Am I not pushing hard enough?

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Just to get this out of the way; I am not impatient. I have seen some results and I've been moderately satisfied with them.

On an average day:

I burn 200 doing cardio and strength training.

I consume about
1000 calories.
80 grams of carbs.
50 grams of fat.
90 grams of protein.

Initially I was seeing great results and lost 15 pounds in the first month. The second month has been interesting. Weight has flipped flopped, gaining and losing 5lbs day to day and to be honest, I'm seeing almost less tone in some places.

I'm not saying that I want to give up or that I'm expecting magic being only 60 days in. I would just like to know if maybe I could be doing something differently?
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Replies

  • Graelwyn75
    Graelwyn75 Posts: 4,404 Member
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    Are you very short?
    1000 calories is below the minimum that mfp sets for weight loss.
    Personally, unless you have some specific medical condition or are extremely short, I would up your calories, and increase the intensity of your exercise.
  • MagdaSea
    MagdaSea Posts: 78 Member
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    Boo-erns. I had a feeling my workouts weren't high impact enough.

    Thanks.
  • zombiewithtea
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    You only read what you wanted to and took what you wanted to out of the response.

    Up your calories to a decent amount.
  • sweetcurlz67
    sweetcurlz67 Posts: 1,168 Member
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    Might also want to see a nutritionist. They can help you with the food and the exercise. You state you work out every day? Depending on your body, they might recommend a schedule. Mine recommended about 4 days per week. My nutritionist helped me with both a meal plan and a workout plan. Well worth the money! She also followed up with me on a regular basis. She still would be if I hadn't been laid off my job! (I set my email to my work email & I forgot her email address - boooo :sad: )
  • MagdaSea
    MagdaSea Posts: 78 Member
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    You only read what you wanted to and took what you wanted to out of the response.

    Up your calories to a decent amount.

    I'm very wary of upping my calories especially since - I am not joking - I feel fairly full after eating the calories that I do. I'm 5'3 by the way so not necessarily short but a slightly under average height.

    If I could afford to pay a nutritionist, I would absolutely consult one. Unfortunately I can't at this time so the best I can do is research into eating right. I've drank senna tea before. At the time, I didn't know what it was and only drank it after my mother-in-law said it would help with my upset stomach. Wow. Never again ha ha.
  • melaniecheeks
    melaniecheeks Posts: 6,349 Member
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    15 pounds is a LOT in one month - from your ticker you only have another 5 pounds to go, yes?

    I think you need to be patient, and aim for half a pound a week.
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
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    why are you eating so little? all you're doing is setting yourself up for binging, metabolic damage and health problems in the future...
  • Harry_jazzhands
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    Up your calories - if you cant eat MORE then add buffers, like a bit of butter or something, you CAN eat more, how else did you get fat in the first place?
  • ElizabethAnneLatimer
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    My fitness trainer told me to not do strength training every day; every other day at most. I had the exact same problem, and I do average about 1200/day, my trainer and my daughter said, it's not always about the scale; How do your clothes feel? How do you feel? While a pound of fat equal a pound of muscle, the pound of fat has more mass. My plateau was 20 pounds. BUT my clothes were all getting loose, and way too big.

    Did you take measurements before you started? That is an excellent way to measure. While I had only lost 20 pounds by my second month, I also SHED 40 inches!!! :)
  • KhatLady
    KhatLady Posts: 51 Member
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    I'm 5'2" and do about 1400/day. I was stalled at 35lbs to go for months when I was under that. I'm with the people who say you aren't eating enough.
  • zoeysasha37
    zoeysasha37 Posts: 7,089 Member
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    Personally, I would eat more, and then be more patient. It seems you are expecting a lot of results, in a short time. Unfortunately, it doesn't always work that way. Weight loss isn't linear, one week you could lose 2 lbs, and then the next, you could lose none. But I would definitely start to eat more and be patient!!!!
  • MagdaSea
    MagdaSea Posts: 78 Member
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    15 pounds is a LOT in one month - from your ticker you only have another 5 pounds to go, yes?

    I think you need to be patient, and aim for half a pound a week.

    Two things - this is not about patience and weight loss. I am not impatient as stated in my original post. But if I'm not working out hard enough, I'd rather know now and change my routine before it's two months down the line and I'm wondering why I'm still not seeing results.

    And I am not really particular about the pounds lost but more about body fat. It takes 2 months on average for women to gain 1lbs of muscle so it's not like the weight I have gained is muscle weight.
    Up your calories - if you cant eat MORE then add buffers, like a bit of butter or something, you CAN eat more, how else did you get fat in the first place?

