Eating 1200 Calories but not losing weight

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  • belletar
    belletar Posts: 14 Member
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    I am 33-- so maybe my metabolism is slower now. In the past I would lose the weight very quickly. Maybe I should increase my intake to 1500?

    Set your goal to half a pound a week. How many calories does it give you?

    Are you weighing all of your food?

    Around 1400. I will get better at weighing. I usually use the mfp estimates.
  • belletar
    belletar Posts: 14 Member
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    I am 5'6 and currently 133-135 pounds. I would like to get down to 128. I have been eating 1200 calories net for the past 4 weeks, and I work out 2-4 times a week. I don't understand why I haven't lost any weight, and why my weight fluctuates by 1-2 during the week. It's very fraustrating and I want to give up. Please help!

    Well, there's your problem. "Net". Yeah, right, you're "netting" 1200 calories.

    You're not "netting" 1200 calories, it's that simple. And maybe you need to be "netting" slightly fewer than 1200 calories, depending on your age.

    I wish people didn't use exercise as a snack generator, an excuse to eat more calories. Because what inevitably happens is that they "totally worked out for, like, an hour and burned 700 calories!!!!", and then proceed to eat 700 calories as their "reward". And then they come here, and just can't understand why their weight loss stalls… :grumble:

    I've struggled with eating back excercise calories, but I keep reading that I will gain weight because my body will go into starvation mode.
  • Siansonea
    Siansonea Posts: 917 Member
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    I am 5'6 and currently 133-135 pounds. I would like to get down to 128. I have been eating 1200 calories net for the past 4 weeks, and I work out 2-4 times a week. I don't understand why I haven't lost any weight, and why my weight fluctuates by 1-2 during the week. It's very fraustrating and I want to give up. Please help!

    I wish people didn't use exercise as a snack generator, an excuse to eat more calories. Because what inevitably happens is that they "totally worked out for, like, an hour and burned 700 calories!!!!", and then proceed to eat 700 calories as their "reward". And then they come here, and just can't understand why their weight loss stalls… :grumble:

    I've seen people claim 1500 calories for an hour of exercise before-- and these weren't Olympic swimmers. :laugh:

    And then they get mad when we point out the obvious flaw in their math. :huh:
  • Mr_Knight
    Mr_Knight Posts: 9,532 Member
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    I have been eating 1200 calories net ...

    Danger Will Robinson, Danger!
  • Siansonea
    Siansonea Posts: 917 Member
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    I am 5'6 and currently 133-135 pounds. I would like to get down to 128. I have been eating 1200 calories net for the past 4 weeks, and I work out 2-4 times a week. I don't understand why I haven't lost any weight, and why my weight fluctuates by 1-2 during the week. It's very fraustrating and I want to give up. Please help!

    Well, there's your problem. "Net". Yeah, right, you're "netting" 1200 calories.

    You're not "netting" 1200 calories, it's that simple. And maybe you need to be "netting" slightly fewer than 1200 calories, depending on your age.

    I wish people didn't use exercise as a snack generator, an excuse to eat more calories. Because what inevitably happens is that they "totally worked out for, like, an hour and burned 700 calories!!!!", and then proceed to eat 700 calories as their "reward". And then they come here, and just can't understand why their weight loss stalls… :grumble:

    I've struggled with eating back excercise calories, but I keep reading that I will gain weight because my body will go into starvation mode.

    Is your BMI in the "very underweight" category? No? Then you're not going to go into "starvation mode" because you had a light dinner. :huh: Funny how people throw around "starvation mode" like it's a real thing your average dieter experiences that will suddenly make them able to gain weight from eating fewer calories than their body expends in a day. You don't have to be Bill Nye to spot the junk science here. :drinker:
  • Levesque_7
    Levesque_7 Posts: 104
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    You 1200 calorie diet might actually be the hindrance, eat clean and eat more calories. Your body might be going into starvation mode due to which, the body starts storing food.

    please dont listen to this, starvation mode is a myth
  • sassabella
    sassabella Posts: 98
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    Probably because you're eating next to nothing and your body is panicking and likely going to go into starvation mode. TDEE now. Go go go.
  • smc864
    smc864 Posts: 570 Member
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    1. Are you weighing your food??
    2. Are you logging EVERYTHING??

    Many people will get on here and tell you that you aren't losing weight because you aren't eating enough. Wrong. If you were truly eating 1200 calories you would be losing weight. Period.

