is this enough/not enough/too much?

iamluce
iamluce Posts: 64 Member
edited 6:46AM in Health and Weight Loss
after two and a half months of steady weight loss (25 pounds in 70 days) i hit my first (and hopefully only) plateau
i'd been eating under 1200 calories (doctor approved) and walking 4 times a week. then winter break came, i went home for two weeks and i got stuck.
i've weighed the same for 3 weeks, which is not normal for me, and because i don't feel comfortable cutting my calories (sometimes i struggle to get to 900 but i feel like any less than that would be really bad)
so i've started exercising more

i started the 30 day shred on monday and C25K yesterday, in addition to pole dancing twice a week. i'll also be starting modern dancing in a week but it's not very aerobic so i don't know how much extra help that will be.
i go back to school on monday which means, unless it rains, i should be walking about 1 1/2 hours 3 or 4 times a week.

do you think that should be enough to get off the plateau and lose my last 20 pounds?
of course there isn't a rule that says it should work, but, in your opinion, is this going to help?

i've also had a question about muscle weight.
i'm probably going to start building a lot of muscle because of pole dancing (a lot for someone who's never had a gram of muscle)
so i figured that my weight probably wouldn't go down as quick, as i'd be gaining muscle weight and losing inches.
but then i read that people here were saying that as long as you are under a calorie deficit, you won't gain muscle weight?
for some reason this seems inaccurate, so if anyone can clear that out for me i'd appreciate it

:)

(i'm 5'4", 143 and 20 years old and within a 'healthy weight'/'body fat' range, but still have AT LEAST 15 pounds to lose and a LOT to tone)

Replies

  • lin7604
    lin7604 Posts: 2,951 Member
    i think if you increased your exercise you NEED to increase your daily cals.
  • Lumett
    Lumett Posts: 29 Member
    i think if you increased your exercise you NEED to increase your daily cals.

    This x1000

    I'm sorry but for a Doctor to say eating less than 1200 Cals a day is okay is ridiculous,
  • Tilran
    Tilran Posts: 627 Member
    i think if you increased your exercise you NEED to increase your daily cals.

    This x1000

    I'm sorry but for a Doctor to say eating less than 1200 Cals a day is okay is ridiculous,

    Both of this x10000000
  • lowpro1983
    lowpro1983 Posts: 305 Member
    you will need to increase your calories!!!!!!!!!!! please believe this. 1200 and/or <1200 is NOT enough.
  • alpine1994
    alpine1994 Posts: 1,915 Member
    In my opinion, at 5'4" and 143lbs, you might want to switch your focus away from the scale and more on toning. You said you have a lot to tone, so maybe start measuring inches instead? It sounds like the exercise you're doing is great (pole dancing?! how fun!) but you're eating so little for all that exercise. How do you have enough energy to get through your workouts? Don't be afraid to up your calories quite a bit. I think you'd be surprised how much it will help take the inches off. You gotta fuel those muscles to help burn fat and tone up.

    Good luck to you! :)
  • lin7604
    lin7604 Posts: 2,951 Member
    and just for reference i was eating 1200 and under in the beginning and my loss was SLOW. I upped mine to 1400-1500 and i am losing more now then i did then. i am 5.2ft. maybe it will work better for you too?
  • MinnieInMaine
    MinnieInMaine Posts: 6,400 Member
    It's true that you can't build/gain muscle at a calorie deficit (there are exceptions but you must be very overweight and be on a very specific diet and exercise regimin). You might think you are because you're feeling stronger or you're seeing the muscle definition more but that's not the same thing as building. That just means you're getting fit/stronger and/or losing body fat.

