Not losing weight - need help and advice! Please
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So, you probably chose 2 pounds a week to have been set at 1200 calories. I recommend you set it for 1 pound per week and eat back some exercise calories.
Or eat at TDEE - 20% and do not worry about eating extra exercise calories.
Using one of the many TDEE calculators I get this:
BMR: 1695 (the amount you need for basic body functions if you stayed in bed)
TDEE: 2627 (the amount where you would maintain your current weight, not gain or lose)
TDEE-20%: 2102 (this would result in about 1 pound a week loss)
This. If you've been a lifelong dieter, I'm guessing you've done the same diet (1200 calories, often under) at least a few times and it either hasn't worked or it works for a little while but it's not sustainable. Why not try the TDEE-20% method for a month or two? Remember, you can always go back to what you're doing now. (I'd bet that TDEE-20% will work much better for you and you won't go back to starving, but it may be less scary to keep in the back of your mind that you're just trying something different and you can always change again).
Try upping your calories, slowly and in a controlled way, and see what happens. If you have a history of disordered eating, jumping from 1000 to 1800-2000 suddenly could really trigger you, but walking up 100 calories/day/week might not. The fear is probably that you'll suddenly gain a ton of weight, but that won't happen. If you go slow, pay attention and monitor it, you can make little adjustments along the way.0 -
Just so you know, based on your food diary you're not quite eating paleo...Paleo would be absolutely no grains (at all, including rye, wheat, corn, barely and rice), avoiding processed foods, and no legumes (soy, peanuts, beans).0
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You are not logging consistently. On the days you do log, it appears that there may be a lot missing.
What do you drink? Do you use condiments? Do you weigh and measure everything?
I agree your goal should not be 1200 calories but before you start upping you calories, you need to know how much you are really eating. If you are gaining weight, you are eating too much.
I can't stress enough the importance of logging everything and logging accurately.0 -
I can't stress enough the importance of logging everything and logging accurately.
Yes, this too. Should put in signature "advice above assumes accurate logging".0 -
Just so you know, based on your food diary you're not quite eating paleo...and if you are eating paleo, you definitley need to adjust your macros accordingly!
Not quite is an understatement. Although from reading the OP I assumed they had tried Paleo in January and assumed from the diary they are no longer following it.
If you do choose to do Paleo, you may want to look into the Whole 30. It will at least give you good guidelines on how to portion your food to ensure you are eating enough and balanced. It is not meant to go with calorie counting although it is calorie restriction in itself.0 -
I write down what I eat. My husband is paleo, so besides the morning bar, anything else in the house falls under that. Its sometimes easier to carry a notebook and write it down than it is to log it sometimes.0
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but I am not built to be that small.
no doubt! I am taller than you and there's no way I'd even be a "Gap" 6 at 170. So yeah, either serious metabolic issue or not counting right. By all means, try some of the methods (TDEE etc) suggested but I would absolutely look into how you are arriving at your calorie count for what you are eating. At the stats you are giving you should lose on 1600 a day even if you stayed in bed all day, nevermind the 1200 you claim you are eating with the exercise you claim you are doing.0 -
Welcome to the wonderful world of MFP! The place that will tell you that if you are not losing weight at 1200 calories, magically increasing to 1500 will suddenly result in weight loss. BS! Eating more is ridiculous advice. If you are not in a deficit at 1200, you wont be in one at 1500. And you wont lose weight. Period!
Find out what is going on with your metabolism and get your RMR/BMR tested. If there is an issue, discuss the results with a dietician, nutrionalist, or professional and develop a plan that works for YOU. If there is nothing wrong, you have peace of mind and should re work how you are counting calories and exercise numbers. And don't start "eating back" your exercise calories. You don't burn 200 calories and then get to eat a Twinkie as a tradeoff. Consider calorie burning a bonus that will contribute to additional weight loss.0 -
And to the person that said I was closer to 50% body fat, you are wrong. I'm closer to 40%. Trust me I checked. And if I go under 170, then I look like Dolly Parton, which is not the "look" I am going for.0
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And I came on here to get help, no to defend myself. Apparently I need to post my receipt for my gym membership, but even if I did that someone would come up with "But you have to go". And I do.
