Eating 1200 Calories but not loosing weight

pearl1999
pearl1999 Posts: 7
in Health and Weight Loss
Hiya guys,
Well i've been eating 1200 calories now for more than a month now.
I go on the exercise bike at least 5 to 6 times a week for about half an hour loosing around 200 calories each time.
However, I never make up the calories so my net total calories is around 1000 something.
When I first properly started my weight loss around 3 months ago, I was loosing weight consistently, at least 1.5 pounds a week.
However now my weight loss has now stopped and i've been exactly 154 pounds for around 3 weeks now!
I want to continue loosing weight but its not happening any more!
Please help me!
«1

Replies

  • juliegrey1
    juliegrey1 Posts: 202 Member
    not eating enough!
  • melindasuefritz
    melindasuefritz Posts: 3,509 Member
    you need lot s more xcalories unles su ar e 120 pounds
  • samarahunn
    samarahunn Posts: 6 Member
    You might want to try to eat more. 1000 calories a day is not enough for your body to run on per day so you body may be holding on to excess weight in fear of malnutrition. You might also want to try muscle confusion. Try some new, different exercises. Weight lifting also helps in weight loss.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    I would suggest that you're probably overestimating your calorie intake...i.e. you're not logging everything or you're not weighing and/or otherwise measuring your ingredients and portions. You have no idea how many people I come across on this site who do things like log a serving of chicken breast (4oz) but really, they ate about double that since the average, actual chicken breast is closer to 8 oz and often more.

    Log, and log accurately. Also, I agree with others that you could probably eat more...at minimum, you should be eating back exercise calories as MFP is a NEAT method calculator (only accounts for day to day living activity...exercise is extra).
  • 55in13
    55in13 Posts: 1,091 Member
    I am one of those oddballs that loses less or even gains weight if I eat more. Shocking, isn't it? :bigsmile:

    Anyway, I have to agree with the earlier poster about portions or missed items. If the math is right the scale will move.
  • jacksonpt
    jacksonpt Posts: 10,413 Member
    I would suggest that you're probably overestimating your calorie intake...i.e. you're not logging everything or you're not weighing and/or otherwise measuring your ingredients and portions. You have no idea how many people I come across on this site who do things like log a serving of chicken breast (4oz) but really, they ate about double that since the average, actual chicken breast is closer to 8 oz and often more.

    Log, and log accurately.

    This.
  • pearl1999
    pearl1999 Posts: 7
    I always log accurately. I know its accurate because I scan all the foods I eat and I use measuring scales to measure exactly how much I'm eating and my total food intake is always less that 1200 yet I'm still not loosing
  • jacksonpt
    jacksonpt Posts: 10,413 Member
    I always log accurately. I know its accurate because I scan all the foods I eat and I use measuring scales to measure exactly how much I'm eating and my total food intake is always less that 1200 yet I'm still not loosing

    I'd see a doctor then... have a full panel of blood work done, etc etc.
  • da_bears10089
    da_bears10089 Posts: 1,791 Member
    According to your ticker, you've already lost 42lbs? I would lean towards you have been undereating for a while and you are having a stall out. I would suggest looking into either eating back you exercise calories or figuring out your TDEE/BMR and eating at TDEE-20%. If you decide to do this, then gradually increase your calories and be prepared for a temporary weight gain while your body adjusts.
  • dmaloof2013
    dmaloof2013 Posts: 134 Member
    You need to eat more. our body is not getting enough fuel to burn off what you need to
  • overshadows
    overshadows Posts: 58 Member
    You may be gaining lean muscle mass (a good thing)! Forget about the scale, and pull out a measuring tape to see if you are dropping inches.
  • srostad2006
    srostad2006 Posts: 13 Member
    I agree with previous poster. You may not be eating enough. Our bodies have built in mechanisms to guard against starvation. If you are not feeding it enough, it will hold onto everything you give it thinking that there is a food shortage. Try eating your excercise calories for a week and eating every 2-3 hours and see if you see a difference. If you do that and you don't see a difference, I agree about getting some bloodwork done. There might be some underlying problem messing with your metabolism ( i.e.- thyroid issues) that is keeping you from losing the weight.
  • pearl1999
    pearl1999 Posts: 7
    For instance say if I up my calorie intake to 1300 and and then eat the 200 calories I would loose from the exercise making my total intake 1100, would that help me to loose the weight?
  • jacksonpt
    jacksonpt Posts: 10,413 Member
    If you're goal is 1300 (or 1200), you should be netting 1300, not 1100.
  • pearl1999
    pearl1999 Posts: 7
    So food wise, I would need to eat 1500 calories and do the exercise which would make it come down to 1300?
  • LouiseDavis65
    LouiseDavis65 Posts: 30 Member
    http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/

