1400 cals, sensible exercise... no weight loss?

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amyws1910
amyws1910 Posts: 10
in Health and Weight Loss
Ok so I've been sticking to 1400 cals for about the past 5 weeks. I've had the occasional splurge (dinner parties, nights out) - maybe going over 2000 cals 3 times.

I exercise what I consider to be an appropriate amount: pilates every day (Between 10 mins and 1 hour) and intense cardio about 3 times a week for 1 hour. I did 10 days of the 30 day shred a few weeks ago.

However... I have only lost 2lbs!

I'm finding this really frustrating as I think I'm following a very sensible diet and exercise regime. I feel a lot better about food than I ever have in my life, and feel like mfp provides a great community which give some really great advice - so I the diet/lifestyle change has benefitted me. (I've always loved exercise just never managed to keep my diet under control)

Anyway, I'm going to keep going because even though the scale and the tape measure havent moved I feel a lot better but I'm kinda looking for some reassurance that some time soon I'm going to lose a few more pounds! Anyone had a similar situation? Like no weight loss for ages then a sudden burst of weight loss? I've heard of plateaus - is it possible to plateau before losing ANY weight??

Is it possible that my body is just getting used to the change? Like, I have only lost 2lbs over the past 5 weeks, but maybe I'll suddenly start losing more quickly after a while? Or am I doomed to just lose 2lbs every 5 weeks... (That would suck!)

Should I start eating more, or less, or exercise more, or... gah! I dunno! I'm just getting confused.

I'm 5'7 and 138lbs. My starting weight was 140lbs. I really really really want to be 133 by July as that's when I'm off on holiday.

Replies

  • rekite2000
    rekite2000 Posts: 218 Member
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    You are slightly below the .5lb/wk average that is normal for someone who only has a few pounds to lose. You just can't lose really fast when losing 5lbs. Keep what you are doing because it is working. Maybe try weight lifting- I see a lot of women going down inches doing that (weight stays the same, but I will take inches over lbs any day!). Are you eating exercise calories back?
  • _kannnd
    _kannnd Posts: 247 Member
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    Open up your diary
  • KilikiMom
    KilikiMom Posts: 237 Member
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    sounds like you are on the right track and were already at a healthy weight for your height....just keep at it and focus more on the feeling better part than on the weight loss part :)
  • toaster6
    toaster6 Posts: 703 Member
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    As you only have a few pounds to lose, the amount of time it's taking isn't something to worry about.
  • bacitracin
    bacitracin Posts: 921 Member
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    Open up your diary

    We can't help if we don't know what's going on. It's like lying to your doctor.
  • likitisplit
    likitisplit Posts: 9,420 Member
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    That's not no weight loss. That's two pounds. Great job!!!
  • lilawolf
    lilawolf Posts: 1,690 Member
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    Last few pounds will take a while. We would need to see your diary though. Do you log EVERYTHING? I would actually say that you are eating too little, but probably not too extreme if you are eating your exercise cals back. If you aren't eating them back, you are definitely not fueling yourself well enough. Open your diary for more advice.

    I completely agree with the lifting. Your weight would probably look great if you had more muscle.

    Oh, and did you lose the 2lbs all at once or did you lose it a couple ounces at a time? Are you constipated? That happens with a new diet sometimes and can keep extra weight around for a while. If you might be, have a fiber bar and some black coffee on an empty stomach or take a mild laxative.
  • deksgrl
    deksgrl Posts: 7,237 Member
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    1400 calories with the amount of exercise you are doing doesn't sound like enough calories for a person your size. Set MFP to lose .5 pound a week and eat your exercise calories.
  • ILiftHeavyAcrylics
    ILiftHeavyAcrylics Posts: 27,732 Member
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    You're losing at a good rate for someone who is already at a healthy weight. Make sure your logging is accurate (use a food scale to weigh everything) and then just be patient.
  • Bernadette60614
    Bernadette60614 Posts: 707 Member
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    I'm also going to suggest weight training. I'm 5 ft 8 inches and have been anywhere from a size 6 to a size 10...always weighing 140 lbs, but the difference was weight training.
  • downinaggieland98
    downinaggieland98 Posts: 224 Member
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    1400 calories with the amount of exercise you are doing doesn't sound like enough calories for a person your size. Set MFP to lose .5 pound a week and eat your exercise calories.

    You are my size, and I would die on 1400 calories a day!! More food, more weight training...
  • fakeuntilumakeit
    fakeuntilumakeit Posts: 77
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    HI, I heard that your body can get used to a certain routine, you may need to shake up you exercise routine a bit more intense cardio interval training, also are you eating enough calories for your exercise routine eg. your body may be going into starvation mode and maintaining calories. Or alternatively have you adapted your calorie intake to your new weight , as you will need less calories as your weight comes down. Gutted about this myself as I was advised 1500 when I weighed 147llbs now 1200 at 142llbs. Eating out is a biggy as its hard to calorie count ,,, I realise how often I cheat at this and underestimate the true portion size/calorie intake.....still confused by some advise myself mind. Do you weigh at the same time of day in same clothes, my weight fluctuates 2-5lbs in clothes alone.
  • amyws1910
    amyws1910 Posts: 10
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    Open up your diary

    How do I do that? I've never managed to work out how to look at other people's food
  • amyws1910
    amyws1910 Posts: 10
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    Last few pounds will take a while. We would need to see your diary though. Do you log EVERYTHING? I would actually say that you are eating too little, but probably not too extreme if you are eating your exercise cals back. If you aren't eating them back, you are definitely not fueling yourself well enough. Open your diary for more advice.

