Nutritionist bad advice? 1500 not losing!

tammy1005

I am getting so frustrated! I went to a nutritionist last week and she told me 1200 is too low and I should be at 1500 calories and burn 500 a day to lose 1 lb a week and DO NOT eat back exersise calories back in order to lose weekly. Well, so far I gained 2 lbs. I don't understand why I can't get this under control. Doing this her way there are days that I net 1000 calories and under. I understand that I am creating a deficit but how am I gaining? I burn about 300 by running or treadmill then I do about 30min on the 30 day shred which is around 160-180 calories burned I am begging for help at this point!! Anyone out there that can help guide me in the right direction?

CW101

That sounds like conflicting advice: 1200 is too low but eat 1500, burn 500 but don't eat your exercise calories? That puts you at 1000 calories a day, even lower than 1200. That's not enough to sustain you. You need to eat more. And you're probably not losing because your body is going into starvation mode so it's holding on to any and all calories it can get ahold of. With the amount of exercise you're doing, you definitely need to eat more. Sure, listen to the nutritionist about the 1500 calories a day and if you do burn 500 calories a day, eat those calories back! Good luck!

tammy1005

It's so frustrating because i'm thinking how do I lose weight without a deficit? So she has to be right but my body is not happy. I don't feel like I am doing this right. She made it seem like I won't lose if I eat them back but the other day I consumed 1500 calories but my net was under 1000. My husband said that I need to eat more and she is wrong. so I went on MFP today and they had me set at 1350 with a 500 cal deficit but that still seems low to me. Do I keep at 1500 and trying eating back some of my calories to keep me over 1200 or try the MFP recommened?

ruststar

MFP's suggestion of 1350 would require you to eat back your exercise calories. The deficit is already included.

NanaB2011

Tammy1005 are you drinking enough water? This happened to me in the past and my sodium intake was too high and I was not drinking enough water. Another thing you can do is breakfast for dinner a couple times during the week, it's usually a lot less calories. Good Luck! (I know the feeling!!!)

brenanickels

I think you need to look and ask yourself afew more questions. I do not think 1500 calories is to high because you are working out but the extra calories need to be high in nutritional value. If it was me i would drink protien shakes or eat bars for the extra calories just watch the sugar in them. Another thing to remember its not always about the scale. From your photos you are in good shape. You may be gaining muscle which with the type of activity you do it could be the case. Watch if your close get tighter so signs like that.
Best of luck
Bre

vim_n_vigor

It sometimes takes more than a few days. Give it a good 3-4 weeks to see what happens and adjust from there.

SunshineRowe

well you said last week so that means you have not been doing it very long, your body is probably just adjusting...if you paid the lady for the advice give it a try and wait for 2 weeks to balance out and 4 weeks to see any (and I mean a little) change, then after that is you do not start dropping weight consider that money lost

gatorginger

If you open your diary we can see what it is your eating and give better advice. Your nutritionist shouldn't have told you not to eat the calories back. If you are set to eat 1500 calories and you are burning 500 then you should at least eat half of those back. What I would do is experiemnt. Try it her way and try it eating back the calories.

I don't exercise as heavily as most people on here I exercise 4 times a week walking 25 minutes so I don't burn many calories, but if I was burning 500 I would definitely eat at least 300 of those back.

Just remember every one is different so what works for one may not work for you so that is why I say experiment and find what works for you

MariaMariaM

Eating 1500 and burning about 500 is too low. You should be eating at least your BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate). You probably need to eat a lot more if you are going to be burning 500/day.

Here is a link to a great group that has ton of information in eating more to weight less.

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/groups/home/3817-eat-more-to-weigh-less

At 116.5 I was eating about 1900 -2000 / day because I wanted to maintain. I burn about 400 - 500 calories on avg. I got on the scale today and lost weight. I am down to 115. I want to stop the weight loss so I am now going to be eating between 2100 -2200 calories / day

You should calculate your TDEE and eat between 15% - 20% less than that amount to lose weight.

