~1500cal/day, feeling satisfied, but not losing weight!

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13

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  • ketchup38
    ketchup38 Posts: 112 Member
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    yrhee. I am almost in the same position as you, except that I am around 176pounds, so 36 pounds heavier.
    I was eating around 1400, then stalled, so increased it to 1500 since most of the calculators stated that my BMR was around this level. Even with a sedentary level and a 20% deduction off my TDEE 1500 is still around the same ballpark. Exercise with cardio & strength 3-4 times a week. Yet for the past 6 weeks. Nothing.
    I have seen folks recommend sites such as scoobyworkshop & fat2fit radio, but just like you find that the suggested calorific levels are quite high! If I am feeling like this at 1500 after a month, how can you tell me that 1700+ will give me better results?
    Yes I feel satisfied, yes I have more energy to workout, but I am still not registering any changes on the scale or with my measuring tape. I think the last resort maybe to go down to a 1200 level diet.
    I eat a lot of proteins & veg, because it keeps me filled up for longer, and also because I come from a low-carb mind-set.
    Please do share what your results are if you get your metabolism tested, I have booked an appointment with my GP to have my thyroid tested. So it should be interesting to compare results.
  • bulbadoof
    bulbadoof Posts: 1,058 Member
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    Keep your eye on portion sizing - weigh everything if you have to.
  • JaneKnight1
    JaneKnight1 Posts: 3
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    HI,

    If you havenoticed drier skin and hair it might be worth getting you thyroid checked out - just in case.
    :laugh:
  • MessyLittlePanda
    MessyLittlePanda Posts: 213 Member
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    Do you do any form of resistance training? I tend to find that cardio alone doesn't solve my problems.
  • sarahmoo12
    sarahmoo12 Posts: 756 Member
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    some good reading on this :)
  • LiZzie1917
    LiZzie1917 Posts: 65
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    Amen!
  • LiZzie1917
    LiZzie1917 Posts: 65
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    Paleo!
  • KristyHumphrey
    KristyHumphrey Posts: 248 Member
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    bump!
  • Smuterella
    Smuterella Posts: 1,623 Member
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    I'm in the exact some boat - same height and same weight (I've gone up from 132 to 139 over the past few weeks) and have been exercising 5 times a week and eating at 1500.

    So far I've tried every reasonable and unreasonable calorie level (1200, 1300, 1400, 1500, 1650, 1800 and 2000) and have not lost on any of them. I've tried each of these for around a month and only lost at 1200 with no exercise. Not good.

    I have decided my problem is one of two things - either my birth control (depo ran out 6 weeks ago and replaced it with Mirena - so yet to see if this makes a difference) or alcohol (so going dry for a month - maybe more).

    If I'm still not losing anything by Christmas I'm giving up, really. It is only my love of running that is keeping me going at all.

    Let me know if you find something that works, I'm really starting to feel desperate now.
  • Off10h8ed
    Off10h8ed Posts: 282 Member
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    Have your doctor check your thyroid function.

    I would go with this also. I have a thyroid issue and it is real easy to gain weight and harder to lose it.
    Hypothyroidism can hit at anytime. Just a thought...
  • FlaxMilk
    FlaxMilk Posts: 3,452 Member
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    Lisa, have you considered a medical consult and some customized help? Don't give up :)
  • Nikiki
    Nikiki Posts: 993
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    You might try switching things up a little, you seem to be eating pretty clean which is great but if your diet and exercise is virtually the same every day your body gets used to it and becomes more efficient, slowing your metabolism. You can try calorie cycling (figure your total calorie intake for the week: say 10,200 and then have 2 days at 1,200, 2 days at 1400, 2 days at 1600 and one at 1800) change up your workouts: if you're a cardio person switch to mostly strength training and the do shorter hiit workouts for your cardio. And I feel like mfp overestimates my workout calories burned so I always adjust them down.

    Also make sure you're measuring properly, I finally got a food scale an realized that things like my granola and oats were too big of servings, for example my granola says 2/3 of a cup should be 55 grams when really barely half a cup equals the 55 grams so each serving I was pouring was about 100 more calories than I was tracking it as!

    You can also try going low carb for a few weeks to see if that does anything for you.

    By the way how's that vega protein? I've almost bought it a few times but didnt want to spend the money in case it's gross :)
  • kellicci
    kellicci Posts: 409 Member
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    Am I mising something? If you exercise and hour a day and only log 1200 calories per day then you aren;t really netting the 1200 you need....you'd be netting like 700....I'm new to this so I could be wrong but I don't see your exercise logged.

    I would think if you exercise an hour a day you'd need more like 1500-1700 calories a day. Am I worng?

    I'm about your weight (I think) but shorter and I gained like 5 pounds in one week of traveling then seemed to stall for the first couple weeks but now that I'm netting around 1300 a day I've lost 2! Don't give up you can do it!
  • norcal_yogi
    norcal_yogi Posts: 675 Member
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    Thanks!! That is VERY true, after I work out I am always SO hungry and eat almost all calories I burned. I try to make sure it isn't over my daily allowance total, but I eat a disproportionate amount immediately after workout and try to tighten up at other times of day since I worked out.

    You should also make sure that you never exercise on an empty stomach,. Eat about half an hour before your work out, then you won't be so hungry after. Also drink a LOT during exercise and then have a big drink after. Our body sends the same sigal to our brains for thirst and hunger, so drinking lots will mean you know if you are truly hungry.