    Are you being serious with this? OF COURSE I can eat more. People gain weight because they eat too much and of the wrong thing. If I eat 20 oreo cookies, it's not because I am hungry. It's because I have a craving for cookies, I am definitely not listening to my body and I am over eating. What the heck? That's exactly why people get fat. Why would I want to do this?

    I'm eating this little because I want to get to a certain figure. Not weight. I used to weigh 110 and I looked much more lean that I do now. So I suppose maybe I'm just trying to fast track to where I started out from. I haven't taken measurements for three weeks so will be doing that today actually.
  • Harry_jazzhands
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    Are you being serious with this? OF COURSE I can eat more. People gain weight because they eat too much and of the wrong thing. If I eat 20 oreo cookies, it's not because I am hungry. It's because I have a craving for cookies, I am definitely not listening to my body and I am over eating. What the heck? That's exactly why people get fat. Why would I want to do this?

    im saying eat more calories to say 1200 or so, not stuff yourself full of cookies, jesus christ.

    edit: spelling

    also
    People gain weight because they eat too much and of the wrong thing.
    this is bull****. if i ONLY ate 1200 calories of big macs everyday, i would be losing weight not gaining. Weight loss is calories in Vs calories out - it doesnt matter WHERE the calories came from, please be more deluded
  • sola24
    sola24 Posts: 334 Member
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    You have to eat more. Period. I am just 5 ft and I eat 1600 calories and still lose. I dont burn more than u. I dont have much lean mass either.
  • MagdaSea
    MagdaSea Posts: 78 Member
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    im saying eat more calories to say 1200 or so, not stuff yourself full of cookies, jesus christ.

    Fair enough. Just the way it came off in your post.
    Weight loss is calories in Vs calories out - it doesnt matter WHERE the calories came from, please be more deluded

    Don't get your panties in a twist or anything ha ha. I said too much and of the wrong thing. I can eat too much lettuce. It would have to be close to 50 heads of lettuce but it is possible.
  • mrsiCkstar
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    The people telling you to eat more are right. If you eat too little, and you are, your body will think it's starving and it will actually hold on to the fat for energy and you will not lose weight as quickly. Try going up to like 1200 calories/day.
  • EvgeniZyntx
    EvgeniZyntx Posts: 24,208 Member
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    What kind of weight training and cardio are you doing? and how often? And to what fitness goals?

    "I consume 200 cals" is not enough to go by.
    If you are doing 20 minutes a day of a specific program, whatever it is and it is aligned with your goals. Yes, it's enough.

    And yeah, eat a bit more. Even at your height, the rate of loss you have is likely resulting in LBM loss too. Not going to get fit that way and see the results you want to see.
  • ReginaM49
    ReginaM49 Posts: 65 Member
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    It's a hard concept to accept, but eating too little will actually stop you from losing. You're in starvation mode. Eat more!
  • MityMax96
    MityMax96 Posts: 5,778 Member
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    15 pounds is a LOT in one month - from your ticker you only have another 5 pounds to go, yes?

    I think you need to be patient, and aim for half a pound a week.

    Two things - this is not about patience and weight loss. I am not impatient as stated in my original post. But if I'm not working out hard enough, I'd rather know now and change my routine before it's two months down the line and I'm wondering why I'm still not seeing results.

    And I am not really particular about the pounds lost but more about body fat. It takes 2 months on average for women to gain 1lbs of muscle so it's not like the weight I have gained is muscle weight.


    I think your thinking is a bit off here....

    To lose weight, it is not how hard you are busting *kitten* in the gym.
    It is what you are consuming.

    #1, 1000 calories is very low. If you have been doing that for any length of time (say greater than 1.5 months), take about 3 days to eat at maintenance....then I guess go back to 1000 if you want. But I think you are asking for trouble dropping below 1200

    #2 We exercise to help burn calories, yes. Or lift weights, so you develop the muscle, so that when you get rid of the fat, your body looks nice and toned/lean.
  • MityMax96
    MityMax96 Posts: 5,778 Member
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    It's a hard concept to accept, but eating too little will actually stop you from losing. You're in starvation mode. Eat more!

    Not really

    Your body is recognizing a shortage of energy.
    So it is taking steps to preserve the energy it does have.....so it slows down your metabolism.
    But if you are below caloric needs, u will lose weight.

    It may slow down a bit though.