Calories seem high...

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AshLinds11
AshLinds11 Posts: 25
in Health and Weight Loss
I have been trying to lose weight for the past 6 months, I've done a running program, worked with a trainer, and I've only gained inches and lbs. No one has an explanation. I've tried doing weight watchers because it has worked for me in the past, lost 40 lbs in high school. That was 7 years ago and I'm trying to lose 15 more at this point. I am allowed 23 ww points and have been doing that for the past few weeks, I was losing slowly but lost 2 lbs and then gained 3 in a week. I thought about trying MFP and it says to eat 1440 cals. On ww 23 points roughly equals 1150 calories. The 1440 from MFP seems high but then again ww wasn't working!
Any thoughts and advice would be appreciated!!
:)
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Replies

  • Trollivier
    Trollivier Posts: 67 Member
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    I don't know about WW points, but it all depends on your height, age and sex. I'm a 6 foot 2 guy, and I'm allowed 2200 calories a day. So far it has worked, I've been keeping my calories below that, exercising regularly, and I'm 16 lbs down.

    1150 calories a day looks like a very strict diet to me.

    Anyone else?
  • AshLinds11
    AshLinds11 Posts: 25
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    I'm thinking that I wasn't eating enough? That seems too low. From what I hear I'm supposed to keep it between 1200-1500. But in my mind if I can't lose at 1200 then how would I be able to at 1500? That's just the way I think though, but I know if you don't eat enough that your body can store the cals for fat.
  • Koldnomore
    Koldnomore Posts: 1,613 Member
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    When you have very little weight to lose your macros and calories have to be spot on (from what I've seen). I have a lot more wight to lose, I'm also older and since I don't know your other stats its pretty tough to compare otherwise. I started on 1200 and increased because I was not losing at all. Last week I was up to 1700 cal/day and lost 4 lbs.
  • LorinaLynn
    LorinaLynn Posts: 13,247 Member
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    WW doesn't have you count your fruits and vegetables, though, which could easily account for the difference.

    Under 1200 is too low for most people. I lost my weight eating 1350-1500 plus exercise calories, for a total of 1800-2000+ a day, and lost weight faster than I did when I foolishly ate under 1000 years ago. Less calories doesn't mean more pounds gone.
  • AshLinds11
    AshLinds11 Posts: 25
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    I'm 167 and 5'7 female. I've been told by my doctor before that for my build and body (somewhat athletic), my weight is good for me, I just would like to be a tad smaller....155 :) My trainer that I WAS working with said if that's all I need to lose it's going to be a lot harder.
  • AshLinds11
    AshLinds11 Posts: 25
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    I was using the old WW program, I kept all of my materials where the fruit does count. The new program wasn't working for me.
  • LorinaLynn
    LorinaLynn Posts: 13,247 Member
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    My trainer that I WAS working with said if that's all I need to lose it's going to be a lot harder.

    Not HARDER, just slower.

    If you want to lose less than 15 pounds, set your goal to a half pound a week, and track your progress through measurements, how clothes fit, and photos instead of just going by the scale.
  • Arexxx
    Arexxx Posts: 486 Member
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    It also depends what you're actually eating. Maybe ask a doctor for a program suited to you?
  • shelbyfrootcake
    shelbyfrootcake Posts: 965 Member
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    I have been trying to lose weight for the past 6 months, I've done a running program, worked with a trainer, and I've only gained inches and lbs. No one has an explanation. I've tried doing weight watchers because it has worked for me in the past, lost 40 lbs in high school. That was 7 years ago and I'm trying to lose 15 more at this point. I am allowed 23 ww points and have been doing that for the past few weeks, I was losing slowly but lost 2 lbs and then gained 3 in a week. I thought about trying MFP and it says to eat 1440 cals. On ww 23 points roughly equals 1150 calories. The 1440 from MFP seems high but then again ww wasn't working!
    Any thoughts and advice would be appreciated!!
    :)

    Bear in mind that WW doesn't count any fruit or veg as points, but they do have calories that MFP does count. Veg can count for a decent whack of calories if you're eating well/healthily.
  • ndnmomma
    ndnmomma Posts: 466 Member
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    I agree with others, although I am not an expert, but 1200 calories isn't even enough calories for the work you do. Start with 1400 like recommend, with me when I upped my calories at first I gained weight, but it evens out eventually and starts to go down. At least that's what worked for me, you'll have to find the calories that works best for you, what works for one does NOT work for all. Good luck!
  • gjulie
    gjulie Posts: 391
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    Jeez Id drop dead at 1150 calories! Im at 1400-1500 have lost 5 inches off my waist since April now I havnt lost anything for weeks but it seems ok I say eat a bit more maybe your body thinks its starving and is holding on to what it has! best of luck!
  • mitty00
    mitty00 Posts: 12 Member
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    If you stick to the WW 23 points you will lose weight. Sometimes I go 14 or more days without losing weight and can easily "gain" 7 pounds in a week according to the scales... Then all of a sudden it drops dramatically two or three days later and I've actually lost overall. This is retained water, fibre, ingested food, etc. Even weekly weigh ins can be terribly unreliable.
  • kjw1031
    kjw1031 Posts: 300 Member
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    I did WW for years and on the new program, 26 points was usually 1100-1200 calories for me, including the fruit and vegetables. I stuck to that pretty well and just hovered around within the same 5 pounds.

