Plateua/too few calories?

rvest

Hello- I need some help. I've been dieting since Jan 4th and have lost 13 pounds. However, i've been stuck for two weeks at the same weight. I am afraid i am not eating enough calories, as i am averaging 1050 calories/day. Plus, i am exercisting 6-7 days / week (running -burning min. 335 cal. to 600 cal depending on mileage). i don't really understand the "net calories" and if i eat the exercise calories, what good is it to exercise? I am 147 lbs. 5'6". Can someone please give me advice on how many calories to eat? My husband says I am starving myself and some days i am very irritable. However, i really want to lose 10 more pounds. Any help much apprecaited. Thank you.

Lilioshka

I can't really help you too much, but I think that 1050 calories is way too few.

onyxgirl17

Holy crap yes you are having too few calories. Do yourself a favor, eat the calories MFP suggest for you to eat and eat your exercise calories back. Depending on how much work you want to put in you can check out the thread "in place of a roadmap" and read up on BMR and TDEE.

The short story is... eating as low as you are and working out on top of it, you are probably losing much more muscle mass than if you lost weight slower. This is going to decrease your metabolism and make it easier for you to gain back once you "stop" dieting. You WANT to retain as much muscle mass as possible while losing fat mass.

I'm also 5 feet 6 inches and currently 143 pounds. I've lost 4 pounds in the past 2 months...

prettyblu

I experienced a three week 'plateau'. Once I upped my calories from 1200 to nearly 1400 the weight started coming off again and I'm only 5'1. You probably need at least 1300 a day. But, to get accurate numbers, calculate your BMR. Good luck!

anybeary

You need about 1400 calories a day just to maintain your organ function...you burn that if you're in a coma. So, that info coupled with the fact that you're burning at least an additional 300-600 calories exercising means you're eating way below what you need to live. Try increasing your calories by 100 each week for the next four or five weeks and see if you start getting over that plateau. This strategy helped me. I am your height and approximate weight and have been maintaining at about 1900 calories a day. I exercise 5-6 days a week and average 450 calories per workout, so we are probably pretty similar.

reddirtgal

I plateaued a few weeks ago, and found I was eating too few calories. Especially if you are exercising, you need to eat calories. I still try to stay under my allotted calories, but I have to eat at least 1200 in order for my weight to keep coming off. A couple of weeks I was under a 1000 and my weight loss slowed. I started eating snacks and it is coming off again. Add a protein shake or something after a workout. If will start coming off again.

tidesong

You are eating way too little. You ARE starving yourself. Put your goals into MFP and follow the amount of calories it tells you to eat. You're not going to lose weight faster by eating less, at least not at the level you're doing. ESPECIALLY if you are exercising a lot.

sofielein

This is completely abnormal. I exercise NOTHING (when I'm not in front of the computer I am on the couch) and even I eat 1200 calories!

And note I lost way more than you...

If you exercise hard like 6-7 times a week you need to eat at least 1500 or rather 1600. Your husband is unfortunately right. You are trying to make this too fast and the result is the opposite of what you wanted. You'll be totally desperate and it won't help.

juliemouse83

Holy crap yes you are having too few calories. Do yourself a favor, eat the calories MFP suggest for you to eat and eat your exercise calories back. Depending on how much work you want to put in you can check out the thread "in place of a roadmap" and read up on BMR and TDEE.

The short story is... eating as low as you are and working out on top of it, you are probably losing much more muscle mass than if you lost weight slower. This is going to decrease your metabolism and make it easier for you to gain back once you "stop" dieting. You WANT to retain as much muscle mass as possible while losing fat mass.

I'm also 5 feet 6 inches and currently 143 pounds. I've lost 4 pounds in the past 2 months...

^^This^^

You might also want to think about sustainability...You want to be able to find a calorie level you can live with. My thoughts on this are that it needs to be a lifestyle change, not a "diet."

Just my $0.02.


ETA: I joined in '11. I did really well the first few months...on 1200 calories...but I was miserable, and gave up. I tried again last year. On 1200 calories. Wasn't terribly aware of the forums, BMR, or TDEE. Did a lot more exercise that time. Gave up again, because I was so hungry and cranky. THIS time around, I actually did some reading, and am consistently losing inches and weight since I figured it out. With NO exercise, I'm eating 1600 calories.

anybeary

Also: consider protein. If you add calories, add them all from protein sources until you're getting at least a hundred grams of protein per day. This will help prevent you from losing muscle mass.