If you dont have anything to contribute, then please, dont.
This started off helpful, but some of you are not being nice.0 -
And to the person that said I was closer to 50% body fat, you are wrong. I'm closer to 40%. Trust me I checked. And if I go under 170, then I look like Dolly Parton, which is not the "look" I am going for.
lol I'll give you this - that's NOT a good look. Dolly could use a few pounds... in addition to the pounds which are already clearly ample in certain areas.
Please look at the last few replies and listen to what they're saying. And very best of luck to you.0 -
Welcome to the wonderful world of MFP! The place that will tell you that if you are not losing weight at 1200 calories, magically increasing to 1500 will suddenly result in weight loss. BS! Eating more is ridiculous advice. If you are not in a deficit at 1200, you wont be in one at 1500. And you wont lose weight. Period!
Find out what is going on with your metabolism and get your RMRBMR tested. If there is an issue, discuss the results with a dietician, nutrionalist, or professional and develop a plan that works for YOU. If there is nothing wrong, you have peace of mind and should re work how you are counting calories and exercise numbers. And don't start "eating back" your exercise calories. You don't burn 200 calories and then get to eat a Twinkie as a tradeoff. Consider calorie burning a bonus that will contribute to additional weight loss.
I'm sorry. Where are you reading that someone said she should eat a Twinkie?0 -
I write down what I eat. My husband is paleo, so besides the morning bar, anything else in the house falls under that. Its sometimes easier to carry a notebook and write it down than it is to log it sometimes.
When you write it down, do you add up the calories? Where do you get the info?
How do you measure you food?
Paleo food does not equal automatic weight loss. The paleo diet is supposed to consist of balanced meals with a protein, fat and veggies/fruit. The combination of these help to satiate and keep you full. That plus the restriction of other foods tends to put people in a calorie deficit without counting calories. It doesn't work like that if you just eat paleo foods. There are quite a number of paleo foods that are quite high in calories.0 -
Welcome to the wonderful world of MFP! The place that will tell you that if you are not losing weight at 1200 calories, magically increasing to 1500 will suddenly result in weight loss. BS! Eating more is ridiculous advice. If you are not in a deficit at 1200, you wont be in one at 1500. And you wont lose weight. Period!
Find out what is going on with your metabolism and get your RMRBMR tested. If there is an issue, discuss the results with a dietician, nutrionalist, or professional and develop a plan that works for YOU. If there is nothing wrong, you have peace of mind and should re work how you are counting calories and exercise numbers. And don't start "eating back" your exercise calories. You don't burn 200 calories and then get to eat a Twinkie as a tradeoff. Consider calorie burning a bonus that will contribute to additional weight loss.
This is BS. MFP is set up to eat back your calories, or a least a portion of them. It doesn't mean you eat a twinkie, although you can.0 -
Ha, ha! No, I dont want the twinkie. But thank you!
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And I came on here to get help, no to defend myself. Apparently I need to post my receipt for my gym membership, but even if I did that someone would come up with "But you have to go". And I do.
If you dont have anything to contribute, then please, dont.
This started off helpful, but some of you are not being nice.
No one is trying to be unkind. The first few replies told you what you wanted to hear, but were not accurate. It really is this simple - you can not gain weight if you are at a calorie deficit. Since you report that you gained weight, something is awry. That's all anyone is saying. Either you're not recording accurately (which is really common and very easy to do) or there is something unusual about your metabolism. It simply is not possible for a normal person your size to gain weight at the calorie level you are reporting. You're BMR should be higher than that.
Then when you report a history of anorexia, it makes giving advice that much more complicated. It's not being unhelpful to say you should see a professional under those circumstances. It's being prudent.
