I'm not sure my 1200 calorie diet is working

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Replies

  • AllonsYtotheTardis
    AllonsYtotheTardis Posts: 16,947 Member
    More exercise?

    I've been on 1200 or less for almost two months (I've only been here for a week). I have lost steadily, about 3 - 4 lbs a week. But I burn as many calories as I eat so my body is using my fat for energy, not the food I put into it.

    you aren't doing your metabolism any favors.
  • TeaBea
    TeaBea Posts: 14,517 Member
    More exercise?

    I've been on 1200 or less for almost two months (I've only been here for a week). I have lost steadily, about 3 - 4 lbs a week. But I burn as many calories as I eat so my body is using my fat for energy, not the food I put into it.

    You do realize your body burns calories from just being alive, right? Not only from exercise...

    Yes, and if I don't put them in my body it's burning stored fat.

    What IF you are burning as much muscle as fat? Your body cannot get every single nutrient it needs from fat. Burning lots of muscle mass is a quick way to lose pounds ..... but as poster above stated .... you are not doing your metabolism any favors.

    Muscle burns calories at rest ...... healthy weight loss helps you hold onto LEAN muscle.......
  • kimmymayhall
    kimmymayhall Posts: 419 Member
    1. Do not weigh yourself every day if you cannot handle the regular fluctuations in weight.
    2. The weight you lost at the begining was likely water weight and not much fat.
    3. You are not eating enough. With only 20 lbs to lose the goal should be to lose 1/2 lb. a week. You probably want to go faster, but with less to lose it goes slower. I really suggest you figure out your TDEE and eat at a reasonable deficit of that.

    Annecdote: I am your height, started out a little heavier than you and am now at your goal weight. I started out eating 1200 and lost weight for a couple months before I became so cranky and tired with very little energy to work out. I slowly upped calories until I decided on TDEE-15% I was much happier and healthier in losing the weight and I hope you are, too. And if you are not doing so already, LIFT HEAVY THINGS!

    Also, if you insist on eating lower calories please pay attention to your macros and micros. It is very difficult to get all your vitamins, minerals, protein, and essential fat when you are eating much fewer than normal calories and you could be damaging your body in ways that you might not see for while.
  • diannethegeek
    diannethegeek Posts: 14,776 Member
    More exercise?

    I've been on 1200 or less for almost two months (I've only been here for a week). I have lost steadily, about 3 - 4 lbs a week. But I burn as many calories as I eat so my body is using my fat for energy, not the food I put into it.

    You do realize your body burns calories from just being alive, right? Not only from exercise...

    Yes, and if I don't put them in my body it's burning stored fat.

    Your body also finds those calories it needs by burning stored muscle, including important muscles like your heart. The larger the deficit you create the more likely your body will break down your lean muscle mass. That's why it's so important to lose weight slowly, eat plenty of protein, and exercise. You want to encourage your body to burn fat and discourage it from taking your muscle. It doesn't sound like your routine is doing that.
  • mreeves261
    mreeves261 Posts: 728 Member
    I'd like to hear more about the saffron extract...

    I also think your calories are probably too low, but that's because I just bumped my calorie intake to 1300 from 1200 and I phsically feel better when I eat a little more. You have a calorie goal of 1200 but you are not even taking that in, so my guess is that your body wants everything you put in and isn't keen on giving anything up. You may need to *at least* eat 1200 to keep your body regulated.

    FTR, I am 5'5" and 140, so not too far off from you. My weight fluctuates from 139-143 pretty regularly, so it's totally normal. Water, hormones, sodium...a lot of things can impact weight.

    Don't weight every day. It's a lesson I am learning the hard way since tend to weight myself every 2-3 days.

    this is the saffron extract i use. I first heard about it on Dr. Oz and decided to do some research. The amazon reviews have a lot of mixed reactions. I've been using it for maybe a week and a half and started noticing a difference by the third day. I take is as instructed, once in the morning and evening. It has not only allowed me to eat less, but I've also stopped snacking at work (eating when bored lol). It's really helped me make better food decisions because I'm not craving vending machine snacks. I told a coworker about it and she loves it too.