ElizabethRoad

You can't tell anything in one week.

Your nutritionist makes no sense. 1200 is too low so eat 1000? Are you sure you understood her right?

domgirl85

It might not be bad advice. What do those 1500 calories consist of. You may want to look at that as well as how your burn those calories each week.

garlic7girl

I agree with CW I thought conflicting too. Perhaps go back and talk with her about that point. I was thinking usually they want you to cut 250 in calories and do some sort of exercise which may vary each day. I would definitely say go back and talk with her...

douglasmobbs

to gain 2lb of fat in a week you have to have a 7,000 calorie surplus. If you are eating 1,500 per day that is 10,500 per week. There is just no way that you have had 7,000 surplus.

You have changed your diet (and exercise?), this changes things in your body. Also being female does not help when you want a consistent weight with all that hormonal stuff that goes on.

Stick with it, I know it is a lot easier to say than do but if you are eating 1,500 calories and doing 500 calories of exercise you will lose weight in the medium and long term. Whilst you are doing this make sure you measure and log absolutely everything you eat.

vklebanova

You're gaining muscle. It's really that simple. I lost 13 pounds by dieting alone without exercising AT ALL last month. This month I started at the gym, and although I feel better and my clothes fit better - I gained back 3 pounds. It's all muscle. Muscle weighs WAYYY more than fat. What you're doing will ultimately pay off and your trainer is right. Also a good thing to remember is that if you're trying to lose weight make sure you eat 70% of your TOTAL day's calories before dinner. In other words, Dinner should make up 30% or less of your total calorie intake per day. I found this really helps to focus my meals and definitely helped with the numbers on the scale back when I was just dieting. Keep in mind that lean muscle ultimately also burns more, so as you get stronger and more toned, you'll need to actually INCREASE your daily calorie intake. Feel free to message me if you have any questions!

douglasmobbs

Eating 1500 and burning about 500 is too low. You should be eating at least your BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate). You probably need to eat a lot more if you are going to be burning 500/day.

Here is a link to a great group that has ton of information in eating more to weight less.

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/groups/home/3817-eat-more-to-weigh-less

At 116.5 I was eating about 1900 -2000 / day because I wanted to maintain. I burn about 400 - 500 calories on avg. I got on the scale today and lost weight. I am down to 115. I want to stop the weight loss so I am not going to be eating between 2100 -2200 calories / day

You should calculate your TDEE and eat between 15% - 20% less than that amount to lose weight.

If you are on 1900-2000 per day and losing weight and if you should eat more to weigh less what will you do to stop losing weight? eat less?

XXXMinnieXXX

My dietitian told me to eat 1500 and not eat exercise calories. When I mixed up my exercise I had 2 gains but lost inches, then the weight started coming off again! Be patient! X

MariaMariaM

Eating 1500 and burning about 500 is too low. You should be eating at least your BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate). You probably need to eat a lot more if you are going to be burning 500/day.

Here is a link to a great group that has ton of information in eating more to weight less.

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/groups/home/3817-eat-more-to-weigh-less

At 116.5 I was eating about 1900 -2000 / day because I wanted to maintain. I burn about 400 - 500 calories on avg. I got on the scale today and lost weight. I am down to 115. I want to stop the weight loss so I am not going to be eating between 2100 -2200 calories / day

You should calculate your TDEE and eat between 15% - 20% less than that amount to lose weight.

If you are on 1900-2000 per day and losing weight and if you should eat more to weigh less what will you do to stop losing weight? eat less?

No, eat more. Obviously I underestimated my activity level. So I am increasing my calorie intake by about 300 / day to see what happens. If it continues, I will up again until it stops. I like working out because it is a stress reliever for me so stopping that is out of question. Also, when I say to eat more I mean good healthy / nutritious food. No junk or fast food.

BaconMD

Run the numbers yourself and figure out your BMR and TDEE. A nutritionist telling you to net 1000 calories sounds pretty wrong to me. Maybe if you were morbidly obese you could get away with something like that, but you appear to be looking to lose 14 pounds, which would likely only put you at overweight. Trying to lose a pound a week with only 14 pounds to lose might also be overshooting, too.

