GGGRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!

Dargealing

When I followed eat right 4 your blood type by dr. D'adamo helped too, but I did it before with just doing richard simmons rotating with my nordic track walkfit which is a manual treadmill. post Menopause and hormones are not my friend.. I am fighting this all the way.

BoilerRunner

First, track your calories in each day at the end of the week calculate the average calories consumed.

Second, track your calories out. Use your calculated BMR + exercise calories (via a heart rate monitor).

Third, understand that very weird things happen to a body when you subject it to a very low calorie diet. ...and as we are all different, our reactions will be different. (For me I stop loosing weight and get very tired.)

Now for a little insight...the first and second items will be needed once you know where your current BMR is. The BMR calculations are not exact, but the premise is sound; there is a relationship between the number of your calories in and your BMR + your exercise calories. (The more that you are away from your ideal BMI, the more error that is in the BMR equation.)

You can track the number of calories in.

You can track the number of exercise calories out.

Your BMR is the variable...but, the cool thing is that each of us can figure out what it is. ...and here's the challenge, you need to gain a couple of pounds. I know. I know. This is exactly what we are trying not to do. Here in lies the challenge....you should do it with good clean food and known quantities of exercise calories. If eating enough for the experiment to happen is a challenge, keep the exercise to less than 65% of your max heart rate. (Less than 65% you really, don't affect your body's ability to burn calories.)

OK, so as to minimize the weight gain during the experiment, the attempt is to gain, one (1) pound a week for two (2) weeks in a row. One (1) pound gained will be about 500 calories a day over your BMR.

Since you've been diligently tracking the calories in / calories out.

Drop your calories in by 1000 to 1500 and you should be on the weight loss track within the next few weeks.

...and remember to eat back at least 80% of your exercise calories as you ramp up your exercise.

...and use a heart rate monitor, the calorie monitors on the machines are really not accurate, especially after your fitness level increases. The machines use your weight, time and distance for the calorie calc. The heart rate monitor uses your heart rate changes for the calc...much, much more accurate.

Keep in mind, that as our fitness level increases our calories need to increase. When you take things to the next level, give your body the fuel it needs to do what you are asking it to do. The goal is to make your body's systems to work at an optimal level...kind of like an auto pilot. Never force it to try to respond on minimal or questionable fuel sources.

Remember, when you hit any plateau, it takes few weeks to readjust, but this can be used to break any plateau.

God made each of us AWESOME and UNIQUE.

You can do it!

MizSaz

Stop eating crap just to hit a 'calorie goal'. You're eating more than you need as an individual. Each and every human body is different. Stop focusing so much on bringing your total up, and focus more on where you feel comfortable.

weighlossforbaby

I have lost 8 lbs in 3 months and I eat over 1,000 calories a day (financial issues). I have 16 lbs to go!!!! Losing weight takes time and I understand how frustrating it is!!!! :grumble:

nwoolley

How are you monitoring your exercise calories? MFP is way over the actual calorie burn. When I started using my Heart Rate Monitor I noticed a big difference in actual calories burned and what MFP says I burned. So you could be eating too many calories if you are using the estimates from this website. Good luck and don't give up!!

BarbWhite09

under eating does not prevent weight loss . Calories out - calories in = weight loss, just as 2 - 3 = -1 always has and always will.

Ha.

& to the OP...you don't HAVE to eat 1600 calories...Eating below that isn't going to harm you...Eat when you feel the need to eat...don't force yourself to try to reach the calorie limit.

MeadowSong

One thing that occurs to me is calcium. My husband, a pharmacist, recommends Citracal Plus with magnesium. Sure won't hurt, I wouldn't think.

But you are probably needing fewer calories, just don't cut to many at once. I sure think that if you're truly not hungry, don't eat. Been doing "New Rules of Lifting for Women" for two months now. Not losing yet, but was eating like a pig, then tried 1500 cals on non-workout days, 1800 on workout days, and maintained. So cut 300 cals starting this past week. (Actually have lost two pounds as of this am--but tomorrow is my 'post' day, so it's not official!) He says if you're not losing to cut not more than 300 cals at a time and try it for a while--you'll lose too much muscle if you cut too much, esp if you're low on protein (and I would think esp if you are close to goal and don't have so much leeway). Anyway, I'd recommend the book--been playing this game for a while now and what is explained in there about your body getting efficient and needing to "shake things up" really explains what has happened to me many times in the past . Really recommend getting serious about strength training and just doing enough cardio to be happy. I sure do feel better. And can do more.

Anyway--HANG IN THERE. Weight loss isn't a mechanical process than can be so easily ordered out. Got to stick in there and see what YOUR body needs. Chase health, not thin and you'll get there given time.

Josie_lifting_cats

I only know what worked for me:

I don't eat clean.

I ate around 1,500 calories a day (now I eat a little more)

I did 30 Day Shred for a month, then Ripped for a month and never lost a pound. But in those two months I lost over 6 inches on my waist alone.

Take measurements, or you will get discouraged.

Plan on getting discouraged, even when the measurements change. I get discouraged regularly.

Don't eat less than your BMR at minimum.

Remember that this was not an overnight increase in weight..... it feels like it is crazy slow, but when you look back it will have gone super fast.

Persistence. Eventually something will give. It may take a few months (trust me, I know....) but you can't stay at that weight forever.

Remind yourself what YOU want to be happy - not what others want/need/expect from you. Take YOUR ideals into consideration more than anyone else's.

SMILE.

itgeekwoman

here's one thing to try.. Don't work out, reset your bmr based on no workouts. Do this for 2 weeks and eat based on that. Then start adding exercise.. and food. I'm guessing here, but pretty sure you need to find your correct bmr and work towards that.
Good luck.

aimeeinohio

I've lost 12 lb since April...I just found this out at the Dr on Friday. I really messed up when I joined here- I put starting weight as the last time I weighed myself, at my mom's house, at Christmas, which was 225. Then when I started weighing myself at home in the spring, it was saying 185. Now, I KNEW there was no way in hell I'd lost 40 lbs (um, didn't need smaller clothes or anything). I got very sick in April and the Dr weighed me at 208, although I didn't know it at the time. i was sick and didn't care! LOL

Friday I weighed in at 198. I've lost 12 lbs since April. I am ok with that since I've had to buy smaller undies, and the dresses I've bought this summer have been larges rather than the XL and XXL I had to buy last year.

I started really working out/following C25k/doing MFP in April. Even with being sick, being injured, and having to quit working out here and there for those reasons, I have still managed to lose weight....not as much as I'd like, but I also still live a REAL, NORMAL life. I have teenagers, and we are always busy. I have the occasional mcDonalds happy meal. I have the occasional blended coffee drink. I have normal weekends. I'm sure that if I didn't do these things, I would be losing faster, however I KNOW I would be miserable. Yeah, I want to be healthy, but I want to be happy, too! LOL

I also did the fittofatradio.com calculators and changed my calories from the 1200 MFP recommended to 1500...I am no longer starving, and I AM LOSING. I believe in the whole "if you don't eat enough, your body will fight you"!!

My biggest advice right now- get MOVING, drink water, and be honest about your portion sizes.

Good luck!