10 weeks at 1200 calories and not much weight loss

lisa0527
lisa0527 Posts: 49 Member
in Motivation and Support
I've been good. I consistently eat my 1200 calories, no more and rarely less. I exercise HARD 4 times per week for at least an hour...and little to show for it. In 10 weeks I've lost 6 pounds. On previous diets I've lost that in a week. My thyroid is normal, my blood sugars are normal, and my diet is healthy....so why??? This is discouraging. And unfair. MFP telling me my weight in 5 weeks only makes it worse, because it's never even close. I'm 52 yrs old with 30 pounds to lose, 5"9".

Replies

  • Ascolti_la_musica
    Ascolti_la_musica Posts: 676 Member
    Your diet is not healthy.

    1200 calories is what you need if you lay in bed all day, and are short.

    If you exercise "HARD," you need to fuel that exercise, or you burn lean mass instead of fat.

    I joined in late January. I've been at this for a month and a half to two months, and have lost 12 pounds by exercising three days a week and eating 1700-2000 calories on the days that I exercise.

    Give yourself more protein, a few extra calories on the days you exercise, and you will see better results.
  • thedrione
    thedrione Posts: 5
    Hello! My guess is you aren't eating enough. 1200 calories is the bare minimum you should be eating, and if you are working out HARD 4 times a week, then you need extra calories. I would say increase it by 200 a day and see what happens. Your post doesn't say what you weigh, but since you are looking to lose 30 lbs, I'll assume you are around 165-170. To lose 30 pounds you would want to consume about 1700 cals a day to achieve that, and that takes into consideration your activity level. Who told you 1200 calories? That is bare minimum for survival without your body turning on itself. I'd say reevaluate...I would be shocked if you didn't lose by bumping up your food intake. I'm a big girl and if I don't eat enough I don't lose either. Good luck to you!
  • Lupercalia
    Lupercalia Posts: 1,857 Member
    You need to eat, most likely. And possibly not exercise HARD 4 x per week. Not sure what HARD means to you, or what your exercise consists of, but if it's balls to the walls cardio, that might be raising your cortisol levels and causing you to hang on to fat. Chill out a little perhaps...and eat more.

    This may be of some help in determining the appropriate number of calories to eat per day:

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/912920-in-place-of-a-road-map-3-2013
  • linski24
    linski24 Posts: 155 Member
    Have a look at the thread " eat more to weigh less" iv been eating more for a while and lst 4lb since jan 1st and an inch off my waist .! Iv increased my eating to 1750 cals now too x
  • lisa0527
    lisa0527 Posts: 49 Member
    Well I certainly like the advice to eat more...and definitely do on exercise days. The 1200 calories is the MFP recommended amount for 1 1/2 pounds/week weight loss, or 1450 calories per day for 1 pound/week. Could maybe use more protein, less fruit. But already getting a bit higher percentage of protein than recommended by MFP. And on days when I creep up towards 1500 calories I gain weight...like 1 1/2 pounds in a day! Which I know must be water...but still pretty discouraging.
  • lisa0527
    lisa0527 Posts: 49 Member
    This weight loss thing is a funny business indeed! Took your advice, skipped a workout and ate about 1600 net calories versus the 1100 to 1200 calories I'd been eating...and lost 1 1/2 pounds in 2 days! After a week plateaued at low cal/high exercise. Go figure.
  • themedalist
    themedalist Posts: 3,218 Member
    For most people, 1200 calories is not enough. I'm concerned about the interpretation that MFP is "recommending" 1200 calories. That's certainly how many people interpret it, But I don't think that's the case. MFP can't really make customized recommendations to each and every person so it uses a default value of 1200 calories that seems to be the minimum calorie level dietitians feel is necessary to get adequate nutrition.

    It really pays to find the "sweet spot" where you are losing weight at a decent clip and still taking in enough calories to do everything you want and need to do with plenty of energy. I started at 1200 calories and lost a pound a week. But I was hungry all the time and didn't have my usual energy. So I increased my calories to 1600 per day. I consistently lost 1.5 pounds a week and am now at my GW. I have never looked back!

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