    But with anything, it may work for some and not for others. I would say if you're curious, just give it a try and see if it helps you. I love it!

    http://www.amazon.com/Rebody-Hunger-Capsules-60-Count/dp/B007BCX1YM/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1368640056&sr=8-4&keywords=saffron+extract

    Placebo Effect!
  • SkyMGray
    SkyMGray Posts: 4
    You need to meet the MINIMUM 1,200 calorie mark. If you don't, you can expect to gain weight since your body goes into starvation mode and stores the food you eat as fat. You may not be exercising during the day and decide that 800 calories is enough, but your BMR is burning calories all the time, even when you sleep. If you're under 1200 calories and don't feel hungry, eat something anyway. Better than gaining weight.
  • SkyMGray
    SkyMGray Posts: 4
    125 isn't too low for someone who is 5'7" with a small frame. I have friends who are 5'7"-5'9"with rather petite frames who weigh 125. Most of them are also very athletic (e.g. swimmers, tennis player, soccer players, etc.) which helps them keep off the fat while building muscle. This girl's picture would indicate a small frame, so I think 125 is completely doable.
  • SkyMGray
    SkyMGray Posts: 4
    You are already at a healthy weight. 125 is too low for someone your height. On top of that you are under-eating. And you didn't lose 4 pounds of fat in one week (fluids and muscle, yes). Even if you could bear to lose another 5-10 pounds, it should take months to lose it, not days. Get real and shift your focus from the number on the scale to HEALTH.

    If this is a serious post, you need to get help.

    125 isn't too low for someone who is 5'7" with a small frame. I have friends who are 5'7"-5'9"with rather petite frames who weigh 125. Most of them are also very athletic (e.g. swimmers, tennis player, soccer players, etc.) which helps them keep off the fat while building muscle. This girl's picture would indicate a small frame, so I think 125 is completely doable.
  • tigersword
    tigersword Posts: 8,059 Member
    More exercise?

    I've been on 1200 or less for almost two months (I've only been here for a week). I have lost steadily, about 3 - 4 lbs a week. But I burn as many calories as I eat so my body is using my fat for energy, not the food I put into it.

    You do realize your body burns calories from just being alive, right? Not only from exercise...


    Yes, and if I don't put them in my body it's burning stored fat.
    False, it's burning mostly muscle. Your body can only liberate a relatively small amount of energy from fat per day, the rest comes from protein through muscle catabolization and gluconeogenesis.
  • yarwell
    yarwell Posts: 10,477 Member
    False, it's burning mostly muscle. Your body can only liberate a relatively small amount of energy from fat per day, the rest comes from protein through muscle catabolization and gluconeogenesis.

    yet countless studies show substantial fat loss at rates many times higher than the loss of fat free mass ?
  • tigersword
    tigersword Posts: 8,059 Member
    False, it's burning mostly muscle. Your body can only liberate a relatively small amount of energy from fat per day, the rest comes from protein through muscle catabolization and gluconeogenesis.

    yet countless studies show substantial fat loss at rates many times higher than the loss of fat free mass ?
    At starvation levels?
  • Synchronicity
    Synchronicity Posts: 82 Member
    Your initial loss wasn't all fat (mostly water, probably) and your gain probably wasn't fat either (yes, probably water for the most part).

    There are so, so, so many factors that can contribute to a 4 lb overnight weight gain. Hormones, sodium, changing your workout regimen, changing medication or supplements... to gain 4 lbs of fat you'd have to have 14,000 extra calories. To lose 4lbs of fat you'd have to have a deficit of 14,000 calories.

    1200 calories is probably too few, though - it is usually better to shoot for losing 1 -1.5 lbs a week, using the scale as a tool to gauge your average weight loss over months, rather than an indication of how well you did the day before.

