How can I stay under 200 pounds?

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Replies

  • xxnellie146xx
    xxnellie146xx Posts: 996 Member
    I am not sure if this has been mentioned, but are you weighing your food or just guessing? It's easy to underestimate what you eat and consume more calories than you think/are accounting for.
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  • xXMisstifyXx
    xXMisstifyXx Posts: 13
    I am not sure if this has been mentioned, but are you weighing your food or just guessing? It's easy to underestimate what you eat and consume more calories than you think/are accounting for.

    I am weighing. I always weigh my food.
  • PikaKnight
    PikaKnight Posts: 34,971 Member
    My doctor told me that I should eat 800 calories a day, but I thought that was too low, so I actually pumped it up to 1000-1200. Maybe I shouldn't listen to my doctor about this anymore... :/

    yeah you need a new doctor, or one that can admit they don't know much about diet and nutrition and can refer you to someone else for the right information. You are short, so eating at 1200 isn't as terrible as many people here are going to tell you, but I certainly wouldn't go any lower. (and yes you most likely can eat more than that, too)

    I disagree. I'm 5'1 and my heaviest was 245. Doing the 1200 cals before, I became protein deficient.

    OP, see another doctor for a .2nd opinion and a registered dietician if able. There is something off with what you are telling us. Either you aren't telling us something about your medical history (which is your right of course), or your doctor is an idiot and too lazy to check for underlying issues.
  • pspetralia
    pspetralia Posts: 963 Member
    Need more info, height,weight,gender,age (helps), amount of calories taken inn daily, and type of cardio/frequency.

    I'll put it all into one post so it's easier.

    I'm 18, female, 5'0" tall. I currently weigh 205.6. I do at least two 45 minute martial arts classes a week, 30 minutes of walking 2-3 times a week. I take in 1000-1200 calories a day.

    You need to eat more. Figure out your TDEE (using online calculator) then subtract 15-20%. Aim to eat that many calories a day. Be consistent and honest for 4 weeks and then re-evaluate. If your weight is up lower your calories by 100cals. If you are losing weight it is perfect.
    Make sure you are weighing and measuring all of your food. Good luck!
  • keola64
    keola64 Posts: 207 Member
    Oh and if you don't have a good hrm you should get 1 to help you see what your calorie burns are more accurately during cardio, and while on a low calorie diet a lean protein supp should be added to your daily intake to help prevent muscle loss that comes with fat loss if your nutrition isn't on par :happy:
  • xXMisstifyXx
    xXMisstifyXx Posts: 13
    Maybe I need to exercise more once I get under 200? Maybe an extra push right there would send me down the right road again.

    There's a lot of things to think about... But you're all helping me already, got a lot of tabs open. :) Thank you all, so far.
  • keola64
    keola64 Posts: 207 Member
    Need more info, height,weight,gender,age (helps), amount of calories taken inn daily, and type of cardio/frequency.

    I'll put it all into one post so it's easier.

    I'm 18, female, 5'0" tall. I currently weigh 205.6. I do at least two 45 minute martial arts classes a week, 30 minutes of walking 2-3 times a week. I take in 1000-1200 calories a day.

    You need to eat more. Figure out your TDEE (using online calculator) then subtract 15-20%. Aim to eat that many calories a day. Be consistent and honest for 4 weeks and then re-evaluate. If your weight is up lower your calories by 100cals. If you are losing weight it is perfect.
    Make sure you are weighing and measuring all of your food. Good luck!
    I agree I weigh all my food and don't cheat my dairies, my diary is publically open you can look anytime
  • Iron_Feline
    Iron_Feline Posts: 10,750 Member
    Maybe I need to exercise more once I get under 200? Maybe an extra push right there would send me down the right road again.

    There's a lot of things to think about... But you're all helping me already, got a lot of tabs open. :) Thank you all, so far.

    Glad we could help - maybe add in some strength training - see new rules of lifting for women, starting strength etc :bigsmile:
  • xXMisstifyXx
    xXMisstifyXx Posts: 13
    My doctor told me that I should eat 800 calories a day, but I thought that was too low, so I actually pumped it up to 1000-1200. Maybe I shouldn't listen to my doctor about this anymore... :/

    yeah you need a new doctor, or one that can admit they don't know much about diet and nutrition and can refer you to someone else for the right information. You are short, so eating at 1200 isn't as terrible as many people here are going to tell you, but I certainly wouldn't go any lower. (and yes you most likely can eat more than that, too)

    I disagree. I'm 5'1 and my heaviest was 245. Doing the 1200 cals before, I became protein deficient.

