Lost 10 pounds in January and Gained 2 in February!! :/

sarahmartin2013

So I tend to be in the gym 6/7 days a week.. My diet is based on 1200 calories; which i was doing very well at.. However, I did the same thing in February as I did January. So now I am considering upping my calories to at least 1400.. Will this actually help?.. Needing your advice..

sarahmartin2013

bump

sarahmartin2013

needing some advice

PennStateChick

Honestly, no one can tell you if things are going to work for sure. You will find some people that swear by the 1200/day diet. You will also find people that will tell you that's not enough food.

Personally, mfp sets my calories to 1200. I changed it to 1500 because that seemed more sustainable, even if I was losing more slowly. I usually come in around 1300-1400 calories.

Unfortunately, you just have to try some things out and see what works best for you.

sarahmartin2013

ehh.. i guess your right.. i just want to know what I'm doing is correct..

maulop

I went through a similar situation. I lost weight fast at the beginning, then i stopped losing weight. The thing is that your body may be in starvation mode for eating too few calories. I changed my diet from 1200 to eat between 2300 to 1500 range. I started losing weight again in a couple of weeks. I guess the body needs more fuel to build muscle and burn fat in an efficient way.

akb2006

calculate your TDEE and eat 20% below that. Unless your 5'2 and sedetary I'm guessing your body is in starvation mode. Esepcially seeing you said you work out 6-7 days a week.

sarahmartin2013

I am 5'2"..

sarahmartin2013

I calculated it and it says 1885.6.. I feel that is a lot.. could I just up my calorie intake to 1500?

Makoce

I calculated it and it says 1885.6.. I feel that is a lot.. could I just up my calorie intake to 1500?

Try it and see if it works, if not, you need to up it.
Though, what did it say your BMR is? You shouldnt really eat below that number.

AmyRhubarb

Don't just guess, use the tools and info in this thread to calculate your BMR and your TDEE based on your activity level: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/654536-in-place-of-a-road-map-2-0-revised-7-2-12

And then you can determine how many calories you should be eating. Likely 1200 isn't enough, probably lower than your BMR. Best move I ever made was following that road map thread advice - been doing so for nearly a year with fabulous results.

NotBonJovi

Ideally you should be eating 80% of your TDEE for weight loss. I am learning this myself as I was also consuming too few calories and saw no weight drop off though I was burning close to 1000 calories per day thru exercise.

Please see this thread » http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/654536-in-place-of-a-road-map-2-0-revised-7-2-12

ellen1188

You are eating too few calories. You lost weight in January, but now your body has adapted and your metabolic rate has slowed. I first recommend calculating your RMR or BMR to determine how much fuel your body needs to survive in a day. Never eat below that number. Then, calculate your TDEE and cut 15%.

Keep your macros (carbs, protein, fat) at 40%, 30%, 30% respectively. Eat clean, up your protein, drink water, and lift heavy.

sarahmartin2013

Im going to up to somewhere around 1630.. I took everyones advice and calculated everything.. Wish me luck!.. Im so worried!

h0026

Also although it's hard to do it is important not to stress about small gains. I totally did that too, I had lost like nine pounds then I gained almost five, and then it dropped again. Weight fluctuates but it's really hard to not get depressed when your heart and soul are in it and the scale is giving you bad news. Don't be scared, 1600 isn't a lot, especially if you're working out regularly. It's kind of an experiment to see what works and what doesn't. You can do it!