1200 calories, exercise, but no weight loss!!

sillysquirrel68 · November 2013

I am consistently staying under 1200 calories and exercising daily....usually a Shaun T T25 workout and another 1/2 hour of pilates or strength training. But, I am not losing any weight. I am 5' 5" and 164 lbs. so I definitely have some weight to lose. I know what everyone is going to tell me. I NEED TO EAT MORE!!! How do I do this without gaining weight? I am eating between 1000-1200 calories per day and working out for a burn of 200-400 per day. I am not hungry and begin to get that disgusting, fat feeling when I eat any more. I am not feeling tired throughout the day and I feel that I am very energized for my workouts. I have read a lot of posts on this site and honestly do not know how all of these people are able to eat 1800-2000 calories per day. I love food! But am worried that if I start to eat more I will gain and I refuse to get any bigger than I already am. Any advice???

Bluewatermidwife · November 2013

Eat no fewer than 1200. You said you eat between 1000-1200. You body may be in store/starvation mode.

Brunette122 · November 2013

Eating at 1,000 may be hindering your weight loss. Plus you really should eat back your exercise calories, at least some of them. Don't be scurred

supermodelchic · November 2013

I also have a hard getting to 1500 calories a day, but I try if you are eating 5 small meals a day , healthy ones, you will not gain weight, I try to get at least 300 minutes of cardio a week, I try to stay very active, , shooting for 30 minutes of hard cardio 5 days a week..I eat high protein, low sodium, healthy fats and complex carbs, when I am following my meal plans, you should open up your diary , so people can look and see if you can change things up.. I am 5' 6" 129.. How much weightlifting do you do? The more muscle you have the more calories you burn at a resting rest..

3dogsrunning · November 2013

OVer what period of time are we talking?
How do you measure your food?

Opening your diary would make this a whole lot easier to try to answer.

Francl27 · November 2013

I'm 5'5", 35, 146 lbs now and I've been losing 6 lbs a month eating 1600-1700 calories. My workouts are probably not even as intense as T25 (I walk one hour a day and was doing bodypump twice a week when I was your weight).

Why are you starving yourself? Maybe you should seek some professional help if eating a reasonable amount of food is making you feel disgusting.

Mr_Excitement · November 2013

I expect you're eating more than you think you are. Are you logging every single thing you eat, including snacks, drinks, condiments, etc.?

aggieanne04 · November 2013

Whenever weight loss stalls for me, I eat about 100-150 calories more per day for about a week, then go back to my usual routine. I usually gain a pound or two that week, but then it goes away and takes a few pounds with it the following weeks.

Good luck!

AmyWininger · November 2013

WhenI was eating 1200, I wasn't losing weight. I started eating around 1500, and I started losing some. It's not going to fall off fast, and some weeks may suck and you may not lose any. I've been eating less than 1500 a bit lately and stopped losing again, so I'm trying to stay around 1500. You just have to play around and try different amounts of calories you have per day. Maybe 1400 will work for you. Our bodies are just weird, little quirky things. They're picky sometimes, and we have to figure them out.

Vivian06703188 · November 2013

Are you weighing your food? I agree you are probably eating more than you think. If you don't have a scale use measuring cups. It work pretty well. If you eat one cup servings. I try and walk at least six days a week but due to a disability I can't lift weights or do workout videos. I have lost 42 pounds so far. Some will say what you eat is not important. I disagree because I am eating for a healthy body. So I eat Meats veggies and whole fruits. Limited amounts of whole grain bread but I do eat old fashioned oatmeal with fruit and stevia. You need to open you diary so you can get the assistance you need to move forward. How long have you been trying??

trickduffin · November 2013

http://www.acaloriecounter.com/blog/why-am-i-not-losing-weight/

sillysquirrel68 · November 2013

I opened up my diary. It is not psychological....I love to eat. That is why I am where I am. I just can't eat like I once was able to eat and I have gained about 10-15 lbs over the last 2 years or so. I have read a ton on this website and that is why I know everyone will tell me to eat more, but i don't want to gain weight!! I began changing my habits about a year ago. I started doing Shaun T's Insanity Fast & Furious 20 minute workout everyday but didn't change any eating habits. It changed my body somewhat and I know some things have shifted for the better, but only a 3 lb loss. I started watching my food intake about 2 months ago and began eating yogurt and granola instead of chips and dip, for example, and thought for sure that with some slight changes such as that along with a double workout everyday of 25 minutes T25 and some pilates/sculpting I would see changes, but nothing!! I would love to eat more, but just can't believe that eating more will aid in weight loss!! Help!!

3dogsrunning · November 2013

It looks like you have only been logging since Monday.

How are you measuring your food? Do you log everything? I mean everything.

I would strongly suggested weighing everything you can, measuring the rest, and logging as consistently as possible. Give that a couple of weeks and evaluate from there.

Cindyinpg · November 2013

Are you logging and weighing everything? Granola and yogurt can be every bit as calorie dense as chips and dip. Check out this link about logging accuracy, it is an excellent read:
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/872212-you-re-probably-eating-more-than-you-think

sarahrbraun · November 2013

I bust *kitten* in the gym...I probably eat 2000 calories a day ( I haven't logged in a while). The scale has only moved a few lbs since Feb, but pictures show the real progress!

