ok so now what

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tandclund
tandclund Posts: 5
in Health and Weight Loss
I have been doing this for 3 weeks and have not lost a pound . I am eating under or at my 1200 calories,exercising and staying under in all catergories including fat and protein and carbs. Am at my wits end!!!!!!!! Any ideas?

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  • mrskb
    mrskb Posts: 6
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    i know if you eat too few calories under 1200 your body goes into starvation mode, how many calories does it say your allowed every day?
  • Sara1978
    Sara1978 Posts: 213 Member
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    If you're exercising and only eating at or under 1200 calories, you need to eat more. 1200 is the bare minimum, and if you're eating only that and exercising too, your body is going to cling to its weight because it will think you are starving it.
  • tandclund
    tandclund Posts: 5
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    It says that I'm allowed 1200
  • grannyjanet
    grannyjanet Posts: 4
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    Hi there. Just started Myfitnesspal 3 days ago, however I was on anaoather web based life plan and started losing by keeping to my 1200 calories and some exercise. Are you getting 2 to 3 fruits and 2 or 3 vegetables. Total of 5 between the two, and drinking 8 glasses of water. Hope this helps.
  • elainegsd
    elainegsd Posts: 459 Member
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    What does it say after you have added in your workout calories? You should be aiming for some number between 1200 and the after-workout number.
  • tandclund
    tandclund Posts: 5
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    I try to eat enough vegetables and fruit and drink lots of fluid..I am jsut getting so pissed. I tried eating nothing but vegetables and I lost 3lbs in 1 day. Then tried to add some regular food and gained 3 pounds. Tell me that is not ridiculous.
  • bjshields
    bjshields Posts: 677 Member
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    1,200 calories is generally LOW unless you are a peanut; i.e., really short. If you are active & exercising, you should have 1300-1500 calories depending upon your current size for weight loss. Also, are you lifting weights? My body holds on to pounds as long as I only do cardio & no weights.

    Good luck, and hang in there!
  • tandclund
    tandclund Posts: 5
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    I am 5"3 135 lbs. So probably considered short LOL. I cant use weights as I had an accident but do cardio such as riding a stationary bike . Ive tried to eat exercise calories tried not to eat them. Since hitting 40 ave gained 15 lbs and am not impressed.
  • katbass
    katbass Posts: 351 Member
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    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/3047-700-calories-a-day-and-not-losing

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/10589-for-those-confused-or-questioning-eating-your-exercise-calo

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/10665-newbies-please-read-me-2nd-edition

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/6832-eating-all-of-your-calories-bmr

    Its probably the most common question asked on the forums :)

    Short answer: Try Searching this topic, as it has been discussed ad nausea here on the site. Others have said this much better than I can. I am not a doctor or a nutirtionist or a fitness expert. I am just seeing success in my own life using the following insights.

    Longer (but not nearly long enough) answer:
    Your body requires a certain number of calories in order for you to simply exist. In order for you eyes to blink, your heart to keep beating, your hair to keep growing, your organs to keep functioning, you have to feed it a certain number of calories. This number is called your BMR. (Use the tool on this site to check your BMR...) For example, my BMR is about 1490 calories. So say I lay in bed allllll day, motionless. I would require 1490 calories just to keep my body alive in a coma-like state.
    The second I get out of bed, walk across the room, open the door to the bathroom, brush my teeth, pee, weigh myself, turn on the hot water,and hop in the shower...I have burned calories. Minimal...but still enough to start cutting into the 1490 my body needs in order to fuel its most basic functions.

    So if I eat my BMR of 1490 a day, I am only giving my body enough to do its basic functions.

    MFP gave me 1200 calories based on my desire to lose 2 lbs a week. At my height and current weight, losing 2 lbs per week is not reasonable, but I wanted to lose FAST. And the lowest MFP will set someone's calories is 1200 (For many good reasons). 1200 is sort of an arbitrary number at this point but no one should really eat LESS than 1200, and there are likely very few people who could eat 1200 calories for the rest of their lives and maintain weight or stay satisfied. (opinion...sorry) I lost 20+ lbs eating 1200 cals a day. Wahoo! Yeah me!! Right? WRONG. The second I started eating "normal" again, I gained all 20+ lbs back, PLUS MORE. It might "work" in the short term, but for many here, 1200 calories isnt the lifestyle change needed to STAY healthy and thin.

