Am I eatting too few calories?

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mpine99
mpine99 Posts: 2 Member
in Introduce Yourself
I started phentermine 3 weeks ago. I waited 2 weeks before I had my first weigh in and to my suprise I was down 8lbs. I just weighed this morning (this being my 3rd week) and the scale actually moved up half a pound. I have been struggling to eat at least 1200 calories a day. My first week I averaged 1200, my second 1090 and my third 975. I have really picked up on my exercise the past 2 weeks. I am doing Zumba 2-3x per week and 1-2x per week walking on the treadmill. On average with Zumba I burn about 650 calories.I have been over and over my food log for the past 3 weeks trying to figure out why I did good the first 2 weeks and lost 8lbs and gained a half a pound back this last week. Should I be eatting more calories?

Replies

  • krhn
    krhn Posts: 781 Member
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    Firstly take a step back from everything and re-evaluate what you are doing... go online and calculate your basal metabolic rate - personally i feel that averaging at 950~ calories is way too little with no exercise, so with your your workout regime i wouldn't be surprised if you ate between 1400-1800 calories.

    Secondly, keep your weigh-ins persistent and the same throughout eg. strip down to your bare minimums (if anything at all - if environment allows). :happy:
    People tend to weigh right away in the mornings straight after a toilet break - i do this as well as it allows your body to digest any unnecessary food through the night!

    So to sum it up, yes you could be eating too little calories that your body has turned itself into a starving mode where it holds any weight possible to survive / OR you simply have gain some hard earned muscle which would add weight anyway! / OR you weighed in at an incorrect time!

    :drinker:
  • erickirb
    erickirb Posts: 12,293 Member
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    If you do any exercise at all even 1200 is much too low. minimum should be 1200 plus eating back what you burn. If you can't get enough cals, add olive oil or flax oil to shakes, salads, etc. take a tablespoon and a jar of peanut butter, sit down and go to town.
  • arnfolly
    arnfolly Posts: 79 Member
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    Depending on your activity level MOST women need around 1200 to LOSE weight. One problem with phentramine is this; it loses it's ability to control your hunger after you take it a couple of months. If you eat too few calories now, then your body will enter into thermogenesis (starvation mode) and begin to burn fewer calories. Just when you need the phentramine to work, when your body has stalled out, you may find you are hungry as can be. :( Try to add healthy fiber/nutrient rich items to your menu for now if you can.
  • trogalicious
    trogalicious Posts: 4,583 Member
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    from what you're saying, it looks like freakin overkill to me.
    1. you're on phentermine.
    2. WAY too few calories
    3. Zumba and other workouts 5 times a week.

    Look, if you're trying to lose weight, awesome.. but don't kill yourself in the process.

    Losing in the first was likely water weight, and now you're probably stalled out because your body has no idea how to handle the 1,2,3 list above all at once.
  • kkshipley
    kkshipley Posts: 18 Member
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    If you eat back the calories you burn are you still going to be able to lose weight?
  • tlacox1
    tlacox1 Posts: 373 Member
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    If you're struggling to eat 1200 calories a day at your size, you may be sick. I would see a doctor.


    Well, phentermine takes away hunger so I can definitely see where your coming from when you say it is hard to eat. You HAVE to make yourself eat, even if you don't feel hungry because you won't feel hunger on phentermine.
  • akaMrsmojo
    akaMrsmojo Posts: 764 Member
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    I started phentermine 3 weeks ago. I waited 2 weeks before I had my first weigh in and to my suprise I was down 8lbs. I just weighed this morning (this being my 3rd week) and the scale actually moved up half a pound. I have been struggling to eat at least 1200 calories a day. My first week I averaged 1200, my second 1090 and my third 975. I have really picked up on my exercise the past 2 weeks. I am doing Zumba 2-3x per week and 1-2x per week walking on the treadmill. On average with Zumba I burn about 650 calories.I have been over and over my food log for the past 3 weeks trying to figure out why I did good the first 2 weeks and lost 8lbs and gained a half a pound back this last week. Should I be eatting more calories?

    Yes, eat more. And Google TDEE calculator. I lose and I eat 1800 a day. Your body needs food.
  • xxnellie146xx
    xxnellie146xx Posts: 996 Member
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    If you eat back the calories you burn are you still going to be able to lose weight?

    Yes, because MFP includes a deficit in your allotted calories to achieve the weekly weight loss you chose (.5, 1, 1.5, 2 lbs)
  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 34,004 Member
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    Yeah. Kick the Phentermine to the curb and eat more like 1800 calories with the amount of exercise you are doing.
  • Jojo1859
    Jojo1859 Posts: 58 Member
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    Maybe you should try eating more calorie dense foods. Try adding into your diet pasta with lean meats and veggies, peanut butter sandwiches on whole grain breads, nutella on toast, cheese, add dressing to salads, use whole milk instead of skim (or a sweetened version of non dairy milks), anything with avocados, yogurts, fruit juices, nuts, etc.
  • akaMrsmojo
    akaMrsmojo Posts: 764 Member
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    If you eat back the calories you burn are you still going to be able to lose weight?

    Yes, that is how MFP is set up. It assumes you do not exercise. Exercise is a bonus.
  • bec_232
    bec_232 Posts: 32 Member
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    Your body is in starvation mode. If you are exercising and eating less than 1200 calories than you are not going to lose weight maybe lose muscle in anything. Follow the calorie guidelines you were giving on this site. It even saying don't eat less than 1200, it's unsafe. Eat and you will start to lose weight.

    Eat more fruits, vegetables and lean meat if you are worried about over eating. They are healthy and aren't going to make you gain. You are lying youself or there is something wrong if you are not hungry and you are excercising.

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