2/13, 4/13, 9/13 by crochetmom2010, on Flickr

sillysquirrel68 · November 2013

Yes, I measure everything....my granola, my salad dressing, my mayo, my salad, bacon bits, etc.. I just started logging on Monday, but have been counting calories for about a month. I am pretty consistent with 1000-1200. The days I hit 1200 I usually intentionally eat something just to get there. I am not hungry at 1000 calories. And that includes a daily workout. I believe I am logging everything. I did have one bite of cake one day and a sip of my kid's smoothie on another day, but I am typically pretty careful to log everything. How do I add calories without gaining?

sillysquirrel68 · November 2013

YES! I measure practically everything!!

3dogsrunning · November 2013

How?

Hezzietiger1 · November 2013

BS... if you are truly eating 1200 calories and exercising you will lose weight. If you are not losing weight.. u are not eating 1200 calories. End of story. Also if you are 164 lbs at 5'4... there is no change of starvation mode. When your bodyfat hits 10% or so.. there is a chance of starvation mode then.

At a deficit you will ALWAYS lose weight.

sillysquirrel68 · November 2013

Did you gain initially when you added those 300 calories? I don't need it to fall off fast. But, I am not seeing any progress. It just seems to me that since I am working out more than I ever have in my life, I should be losing weight. I am so confused!!

3dogsrunning · November 2013

If the issue is that you can't meet the 1200, change out some things in your diet. Your breakfast is a very low calorie sandwich type thing. Look for another option that has a few more calories, or add a slice of cheese or something.
You eat low fat yogurt, eat the full fat stuff. Swap out any "low calorie", low fat, etc foods for the whole version and the calories will add up quick without adding more food.

sillysquirrel68 · November 2013

It wouldn't be of any benefit to me to lie about my caloric intake. With the fat I have, I hardly think I am in starvation mode.....whatever that means!! Ha!! My food diary is accurate, hence the confusion.

sillysquirrel68 · November 2013

With a measuring cup, a tablespoon, and a scale!!

3dogsrunning · November 2013

To be fair, its hard to say you aren't losing any weight at 1200 when you have only been logging since Monday. Like I said above, keep doing what you are doing and after a couple of weeks, not just 1 or 2, re-evaluate.

p4ulmiller · November 2013

No. No it isn't. Really, it isn't.

jonnythan · November 2013

You appear to have started logging less than one week ago. I presume you started your exercise at the same time.

When you exercise, your body retains water to repair tissues. It is normal to gain a few pounds due to this water retention when you increase or change your exercise routine.

Just keep doing what you're doing, though I would suggest more protein. And more calories overall. I suggest eating back those exercise calories.

Unstoppable_She_Is · November 2013

IMO you are not eating enough calories. Theory is that if you eat in a deficit you will lose weight and if you eat in a surplus you gain, but it's not that simple. I think 1200 calories is the minimum any person should be taking in (without exercise). If you're active, your cals should be higher. I don't believe that you're in starvation mode, but that your body is holding on to those units of energy to keep you functioning. If it were me I'd progressively add calories per week - reverse dieting. Sometimes we need to increase our metabolic capacity and then attempt to cut calories again. I personally don't like MFP's suggested cals because it seems to put most at 1200 calories. I'd use a different calculator and then change my calories on MFP to reflect that. Just my two cents though. Good luck!

Mr_Knight · November 2013

So somewhere around 35-40% body fat. That would put your BMR right around 1300. With a 1.25 multiplier and 150 calories/day in net exercise you're looking at a TDEE of approximately 1750-1800. 20% off of there is about 1400 calories/day. That's less than 1 lb/week - you're going to need to be patient.

One thing is certain - you definitely do not need to be eating more.

Mr_Excitement · November 2013

Be sure to weigh yourself under identical conditions as well. Most people do it first thing in the morning (or... second thing-- after they've used the restroom). My own weight varies by up to 10 pounds over the course of a day. If you're losing a pound a week or so, then it's going to take a while to see a definite change on the scale.

southpaw0 · November 2013

One thing I noticed is a lot of the stuff you eat has a lot of sodium. Sodium retains water in the body. Try eating less packaged food and make a fresh salad or so. Anything you make yourself that is not packaged food is going to have less sodium and more nutrition. If the sodium goes down even though you are in the limits, it may cause you to release some fluids..

Qski · November 2013

Starvation Mode/ Metabolic Slowdown/ Metabolic Damage does actually occur - but it is a far smaller percentage of calorie burning drop than people think it is so it is not responsible for weight loss stalls. [On it's own]

Which is why a lot of people (like this poster above thinks it's a myth). There are, however, a lot of contributing factors that go along with supposed starvation mode while people are dieting that do contribute to the situation and why lots of people believe that it is true. Even if the name is inaccurate and your body is not actually starving, it does significantly slow losses and is not just due to metabolic slow down.

All of the little metabolic shifts together, can actually stall weight loss - and while decreasing calories even more is advised by some - eating better to start off with (ie more and being more aware of the factors that effect how calories are burned by your body) does help.

There is no getting out of the fact that you need to eat at a deficit to lose weight - but eating way less than your deficit can result in your losses stalling because of a fine balance your body is in at the time.

This podcast is great at explaining all the different reasons that your body burns less calories or "slows down to starvation mode" http://impruvism.com/starvation-mode-podcast/

the site is also a great resource for dieting information and all of the articles are based on peer reviewed research and checked for factual accuracies and consistency.

Which is far more useful than the "No. No it isn't. Really, it isn't" above.

1200 calories, exercise, but no weight loss!!

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