Eating a low cal diet and not losing weight - help!
abby20x
Posts: 5
This is the first time I've been on here so please don't yell at me if I'm doing something obviously wrong! I quit smoking a few months ago and put on half a stone and I cannot shift it! I found smoking worked as a diuretic and now I don't do it I've noticed a difference if you see what I mean so I think I need more fibre but I've no idea how to get this in my diet!
Mon - Fri I am eating less than 1200 cals a day and I am exercising a couple times a week. Plus I am concerned that I am not getting much goodness - when I put in what I eat I don't seem to be getting much vitamins/fibre/iron etc.
Here's what I'd normally eat:
Weetabix
chicken salad/homemade soup
omelette with beans/meat and veg
Any advice really grateful for!
Mon - Fri I am eating less than 1200 cals a day and I am exercising a couple times a week. Plus I am concerned that I am not getting much goodness - when I put in what I eat I don't seem to be getting much vitamins/fibre/iron etc.
Here's what I'd normally eat:
Weetabix
chicken salad/homemade soup
omelette with beans/meat and veg
Any advice really grateful for!
0
Replies
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YOu need to atleast eat your BMR or else your body won't be able to function properly. Weight loss is a lifestyle change. Yes you might want to lose weight quickly, but you still need to take care of yourself.0
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Have a look through the forums for information about TDEE and BMR. Once you understand what these are all about you'll know how many calories you should be eating each day.
Fruit and veg are fantastic for fibre. Make sure you eat plenty, especially veg.0 -
My BMR is about 1300 and the TDEE 1500 - so does that mean I need to eat 1300 cals? Would I still lose weight though? x0
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Your foods are not unhealthy, but you might want to add in a few snacks if you are getting hungry - things like more fruit, cheese (mini babybel light are only 40 cal each!), a few nuts.
What is working for me is:
1. Set to sedentary (I have a desk job so I don't "accidentally" exercise, I have to make an effort!) and eat back exercise calories - be realistic about the effort you're putting in and you should find MFP estmates work fine. Its if you dawdle round the shops and put it down as "walking briskly" you'll run into difficulties.
2. Weigh your food - especially things like pasta, or veg such as corn and peas or "loose" cereal (weetabix is easy!!) and log it accurately.
And that's it really! it can be as difficult or as easy as you make it. I like to make it easy.
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You are here on MFP so follow the MFP guidance.
1200 is the MINIMUM you should be eating, so if you haven't reached 1200 cals by the end of the day then you eat some more to get up to that target.
MFP is also set up with a deficit already built in so you should lose weight eating 1200 and not exercising. Therefore when you exercise you need to fuel those workouts and eat back your exercise calories.
In terms of your meal plan, you could try getting more protein in at breakfast, although your lunch and dinner look fine.0 -
Yes, you need to eat 1300 cals at the bare minimum, Your BMR is what your body spends just being you. Your TDEE takes your activity level into account and adds to it. If you're not even meeting your BMR, your body will start to slow your metabolism down in response to the fact that it has to make due on so little.
You're not losing weight now, and you can't safely drop cals anymore, so please up them! You will start to lose, but at only around a 200 cal deficit, it will be slow. I would try adding more exercise or movement in general to up your TDEE some (take walks if you're not into exercising more). This combined with more healthy food choices should really help.
More fiber comes from more fruits and veggies. Find ways to incorporate these in snacks and meals. But tomatoes and lettuce on your chicken salad. Make your soups with different veggies. Try carrots and celery with hummus for a snack. Try to stay away from processed stuff if you can (sounds like you're doing a pretty good job of that already).
Good luck!!0 -
You might have hit a plateau, which means you'll just have to wait until you over the plateau. Also if you're eating less than 1200 calories, you might be putting your body into starvation mode for some of the day. You gotta eat enough to keep your metabolism going at a good rate.0
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Yes, you need to eat 1300 cals at the bare minimum...
Exactly--I think of BMR as Bare Minimum Required. After subtracting calories burned in exercise, I always make sure I am at least at my BMR by eating up to it (if I have dropped below).0 -
Sorry to jump in but according to this site: http://thefitgirls.com/tdee-calculator.aspx my BMR is 2500. thats an insane number of calories where as my TDEE is 3000. Surely i cant be expected to eat 2.5k calories a day. that just sounds wrong (though its probably right.) I mean 1700 i might be able to magae but 2500 is a bit far from my reach unless i start eating silly foods....0
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<
eats between 2200 and 2500 cals per day to lose fat.Sorry to jump in but according to this site: http://thefitgirls.com/tdee-calculator.aspx my BMR is 2500. thats an insane number of calories where as my TDEE is 3000. Surely i cant be expected to eat 2.5k calories a day. that just sounds wrong (though its probably right.) I mean 1700 i might be able to magae but 2500 is a bit far from my reach unless i start eating silly foods....0 -
<
eats between 2200 and 2500 cals per day to lose fat.Sorry to jump in but according to this site: http://thefitgirls.com/tdee-calculator.aspx my BMR is 2500. thats an insane number of calories where as my TDEE is 3000. Surely i cant be expected to eat 2.5k calories a day. that just sounds wrong (though its probably right.) I mean 1700 i might be able to magae but 2500 is a bit far from my reach unless i start eating silly foods....
However Fitnesspal say that i should stick to 1720 calories. So im a little confused. the app and site say stick to 1720, the BRM says 2500... which do i follow?
Sorry about the silly questions, just really eager to lose weight. And im doing what i can and readn up changing what i can to make sure i do just that.0 -
<
eats between 2200 and 2500 cals per day to lose fat.Sorry to jump in but according to this site: http://thefitgirls.com/tdee-calculator.aspx my BMR is 2500. thats an insane number of calories where as my TDEE is 3000. Surely i cant be expected to eat 2.5k calories a day. that just sounds wrong (though its probably right.) I mean 1700 i might be able to magae but 2500 is a bit far from my reach unless i start eating silly foods....
