Nearly 6 wks and only 4lbs! What am I doing wrong?

bassetthound09
bassetthound09 Posts: 10 Member
in Motivation and Support
Okay I realize that I only have to loose 20 lbs. There are a group of us using MFP and everyone around me is dropping weight and I am still the same as I was. Come on 20lbs is not to much to loose and I can't even loose one quarter of it. The bad part is I am only eating 1200 calories and exercising I have not cheated one time. At first I wouldn't reach the 1200 so my friends told me that I need to reach that number in order to loose. Now I do reach it and still nothing. What in the heck am I doing wrong? Do I need to stop eating all together? HELP!!!

Replies

  • katedevall
    katedevall Posts: 240 Member
    Are you actually netting 1200 cals? Or are you only eating 1200 cals? Are you working out? Do you eat back your exercise cals? Better yet, did you take any measurements to see if you're losing inches? Sometimes the scale doesn't always catch up. And the people you're doing this with may just have more fat to lose then you do
  • KellyJoMorris
    KellyJoMorris Posts: 35 Member
    Hi. Do you know what your BMR is? I would think you are probably not eating enough.

    http://www.fat2fitradio.com/tools/ I found this site very helpful.

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/654536-in-place-of-a-road-map-2-0-revised-7-2-12 I found this very interesting

    Kelly xx
  • Lrdoflamancha
    Lrdoflamancha Posts: 1,280 Member
    If your weight is loose then tighten it. If you want to lose weight then stick with a calorie deficit. It will go away. But that said a consistent 3/4 of a lb per week is great.
  • pmink59
    pmink59 Posts: 1
    4 lbs in 6 weeks is a good loss. I was doing the yo-yo effect and losing one week, gaining the next.I started paying closer attention to my portion sizes, even measuring if I needed to (and I usually needed to because I'm not good at guessing).The last four weeks I have lost every week.Also the water intake is a big factor too. Keep up the good work !!!!!
  • jehan
    jehan Posts: 155 Member
    Hi. I guess you are eating so little that is why you're weight wouldn't budge. There are lots of posts here regarding increasing your food intake because according to them when you eat less your body goes into starvation mode. Your post does not say if you also exercise on top of eating healthily. Try to read this post and maybe you could get a few pointers there.

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/654536-in-place-of-a-road-map-2-0-revised-7-2-12
  • bassetthound09
    bassetthound09 Posts: 10 Member
    Hey. Thanks for your post. I exercise Mon, Wed, and Fri's. On those days I will usually treat myself with dinner. I never consume over 1200 except for those exercise days. I thought I was supposed to reach the calories they give me. I think the Lrdoflamancha may be right, I need to reduce my calories. I wondered if I needed to leave my exercise calories alone.
  • kristen6022
    kristen6022 Posts: 1,923 Member
    With only 20 pounds to lose, set your ticker for no more than 1lb/loss a week (you might find you'll lose more consistent with .5 lose/week). What is that number? Eat those calories plus your exercise back. You won't be able to lose faster. You aren't eating enough.
  • Helloitsdan
    Helloitsdan Posts: 5,564 Member
    You should shoot for no more than a pound a week.
    Depending on your hormonal levels and your activity, this may either slow or speed things up.

    Props to whomever posted the road map.
  • bassetthound09
    bassetthound09 Posts: 10 Member
    Great feedback guys/gals. I will follow your advice. You all made me feel much better. Thank you so much.....
  • kristen6022
    kristen6022 Posts: 1,923 Member
    Hey. Thanks for your post. I exercise Mon, Wed, and Fri's. On those days I will usually treat myself with dinner. I never consume over 1200 except for those exercise days. I thought I was supposed to reach the calories they give me. I think the Lrdoflamancha may be right, I need to reduce my calories. I wondered if I needed to leave my exercise calories alone.

