Running in circles and I'm Stumped

daniellepanoz
daniellepanoz Posts: 6
edited December 2024 in Health and Weight Loss
I need some serious help with this one. I am a very short 25 year old female measuring in at 4'10'' and 105 lbs. I have a weight loss goal of 98 lbs, a nice lean frame for my size. I have been working sooo hard to loose this weight for a little over 2 months now and am not seeing the results i expected at all. I have kept my calorie count at 1200 every single day , and exercise at least 5 days a week (sometimes twice a day), doing at least of 60 mins of intense cardio every time i visit the gym. My diet consists of 3 meals a day...fruit and low fat greek yogurt for breakfast, whole wheat turkey sandwich and apple/banana for lunch, and usually grilled or baked chicken with veggies and sweet potatos for dinner, with a protien bar or spoon of peanut butter here or there for snacking. i live off of this diet and exercise regimen almost every single day and just cant seem to get the weight off. I am in some serious need of advice because I feel as if im going nowhere even though im trying soo hard to do all the right things. Any suggestions welcomed..

Replies

  • Anna800
    Anna800 Posts: 639 Member
    If you are exercising you need to eat more than 1200 calories a day. Your body needs more fuel and hence right now your metabolism is slowed.
  • daniellepanoz
    daniellepanoz Posts: 6
    If you are exercising you need to eat more than 1200 calories a day. Your body needs more fuel and hence right now your metabolism is slowed.

    Thanks for the advice anna800. I've recently read several articles that suggest eating back your burned exercise calories but wasn't quite sure what to do with all of the competing info out there. Until now I never really had any indication that my metabolism might be the problem, i thought i had a healthy appetite and never make myself go hungry. I've been a little hesitant to increase my food intake before now bc if i get any bigger i wont having anything in my closet that fits (very aggravating) but i do not mean to deprive my body of fuel it needs by any means.
  • yarwell
    yarwell Posts: 10,477 Member
    closed diary ?

    Try eating 500 calories 2 days a week with 30g protein max. Or 800 every day for a week.

    Nobody's metabolism slows below 1000 cals/day without exercise.
  • kellicci
    kellicci Posts: 409 Member
    If you really have eaten the same things every day for two months maybe you just need to shake things up. Have you tried a high protein lower carb ratio? Or calorie cycleing (where you have a goal for the week and have some high days and some low)? What kinds of workout are you dong mostly cario or are you lifting weights too? when you're close to your goal I think lifting really helps. Do you know what your BMR and TDEE are?

    b/c the lowest that MFP will give you is 1200 but you're the exception your BMR is actually closer to 1100 and if you're not measuring your food exactly with scale (I don't have one I use measuring cups) or using a HRM your calories in and out are probably off and you could be netting more than you think.

    If you open your diary you'll get more help.
  • daniellepanoz
    daniellepanoz Posts: 6
    I might look into this more, this is closer to what I would eat back in college when I was smaller. I hope this isn't a stupid question bc I just want to be well informed, why the 30g protein cap?
  • daniellepanoz
    daniellepanoz Posts: 6
    If you really have eaten the same things every day for two months maybe you just need to shake things up. Have you tried a high protein lower carb ratio? Or calorie cycleing (where you have a goal for the week and have some high days and some low)? What kinds of workout are you dong mostly cario or are you lifting weights too? when you're close to your goal I think lifting really helps. Do you know what your BMR and TDEE are?

    b/c the lowest that MFP will give you is 1200 but you're the exception your BMR is actually closer to 1100 and if you're not measuring your food exactly with scale (I don't have one I use measuring cups) or using a HRM your calories in and out are probably off and you could be netting more than you think.

    If you open your diary you'll get more help.

    Thank you. I am new to the site and was completely unaware that my diary was closed. I will fix that. I haven't tried the high protein low carb approach since beginning this routine but it is something i am definitely considering. Calorie cycling would be easier to manage and more interesting but i wanted to be sure i was familiar with what my healthy proportions and plates look like before straying too far. You are right, My BMR is 1109 and my TDEE is 1952. About a month ago i became suspicious of the same thing and since then have measure every bit of food that i can. I have lost 3.5 pounds in the 2 months but seem to have plateaued since.
  • 2hobbit1
    2hobbit1 Posts: 820 Member
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/654536-in-place-of-a-road-map-2-0-revised-7-2-12

    check out the link for a better handle on how much you should be eating. With that amount of exercise you are probably not eating enough.
    If your TDEE is 1952 you should be eating 20% less than that or 1562.
    BMR is the number you do not go below.
  • DJmom44
    DJmom44 Posts: 91

    Try eating 500 calories 2 days a week with 30g protein max. Or 800 every day for a week.

