How can I stay under 200 pounds?

TRMite

when you use the diary here pay attention to the macros breakdown (percent of protein/carb/fat). You really need to make an effort to get more protein. and I agree 1200 could be okay (on nonexercise days) given your height (I am also short) but 1000 is a fair ammount lower. never go below 1200. I think you should try to add in more cardio/weight training AND maybe commit to weighing yourself less frequently. if you track your waist/hips/chest inches instead you might prevwnt yourself from getting discouraged. that helps me. and def followup with a doc/dietician. that sounds like a good plan.

Mock_Turtle

I'm female, 18, 5'0" and my calorie goal is 1000-1200. I haven't actually used the food diary much, usually I just calculate it up and write it down in an actual book.

You're not eating enough.

According to the Fat to fit calculator your BMR is 1722 cals a day and even if you do nothing all day - which I doubt. your TDEE is 2066.

You should actually be eating somewhere between the two.

I would slowly increase your calories to 1800 a day - Log everything properly, do some cardio and if you can add in some weights to help keep your muscle mass.

Do this for at least 6 weeks and then see how your body is reacting - take measurements as well as weight yourself ans don't freak out if you gain at little at first - your body is starving on 1200 or less so it will take w while for it to sort itself out.

FYI - I'm 5'2 and eating 1600-1800 a day and losing. You don't have to go so low - it's not healthy and as you've found out it often doesn't work. :flowerforyou:

Let me get this straight. Someone is 5'0" 200 lbs and you're advocating limiting the daily calorie deficit to 266? (2066-1800)

That's ridiculously conservative. A 1/2 lb week deficit? cmon man.

Someone with this much to lose can definitely shoot for a deficit that is 2 lbs/week.

cmeiron

I'm female, 18, 5'0" and my calorie goal is 1000-1200. I haven't actually used the food diary much, usually I just calculate it up and write it down in an actual book.

You're not eating enough.

According to the Fat to fit calculator your BMR is 1722 cals a day and even if you do nothing all day - which I doubt. your TDEE is 2066.

You should actually be eating somewhere between the two.

I would slowly increase your calories to 1800 a day - Log everything properly, do some cardio and if you can add in some weights to help keep your muscle mass.

Do this for at least 6 weeks and then see how your body is reacting - take measurements as well as weight yourself ans don't freak out if you gain at little at first - your body is starving on 1200 or less so it will take w while for it to sort itself out.

FYI - I'm 5'2 and eating 1600-1800 a day and losing. You don't have to go so low - it's not healthy and as you've found out it often doesn't work. :flowerforyou:

Let me get this straight. Someone is 5'0" 200 lbs and you're advocating limiting the daily calorie deficit to 266? (2066-1800)

That's ridiculously conservative. A 1/2 lb week deficit? cmon man.

Someone with this much to lose can definitely shoot for a deficit that is 2 lbs/week.

That number is actually quite conservative, since it is based on a "sedentary" TDEE, which the OP is clearly not, since she exercises regularly. This poster was trying to illustrate a point.

WendyTerry420

My doctor told me that I should eat 800 calories a day, but I thought that was too low, so I actually pumped it up to 1000-1200. Maybe I shouldn't listen to my doctor about this anymore...

Maybe you should listen to your doctor he knows you better than anyone on here. If need be ask him for a referral to a dietician.

Any doctor who tells an 18 year old to eat only 800 calories a day is clueless about nutrition for adolescents. Definitely seek out a dietitian instead.

FlaxMilk

Based on your history, you may benefit from seeing a doctor and nutritionist who specialize in eating disorder treatment, for many reasons. If your body were functioning properly, weight would be falling off of you with your current intake and exercise. The metabolic slowdown that comes with low calorie eating wouldn't be enough to offset your BMR at 200 lbs, so you would still be losing. You said you are weighing and logging your food, so given your history with ED, you may need a specific plan and testing to get the right solution for you.

*I'm not advocating you eat so low calorie. It's almost certainly not necessary once any medical conditions are cleared up, and I'm not against 1200 calorie eating for some people. I am saying that starvation mode would not be the culprit here, which is why a thorough medical workup is needed. Starvation mode would be nearly impossible given that you are only eating 1000 calories, which your body is using first and foremost for your normal body processes and to keep you alive, and then you are also exercising. You state you not only aren't losing, you gain. This would require an excess of calories. I would have an extremely hard time believing that were true here, even with a damaged metabolism from eating disorders. Do you take any medications?

bettyp51

Yea,you need to log in your food here and you will see a difference .....

melonclarinet

If you truly are logging everything and you were gaining at 1600, there is something wrong medically. I am 5'1 and weight 171. I eat between 1400 and 1800 depending on exercise. I am losing. I was stalled out and stuck around 180-185 until I started eating more; I was eating 1200 calories.

Try searching for In Place of a Roadmap on here. I used that to help myself get over the hump. Good luck!

Iron_Feline

I'm female, 18, 5'0" and my calorie goal is 1000-1200. I haven't actually used the food diary much, usually I just calculate it up and write it down in an actual book.

You're not eating enough.

According to the Fat to fit calculator your BMR is 1722 cals a day and even if you do nothing all day - which I doubt. your TDEE is 2066.

You should actually be eating somewhere between the two.

I would slowly increase your calories to 1800 a day - Log everything properly, do some cardio and if you can add in some weights to help keep your muscle mass.

Do this for at least 6 weeks and then see how your body is reacting - take measurements as well as weight yourself ans don't freak out if you gain at little at first - your body is starving on 1200 or less so it will take w while for it to sort itself out.

FYI - I'm 5'2 and eating 1600-1800 a day and losing. You don't have to go so low - it's not healthy and as you've found out it often doesn't work. :flowerforyou:

Let me get this straight. Someone is 5'0" 200 lbs and you're advocating limiting the daily calorie deficit to 266? (2066-1800)

That's ridiculously conservative. A 1/2 lb week deficit? cmon man.

Someone with this much to lose can definitely shoot for a deficit that is 2 lbs/week.

So nice that you read and understood my point. *smh*

That figure was if she did no exercise - which turns out not to be true. So her TDEE is actually higher. According to your - "shoot for 2lbs a week" she'd be eating 1066 calories a day. How is that healthy? :noway:

Edit: putting in her numbers again with exercise I think her TDEE is around 2400/2500 so my 1800 to lose is pretty bang on as a place to start.

Edit x 2: you shouldn't eat below your BMR - which she would if she aimed for 2lbs a week.

DopeItUp

Probably don't need to keep replying to this thread, she deactivated already.

Iron_Feline

Probably don't need to keep replying to this thread, she deactivated already.

Thanks for the heads up.

Weird, she said she was going to start logging in her last post. Oh well.

leantonedliz

If you are 200 pounds, I am positive that 1000-1200 calories a day is NOT enough. Your BMR is definitely higher than 1200 which means you should be eating at that amount or above. (Google "calculate BMR" to find this value and then set it as your daily calorie goal.) Your body is a very smart system, and it's main goal is to keep you alive which means storing as much fat as it can whenever it gets a chance. Once it realizes it's not receiving proper nutrition capable of sustaining life, your body is going to do anything it can to help preserve these functions. It will lose weight (fat and a lot of muscle, which includes cardiac muscle), but I am betting that you are having problems getting below 200 because you reward yourself a little for reaching a big goal, and once your body senses the abundance of food, you go out of control and eat as much as you can for several days/weeks. So please, eat more! Your body will thank you and you'll be able to control your hunger and weight much more easily!