Maintain weight loss without working out everyday?

weedaashley
weedaashley Posts: 9
edited September 21 in Fitness and Exercise
I never eat more then 1200 calories a day, often times less with subtracting the amount of calories burned from workouts and what not. My question is this...can I still maintain my 2 pounds a week weight loss goal if I dont work out everyday? Like for example, I generally work out every other day, doing 1 mile on the eliptical, equalling to have eaten 1000 calories. Today I have consumed a little less then 1000 calories, and probably wont work out. Will this affect me losing the 2 pounds a week? Or is working out every other day with a controlled calorie intake an effective way as well?

Replies

  • TabiHerbalifeCoach
    TabiHerbalifeCoach Posts: 691 Member
    eating less than 1200 calories will send your body into starvation mode and will cause you to retain weight, maybe even gain. 1200 is the minimum. as for loosing 2lbs a week not working out every day that depends on your body and what you are eating.
  • weedaashley
    weedaashley Posts: 9
    Well it cant be that bad because I have lost 23 pounds doing that haha
  • SassyMissDasha
    SassyMissDasha Posts: 614
    Yup me too, I haven't exercised for probably 3 weeks, and I've lost like 15 lbs .. :laugh: And I never get up 1000 calories even ..:blushing:
  • Sparksfly
    Sparksfly Posts: 470 Member
    weed...your weight loss will eventually stall out if you are eating under 1200 cals a day net. It happened to me, and it happened to a lot of people on this site. If you continue, you should probably expect a plateau. Just an FYI....
  • bonnymom
    bonnymom Posts: 107 Member
    It all depends what your calorie deficit is. In order to lose 2lbs per week you need to have 1000calorie deficit.

    Eating less than 1200 calories per day won't necessarily cause you to gain weight, however, it is very difficult to consume your body's necessarily nutrients by eating less than 1200 calories per day. If your body goes too long not obtaining the necessary nutrients it will start eating your lean muscle mass to obtain the proper nutrients. This is not the type of weightloss that you want.
  • BeautifulScarsWECHANGED
    BeautifulScarsWECHANGED Posts: 749 Member
    I agree, while you've been losing weight eating less than 1200 calories, it's not healthy. It's extremely difficult to get your nutrients in, and eventually you will hit a plateau because you're body will go into starvation mode. You will retain water and possibly even gain weight. I see it posted on here constantly. It's in the 'newbie' notes on the site as well.

    You put up a post for advice, and we're giving it to you. It's not healthy, and chances are the weight you do lose will come back to haunt you if it's not lost in a healthy way. Chances are you'll hear it over and over again in the responses.
  • Yurippe
    Yurippe Posts: 850 Member
    Well it cant be that bad because I have lost 23 pounds doing that haha

    Can't? I think it's bad when your body starts eating your muscles and organs for fuel. Starving yourself to lose weight definately works. Ever see pictures of the people in concentration camps?
  • weedaashley
    weedaashley Posts: 9
    How many calories should I be consuming then? And do I need to work out everyday? I rarely feel hungry
  • msbanana
    msbanana Posts: 793 Member
    Well it cant be that bad because I have lost 23 pounds doing that haha

    Can't? I think it's bad when your body starts eating your muscles and organs for fuel. Starving yourself to lose weight definately works. Ever see pictures of the people in concentration camps?

    Amen Sista!!
    I'm the last one to talk about how much someone should eat... but let's get real ladies, if you're not eating enough to fuel your body it begins to consume itself. It doesn't consume the fat first, it consumes the nutrient rich muscle first. The dramatic weight loss most people see when they don't eat enough is because they're losing MUSCLE. Yes- you will lose weight fast, will you look toned and fit? NO. Infact your bodyfat percentage can INCREASE and you put undue stess on organs ALREADY stressed from weight loss. One of which is your liver- as your body begins to eat the muscles your liver goes into overtime and you will find your baseline bloodsugar level will increase and you can put yourself in a pre-diabetic condition.

    This is all not mentioning the long term effects like screwing your metabolism up to the point that your body STORES EVERYTHING you eat because it doesn't know when it's going to get fuel again. (No it doesn't store in a good way either- it packs fat on you and around your organs.) Take it from someone who knows TOO well what this can do to you.

    EAT, MOVE, LIVE WELL. There's no easy solution. You're going to have to eat well and move to maintain your weight... you'll either gain it back or cause an unhealthy scenerio by not eating. This is a lifestyle girls. Choose it.

    :drinker:
  • Yurippe
    Yurippe Posts: 850 Member
    How many calories should I be consuming then? And do I need to work out everyday? I rarely feel hungry

    We would need to know your height, weight, and activity level, and how much total weight you need to loose to be healthy to give you and idea of how much you should eat a day. If you put all of this info into MFP correctly that number should already show on your diary. You can/should also eat back some/all of the calories you burn through exercise every day.

