Am I really going to lose weight?

Laragibson08
Laragibson08 Posts: 6 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
If I stick to my goals and net 1200 calories a day, am I REALLY going to lose? Even with diet and exercise I feel like I won't. I've been trying for a while off and on, and never see any real progress. It's so hard to be consistent when even after a month, the scale only budges a pound or two. Inevitably I just give up, then have to start over.

When I do start over, I'm constantly debating whether I need to up or down my calories; whether eating 1700 a day and exercsing 500 off will work, or if I should just accept I'm gonna have to eat 1200 and still burn off 500 calories before I lose anything.

Replies

  • Indiri13
    Indiri13 Posts: 104 Member
    Yes, it will work but you probably don't have to eat 1200 unless you are very short (under 5' tall). You can if you want to of course, but most people find 1200 very hard to stick to and you most likely don't need to be that hard on yourself.

    A pound or two a month is slower but it's still progress, so that's good.

    Take your measurements in addition to scale weight and measure every 2-4 weeks. Sometimes the tape measure will show you the progress even when your scale doesn't budge. And remember that just because the scale goes up sometimes doesn't mean you actually gained any weight. It can go up because you had a lot of sodium, you were dehydrated, you started a new workout, etc, etc. All the reasons for water retention will cause a scale increase but aren't actually fat gains.
  • donyellemoniquex3
    donyellemoniquex3 Posts: 2,384 Member
    yes: Eat more than 1200, burn off calories, then eat back calories for 1200 net.
  • SezxyStef
    SezxyStef Posts: 15,267 Member
    Yes if you are sure you are eating net 1200..which means you can't estimate your intake..which means you need to weigh your food.
  • deksgrl
    deksgrl Posts: 7,237 Member
    Set your goal to lose 1 pound a week, not more than that (assuming your ticker is correct, you need to lose 30 pounds?)

    With MFP, you would eat 1200 NET calories. This means you eat 1200 if you do not exercise, but when you do exercise, you need to eat more for that. MFP does not include exercise in its calculations for what you should eat, this is why you need to add more when you do.

    A properly set MFP + exercise goal should be similar to a properly set total daily energy expenditure (TDEE)- % goal. TDEE is also called maintenance because this is the amount where you wouldn't gain or lose.

    Example: Suppose your TDEE is 2000 calories, this is everything you need to fuel your entire day including exercise.

    TDEE - 20% would be 1600 calories.

    MFP says eat 1200, then you exercise and burn 400 calories, 1200 + 400 = 1600.

    With the TDEE method you wouldn't have to track the exercise and have the mental block of "eating more for exercise".

    But certainly make sure that you are set to lose 1 pound per week and not more. Eating too little can cause you to feel restricted and binge and maybe quit.
  • Chief_Rocka
    Chief_Rocka Posts: 4,710 Member
    Statistically speaking, you'll probably lose a little then give up.
  • tariksehovic
    tariksehovic Posts: 39 Member
    500 calorie deficit is really taxing on your body, I suggest that you recalculate your BMR and TDEE once you find your calories required for maintenance. Calculate your required calories from Fat and Protein first than fill the rest him Carbohydrates.

    If you need any help with this please feel free to send me a message.
  • Fitnesstracker2234
    Fitnesstracker2234 Posts: 17
    You will lose with eating 1200 and exercising. It is also dependent on how you distribute your calories, ie. which foods your eating. Often I find that the scale isn't necessarily the best way to measure it since muscle mass weights more than fat and as you exercise you'll be gaining muscle mass as you burn fat. I find that the way my clothes fit is a better indication of weight loss, personally.

    Also, not eating enough calories can hurt your metabolism and put your body in "starvation mode", which will make it harder to lose weight.
  • JengaJess
    JengaJess Posts: 109 Member
    Eating only 1200 calories is very hard. It also isn't the only way to do it. When I first started here, I was trying to stick to 1200- 1300 calories a day. I was hungry. I wanted to give up and it just seemed impossible. With that attitude, I knew I wasn't going anywhere.
    I lost a little weight, but saw no changes in my body.
    I was angry, hungry (hangry, if you will) and discouraged. So I did some research and I found about BMR and TDEE. Now, during the week, I eat no less than 1600 calories, sometimes 1700 depending on how hard I work out. I could eat more during the week, but I always have mild cheat days on the weekend (where I eat/ drink about 2000 calories each day). So I cycle my calories and work more on a weekly basis, rather than daily.
    I'm down almost 5 lbs since I upped my calories in February. And I'm always satisfied, enjoying my weight loss, and most importantly seeing and feeling the changes in my body.
    I would look into more info about BMR and TDEE. I think you'll see success and not feel like you're dieting, but more just striving for a healthier lifestyle.
    Good luck. Stay positive.
  • Mom_of_X
    Mom_of_X Posts: 85 Member
    I would agree that eating more than 1200 cals will net you a higher weight-loss in the longterm, but I also notice you are not tracking all your macros; that nutritional breakdown does have an affect on how your body reacts. just glancing through some of your diary, i bet you have a pretty high carb intake... replace some of those with protein instead, and you will probably see great results at 1400 +/- cals.

    good luck!
  • 1princesswarrior
    1princesswarrior Posts: 1,242 Member
    Before you go anything with your calories I would suggest a digital food scale, weigh all of your solid foods and measure all of your liquids. A medium apple can be anywhere from 80-160 grams, that's a big difference in calories, now imagine if that was cheese. One of the biggest miscalculations is underestimating calories and overestimating exercise burns. Before severely "restricting" yourself please know exactly how much you are eating.

    It takes time but you need to search in the food database to find entries by weight as well. If I can't find one I will add it. My diary is open if you want to look at it. I try to be as accurate as possible without being obsessive.

    I eat at my TDEE - 20% but I still track my exercise with a heart rate monitor because of my activity. I make sure I net my BMR but I've carefully tracked my loss and burns for 6 months and had a bodpod measurement so I'm very confident in my numbers. If you want to message me I can give you more detail about how I track everything.
  • browma
    browma Posts: 3
    You really are. I have been working really hard at it for the past 11 days and I have lost 3.5 pounds. I feel great!
    I have more energy. I feel excited about a better spring and summer than I have had in years. Support and
    and encouragement make a huge difference in your success.:smile:
  • LessthanKris
    LessthanKris Posts: 607 Member
    I am 5'1 and I have been doing this since the end of August on a 1200 net. I eat all my exercise calories back and I work out six days a week. In the end I usually get anywhere from 1450 - 1600 calories on workout days. I also look over the week and not so much each day so I can save calories for eating out or to use on my rest day. Even with basically taking off most of December I have lost 30 lbs since August. I also do not weight my food so it can be done without going the route, although maybe my results would have been better.
  • Otterluv
    Otterluv Posts: 9,083 Member
    Before you go anything with your calories I would suggest a digital food scale, weigh all of your solid foods and measure all of your liquids. A medium apple can be anywhere from 80-160 grams, that's a big difference in calories, now imagine if that was cheese. One of the biggest miscalculations is underestimating calories and overestimating exercise burns. Before severely "restricting" yourself please know exactly how much you are eating.

    This ^^^^ If you get the math right, it'll work. Any time I've stalled it's because I've gotten sloppy. For calorie burns I go by about 50% of what MFP says.

    Stick with a calorie goal/ burn amounts for a month and then re-evaluate. BTW - if you had stuck to it, at the rate of losing a couple of pounds a month, you would have been at your goal within 18 months. That's not a very long time. Just stick to it and stop giving up.
  • Laragibson08
    Laragibson08 Posts: 6 Member
    Thanks for the advice everyone. I'm gonna keep going trying!

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