    OK, back to the exercise thing. If I eat my 1500 (1490) cals today, my body will already be at a deficit for weight loss since I got out of bed, functioned, walked, lifted my toddler countless times, etc. So if I were to workout and burn 500 calories this afternoon, my body would be at an even greater deficit, and risk pushing my body to panic. Once your body panics and your metabolism worries that you are not feeding it enough, you will start to store fat at a faster rate. Your body and metabolism will try to hang onto any extra store of fat in preparation for an upcoming "famine".

    Another way to look at it: If you eat 1200 calories and then exercise 500 calories away, you are only holding onto 700 calories for your body to draw from for energy, organ function, eye blinking, etc etc. Its just not enough for your body to exist on without causing longterm troubles.

    It took me a looooong time to "get" this. I still have to consciously remind myself to eat my calories in order to lose weight. It seems counter-intuitive...but it WORKS. When I eat my BMR and at LEAST half my exercise calories, I lose weight. When I only eat 1200 calories, I am miserable, hungry, and i might lose some weight initially...but i gain it alllll back with a few extra for fluffiness.

    Bottom line: eat more, keep moving, lose more, keep it off
    BMR + exercise calories = longterm success



    Hope that helped!

    Also, if you put your goal as "lose 2 lbs per week" then MFP will set your calorie goal accordingly. That is why it gave you 1200 cals rather than your BMR. Its fruatrating to repeatedly see people say "eat 1200 if youre a girl and 1500 if youre a guy" because every body is sooo different. Dont take that 1200 "golden" number and assume you will lose weight. You might initially, but youll likely stall if your frame/height/etc arent getting enough calories to exist on.
  • Michellef67
    Michellef67 Posts: 9 Member
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    I am also 40+ and 5'2". I eat 1200 calories and exercise no less than 6 days a week. I started on MFP in September and have lost 21 pounds. It took a while for the weight to start going, but once it did, I average about 1 pound per week. I think you just need to be patient and keep doing what you're doing. Everyone is different, but I think it takes a while for your body to adjust to the changes. Once it does, the weight will come off. You might want to take your measurements as well. When I have weeks with no weight loss, I check my measurements and find that they have gone down. Be patient with yourself, good luck.
  • tandclund
    tandclund Posts: 5
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    thamks all for the good advice.Ill keep with it and let you know .
  • Fgillies
    Fgillies Posts: 194
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    it is rediculous, but not because you gained it back, but b/c you wont ever be able to sustain a life of JUST veggies, you need to incorporate every normal foods into your "diet" so to speak, of course if you fasted for 24 hours you'll lose weight, the minute you eat a carb/protein, its probably gonna come back on! Dont give up now, you are just starting, every little bit counts. I have been here for almost 5 weeks...ive only lost 4 lbs! BUT...Ive lost almost 2 inches on my waist, .5 inches on my arms, and even a tad little .25 inches on my thighs...people say it takes 21 days to break/make a habit....start making your habits one you can live with for the rest of your life, not until may ( as an example)...

    keep on pushing, you can do it!
  • charityateet
    charityateet Posts: 576 Member
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    To tag on here......I have found it's not how much you eat, it's how much you eat when you eat. (in conjunction with exercise, basic calorie intake etc)

    Say you have 2 people that each eat 1800 calories a day.

    a) eats them between 2 large meals, no breakfast or snack, big lunch - 8-900 calories and big dinner 8-900 calories

    b) eats breakfast (3-400) snack (2-300) lunch (3-400) snack (2-300) dinner (4-500) after dinner snack (2-300)

    person a typically weighs MORE, even though they might be eating healthy - and working out.

    person b typically weighs LESS - because your body can only process so many calories at once.

    What happens is that if you eat too much at once, your body can't process the extra and so it sends it into the "stores" to use for later - problem is that later, you eat too much again, and your body stores that.
    The next morning, not sure if you are going to get another meal - since you basically "fast" in the a.m. (no breakfast, snack) your body doesn't process the excess.

    Take person b - body knows that it is going to eat again - because you are feeding it on a regular schedule! It says, "hey, we can burn this excess fat because I know that we are going to get fed again, every couple of hours"

    I hope this helps. And yes, it is my oppinion - but I know that it WORKS :)

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