Klem4

Eat more. I'm 5'6'', 139lbs, and eat 1750. I have been losing about 2-3lbs per month.

nsagley

According to the nutritionist I went to, no one should go below 1200 calories a day.

sarahmarc

Eat at least your BMR and add some extra calories/protein on heavy workout days. You don't need to starve to lose weight.

onyxgirl17

Holy crap yes you are having too few calories. Do yourself a favor, eat the calories MFP suggest for you to eat and eat your exercise calories back. Depending on how much work you want to put in you can check out the thread "in place of a roadmap" and read up on BMR and TDEE.

The short story is... eating as low as you are and working out on top of it, you are probably losing much more muscle mass than if you lost weight slower. This is going to decrease your metabolism and make it easier for you to gain back once you "stop" dieting. You WANT to retain as much muscle mass as possible while losing fat mass.

I'm also 5 feet 6 inches and currently 143 pounds. I've lost 4 pounds in the past 2 months...

^^This^^

You might also want to think about sustainability...You want to be able to find a calorie level you can live with. My thoughts on this are that it needs to be a lifestyle change, not a "diet."

Just my $0.02.

Yep, that's one of the reasons I'm losing weight slowly now. I've upped my calories much closer to my TDEE to have a 1/2 pound a week drop from now until I reach GW.

hastinbe

You don't necessarily need to eat back your calories, but you do need to make sure your body is getting enough nutrients and calories for normal function. For the long term nobody should really be below 1200 calories a day, especially unsupervised. For a person of your age, gender, weight, and height your resting metabolic rate is 1389. That's the minimum amount of calories your body needs to function properly.

Re-figure your BMR and TDEE and pick a value in between as a general rule. Make sure eating a well-balanced diet and you should be good to go

megsmom2

I always wonder why folks ignore the advice and settings of MFP...and then are confused when things don't go as planned. I know that with some experimentation people can make individual adjustments....but when you're starting out..why not use the tool as intended. There are reasons why its set up as it is, such as eating back your calories. I never had good success until I started using MFP consistantly, and while its tempting to think sometimes that I know better now and could do it my own way...I know myself well enough now to know a good thing when I see it and keep logging in and eating back my burns.:flowerforyou:

ArtemisMoon

I asked a nursing student recently if starvation mode is a myth or not as argued about so much on this website. She busted out laughing and asked if people were seriously arguing over that. She finally answered me after she stopped laughing and said no, it is not a myth. Eating too few calories can seriously hurt your metabolism. It puts you under some major stress and your body may end up breaking down body mass other than fat to get the missing nutrients needed to function. It will steal nutrients from your bones and muscles to power vital organs.

Also, she said the main reason there is a benchmark of not eating under 1200 calories is that it is nearly impossible to get balanced nutrition any lower than that, and even at 1200 is it very, very difficult to make sure your body is getting what it needs. She said people pay too much attention to calories and not enough to nutrition and that nutrition should weigh more heavily in the decision-making process when losing weight. If your body is getting proper nutrition and energy calories, your body is not going to be as stressed and will likely be more receptive to weight loss attempts. The chances of losing fat rather than other body mass will be better as well. Your immune system will be stronger and your body better prepared to meet the challenges of an active lifestyle. So while you may not understand why eating more is needed calorie-wise, remember - the more active your lifestyle, the higher your nutritional needs are going to be as well. Please do not forget such an important factor.

rvest

Thanks everyone, i really appreciate it! My BMR is 1326 and then i used 1.5 factor for moderate exercise resulting in 2055/day. 2055-1000 (lose 2 lbs / week) would be 1055.... is that simply too fast? That's what i was doing. And my fitness pal auto sets at 1200. If i targeted -500/day that would be 1550 calories. Should i go from 1100 to 1500? or too much? I am losing inches by walking at 13% inciine also, so that feels good. I've never been able to figure the science to get the right # of calories when i'm used to running nearly every single day. I've tried running 3x/week but then i feel sluggish and stiff on the days i don't run.

As for not paying attention to the settings-I have done that for years past and DONT LOSE the weight!!! HELP. The only system that's worked is WW, the points seem a better indicator than calories ? . I am eating a good balance of foods and nearly eliminating anything processed. No soda either.. and watching salt. This time I am using MFP and WW simultaneously which is really time consuming.

onyxgirl17

Thanks everyone, i really appreciate it! My BMR is 1326 and then i used 1.5 factor for moderate exercise resulting in 2055/day. 2055-1000 (lose 2 lbs / week) would be 1055.... is that simply too fast? That's what i was doing. And my fitness pal auto sets at 1200. If i targeted -500/day that would be 1550 calories. Should i go from 1100 to 1500? or too much? I am losing inches by walking at 13% inciine also, so that feels good. I've never been able to figure the science to get the right # of calories when i'm used to running nearly every single day. I've tried running 3x/week but then i feel sluggish and stiff on the days i don't run.

