Why am I not losing on 1200cal per day?

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Replies

  • melindasuefritz
    melindasuefritz Posts: 3,509 Member
    u dont mention how much u w eigh 1200 calories is way to few for anyone unless u are 120 pounds or less
  • Warchortle
    Warchortle Posts: 2,197 Member
    If your body doesn't get certain essential macro's it will store as much as it can instead of burning the fat. If you stay in an extreme caloric deficit for your activity level the weight you lose is not fat, but muscle because the body cannibalizes muscle over fat. People think the more calories the cut the more lbs they'll lose... it doesn't work that way. The body tries to reach homeostasis especially if you put a large strain on it like randomly cutting your calories by a significant amount.
  • mccbabe1
    mccbabe1 Posts: 737 Member
    idk.. our bodies are weird.. you could try 'calorie cycling".. go 1200 a day like you are then every 3rd day or so jump up to 1800 (or even a non tracking day) then back down again.. I did that yrs ago.. but was at 1400 cals a day (didnt eat exercise cals back though) and every 3rd day or 4th I jumped up to 1700.. and lost weight.. and was a freeing feeling to have 'that free type day'.. your body is too used to way low cals and is holding onto fat.. storing it possibly :indifferent:
  • dennymau
    dennymau Posts: 118 Member
    You should eat breakfast to kick start your metabolism. Eggs and some meat will stop you from getting hungry so soon.
  • rfsatar
    rfsatar Posts: 599 Member
    In before this explodes.

    If you were losing when you were eating more why did you drop your calories? Try going back to eating 1500-1900 and see what happens.
    This. 110%!!!
  • ryry_
    ryry_ Posts: 4,966 Member
    Lokked back at your diary through April, you are not eating 1200 calories a day. Several days at 2000+, some incomplete days here and there (i'm assumming but could be VLCD). You also are not logging milk with your coffee (i think, unless you correct me). Also do you weigh your food. Everything looks very rounded. Are you just estimating?

    I think the first step is to develop a little consistency. Eat your calorie goal everyday for a few weeks. Weigh all of your food so you get a good idea for what is going on.

    Just my 2...Good luck.

    Thank you for taking the time to look at my diary. Fresh eyes always help. THere have been a couple of times when only 1 meal is logged where I simply forgot to log the rest .

    the 2K+ days usually bread chocolate or alcohol days, but those aside my perception is that I am being consistent which is clearly not the case.

    Thank you

    No prob...If you look at my diary I am the same currently. Very sporadic and inconsistent..>And I haven't lost weight in like 4 weeks when before I was 2-3 lbs a week like clockwork.

    Consistentcy, accuracy, and adjusting IF needed is the name of the game in calorie counting.
  • Breizier
    Breizier Posts: 221 Member
    this sounds like metabolic damage to me....in fact, a clear case of metabolic damage.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QHHzie6XRGk

    it`ll make a whole lot more sense after you see this. trust me, i think thats the problem..and im speaking from first hand experience.

    OMG this is so me. I did all the alphabet calcs but because I was not consistently eating them all decided (with a tiny hint of disquiet) to just drop to the very generic MFP calc which is 900cals less. Less cals = greater weight loss right!

    So very wrong! I have dieted more times than not in my life from the age of 15 (like so many women) each diet I lose a little, plateau fairly rapidly, then put back all the weight plus more till the next time the cycle starts. This makes so much sense.

    Thank You:flowerforyou:
  • Warchortle
    Warchortle Posts: 2,197 Member
    /facepalm @ people who believe in meal timing windows and metabolism
  • odusgolp
    odusgolp Posts: 10,477 Member
    /facepalm @ people who believe in meal timing windows and metabolism

    Whatever! I hook up my red & black cables EVERY morning to get that damn thing started!
  • Contrarian
    Contrarian Posts: 8,138 Member
    Consistent logging of your exercise and consumed calories will paint a more accurate picture.
  • Breizier
    Breizier Posts: 221 Member
    Six cups of coffee a day seems very, very extreme. I have one a day without any issues.

    At 1200 calories, I'm inclined to say your body thinks you are starving it and your metabolism is shutting down. If 1500-1600 worked, why not go back to that and see what happens?

