Calorie goal? Very confused....

nimmi1302
nimmi1302 Posts: 48 Member
edited September 25 in Food and Nutrition
Hi all-

I am new to myfitnesspal, great website!

I have been working out religiously for 3 months, and have lost just 3 lbs, so I;m a bit frustrated.

I am 5'2", 165 lbs. Goal: 120 lbs.
WOrkouts: 6 days a week:
Mon: 1 hr spin and 1 hr boot camp class(mostly weights)
Tues: 1 hr run
Wed: 45 min run, 30 min weights
Thur: 1 hr run
Fri: rest
Sat: 1 hr run
Sunday: 1 hr interval training.

I should be losing weight , right? But I just cannot seem to get the calories correct.
I have been told a number of things:
- "eat about 1200, and work out like you do"---- tried this, it isn;t working
- "eat about 1500-1600"---- I am finding this difficult, as I think I have gotten used to eating very little for these last few months.
- "There is not such thing as 'starvation mode'- just eat less than 1200"
which I cannot do, as I simply can't workout like I do and eat 800 cals. Not happening.
- "Don;t run, just walk"--- since I would like to stick to something I love, that's running.

Any and all tips and suggestions will be very much appreciated!

Nimmi
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Replies

  • HurricaneJulia
    HurricaneJulia Posts: 39
    Bump, I have a similar problem.
  • Celo24
    Celo24 Posts: 566 Member
    - "eat about 1500-1600"---- I am finding this difficult, as I think I have gotten used to eating very little for these last few months.

    This is the closest to accurate. It depends on what you are doing when you work out. If your MFP target is 1200 and you burn 500, then you need to eat a total of 1700 that day to NET 1200. Read the two links in my signature and that may help clear things up for you. I know it's tough to eat extra calories sometimes, but find high calorie, healthy snacks that help fill you up. Nuts, avocado, peanut butter, cheese are a few things I use. Chocolate milk is also very good after a workout for calories and to help re-energize your body. Good luck with everything!
  • katiejarr
    katiejarr Posts: 251 Member
    Hi There,
    Im in a similar place, 5' 1", 161 pounds and I work out Mon - Sat, 45 mins on elliptical and 2 days a week 1 hr of Yoga, I lost 9 pounds over the last 3 months but I was not exercising much because my broken foot, now its healed and Im not loosing weight. I eat 1200 cals a day which from everywhere Ive looked thats the minimum healthy calories. I think there is something to be said for gaining muscle...also how old are you? Im 50 and going thru menopause and thats a big factor. Also are you eating a lot of real food or processed food? I eat a good balance but I need my sweets so I do tend to go for the low cal snacks.

    I would stay stick with it, your not doing any harm eating low cals and exercising, but I do understand your frustration :)

    Feel free to friend me...take care
    Kat
  • jozzi
    jozzi Posts: 5 Member
    You poor thing, I know how it is to be a mere 5'2". Every extra pound shows. I was stuck for a bit -- been at this since January, but it started coming off recently. Slowly but surely. The thing I did differently is add the strength training. I do weight training 3 times a week and cardio the other 4. Mostly all machines at the gym. I do about 60-90 minutes of training. 3 machines (two sets ofo each) working on the upper part of my body (e.g., arms), then a set of ab exercises on a machine. I do this three times with an ab workout between each set. Then I do another three machines working on my legs (2 sets each), with an ab workout between each set. Try this for a couple of weeks and see if you don't start losing. It should help. Good luck my fellow petite pal. :)

    P.S. High reps are the key. Don't try to lift a lot of weight. Work yourself to 21-25 each set. You want to tone, not build muscle.
  • hippo_hips
    hippo_hips Posts: 45 Member
    change your diet completely.
    try all new healthy foods.
    dont JUST worry about calories.. also eat little fat and little sugar/carbs.
    running is good, I love to run also, dont just walk.
  • monkeebutton
    monkeebutton Posts: 3
    I think that maybe you should consider getting your thyroid levels checked. If those are out of whack, and HOPEFULLY not...and you have have thyroid disease, then that could be what is haulting your progress. Sounds like you're working out and eating perfectly and it doesnt make sense why you wouldn't have lost a little more. If those levels are fine, then maybe you could try altering one thing at a time. Not everything works for every-(body), so you may need to alter the way you do things to fit YOUR BODY. Try lowering carbs for a week and see what happens. Nothing? Then try altering your fat intake? Then protein intake. Just mess with things until something works for you; because SOMETHING must be a little bit off for you to not be getting progress with as great of a job that you're doing! :) Good luck.
  • chuckyp
    chuckyp Posts: 693 Member
    Have you noticed any other loss, like clothes getting looser, etc?
    With all that exercise and so few calories, it seems to me you should be losing weight, or inches on your measurements.
    Maybe you're replacing fat with muscle, or maybe eating too few calories. Or maybe you're letting extra calories sneak in without realizing it.
    I pretty much follow the formula on here and eat my daily calorie allowance plus exercise calories. I've lost a little over 20lb since January.
    Hope you get it figured out!
  • Shandke
    Shandke Posts: 116 Member
    Hey there confused....welcome to my world.

    I feel like I am in the same boat. Watching what I eat trying to keep it to 1200 calories...always end some where within 100 or so above or below, but close to this goal. I also have been working out with P90x, Insanity or Turbo Fire ....weight isn't budging.
    I wish I knew what the key was......I still gotta believe it WILL come off, so I hear what you're saying.

