WHY? I don't understand.
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You probably need to give it more time. Though I'd also suggest that if you're going to stick to 1200 calories per day, aim to have at least one day a week higher. 1500-1700 or so. The reason is that if you do the same thing (activity out and food in) long enough your system can get into a rut and your metabolism can adjust to a new normal. So change is good. Avoid being too routine.0
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Hi, I'm new to this myself but I noticed that you don't seem to be eating back any of your exercise calories either. I know MFP can overestimate them, but with such a low cal diet setting (1200) if you don't eat back at least some of your exercise calories then your net calorie intake will be really quite low. It will put your body under strain to eat too little and exercise.
hope this helps a bit!
K x0 -
You're not eating enough in general.0
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Hi, I'm new to this myself but I noticed that you don't seem to be eating back any of your exercise calories either. I know MFP can overestimate them, but with such a low cal diet setting (1200) if you don't eat back at least some of your exercise calories then your net calorie intake will be really quite low. It will put your body under strain to eat too little and exercise.
hope this helps a bit!
K x
Thanks Katie - thanks for replying; I appreciate it! You're right, I do avoid it. For two reasons. Firstly I know that MFP overestimates (although running seems to quite spot on) and secondly I worked out my TDEE and to lose 2lb a week I should be aiming for 1182 a day so 1200 including exercise seems the right goal for me. I don't *really* buy the whole starvation mode theory... I don't think the science backs it up! If you eat few calories and burn more off, you should lose weight!
Hope you're getting on well with it!
Kelly x0 -
stop eating only 1200 a day, eat more and you'll lose weight.
read this and you'll see what I mean: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1235566-so-you-re-new-here
then go here: http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/ and work out your TDEE -20% here: (this is the number of calories you should eat per day to lose 1-2 pounds per week, which includes your exercise activity level so don't log/eat back calories.0 -
You're not eating enough in general.
Really though? Really? I just don't get the starvation mode thing after reading this http://www.aworkoutroutine.com/starvation-mode/0 -
Hi, I'm new to this myself but I noticed that you don't seem to be eating back any of your exercise calories either. I know MFP can overestimate them, but with such a low cal diet setting (1200) if you don't eat back at least some of your exercise calories then your net calorie intake will be really quite low. It will put your body under strain to eat too little and exercise.
hope this helps a bit!
K x
Thanks Katie - thanks for replying; I appreciate it! You're right, I do avoid it. For two reasons. Firstly I know that MFP overestimates (although running seems to quite spot on) and secondly I worked out my TDEE and to lose 2lb a week I should be aiming for 1182 a day so 1200 including exercise seems the right goal for me. I don't *really* buy the whole starvation mode theory... I don't think the science backs it up! If you eat few calories and burn more off, you should lose weight!
Hope you're getting on well with it!
Kelly x
Stop trying to lose two pounds a week, that is too aggressive. You should be trying to lose 1lb a week at the most.0 -
stop eating only 1200 a day, eat more and you'll lose weight.
read this and you'll see what I mean: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1235566-so-you-re-new-here
then go here: http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/ and work out your TDEE -20% here: (this is the number of calories you should eat per day to lose 1-2 pounds per week, which includes your exercise activity level so don't log/eat back calories.
I have worked out my TDEE and it's 2182 to stay the same or 1182 a day to lose 2lb a week - roughly what I'm eating based on creating a 7000 calorie deficit. If I do the 20per cent a day thing then I suppose it's 1745 calories a day which is a lot more! You think I should aim for that?!0 -
Yes, you're using lots of generic entries with suspiciously low calorie amounts. It also looks like you're estimating portions instead of weighing them.
What like? Most of the stuff I scan in but today, for example, was a mixed salad day at work. So i had a tablespoon of cous cous, 4 lumps of melon 2 lumps of feta, a teaspoon of hummus, so I have to guess weights to some extent?I thought I over-estimated if anything!
What do you think is low? I do weigh most stuff?
Kelly.
A lump is not a unit of measurement. And cups, teaspoons and tables spoons should really only used to measure liquids. When it says 5 grams....did you weigh out 5 grams of something? Or are you guessing?
Your calories are set pretty low, so even if you were underestimating by 200-300 calories per day, you'd probably still be losing weight. I think if you are not weighing food, and do not want to, give it a few more weeks and see what happens. If you still haven't lost anything after that, invest in a food scale and see if you've been logging correct portions/amount.s
No, and I mean really small cube. I can't really weigh it at work. So just have to guess what 2 small cubes of feta or 3 small cubes of watermelon might be. Sometimes I guess (like with the rocket today which was literally two mouthfulls) sometimes I weigh; or I scan and half it for example (if I am only having half the pack) all the quinoa you see is always weighed and the curry portions etc.