    I wish I could get 6 cups of coffee in a day. I get a couple of sips or if Im lucky half a cup before it goes cold and gets thrown

    I am inclined to agree with you on the 1200 cals that MFP reccomend.
  • Breizier
    Breizier Posts: 221 Member
    Check out this quick read. There is a strategy to your caloric intake. The body can't use too many calories at one time. If you give it too much at one meal then within a very short time (hours) it stores it as fat. If you don't take in enough calories in a period of time it locks on the existing fat. Because of this, you can overload yourself with calories at one meal and finish the day under your calorie goal and have no weight change. This eating habit changes your metabolism. I bet if you look closely at the amount of calories you take in at each meal you are going to see where it is happening.

    http://www.fitwatch.com/weight-loss/can-i-eat-all-my-calories-for-the-day-in-one-meal-and-still-lose-weight-649.html

    This makes sense. Its back to the drawing board for me.
  • Breizier
    Breizier Posts: 221 Member
    /facepalm @ people who believe in meal timing windows and metabolism

    Darn, I would love to look this up, but cringe dont shoot me, I am NOT on twitter. but thank you for taking the time to reply
  • Breizier
    Breizier Posts: 221 Member
    You should eat breakfast to kick start your metabolism. Eggs and some meat will stop you from getting hungry so soon.

    Thats part of my problem I dont eat breakfast, it makes me ill and I dont get hungry early in the day.
  • jofjltncb6
    jofjltncb6 Posts: 34,415 Member
    You went from a relatively healthy sounding level of calories each day where you were losing weight to a relatively low amount of calories each day where you aren't losing weight?

    Am I missing the obvious answer of going back to what you were doing before that was a) working and b) probably healthier?
  • Breizier
    Breizier Posts: 221 Member
    Why did you switch back? I agree that you may want to gradually increase your budget.

    Sheer madness. trying to eat 2200 healthy calories per day is totally counter intuitive hence going back to the 'deprivation' diet the number of calories MFP calculation provides. I am going to try to build up then number of calories I am eating.
  • Breizier
    Breizier Posts: 221 Member
    You went from a relatively healthy sounding level of calories each day where you were losing weight to a relatively low amount of calories each day where you aren't losing weight?

    Am I missing the obvious answer of going back to what you were doing before that was a) working and b) probably healthier?

    No you are right. I am going to slowly increase my calorie intake.
  • Breizier
    Breizier Posts: 221 Member
    idk.. our bodies are weird.. you could try 'calorie cycling".. go 1200 a day like you are then every 3rd day or so jump up to 1800 (or even a non tracking day) then back down again.. I did that yrs ago.. but was at 1400 cals a day (didnt eat exercise cals back though) and every 3rd day or 4th I jumped up to 1700.. and lost weight.. and was a freeing feeling to have 'that free type day'.. your body is too used to way low cals and is holding onto fat.. storing it possibly :indifferent:

    IDK???

    I would agree. I went from something that 'fit' me to the 'deprivation' that the word 'diet' brings to mind. I am going to build up my calories.
  • Breizier
    Breizier Posts: 221 Member
    You must consume an accurate amount of lean protein and cut the carbs way back. You will start to loose the fat and keep/gain muscle. It is also very important to consume the correct amount of H20. Stop drinking the coffee and start drinking Green Tea with lemon grass. No sugar is needed, the lemon grass provides just enough sweetness and will rev up the fat burning.

    I think I need to rejoin IIFYM. I never hit them or the calorie intake, but at least I was trying to hit them.

    I know I just dont drink enough water i have started to drink squash diluted 1:10 to increase my water intake. Tea and lemon grass sorry I'd rather be fat. cant abide either.
  • Breizier
    Breizier Posts: 221 Member
    I am curious why you don't eat breakfast to jump start your metabolism? Are you on a alternate schedule for work? It seems like your body would go into starvation mode you go so long without eating! I am thinking you need to make different choices with less salt, eating whole foods less processed (veggies, lean meats and fruit). I am thinking you can learn to enjoy some fruits! Measuring and weighing is key too. It is easy to think oh I know what 3 oz of chicken is. Also, go back to you diary when you were losing and eat that exact food. Good luck! I know at 48 yrs old it is harder for me, BUT when I am true and on track it does come off slowly!

