1500 or back to 1200

mghanie
mghanie Posts: 105 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Hi all, I hit a plateau in October and did not lose any weight and then this morning i went on the scale and i gained 6 pounds!!! I think it is probably from logging inaccurately and from eating stuff and not logging it :( but that's what happens when you do not log!

I hit the plateau while eating 1200 calories and I was told to up my calories to 1400 since I was only 6 pounds away from my goal then, I did that and still nothing, then I was told to up my calories again to 1500 (I found out my TDEE using this http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/943139-weight-loss-cheat-sheet-ipoarm) so I did that.

This is the first day starting to eat at 1500. Now I have 12 pounds to lose and I'm lost because I don't know whether I should stick with this 1500 , or should I go back to eating 1200?

I don't do much exercise...i know i know that's bad, but i lost weight without it before.

Replies

  • Machafin
    Machafin Posts: 2,988 Member
    go back to 1200 at first if thats what you were doing before. If you arent very active that might be what you want to do.
  • fluffykitsune
    fluffykitsune Posts: 236 Member
    I don't agree with going back to 1200. If you trashed your metabolism by eating so little, that you gained at ~1400 cal, then it will just happen again if you go back to eating at 1200.

    Eat 1500 cal, and when you drop that 6lb back off, bump it up to 1600. The last few you need to take it nice and slow. I'm guessing your TDEE is 1800, right ?
  • mghanie
    mghanie Posts: 105 Member
    my TDEE is 1634 according to http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/943139-weight-loss-cheat-sheet-ipoarm

    I used the body fat percentage formula to calculate my TDEE then multiplied by .85 and I got 1389 to eat every day to lose weight.
  • WendyTerry420
    WendyTerry420 Posts: 13,274 Member
    First, log everything accurately for a full month. A calorie goal means nothing if you are not logging accurately.
  • fluffykitsune
    fluffykitsune Posts: 236 Member
    That seems really low.... would you mind me asking your weight / height & activity level?
  • marky54
    marky54 Posts: 21 Member
    I have been the same.

    I was at 1270 cal's per day. I suspended the diet over Christmas then went back on it in January. The difficulty has been birthdays in the last 3 months. I have now gone back to the diet and set my food goal to 1380. I don't go to the gym as often as I would have liked in part due to shifts and overtime but will be back to doing at least an hour a week soon.
  • mghanie
    mghanie Posts: 105 Member
    That seems really low.... would you mind me asking your weight / height & activity level?

    I am 20 years old, female weigh 137 goal weight is 125, 5' 3" and pretty much sedentary
  • joleenl
    joleenl Posts: 739 Member
    DO the 1500. The TDEE method works. Every time I hit a plateau I recalculate my TDEE and end up eating more, I break the plateau and start losing again. I started at 1200, then after a weeks I plateaued, then went up to 1390 then after a few weeks I plateaued, so I recalculated a week ago and started eating 1550 and guess what.... This week I've lost like 3 and half pounds and its not even a full week yet! The exercise doesn't matter. I eat half to all my exercise calories back so if you don't exercise you just wont have any calories to eat back.
  • mghanie
    mghanie Posts: 105 Member
    DO the 1500. The TDEE method works. Every time I hit a plateau I recalculate my TDEE and end up eating more, I break the plateau and start losing again. I started at 1200, then after a weeks I plateaued, then went up to 1390 then after a few weeks I plateaued, so I recalculated a week ago and started eating 1550 and guess what.... This week I've lost like 3 and half pounds and its not even a full week yet! The exercise doesn't matter. I eat half to all my exercise calories back so if you don't exercise you just wont have any calories to eat back.

    thanks for the advice! I re calculated my TDEE and instead of using my BMR I used my body fat percentage and I got a lower number 1389 instead of 1500. should I use the 1389 or use the 1500?
  • lorilwayne2
    lorilwayne2 Posts: 33 Member
    Make sure you are drinking your water and sleeping enough. That is one thing I've heard.
  • joleenl
    joleenl Posts: 739 Member
    DO the 1500. The TDEE method works. Every time I hit a plateau I recalculate my TDEE and end up eating more, I break the plateau and start losing again. I started at 1200, then after a weeks I plateaued, then went up to 1390 then after a few weeks I plateaued, so I recalculated a week ago and started eating 1550 and guess what.... This week I've lost like 3 and half pounds and its not even a full week yet! The exercise doesn't matter. I eat half to all my exercise calories back so if you don't exercise you just wont have any calories to eat back.

    thanks for the advice! I re calculated my TDEE and instead of using my BMR I used my body fat percentage and I got a lower number 1389 instead of 1500. should I use the 1389 or use the 1500?

    It depends on how you got your percent body fat. If you got it from your scale (probably not accurate).... use the 1500. If you got the percent body fat from a caliper (probably the most accurate) then use the 1389. Don't be scared of a few more calories. THIS method does work. Even if you lose weight more slowly... its better then bingeing and starving on lower calories. Remember you want this process to be sustainable. Also as everyone keeps telling me... this is not a sprint its a marathon so pace yourself.
  • mfpcopine
    mfpcopine Posts: 3,093 Member
    I would go back to 1200 and log accurately. Measure and weigh everything. If you can't stand the tedium of tracking everything, put together four to six healthy meals of known calorie content and eat them until you reach your goal.

