1200 calorie diet and not losing

Ditching the Dr. Pepper will be super tough, but I also want to save my pearly whites! This will be a challenge...but I'm up for it!
I eat gluten free due to an allergy. I guess I should have been clear. Sorry about that!
I looked at a few TDEE calculators and they are saying. 2700-3000 calories! Woah! Anyone have a recommendation as to an online calculator that is the most accurate?

I ditched Dr. Pepper several years ago, after drinking it daily. You can do it! The only soda I drink now is an occasional Hansen's with natural sugar, and it's rare. I like my water and unsweetened iced tea! Well, and iced cofee - but I make my own and it's still better than Dr. Pepper! :bigsmile:

For calculating your numbers, give this topic a read: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/974888-in-place-of-a-road-map-2k13
It's long and a load of info, but worth it. There are links to tools and instructions on using them (which vary slightly from the linked website, so make sure you follow them!) to figure out your current BMR, TDEE, & body fat percentage, as well as setting your macros. I started eating according to that topic over a year ago and have had my best success with losing the fat since doing so!

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3. Don't take into account that your doctor says you burn 1700 calories a day, if that was the case we would all be skinny

Did you read the statement? That was the doctor estimating her BMR, or what she burns WITHOUT exercise. And it IS possible to burn this much in a day without doing anything at all. It's what your body burns just to keep your organs functioning. But you knew that.

For someone so 'well versed' in nutrition, I see you give out a lot of broscience brotips. :ohwell:

If you were truly only eating 1200 cals per day and exercising like that, you would be losing weight. The majority of the time, the problem is poor measuring and logging. We fool ourselves into thinking we are eating less than we really are.

You need to eat more. Even with moderate exercise each week you're still not eating enough. Considering your height, gender, weight and age, IMO you should try eating around 2100 calories a week, assuming you're exercising moderately each week. Try eating more and see if that helps.

I too was eating around 1200 calories per day, all healthy foods...and not really losing weight. So, I dropped it to 900-1100 calories per day. It feels plenty sufficient for me. I work out 3 times per week, doing the elliptical, treadmill, and some weight machines. But, when I gain weight over 7 days of being right around 1000 calories per day...it is getting frustrating.

I make sure I take a multi vitamin, as I read that can help us lose weight. I did have my gallbladder out a few months ago...and I'm wondering if that is the issue. I am 54 yrs old. But, very active. 5'5" and approx. 176 lbs. right now. I was 185 in May, I stopped consuming around mid May caffiene and sugar, and dropped 2 lbs...but felt so much better. So I started in June at 183. It is July 6th and I am fluctuating at 176-178...although I was 175, about 10 days ago? Yet, I have not increased my calories, nor have I slacked off in my workouts!?

My husband says, I am losing inches, and look better...but I never measured...yet certainly clothes fit better. But, I seem to have stopped where I am at! And, I want to get to 150! I log every day, and am very conscious of what I am eating. I review the summary to check the fat, cholesterol, and sugar contents...and am usually in the guidelines or under.

I am trying to eat smaller meals, and just more often....but my tummy seems so bloated. Some days it seems flatter, and then other days so puffy. I just started including sit ups...lol...which I hate, but doing them on the big bouncing ball makes it easier. I work my waist on the treadmill and elliptical.

I thought maybe I wasn't getting enough fat, for things to work right? I am usually so far under my goal number.
I am in menopause, and take hormone therapy. All these affect ability to lose weight I guess. Except I am so active...
and with healthy eating I should be losing something after a week....a 1/2 lb...at least!

I drink water all day....I think at least 10 -12 cups. That is pretty much the only thing I drink. Rarely a unsweet tea, or a small glass of wine, like once a week.

I too was eating around 1200 calories per day, all healthy foods...and not really losing weight. So, I dropped it to 900-1100 calories per day. It feels plenty sufficient for me.

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THIS IS NOT RECOMMENDED.

I'm the same height as the OP, and I started out 10 lbs heavier at 230. MFP tells me I should be eating 1800 cal/day (I started at 1950 but after losing 20 lbs I lowered it slightly). So OP is definitely not getting enough to eat, especially considering the workouts. Since you have MFP, go by their recommendations and see what happens. I lost 20 lbs in 3 months. It would have been more but there have been a few birthday parties and other events I've binged on in the last few weeks (LOL)

So much bad information in this thread.


OP open your diary so we can see what you're actually logging. Do you use a scale to log?

Here's a good read for you.

http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/fat-loss/why-big-caloric-deficits-and-lots-of-activity-can-hurt-fat-loss.html

cheers lift, i hadn't heard some of that stuff before about teeth, reading her site now.

Do this and you *will* lose weight:

1) Eat mostly to get the nutrition your body needs, and less for enjoyment. Establish a healthful diet and find pleasure in other things.

2) Three meals a day: breakfast, lunch, and dinner. That's it. No snacks, and no "in between" meals.

3) Give up sugar. No sugar in coffee, soda, or on cereal. Give up fruit juice -- it's mainly just another form of sugar. Water is the only liquid you need.

4) In the beginning, establish a very regulated moderate calorie diet. Don't follow any sort of fad. Just pick a selection of foods that add up to a normal balanced diet -- whole grains, veggies, fruit, dairy, a little meat, etc. But start out by having exactly the same three meals each day -- the same foods and the same amounts. Weigh the portions on a scale. Consider frozen dinners. Healthy Choice, Lean Cuisine, Kashi, Smart Ones, and probably other brands have several that are low in calories and saturated fat, 25% daily value or less of sodium, and high in fiber.

5) Weigh yourself every day on a 0.2 lb. accuracy scale. Your weight should go down over every two or three days. If it doesn't, eliminate items from your diet or reduce the size of portions until your weight does go down. (If you don't have a 0.2 lb. accuracy scale, I'd recommend the EatSmart Precision Plus Digital Scale, which is sold on Amazon.) Don't obsess over the scale — let it be your friend and point the way to a weight losing diet.

6) When you have achieved a weight losing diet, then you can start making adjustments to add variety, but make sure that you keep losing weight.

7) Maintain your exercise program.