Calorie defect not working!! Help!!

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Teelays
Teelays Posts: 14
in Health and Weight Loss
Hey guys I seriously need ur help

Iv cleaned out my diet for the most part, I eat mainly salads for dinner n have soup for lunch and cereal for breakfast and it's all under 1200 calories but I'm not losing weight.. I'm 5ft 3 and currently weight 166.. My goal is 145 and iv been doing this for over a month and lost only 4 lbs in total.. Plus I go to the gym 3 times a week.. I'm considering lowering it to 900-1000 calories a day.. That might help..

Any suggestions???
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  • Smamfa
    Smamfa Posts: 139 Member
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    http://iifym.com/tdee-calculator/

    Dont go lower! 1200 calories may be too low nevermind under that. Use the link above to caluclate TDEE and minus 15-20%.Much more sensible than starving yourself:) (The TDEE calculator tells us how many calories we should consume to accomplish our goals in an effective and efficient manor while preserving muscle. In other words, the TDEE calculator allows us to get the best results, in the least amount of time, safely)


    Im 147, 5ft 5, workout 5-6 times a week and my daioly calorie intake aims to be around 1775 calories a day.
  • Teelays
    Teelays Posts: 14
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    My TDEE is 1570
    http://iifym.com/tdee-calculator/

    Dont go lower! 1200 calories may be too low nevermind under that. Use the link above to caluclate TDEE and minus 15-20%.Much more sensible than starving yourself:) (The TDEE calculator tells us how many calories we should consume to accomplish our goals in an effective and efficient manor while preserving muscle. In other words, the TDEE calculator allows us to get the best results, in the least amount of time, safely)


    Im 147, 5ft 5, workout 5-6 times a week and my daioly calorie intake aims to be around 1775 calories a day.
  • chadya07
    chadya07 Posts: 627 Member
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    do not go lower. 1200 is the bare minimum you need to live on.

    make sure you are weighing your food. and that you are properly counting your exersize if you eat it back.

    i was stuck for a couple months thinking i was doing everything right. then i got inspired to be sure, and started weighing. it turned out i was eating a lot more than i thought. it also turned out, after i got a fitbit, that i was grossly overestimating my walking calories.

    and i thought i was doing everything right.
  • Camo_xxx
    Camo_xxx Posts: 1,082 Member
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    What do you think your calorie deficit was during that month ?

    4 pounds in a month is about 1 pound a week which was caused by having a 500 calorie a day deficit .
  • christullos
    christullos Posts: 89
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    What do you think your calorie deficit was during that month ?

    4 pounds in a month is about 1 pound a week which was caused by having a 500 calorie a day deficit .

    ^This.....one pound a week is better than the quick fix
  • ana3067
    ana3067 Posts: 5,623 Member
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    IIFYM calculator calculates low.

    Also 4lbs a month is a HEALTHY and sustainable rate of loss.

    Your TDEE is not 1500w/e. It's likely closer to 2050. 1650-1700 calories would be a good caloric goal to test out for a month to 6 weeks. And yes, weigh your food.. or at the least measure everything.
  • awesomejdad
    awesomejdad Posts: 493 Member
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    your loosing weight already just fine so keep at it just like you are.
  • AnexRavensong
    AnexRavensong Posts: 262 Member
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    All that exercise and netting under 1200 cals? You won't lose weight much longer and you won't burn fat. Up the cals. Eat at a deficit of TDEE and NOT under BMR (basically the cals it would take to sustain you if you only laid in bed all day). Doing ALL that exercise and eating so little will just destroy the crap out of your metabolism. You're supposed to be eating back exercise cals if you use MFP as intended.. or if you do TDEE with a cut method with your exercise planned in, then you'd SURELY be eating closer to 2k cals.. NOT 900.. O_o

    So many good groups and posts for that kind of thing. Other posters can surely give you some links also!

    Do NOT go lower. You're eating too little as it is :/


    IPOARM: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/groups/home/8017-in-place-of-a-road-map
    EatMore2WeighLess: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/groups/home/3817-eat-more-to-weigh-less
  • cincysweetheart
    cincysweetheart Posts: 892 Member
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    I would not go lower than 1200. A consistent diet of less than that is usually not healthy and not sustainable… which could mean gaining all the weight back. If your TDEE is 1570 and you are eating 1200… you are not quite in 500 calorie a day deficit… which is what is needed for a pound a week. So, that would explain a slower rate of weight loss. But you have lost 4 pounds… so your calorie deficit IS working. With only 20 pounds to lose… I would say 4 pounds in a month (or slightly over a month) is a perfectly acceptable rate of weight loss. I would say you are just fine and need to be patient with the process.