    If you find the key, be sure to share and if I ever figure this out I will let you know!
    Good Luck!
  • mollymoo89
    mollymoo89 Posts: 202
    If your set at 1200 calories and not eating your exercise calories, you will go into starvation mode and your body will store the food. Make sure you eat your exercise calories and NET 1200.
  • nimmi1302
    nimmi1302 Posts: 48 Member
    Wow.. you guys are great at responding RIGHT away!
    I am 41, and my food choices are quite healthy. In fact , my hubby frequently complains that I don;t keep any 'real' food in the refrigerator! "All I see is fat free greek yogurt, berries, grilled chicken and veggies!"

    MY bane was white rice, so I eat that very very rarely now ( I don;t believe it totally banishing any particular food group from my diet. Been there, done that, and fallen quite badly off the wagon). I now have brown rice or quinoa.

    I am from India, so I eat Indian food for the most part. The food I cook is quite healthy, not the creamy kind we find in the restaurants. Love this website since I can create my recipes and figure out the calories.

    It has to be the number of calories....
  • nimmi1302
    nimmi1302 Posts: 48 Member
    Mollymoo: So that would be close to 1700.....
  • nimmi1302
    nimmi1302 Posts: 48 Member
    I think that maybe you should consider getting your thyroid levels checked. If those are out of whack, and HOPEFULLY not...and you have have thyroid disease, then that could be what is haulting your progress.


    I did get that checked and it's normal. Maybe I should try changing one thing [er week and see what happens. Thanks!
  • JenWorthen3
    JenWorthen3 Posts: 64 Member
    First thing: are you getting all your water for the day? Be sure to overkill on drinking water. Shoot for more than 8 cups of water a day. Go for like 3 quarts minimum.

    Also, according to Runners World, you should be aiming for 1500 calories to lose weight. If you do less than that, your body is going into starvation mode. If you're doing more than that, you're at maintenance level. 1500 is pretty good. I've been eating back all my exercise calories and haven't been losing weight the way I think I should be right now. If you're really struggling eating those extra calories, add in some Clif bars or some Mrs. May Trio bars. Those things each have just over 200 calories and that would put you almost right calorie-wise. And they're great for post-run. I try to eat nuts or cheese or just go for a protein shake as soon as I finish a run just to help recover.

    Good luck and stay the course. You'll find success. I guarantee it!
  • szqrn
    szqrn Posts: 14 Member
    I am new here also.. i have however lost 40 pounds since a year and half ago.. kept off 30 and now trying here to be more accountable.. havent really been exercising cause I moved way the heck up north and too much snow outside. Okay that being said yes I believe you can go into starvation mode" .. i think you gotta have at least a day a week to eat what you want ... helps you satisfy yourself and then sorta tricks your body. Don't weigh yourself but at least every week at most.. i have not weighed since I started this and definately not this week :) . Anyway. of course muscle weighs more than fat and is metabolic... with all that exercising.. I am sure your body composition is changing and clothes are fitting different right? you should probably be eating more cal though.. high quality protein and good food.. okay now that I gave advice I should follow it right? :)))
  • nimmi1302
    nimmi1302 Posts: 48 Member
    Have you noticed any other loss, like clothes getting looser, etc?
    With all that exercise and so few calories, it seems to me you should be losing weight, or inches on your measurements.

    Some clothes do fit better, my measurements are down 1/2 inch all over. But it would be nice to see some progress on the scale as well., right? :)
  • paculina
    paculina Posts: 1
    There IS a such thing as starvation mode, so be sure you're eating enough. If you're not eating enough, you won't lose weight because your body isn't sure it's going to get enough to sustain it, so it holds on to what it has to protect itself. It's probably even more true with you working out so hard. As backwards as it sounds, you may start to lose the weight once you start to EAT. Up your calories to 1700 or even 18-1900. Assure your body you aren't starving and then you should see some weight loss.

    And if you don't, then yes, you should get checked out for a thyroid issue or another medical issue that would make weight loss difficult, such as PCOS.
  • nimmi1302
    nimmi1302 Posts: 48 Member
    First thing: are you getting all your water for the day? Be sure to overkill on drinking water. Shoot for more than 8 cups of water a day. Go for like 3 quarts minimum.
    . If you're really struggling eating those extra calories, add in some Clif bars or some Mrs. May Trio bars. Those things each have just over 200 calories and that would put you almost right calorie-wise. And they're great for post-run.

    I have to confess, water intake is absolutely dismal. I drink about 3-4 glasses of water a day, even when I workout that much. I know, I need to drink a LOT more....just have to make myself remember. :)
    LIke the idea of adding the bars- adding calories is a struggle.
    Thanks!
  • mollymoo89
    mollymoo89 Posts: 202
    That sounds about right. Just make sure that you eat your exercise calories. Your calorie total will be above 1200. But when you subtract your exercise calories, you should have a NET of at least 1200.
  • MzBerry79
    MzBerry79 Posts: 3 Member
    Go to the Dr. and have a lab work up done, change your diet, and calculate your exercise in calories and eat most of them. Also I know when my body goes through a big change it goes into a holding pattern for a while then all of a sudden the weight falls off. If your clothes are loser then I wouldn't worry to much about the scale...as difficult as that might be.
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