As for not paying attention to the settings-I have done that for years past and DONT LOSE the weight!!! HELP. The only system that's worked is WW, the points seem a better indicator than calories ? . I am eating a good balance of foods and nearly eliminating anything processed. No soda either.. and watching salt. This time I am using MFP and WW simultaneously which is really time consuming.

Do not eat less than 1200 calories average per day. 2 pounds per week loss is way too much for your height and weight. You only have 10 pounds you'd like to lose. Aim for 1 lb per week loss. I'd say eat 1400-1500 calories a day for the next month and see what happens. It's not a race! Give your body time

crystalfisher89

When I first started MFP it told me to eat 1350 cals and that was a HUGE struggle for me so I upped it to 1500 cals and suddenly the weight started coming off and QUICKLY. There would be a week that I wouldn't lose and then the next week I'd lose two lbs. It will not be steady, but up your calories for sure! I had been trying moderate low carb dieting, but I love carbs too much so here I am revising my diet again to lose my last 10lbs. My TDEE (total daily exercise expenditure) is 2300 cals and you are not supposed to eat less than 20% of that. Now if you are going to go off of that you do not eat back your exercise burn fyi. Eat only the cals that you are supposed to. I usually say to aim for 1 1/2- 1 lb a week drop. To try to lose 2 lbs a week is simply too much weight for a body to lose all at once. It may be slow, but it will be healthier and keep you from falling of the wagon with cravings.

crystalfisher89

Thanks everyone, i really appreciate it! My BMR is 1326 and then i used 1.5 factor for moderate exercise resulting in 2055/day. 2055-1000 (lose 2 lbs / week) would be 1055.... is that simply too fast? That's what i was doing. And my fitness pal auto sets at 1200. If i targeted -500/day that would be 1550 calories. Should i go from 1100 to 1500? or too much? I am losing inches by walking at 13% inciine also, so that feels good. I've never been able to figure the science to get the right # of calories when i'm used to running nearly every single day. I've tried running 3x/week but then i feel sluggish and stiff on the days i don't run.

As for not paying attention to the settings-I have done that for years past and DONT LOSE the weight!!! HELP. The only system that's worked is WW, the points seem a better indicator than calories ? . I am eating a good balance of foods and nearly eliminating anything processed. No soda either.. and watching salt. This time I am using MFP and WW simultaneously which is really time consuming.

Do not eat less than 1200 calories average per day. 2 pounds per week loss is way too much for your height and weight. You only have 10 pounds you'd like to lose. Aim for 1 lb per week loss. I'd say eat 1400-1500 calories a day for the next month and see what happens. It's not a race! Give your body time

If you are trying to lose only 10 more lbs then you'll want to set yourself to 1/2 lb a week to lose so that you can set your body up for better maintenance to stay at the same ideal weight once you hit it.

juliemouse83

Thanks everyone, i really appreciate it! My BMR is 1326 and then i used 1.5 factor for moderate exercise resulting in 2055/day. 2055-1000 (lose 2 lbs / week) would be 1055.... is that simply too fast? That's what i was doing. And my fitness pal auto sets at 1200. If i targeted -500/day that would be 1550 calories. Should i go from 1100 to 1500? or too much? I am losing inches by walking at 13% inciine also, so that feels good. I've never been able to figure the science to get the right # of calories when i'm used to running nearly every single day. I've tried running 3x/week but then i feel sluggish and stiff on the days i don't run.

As for not paying attention to the settings-I have done that for years past and DONT LOSE the weight!!! HELP. The only system that's worked is WW, the points seem a better indicator than calories ? . I am eating a good balance of foods and nearly eliminating anything processed. No soda either.. and watching salt. This time I am using MFP and WW simultaneously which is really time consuming.