    This.
  • Mischievous_Rascal
    Mischievous_Rascal Posts: 1,791 Member
    1200 calories is WAY too low - according to Scooby's (see link below) you should be eating more like 1800 calories (given that i don't know all your information i assumed some of the things, other than your age, weight and height)

    http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/

    This calculator works the best for me, too. I'm shorter than you and more active, but I'm still losing on 2300-2400 daily and . Don't set yourself up for failure by setting your goals too aggressively and/or just accepting a computer default number. Great job on starting and asking for help so quickly, though. That's how you get to where you want to go!
  • fbmandy55
    fbmandy55 Posts: 5,263 Member
    I'd like to hear more about the saffron extract...

    I also think your calories are probably too low, but that's because I just bumped my calorie intake to 1300 from 1200 and I phsically feel better when I eat a little more. You have a calorie goal of 1200 but you are not even taking that in, so my guess is that your body wants everything you put in and isn't keen on giving anything up. You may need to *at least* eat 1200 to keep your body regulated.

    FTR, I am 5'5" and 140, so not too far off from you. My weight fluctuates from 139-143 pretty regularly, so it's totally normal. Water, hormones, sodium...a lot of things can impact weight.

    Don't weight every day. It's a lesson I am learning the hard way since tend to weight myself every 2-3 days.

    this is the saffron extract i use. I first heard about it on Dr. Oz and ....

    That would be your first mistake. Dr Oz is a tv doctor quack. He says anyhting he puts his name on will work.

    True story, a business acquaintance of my told me that his daughter was born without a vital organ. After seeing an episode of Dr Oz talking about how no one could live without it, and how people who lose it do so because of their own bad choices, she contacted the show several times and discussed her story. She wanted to let him know that he was incredibly wrong and asked him to retract his statement... She was one of the first people in the country to have a procedure that allowed her to live without the organ.

    Naturally, they didn't agree and started to ignore her.
  • Synchronicity
    Synchronicity Posts: 82 Member
    False, it's burning mostly muscle. Your body can only liberate a relatively small amount of energy from fat per day, the rest comes from protein through muscle catabolization and gluconeogenesis.

    yet countless studies show substantial fat loss at rates many times higher than the loss of fat free mass ?
    At starvation levels?

    A lot depends on whether the person is morbidly obese or not. The morbidly obese can tolerate extreme calorie deficits and do deplete fat stores for energy more efficiently (I think) than a non-obese person. I'm not entirely sure of the biochemical mechanism behind all this. I'd have to do some more research. It's a pretty complicated issue and I'm not sure that the scientific community has the right answer yet... if they do have it, it's buried in a lot of conflicting data.

    HOWEVER, that doesn't mean an extreme diet isn't without substantial risks. No matter how obese you are, no matter how much fat you burn, your body still needs amino acids for protein synthesis (and I'm not talking just muscle mass... every enzyme in your body is a protein). If you are netting zero calories for the day... your body is going to be using the protein you are eating to maintain blood sugar levels. It won't have any to build the enzymes and so on needed for life, so you are going to be pulling from muscle.
  • SillySquirrel2
    SillySquirrel2 Posts: 1
    All of this is good advice!!
    #1- the rule general rule of thumb for how much an average woman should weigh is 100 lbs for 5' + 5 lbs for every additional inch.. @ 5'7" you should be around 135 lbs, no less.....you don't really need to lose more than 10 lbs..... If you are big boned you probably don't need to lose any!!
    #2- Everyone is right, you are eating too little calories for your size 800-1000 calories is way to little. If you eat too little you will break down muscle. This is unhealthy and can affect your heart and other important parts of your body. You need to up your daily calorie intake. Don;t try to lose it all really fast. A good goal would be a 1 lb loss per week. You could eat more per day, and it would be healthier for you over all.
    #3 Don't wiegh your self every day!!! Our weight fluctuates daily depending on all kinds of things, like hormones etc. Once a week is enough to determine if you are on track.
    #4 exercise is important. If you're life is really busy, try to sqeeze it in @ small intervals....like take a 15 min walk on your lunch break at work etc...
    #5 If you are having a hard time and gain instead of loose over a period of time, see a doctor!! There are metabolic reasons for wieght gain, as some of the others have mentioned.
    Good Luck!!

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