    I havent eaten breakfast since I was 13. I have tried off and on over the years but just can't sustain it. If I eat too early then have to actually do anything i just get stomach cramps or wind up eating every thing that is not nailed down.

    I don't eat processed foods. Virtually everything in my house is cooked from scratch - from time to time we even go through periods of baking our own bread including bagels. I love love love bread and all forms of starch. I am trying to eat more dark green veg; not a great fan of fruit; most of what I buy goes in the bin since very little gets eaten in my house.

    I do think I will have to go back to the foods I ate when I was on the 2200 cals per day
  • Breizier
    Breizier Posts: 221 Member
    Because you're not eating enough. Your body needs fuel. Try 1500 to 1700 cals per day. I'm doing 1700, down at each weigh in, energy level way up, lost about 12" off my waist, in less than three months.

    Wow congrats on the weight loss. I will try and look at your diary.
  • TrishaGuy
    TrishaGuy Posts: 63
    Just taking a quick peek at your diary I see you don't eat breakfast. That is a huge jump to your metabolism. I know some people don't like eating Bfast ( that used to be me) but now I know it really is important so I have something lite to get me going then I have a snack mid morning before lunch. I have found that eating small amounts throughout the day is better than 2 or 3 big meals. I also noticed you did not log your water.....if you are not drinking at least 64 oz. per day you should try that. Water is huge to weight loss. I am also 53 years old and it is hard to change what you have been doing for so many years but you can do it. It has to be a life style change which will require you to do things you are willing to do for the rest of your life....I log before I eat to check to see if it is going to put me over in sugar, carbs, sodium ect. Sometimes I will adjust what I eat to stay in the green :) Good luck to you .....you can do this :)
  • Breizier
    Breizier Posts: 221 Member
    I am curious why you don't eat breakfast to jump start your metabolism? Are you on a alternate schedule for work? It seems like your body would go into starvation mode you go so long without eating! I am thinking you need to make different choices with less salt, eating whole foods less processed (veggies, lean meats and fruit). I am thinking you can learn to enjoy some fruits! Measuring and weighing is key too. It is easy to think oh I know what 3 oz of chicken is. Also, go back to you diary when you were losing and eat that exact food. Good luck! I know at 48 yrs old it is harder for me, BUT when I am true and on track it does come off slowly!

    You don't need to jump start your metabolism with breakfast.

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/820577-meal-frequency-rev-up-that-furnace-lol

    Thanks for that. It supports my eat when I am hungry. which is sadly always late in the evening.
  • Breizier
    Breizier Posts: 221 Member
    Just taking a quick peek at your diary I see you don't eat breakfast. That is a huge jump to your metabolism. I know some people don't like eating Bfast ( that used to be me) but now I know it really is important so I have something lite to get me going then I have a snack mid morning before lunch. I have found that eating small amounts throughout the day is better than 2 or 3 big meals. I also noticed you did not log your water.....if you are not drinking at least 64 oz. per day you should try that. Water is huge to weight loss. I am also 53 years old and it is hard to change what you have been doing for so many years but you can do it. It has to be a life style change which will require you to do things you are willing to do for the rest of your life....I log before I eat to check to see if it is going to put me over in sugar, carbs, sodium ect. Sometimes I will adjust what I eat to stay in the green :) Good luck to you .....you can do this :)

    Its not that i dont like eating breakfast, its just it usually makes me ill. At the weekend hubby might bring me breadfast in bed. I dont have to get up then so I dont and I am fine. Sadly Mon to ~Fri i have to get up to work I cant do that doubled up with stomach cramps for 2 hours till my stomach calms down.

    I dont snack because i not hungry. When I snack it is usually on rubbish.

    I completely take your point with the water although I gather some researchers are beginning to say there is no real proof that lots of water is of any use, just go by the colour of your urine. I know that I need to drink lots more. I am trying. as for the salt. I completely agree that I have to watch that.

