Haven't lost any weight in the last two/three months!!!

elissiara

Hey everyone.
Here's a little about me before I ask my question
20 years old, 204lbs lost 47lbs so far.
I workout everyday with two of the workouts being Body Pump classes and I aim to burn 600 to 700 calories a workout bar the body pump sessions.
My question is am I eating enough or to much. I currently aim to eat 1400 calories a day and I was wondering if I was eating enough as after doing some research online I kept seeing 1600 calories being thrown around for my activity level and weight.
I guess I just wanted a second opinion as I'm slightly hesitant to try eating more but I'm getting so frustrated with seeing no movement on the scale.
Thanks!

minizebu

What is likely happening is two things: 1) you are underestimating the calories that you ingest, and 2) overestimating the energy that you expend.

I am not trying to be mean. Everyone is prone to doing this. There was a study that showed that even registered dietitians inaccurately logged their intake to the tune of several hundred calories while on a hypocaloric diet.

You might want to try taking a break from the 1400 calorie regimen and increasing your intake to a higher amount.

The reason that increasing one's intake seems to help people break through plateaus is that it is easier to adhere to a less calorically restrictive diet, and people tend to be more accurate about logging the food that they eat.

Also, as we lose weight, our BMRs drop, because we now weigh less. In addition, we spontaneously and unconsciously reduce our NEAT (non-exercise thermogenesis activity, that is all the moving around that we do that is not formal exercise).

My two cents: Look online for a BMR calculator that uses the Mifflin St Jeor formula and then calculate a TDEE using 1) a lightly active, and 2) a moderately active physical activity factor. You can then aim for a calorie intake that is somewhere in the range of those two calculations. Those calculations would yield maintenance calorie levels for your current weight and activity level. Try that for a week or so as a break, and then try reducing your intake using a moderate deficit, such as 20%.

Woly1

1400 calories?!?!?! At your activity level, you should be eating AT LEAST 2000. I think your BMR would be at around 3000. If you don't eat enough, your body will hold on to fat because you will go into starvation mode. I'm 125 lbs and if I try eating under 1500 (and I have...many times, stupidly...) I have no energy and I actually gain weight.

Joehenny

What is likely happening is two things: 1) you are underestimating the calories that you ingest, and 2) overestimating the energy that you expend.

I am not trying to be mean. Everyone is prone to doing this. There was a study that showed that even registered dietitians inaccurately logged their intake to the tune of several hundred calories while on a hypocaloric diet.

You might want to try taking a break from the 1400 calorie regimen and increasing your intake to a higher amount.

The reason that increasing one's intake seems to help people break through plateaus is that it is easier to adhere to a less calorically restrictive diet, and people tend to be more accurate about logging the food that they eat.

Also, as we lose weight, our BMRs drop, because we now weigh less. In addition, we spontaneously and unconsciously reduce our NEAT (non-exercise thermogenesis activity, that is all the moving around that we do that is not formal exercise).

My two cents: Look online for a BMR calculator that uses the Mifflin St Jeor formula and then calculate a TDEE using 1) a lightly active, and 2) a moderately active physical activity factor. You can then aim for a calorie intake that is somewhere in the range of those two calculations. Those calculations would yield maintenance calorie levels for your current weight and activity level. Try that for a week or so as a break, and then try reducing your intake using a moderate deficit, such as 20%.

Yes this is true I had to write an essay on that case study.

Op track your cals to a Tee for a week if no weight loss you might have to take a break from dieting. Over-time metabolism can adjust to extreme deficits.

Honestly though I assume there might be some inaccurate tracking though since your first statement was that you burn 600 cals in cardio, cardio is supplemental to weight-loss not supposed to be the main attraction.

Odiliawine

In order to lose weight the healthy, MFP way you're supposed to eat back your exercise calories which you aren't doing. Your poor body is only netting what, 800 calories daily? You should be NETTING at least 1200 and that's only if you're exteremly obese and sedentary, which you aren't. You can always try TDEE - 10%-20% which would probably work best for your amount of exercise. You'll gain weight at first but that's just because your poor body is starving for nutrition. Try it out for a month and you'll be shocked!

P.S. feel free to add me, it looks like we're both in it for a long journey!

rebeccatebbutt3

Hi All ,im new to this but i feel the same,im having 1200 calories aday and doing 20/30 minutes of exersise every day which burns approx 150/200 calories i now weigh 66kg and loosing weight very slowly somtimes 1lb every 3 weeks,this plan calculated my calorie intake when i started it 2 months ago.
Thanks

emergencytennis

The other thing you could try is changing your activity. If you are a gym member maybe ask for a lifting program, or try one of the cardio machines. Rowing is really strenuous for me, but I can play 2 hours of tennis and back up for more, because I have become conditioned to it.

jackedphilosopher

Try upping your calories a little bit, I remember plateauing a little bit as I was losing weight and the thing that help me break through it was eating more. Keep working hard and don't get discouraged. Remember that there is no time limit on this so playing around with your calories isn't going to hurt you in the long term!

smattillion

1400 calories?!?!?! At your activity level, you should be eating AT LEAST 2000. I think your BMR would be at around 3000. If you don't eat enough, your body will hold on to fat because you will go into starvation mode. I'm 125 lbs and if I try eating under 1500 (and I have...many times, stupidly...) I have no energy and I actually gain weight.

Same thing here !
Don't stress over it! I went out and got a fitbit (pedometer) which is pretty cool. Tracks steps taken, calories burned, distance and the fancy one even tracks sleep. Check it out. Its helping me stay active and move more since I can see how far away I am from my daily goals

smattillion

And girl, you should be damn proud of the amazing progress you have made so far! Don't give up you've come such a long way, obviously its working

acpgee

I have been netting 1310 to 1350 the last six months, and three months ago my weight loss stopped. I just took a three week diet break, eating 1900+half my exercise calories (half because I don't have a HRM and don't entirely trust the calorie burn estimates the machines at the gym give me). Didn't gain weight during my diet break.

Have returned to 1310 net, for the last few days and the scale has finally moved. I think the long period of calorie restriction caused my metabolism to slow down, and hoping that the diet break has re-set this. Assuming the scale continues to move over the next few months, I will incorporate diet breaks every three months or so.

ILiftHeavyAcrylics

Do you use a food scale to weigh all food and measuring cups/spoons to measure all free-pouring liquids?

How are you calculating your calorie burn?

Is 1400 a flat amount or are you also eating back exercise calories?

Alta2000

Read this and up your calories to TDEE-20

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/937712-in-place-of-a-road-map-ver-3-0

elissiara

I have read all the replies. Thank you guys so much. Some days I would eat back my calories burnt during exercise.
I think I will up my calories for a month and see how that goes.
I use scales and measuring cups for my food and a polar ft4 for calories.
Thank you all for your advice. You say the same thing so I think how it goes!