The 1200 Calorie Plateau

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mmoyer1978
mmoyer1978 Posts: 124 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Hi. About three weeks ago, I dropped my calorie intake down to 1200. I had been eating 1500 for a long time and wasn't getting anywhere. I kept my workouts the same, typically burning anywhere from 700 to 900 calories per workout. I try not to eat back any more that 100 calories. I have stuck yo-yo'ing back and forth between the same 10lbs for a LONG time now (since at least March). I've stepped up workouts, dropped calories and am eating mote greens and lean proteins but I am still stuck. Over the course of three weeks I have lost 1.2lbs. Does anyone have an idea of where I am going wrong? Should I be eating more? Working out less? Where is my happy medium? Where is that step when I will finally get off the plateau and start losing again? Not to worry, I will NEVER give up until I reach my goal weight, but I am one FRUSTRATED health nut. HELP!!!!!
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Replies

  • misskerouac
    misskerouac Posts: 2,242 Member
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    You don't have to exercise less, but I would try eating your exercise calories back or upping your calories. Right now if you are eating 1200 calories, burning 700 and only eating 100 back, your body is trying to run on 600 calories, that's not enough.

    I would suggest reading this
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/654536-in-place-of-a-road-map-2-0-revised-7-2-12?hl=<span class=
  • elijhasmomma
    elijhasmomma Posts: 270 Member
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    Hi! I'm new to mfp and am trying to figure all this out myself. I seem to be heading in the same direction as you are, 150lbs is my goal. :) I know that the goal is to burn more then you eat to lose weight, but now I'm confused. I usually burn about 800-1100 cals a day depending on which workouts I do. Is my net cals that mfp shows what my body is running off of? I usually do my biggest work out burning 600+ cals in the evening after I have already eaten all my meals an dmay eat a light snack after my workout and shower. But I'm confused. Can someone take a look at my diary and tell me if I'm doing something right or wrong? I don't want to put a BUNCH of hard work into this only to find out I am going about it all wrong. Thanks in advance! :)
  • mmoyer1978
    mmoyer1978 Posts: 124 Member
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    I'm going to go a couple of weeks at the "road map" thing and see where it takes me. Though I have NO IDEA how I'm going to cope with eating that many calories again. I'm sure I'll enjoy it but it's going to feel VERY VERY wrong. Wish me luck.
  • Vincette
    Vincette Posts: 11
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    I had plateaued for about 3-4 weeks and was only on 1200 calories. Still exercising, still eating right. Then last week due to various work commitments etc I ended up moving my schedule around so that most nights I could only fit in my work out about an hour before bed instead of my usual 5:30pm, and 3 more stubborn lbs have come off. Yay! I think it's just about mixing it up. I've also started doing some of the Tracy Anderson webinars that you can find on YouTube. They are only short, and I fit them in with my usual work-out, but I think they are helping. Good luck!
  • CreggW
    CreggW Posts: 3
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    hello! it almost sounds like your starving your muscles too much. you should be eating something every 2-3 hours not that i'm an expert or anything. Also, it is said that your body adjusts to workouts after 6. it sounds like your burning calories really well but maybe try a totally different workout for a week. its funny but our bodies will fight us back. it can take up to 6 weeks to break a plateau. JUST KEEP AT IT!! :happy:
  • Le_Joy
    Le_Joy Posts: 593 Member
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    Losing 1.2 lbs in 3 weeks is still losing.
  • michellekicks
    michellekicks Posts: 3,624 Member
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    I don't know how tall you are, but I'm just about 37 years old, 5'7" and 165 lbs and I eat an average of 2100-2200 calories/day (that's about 1600 plus all my exercise calories) and am losing steadily about 1 lb/week... sometimes more. If you're burning 700-900 calories/day in exercise you should be eating a good portion of that back... why work out so much? I'm a distance runner and I work out 6 days a week and burn about 3500 calories/week... and I think that's almost excessive except I'm running a half marathon in 2 weeks.

    You shouldn't have to burn that much just to lose weight. Losing weight is almost all diet. Exercise has other benefits, but weight loss isn't always one of them.

    If you enjoy that level of exercise, keep doing it but eat the calories. If you'd rather do something else, do it... and go back to 1500 calories.