    .......you can def exercise on an empty stomach! ugh.
  • nicolemarie045
    nicolemarie045 Posts: 131 Member
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    In the exact same boat....netting anywhere from 1200-1500 each day and not losing anything since February. I have switched up exercise, tried eat more to lose more for 2 months, nothing. Gained 6 lbs! So, trust me.. you aren't alone. I am currently *trying* to limit carbs to see if that helps!
  • weird_me2
    weird_me2 Posts: 716 Member
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    I think you're eating more calories than you think. Looking at your diary entry, I see a lot of stuff that seems to be artificially low in calories (like the high fiber tortillas and the noOodles). Those products seem to be subtracting the fiber from the calorie count, and, especially in the case of the noOodles, you still get calories from the soluble fiber in the products. On the tortilla from yesterday, the math doesn't add up if you look at the nutrition label. It says 60 calories but calculates to at least 86.

    Plus, you seem to be eating fractions of stuff a lot of times. Are you actually measuring out .13 scoops of protein powder? How are you doing that? I would recommend getting a digital food scale and weighing your portions, especially since you eat a lot of small portions of a lot of things. With as many foods as you eat per day, even if you are off by only 5-10 calories per item, that could add up to 100-250 extra calories a day, and that doesn't account for the high fiber stuff that has incorrect calories anyway.
  • GrammaBonnie
    GrammaBonnie Posts: 232 Member
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    Here's my advice, for what it's worth:
    1. Go get a physical, and have your blood and hormone levels checked.
    2. Purchase a kitchen scale, and weigh EVERYTHING. (I found that weighing gave me much different proportions than measuring cups, and measuring cups were far more accurate than my eye.)
    3. Purchase a good heart rate monitor. (I like Polar)
    4. Log EVERYTHING, including your exercise. Don't be lazy, put your food in for the appropriate meal.
    5. Consider setting your diary up for Breakfast, Midmorning Snack, Lunch, Midafternoon Snack, Dinner, Evening Snack
    6. Don't trust MFP numbers for calories and macros. Check them yourself.
    7. Eat whole foods, and avoid prepared foods like the plague!

    Good luck.
  • islandmonkey
    islandmonkey Posts: 546 Member
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    Have your doctor check your thyroid function.

    I would go with this also. I have a thyroid issue and it is real easy to gain weight and harder to lose it.
    Hypothyroidism can hit at anytime. Just a thought...


    I agree that it can't hurt to get your thyroid checked (amongst all the other good advice). Just be aware of two things:

    1. Most doctors will still try to diagnose thyroid disorder based only on testing your TSH. TSH is a measure of a hormone from your pituitary gland and not your thyroid, therefore it doesn't provide the whole picture. Ensure you also get your free T3 and free T4 tested (not total T3/T4). The free T3/T4 should ideally be within the top 1/3 of the range your lab uses.

    2. Most doctors also use outdated TSH ranges, which is especially a problem if this is the sole test used to diagnose. Outdated normal range is .5-5.0. Updated range is .3-3.0. Therefore, if your TSH is 4.2 and you don't get the specific number or the other labs, your doctor could say your thyroid is "normal" even though it may not be.

    Always ask for a copy of your labs, so you have them for your records!
  • susannamarie
    susannamarie Posts: 2,148 Member
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    Yeah, there is something wrong with some of the food entries you are using.

    If you add up the calories from protein/fat/carbs, yesterday I get 1337 (your counter says 1219), Sunday I get 1759 (your counter says 1593), et cetera.

    Some of your foods are measured in tablespoons. Are you using a level tablespoon to measure them? If it's heaping, that could double your calories from those. Same with cup measurements, you need to be using a level but not packed cup.

    I'd investigate accuracy of intake measurement.
  • Dudagarcia
    Dudagarcia Posts: 849 Member
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    If anything, sometimes I feel like I have over-eaten.

    Because you are!

    Being at 1500 or 1200 calories is great and all, but if you are eating most of your calories in one sitting (dinner) then you are causing your metabolism to go into shock!!!! And what is this garbage about you skipping lunch???

    I have a suggestion for you, go to your categories and chance them to the following: 1st meal, 2nd meal, 3rd meal, 4th meal, Snacks, Sweet Tooth... Now, you may never use 4th meal but it exists in the event that you get hungry again and have a "meal".

    A meal is any food you eat that includes protein. You should have a balanced "meal" every time you eat. Zone diet people will say 30% carbs, 30% fats, 40% protein; I say the best ratio is 50% carbs (25% coming from fresh veggies), 30% fats, 20% protein. Only a person who IS exercising should eat more protein. But if you are living a mostly sedentary life then you are wasting your calories eating all that protein (which is high in calorie).

    Also, next time you grab a "sugary" carb, remember that your insulin level is going to go up if it has a high glycemic index value. All breads, chips, crackers, tortillas, and processed foods have a high glycemic index value; this means it causes insulin levels to go insanely high. And while there is insulin in your blood, your fat in your fat cells cannot be burned.

    I know the food pyramid and the "myplate" both want you to eat lots of grains, but try living without them for a week (this includes corn) and see how things go for your weight loss. You may be surprised how much more energy you have getting your energy from brocolli, carrots, apples, green beans, and peas.

    Interesting bump for later

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