    I agree with those saying you need to increase your calories. Eat at least 1200 calories, if not your BMR and make sure you get plenty of protein (over the MFP recommendation).
  • RGv2
    RGv2 Posts: 5,789 Member
    I don't know you're background (starting vs current weight), but after a 25 lb weightloss...You may just need to do the mirror test and not the scale test anymore.
  • stfriend
    stfriend Posts: 256 Member
    You aren't eating enough. 1200 calories isn't enough for your body to be fueled properly. 900 is insane and if your doctor approved this, you should find a new doc because thats not healthy. Try this website to see the amount of calories you should be consuming just to exist http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/. When I ran your number for a lightly active person it said you should be eating a minimum of 1477. This may or may not be the magic number but 900 isn't even close.
  • 18guyhornet
    18guyhornet Posts: 195 Member
    The exercise is great but I don't think you're getting enough calories. Came across this thread on here and it help me understand what my body needed.

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/654536-in-place-of-a-road-map-2-0-revised-7-2-12

    May help you understand your body more.
  • lporter229
    lporter229 Posts: 4,907 Member
    As others have said, I doubt that you will be able to sustain that level of activity on 900 calories. Simply put, you have to have fuel in the tank for the car to go.
  • iamluce
    iamluce Posts: 64 Member
    i think if you increased your exercise you NEED to increase your daily cals.

    This x1000

    I'm sorry but for a Doctor to say eating less than 1200 Cals a day is okay is ridiculous,

    my BMR is only 1440, so eating 1200 while not exercising i was only at a 200 daily calorie deficit. that's why my doctor said it was okay for me to eat that amount.
    back before i started losing weight i used to eat about 2000 or and kept gaining weight, so 1200 isn't a crazy change or anything.

    i understand that i might need to up my calories now that i'm exercising more, but i am a believer of eating when you're hungry, and if i'm full at 1200, then i'm not going to force myself to eat more.
    i know it may be considered unhealthy by some, but it's what works for me and how i feel energized and healthy eating the way i do.
    I eat when i'm hungry and my body asks me to. if i'm below my calories, good. if i'm over them, too bad. i normally i stay around 1000 and feel great eating like that.

    it's not going to be prolonged, either. i've been eating like this for less than three months and will most likely start progressively increasing my calorie count in about three months when i'm closer to my goal weight, so that i can maintain it.
  • storyluv
    storyluv Posts: 7 Member
    It sounds counter intuitive, but everyone is totally right, YOU HAVE TO EAT MORE. You will be surprised how fast those pounds come off when you eat a healthy amount. You should be eating at least 1300 kcals a day. Starving yourself is unhealthy-- meaning you are slowing down your body's functioning by not feeding yourself enough. If you keep your body at this low calorie level you will also put the weight back on super fast the minute you stop all this exercising and starving yourself. When that weight comes back, it won't be pretty either. You should expect your body to slow down with the weight loss, this is normal. 25lbs in 70days doesn't sound very healthy at all, that's 5 lbs a week. They only get results like that on the Biggest loser, which is NOT how normal people lose weight at all. Slow it down, and don't stress the scale. Stress makes it harder to lose weight. So to answer your question, you are not eating enough and probably exercising too much. Congrats on your weight loss so far. Celebrate that for the time being.
  • lionskitty
    lionskitty Posts: 72 Member
    Your BMR is what you burn just existing, you burn more than that as a normal sedentary person. For me my starting BMR was something like 1750 but my TDEE without exercise was 2200, you calorie deficit would be much more that 200 in that case. Your doc should know the difference. VLC diets are only recommened while being followed closely by a medical professional and only for those who are obese and their excess weight is more dangerous that the extremely low calorie consumption. I find even netting at only 1200 consistantly makes me stop losing and feel weak, I now aim to net around 1200-1300 most days and up to 1500 (my 1lb per week goal) a couple times a week too and that's working better for me.
  • lionskitty
    lionskitty Posts: 72 Member
    Your BMI is now normal. Your doctor should not be approving extreme calorie deficits! I think focusing on your workouts, getting enough (healthy) food and the visual is more important than the scale now. Congratulations on all your hard work!
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