Hmmm. I dunno.
A "small cube" to you might be a "large cube" or indeed a "very small cube" in someone else's eyes. It's not a way to determine how many calories you've had from your food because there's no way be accurate.
Check out this thread on how to log accurately:
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1234699-logging-accurately-step-by-step-guide?hl=how+to+log+accurately0 -
First off I think you need A little more calorie intake. 1200 is pretty low. Also dont step on that scale so much. Your getting depressed by that number on there. DONT! As long as your making healthy clean choices you should be fine. Any processed foods will make you gain. Your body might be telling you, you need to eat more. When you eat not enough the metabolism slows down. Remember clean healthy choices. We all treat ourselves once in awhile. Its okay! I have free clean eating list, and how you should pick your meals and snacks through out the day. They are free. I give them to people to help! Let me know if you want them I just would need your email! Good luck to you and everyone else. Being healthy and losing weight is so simple yet its so hard. Its not your fault its the world we live in bad food everywhere. It messes with our minds.0
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Yes, you're using lots of generic entries with suspiciously low calorie amounts. It also looks like you're estimating portions instead of weighing them.
What like? Most of the stuff I scan in but today, for example, was a mixed salad day at work. So i had a tablespoon of cous cous, 4 lumps of melon 2 lumps of feta, a teaspoon of hummus, so I have to guess weights to some extent?I thought I over-estimated if anything!
What do you think is low? I do weigh most stuff?
Kelly.
A lump is not a unit of measurement. And cups, teaspoons and tables spoons should really only used to measure liquids. When it says 5 grams....did you weigh out 5 grams of something? Or are you guessing?
Your calories are set pretty low, so even if you were underestimating by 200-300 calories per day, you'd probably still be losing weight. I think if you are not weighing food, and do not want to, give it a few more weeks and see what happens. If you still haven't lost anything after that, invest in a food scale and see if you've been logging correct portions/amount.s
No, and I mean really small cube. I can't really weigh it at work. So just have to guess what 2 small cubes of feta or 3 small cubes of watermelon might be. Sometimes I guess (like with the rocket today which was literally two mouthfulls) sometimes I weigh; or I scan and half it for example (if I am only having half the pack) all the quinoa you see is always weighed and the curry portions etc.
Hmmm. I dunno.
A "small cube" to you might be a "large cube" or indeed a "very small cube" in someone else's eyes. It's not a way to determine how many calories you've had from your food because there's no way be accurate.
Check out this thread on how to log accurately:
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1234699-logging-accurately-step-by-step-guide?hl=how+to+log+accurately
Yeah I get ya, but I think that's a bad example from today! We're focussing on just one meal!0 -
I'm going to throw out my two cents and tell you to ignore the starvation mode crap. Eating less won't make you gain weight. But, 2 pounds a week is too much if you have less than 10 pounds left. I'd reccomend setting it at .5 pounds, if you're having a hard time sticking to 1200. If not, just make sure you get at least that amount. 1200 could be too low just because you may need more nutrients than that, and MFP will never go below that amount. But remember that weight loss isn't linear. Some weeks my weight is higher, some weeks it stays the same, but it has a losing trend. There's a nifty little chart in your profile that will show a line graph with your weight loss over time. It could make you feel better about not losing every week!
(PS, you didn't gain that much weight over two days. It was probably water weight from too much sodium!)0 -
It does work, if you're eating less than you burn. How do you know you're eating 1200 calories a day? How do you get that number? Also... when you said you had a bad day, gained 3lbs and it isn't water weight...did your bad day consist of approximately 10,500 calories more than you burned that day? Because that's around how many calories you'd have to consume OVER what you burn to gain 3lbs of fat.
Because I log everything? No, it didn't consist of that but I weighed 10st 1.4 one day and the next day 10st 4.4 and that was Sunday and I'm still the same today, Wednesday.
It still could be, and very likely is water weight. As stated the number of calories over maintenance you need to put on 3 pounds of fat is huge, and I highly doubt you ate that much. From my experience, water weight can take much longer to get rid of than to put on, sometimes a week or more depending on how your body works, how much sodium you normally consume as compared to what you are eating each day, and hormone fluctuations (especially in women). Give things time, make sure you are measuring your food consumption carefully, and if you are not using other things than the scale to measure your progress, start doing so right now. Body measurements and photos can show progress that the scale will not.0 -
It does work, if you're eating less than you burn. How do you know you're eating 1200 calories a day? How do you get that number? Also... when you said you had a bad day, gained 3lbs and it isn't water weight...did your bad day consist of approximately 10,500 calories more than you burned that day? Because that's around how many calories you'd have to consume OVER what you burn to gain 3lbs of fat.
