reading Coach Calorie wrong if you think he's telling you to burn off more then you eat.

On his home page he has an article called *You're not eating enough to lose weight*
http://www.coachcalorie.com/not-eating-enough-calories-to-lose-weight/

And on his page regarding setting your calories he tells people to start at 2000 to judge if that is maintenance and then adjust from there. He says to take the 500 from what you burn DAILY (i.e your TDEE) not just what you burn doing exercise. you need to re-read and understand the information again.

http://www.coachcalorie.com/how-many-calories/

provence9

I couldn't agree more with Delilah's post. Many of us can remember going on strict diets when we were young (in the hopes of looking like a bikini model by summer). It just backfires. Go for the long haul! Take it slower. Establish good habits. Otherwise you may be struggling for decades to come.

It seems to me the young girls or first time dieters are always in a hurry. Believe it or not, I was a young girl and I was in a hurry too. Being in a hurry is what leads to a lifetime of yo-yo dieting. You don't *have* to lose weight by next week, so slow down and learn to eat healthy in a way you can continue with after you achieve your weight loss goal. When you go for the fast fix, you aren't eating in a way you can sustain, so you will gain the weight back.. and again.. and again. That's how yo-yo dieting happens. Don't set yourself up for a lifetime of hating how you look. Okay?

Edit: Changed "young girls" to include "first time dieters". I guess being young isn't the main issue, it's that a lot of first time dieters are young. Sorry

b1wils

I'm losing a bit over 2 pounds a week. Here's what works for me: I eat only real food. If it can be found in nature: I eat it. If it was manufactured, I don't eat it. I don't starve myself. I eat 1400-1800 calories a day depending on intensity of workout. I eat all day, every 2-3 hours. I eat small low carb, high-protein meals with healthy fats. I'm a vegetarian so this is tricky, but not impossible. I eat less than 10g of sat fat. I keep my carbs 100 to 150g, and ONLY unrefined carbs. No white flour, pasta, bread, sweets, etc. I exercise everyday -- intense cardio 3x, less intense cardio 4x, weights 2x.

whitm2103

Don't eat your excersize calories! And drink TONS of water!

Like this

First, exercise is spelled wrong. Second, you have to eat your exercise calories to fuel your work outs, body and give your body the energy to repair itself after working out. Not eating exercise calories is horrible advice.

So I should just stop exercising? And still lose weight? I am fine with eating 1200 calories a day and would rather not have to eat over 2000 cause I do burn about 1000 calories at the gym, according to the machine. I hate the gym and would love it if I didn't have to go.

louisianagirl65

I went by MFP too and it told me to have only 1200 calories a day and I have only lost 7 pounds in the 9 weeks I have been on here! I asked one of the ladies on here for help. She said she didn't mind calculating how many calories I need. Her username is iddreams. She increased my calories and I have been doing so much better. It's only been about 3 days but I find I have more energy for my workouts and I am not starving all day. My calories are now set at 1691 per day.

juicemoogan

Don't eat your excersize calories! And drink TONS of water!

Like this

First, exercise is spelled wrong. Second, you have to eat your exercise calories to fuel your work outs, body and give your body the energy to repair itself after working out. Not eating exercise calories is horrible advice.

So I should just stop exercising? And still lose weight? I am fine with eating 1200 calories a day and would rather not have to eat over 2000 cause I do burn about 1000 calories at the gym, according to the machine. I hate the gym and would love it if I didn't have to go.

If i understand your post you just said you are eating 1200 calories a day and burning 1000 at the gym?
That means your Net caloric intake is only 200 calories a day? Please seek help, That is so unhealthy i don't know how you are still walking.

Apologies if i misunderstood.

em9371

So I should just stop exercising? And still lose weight? I am fine with eating 1200 calories a day and would rather not have to eat over 2000 cause I do burn about 1000 calories at the gym, according to the machine. I hate the gym and would love it if I didn't have to go.

you can lose weight without exercise but will more than likely lose muscle and end up 'skinnyfat'. Exercise has many health benefits apart from weigh loss so i would continue, but 1000 cals a day is excessive and you need to eat back your cals.
eating 1200 and burning 1000 is ridiculous, thats like eating only 200 which would be a serious eating disorder.

whitm2103

Don't eat your excersize calories! And drink TONS of water!

Like this

First, exercise is spelled wrong. Second, you have to eat your exercise calories to fuel your work outs, body and give your body the energy to repair itself after working out. Not eating exercise calories is horrible advice.

So I should just stop exercising? And still lose weight? I am fine with eating 1200 calories a day and would rather not have to eat over 2000 cause I do burn about 1000 calories at the gym, according to the machine. I hate the gym and would love it if I didn't have to go.

If i understand your post you just said you are eating 1200 calories a day and burning 1000 at the gym?
That means your Net caloric intake is only 200 calories a day? Please seek help, That is so unhealthy i don't know how you are still walking.

Apologies if i misunderstood.

Ok my bad maybe I said it wrong. The site says I should eat 1200 and when I excise another 1000 on top of that for a total of 2200

icsanchez1

It's always harder for those who have less to lose to see fast results. It sounds like the responses about eating more translate into find ways to increase your metabolism. If the body feels like it's starving, as we all know, the body will slow metabolism to a screech! Eating breakfast and low cal healthy snacks more often will help (as will incorporating weight bearing exercises). Do you know how much fruit, vegetables, and lean meats you can have in 1200 calories?! I recommend a copy of the eat clean diet by tosca reno. She has sample cooler plans that have you eating all day long - it's really pretty simple to follow. I thought I was eating healthy with the exception of a few cheat treats per week (slice of cake, cookies, salty snacks, etc.) and have maintained my weight for a year but I've been unable to stick to the cooler plans strictly and have been unable to lose my last 15-20 lbs. I started MFP just a few days ago and have found it remarkable just how many more calories I was consuming when cheating, how much more compliant I am by tracking my food and how much more motivated I am to exercise daily. I too will exceed the 1200 calories when I earn more cals from exercise, but usually stay 100-200 under the total allowed (I burn about 350-600 cals/day on the elliptical). I started at 158, so I probably have more to lose than you, but I have dropped three pounds. I'm confident you will do well. Don't give up and try eating clean!!