    You should read all of these threads. They will answer all your questions and ones you haven't even thought to ask yet.

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/23912-links-in-mfp-you-want-to-read-again-and-again
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/103155-the-mfp-goals-wizard-and-you-yes-you?hl=yes+you
  • msbanana
    msbanana Posts: 793 Member
    How many calories should I be consuming then? And do I need to work out everyday? I rarely feel hungry

    Update your profile tell MFP you don't want to work out and you want to maintain your weight... It will likely kick back that you should eat 1200 and won't give you a 2 lbs a week weight loss. If you want a bigger deficit you'll have to work out.

    Sadly that's how HEALTHY weightloss works.
  • TabiHerbalifeCoach
    TabiHerbalifeCoach Posts: 691 Member
    you need to consume at least 1200 HEALTHY calories a day I'm not talking about candies popcorn or any of that sort, i haven't seen your diary so i dont know what you are eating. working out every day will increase your weight loss. its simple math the more you work out the bigger calorie deficit you make bigger deficit more loss. I never eat all of my calories back but i defiantly eat some of them back, you can try working out 3-4 times a week and see if thats enough to reach your goal, if its not YOU have have a choice, what is more important to you your goal or only working out every other day.
  • FabulousFifty
    FabulousFifty Posts: 1,575 Member
    I agree, while you've been losing weight eating less than 1200 calories, it's not healthy. It's extremely difficult to get your nutrients in, and eventually you will hit a plateau because you're body will go into starvation mode. You will retain water and possibly even gain weight. I see it posted on here constantly. It's in the 'newbie' notes on the site as well.

    You put up a post for advice, and we're giving it to you. It's not healthy, and chances are the weight you do lose will come back to haunt you if it's not lost in a healthy way. Chances are you'll hear it over and over again in the responses.

    Ditto bscars....You want to get all of the nutrients your body needs as you make these lifestyle changes. Take it from someone who has stalled....it ain't worth it! Eat up!
  • Edestiny7
    Edestiny7 Posts: 730 Member
    Well it cant be that bad because I have lost 23 pounds doing that haha

    Can't? I think it's bad when your body starts eating your muscles and organs for fuel. Starving yourself to lose weight definately works. Ever see pictures of the people in concentration camps?

    Amen Sista!!
    I'm the last one to talk about how much someone should eat... but let's get real ladies, if you're not eating enough to fuel your body it begins to consume itself. It doesn't consume the fat first, it consumes the nutrient rich muscle first. The dramatic weight loss most people see when they don't eat enough is because they're losing MUSCLE. Yes- you will lose weight fast, will you look toned and fit? NO. Infact your bodyfat percentage can INCREASE and you put undue stess on organs ALREADY stressed from weight loss. One of which is your liver- as your body begins to eat the muscles your liver goes into overtime and you will find your baseline bloodsugar level will increase and you can put yourself in a pre-diabetic condition.

    This is all not mentioning the long term effects like screwing your metabolism up to the point that your body STORES EVERYTHING you eat because it doesn't know when it's going to get fuel again. (No it doesn't store in a good way either- it packs fat on you and around your organs.) Take it from someone who knows TOO well what this can do to you.

    EAT, MOVE, LIVE WELL. There's no easy solution. You're going to have to eat well and move to maintain your weight... you'll either gain it back or cause an unhealthy scenerio by not eating. This is a lifestyle girls. Choose it.

    :drinker:

    Amen! It has got to be a lifestyle change for the rest of our lives. :flowerforyou:
  • sweetoblivion314
    sweetoblivion314 Posts: 55
    When there is no stimulation to keep muscle due to exercise and your calorie intake drops your body will start removing the parts of itself that need the most energy to use. It's like buying a smart car because you can't afford the gas for your SUV. So you will probably keep losing 2lbs a week or more. However, more then 50% of that will be from lean body mass (muscle and organs). Also since you aren't eating a lot your body will start storing fuel because it doesn't know if it will have enough or when it will get more. Imagine you start stockpiling gasoline when you get a paycheck because your income isn't steady but you need to make sure you have enough fuel to get to work.

    This may not fit into our modern green ideals but your goal should be to be that SUV not the smart car. You want to have a big engine that uses tons of gas (lots of muscle). But you also want to have a steady income so you don't have to stock up on fuel in your trunk (eat lots of food).

    Another thing i have been reading is that your body can only hold onto amino acids for about 3 hours. It can't store them so if you do not take in some kind of protein every 3 hours or so, your body will begin to break down muscle tissue until it gets more amino acids from food. So eat smaller meals more often.
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