    But make sure you are weighing/measuring all your food accurately. Make sure you are not inadvertently eating more than you think.
  • roeroe5
    roeroe5 Posts: 27
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    Watch what you drink, weigh everything you eat. Coffee and fat free milk made me stall LOL... for a good few months (managed to add 500 - 700 extra cal per day, mainly coffee and maybe a whiskey or 2)
  • optycal
    optycal Posts: 3 Member
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    I agree with most of the other posters. 1200 is the lowest you should go just to stay alive! Your body NEEDS calories just to function, and if you go below 1200, you'll starve it. That can cause all kinds of horrible things (including death, obviously.)

    Give that calculator a try and follow some of the advice already given. Up your calories, weigh your food, work out a reasonable amount each week. Seriously, a pound a week is GOOD, healthy weight loss.

    Something I've had to remind myself over and over is that I didn't get fat in a single month, I'm can't expect to lose the weight in a single month.

    It'll be a daily thing for you, a daily re-thinking of how you're eating, how you're moving, how you're living. It;s not about speed, it's about changing your bad habits into good ones. You can do this!

    For the record, and so you know I'm not just talking out my rear-end: I started at 177 (I'm 5' 4") and staying under 1200 calories, my weight loss was painfully slow. I upped my intake to 1400 (2400 on workout days) and I've lost 17 pounds in 5 months. The only change was eating more--I work out the same amount as I always have!
  • SnuggleSmacks
    SnuggleSmacks Posts: 3,731 Member
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    I'm the same height as you, and weigh 147, and my TDEE is around 1820 with a very sedentary job. I eat around 1600 average and lose about a pound every 10-14 days (which I'm quite happy with, since I don't have much to lose).

    Two suggestions:

    1. Get a food scale and use it. This is the single most helpful thing you can possibly do. It makes a huge difference knowing exactly how much you're eating. Eyeballing it, or even using measuring cups, just aren't accurate ways of measuring food, and you're likely eating way more than you think. The difference between a 4 oz. chicken breast and a 6 oz. one is extremely difficult to spot by looking, and it makes a big difference in the calories. Add in things like peanut butter, and you could be off by hundreds of calories in one meal. Take all the guesswork out of "calories in."

    2. Get a fitness tracker and use it. I use Bodymedia because it's the most accurate, but it has a small monthly charge ($5.95). There's plenty of others that are helpful and have good reviews, particularly the Fitbits, and Garmin's Vivofit. Some of the Fitbits are clip-on, and cost half as much as the bands like Bodymedia and Vivofit, but they all have pros and cons. Pay attention to exactly how they sync to your phone...some use Bluetooth Smart or ANT technology which will only work on certain phones. This will take all the guesswork out of "calories out."

    Once you're no longer guessing at calories in or calories out, you can easily maintain a reasonable deficit without doing yourself harm and without making yourself crazy.
  • paulperryman
    paulperryman Posts: 839 Member
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    no way in hell is your TDEE only 1570 unless you are doing absolutely nothing, in which case, move your butt and eat more.
    your BMR maybe 1570 your TDEE is everything ontop of just breathing and basic moving about. your BMR is what your body need to run your organs.
  • Smamfa
    Smamfa Posts: 139 Member
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    Your BMR based on age, height, weight and working out 3 times is 1494 - that is the LOWEST your should eat. Your BMR is what the doctors would feed you if you were in a coma! Your TDEE is 2054. 20% off this is1643:)!
  • IHateThinkingOfAUsername
    IHateThinkingOfAUsername Posts: 568 Member
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    I would not go lower than 1200. A consistent diet of less than that is usually not healthy and not sustainable… which could mean gaining all the weight back. If your TDEE is 1570 and you are eating 1200… you are not quite in 500 calorie a day deficit… which is what is needed for a pound a week. So, that would explain a slower rate of weight loss. But you have lost 4 pounds… so your calorie deficit IS working. With only 20 pounds to lose… I would say 4 pounds in a month (or slightly over a month) is a perfectly acceptable rate of weight loss. I would say you are just fine and need to be patient with the process.

    But make sure you are weighing/measuring all your food accurately. Make sure you are not inadvertently eating more than you think.

    This this this this this.
    Plus this.
    I'm the same height as you, and weigh 147, and my TDEE is around 1820 with a very sedentary job. I eat around 1600 average and lose about a pound every 10-14 days (which I'm quite happy with, since I don't have much to lose).