    OP, see another doctor for a .2nd opinion and a registered dietician if able. There is something off with what you are telling us. Either you aren't telling us something about your medical history (which is your right of course), or your doctor is an idiot and too lazy to check for underlying issues.

    I will be seeing a new doctor, I'm searching for one right now. I've been pretty open with my medical history, on here... Diabetes runs in my family on both sides, but I don't have it. And when I used to dance some days I would eat and some days I wouldn't. I actually just thought of something I didn't mention, I would also purge. But I've given those days up. That's also when I gained most of this weight. There's not much more to my history. I've been pretty healthy other than being overweight, and all that.

    I'll also open up my diary and start using it on here.
  • TRMite
    TRMite Posts: 60 Member
    when you use the diary here pay attention to the macros breakdown (percent of protein/carb/fat). You really need to make an effort to get more protein. and I agree 1200 could be okay (on nonexercise days) given your height (I am also short) but 1000 is a fair ammount lower. never go below 1200. I think you should try to add in more cardio/weight training AND maybe commit to weighing yourself less frequently. if you track your waist/hips/chest inches instead you might prevwnt yourself from getting discouraged. that helps me. and def followup with a doc/dietician. that sounds like a good plan.
  • Mock_Turtle
    Mock_Turtle Posts: 354 Member
    I'm female, 18, 5'0" and my calorie goal is 1000-1200. I haven't actually used the food diary much, usually I just calculate it up and write it down in an actual book.

    You're not eating enough.

    According to the Fat to fit calculator your BMR is 1722 cals a day and even if you do nothing all day - which I doubt. your TDEE is 2066.

    You should actually be eating somewhere between the two.

    I would slowly increase your calories to 1800 a day - Log everything properly, do some cardio and if you can add in some weights to help keep your muscle mass.

    Do this for at least 6 weeks and then see how your body is reacting - take measurements as well as weight yourself ans don't freak out if you gain at little at first - your body is starving on 1200 or less so it will take w while for it to sort itself out.

    FYI - I'm 5'2 and eating 1600-1800 a day and losing. You don't have to go so low - it's not healthy and as you've found out it often doesn't work. :flowerforyou:

    Let me get this straight. Someone is 5'0" 200 lbs and you're advocating limiting the daily calorie deficit to 266? (2066-1800)

    That's ridiculously conservative. A 1/2 lb week deficit? cmon man.

    Someone with this much to lose can definitely shoot for a deficit that is 2 lbs/week.
  • cmeiron
    cmeiron Posts: 1,599 Member
    I'm female, 18, 5'0" and my calorie goal is 1000-1200. I haven't actually used the food diary much, usually I just calculate it up and write it down in an actual book.

    You're not eating enough.

    According to the Fat to fit calculator your BMR is 1722 cals a day and even if you do nothing all day - which I doubt. your TDEE is 2066.

    You should actually be eating somewhere between the two.

    I would slowly increase your calories to 1800 a day - Log everything properly, do some cardio and if you can add in some weights to help keep your muscle mass.

    Do this for at least 6 weeks and then see how your body is reacting - take measurements as well as weight yourself ans don't freak out if you gain at little at first - your body is starving on 1200 or less so it will take w while for it to sort itself out.

    FYI - I'm 5'2 and eating 1600-1800 a day and losing. You don't have to go so low - it's not healthy and as you've found out it often doesn't work. :flowerforyou:

    Let me get this straight. Someone is 5'0" 200 lbs and you're advocating limiting the daily calorie deficit to 266? (2066-1800)

    That's ridiculously conservative. A 1/2 lb week deficit? cmon man.

    Someone with this much to lose can definitely shoot for a deficit that is 2 lbs/week.

    That number is actually quite conservative, since it is based on a "sedentary" TDEE, which the OP is clearly not, since she exercises regularly. This poster was trying to illustrate a point.
  • WendyTerry420
    WendyTerry420 Posts: 13,274 Member
    My doctor told me that I should eat 800 calories a day, but I thought that was too low, so I actually pumped it up to 1000-1200. Maybe I shouldn't listen to my doctor about this anymore... :/

    Maybe you should listen to your doctor he knows you better than anyone on here. If need be ask him for a referral to a dietician.