    Figure out your TDEE - this will tell you how much you should be eating to lose weight. Don't guess when there are so many tools out there to help us! Good luck with your journey :)
  • Lochlyn_D
    Lochlyn_D Posts: 492 Member
    You might want to try a different kind of exercise.

    I also eat at 1200 calories/day.

    For about a month I was losing consistently, about 2 lbs a week, then it just stopped. I started doing different exercises and more of them and I started losing again.
  • jacksonpt
    jacksonpt Posts: 10,413 Member
    So food wise, I would need to eat 1500 calories and do the exercise which would make it come down to 1300?

    Yes, but that's not why you aren't losing weight. Something else is going on.
  • purple4sure05
    purple4sure05 Posts: 287 Member
    The first few weeks that I started dieting and exercising, I didn't lose any weight at all. Then all of the sudden the scale started dropping two pounds a week and did so every week since then.

    Contrary to what people will tell you on here, you would be a scientific anomaly if you were eating a caloric deficit and not losing weight, unless you have a medical problem. If starving yourself were a way to retain or gain weight, people in 3rd world countries wouldn't be emaciated. 1000 calories may not be the healthiest, but it is likely not the reason for your stalled weight loss. I do suggest netting at least 1200 though. I would say that the exercise is probably the reason. Stick with it for a few more weeks and see what happens. If you don't see a change, make an appointment with your doctor or a nutritionist/endocrinologist to get a more expert opinion than most of us can offer you.
  • pearl1999
    pearl1999 Posts: 7
    I think I'm going to book an appointment with my doctor tomorrow.
    I'm so scared of gaining any weight and its getting to the point where all I'm thinking about is my weight and its making me seriously unhappy. I look back on the photos where I was at my heaviest and it just makes me freak out as I really don't want to go back into that direction.
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,426 MFP Moderator
    This is a very common thing for those who are under eating. I can't tell you how many plateau threads or other people who can not lose because they eat 1200 calories a day. And 1.5 lbs a week will be too aggressive at this point. Really a goal of 1 lb per week would be better. In fact, the majority of women I know are losing at 1700-2100 calories total. Even many of them in their 50's.

    Also, you can't gain new fat until you exceed your TDEE. So adding a few hundred calories a week for a few weeks will not make you gain new fat, only add some water weight. And since what you are doing now is failing, why not try to set your goal at 1700 calories and not eat back exercise calories to see how you do. And since you are young, you will definitely need more calories. But based on your stats, 1700 total calories would be good. Just make sure you are accurately tracking and measuring.

    One last thing, change up your exercise and start weight training. Do like 3-4 days of heavy weight lifting and 1-2 days of bike. You will see better composition changes doing this and get a lot stronger.
  • jacksonpt
    jacksonpt Posts: 10,413 Member
    This is a very common thing for those who are under eating. I can't tell you how many plateau threads or other people who can not lose because they eat 1200 calories a day. And 1.5 lbs a week will be too aggressive at this point. Really a goal of 1 lb per week would be better. In fact, the majority of women I know are losing at 1700-2100 calories total. Even many of them in their 50's.

    Also, you can't gain new fat until you exceed your TDEE. So adding a few hundred calories a week for a few weeks will not make you gain new fat, only add some water weight. And since what you are doing now is failing, why not try to set your goal at 1700 calories and not eat back exercise calories to see how you do. And since you are young, you will definitely need more calories. But based on your stats, 1700 total calories would be good. Just make sure you are accurately tracking and measuring.