    It is very easy to underestimate calories in. A reasonable goal is 0.5 pounds per week because you don't have much to lose. Be patient and diligent. Weigh everything that goes in your mouth and log it. Coffee creamer, condiments, coffee, supplements, crystal light, all these things can add up and many people don't log them. Are you logging all fruits and vegetables?

    You are not in "starvation mode" after 4 weeks of dieting... but I don't have the energy right now to go into starvation mode nonsense.
  • TigerBite
    TigerBite Posts: 611 Member
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    You're already at a reasonable weight, so it takes a lot of time to lose the last few "vanity pounds." I would suggest having patience and setting your calorie goal to something less aggressive.

    THIS ... and are you weighing ALL of your food? ... Accurate logging is KEY!
  • adgirl618
    adgirl618 Posts: 7 Member
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    I'm always in a rush in the morning too...I'm NOT a morning person. I find ways around it. For example, this weekend I'm going to make a couple of pots of different kinds of soup and then I'll freeze them in individual serving size bags. If I know I'm going to be in a rush I either take it out of the freezer and transfer to fridge the night before or just grab it the day of...if it's in the baggie and you lay it flat to freeze, the plastic will just peel right away from the frozen soup. Toss it in your bowl and defrost then heat. Super easy!

    If you like omelets or egg scrambles with veggies, you can also dice and cook peppers, onions, lean ham or turkey, etc ahead of time. Then in the morning, toss the stuff in a bowl or coffee mug, add some egg beaters or an egg, mix together and either cook for a couple of minutes on the stove or put in the microwave for a few seconds, stirring occasionally.

    Another good options for breakfast - make a breakfast casserole (can even do it in muffin tins) and then freeze the individual portions. Microwave in the morning as needed.
  • Siansonea
    Siansonea Posts: 917 Member
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    I am 5'6 and currently 133-135 pounds. I would like to get down to 128. I have been eating 1200 calories net for the past 4 weeks, and I work out 2-4 times a week. I don't understand why I haven't lost any weight, and why my weight fluctuates by 1-2 during the week. It's very fraustrating and I want to give up. Please help!

    Well, there's your problem. "Net". Yeah, right, you're "netting" 1200 calories.

    You're not "netting" 1200 calories, it's that simple. And maybe you need to be "netting" slightly fewer than 1200 calories, depending on your age.

    I feel like you need to clarify why you are using quotation marks around Netting, because it comes off as you telling someone to actually net less than 1200 calories. Which is ridiculous.

    Really? That's what you got out of that? Fail.

    What I'm trying to demonstrate is that when you introduce "eating back calories to net a calorie deficit", you introduce a huge probability of throwing off your calculation. People always think they're burning more calories than they actually burn, then they eat them all back. Which is the whole point of exercise, right? So you can eat more? So yeah, that half-hour on the stationary bike totally burned 700 calories. Suuuuure. You go with your "net" calories, sweat-to-snack peeps. :drinker:
  • I_Will_End_You
    I_Will_End_You Posts: 4,397 Member
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    I am 5'6 and currently 133-135 pounds. I would like to get down to 128. I have been eating 1200 calories net for the past 4 weeks, and I work out 2-4 times a week. I don't understand why I haven't lost any weight, and why my weight fluctuates by 1-2 during the week. It's very fraustrating and I want to give up. Please help!

    I am the exact same height, and started at the exact same weight. I lost at around 1800, working out for half an hour a day, 5-7 days a week. If you're truly eating 1200 a day, you'd be losing weight. So you're either not weighing and measuring your food, and eating more than you think, or you're over estimating your calorie burns. Use a heart rate monitor, or take about 65% of what MFP tells you you burned. And be patient. It takes awhile when you're already at a healthy weight.
  • beachlover317
    beachlover317 Posts: 2,848 Member
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    Probably because you're eating next to nothing and your body is panicking and likely going to go into starvation mode. TDEE now. Go go go.

    Dr.-Evil-Sarcastic-Right-In-Austin-Powers-Gifs.gif

    Um, no.
  • Mr_Boy
    Mr_Boy Posts: 42 Member
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    How old are you?

    You're not eating near enough, hence no weight loss.

    Have a look into TDEE / IIFYM. 15 - 20% less than your TDEE for weight loss.

    :heart:
    On the other hand, if you pick 5 different books they'll all completely contradict each other on this topic...