However Fitnesspal say that i should stick to 1720 calories. So im a little confused. the app and site say stick to 1720, the BRM says 2500... which do i follow?
Sorry about the silly questions, just really eager to lose weight. And im doing what i can and readn up changing what i can to make sure i do just that.
MFP gives you 1720 but this is WITHOUT excerise. Add in exercise calories which you should be eating back and your total food intake will probably be nearer 2500, assuming you are highly active, whcih your TDEE suggests you are.
With the TDEE method you do NOT eat back exercise calories so your total food intake is 2500 every day.
Both methods will equate to the same amount of food intake, it's just a different way of looking at it.0 -
You might have hit a plateau, which means you'll just have to wait until you over the plateau. Also if you're eating less than 1200 calories, you might be putting your body into starvation mode for some of the day. You gotta eat enough to keep your metabolism going at a good rate.
no, eating 1000 calorie a day is not starvation mode. Eating nothing for 72+ hours starts to put your body into starvation mode, but you are not in starvation mode until your body turns on itself for energy.
You may have metabolic slowdown from underrating..but you will not be in starvation mode.0 -
I have a medical condition so my metabolism isn't average. All the BMR and TDEE calculators work on averages, but, in the end what matters is energy in, metabolism and energy out.
The numbers we get from these calculators are based on averages, but in reality "normal" isn't an exact number, it is really a "range". Teachers sometimes grade on a bell curve. The Bell curve, or gausian or normal curve is a tool math people use to figure out what to expect. About 66% of items are going to be within +- 1 standard deviation of the average of a normal curve. Probably lost some people there....but, what it means is that no two people are exactly the same so the averages don't work for everyone and that normal is a range that runs from one end of a bell curve to the other end. Normal isn't an exact number like we get with these calculators.
My suggestion is to try eating the amount of calories MyFitnessPal suggests for 2 weeks. If you don't lose a pound or two, stick with the calorie limit and add exercise. Try another two weeks and if that doesn't work keep switching up exercises until something works. You may find that what works for you is low intensity cardio or high intensity strength training. People are different, try different things.
If you want a diuretic and you don't have high blood pressure try dandelion root.0 -
Fitness pal tells me to eat 1200 cals a day when I put in all my details so I will give that a bash! I do exercise a couple of times a week - body pump and metafit plus the odd run.
"If you want a diuretic and you don't have high blood pressure try dandelion root."
Dandelion root? Should I go for the tea or capsule?0 -
What are you putting in as your ideal weight loss every week? I bet you've said 2lb.
With only 7lb to lose you don't need a dramatic calorie deficit to lose weight. Too high and you will stall, just as you have. You should be aiming for 1/2lb a week.0 -
Yeah I put in 2lbs! I've 3 weeks to shift this before holiday!! :-) Is that going to be impossible?0
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My understanding is that either capsules or tea made with dandelion root will work, I use the capsules when I am worried about water weight and my blood pressure is good. I am careful with them though.0
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How much food should you eat? MyFitnessPal tells you 1200 calories a day.
I would suggest listing all of your activities for a few days. The I would suggest using Cancer.gov,
http://riskfactor.cancer.gov/tools/atus-met/met.php?major[]=02&keywords=&metval_min=&metval_max=#search_tables ,
to figure out the MET value of all of your activities. Once you know your activities and the MET you can calculate your average MET and then calculate your daily calorie needs.
Say your average MET is 1.3 (That is what mine is) the equation would be:
1440 X ((1.3 [MET] X 3.5 [Oxygen constant] X weight in kilos)/200) Say your weight is 110lbs or 50 kilos, 1440 X( (1.3*3.5*55)/200). If your weight is 110 and your average MET is 1.3 your caloric requirements would be 1,638. If you want to lose 1 pound a week you need to multiply 1,638 X 7 and subtract 4,000 and then divide by 7. 11, 466 - 4000=7466. 7,466/7= 1066
Eating under 1,200 calories a day could be dangerous to someone's health so MFP will not recommend a caloric intake of under 1,200 and neither will anyone else.
The math isn't hard to work out, but, you would have to do it yourself depending on your own weight.
On top of that, the equation assumes that your metabolism is "average" and no one has an "average" metabolism, they have a "normal" metabolism. I could get into explaining that "normal" is a range defined by a bell curve or a gausian curve or a normal curve, but, this post is already really long so...0 -
How much food should you eat? MyFitnessPal tells you 1200 calories a day.
Say your average MET is 1.3 (That is what mine is) the equation would be:
1440 X ((1.3 [MET] X 3.5 [Oxygen constant] X weight in kilos)/200) Say your weight is 110lbs or 50 kilos, 1440 X( (1.3*3.5*55)/200). If your weight is 110 and your average MET is 1.3 your caloric requirements would be 1,638. If you want to lose 1 pound a week you need to multiply 1,638 X 7 and subtract 4,000 and then divide by 7. 11, 466 - 4000=7466. 7,466/7= 1066
The math isn't hard to work out, but, you would have to do it yourself depending on your own weight.
On top of that, the equation assumes that your metabolism is "average" and no one has an "average" metabolism, they have a "normal" metabolism. I could get into explaining that "normal" is a range defined by a bell curve or a gausian curve or a normal curve, but, this post is already really long so...
I'm so bad at maths! - I weigh 120lbs - I jog for half an hour 3 times a week and do one weights class and 1/2 HIT classes... So would 1200 calories be about right daily? I'm really slightly built so anything over 8 stone isn't great for my frame. I'm a size 10 if I stay under 8 stone.0
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