    I completely agree with the lifting. Your weight would probably look great if you had more muscle.

    Oh, and did you lose the 2lbs all at once or did you lose it a couple ounces at a time? Are you constipated? That happens with a new diet sometimes and can keep extra weight around for a while. If you might be, have a fiber bar and some black coffee on an empty stomach or take a mild laxative.

    I dont know if I lost it all at once, I decided not to weigh myself for the first month as I knew i'd get discouraged and stop if I didn't see a change. That was what I got when I stepped on the scales after 4 weeks.

    I will try lifting! Does doing little arm weights count, as in tons of reps? I have some small weights and no gym membership so that's the best I can do for now.

    The one thing I don't log is tea and coffee (i have milk no sugar). I'll start doing that from now. It's not really realistic for me to weigh everything I eat but I'll pay closer attention to serving sizes on packages.

    Thanks for the comments guys! When I work out how to open my diary it would be great to get more feedback
  • amyws1910
    amyws1910 Posts: 10
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    You are slightly below the .5lb/wk average that is normal for someone who only has a few pounds to lose. You just can't lose really fast when losing 5lbs. Keep what you are doing because it is working. Maybe try weight lifting- I see a lot of women going down inches doing that (weight stays the same, but I will take inches over lbs any day!). Are you eating exercise calories back?

    thanks! it's good to know that 0.5lbs a week is a normal amount!

    And I'm not sure if I eat exercise calories. If I go do a ton of cardio and I'm hungry I'll eat something, but not all of them as I tend to go to the gym like just before a meal anyway so I don't feel the need to - I'd be stuffing myself. I definitely never go hungry though.

    Most days I do pilates, which burns minimal calories, so I don't bother eating that back.
  • Bernadette60614
    Bernadette60614 Posts: 707 Member
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    Something which helps me when I stall:

    Write it down before you eat it.

    Then, check it off as you eat.

    Don't eat anything which isn't on your daily menu and which hasn't been previously tallied on MPF.

    When I started doing this, I was surprised to see the number of items I had to add to my MFP diary. I was great at remembering the "big" stuff...but not great at remembering the morning latte, the samples at Whole Foods, the extra walnuts that I ate while making dinner.
  • Fit_French
    Fit_French Posts: 134 Member
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    I'm kinda in the same boat as you, I'm 5' 6" started at 138 and I'm only down to 132, HOWEVER, I've been keeping track of my measurements and I'm definitely losing inches, just the weight itself is VERY slowly coming off, but I'm ok with it because slow and steady wins the race!

    Added: I too eat around 1400 cals a day
  • ILiftHeavyAcrylics
    ILiftHeavyAcrylics Posts: 27,732 Member
    Options
    Last few pounds will take a while. We would need to see your diary though. Do you log EVERYTHING? I would actually say that you are eating too little, but probably not too extreme if you are eating your exercise cals back. If you aren't eating them back, you are definitely not fueling yourself well enough. Open your diary for more advice.

    I completely agree with the lifting. Your weight would probably look great if you had more muscle.

    Oh, and did you lose the 2lbs all at once or did you lose it a couple ounces at a time? Are you constipated? That happens with a new diet sometimes and can keep extra weight around for a while. If you might be, have a fiber bar and some black coffee on an empty stomach or take a mild laxative.

    I dont know if I lost it all at once, I decided not to weigh myself for the first month as I knew i'd get discouraged and stop if I didn't see a change. That was what I got when I stepped on the scales after 4 weeks.

    I will try lifting! Does doing little arm weights count, as in tons of reps? I have some small weights and no gym membership so that's the best I can do for now.

    The one thing I don't log is tea and coffee (i have milk no sugar). I'll start doing that from now. It's not really realistic for me to weigh everything I eat but I'll pay closer attention to serving sizes on packages.

    Thanks for the comments guys! When I work out how to open my diary it would be great to get more feedback

    For best results you want to lift heavy, compound lifts with barbells. I just started Stronglifts and I'm already getting great results. You're not going to get much benefit from the weights you're describing.
  • jukyu
    jukyu Posts: 80 Member
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    Make sure you are accurately measuring/weighing everything. Also, avoid the pitfall of trying to record your calories burned; most people overestimate. If you're being honest about your intake, you should continue to lose steadily. Five weeks is a short period of time.
  • herblackwings39
    herblackwings39 Posts: 3,930 Member
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    Open up your diary

    How do I do that? I've never managed to work out how to look at other people's food

    Go to your diary, at the top click the settings tab, then go down the list to diary settings and change it to public. Then click save changes

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