not losing with 1200 calorie plan

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daisy22880
daisy22880 Posts: 13 Member
in Food and Nutrition
i have been monitoring my diet for almost a month now and have been doing fairly well sticking to my 1200 daily calorie limit set to me by MFP. i've noticed that i've only lost 2-3 pds and am kinda bummed. i do moderate exercise every other day and have been proud that i have been sticking to what calories i was supposed to have. is this normal to only lose a couple pds after a month or can a readjust my caloric intake for a more rapid way to lose? any advice would b appreciated!! thanks!
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  • Bikini_by_30
    Bikini_by_30 Posts: 51 Member
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    are you eating the calories back that you burn from your exercise??
  • daisy22880
    daisy22880 Posts: 13 Member
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    sometimes i do and sometimes i dont. just kinda depends on the day. should i b? would it b better if i didnt?
  • lldelmonte
    lldelmonte Posts: 30 Member
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    I would say this is not normal. Are ;you sure you have your portions correct? Are you recording everything? Do you have weight to lose? If you only have a few pounds to lose, it could be a slow go on 1200. But if you have more than 15 pounds to lose, you should be seeing some results. Also, what do you mean by "fairly well"? If you have 4 days at 1200 and 3 bad days where you don't count or go significantly over, you will sabotage yourself.
  • daisy22880
    daisy22880 Posts: 13 Member
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    i have 30-40 pds to lose. i do record everything i eat too. i think i have done a good job of recording proper portion control, tho sometimes it is hard to get an exact read. should i b taking in less calories per day for wanting to lose that amount of weight?
  • Mia_RagazzaTosta
    Mia_RagazzaTosta Posts: 4,885 Member
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    Ok, I'll be the first one to say it: EAT MORE, not less. Figure our your BMR (basal metabolic rate) and your TDEE (total daily energy expenditure) and never eat below BMR. THere are a number of online calculators to help you figure out those two figures.
  • daisy22880
    daisy22880 Posts: 13 Member
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    i do have some days on the weekend where i have gone over my calories or where i try to keep track in my head instead of logging everything. i try not to go overboard on my "cheat" day, but know that i have exceeded my 1200 calories. would that have a large impact on how i am losing?
  • Kristinemomof3
    Kristinemomof3 Posts: 636 Member
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    Maybe you should eat a little more. Your body might think it's starving itself if you are eating too few. I would not eat less than 1200, that is not safe.
  • Farmerj2000
    Farmerj2000 Posts: 210 Member
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    You say you log everything yet Last Friday, Saturday and Sunday your diary is empty.
  • 47Jacqueline
    47Jacqueline Posts: 6,993 Member
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    You should be eating more not less if you have 30 to 40 pounds to lose. My nutritionist put me on a 1450 calorie day when I plateaued at 1200 calories. I had 25 pounds to lose. I've lost 20 pounds so far. Also I exercise and usually eat back my exercise calories as well.
  • osualex
    osualex Posts: 409 Member
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    do this http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/654536-in-place-of-a-road-map-2-0-revised-7-2-12
  • jzammetti
    jzammetti Posts: 1,956 Member
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    Ok, I'll be the first one to say it: EAT MORE, not less. Figure our your BMR (basal metabolic rate) and your TDEE (total daily energy expenditure) and never eat below BMR. THere are a number of online calculators to help you figure out those two figures.

    this ^^^^^^^
  • sobriquet84
    sobriquet84 Posts: 607 Member
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    you've failed to give one key piece of information---

    what are your current stats / what is your current TDE (before excercise).
  • Farmerj2000
    Farmerj2000 Posts: 210 Member
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    i do moderate exercise every other day and have been proud that i have been sticking to what calories i was supposed to have.
    Also checked out your exercise for the past week. I wouldn't say 15 min's of Calisthenics, home, light/moderate effort 62 calories burned is moderate.
  • lldelmonte
    lldelmonte Posts: 30 Member
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    I don't think you should go under 1200 calories. Wish I had some other ideas for you. Perhaps don't eat back the calories you burn? I know someone said eat more. I've heard that works, but I've never really known anyone to do it.
  • 1ConcreteGirl
    1ConcreteGirl Posts: 3,677 Member
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    1) Eat more

    2) Losing 2-3 pounds in a month is basically perfect.

    You need to change two things: your diet and your expectations.
  • FrugalMomsRock75
    FrugalMomsRock75 Posts: 698 Member
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    be consistent.

    eat more.

    do strength training (pass up the Barbie weights). Find a good program for this.

    http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/
  • lesita75
    lesita75 Posts: 379 Member
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    do this http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/654536-in-place-of-a-road-map-2-0-revised-7-2-12

    Definitely do this!!
  • FrugalMomsRock75
    FrugalMomsRock75 Posts: 698 Member
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    I don't think you should go under 1200 calories. Wish I had some other ideas for you. Perhaps don't eat back the calories you burn? I know someone said eat more. I've heard that works, but I've never really known anyone to do it.

    There is a group with tons of members who could tell you: IT WORKS.
  • Bikini_by_30
    Bikini_by_30 Posts: 51 Member
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    Absolutely eat more.

    Personally, I like to eat backl the calories I burn at the gym, not all the time or all of them but i would say on average Im eating at least 1500 calories a day even though MFP has categorized me as 1200 per day.

    I would invest in a food scale, it's a wonderful thing and it really helps with portion control. Make sure you log your food everyday as well.

    Don't give up! You can do this!

    :flowerforyou:
  • daisy22880
    daisy22880 Posts: 13 Member
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    so i should b eating more calories? jacqueling, how long did it take for u to lose the 20 pds after your calories were adjusted?

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