    A short woman who is sedentary might not be able to lose on 1500.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    If it were me, I'd start over from the beginning..start logging everything and just eat to what you think your maintenance calories are for a good month or so and take a diet break...once you have that dialed in, just cut it.
  • mghanie
    mghanie Posts: 105 Member
    I'm hearing two different opinions, I don't know which one to chose! 1500 sounds like a lot, because I know I don't really do much during the day and most of my classes are online so I am always on the computer...
  • mghanie
    mghanie Posts: 105 Member
    DO the 1500. The TDEE method works. Every time I hit a plateau I recalculate my TDEE and end up eating more, I break the plateau and start losing again. I started at 1200, then after a weeks I plateaued, then went up to 1390 then after a few weeks I plateaued, so I recalculated a week ago and started eating 1550 and guess what.... This week I've lost like 3 and half pounds and its not even a full week yet! The exercise doesn't matter. I eat half to all my exercise calories back so if you don't exercise you just wont have any calories to eat back.

    thanks for the advice! I re calculated my TDEE and instead of using my BMR I used my body fat percentage and I got a lower number 1389 instead of 1500. should I use the 1389 or use the 1500?

    It depends on how you got your percent body fat. If you got it from your scale (probably not accurate).... use the 1500. If you got the percent body fat from a caliper (probably the most accurate) then use the 1389. Don't be scared of a few more calories. THIS method does work. Even if you lose weight more slowly... its better then bingeing and starving on lower calories. Remember you want this process to be sustainable. Also as everyone keeps telling me... this is not a sprint its a marathon so pace yourself.

    I got my body fat percentage by using a measuring tape, I guess I am going to try the 1389 a day. And you're right the process has to be sustainable :)
  • iLoveMyAR15
    iLoveMyAR15 Posts: 122 Member
    First, log everything accurately for a full month. A calorie goal means nothing if you are not logging accurately.

    I agree with this 100%
  • AnneU93
    AnneU93 Posts: 114 Member
    I'm hearing two different opinions, I don't know which one to chose! 1500 sounds like a lot, because I know I don't really do much during the day and most of my classes are online so I am always on the computer...

    If it were me I would chose the 1500 because your body will catch up eventually, so that means if I one would to eat a whole pizza I only have to exercise of 500 calories (a pizza is about 2000-2500 calories) instead of having to work off 800-1000 calories.

    But it is not me, so I say chose the one you can live with in the long haul.
  • mghanie
    mghanie Posts: 105 Member
    going to 1500 makes sense for the long run, but I basically sit down all day( I have 6 college classes that are online,I am in front of the computer all day), is 1500 too much?
  • fluffykitsune
    fluffykitsune Posts: 236 Member
    going to 1500 makes sense for the long run, but I basically sit down all day( I have 6 college classes that are online,I am in front of the computer all day), is 1500 too much?
    Do you go shopping at all during the week? Walk to any coffee shops or have to run errands, clean the house?
    If you do, chances are you're lightly active.
    Sedentary basically means you lay in bed all day and only get up to eat food.

    Try 1500 for 4 - 6 weeks. if you are maintaining or gaining, then drop to 1400.
  • joleenl
    joleenl Posts: 739 Member
    ^^ I agree with this!
  • mghanie
    mghanie Posts: 105 Member
    going to 1500 makes sense for the long run, but I basically sit down all day( I have 6 college classes that are online,I am in front of the computer all day), is 1500 too much?
    Do you go shopping at all during the week? Walk to any coffee shops or have to run errands, clean the house?
    If you do, chances are you're lightly active.
    Sedentary basically means you lay in bed all day and only get up to eat food.

    Try 1500 for 4 - 6 weeks. if you are maintaining or gaining, then drop to 1400.

    i don't do any of that stuff during the week (i do that maybe about 1 day every 2 to 3 weeks), the only thing I do is pick up my niece from school. I basically sit down all day and only get up to eat food lol. The thing is I was eating at 1400 since November and I was maintaining, and then I started to get frustrated and just ate stuff sometimes and did not log it so I don't really know if I was eating 1500 a day or more then that..
  • joleenl
    joleenl Posts: 739 Member
    I can tell you I have been on bed rest for 11 days. I upped my calories from 1390 to 1550 on the 5 day into bed rest because I recalculated my TDEE using the scooby calculator online. Then in the following 6 days (still on bed rest so zero movement) and in those 6 day I not only broke my plateau, but I lost like over three pounds. It'll be a week tomorrow since upping it. This is not the first time I upped either. Same thing happened (but with exercise and eating those calories back) when I went from 1200 to 1390. Its your choice but you have nothing to lose to try for a couple weeks and see. I have other MFP friends that swear by this too.
  • concordancia
    concordancia Posts: 5,320 Member
    First, log everything accurately for a full month. A calorie goal means nothing if you are not logging accurately.

    I agree with this 100%

    This is the most important advice here!
  • joleenl
    joleenl Posts: 739 Member
    I must also say that YOU HAVE to log everything everyday. Small unaccounted for calories can add up quickly.
  • mghanie
    mghanie Posts: 105 Member
    I must also say that YOU HAVE to log everything everyday. Small unaccounted for calories can add up quickly.

    ok what you are saying makes sense and makes me feel better that you lost weight with little movement. and this time i am going to make sure that I log everything no matter how small, I think that was the problem before and probably the reason that i gained the 6 pounds.

    So since I found out my body percentage and then used that to find my TDEE to lose weight which is 1389, I am going to try the 1389 for a couple of weeks and see if that works if not then I'll probably increase to 1500.

    Thank you all very much for your advice! it is very much appreciated!
  • joleenl
    joleenl Posts: 739 Member
    You can add me or check out my diary if you want. Note: if you look back well I was on bed rest I ate a lot of junk food. My husbands idea of cooking is takeout. Lol. I'm usually a pretty clean and healthy eater.

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