    My advice, fwiw.
  • misskerouac
    misskerouac Posts: 2,242 Member
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    I'm going to go a couple of weeks at the "road map" thing and see where it takes me. Though I have NO IDEA how I'm going to cope with eating that many calories again. I'm sure I'll enjoy it but it's going to feel VERY VERY wrong. Wish me luck.

    I would suggest slowly upping your calories to that amount.
  • meshashesha2012
    meshashesha2012 Posts: 8,326 Member
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    you've been eating at a deficit for too long.

    try gradually increasing your calories to maintenance level and eating that for a week or so then gong back to eating at a deficit.

    as for how o, c'mon now this isnt like watching a bus filled with kids go over a cliff :laugh: just eat more food. add more protein and carbs and fats. more avocados, chicken, yogurt, etc
  • yarwell
    yarwell Posts: 10,477 Member
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    typically burning anywhere from 700 to 900 calories per workout.
    Wow - how long are the workouts ? Would take me 2 hours to burn that.
  • mmoyer1978
    mmoyer1978 Posts: 124 Member
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    typically burning anywhere from 700 to 900 calories per workout.
    Wow - how long are the workouts ? Would take me 2 hours to burn that.

    There is a machine at the gym called a cross trainer (or arc trainer depending on who you ask). I kid you not it burns 550 calories off me (HRM) in 30min. I then follow up with about half an hour on the treadmill or 45min on a recumbent bike. I only workout for about an hour but it's an hour well spent.
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,394 MFP Moderator
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    You gotta eat. Food is fuel if you dont eat enough your body will fit you. Follow the roadmap for over a month and enjoy the calories.
  • pjbrowning
    pjbrowning Posts: 1
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    are you getting all your water in every day? I would increase my water.
  • dawson55510
    dawson55510 Posts: 197 Member
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    Try upping your kcals for a few weeks then slowly bring them down again. 1200 kcals seem very low espically if your burning 6-700 through exercise your body will defo hit starvation mode and start to hold onto fat for survival.
  • mmoyer1978
    mmoyer1978 Posts: 124 Member
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    You gotta eat. Food is fuel if you dont eat enough your body will fit you. Follow the roadmap for over a month and enjoy the calories.

    I bet I will enjoy them but I'm still a bit freaked out by them. It's been a LONG time since I ate that much.
  • mmoyer1978
    mmoyer1978 Posts: 124 Member
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    are you getting all your water in every day? I would increase my water.

    Yes. I drink 12 to 16 cups of water a day.
  • dawson55510
    dawson55510 Posts: 197 Member
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    Also how accurate is your kcal burn? it would take me 60 pretty intense mins on a cross trainer to burn 4-500 kcal and im quite heavy.
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,394 MFP Moderator
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    You gotta eat. Food is fuel if you dont eat enough your body will fit you. Follow the roadmap for over a month and enjoy the calories.

    I bet I will enjoy them but I'm still a bit freaked out by them. It's been a LONG time since I ate that much.

    You dont have to eat more necessarily, just eat higher calorie foods. Cooking food in extra virgin olive oil, eating nuts, having a protein shake (like muscle milk which is 300 calories).
  • mamabearcushing
    mamabearcushing Posts: 30 Member
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    I suggest having a couple of 1200 calorie days and a few 1500 calorie days. I also suggest switching up intensity in your work outs. A couple times a week really push yourself.

    As an example using a tread climber
    Workout Day 1: Incline set low. Speed set at whatever is comfortable but after 5 mins switch the speed up a little higher and run for two mins (whatever is comfortable) but push yourself. After two mins go back to the normal speed for 5 more minutes. for 20-25 mins

    Workout Day 2: Incline set higher. Speed set a little higher. After 5 mins, lower the speed for 2 mins, then back to the higher speed for 5 more mins.... for 20-25 mins

    Workout Day 3, Incline normal, speed normal, switch up when I feel like it. I go for 30 mins. ...

    I hope this makes sense. Changing things up helps sooo much.
  • mamabearcushing
    mamabearcushing Posts: 30 Member
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    You shouldn't have to burn that much just to lose weight. Losing weight is almost all diet. Exercise has other benefits, but weight loss isn't always one of them.


    Exercise is very important to weight loss. You burn more calories a day with more muscle.

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