What am i doing wrong????

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thinkcrystal
thinkcrystal Posts: 48 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
So i started this journey on Jan 1 at 169lbs. The scale stopped 3 weeks ago at 162. I'm 4'11 and considered obese for my height so i have about 35lbs that i want to lose. My goal is 125...however for the past 3 weeks the scale has been dancing around 162 to 161 to 164 back to 162. Im confused...i walk every morning for about 1 hour at a fast paced pushing my son in his stroller. I typically stay under my 1200 calorie goal...not by choice but because my appetite just isnt what it used to be since ive been eating healthier smaller portions. Why am i not at least losing 1lb a week?? Why am i stuck here? My food and exercise diary is open and i welcome any serious advice and help. :ohwell:

Replies

  • Ready2Rock206
    Ready2Rock206 Posts: 9,488 Member
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    I typically stay under my 1200 calorie goal...not by choice but because my appetite just isnt what it used to be since ive been eating healthier smaller portions. Why am i not at least losing 1lb a week?? Why am i stuck here? My food and exercise diary is open and i welcome any serious advice and help.

    Exercising on top of under-eating can cause the stall. You should be eating back your exercise calories. Since your diary is private it is pretty hard to know what any other issues are. Also weight loss doesn't follow an exact 1 lb a week loss - take it as an average over a longer period of time.
  • thinkcrystal
    thinkcrystal Posts: 48 Member
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    sorry....didnt know it was private......im adjusting it now.
  • thinkcrystal
    thinkcrystal Posts: 48 Member
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    I think i fixed it .....let me know
  • bcattoes
    bcattoes Posts: 17,299 Member
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    I typically stay under my 1200 calorie goal...not by choice but because my appetite just isnt what it used to be since ive been eating healthier smaller portions. Why am i not at least losing 1lb a week?? Why am i stuck here? My food and exercise diary is open and i welcome any serious advice and help.

    Exercising on top of under-eating can cause the stall. You should be eating back your exercise calories. Since your diary is private it is pretty hard to know what any other issues are. Also weight loss doesn't follow an exact 1 lb a week loss - take it as an average over a longer period of time.

    Eating too little is unlikely to cause a stall 1 week after beginning. But you should eat more then 1200 if you don't want to lower your metabolism over time, which will make it not only harder to lose, but also to maintain the loss.

    OP if you are new to exercise this could be your muscles storing water. Eat enough to fuel your exercise and give it a couple more weeks for you body to adjust.
  • jasonp_ritzert
    jasonp_ritzert Posts: 357 Member
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    I noticed a couple of things:

    1. You may need to drink more water. Water does a body good and you can (almost) never overhydrate.
    2. From what a I gleaned (I didn't look at every single day), you seem to only be eating about half of your daily calorie intake which is constantly under 1,000 calories. Maybe if you include healthier fats such as avocado, nuts, olive oil, peanut butter, etc. that will help you get those calories up. It seems counterintuitive, but your body needs a certain amount of calories to function and lose weight, but if you don't hit that mark, you may put your body into starvation mode.

    Good luck.
  • bcattoes
    bcattoes Posts: 17,299 Member
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    Just took a glance at your food diary. I only look back about 4 days, but if that is what you consider healthy eating you really need to educate yourself a little on nutrition. Check out this site:

    http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/

    You are eating too little fat and protein and too little whole foods in general. Processed food is okay sometimes but it really is not healthy to eat too much of it.
  • wmoomoo
    wmoomoo Posts: 159 Member
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    Try calculating your BMR first. 1200 calories/day is not a magic number for weight loss. Once you figure out what's your BMR is, you should eat at that and if you exercise, just eat back the calories.

    http://www.livestrong.com/article/98116-calculate-basal-metabolic-rate/

    But for me, it's better to know what's your TDEE is and -20% from that, this is better for long term goal and you don't eat back your exercise calories.

    http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/
  • windyday61
    windyday61 Posts: 26 Member
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    I honestly think you are not eating enough. When I was eating like you I had no energy to workout and was always tired during the day. Now I try to eat at my TDEE and dont eat exercise calories back.
  • alanlmarshall
    alanlmarshall Posts: 587 Member
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    You are weighing yourself too often and then reacting to the result. I'd advise getting rid of your scale and using body measurements. Eating too little is not the reason you haven't lost more weight, but it is still a really bad idea, it could damage your health. Eat more, lose fat gradually, forget what a scale reads, it's not accurate anyway.
  • christynek
    christynek Posts: 152 Member
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    You are so similar to me!! I was dancing at the same weight for like two weeks, eating *pretty* healthy, working out, over all doing well. I was getting frustrated and then yesterday I randomly dropped 3 pounds! No idea why...but I have noticed I actually lose more weight when I eat all the calories I am supposed to. When I am under calories I do not lose the next day, super weird but just hang in there!!
  • concordancia
    concordancia Posts: 5,320 Member
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    The OP is 4'11 - 1200 is not an unreasonable calorie level.

    In order to reach that goal, add some healthy fats, as the previously poster said. Put a spread on your sandwich (i use hummus), just bread and turkey actually sound dry and unappetizing, I would lose my appetite, as well. Add some cheese, too. Add fruits and veggies in with your meals, V8 will not rovide you with all the nutrients you need. Adding oils to your veggies may not feel any fuller than without, although you will probably stay fuller longer.

    You did not become obese by being in touch with your hunger signals. Eat at least your 1200, preferably with healthy choices and you will learn to listen to your body better.

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