Feeling defeated...need some advice please

Working out 4-5 times a week for how long?

Has this been over the course of 10 years at working out 4-5 times a week and eating only 1,200?

Is this the first week? Second week?

Are you eating back exercise calories? If so, half or all?

What is your weight loss goal per week? (Should be about 1.0 pounds a week given what you want to lose).

TDEE without exercise? BMR?

If you are truly netting only 650 calories per day then no you are not eating enough. That isn't in reference to weightloss that is in reference to health.

Eating only 1200 calories a day with rigorous exercise is NOT eating healthily as you referred to it. Do you honestly feel that is enough to sustain you?

I have been at it for 5 weeks. When I eat "healthy" I struggle to get to even 1200 calories and to top it off I am a very picky eater so that makes it hard. And yes this is hard! There is such a science to it and I can't figure it out! It is so frustrating when I am working out harder than I ever have and am not getting results.

Your ticker says you have lost 9 pounds. If that is what you lost in the last five weeks it averages out to 1.8 pounds a week.

If you are struggling to get to 1200 calories try looking for more calorie dense foods that you like. You really need to make sure that if you are using MFP to calculate your calorie goal to net your goal (meaning you need to eat exercise calories back). Make sure that you keep your body properly fueled and get the nutrients that you need to function.

I wonder if you are stressing yourself out over this, trying to exercise to the extreme as well as eating at a deficit. Have you tried just concentrating on weight loss for a bit? Meticulous weighing and logging so you know you are eating at a deficit. A couple weeks of that might give your brain a rest and result in a couple pound loss.

Also, are you sleeping well and relaxed most of the time?

I have been at it for 5 weeks. When I eat "healthy" I struggle to get to even 1200 calories and to top it off I am a very picky eater so that makes it hard. And yes this is hard! There is such a science to it and I can't figure it out! It is so frustrating when I am working out harder than I ever have and am not getting results.

By definition eating 1200 calories a day while exercising is unhealthy so no you are not eating "healthy". Eating "healthy" would be getting sufficient nutrition. You aren't eating "healthy" just because you only eat vegetables and whole foods, you eat healthy when you get enough nutrition. If you are struggling to eat 1200 calories I suggest adding more fat to your diet and aiming for something higher.

Yes, I get plenty of rest. And the whole calorie deficit thing completely confuses me, I don't understand it at all!

Eating at a deficit means eating fewer calories that your body burns.

Did you let MFP set a daily calorie goal for you based on your stats and activity level?

Why are you upset at having lost 1 lb? 1-2 lbs per week is a perfectly acceptable amount of loss, especially since you don't have a huge amount to lose.

I am 39, I currently weigh 158 and am 5'5". I am fairly active and my workouts are very intense with a burn of about 550 calories. My goal weight would be between 125-130.

Alright lets get started then. I'm going to walk you through what I am doing and explain each step.

First I am going to go to two different online calculators that are used to predict the number of calories at which you would maintain your weight. This number is refered to as your TDEE or Total Daily Energy Expentiture. If you ate your TDEE in calories every day you would neither lose nor gain weight because you are eating exactly the number of calories that your body burns from being alive, your daily activity and your exercise.

TDEE is broken into three components:

BMR or basal metabolic rate: This is the number of calories your body burns just being alive. It is your heartbeat, your brain function, your body temperature and your organ function. If you were in a coma this would be your total burn.

NEAT or non-exercise activity thermogenesis: This is the burn from your normal daily activity plus your BMR. It takes into account things like standing up, sitting in a chair, typing on your keyboard, walking to the bathroom etc. All activity that is not intentional exercise. If you are sedentary your just normal activity usually adds about 300 caloires on top of your BMR

Finally your exercise burn, this is the calories you burn doing intentional exercise. This plus your NEAT is your TDEE.

So lets figure out your TDEE.

First with this calculator:

http://scoobysworkshop.com/accurate-calorie-calculator/

I am putting that you exercise 5-6 hours a week strenuous exercise and your goal is to lose fat at a 20% deficit which is about as fast as possible while still being healthy.

The result is your TDEE is 2400 calories a day and you would want to eat 1900 calories per day to lose weight.

Now this calculator for a second opinion:

http://exrx.net/Calculators/CalRequire.html

Here I put in that you did 12 hours a day rest, 11 hours light activity and 1 hour heavy activity.

The calcluated TDEE is again 2200 which means again for 1 pound lost per week you would want to eat 1700 calories a day.



So yeah, you want to eat 1700-1900 calories a day roughly.

To sum up from before.

Your BMR is about 1500-1600

Your NEAT is probably about 1900

With your 550 calorie daily burn your TDEE is around 2400.

A 500 calorie deficit would give you 1 pound per week weight loss. To hit this deficit you would eat 1,900 calories per day.

This is assuming you burn 550 calories every single day.

Alternatively you could take your NEAT of 1900, subtract 500 to get 1400 for your 1 pound loss per week without exercise and just eat back the calories you burn anytime you exercise.

I really appreciate you taking the time to break that down for me. That seems like a lot of calories to me!

It only seems that way because when you were putting on that fat you weren't paying attention to how many calories you were eating ;-)

I also am arriving at that number assuming you are correct that you are burining around 550 calories and/or are doing 5-6 hours per week of very strenuous exercise. The kind where you couldn't talk while doing it.

Either way 1200 is way WAY to low for you. If you eat that little here is what will happen:

Your bodies stress response and the activity level you are maintaining will cause your body to retain water which will mask the fat loss (since water weighs quite a lot). From your exercise you will be damaging your muscle in a way that your caloric intake will not be able to repair and you will end up losing muscle over time. You will lose weight, but you will not be fit.

If you up your calories to about 1900 the stress on your body will be less, the water retention will subside in time as you get used to your exercise, you will have enough fuel to repair your muscle and build strength (not muscle mass, but strength) and you will lose fat and ONLY fat at about 1 pound per week.

If 1900 scares you then eat 1700 for a while to try it out, that is probably enough to feel the difference and see the results...then you can bump it to 1900 when you are ready or if you feel its needed.

Also remember to weigh your foods with a food scale. There is a huge different between weight and volume. I have yet to see a serving size in volume match the weight. In some cases, going by volume is 50% more calories than by weight.

Additionally, be cautious with estimated calories burned too. Many calculators over estimate.

Keep in mind everything I am telling you assumes that your calorie logging and exercise burn logging are accurate. Consistency is key here.

Just for comparison I recently changed my exercise routine to be also about 5-6 hours of strenuous exercise a week and I eat about 2300 calories per day to lose 1.4 pounds per week.

I have been working out 4-5 times a week with intense workouts (a mix of exercises & weight training, with a trainer) burning around 550 calories and eating right keeping my calorie intake at 1200. I measured & weighed in today and only lost 1 pound and only 1/4 inch on my hips. I feel very defeated and am unsure of what I need to do to see some improvements. Am I not eating enough? Has anyone else had this problem and found a way to overcome it or just have any advice in general? I am desperate for help!

Are you wiling to open your diary so we can give more concrete advice?

1 pounds and 1/4 inch losses are great in my book. Slower the better.