Am not losing weight. Why?

iamceleste

Help. I have been at the same weight (145) for 1 1/2 months. I'm eating 1200 cals or slightly less (with the diary section set at 50% carbs, 30% protein, 20% fat). I did the calculations for BMR, etc. I only have about 350 cal deficit because more would put me in starvation mode. Eating very few processed foods (only rice milk, chicken broth, occasional organic canned soup) and majority of meals are home cooked as lean as possible (chick breast, pork loin, fish, veggies). I sometimes eat some starchy carbs but very small amount (3 oz). I walk daily, but cannot do more (yet) because I'm recovering from back surgery. Drinking approx 10 glasses water/day. Sleeping enough.

So... I'm trying to figure out what I can do differently. Looked at ratios (carbs, protein, fat) and see that my fat intake is usually more than 20%. Salt is usually above 1200 mg limit as well, but my calories are on/below 1200 daily. I've read that a calorie is a calorie, but is that really true? Am I not losing because of too much fat and/or salt? Or is my body in starvation mode (unlikely)? Or maybe I'm not counting calories correctly and so getting more than I think?

Is anyone else in the same stich? Any thoughts on what I can do differently? I'm working hard and not seeing results for all this effort. Frustrated. Really want to lose.

Broejen

You say you did the calculations for BMR, etc. What is your BMR? I would assume you aren't eating enough. 1200 calories is rarely enough for any woman. What are the numbers you come up with for BMR and TDEE?

alyhuggan

I'm eating 1200 cals or slightly less

Answer is right there, metabolisms crashed, eat more.

iamceleste

BMR : 1411
TDEE: 1560

iamceleste

ok, thanks. Question... what do you mean by metabolism has crashed?

ElizabethKalmbach

Your TDEE doesn't look right to me. My BMR is in the TOILET (My RMR is 670. SRSLY.) and I am maintaining at net 1800 calories per day. I lift heavy 3 days per week and walk about 5 miles per day, but my desk job is well... sedentary. You may also want to spike your carbs every once in a while to get your leptin levels up.

Also, the traditional advice about making sure you're eating what you think you're eating by weighing EVERYTHING for at least a little while to make sure you understand portion sizes properly. Guestimating wrong can add up fast in either direction.

cwolfman13

BMR : 1411
TDEE: 1560

I find this very difficult to believe. The BMR looks right, TDEE looks way off (way too low). You should net, at minimum, to your BMR or very close to it. Eating substantially below your BMR for significant amounts of time crashes your metabolism as your body starts shutting down "non-essential" functions to deal with the self induced famine you are treating it to.

Most women, even if they don't work out or anything have a TDEE close to 2,000 calories.

Jchambers1130

ok, thanks. Question... what do you mean by metabolism has crashed?

He's right you could afford to eat more, but metabolism doesn't just crash. If it did we would all be big fat people eating 1200 calories.

nxd10

How much do you have to lose? After I got within a few pounds of my goal, and within my healthy weight zone, my weight loss dropped precipitously, even though I was still meticulous about logging and hitting my goals.

When you don't have a lot to lose you lose slowly. I went from losing more than a pound a week for the first 6 months to maybe a pound a month for the second. However, I am still slowly losing and did, in fact, drop 2 pounds this week after a two month hiatus. Interestingly, my measurements continued going down even though my weight did not. Things got more solid and moved around and I looked better.

If you're frustrated, exercise and measure. There's only so much you can do.

maggs155

Not eating enough they are right. I was on the 1200 cals a day and then i stopped loosing and upped my calories and the weight started coming off again. I know its scary after eating so low to up calories but it works trust me!

purple4sure05

ok, thanks. Question... what do you mean by metabolism has crashed?

Yes, a calorie is a calorie no matter what. It is unlikely that your metabolism has crashed on 1200 calories per day, although people will try to tell you that on here all day long. Even when I was struggling with a borderline ED eating 700 calories per day, I lost weight consistently every week for 4 months. Some people have had success upping their calories and that may be the case for you, but considering your low energy expenditure, I'd say that too low of calories is likely not your problem. How often are you eating? Make sure you're continuing to eat every few hours from the time you wake up to the time you go to bed so that your body will keep burning as effectively as it cans. Your sodium is nowhere near too and neither is your fat. Like you said, a calorie is a calorie. If I were you, I would talk to an endocrinologist or other knowledgeable doctor to see what their opinion is. You could potentially have a thyroid problem, making it more difficult to lose weight.

All things considered, you said it's only been a month and a half, and at a 350 deficit, you'd be losing a half a pound per week at best. When I start dieting, I didn't lose weight for three weeks, and I was in a much larger deficit than you are (Not that I suggest this method AT ALL). Give it another month and then reassess is my best suggestion.

toxikon

50% carbs seems really high to me... I'm at 30% carbs, 30% protein and 40% fat and it's working great for me. Don't be afraid of consuming fat... eating fat does not make you fat. As long as you avoid trans fats, you're okay!

