help w/ daily calories

today6212

im 5'0 and 107. MFP said 1200 a day. in six weeks no weight loss/muscle gain. i have stayed the same weight and measurements. i checked another website that said i should be eating 1700? Anybody else have this happen?

imsomony

I'm sure you'll get lots of responses here, but first, a few questions to help us help you...

What's your goal? How much weight do you want to lose, and how/where do you want to gain muscle? Keep in mind that "muscle weighs more than fat", meaning that you could lose 3 pounds of fat, gain 6 pounds of muscle, and feel like you've lost the battle because muscle mass is now taking up that same space fat used to occupy.

What's your body type/shape, and do you lose weight evenly across your body? What exercises are you doing, and might genetics be playing a factor? People's bodies react differently to certain types of exercises, and the wrong type can be discouraging... for example, I'm a pear shape with strong muscles, but I lack tone. When I do cardio, I lose fat of course, but I lose it from the top down. I tighten up my chest and waist first, while my pear bottom is last to go, so my measurements don't mean a thing. If I add total body conditioning and weight training along with cardio, I feel like blowing my brains out because I bulk up with so much muscle while I lose the fat that my size/weight never changes. I have to focus primarily on cardio, and add just light strength training to tone my muscles. My plan would be different if I were an apple shape with no muscle strength at all though.

Your food diary isn't open, so what's your diet like? Are you eating 3-square-meals a day, are you eating 6 small meals, are you eating 2 big meals and snacking frequently, etc... what are the meals like? If you're sticking to 1200 a day (net or gross?) and not seeing any changes after 6 weeks, you may actually need to eat more, or you may be lacking in vitamins and essential nutrients.