1200 Calories and no weight loss

greeneyessmile
greeneyessmile Posts: 5
in Food and Nutrition
Hi there. Am looking for a bit of advice. I've heard a few other people having some trouble on the 1200 calorie / day diet and I seem to be stuck in this loop as well. That's what the MFP app has said I should be at, but I'm not sure how to adjust my eating if this is wrong.

Here's a general breakdown of my fitness and eating habits:

I have a pretty sedentary desk job where I mostly sit from 8-5
I drink 80 oz of water a day - no sugary drinks and no alcohol
I try to go to community centre fitness classes Monday and Wed before work (mostly spinning) and do running and weights on Saturday and Sunday in my own home.
My diet is mostly lean meats (like grilled chicken and fish) and I try to snack on veggies like carrots and bell peppers (no dips)
I have tried to limit my breads and pastas to only every few days because I know I still need some carbs for weights days, but I am not eating a lot of them.

I have been doing this for two months now and have only lost 1 lb (it fluctuates throughout the day with water weight but none of that stays gone).

What am I doing wrong?! :(

Replies

  • cwsreddy
    cwsreddy Posts: 998 Member
    Hi there. Am looking for a bit of advice. I've heard a few other people having some trouble on the 1200 calorie / day diet and I seem to be stuck in this loop as well. That's what the MFP app has said I should be at, but I'm not sure how to adjust my eating if this is wrong.

    Here's a general breakdown of my fitness and eating habits:

    I have a pretty sedentary desk job where I mostly sit from 8-5
    I drink 80 oz of water a day - no sugary drinks and no alcohol
    I try to go to community centre fitness classes Monday and Wed before work (mostly spinning) and do running and weights on Saturday and Sunday in my own home.
    My diet is mostly lean meats (like grilled chicken and fish) and I try to snack on veggies like carrots and bell peppers (no dips)
    I have tried to limit my breads and pastas to only every few days because I know I still need some carbs for weights days, but I am not eating a lot of them.

    I have been doing this for two months now and have only lost 1 lb (it fluctuates throughout the day with water weight but none of that stays gone).

    What am I doing wrong?! :(

    you're probably not eating enough.

    use this calculator instead as MFP's recommendations are really off base quite often. http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/
  • concordancia
    concordancia Posts: 5,320 Member
    Are you measuring and weighing your foods?

    Have you tried weighing yourself once a week, first thing in the morning? Or are you graphing your weight so that you can see what is happening over time? When you talk about the fluctuations throughout the day, it makes me wonder if you are comparing your am results to your am results or you are comparing your previous low to your current high.
  • greeneyessmile
    greeneyessmile Posts: 5
    I'm measuring the amounts of foods I am eating (i.e. cups of veggies, or nuts etc.), but I am not weighing them as I don't have a food scale and don't have the extra budget to buy one.

    I am only counting and recording my am weighs daily, but out of curiosity I have also been weighing myself in the pm to see how much it fluctuates as the day goes on.
  • wonderwoman234
    wonderwoman234 Posts: 551 Member
    What is your current weight and how much are you trying to lose?

    Sounds like you are not eating enough, which can slow your metabolism because your body thinks its starving and starts to conserve fuel by slowing how it metabolizes what you eat. You will lose weight, just not as quickly.
  • greeneyessmile
    greeneyessmile Posts: 5
    I'm currently 160lbs and looking to lose between 30-40 lbs. That being said, I don't care so much about the number on the scale because I know it's not entirely accurate the more muscle I gain.

    I also don't want to over-eat and gain more weight. If I am under eating, should I just be adding in even more veggies and lean meat? I don't eat a lot and am already finding it hard to eat the 1200 calories a day. Adding in more would be so hard considering veggies and lean meat don't add up to a big caloric value.
  • Arranna1212
    Arranna1212 Posts: 143 Member
    Lean meat doesn't add up to a big caloric value? Last time I checked 1 chicken leg was 180 calories and 4 oz of chicken breast was 110.. and 4 oz is like 2 bites of meat. It doesn't seem like you are calculating your calories right. Give this a read too. http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/fat-loss/you-are-not-different.html
  • shannonw0816
    shannonw0816 Posts: 5 Member
    I agree with the others in the fact you aren't eating enough. On the days that you exercise especially a spin class i would have to say that you should be eating at least 1500 calories.
  • littlelite2
    littlelite2 Posts: 6
    Consult your PCP and have them check hormone levels. You could not be producing enough of a thyroid hormone and that'll keep those pounds on.
  • kgeyser
    kgeyser Posts: 22,505 Member
    If you're not weighing your food, you're probably eating more than you think. You could also be overestimating your activity level. If you were truly in a deficit, you would be losing, barring a medical condition.
  • LolBroScience
    LolBroScience Posts: 4,537 Member
    If you're not weighing your food, you're probably eating more than you think. You could also be overestimating your activity level. If you were truly in a deficit, you would be losing, barring a medical condition.

