Frustrated and in need of help!! :(

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firefoxxie
firefoxxie Posts: 381 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I got back in the groove of wanting to lose weight a month ago. Before my break, I had been eating 1400 calories a day. I had stopped losing weight and stayed at 170 for weeks on end. I thought, maybe I needed a break from counting. I went on vacation, seeing the family for 3 weeks and weighed 185 at the end. I decided to go back to losing weight with the same 1400 calories a day thinking i would lose further but I was wrong. I lost weight up until the same 170# mark.

I decided to do some digging and figure out my problem. I came to the conclusion that I should eat more! So, about 2 weeks ago I did just that. I began zig zagging about 1750 calories a day. A week in, no results. Not even a little gain in weight that I'm supposed to see! My weight would not budge up or down.

Then, this week I've decided to take it up to 1800 calories. In 10 days I have averaged 1875 calories but still nothing! No weight gain or loss!

I don't exercise, except work 4 times a week in a position that requires me to run around constantly for 8 hours.

I'm 21yo at 5'6" and my goal weight is 140

My diary should be open. Let me know if it's not.
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Replies

  • Lozze
    Lozze Posts: 1,917 Member
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    Well from looking at the past two weeks, you're over more often than not. And there were one or two days of not logging. And the days you were over were by a couple of hundred.

    D you weigh your foods or just guess?
  • firefoxxie
    firefoxxie Posts: 381 Member
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    I wasn't weighing(though I'm in the process of getting a scale) I was using measuring cups.
    I started eating more on 10/18
    From 10/18 - 10/24 I was doing zig zag so I was up and down. After that I was trying to stay close to 1800 but allowed myself to go over to see any type of weight change
  • RebeccaBecca26
    RebeccaBecca26 Posts: 45
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    Eating more to loose weight is crap.
    Starvation mode is crap.
    Not logging your food is crap

    I am 26 y/o 5'3 and eat anywhere from 1,000-1,300 calories a day. I AM LOOSING WEIGHT.

    Log your food- be serious about it
    Stop eating enough calories for a man.
    Of course- don't starve yourself.
    Plan your meal ahead of time.
    And perhaps entertain working out in addition to your work.

    *Friend me if you like
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
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    how did you come up with 1800 cals as your 'eating more' figure? MFP? TDEE?
  • Lozze
    Lozze Posts: 1,917 Member
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    It sounds like you've found your maintainence goal (which from your eating is 2000-2200)

    You don't seem to be doing any exercise so it might be worth adding some exercise into your day and keeping the food intake the same.

    Also maybe add some water?
  • firefoxxie
    firefoxxie Posts: 381 Member
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    Eating more to loose weight is crap.
    Starvation mode is crap.
    Not logging your food is crap

    I am 26 y/o 5'3 and eat anywhere from 1,000-1,300 calories a day. I AM LOOSING WEIGHT.

    Log your food- be serious about it
    Stop eating enough calories for a man.
    Of course- don't starve yourself.
    Plan your meal ahead of time.
    And perhaps entertain working out in addition to your work.

    *Friend me if you like
    1. You're shorter than I am
    2. I have been there, done that with the 1k-1.3k calories and it has gotten me no where
    3. Eating 1k - 1.3k would be starving myself
    4. I do plan ahead of time

    Thanks for trying to help though
  • Lozze
    Lozze Posts: 1,917 Member
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    Eating more to loose weight is crap.
    Starvation mode is crap.
    Not logging your food is crap

    I am 26 y/o 5'3 and eat anywhere from 1,000-1,300 calories a day. I AM LOOSING WEIGHT.

    Log your food- be serious about it
    Stop eating enough calories for a man.
    Of course- don't starve yourself.
    Plan your meal ahead of time.
    And perhaps entertain working out in addition to your work.

    *Friend me if you like

    First off, losing. My personal bugbear :-)

    Secondly, how much weight have you lost? You' haven't logged any weight loss in your profile.

    The OP has a lot less to lose then you, therefore the advice will need to be different. And 'eating like a man' is a lot more calories than what she's doing.
  • jeffpettis
    jeffpettis Posts: 865 Member
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    If you weren't losing weight eating more is not the answer. The only thing absolutely "required" for weight loss is a calorie deficit. You have to figure out what your maintenance calories are, and it sounds like you did that if you went for weeks without losing or gaining, then subtract about 20%. If you are not losing, you are not in a deficit, you just have to figure out why. Good luck.
  • firefoxxie
    firefoxxie Posts: 381 Member
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    how did you come up with 1800 cals as your 'eating more' figure? MFP? TDEE?
    I used this calculator: http://www.freedieting.com/tools/calorie_calculator.htm
    I also did TDEE using this: http://iifym.com/tdee-calculator/
    and decided to go above for good measure
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
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    Stop eating enough calories for a man.

    wtf?!
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
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    how did you come up with 1800 cals as your 'eating more' figure? MFP? TDEE?
    I used this calculator: http://www.freedieting.com/tools/calorie_calculator.htm
    I also did TDEE using this: http://iifym.com/tdee-calculator/
    and decided to go above for good measure

    when you say you did your TDEE and then went above, does that mean you're eating more than your TDEE? or that you took a % off your TDEE, but are eating above that!?
  • amy1612
    amy1612 Posts: 1,356 Member
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    Eating more to loose weight is crap.
    Starvation mode is crap.
    Not logging your food is crap

    I am 26 y/o 5'3 and eat anywhere from 1,000-1,300 calories a day. I AM LOOSING WEIGHT.