Like others here, it seems like your BMI/TDEE might be off. Try recalculating! Here's a quick one to try: http://www.freedieting.com/tools/calorie_calculator.htm

toxikon

ok, thanks. Question... what do you mean by metabolism has crashed?

Yes, a calorie is a calorie no matter what. It is unlikely that your metabolism has crashed on 1200 calories per day, although people will try to tell you that on here all day long. Even when I was struggling with a borderline ED eating 700 calories per day, I lost weight consistently every week for 4 months. Some people have had success upping their calories and that may be the case for you, but considering your low energy expenditure, I'd say that too low of calories is likely not your problem. How often are you eating? Make sure you're continuing to eat every few hours from the time you wake up to the time you go to bed so that your body will keep burning as effectively as it cans. Your sodium is nowhere near too and neither is your fat. Like you said, a calorie is a calorie. If I were you, I would talk to an endocrinologist or other knowledgeable doctor to see what their opinion is. You could potentially have a thyroid problem, making it more difficult to lose weight.

All things considered, you said it's only been a month and a half, and at a 350 deficit, you'd be losing a half a pound per week at best. When I start dieting, I didn't lose weight for three weeks, and I was in a much larger deficit than you are (Not that I suggest this method AT ALL). Give it another month and then reassess is my best suggestion.

Most of your advice is good, but I'd just like to point out that the whole 'eating small meals throughout the day to lose more weight' idea has been dispelled. You can eat whenever you want and lose the same amount of weight... eating smaller meals throughout the day doesn't have an effect on your metabolism. You could have one giant meal right before bed and it would still be the same to your body.

http://ca.askmen.com/sports/bodybuilding_900/965_popular-metabolism-myths-part-3.html
http://www.realsimple.com/health/nutrition-diet/weight-loss/busting-10-diet-myths-10000001700385/page2.html

hfox9707

Here is an accurate TDEE calculator for you: http://scoobysworkshop.com/accurate-calorie-calculator/

purple4sure05

ok, thanks. Question... what do you mean by metabolism has crashed?

Yes, a calorie is a calorie no matter what. It is unlikely that your metabolism has crashed on 1200 calories per day, although people will try to tell you that on here all day long. Even when I was struggling with a borderline ED eating 700 calories per day, I lost weight consistently every week for 4 months. Some people have had success upping their calories and that may be the case for you, but considering your low energy expenditure, I'd say that too low of calories is likely not your problem. How often are you eating? Make sure you're continuing to eat every few hours from the time you wake up to the time you go to bed so that your body will keep burning as effectively as it cans. Your sodium is nowhere near too and neither is your fat. Like you said, a calorie is a calorie. If I were you, I would talk to an endocrinologist or other knowledgeable doctor to see what their opinion is. You could potentially have a thyroid problem, making it more difficult to lose weight.

All things considered, you said it's only been a month and a half, and at a 350 deficit, you'd be losing a half a pound per week at best. When I start dieting, I didn't lose weight for three weeks, and I was in a much larger deficit than you are (Not that I suggest this method AT ALL). Give it another month and then reassess is my best suggestion.

Most of your advice is good, but I'd just like to point out that the whole 'eating small meals throughout the day to lose more weight' idea has been dispelled. You can eat whenever you want and lose the same amount of weight... eating smaller meals throughout the day doesn't have an effect on your metabolism. You could have one giant meal right before bed and it would still be the same to your body.

http://ca.askmen.com/sports/bodybuilding_900/965_popular-metabolism-myths-part-3.html
http://www.realsimple.com/health/nutrition-diet/weight-loss/busting-10-diet-myths-10000001700385/page2.html

I didn't mean you need to eat small meals. You can eat one big meal or whatever combination you prefer. I'm just suggesting that if you put off eating for hours and hours in the morning like I used to, it won't effect your metabolism as helpfully as eating when you wake up.

iamceleste

OK... great feedback from everyone. Lots to think about. Thanks!

Tried the other calculator and got a similar outcome (and it used different language, not BMR or TDEE)...

Maintain: 1691
Fat Loss: 1353
Extreme Fat Loss: 1160

Onesnap

I'm eating 1200 cals or slightly less

Answer is right there, metabolisms crashed, eat more.

Yep. Not fueling the machine and the body is not letting go of any extra. I could not fuel my healthy body with "or slightly less"

iamceleste

Also... wondering what carb-protein-fat ratios you guys are using????

Onesnap

OK... great feedback from everyone. Lots to think about. Thanks!

Tried the other calculator and got a similar outcome (and it used different language, not BMR or TDEE)...

Maintain: 1691
Fat Loss: 1353
Extreme Fat Loss: 1160

1160 is too low unless you are a 4' tall woman (if you're short that's totally cool but for me (healthy, 5'6") I can't go that low.

trogalicious

Extreme Fat Loss: 1160

why even bother with that? Why not just set a tolerable deficit that's much easier to maintain long term?

kimosabe1

I went 3 months without a loss and someone here said to up my calories. I went from 1200 to 1500 calories and dropped 2 pounds in a week. Good luck......