Frustrated and really need some advice

sgcadola

Hello all, I'm going to lay it all out on the line. I've changed the way I eat, started working out again and still stationary at the same weight and inches.. I am 28 years old, 5'2'' and weight 128. I want to lose about 10-15lbs. I drink nothing but water and eat usually about 1200 to 1000 per day. I know that's low but I don't have a large appetite. Here is what my average day looks like.

8am I eat yogurt or a piece of fruit.. Banana, Grapefruit or an Advocare Shake

Around 10 I eat a handful of mixed unsalted nuts. Cashews and Almonds.

11:30 or Noon I eat a small lunch. Chicken Caesar Salad or Tuna in a tortilla

head to the gym around 4/5pm and workout for about an hour. Cardio, Spin Class, Insanity, etc..

Dinner is around 6 or 6:30 and it's grilled chicken with veggies..

I have not lost any weight. WHAT AM I DOING WRONG??? Please help. This is going on almost a month and I haven't lost a pound.

maryjay51

you put your body in starvation mode when you dont eat enough and so it hoards food ... dont be afraid to eat healthy food ..i eat all the darn time and i lost 80lbs so there is something to say about that /.. do i want to eat six meals a day all the time? nooo i do it anyway..

sgcadola

I'm not afraid of eating healthy foods. It's hard to eat when you're not hungry. If I try to push myself to eat I feel very sick to my stomach.

wolfchild59

I would say that you need to eat more. You say you're eating 1000-1200 cals a day. Based on what you listed, it looks like the bulk of that is coming from the nuts you're eating as a snack because everything else looks to be around 100-300 calories per "meal". Which means a lot of your calories are coming from fat rather than from proteins and veggie carbs.

And then you're doing fairly intense cardio for an hour each day, so probably burning around 500 calories, at your size.

So if you're being honest about the amount of food you're eating and the amount of exercise you're doing, you've been sustaining on about 500-750 calories a day for the last month. Your body wants more fuel.

D3vAnge1

I'm not afraid of eating healthy foods. It's hard to eat when you're not hungry. If I try to push myself to eat I feel very sick to my stomach.

perhaps consider meal replacement &/or protein shakes

CourtneyWiss

Exactly what everyone else is saying your not eating enough:) If your like me its hard to see it that wya because it used to be that i could just eat hardly anything and i would drop what super fast, but for about 3 months i was eating between 1000-1400 calories plus working out 3-4 hours a day and nothing was happening!! then i started eating a little more and working out a little less and when i stick to it, it does work...Although i struggle with binge eating the days i eat plently i dont binge. So maybe eat more:)

Irish_eyes75

add another small meal (100-200 cals) before you go to the gym - around 2-3

MyBodyMyMachine

I don't know that I agree with everyone else entirely. For your size and weight, 1200 calories seems reasonable. 1000 seems low. If you aren't hungry enough to eat more, then consider eating more calorie rich foods. You can do this while still keeping it healthy. Mix some granola in with your yogurt. Oatmeal with your fruit? It looks like you're a fairly "clean" eater from what you wrote out of your typical day. That's good! Try pairing a complex carb with a protein, and perhaps add in a whey protein shake immediately after the gym. It's possible your body is hanging on to everything for fuel. Also, in my experience, change was slow but once it started it happened almost overnight. Like literally, within a few day span, all my clothes were suddeny too big. Just remember that if you're working out, whether you're hungry or not, fueling your body is critical. So try to eat every few hours- even if its something small. It keeps your metabolism going! And that's what you want!

https://www.facebook.com/MyBodyMyMachine
www.mybody-mymachine.com

chrissyw63

I'm not a pro by any means, but what has worked for me ... weight training. I didn't budge much until I started weight training. I'd say like 3 times a week. Do chest, shoulders, tris one day ... back, bis, abs another day ... then legs. and I agree with everyone else, if you can, maybe try and up your calorie intake a bit. you'll find where you're comfortable ... good luck to you

melaniecheeks

I don't think it's to do with the amount of calories, I think it's that your body is already at a healthy weight for your height. So it's really going to resist any more loss. I'd add in some strength training and worry more about shape than some meaningless figures on the scale.

mschmidtmn

I am far from an expert, but I lost about 35 lbs from Jan to May and have kept 25 of it off so I can hit it again starting now. One thing that I noticed when I worked at it and didn't seem to lose weight is that I wasn't varying my eating enough. That is, I would get in a rut thinking that if what I ate one day was good for losing some weight, then I thought I could keep eating that exact way and lose consistently day after day - wrong! I found I need to change up my diet and as so many others have said, eat more one day, less another with an average intake where you want to be. Again, I'm not an expert and your milege may vary but it may be worth a try.

sgcadola

I'm not afraid of eating healthy foods. It's hard to eat when you're not hungry. If I try to push myself to eat I feel very sick to my stomach.

eat a thing of ben and jerries, you'd be fine :-)

I don't think eating ice cream is the answer but thank you.

wolfchild59

For your size and weight, 1200 calories seems reasonable.