I'd also say to take pics and measure with a tape so you have more than one indication of your progress.

auroranflash

It's dangerous ahead! Take this!

http://www.fat2fitradio.com/tools/bmr/

Sabine_Stroehm

Did you really gain two pounds by adding 300 calories a day? Clearly not, since two pounds is 7000 calories. It could be any number of things. I'm a big fan of the fat2fit tools that auroranflash posted.

marycmeadows

still sounds like you're not eating enough. If you're eating 1500 -- and burning 500 - you're netting 1000 or LESS -- which is not enough for bodily functions. Your body is holding onto what it's got because you're not feeding it enough.

SeasideOasis

I get NET 1600 calories - I've lost 2.8 pounds in 6 days. No exercise. Just saying...

yoovie

there is no way to consistently lose a set amount weekly.
You also lose much less much much less at a time the closer you get to your goal.

seobstar

Eating 1500 and burning about 500 is too low. You should be eating at least your BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate). You probably need to eat a lot more if you are going to be burning 500/day.

Here is a link to a great group that has ton of information in eating more to weight less.

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/groups/home/3817-eat-more-to-weigh-less

At 116.5 I was eating about 1900 -2000 / day because I wanted to maintain. I burn about 400 - 500 calories on avg. I got on the scale today and lost weight. I am down to 115. I want to stop the weight loss so I am now going to be eating between 2100 -2200 calories / day

You should calculate your TDEE and eat between 15% - 20% less than that amount to lose weight.

YES! what she said!! read up on this group, check out all the info and then make a decision! It has changed my life!!!!!!!!!!!!

FitCurves444

"I went to a nutritionist last week ...."

I think you need to give this a fair chance. You can't try something for a week and when it doesn't work right away throw your hands in the air and declare it is not working. Just hang in there......

jofjltncb6

It sometimes takes more than a few days. Give it a good 3-4 weeks to see what happens and adjust from there.

^this

Unless you think a plan is dangerous, stick with it for a few weeks and THEN evaluate if it's working for you. Too many people change from perfectly good programs because they don't like the results after a day or two. These things take time, (and often, will involve something like adding back in some necessary carbs adding some scale weight because your muscle glycogen stores are finally being replenished, for example).

Patience...

TourThePast

Are you weighing and measuring ALL your food and drink intake accurately?

I am guessing that you are eating more calories than you think, or that you are weighing yourself at different times of the day in different clothes (first thing in the morning, naked, after lavatory, before eating or drinking, people!) or that your period is due.

Because if you are eating 1500 a day and doing all that exercise you WILL lose weight, unless you're some kind of metabolic freak which is theoretically possible but statistically extremely unlikely.

3laine75

You're gaining muscle. It's really that simple. I lost 13 pounds by dieting alone without exercising AT ALL last month. This month I started at the gym, and although I feel better and my clothes fit better - I gained back 3 pounds. It's all muscle. Muscle weighs WAYYY more than fat. What you're doing will ultimately pay off and your trainer is right. Also a good thing to remember is that if you're trying to lose weight make sure you eat 70% of your TOTAL day's calories before dinner. In other words, Dinner should make up 30% or less of your total calorie intake per day. I found this really helps to focus my meals and definitely helped with the numbers on the scale back when I was just dieting. Keep in mind that lean muscle ultimately also burns more, so as you get stronger and more toned, you'll need to actually INCREASE your daily calorie intake. Feel free to message me if you have any questions!

on 1000 cals she did not gain 2lb of muscle, thats just silly.

OP, are you logging your food accuratelly and honestly?

MouseFood

If eat my exercise calories back I DO NOT LOSE period.
Also, I have to eat fewer than 1400 to lose at all ... it just doesn't happen for me otherwise.

MouseFood

Oh, and I know it says I've only lost 4 lb, but I'm talking about my experience from losing 63 lb several years ago.