    Any doctor who tells an 18 year old to eat only 800 calories a day is clueless about nutrition for adolescents. Definitely seek out a dietitian instead.
  • FlaxMilk
    FlaxMilk Posts: 3,452 Member
    Based on your history, you may benefit from seeing a doctor and nutritionist who specialize in eating disorder treatment, for many reasons. If your body were functioning properly, weight would be falling off of you with your current intake and exercise. The metabolic slowdown that comes with low calorie eating wouldn't be enough to offset your BMR at 200 lbs, so you would still be losing. You said you are weighing and logging your food, so given your history with ED, you may need a specific plan and testing to get the right solution for you.

    *I'm not advocating you eat so low calorie. It's almost certainly not necessary once any medical conditions are cleared up, and I'm not against 1200 calorie eating for some people. I am saying that starvation mode would not be the culprit here, which is why a thorough medical workup is needed. Starvation mode would be nearly impossible given that you are only eating 1000 calories, which your body is using first and foremost for your normal body processes and to keep you alive, and then you are also exercising. You state you not only aren't losing, you gain. This would require an excess of calories. I would have an extremely hard time believing that were true here, even with a damaged metabolism from eating disorders. Do you take any medications?
  • bettyp51
    bettyp51 Posts: 18
    Yea,you need to log in your food here and you will see a difference .....
  • melonclarinet
    melonclarinet Posts: 163 Member
    If you truly are logging everything and you were gaining at 1600, there is something wrong medically. I am 5'1 and weight 171. I eat between 1400 and 1800 depending on exercise. I am losing. I was stalled out and stuck around 180-185 until I started eating more; I was eating 1200 calories.

    Try searching for In Place of a Roadmap on here. I used that to help myself get over the hump. Good luck!
  • Iron_Feline
    Iron_Feline Posts: 10,750 Member
    I'm female, 18, 5'0" and my calorie goal is 1000-1200. I haven't actually used the food diary much, usually I just calculate it up and write it down in an actual book.

    You're not eating enough.

    According to the Fat to fit calculator your BMR is 1722 cals a day and even if you do nothing all day - which I doubt. your TDEE is 2066.

    You should actually be eating somewhere between the two.

    I would slowly increase your calories to 1800 a day - Log everything properly, do some cardio and if you can add in some weights to help keep your muscle mass.

    Do this for at least 6 weeks and then see how your body is reacting - take measurements as well as weight yourself ans don't freak out if you gain at little at first - your body is starving on 1200 or less so it will take w while for it to sort itself out.

    FYI - I'm 5'2 and eating 1600-1800 a day and losing. You don't have to go so low - it's not healthy and as you've found out it often doesn't work. :flowerforyou:

    Let me get this straight. Someone is 5'0" 200 lbs and you're advocating limiting the daily calorie deficit to 266? (2066-1800)

    That's ridiculously conservative. A 1/2 lb week deficit? cmon man.

    Someone with this much to lose can definitely shoot for a deficit that is 2 lbs/week.

    So nice that you read and understood my point. *smh*

    That figure was if she did no exercise - which turns out not to be true. So her TDEE is actually higher. According to your - "shoot for 2lbs a week" she'd be eating 1066 calories a day. How is that healthy? :noway:

    Edit: putting in her numbers again with exercise I think her TDEE is around 2400/2500 so my 1800 to lose is pretty bang on as a place to start.

    Edit x 2: you shouldn't eat below your BMR - which she would if she aimed for 2lbs a week.
  • DopeItUp
    DopeItUp Posts: 18,771 Member
    Probably don't need to keep replying to this thread, she deactivated already.
  • Iron_Feline
    Iron_Feline Posts: 10,750 Member
    Probably don't need to keep replying to this thread, she deactivated already.

    Thanks for the heads up.

    Weird, she said she was going to start logging in her last post. Oh well.
  • leantonedliz
    leantonedliz Posts: 13
    If you are 200 pounds, I am positive that 1000-1200 calories a day is NOT enough. Your BMR is definitely higher than 1200 which means you should be eating at that amount or above. (Google "calculate BMR" to find this value and then set it as your daily calorie goal.) Your body is a very smart system, and it's main goal is to keep you alive which means storing as much fat as it can whenever it gets a chance. Once it realizes it's not receiving proper nutrition capable of sustaining life, your body is going to do anything it can to help preserve these functions. It will lose weight (fat and a lot of muscle, which includes cardiac muscle), but I am betting that you are having problems getting below 200 because you reward yourself a little for reaching a big goal, and once your body senses the abundance of food, you go out of control and eat as much as you can for several days/weeks. So please, eat more! Your body will thank you and you'll be able to control your hunger and weight much more easily!

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