Because I log everything? No, it didn't consist of that but I weighed 10st 1.4 one day and the next day 10st 4.4 and that was Sunday and I'm still the same today, Wednesday.
It still could be, and very likely is water weight. As stated the number of calories over maintenance you need to put on 3 pounds of fat is huge, and I highly doubt you ate that much. From my experience, water weight can take much longer to get rid of than to put on, sometimes a week or more depending on how your body works, how much sodium you normally consume as compared to what you are eating each day, and hormone fluctuations (especially in women). Give things time, make sure you are measuring your food consumption carefully, and if you are not using other things than the scale to measure your progress, start doing so right now. Body measurements and photos can show progress that the scale will not.
Thank you0 -
You are not obese. Only obese people can hope to lose 2 lbs. per week. If you don't have the excess fat of an obese person, your body can't function properly on a 1000/day deficit. It simply can't. Yes you'll lose... eventually... but it messes with all the hormone signals that your body makes.
My advice, change it so you're only in a 3500 calorie per week deficit. No more. Preferably a little closer to 2000. If you do this, you will start losing at a sane, rational, reasonable rate for your body to handle at a steady pace, and if you stop starving yourself, you'll be much less likely to "binge" and have "bad days" that are obviously frustrating you.
Good luck, ok? Eat more. Stop aiming for the 2 lbs. per week. You're setting yourself up for frustration.0 -
It's easy for water weight to cause a 3 pound shift in weight - I've seen as high as 10 pounds of water weight retention when recarbing, and cycling on/off creatine is a solid 5 pounds of water weight for me. Pay attention to long-term trends in weight loss and your recorded lows and don't sweat the day to day shifts.0
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You are not obese. Only obese people can hope to lose 2 lbs. per week. If you don't have the excess fat of an obese person, your body can't function properly on a 1000/day deficit. It simply can't. Yes you'll lose... eventually... but it messes with all the hormone signals that your body makes.
My advice, change it so you're only in a 3500 calorie per week deficit. No more. Preferably a little closer to 2000. If you do this, you will start losing at a sane, rational, reasonable rate for your body to handle at a steady pace, and if you stop starving yourself, you'll be much less likely to "binge" and have "bad days" that are obviously frustrating you.
Good luck, ok? Eat more. Stop aiming for the 2 lbs. per week. You're setting yourself up for frustration.
Nope, but I am over my recommended BMI so am overweight! I'm only 5ft 2 and 10stone 4. I really just want to get to 9stone 7 and I'll be content. It feels SO counter-intuitive to go over my calories as the day that I did (saturday) I put on 3lb by Monday! So, I just don't get it.0 -
Hi all
I've been using MFP for a few weeks now. At first the weight loss was good. But now I seem to have stalled. I haven't lost any weight in 2 weeks? I had a bad day on Sat and put on 3lb by Monday, which hasn't come off and now it's Wednesday - despite me drinking 4lts of water a day ( so can't be water weight). So I just weighed myself and I'm the same as I was 2 weeks ago.
Apart from this one day I have STUCK to my 1200 a day, sometimes less. Why has it not shifted in 2 weeks? I don't get it?
Very depressed. What's the point in dieting and exercising every day if it doesn't work?
Boo
Kelly x
4 Litres of water weighs approximately 8 lbs. You move 8lbs of water through your system every day. Rather than make me think "It can't be water weight", that makes me think "It's highly likely it's water weight"
Eat something salty, and a lot of those 8lbs don't exit the system in a timely fashion.
I can gain 5 lbs overnight by eating chinese takeout. and it's gone again an a day or 2 ...0 -
I have a scale at work. You really can weigh at work. My coworkers have seen me use it but only one has asked about it.0
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You are not obese. Only obese people can hope to lose 2 lbs. per week. If you don't have the excess fat of an obese person, your body can't function properly on a 1000/day deficit. It simply can't. Yes you'll lose... eventually... but it messes with all the hormone signals that your body makes.
My advice, change it so you're only in a 3500 calorie per week deficit. No more. Preferably a little closer to 2000. If you do this, you will start losing at a sane, rational, reasonable rate for your body to handle at a steady pace, and if you stop starving yourself, you'll be much less likely to "binge" and have "bad days" that are obviously frustrating you.
Good luck, ok? Eat more. Stop aiming for the 2 lbs. per week. You're setting yourself up for frustration.
Nope, but I am over my recommended BMI so am overweight! I'm only 5ft 2 and 10stone 4. I really just want to get to 9stone 7 and I'll be content. It feels SO counter-intuitive to go over my calories as the day that I did (saturday) I put on 3lb by Monday! So, I just don't get it.
You did not gain 3 pounds of fat. It's WATER weight. It's not permanent. Chill.0
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