Calorie defect not working!! Help!!

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.

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.

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

your loosing weight already just fine so keep at it just like you are.

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.

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!

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 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.

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!

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!

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

Exactly!

How much did you expect to lose in a month? Four pounds is a fine amount and no don't lower your calories. In fact, you should be eating more food. The key isn't just to lose weight. You have to meet your macros to provide your body with the required level of nutrients and have enough energy to properly fuel your workout. This is hard to do for many people on 1200 calories.

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1080242-a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants

Thank u so much to everyone who helped.. It has kept me encouraged and I just need to be more patient.. Thank you guys

Excellent!!! Keep up the good work!

What the "it's only calories in and calories out" crowd ignore/dismiss/ridicule is that there is more going on in the human body than JUST calories in and out. We have hormones that regulate metabolism. Metabolism is affected by so many things: how much food, quality of food, lean body mass, excess fat, sunlight, sleep; so many factors that we don't even know/understand them all (yup, "science" has barely scraped the surface of our physiology). Additionally all the fancy TDEE calculations cannot ever be completely accurate for every single person. Seriously, think about it.

I have been eating under my supposed TDEE for 8 months and not only have I not lost, I have gained. Why? Because under-eating for one and a half years trying to maximize weight loss was a complete FAIL. I lost muscle and I slowed my metabolic rate. Now the only answer (which would be the most common here) is to starve myself even more just like you are thinking you should do (please don't). OR, the real solution according to my research, address my metabolism which means being more active (and eating more) and building muscle (and eating more). And patience, grasshopper.

I can't tell you how enraged it makes me to see the continual comments that one MUST be eating more than they are logging, not weighing their food, etc. What a load of BS. Obesity is a fairly recent epidemic and we only started obsessing about calories since the 1970s. Obviously all the calorie obsession is NOT helping. Why were people NOT prone to obesity historically when they were completely unable to calculate every friggin calorie consumed? A question to ponder.

PS. OP is losing a pound per week?! That's pretty darn rapid for so little left to lose. And obviously the calorie deficit IS working well, until it doesn't. (Do people expect to lose 5 pounds a day? ffs :noway: )

Thank u so much to everyone who helped.. It has kept me encouraged and I just need to be more patient.. Thank you guys

I remember when I was in labor with my first baby and I said to the nurse, "I can't do this!" She said, "yes you can, you already ARE doing this!"

So, the same to you. You already ARE doing this, and it's working. I think you're off to a great start!

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???

Okay for one thing, you lost four pounds in a month. That's one pound a week. That's about where you should be.

Also, with your stats, I got your TDEE as 2439 and a recommended calorie intake of 1951 per day. Your BMR is 1573.

Lowering your calories is like the worst thing you could do.