    Log your food- be serious about it
    Stop eating enough calories for a man.
    Of course- don't starve yourself.
    Plan your meal ahead of time.
    And perhaps entertain working out in addition to your work.

    *Friend me if you like

    Im 25 years old and eat upwards of 2000 calories a day. I'm 5ft2 and I'm not gaining. EMTLW is about eating to support daily activity. If you're working out 1000-1300 calories a day is utter nonsense. I used to do that, and all I got was tired. The OP should do what's best for her, but encouraging someone to do a VLCD is just irresponsible, IMO.
  • SezxyStef
    SezxyStef Posts: 15,268 Member
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    Eating more to loose weight is crap.
    Starvation mode is crap.
    Not logging your food is crap

    I am 26 y/o 5'3 and eat anywhere from 1,000-1,300 calories a day. I AM LOOSING WEIGHT.

    Log your food- be serious about it
    Stop eating enough calories for a man.
    Of course- don't starve yourself.
    Plan your meal ahead of time.
    And perhaps entertain working out in addition to your work.

    *Friend me if you like

    Trust me 1800 calories is not enough for a man....my TDEE is 2000...my husbands is 3800 and my sons is 4300...

    I do however agree with Log your food but use a kitchen scale but that's about it.
  • firefoxxie
    firefoxxie Posts: 381 Member
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    If you weren't losing weight eating more is not the answer. The only thing absolutely "required" for weight loss is a calorie deficit. You have to figure out what your maintenance calories are, and it sounds like you did that if you went for weeks without losing or gaining, then subtract about 20%. If you are not losing, you are not in a deficit, you just have to figure out why. Good luck.
    Using a calculator designed by research group lead by a Dr, I am supposed to eat about 1750 to lose weight in a healthy manner. I was eating below that for a long time(1400) and stood still at 170 for months. If I increased my calories I should have seen an increase in weight if I was out of that deficit. Right? So I eat too little, no change, I eat too much(maybe?) no change.
    Thank you though! I will keep your advise in mind
  • firefoxxie
    firefoxxie Posts: 381 Member
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    how did you come up with 1800 cals as your 'eating more' figure? MFP? TDEE?
    I used this calculator: http://www.freedieting.com/tools/calorie_calculator.htm
    I also did TDEE using this: http://iifym.com/tdee-calculator/
    and decided to go above for good measure

    when you say you did your TDEE and then went above, does that mean you're eating more than your TDEE? or that you took a % off your TDEE, but are eating above that!?
    I took off 20% and ate above that to see what would happen
  • Lozze
    Lozze Posts: 1,917 Member
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    I'd give it at least another month. Your body could be holding onto water weight, there are a number of factors. You're also closer to your goal weight now so it won't be as quick as when you were bigger.
  • firefoxxie
    firefoxxie Posts: 381 Member
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    I'd give it at least another month. Your body could be holding onto water weight, there are a number of factors. You're also closer to your goal weight now so it won't be as quick as when you were bigger.
    You're right, I will do so. I hope I see some kind of change to determine where I am at. Thank you so much for your help :)
  • Lozze
    Lozze Posts: 1,917 Member
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    No problem!

    My advice for change? Measurements, or buy an item of clothing that JUST fits you. Good way to tell if you're getting smaller. I had a pair of jeans that three weeks ago ewe unbearably tight (had to undo th button at work they were so uncomfortable) A week later they were still tight but bearable. So I was devastated when the numbers went up 1.4kg. But the jeans still fit!
  • Phoenix_Warrior
    Phoenix_Warrior Posts: 1,633 Member
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    Honestly, your logging has some missing days, days where you are considerably over your goal, etc. Give it a month logging consistently, I highly suggest buying a digital scale and weighing everything you can. Only use a measuring cup for liquids. Log everything. Good luck!
  • micheleld73
    micheleld73 Posts: 914 Member
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    Keep you calorie goal consistent for about 3 weeks to see what will work. Upping your calories and then zig zagging is not giving you the opportunity to figure out what your calorie intake should be to lose weight. Also, a scale for accuracy is a definite bonus - you may not be accurately recording your calorie intake. Get a cheap pedometer and find out if you really are as active at your job as you think you are. If you're not logging AT LEAST 10,000 steps you definitely need to incorporate some exercise into your day. Everyone is different and no one thing will work for everyone...find what works best for you!!

    Good luck!

    ETA: When you are adding those "sweet perks" make sure you're staying within your macros...if eating it all won't fit, make your portion smaller (for example, half the package of nutter butters instead of all of them...that you have some for later. :wink: ) Also, I noticed you would log the same item but with different title and different calorie count (specifically your honeynut cheerios) Check your box and make sure the recorded macros match what YOU are eating.

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