However, as has been said several times, it's very likely you're not reporting accurately. No one is calling you a liar. If you have a few minutes, watch this. I, and a lot of others, found it really enlightening.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KA9AdlhB18o 0 -
Welcome to the wonderful world of MFP! The place that will tell you that if you are not losing weight at 1200 calories, magically increasing to 1500 will suddenly result in weight loss. BS! Eating more is ridiculous advice. If you are not in a deficit at 1200, you wont be in one at 1500. And you wont lose weight. Period!
Find out what is going on with your metabolism and get your RMRBMR tested. If there is an issue, discuss the results with a dietician, nutrionalist, or professional and develop a plan that works for YOU. If there is nothing wrong, you have peace of mind and should re work how you are counting calories and exercise numbers. And don't start "eating back" your exercise calories. You don't burn 200 calories and then get to eat a Twinkie as a tradeoff. Consider calorie burning a bonus that will contribute to additional weight loss.
I'm sorry. Where are you reading that someone said she should eat a Twinkie?
A shot at the people who continually spread the nonsense to "eat back your calories". And who constantly use exercise as a trade off to eat more food. Don't eat a Twinkie, a Ding Dong, or a Ho Ho. Stick to your deficit and consider exercise a bonus.0 -
Welcome to the wonderful world of MFP! The place that will tell you that if you are not losing weight at 1200 calories, magically increasing to 1500 will suddenly result in weight loss. BS! Eating more is ridiculous advice. If you are not in a deficit at 1200, you wont be in one at 1500. And you wont lose weight. Period!
Find out what is going on with your metabolism and get your RMRBMR tested. If there is an issue, discuss the results with a dietician, nutrionalist, or professional and develop a plan that works for YOU. If there is nothing wrong, you have peace of mind and should re work how you are counting calories and exercise numbers. And don't start "eating back" your exercise calories. You don't burn 200 calories and then get to eat a Twinkie as a tradeoff. Consider calorie burning a bonus that will contribute to additional weight loss.
This is BS. MFP is set up to eat back your calories, or a least a portion of them. It doesn't mean you eat a twinkie, although you can.
To add to this, a dietician uses the TDEE formula which account for BMR, plus daily activity AND anticipated exercise. They don't give you an extra 200 calories for working out because they already figured it in your daily goal.
MFP figures your BMR and daily activity but does not factor in exercise, which is why they log it and tell you to eat it back.
If you are doing the math correctly and choosing the right goals, you find yourself in pretty much the same spot. It all averages out over the week.0 -
eat more0
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Welcome to the wonderful world of MFP! The place that will tell you that if you are not losing weight at 1200 calories, magically increasing to 1500 will suddenly result in weight loss. BS! Eating more is ridiculous advice. If you are not in a deficit at 1200, you wont be in one at 1500. And you wont lose weight. Period!
Find out what is going on with your metabolism and get your RMRBMR tested. If there is an issue, discuss the results with a dietician, nutrionalist, or professional and develop a plan that works for YOU. If there is nothing wrong, you have peace of mind and should re work how you are counting calories and exercise numbers. And don't start "eating back" your exercise calories. You don't burn 200 calories and then get to eat a Twinkie as a tradeoff. Consider calorie burning a bonus that will contribute to additional weight loss.
I'm sorry. Where are you reading that someone said she should eat a Twinkie?
A shot at the people who continually spread the nonsense to "eat back your calories". And who constantly use exercise as a trade off to eat more food. Don't eat a Twinkie, a Ding Dong, or a Ho Ho. Stick to your deficit and consider exercise a bonus.
That might be fine if you have a moderate calorie goal to begin with and don't do a lot of exercise, but for those who are very active, it is not good advice. It is even worse for those with very low calorie goals and are very active. 1000 calorie exercise deficit is not a good bonus when you are already at a 1000 calorie eating deficit.
MFP is designed that way for a reason.0
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