    MFP gives me 1200 calories a day plus I am supposed to eat my exercise calories on top of that. (I'm a 50 year old, 5'5" woman). I'm losing weight steadily. This number of calories is much more live-able for me and I have more energy.

    I think it's worth a try. Give it a month and don't be discouraged if you gain the first week or two on this increased number of calories. You're young and active and you need the fuel.
  • yowza101
    yowza101 Posts: 196 Member
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    Months ago I put myself on 1800 day. My health coach said between 1800-2000 a day is good. But last week, I put myself on 1500 even though on here it's 1400, so I go by that. What is good about this is when you log in your cardio, etc., you get more calories to use because you burn off a lot doing cardio. They said the norm is 1800-2000 a day and to lose 1-2 pounds a week. I don't know how long I'm going to stay at the 1400 but so far it's working for me. I just try to eat more fresh fruits and vegetables when I'm given those extra calories. In my opinion, it all depends on your body type, nutrition, etc. If you take medicine, some medicine may have you eating more or some eating less. You have to take all of that into consideration.

    I go by my clothes more so then the scale. Although seeing those pounds leave is a nice feeling, but knowing that I'm losing inches and toning up is a better feeling. Just knowing that my attitude regarding losing this weight is better and I'm not beating myself up if I go over my calories, etc...is fantastic. I'm not giving up on myself as I used to do.
  • firstsip
    firstsip Posts: 8,399 Member
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    I'm a big advocate of pointing out the "hidden" things that I've become so aware of. You don't have your diary on open, but what ARE you eating? Do you have lots of sodium and sugar in the foods you're tracking, but aren't seeing those numbers? If you have a smaller amount to weight, but seem to be stuck at a weight/higher inches, it could be water retention and bloat from these factors.
  • elyelyse
    elyelyse Posts: 1,454 Member
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    I'm thinking that I wasn't eating enough? That seems too low. From what I hear I'm supposed to keep it between 1200-1500. But in my mind if I can't lose at 1200 then how would I be able to at 1500? That's just the way I think though, but I know if you don't eat enough that your body can store the cals for fat.

    search the forums for "eat more weight less" there are many people on this site who SWEAR by it. That yes, you would have more success at 1500 or higher than at 1200. Personally, I hover around 1200 because it's working for me right now, I have much to lose, but as soon as I hit that first plateau and need to shake things up, I am actually going to go for more calories, not less.
  • rowdylibrarian
    rowdylibrarian Posts: 251 Member
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    My advice? Do not do the 23 points thing. That actually equals around 920 calories (40 calories per point), which is nowhere near enough, especially if you have a low fruit or veggie day, and ESPECIALLY if you are exercising, too. Say you have a low fruit and veggie day for some reason, and that brings the total up to 1000 calories. If you exercise on top of that, and burn 300 calories, that brings your net calories all the way down to 700. Even if you don't exercise at all, your net calories are going to be too low. I'd definitely calculate your TDEE, subtract 15-20%, and stick with that for two months, and see what happens. You also might want to look into "lifting heavy". That can help break the plateau, as well. Good luck!
  • songli5
    songli5 Posts: 2
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    I'm countng calories and saturated fat grams (not just fat, but saturated). I know that if you don't get enough calories a day your body will go into starvation mode and basically hold on to the weight. What I did was look at how many calories I was getting before any dieting. (I was shocked how much I was eating!)
    For the 1st month I lowered my caloric intake to 1700 cal a day. The 2nd month I lowered to 1600, the 3rd month I skipped 1500 and went right to around 1400. I've stayed at that amount for about 3 months. I've lost 30 lbs since mid April this year. Now I need to add another change to keep up the momentum and not get bored. More exercise, new foods with popping flavors.
    Good luck to you on your journey!
  • Onaughmae
    Onaughmae Posts: 873 Member
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    Honestly, I have used WW off and on for years (through several of their programs) and I find that using MFP is much more realistic and something that you can follow for life. The points work good for losing weight, but once you stop counting points it is easy for it to just creep back on. At least this way I have become more conscious of all the nutrients that I need to balance to give myself a healthier diet for life. I am not constantly obsessing over points and trying to convert them all. It was also easy to overload on fruits and veggies when I wasnt counting them. I still try to get a healthy amount of fruits and veggies, but I am more aware of which ones are lower in calories and carbs now. I notice that I tend to lose more when I get in a good amount of protein and lots of water. Best of luck to you!
  • secretlobster
    secretlobster Posts: 3,566 Member
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    You should really try to choose either WW or MFP.

    If you go back in your food diary (either for WW or MFP), do you eat CONSISTENTLY at your target calorie allocation?

    1440 calories a day would be just fine for most women to lose weight (unless you are incredibly short)

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