    Two suggestions:

    1. Get a food scale and use it. This is the single most helpful thing you can possibly do. It makes a huge difference knowing exactly how much you're eating. Eyeballing it, or even using measuring cups, just aren't accurate ways of measuring food, and you're likely eating way more than you think. The difference between a 4 oz. chicken breast and a 6 oz. one is extremely difficult to spot by looking, and it makes a big difference in the calories. Add in things like peanut butter, and you could be off by hundreds of calories in one meal. Take all the guesswork out of "calories in."

    2. Get a fitness tracker and use it. I use Bodymedia because it's the most accurate, but it has a small monthly charge ($5.95). There's plenty of others that are helpful and have good reviews, particularly the Fitbits, and Garmin's Vivofit. Some of the Fitbits are clip-on, and cost half as much as the bands like Bodymedia and Vivofit, but they all have pros and cons. Pay attention to exactly how they sync to your phone...some use Bluetooth Smart or ANT technology which will only work on certain phones. This will take all the guesswork out of "calories out."

    Once you're no longer guessing at calories in or calories out, you can easily maintain a reasonable deficit without doing yourself harm and without making yourself crazy.
  • Camo_xxx
    Camo_xxx Posts: 1,082 Member
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    According to ifym cals your TDEE is 2282 so at the often quoted reasonable deficit of 20% @ 450 calories you are pretty much on track for the 4 pounds per month.

    So congrats on the doing it correct. Now learn to be patient and realize you didn't become fat overnight and you are not going to get skinny overnight either.

    The good news is if you are shooting for a mid range normal BMI of 21% your target weight is 120 and at a 450 calorie deficit resulting in a 4 pound fat loss per month you will reach your goal in a very short 10 months. Then you can enjoy the new fit you and your new lifestyle for the rest of your days. Happily ever after.
  • MysteriousDreamer
    MysteriousDreamer Posts: 96 Member
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    no way in hell is your TDEE only 1570 unless you are doing absolutely nothing, in which case, move your butt and eat more.
    your BMR maybe 1570 your TDEE is everything ontop of just breathing and basic moving about. your BMR is what your body need to run your organs.

    I just did it for your stats, it said your TDEE was just over 2000.

    I second Paul!
  • Teelays
    Teelays Posts: 14
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    Thank u so much to everyone who helped.. It has kept me encouraged and I just need to be more patient.. Thank you guys
  • Liftng4Lis
    Liftng4Lis Posts: 15,150 Member
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    Remember, you want something sustainable long term. You losing 4 pounds in a month is fantastic and is at a level where you are doing it healthily. Great job!
  • SLLRunner
    SLLRunner Posts: 12,942 Member
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    Hey guys I seriously need ur help

    Iv cleaned out my diet for the most part, I eat mainly salads for dinner n have soup for lunch and cereal for breakfast and it's all under 1200 calories but I'm not losing weight.. I'm 5ft 3 and currently weight 166.. My goal is 145 and iv been doing this for over a month and lost only 4 lbs in total.. Plus I go to the gym 3 times a week.. I'm considering lowering it to 900-1000 calories a day.. That might help..

    Any suggestions???
    Be glad your "calorie defect" is not working because the last thing you want is defective calories. :bigsmile:

    Okay, now that I've made my silly little joke, let's get serious. Four pounds in a month is excellent progress. You have only 20 pounds to lose, so you really should have your goals to set to lose a half pound a week. The slower the better, as your loss will be more sustainable.

    NO. NO!, do not lower your calories to 900 to 1000 calories a day. In fact, don't even eat 1200 calories, but up it so that you are only losing one half pound a week.

    The other issue is that if you were truly eating 1200 calories a day you would have lost more weight, which leads me to believe you are eating more than you think.

    Do you weigh your food and ensure you have correct portions? You would do this by reading packages, weight foods in grams whenever possible. No spoons, cups, or eyeballs allowed because they can all be pretty deceiving. Here's a great link on how to choose proper MFP entries for food:

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1234699-logging-accurately-step-by-step-guide

    Where do you get your exercise calorie estimates from? MFP grossly overestimates burns, as do gym machines, iphone apps, and other internet sources. If you use these numbers, do not eat all your exercise calories back, or reduce the amount of exercise calories by about 20-25%.

    There is no reason to lose weight fast. You have all the time in the world to lose weight in a slow, healthy, and sustainable way, all the while eating the foods you love in moderation. It really is possible.

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