1200 calories as a Net amount wouldn't be too bad. But she's eating 1200 calories and also doing heavy cardio for an hour every night. So she's netting far below 1000 calories a day when she works out.

ChrisRS87

Don't listen to the people spouting starvation mode. The body adapts to everything we throw at it, starvation mode is just an extreme example. It's not starving, but it has adapted to using fewer calories because that's what it expects, which is why you aren't hungry for more.

You may gain a little weight, but spend a weekend or a week eating at a surplus of your TDEE, but with HEALTHY FOODS, and mostly protein and good carbs (like grains) and low fat. This is actually called a refeed. Leptin levels in your body will respond to the increased amounts of carbs and calories and increase, which subsequently increases your metabolism. Then go back to dieting, and you'll find you'll begin losing weight again. You may eventually need to refeed if you plateau and want to keep losing.

Check this out:
http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/sclark60.htm

LMPMOM4

I'm in the process of upping my calories from a long time of way too low calorie restriction too felt bloated and very full at first. But your body and metabolism will adjust in a few weeks. You really do need to eat more.

AZKristi

Looks like you have more days eating about 700 calories than eating close to 1200 calories. There are lots of threads about the dangers of eating below BMR. Please read them and eat enough to sustain your body. Even if you do lose weight eating this way you will be losing mostly lean body mass rather than fat. Assuming fat loss is your goal, you are definitely sabotaging yourself in the long run.

mariahealthyfit

I'm not afraid of eating healthy foods. It's hard to eat when you're not hungry. If I try to push myself to eat I feel very sick to my stomach.

eat a thing of ben and jerries, you'd be fine :-)

I don't think eating ice cream is the answer but thank you.

I completely agree with you eating ice-cream is not the answer. I used to have the same problem as you. I had NO appetite. But what I would suggest is to gradually eat a little more each meal. I know you will feel sick and feel full but even a spoon or two extra each meal will help. Trust me. Before I say the next bit I know you're not a baby but the same theory apply. When a baby is born they drink very little the first couple of days. Each feed you try and give them a little more milk. This stretches their stomach. As their stomach grows they are able to take more and more milk. I think what has happened to you is you don't eat much and you're stomach feels full quiet quickly. If you REALLY TRY and eat a little more everyday over a week or two you would be amazed at the results. I hope it all goes well for you! x

anonymousKel

I agree with the weight training comment...you'll prob benefit from a bit more food 200 cals or so - maybe coconut water after your train - its about 90 cals and very nutritional. I ready Womesn Fitness mag there is always some good ideas on there. Perhaps a protein bar too.

Mummyadams

Hello all, I'm going to lay it all out on the line. I've changed the way I eat, started working out again and still stationary at the same weight and inches.. I am 28 years old, 5'2'' and weight 128. I want to lose about 10-15lbs. I drink nothing but water and eat usually about 1200 to 1000 per day. I know that's low but I don't have a large appetite. Here is what my average day looks like.

8am I eat yogurt or a piece of fruit.. Banana, Grapefruit or an Advocare Shake

Around 10 I eat a handful of mixed unsalted nuts. Cashews and Almonds.

11:30 or Noon I eat a small lunch. Chicken Caesar Salad or Tuna in a tortilla

head to the gym around 4/5pm and workout for about an hour. Cardio, Spin Class, Insanity, etc..

Dinner is around 6 or 6:30 and it's grilled chicken with veggies..

I have not lost any weight. WHAT AM I DOING WRONG??? Please help. This is going on almost a month and I haven't lost a pound.

You already know what you're doing wrong. You already said what you're doing wrong... you're eating too low.

**This**

love4fitnesslove4food_wechange

Don't listen to the people spouting starvation mode. The body adapts to everything we throw at it, starvation mode is just an extreme example. It's not starving, but it has adapted to using fewer calories because that's what it expects, which is why you aren't hungry for more.

You may gain a little weight, but spend a weekend or a week eating at a surplus of your TDEE, but with HEALTHY FOODS, and mostly protein and good carbs (like grains) and low fat. This is actually called a refeed. Leptin levels in your body will respond to the increased amounts of carbs and calories and increase, which subsequently increases your metabolism. Then go back to dieting, and you'll find you'll begin losing weight again. You may eventually need to refeed if you plateau and want to keep losing.

Check this out:
http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/sclark60.htm

You're saying the same thing in different words. So you want to dispel the idea that it's starvation mode but explain starvation mode using more technical terms, yeah, that's helpful. "Starvation mode" as conventionally used is synonymous to the event you describe as..." It's not starving, but it has adapted to using fewer calories because that's what it expects, which is why you aren't hungry for more." I do agree with you but you weren't ACTUALLY disagreeing with the people who alleged starvation mode--you disagreed with the terminology.

FitForLife81

Yup you are not eating enough so your body is holding on to everything you do eat! I didn't lose a single pound at 1200 calories but at 1600-1800 the weight was coming off fast!