I have a 1200 a day calorie goal so how many pounds should I

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sopita25
sopita25 Posts: 5
in Food and Nutrition
my calorie goal is set to 1200 a day I have been actually staying within that calorie goal for about 15 days now, well there actually was about 2-3 days where I went over that calorie goal shhh don't tell anyone lol , so anyway I lost about 8 pounds since I started but now as I check the scale every couple of days or so it will play limbo with my weight for example one day it will say I weight 149.6 and the next day it will say I weigh 151.4 give or take a pound and I'm completely confused as to why I find it weird.
Im not going to lie I have snuck 1 or 2 a day here or there but those snacks are about 160 in calories or less since it's either a bag of chips of a devil dog cake or a icecream bar or whole grain tostinos chips with some cheese salsa so I'm sure that can't possibly be the thing that is causing that 2-3 pound difference on the scale,can it?
I have also started doing 45 minutes sometimes a hour of zumba at home using the zumba fitness game for the xbox 360 with the kinect maybe 2 times a week so far but I'm going to start using it every weekday because yes I have been burning alot of calories, I know this because I get very sweaty while doing the zumba but I want to burn even more so I can lose even more weight.
I dont know I just feel that I'm not losing enough weight right now, is that just me? Am I losing a good healthy amount of weight at the rate that I am and i just dont see it that way because I really want to lose more?

Sorry for the whole essay I wrote but thank you for taking the time to read it and hopefully reply back to it 80)

Replies

  • ShonzG
    ShonzG Posts: 73 Member
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    I have the same 'problem'... I hope you find an answer!! Although I do think part of my issue is my fluid retention issues....
  • morganadk2_deleted
    morganadk2_deleted Posts: 1,696 Member
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    As I can't read your diary can i suggest you read this they may help! read , review and reassess!

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

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/61706-guide-to-calorie-deficit

    Good luck on your journey
  • cerysrhi
    cerysrhi Posts: 262
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    I would weight at the same time once a week you are likely to get a more accurate reading. you can gain or lose upto 2lb in a day from chemical changes in the body
  • EJWoolcock
    EJWoolcock Posts: 60
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    stick to weighing yourself once a week - it's less confusing and stressful (I will admit to cheating sometimes!)
  • reikichris
    reikichris Posts: 85
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    Eight pounds is great!!!! I think according to MFP, you should lose 2 pounds per week eating 1200 net calories. You need a 3,500 calorie deficit to burn 1 calorie (which takes approximately 4.5 days on a 1200 net calorie diet).

    Some weeks I would lose 2-4 pounds, others I would not lose on ounce, and some weeks I would go up by a pound or two. Not sure why my weight loss cycle fluctuates like that (sodium, water weight?), but If I calculate the amount of time I have been dieting and calories lost, it does equal an average of about 2 pounds per week.

    Hope this helps. Good luck and great job!
  • tross0924
    tross0924 Posts: 909 Member
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    Your weight can vary any given day by a few lbs. Mostly due to either time of day, time of month, activity level from the day before, nutrition content of the food the day before, sodium levels, and just because it wants to. :smile: Stick with it and watch the long term trends. The "high bounces," as I like to call em, will start to be lower than your "low bounces." What you actually weigh is somewhere in the middle.

    GL and stick with it :happy:
  • WettonJ
    WettonJ Posts: 21
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    It could just be the scales you are losing that are not that accurate, also depends on your height weight ect that will give the average amount of calories you should burn.. But I have found that no science is correct all depends on your own body rate.

    I was 13.2lbs on monday 7th, I stick to just under 1200 calories and have burned 4 pounds to date 10th, including around 250-550 cardio work outs daily. The chart said I will lose 2 pounds a week being a 25 year old male sticking to 1200 calories! however Ill weight myself this monday and should be just be around 5-6 pounds.

    If you really want to lose weight you have to be strict and do as much exercise as you can, when I was 21 stone in 2008 I lost a lot of water at fist then only through 2009-2010 I started losing body fat up until the end of 2010 it slowed down because I stopped doing as much cardio, was around 13stone, through christmas I put on a stone and a half and now 12.13lb as I have upped the cardio.
  • beckajw
    beckajw Posts: 1,738 Member
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    I weight myself more than once a week too, but I only record my weight once a week. Your weight can change by as much as 5 pounds during the day (water retention, stress, etc). So, once a week at the same time gives you a more real number. Everyone's body processes food differently, so you may find that you need to weigh once every week and a half or once every 5 days (once a week is average). Your body doesn't take the food you eat today and automatically burn it off or turn it into fat. It can take days for your body to store it as fat or burn it off. That's why some people who "binge" on one day and weigh in the next find no weight change, but then a week later find they have gained weight. While others will weigh in the next day and find they've gained weight, but then a few days later that weight is gone. The scale is a tricky thing.
  • Barelmy
    Barelmy Posts: 590 Member
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    Your weight will vary like crazy on a day to day basis. I'm set to lose half a pound a week, and always stay within my calories (if you go back, it will look like I haven't, because my calories lowered at the 5lb loss mark - but trust me, I did!). I weigh (and record my weight) every day, and my progress chart looks like this.

    Kali-1.jpg

    That's a few days old, but you can see it varies, but shows a downward trend.
  • Holton
    Holton Posts: 1,018
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    First, stop weighting yourself every day. Try picking one day a week and weigh first thing in the morning...this will give you a more accurate picture of your weight loss. Everyone's weight fluctuates every day 2-4 pounds easily and it can mess with your mind. Second any kind of processed food is loaded with sodium which I believe does affect weight loss. Losing 1/2 to 2 pounds a week is the healthy way to lose weight, so as long as you are losing 1/2 pound a week you are doing good! Just stick with the program and make it work for you! Good luck.
  • sopita25
    sopita25 Posts: 5
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    I thought that maybe it is water weight that keeps causing it but I have cut down on water alot although I know they healthy amount of water to drink is 8 cups a day but I only drink anywhere from 1-3 cups of water a day
  • Jassper
    Jassper Posts: 25
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    I thought that maybe it is water weight that keeps causing it but I have cut down on water alot although I know they healthy amount of water to drink is 8 cups a day but I only drink anywhere from 1-3 cups of water a day

    Drinking less water make your body retain it. Always drink lots of water. It's the same with Cal, if your body don't get enough it will retain it as much as it can. Also, drinking lots of water keeps your kidneys clean and your bladder in shape.

    Watch your salt intake as well. High sodium foods also make your body retain water. My weight will usually jump up a pound or two the day after going to the Movies and eating popcorn. Drinking lots of water will help reduce that retention as it will clear out a lot of the sodium.
  • sopita25
    sopita25 Posts: 5
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    Thank u for all of ur replies I deff. Will keep ur advice in mind n I will try my best to keep with what I'm doing to lose weight ur advice is sure to help me with achieving my goal weight by the summer time.
    If any of u have any more advice please feel free to share it.
    I noticed all of your Weight lost indicators and you are all doing a great job keep up the good work 80)

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