I am not losing a thing!rghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

Armenika
Armenika Posts: 10
in Health and Weight Loss
Dear All,

My last hope is to get some advice from you, as I am sure you are experts already in losing weight.

I exercise 5-6 times a week, where I usually burn at least 500 Kcal and I eat daily no more than 1200 kcal ( occasionally less than that )

I have managed to lose only 4 pounds in nearly 2 months.

I eat enough protein and cut down on my carbs a lot, so no potatoes,pasta, rice etc.

5 years ago I lost 3 stones and went from size 20 to size 10,so I do know how to lose weight ( or maybe I thought I did ) but now I am between 12-14 and the weight just does not want to go AT ALL!!!!!!

Any ideas what I am doing wrong?

P.S Yes, I do drink enough water and I do not believe in starvation mode

Replies

  • diannethegeek
    diannethegeek Posts: 14,776 Member
    Every plateau I've ever beaten in the last year has been by increasing my calories. I would recommend eating at least 1200 calories and eating back part of your exercise calories on top of that. Try it for a few weeks and see what happens.
  • drwgal
    drwgal Posts: 66
    Your calories seem a bit low. I'm taking in between 1500-1800 calories. Have you tried to just slightly increase your calories over time...like 250 every 2 weeks until your out of the plateau?

    ETA- I'm no expert, as I'm still very new and still learning as well. But this is what I have read that has helped a lot of people on here when they get stuck on those last few pounds.
  • Armenika
    Armenika Posts: 10
    thanks a lot, I will give it a go, its just really frustrating atm :(
  • Armenika
    Armenika Posts: 10
    no, I am scared to increase my kcal as I am worried it will increase my appetite and I will end up in a massive binge :(
  • hvza
    hvza Posts: 6 Member
    Before I came to mfp I put myself on a very careful weightloss diet. Too carefull. Did not lose anything. EG Not enough calories.

    Your body is going into starvation mode and hanging on to as much as possible.

    If you look up Health Status on line it gives you a place to put in your weight age gender etc. There it will tell you how many cals your body needs a day just to tick over. It then lets you know how many to lose weight. Your 1200 cals I think is way too low especially when you are exercising 500 cals off nearly every day. You MUST eat more. Try it for a few days what have you got to Lose (Ha Ha).
  • Armenika
    Armenika Posts: 10
    thank you so much for the comments, I checked it out and this is what it says:

    Results:
    To stay at the same weight, you would need approximately 2159.70 calories a day.
    Your minimum calorie need is 1200 calories. To lose weight, choose an option from the table below.

    Weight Gain Table
    Calorie Reduction
    Calories per day
    500 Calories 1659.70
    15% less 1835.74
    20% less 1727.76
    25% less 1619.77
    30% less 1511.79

    This just sounds so much!! but I will give it a go as I dont have anything left, I cant stand this plateau any longer
  • yarwell
    yarwell Posts: 10,477 Member
    try an exercise break. Creating an excessive deficit through exercise can be counter-productive.
  • Armenika
    Armenika Posts: 10
    try an exercise break. Creating an excessive deficit through exercise can be counter-productive.

    ok, I will give it a go ( though it will be hard as I enjoy my spinning classes so much ) thanks a lot for all comments :smile:
  • urglewurgle
    urglewurgle Posts: 224 Member
    try an exercise break. Creating an excessive deficit through exercise can be counter-productive.

    ok, I will give it a go ( though it will be hard as I enjoy my spinning classes so much ) thanks a lot for all comments :smile:

    Surely sticking with the exercise, as you enjoy it, but eating more would be more fun? And more healthy?
  • wgn4166
    wgn4166 Posts: 771 Member
    I went a whole month without losing any weight! I did lose inches tho. I was ok with that.
  • Lesa_Sass
    Lesa_Sass Posts: 2,213 Member
    I know the hardest part about eating more to weigh less is wrapping your head around it. I invite you to look at my diary to see how much I eat and I weigh 108 lbs. I started on MFP at 119 with 5 lbs to lose to get to my goal of 114. (I am 44 so it is way harder to lose those last few lbs when you get to be my age) I kept seeing people say eat more but there was no way I believed it would work for me. After a few months of eating 1200 calories and getting no where, I upped them to 1400 and low and behold I started losing weight! Then I upped them to 1500 and continued! Then 1600 and OMG I was still losing weight. And you wanna know the best part, I felt freaking awesome. I was getting the proper fuel and nutrition my body needed to maintain over all wellness.