    UM...NO! You treat yourself with dinner? WHAT? You should eat dinner every night. YOU AREN'T EATING ENOUGH! Starving your body won't make you lose weight fast. Get all that "diet" mumbo gumbo crap you learned all your life out of your head now.

    You are supposed to eat the calories they give you, but you are set too low. But, if you like starving yourself and not getting enough nutrients, then 4lbs in 6 weeks is good! If you want to develop a lifestyle you can live with forever, then eat more, better, and consistently.
  • bassetthound09
    bassetthound09 Posts: 10 Member
    My goal was to loose 2lbs per week and the program set me up for 1200 cals. I haven't lost any inches at all. I thought that I would but my clothes fit the same. I am in no way giving up, just trying to be better. This is my first diet. Thanks ya'll
  • bassetthound09
    bassetthound09 Posts: 10 Member
    Ha, ha, Kristen. I do eat dinner nightly, but on the days I exercize I splurge and eat more calories than I normally would. With all the advice, it looks like I might need to regroup and boost up my intake and I can throw in some extra exercises as well.
  • dietingdanni
    dietingdanni Posts: 65
    I have been on 1200 calories and even though i had a good initial loss in the first week i plateaued really quickly. I have now increased my calories and my protein intake and already starting to see the scale move again. Increase you calories to about 1300/1400 depending on your BMR, make sure you eat lots of protein and try to avoid chocolate and unhealthy food. You certainly shouldnt consider dinner a treat, breakfast lunch and dinner are necessities. Have a packed on crisps maybe a treat. I found i started to lose weight again when i went out for steak and had a rich chocolate pot for dessert, wierd, but it highlighted the need to increase me calories and protein intake.

    Hope this helps.
  • erickirb
    erickirb Posts: 12,294 Member
    Hey. Thanks for your post. I exercise Mon, Wed, and Fri's. On those days I will usually treat myself with dinner. I never consume over 1200 except for those exercise days. I thought I was supposed to reach the calories they give me. I think the Lrdoflamancha may be right, I need to reduce my calories. I wondered if I needed to leave my exercise calories alone.

    No don't reduce cals. With so little to lose you should be setting your goal to lose 0.5 to 1lb/week and eat back the cals burned from exercise, otherwise your deficit will be too large for the small amount of weight you have to lose.

    I will guess that 1200 is much too low for you and on days you don't workout, let alone days you do.
  • BerryH
    BerryH Posts: 4,698 Member
    No don't reduce cals. With so little to lose you should be setting your goal to lose 0.5 to 1lb/week and eat back the cals burned from exercise, otherwise your deficit will be too large for the small amount of weight you have to lose.
    ^^^ This. As you're so close to your goal, you might want to consider setting yourself up at maintenance for your goal weight, which will give you a steady but sustainable weight-loss until you reach your goal.
  • jstout365
    jstout365 Posts: 1,686 Member
    1200 calories works for some, but not everyone. I couldn't do it. I lost most of my weight on 1500-1600 and in January bumped up to 1800-1900 to support more intense workouts. I am 5'2" and 126-ish lbs. In the last 6 weeks I lost 2 lbs according to the scale. Granted, yes, I don't have a lot to lose so 2 lbs for me is a good amount. But I lost weight, almost all fat, by eating what most people would consider maintenance calories. If you are not losing on 1200, it is time to consider eating more and expecting a slower, but more consistant loss. There isn't a "one-size-fits-all" loss schedule. Some people can drop crazy amounts of weight fast, but it isn't always the healthiest way to go and not all of that weight will be pure fat loss. Slow loss is more conducive to losing the most fat. Be patient and consistant. It will happen if you just do what you need to do and stay the course.
  • Seajolly
    Seajolly Posts: 1,435 Member
    Sounds counter-intuitive, but I think you actually need to eat MORE calories. I'm assuming you have it set so that you lose 1 lb per week? When you have so little to lose, it's going to take longer than someone who has a lot more to lose. So I'd suggest maybe changing your goals to lose .5 lbs a week which will give you more daily calories.

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