    ^^Not a good idea.

    I agree with 2hobbit1. You should be eating more due to the amount of exercise you're doing. 3.5 pounds in 2 months is good considering how close you are to your goal weight. Increase your calorie intake and be patient...it will work.
  • kellicci
    kellicci Posts: 409 Member
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/654536-in-place-of-a-road-map-2-0-revised-7-2-12

    check out the link for a better handle on how much you should be eating. With that amount of exercise you are probably not eating enough.
    If your TDEE is 1952 you should be eating 20% less than that or 1562.
    BMR is the number you do not go below.

    This is very true! If you have a HRM and a scale you can get really good at this. 1200 probably isn't bad if you've lost 3.5 in 2 months because the closer you get the harder it seems to be. Just stick with it but I do agree you could probably increase your net cals a little and be okay. If you don't feel hungy though you don't need to.
  • akgordoa
    akgordoa Posts: 55
    Too soon. Keep going and check back when you've reached three and a half months, especially if all you're doing is cardio. To kick it up a notch decrease your calorie intake and lift heavy weights. Good luck.
  • mdorsey2010
    mdorsey2010 Posts: 55
    I'm not nearly as small as you but when I hit a plateau, I was only eating 1200 cals a day, burning 7-800 cals a day and eating 3 times a day and not going anywhere. I upped my cals to 1600 a day, burn 4-600 cals a day (don't eat back my exercise cals) and eat 5-6 times a day and it started coming off! Also, I know there are mixed feelings about a cheat meal but I allow my self one a week -- so I look at my calories for the week vs. each day and it all balances out and I've been losing for now:wink: Good luck!
  • squirmmonster
    squirmmonster Posts: 98 Member
    Less than 10 lbs? You could easily burn that off in a month, but you'd have to eat next to nothing. Be aware that those of us who lose a lot of weight very quickly, are usually very overweight. Your body's only burning an extra.. maybe couple hundred calories at that point, every day. It takes most people MONTHS to take off those last ten pounds. The thing is, you can do it fast, crash diet, because you're so close to your goal, this might work for you. Although in long term diets, you should never go under 1200 calories, you can go under 1200 short-term. Very short term, like 2 weeks at the very maximum. Still, it could help you shed a pound or two. Just keep in mind that crash dieters usually gain their weight back. So I would recommend being patient. Very, very patient. If you're hitting the gym every day, consider that you might have put on some muscle, and may not ever be able to get to 98lbs. Look more at the mirror than the scale.
  • daniellepanoz
    daniellepanoz Posts: 6
    If you really have eaten the same things every day for two months maybe you just need to shake things up. Have you tried a high protein lower carb ratio? Or calorie cycleing (where you have a goal for the week and have some high days and some low)? What kinds of workout are you dong mostly cario or are you lifting weights too? when you're close to your goal I think lifting really helps. Do you know what your BMR and TDEE are?

    b/c the lowest that MFP will give you is 1200 but you're the exception your BMR is actually closer to 1100 and if you're not measuring your food exactly with scale (I don't have one I use measuring cups) or using a HRM your calories in and out are probably off and you could be netting more than you think.

    If you open your diary you'll get more help.

    BIG THANK YOU for posting this! Very helpful. I am no longer terrified to up my calorie intake for fear of gaining weight. At my levels and duration of exercise, I need to be sure i am not depriving my body of the energy it 'needs' . A little more recovery from time to time doesn't sound too bad either. Thanks again.
  • kellicci
    kellicci Posts: 409 Member
    Well thanks but I think we all need to thank 2hobbit for their post pointing to the road map and pinpointing your TDEE and what 20% less than that would be. AWESOME INFO!

    Also you can up your calories but if have been netting less than 1200 for the last 2 months do it slowly...and maybe just upping slowing in general is a good idea your body needs time to adjust.

    If you want MFP friends with similar shapes and goals feel free to add me. I'm working on my last 10 pounds and I'm 5'1' myself so I know it can be hard for us petite ladies.
  • daniellepanoz
    daniellepanoz Posts: 6
    oh my! Yes 2hobbit! that is the post i meant to quote but accidentally linked up to the wrong one ;) . With that said I appreciate everyones input to my post. It really helps the motivation to hear from those who have met or are on theyre way to their weight loss goals!
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