    Please feel free to visit my facebook cooking page to get some ideas. https://www.facebook.com/TheSassyGourmet

    I promise you that you will not gain weight by eating more, but after saying that I want to stress that WHAT you eat is important. You can not up your calories by drinking sodas or eating processed or fast foods. Incorporate more, good, whole, natural foods including more fruits and vegetables and watch the pounds fly away.

    :flowerforyou:
  • cartrat
    cartrat Posts: 120 Member
    I'm not convinced of the whole starvation mode theory the way people throw it around on here. Have you tried zigzagging your calories? That's where you eat different daily caloric intakes every day. It helps "keep your metabolism guessing". That along with intermittent fasting is what I've been doing with no exercise and Ive been losing weight steadily.

    And I know a lot of people swear by eating more to lose more and I would try to consider how much weight they had to lose (bc we all know the more overweight you are, the easier it is to lose) and also how much and how intense did they work out? Just see what works for you. You seem to be doing great. Every step is a victory!
  • impyimpyaj
    impyimpyaj Posts: 1,073 Member
    no, I am scared to increase my kcal as I am worried it will increase my appetite and I will end up in a massive binge :(

    To prevent that, try increasing your calories slowly. 100 extra calories a day for a few days, and then add another 100 for another few days, and so on until you reach your higher goal.

    Go to the "tools" tab at the top of the page, and calculate your BMR. Try to set your minimum calorie goal to match or slightly exceed your BMR. Remember, your BMR is the number of calories your body needs just to keep your organs functioning, so it's a good idea not to eat less than that for the long term. Then if you're really having huge burns through exercise (try investing in a heart rate monitor to be sure, since MFP can only give an estimate), eat at least some of those calories. You're already eating at a deficit before your exercise, so you'll still lose weight if you add some of those calories back in.

    Increasing your calories a little won't result in a binge. It will result in your body feeling healthier and operating as it should. In fact, eating too little on a consistent basis is much more likely to lead to a binge, as your body is starved for nutrition.
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
    Eat more! Not the answer u want perhaps, but the only one that will work long term...
  • proudgrandma24
    proudgrandma24 Posts: 3
    you have to eat more, MAYBE ONLY ADD 200 CALORIES (IDK HOW THAT TRANSLATES TO YOUR CALORIC TABLE BUT IT IS NOT MUCH HERE) you dont need to eat a lot more just a little more you need more protein bc you are exercising & your body is defiantly in starvation mode, bump up caloric intake & you will start to drop pounds within a few days, I am a weight loss coach, if you need more help feel free to message me for more information on how to be your free coach, I can also add you to my facebook support group I have set up for all of the people I coach, it is completely free & just makes it easier for all of us to help one another battle weight & find solutions...thanks & I hope my suggestion helps!
  • mirasmom02
    mirasmom02 Posts: 33
    Its very har to know what may be going wrong since we cannot see your food/exercise diary. But, if I had to guees, I'd say you might want to check your sodium intake. That tends to be a big issue. Most people on here are not tracking that, and they should!

    Also, I don't think I'd advise you to stop exercising, as previously stated. I do, however, agree with inceasing your calories - SLIGHTLY. Add about 300 calores, only 2 or 3 days this week and next. Your body should "attack" these calories and will, in turn, burn them, and MORE!

    Try it and see how it works...good luck!
  • Armenika
    Armenika Posts: 10
    Thank you so much guys, my BMR is 1560 but it seems too much I did listen to all your comments and since yesterday I will be eating 1300 for a week and then I will try 1400 for another week, fingers crossed it will work, I have just opened my diary if anyone wants to take a look ( I sometimes forget to update my water intake so please don't think I drink that much )
    Once more, many thanks for your support!

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