    1)How accurate are you in your calorie counting?
    2)How strict are you - 1200 every day or 1200 5 days and 2500 the other 2?
    3)How vigorous are your workouts?
    4)How active/sedentary is your daily life?
    5)Are you eating 1200, or eating 1200 + what you use doing exercise?

    I would suggest working out 2X a week is not that much if you want to lose weight especially since you sounds pretty slender already, but maybe one of my other questions holds some key, like your workout consists of swigging lucozade while standing on a vibration plate ;)
  • kyleekay10
    kyleekay10 Posts: 1,812 Member
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    I am 5'6 and currently 133-135 pounds. I would like to get down to 128. I have been eating 1200 calories net for the past 4 weeks, and I work out 2-4 times a week. I don't understand why I haven't lost any weight, and why my weight fluctuates by 1-2 during the week. It's very fraustrating and I want to give up. Please help!

    Well, there's your problem. "Net". Yeah, right, you're "netting" 1200 calories.

    You're not "netting" 1200 calories, it's that simple. And maybe you need to be "netting" slightly fewer than 1200 calories, depending on your age.

    I feel like you need to clarify why you are using quotation marks around Netting, because it comes off as you telling someone to actually net less than 1200 calories. Which is ridiculous.

    Really? That's what you got out of that? Fail.

    What I'm trying to demonstrate is that when you introduce "eating back calories to net a calorie deficit", you introduce a huge probability of throwing off your calculation. People always think they're burning more calories than they actually burn, then they eat them all back. Which is the whole point of exercise, right? So you can eat more? So yeah, that half-hour on the stationary bike totally burned 700 calories. Suuuuure. You go with your "net" calories, sweat-to-snack peeps. :drinker:

    *I* understand how calories/exercise work. I was asking you to expand on that in case there were lurkers who might misinterpret what you said, since you did indeed suggest that OP should "net" lower than 1,200 calories without any further explanation of what you actually meant.

    I agree with your clarification.
  • smc864
    smc864 Posts: 570 Member
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    You 1200 calorie diet might actually be the hindrance, eat clean and eat more calories. Your body might be going into starvation mode due to which, the body starts storing food.


    Oh. My. God. Seriously?!?!

    This does not happen. This is a myth. This is not reality. This is against the undisputed Laws of Thermodynamics. If you are in caloric deficit your body cannot magically "store" food.

    Please read this:

    http://www.aworkoutroutine.com/starvation-mode/
  • Siansonea
    Siansonea Posts: 917 Member
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    You 1200 calorie diet might actually be the hindrance, eat clean and eat more calories. Your body might be going into starvation mode due to which, the body starts storing food.


    Oh. My. God. Seriously?!?!

    This does not happen. This is a myth. This is not reality. This is against the undisputed Laws of Thermodynamics. If you are in caloric deficit your body cannot magically "store" food.

    Please read this:

    http://www.aworkoutroutine.com/starvation-mode/

    It's like they come out of the woodwork, waving the "starvation mode" flag, like they're being paid by ConAgra. :huh:
  • smc864
    smc864 Posts: 570 Member
    Options
    You 1200 calorie diet might actually be the hindrance, eat clean and eat more calories. Your body might be going into starvation mode due to which, the body starts storing food.


    Oh. My. God. Seriously?!?!

    This does not happen. This is a myth. This is not reality. This is against the undisputed Laws of Thermodynamics. If you are in caloric deficit your body cannot magically "store" food.

    Please read this:

    http://www.aworkoutroutine.com/starvation-mode/

    It's like they come out of the woodwork, waving the "starvation mode" flag, like they're being paid by ConAgra. :huh:

    :laugh: :laugh: :laugh:

    Every time I see a "starvation mode" explanation for one of these threads a jolt goes through my body... Literally. And it's becoming painful :sad:
  • gigglesinthesun
    gigglesinthesun Posts: 860 Member
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    You 1200 calorie diet might actually be the hindrance, eat clean and eat more calories. Your body might be going into starvation mode due to which, the body starts storing food.


    Oh. My. God. Seriously?!?!

    This does not happen. This is a myth. This is not reality. This is against the undisputed Laws of Thermodynamics. If you are in caloric deficit your body cannot magically "store" food.

    Please read this:

    http://www.aworkoutroutine.com/starvation-mode/

    It's like they come out of the woodwork, waving the "starvation mode" flag, like they're being paid by ConAgra. :huh:

    maybe it's a sport, you know, exercise and it burns like a gazillion calories :-)

    realistically OP though double check you are actually netting that low calories. Unless there are medical issues it is user error.

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