not losing anything

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annmarie279
annmarie279 Posts: 16
in Health and Weight Loss
this post is for my friend...she has been on this diet for 2 weeks and is 60.4kg and 5 ft 5. She was given 1700 calories to eat a day and hass done several excercises and ate less than her 1700 averaging about 1400 a day. We are both confused at why she is not losing any weight she has even gained 1lb this week! Any suggestions?

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  • Mousiechan
    Mousiechan Posts: 11
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    Why does she want to lose weight? She is at an ideal weight for her height. If she is not anorexic, she just needs to persevere and possibly go down to 1200 cals per day.
  • Melo1966
    Melo1966 Posts: 881 Member
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    The problem is that she was given 1,700 and ate 1,400 with exercise. The classic undereating. The body needs fuel to burn the body is holding onto everything it gets.
  • liittlesparrow
    liittlesparrow Posts: 209 Member
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    May want to give it more time. It's only been 2 weeks.
  • ami5000psu
    ami5000psu Posts: 391 Member
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    It could be a lot of things. Also, she's only been doing it for 2 weeks. Tell her to eat the 1700 calories.
  • Velum_cado
    Velum_cado Posts: 1,608 Member
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    It's not unusual to not lose weight over a two week period.
  • _kannnd
    _kannnd Posts: 247 Member
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    It could be a number of things. If the site is saying 1700 calories, then that's probably what she needs to try. Also, when she exercises, how many calories are being burned? The site is set up to eat the calories back. I know it sounds silly, but it does work wonders.

    Also, 2 weeks really isn't enough time to tell a major difference. I wouldn't focus so much on the numbers on the scale. Tell her to take measurements instead. She's likely to see differences there first.
  • jacksonpt
    jacksonpt Posts: 10,413 Member
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    2 explanations...

    1) it's only been 2 weeks, and weight can typically fluctuate by 5lbs or more day to day. Give it time.
    2) your friend isn't logging accurately... probably eating more than he/she realizes.
  • annmarie279
    annmarie279 Posts: 16
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    shes not anorexic shes always been just over 9 stone she wants to lose the last few lbs to get her back to where shes always been we arnt talking about a lot of weight it is only a couple of lb she has to lose.
  • TinaLTaylor79
    TinaLTaylor79 Posts: 140 Member
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    Is she eating enough? If she is working out burning alot of calories, her NET calorie after taking off her exercise calories may be netting under 1200, which can actually slow you're progress down. She does not sound like she really needs to drop much weight anyways. That 1lb gain does not actually mean it was a fat gain. There are amny reasons for the scale to to show an increase. Retaining fluid, muscle soreness, monthly cycle ect.
  • annmarie279
    annmarie279 Posts: 16
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    thank you for all the replys i have forwarded her to this message to read them all hopefully persuade her not to give up just yet :)
  • twoss9112
    twoss9112 Posts: 162 Member
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    The problem is that she was given 1,700 and ate 1,400 with exercise. The classic undereating. The body needs fuel to burn the body is holding onto everything it gets.

    Correct. And even if she were netting the correct 1700, the other problem is that it's only been 2 weeks and she's focusing on the scale going up by 1 lb without understanding daily, even hourly, fluctuations in body "weight" as it reads on a scale
  • dianamatienzo
    dianamatienzo Posts: 127
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    Don't listen to the first poster, first of all. 1,200 calories a day at the height she is would be way too low. She is at a great weight! If anything, I think she just needs to tone up. She should probably eat around 1,600 a day (a very rough estimate since I don't know her age or much about her) and weight train. Then she could probably lose some fat and maintain muscle, but she shouldn't lose much weight, in my opinion.

    Also, make sure she's not underestimating her caloric consumption; I find that weighing food is the most accurate way of tracking :) And weight isn't going to drop drastically either; the best way is to lose it little by little by making small and lasting changes so that there is permanent result
  • dianamatienzo
    dianamatienzo Posts: 127
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    2 explanations...

    1) it's only been 2 weeks, and weight can typically fluctuate by 5lbs or more day to day. Give it time.
    2) your friend isn't logging accurately... probably eating more than he/she realizes.

    ^ Completely agree
  • Cam_
    Cam_ Posts: 515 Member
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    From a random site, it says 1,450 calories for weight loss. The rest of the numbers below.


    Based on that height, weight (133 lbs), age of 21 and moderate excercise (3 times a week)

    Individual Weights:

    Hamwi Based Calculations: 112 pounds for a small frame, 125 pounds for a medium frame, and 137 pounds for a large frame.
    Robinson Based Calculation: 126 pounds.
    Miller Based Calculation: 132 pounds.
    BMI Based Calculation: 138 pounds.


    Average Weights:

    AVERAGE OF ALL CALCULATIONS ABOVE: 128 POUNDS.
    NORMAL RANGE BASED ON THE AVERAGE: 115 - 141 POUNDS.
    RANGE BASED STRICTLY ON BMI: 111 - 149 POUNDS.


    Caloric Need:

    Estimated Base BMR: 1418 Calories.
    Estimated TDEE: 1950 Calories.
    Estimated Daily Caloric Need For Weight Loss: 1450 Calories.
  • jenniferarnold619
    jenniferarnold619 Posts: 68
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    Here are my thoughts, but this is just an average girl's humble opinion.

    If my calculations are right, your friend is 5'5 and 133lbs. Considering that means she is 2 inches shorter than me and 50lbs lighter, I can't imagine her needing to lose much more. That being said, I would say there are two probable causes to her weight gain. Depending on her type of excercise, she is quite possibly gaining muscle mass. I would strongly encourage her to take measurements of her body and watch for loss in cm.

    Also, 1700 calories seem like a lot, but if she is super active the MFP calculator may been trying to provide plenty of fuel for her body. If that is the case, she probably doesn't need to cut back so many calories or she will go in starvation mode and her metabolism will slow down. If I were her, I would take a few days of just eating like she typically did before she started the diet. See how many calories she takes in daily and then only trim back 300-400 or so from her average consumption. This may help prevent starvation mode. Based upon numerous articles that I have read, no one should go under 1200 calories.

    Lastly, different diets work for different people. She needs to figure out what her body does best with. I do best with a balanced diet with lean protien and no white carbs (bread, pasta, rice, potatoes). Too many sugars and carbs are tough on my body this has a lot to do with genetics. I have a long family history of diabetes. However my best friend rocks out on low carb diets. And then again, I have friends who go vegitarian.

    I hope this helps some. I really believe taking measurements could help a great deal. If she is working out hard, she may not see the numbers change on the scale, but she will be able to slip on clothes that she couldn't before. Sometimes the scale can be your enemy.

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