    One last thing, change up your exercise and start weight training. Do like 3-4 days of heavy weight lifting and 1-2 days of bike. You will see better composition changes doing this and get a lot stronger.

    All of this is very true.

    However, I'm guessing the OP is overly concerned (obsessed?) with scale weight. The minute she increases her cals (or starts weight training), she's likely to see a small increase due to water weigth, which will send her panicing.

    First thing she needs to do is get her feet back under her and have a more level headed, patient, realistic approach.
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,426 MFP Moderator
    This is a very common thing for those who are under eating. I can't tell you how many plateau threads or other people who can not lose because they eat 1200 calories a day. And 1.5 lbs a week will be too aggressive at this point. Really a goal of 1 lb per week would be better. In fact, the majority of women I know are losing at 1700-2100 calories total. Even many of them in their 50's.

    Also, you can't gain new fat until you exceed your TDEE. So adding a few hundred calories a week for a few weeks will not make you gain new fat, only add some water weight. And since what you are doing now is failing, why not try to set your goal at 1700 calories and not eat back exercise calories to see how you do. And since you are young, you will definitely need more calories. But based on your stats, 1700 total calories would be good. Just make sure you are accurately tracking and measuring.

    One last thing, change up your exercise and start weight training. Do like 3-4 days of heavy weight lifting and 1-2 days of bike. You will see better composition changes doing this and get a lot stronger.

    All of this is very true.

    However, I'm guessing the OP is overly concerned (obsessed?) with scale weight. The minute she increases her cals (or starts weight training), she's likely to see a small increase due to water weigth, which will send her panicing.

    First thing she needs to do is get her feet back under her and have a more level headed, patient, realistic approach.

    Yes, this is true. But the sooner a person learns it, the faster they will see results.
  • deksgrl
    deksgrl Posts: 7,237 Member
    You may be gaining lean muscle mass (a good thing)! Forget about the scale, and pull out a measuring tape to see if you are dropping inches.

    Not on 1000 calories a day.
  • sallyracket
    sallyracket Posts: 4 Member
    a 3 week stall after losing so much is a totally normal weight loss pattern.

    Chances are, you're body is used to your exercise and eating routine. It's adapted and to see another loss you'll need to change something up.

    You can try to add length or intensity to your workouts. Maybe try adding some push ups, jumping jacks, and squats after your cardio.

    Also try to change up the time of day you consume calories. Try to eat a HUGE breakfast one day then a small one the next. You basically want your body to keep guessing.

    Don't give up, you got this. Chances are you'll see a big loss very soon. :)
  • snowmanluv
    snowmanluv Posts: 200 Member
    I'm with ya. Started at 1000-1100. Told to bump up. I'm older and shorter. My weight has even out even though I am adding weight lifting and working out. Initially started with 20 minute walk and now working on c2k5 (3x-4x week) and lifting arms weights 2x a week. Mine is stuck too. When I raised the calories I ended up gaining not that week but the next. I did have a panel of blood work done. No major problems. Now I am 1200 and have been for 4 weeks...not losing.
  • RGv2
    RGv2 Posts: 5,789 Member
    You may be gaining lean muscle mass (a good thing)! Forget about the scale, and pull out a measuring tape to see if you are dropping inches.

    Not on 1000 calories a day.

    ^This.
  • pearl1999
    pearl1999 Posts: 7
    I'm just scared that if I increase my calories, I'll gain a much weight!! Arghh this is so frustrating :(
  • jacksonpt
    jacksonpt Posts: 10,413 Member
    I'm just scared that if I increase my calories, I'll gain a much weight!! Arghh this is so frustrating :(

    Perhaps you should do some more reading. Educating yourself is the best way to overcome irrational fears.
  • pearl1999
    pearl1999 Posts: 7
    I'm going to read some of the eat more to weigh less articles and hopefully that will help me as well

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