    I log at the end of the day to see what I have done. I am mindful that I will be logging food which keeps me on track. However your way is much more sensible. Lots more effort but sensible. I will give it a whirl.
  • Breizier
    Breizier Posts: 221 Member
    If your body doesn't get certain essential macro's it will store as much as it can instead of burning the fat. If you stay in an extreme caloric deficit for your activity level the weight you lose is not fat, but muscle because the body cannibalizes muscle over fat. People think the more calories the cut the more lbs they'll lose... it doesn't work that way. The body tries to reach homeostasis especially if you put a large strain on it like randomly cutting your calories by a significant amount.

    Congratulations on the 90lb loss. Really impressive.
    Thank you for writing this. You have this has been a really useful thread to me because it has made me rethink what I am doing and most especially why on gods green earth did I arbitrarily decide to drop my calorie intake by nearly 1k per day and then start exercising.
    Thank you
  • ChubbyBunny212
    ChubbyBunny212 Posts: 19 Member
    I would say that you are in "Starvation Mode" and your metabolic furnace has slowed down to a crawl.

    When we don't take in the correct amount of calories that our specific body needs to maintain "homeostasis", or more simply in this case the amount needed to maintain the body's everyday ability to function, the brain believes that there must be a shortage of food. And when this happens the brain tells the body's metabolic furnace to slow down and allow the body to store whatever food is taken in. And I think that's what is happening in your case.

    Your body is HOARDING THE FOOD YOU EAT and your body's metabolic furnace has slowed down to a crawl. Your body is burning only what it needs to stay alive. The rest is being stored until the perceived "food shortage" is over. It's quite possible that your specific metabolism requires more than 1200 calories a day just to maintain "homeostasis" or a "balance" in the body. Until I accepted this physiologic principle I remained in "Starvation Mode" and lost NOTHING. My body stored every tiny morsel I ate. But when I started eating...I started to lose.

    And in my case since I am physically unable to do any "exercise" it proved to be the INCREASE in calories that caused my metabolic furnace to ignite and my body to begin losing the weight. Now, when I hit a weight loss plateau I increase my calories a little bit (a very LITTLE, about 200 extra calories/day) and the metabolic furnace turns up the thermostat, burns hotter, and I start losing again.

    Try it. What have you got to lose but weight!!!
  • Sarauk2sf
    Sarauk2sf Posts: 28,072 Member
    Check out this quick read. There is a strategy to your caloric intake. The body can't use too many calories at one time. If you give it too much at one meal then within a very short time (hours) it stores it as fat. If you don't take in enough calories in a period of time it locks on the existing fat. Because of this, you can overload yourself with calories at one meal and finish the day under your calorie goal and have no weight change. This eating habit changes your metabolism. I bet if you look closely at the amount of calories you take in at each meal you are going to see where it is happening.

    http://www.fitwatch.com/weight-loss/can-i-eat-all-my-calories-for-the-day-in-one-meal-and-still-lose-weight-649.html

    I will go away and read this; but even without reading it it sounds like me. No breakfast (If I eat too early either get stomach cramps or ravenous all day) miniscule lunch - usually cuppasoup and all my calories crammed into one huge meal. I dont tend to snack. Hmmm, I will try eating more at lunch and less in the evening. Thank you

    Don't bother - it is terrible and completely inaccurate.
  • yo_andi
    yo_andi Posts: 2,178 Member
    Simple: you're eating too little. Go back to eating TDEE - whatever percentage.
  • RobynDCrossman
    RobynDCrossman Posts: 252
    Is cuppasoup the same equivalent as cup'o'noodle?
    If so? Be careful with that!

    All the other advice you've received here should get you on the right track.
  • CristyMusicLovr
    CristyMusicLovr Posts: 179 Member
    I don't know but I think you aren't listing everything you eat. I list every single ingredient for my meals and then I save the meal so that I don't have to look for the same stuff when I eat the same food again.

    I don't use the mfp database to search for a complete entree because I don't know how much of each ingredient they used even for subway i go to their website and add the stuff i had on my sandwich and its more accurate that way...save it once and bam! You use it for next time.

    Is it too early for you plateau? I lost most of my weight in the beginning im still losing but slowly and also cause im slacking a bit but I recognize what im doing wrong!

    Good luck!

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