I think 1500 would be better than 1055...My TDEE is just over 2300. My BMR is 1499. On days I do really light or no workouts, I eat about 1600. With a 20% reduction from my TDEE, based on the 4-5 days a week I'm doing more (lifting, jogging, cardio) I'll eat 1800. It's working for me. I did the numbers here: http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/

I learned the hard way (from the last two time I looked at this weight situation as a "diet" that eating less than my BMR is just going to making me ill as a hornet. I don't know if this will help you, but I thought it would throw it out there. :flowerforyou:

onyxgirl17

Thanks everyone, i really appreciate it! My BMR is 1326 and then i used 1.5 factor for moderate exercise resulting in 2055/day. 2055-1000 (lose 2 lbs / week) would be 1055.... is that simply too fast? That's what i was doing. And my fitness pal auto sets at 1200. If i targeted -500/day that would be 1550 calories. Should i go from 1100 to 1500? or too much? I am losing inches by walking at 13% inciine also, so that feels good. I've never been able to figure the science to get the right # of calories when i'm used to running nearly every single day. I've tried running 3x/week but then i feel sluggish and stiff on the days i don't run.

As for not paying attention to the settings-I have done that for years past and DONT LOSE the weight!!! HELP. The only system that's worked is WW, the points seem a better indicator than calories ? . I am eating a good balance of foods and nearly eliminating anything processed. No soda either.. and watching salt. This time I am using MFP and WW simultaneously which is really time consuming.

Do not eat less than 1200 calories average per day. 2 pounds per week loss is way too much for your height and weight. You only have 10 pounds you'd like to lose. Aim for 1 lb per week loss. I'd say eat 1400-1500 calories a day for the next month and see what happens. It's not a race! Give your body time

If you are trying to lose only 10 more lbs then you'll want to set yourself to 1/2 lb a week to lose so that you can set your body up for better maintenance to stay at the same ideal weight once you hit it.

yea but the 2055 estimate might actually be a bit high for her TDEE

savithny

I asked a nursing student recently if starvation mode is a myth or not as argued about so much on this website. She busted out laughing and asked if people were seriously arguing over that. She finally answered me after she stopped laughing and said no, it is not a myth. Eating too few calories can seriously hurt your metabolism. It puts you under some major stress and your body may end up breaking down body mass other than fat to get the missing nutrients needed to function. It will steal nutrients from your bones and muscles to power vital organs.

Yep. The people "Debunking" starvation mode set up a strawman by saying "oh, you won't go into starvation mode if you miss breakfast and anyway, people who don't eat any food all eventually starve to death so starvation mode can't possibly be real."

They're disproving starvation mode by claiming that its something that researchers have never said.

What research has found is that creating too big a caloric deficit can cause major drops in your basal metabolic rate. The experiment that named it found drops of up to 40%, while experiments with smaller deficits find smaller numbers (ive seen 10-25%, variously. The latest study, based on Biggest Loser contestants, didn't have percent decrease but said that near the end of data keeping, contestants were burning more than 500 calores a day LESS than would be accounted for by loss alone.

Using 20% slowdown: That means someone with a BMR of 1400 would burn something like 280 fewer calories a day. Women, who have lower BMRs, can pretty quickly set up a situation where the numbers suggest even their very low calorie diets are no longer creating a deficit, simply because the slowdown can offset the on-paper deficit. So women find themselves depriving themselves of nutrients .... and not losing.

Yeah, some of those people might be cheating or mismeasuring or whatever. But why not feel more satisfied, eat closer to what you burn minus a reasonable deficit, and create a more sustainable process?

mrsgates21

This post scares me because I fear that this could be a negative result of tracking using myfitnesspal. Beyond the fear of plateauing or yo-yoing with weight, it is so damaging to a persons body to eat too few calories. There are individuals who can become so obsessed with this site and its functions that it becomes a primary focus of their day. EAT FOOD. Humans eat food. Eat your allotted calories and don't be afraid. If your body averages about 1900 calories a day to maintain, that means that even when eating a 1300 calorie minimum a day you are already having a 600 calorie deficit. Multiply that by 7 days and you are looking at 4,200 calorie deficit. +/- 3,500 calories is a pound gained or lost. If you are adding in exercise, you are burning even more than that.

Most research shows that 1 pound a week is the recommended rate of losing weight. Of course, right out of the gate you will lose more if you are transforming your diet and adding exercise, but it will slow down. If it is coming off slow and you are feeling better don't be concerned. Your body is taking its time and adapting to your new lifestyle. Chances are, when you lose slow it will stay off. Which, that's the goal of everyone's weight loss right? Weight loss isn't fun, but we do it to ourselves. If I take the calories in the wrong way, I know I must take them off the RIGHT way.

Weightloss can turn into an eating disorder in a hurry if you aren't careful. Be good to your body, friends! That's the real purpose of MFP anyways, correct?