    This. You're more than likely eating much more than you think.

    A food scale isn't expensive. You can find a decent one for $20.
  • thecheesybrie
    thecheesybrie Posts: 47 Member
    http://www.colinmcnulty.com/blog/2011/11/22/a-calorie-is-not-a-calorie-is-not-a-calorie
  • hmrey76
    hmrey76 Posts: 945 Member
    Hi there. Am looking for a bit of advice. I've heard a few other people having some trouble on the 1200 calorie / day diet and I seem to be stuck in this loop as well. That's what the MFP app has said I should be at, but I'm not sure how to adjust my eating if this is wrong.

    Here's a general breakdown of my fitness and eating habits:

    I have a pretty sedentary desk job where I mostly sit from 8-5
    I drink 80 oz of water a day - no sugary drinks and no alcohol
    I try to go to community centre fitness classes Monday and Wed before work (mostly spinning) and do running and weights on Saturday and Sunday in my own home.
    My diet is mostly lean meats (like grilled chicken and fish) and I try to snack on veggies like carrots and bell peppers (no dips)
    I have tried to limit my breads and pastas to only every few days because I know I still need some carbs for weights days, but I am not eating a lot of them.

    I have been doing this for two months now and have only lost 1 lb (it fluctuates throughout the day with water weight but none of that stays gone).

    What am I doing wrong?! :(

    eat more! and read this:

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/974889-in-place-of-a-road-map-short-n-sweet

    I've been doing it this way since the middle of dec and i am down 15lbs.
  • AmyRhubarb
    AmyRhubarb Posts: 6,890 Member
    I'm currently 160lbs and looking to lose between 30-40 lbs. That being said, I don't care so much about the number on the scale because I know it's not entirely accurate the more muscle I gain.
    Not gaining muscle on 1200 a day. :smile:
    I try to go to community centre fitness classes Monday and Wed before work (mostly spinning) and do running and weights on Saturday and Sunday in my own home.
    This does not equal sedentary. No matter what your job is, if you're working out 4 days a week you're not sedentary.

    I would change your settings to at least lightly active (or whatever one step above sedentary is), and if your weekly loss goal is set at 2 lbs a week, change it to 1 lb a week. Not eating enough cals can actually case a stall in weight loss Food is fuel - don't sell your body short by not giving it enough calories to run on.

    Weigh and measure your foods. If you don't have a food scale, get one - it's a good investment and they don't cost much. Totally worth it. And if you truly are having a hard time meeting your 1200 goal, add more calorie dense foods to your day - avocado, nuts and nut butters, cheese, full fat dairy, olive and coconut oils, start dipping those veggies in some good hummus, etc.
  • paperpudding
    paperpudding Posts: 9,304 Member
    ^^^ spammer reported.
  • jenilla1
    jenilla1 Posts: 11,118 Member
    If you're not weighing your food, you're probably eating more than you think. You could also be overestimating your activity level. If you were truly in a deficit, you would be losing, barring a medical condition.

    This. You're more than likely eating much more than you think.

    A food scale isn't expensive. You can find a decent one for $20.

    I bought my first scale for $5 and it worked just fine.
  • GeordieGirl80s
    GeordieGirl80s Posts: 120 Member
    I totally agree that you are not eating enough. It took me ages to get my head around the idea of needing to eat more to lose weight but when I upped my intake from 1200 to 1340 & then up to 1520 I've finally seen the number on the scale start to go down.
  • maryann9wood
    maryann9wood Posts: 75 Member
    OP has deactivated their account.

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