Eating 1200 calories is making me gain weight not lose

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annonm
annonm Posts: 13 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
so it seems like if i eat 1200 calories i start slowly gaining weight. if i eat 800 or 900 calories i lose a little weight, but i dont understand why am i gaining weight eating 1200 calories?
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Replies

  • FIT_Goat
    FIT_Goat Posts: 4,224 Member
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    Are you weighing your food? Age/height/weight/gender?

    Do you have any known medical issues? Are you taking any medications?
  • Skylarfit181
    Skylarfit181 Posts: 6
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    If you are not eating enough, your body is telling you basically that, fine, if you're not giving me enough fuel, I'll go into starvation mode and store everything you give me as fat. Also, you should NEVER eat less than 1200 calories!
  • _Zardoz_
    _Zardoz_ Posts: 3,987 Member
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    I bet your not eating 1200 calories in all liklihood your eating more than you think

    The link will help HERE
  • onionparsleysage
    onionparsleysage Posts: 103 Member
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    What is your current BMI? Your post reads like that of someone who has hit a normal body weight and is trying to lose more weight to become extra thin. Your body will be resistant to shed those pounds because some fat is necessary for optimal function.

    I'd pick up a cheap food scale & start weighing your food if you're not doing that already. It's difficult to accurately estimate calories without weighing the food.

    I have a good friend who told me she was on a diet eating only 1000 calories per day. I was getting pretty concerned about her because she had some psych issues and I was worried they'd spiraled into anorexia. Well, we went out to a Chinese restaurant for dinner & she ate a large bowl of steak, broccoli, and rice. It was a healthy dish, but wayyy more than 1000 calories & she'd already eaten several other small meals that day! Turns out, she was just really bad at estimating calories, haha. She did lose weight, but it was in a much healthier manner than I thought when she mentioned the 1000 calories goal.
  • xmarliessss
    xmarliessss Posts: 3 Member
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    You're eating way too little. You should at least get in 1500 cals for your body to function properly. You won't lose any fat on 1200 calories because your metabolism will slow down and your body will burn calories as slowly as possible to conserve its energy stores. Eat some more and you'll probably lose more weight:)
  • fboyd91
    fboyd91 Posts: 6
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    What's your height, weight, and rough body fat %? You're either not eating enough, or you're eating more than you think. Use THIS calculator to help calculate what you what your caloric and macro-nutrient goals should be.
  • iheartinsanity
    iheartinsanity Posts: 205 Member
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    Calculate your BMR, and go from there. Most people on these forums are going to give you a calculation of what worked for them...but it doesn't nessesarily mean the number is going to work for you. Google it. I wouldn't take any one random persons word for it.
  • Woomytron
    Woomytron Posts: 253 Member
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    If you are 100% sure you are eating 1200 (measuring, weighing, tracking every last bite) then I suggest going to your doctor and talking to them. You really shouldn't be on that low of a diet unless you are under doctor supervision, for some reason or another. Medication can also big role, if you are on anything. Another thing is making sure you have a balance diet, I know I might get crap for this but for me if I eat too many carbs and not enough protein I WONT lose weight even when I'm hitting my calorie goal. I suggest looking at your portions and figuring out what the best range for those are. I use to not pay mind to my macros and just eat within my calorie range. Big mistake, my body wasn't happy about it and my carb intake was way too high and protein was way too low. Every body reacts differently so you have to figure out what works for you, just don't do extremely low calories.. it's not healthy.
  • renovagirl
    renovagirl Posts: 85 Member
    edited October 2014
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    I need to eat under 1200 calories to lose weight based on my height, activity level, age and weight.

    I have found this calculator to be fairly accurate in determining how many calories I need to eat to lose and maintain.

    http://www.calculator.net/calorie-calculator.html?ctype=standard&cage=20&csex=f&cheightfeet=5&cheightinch=6&cpound=0&cheightmeter=180&ckg=60&cactivity=1.2&printit=0&x=61&y=4

    1200 is a guideline, not an absolute
  • SassyCalyGirl
    SassyCalyGirl Posts: 1,932 Member
    edited October 2014
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    what are your stats? Height, current weight? Are you using a food scale?
  • eric_sg61
    eric_sg61 Posts: 2,925 Member
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    Skylarfit181 wrote: »
    If you are not eating enough, your body is telling you basically that, fine, if you're not giving me enough fuel, I'll go into starvation mode and store everything you give me as fat. Also, you should NEVER eat less than 1200 calories!
    images.jpeg


  • Kalikel
    Kalikel Posts: 9,626 Member
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    Could be sodium or a period coming that is causing water retention. Have you popped in the last few days? If you haven't, that can account for some, too.

    If you aren't weighing and measuring, you may be eating more than you think.

    Don't forget about whooshes, either. Some people lose nothing, then nothing and nothing and then lose like four pounds in a week. The Nothing's suck, but the whooshes are great!

    You could also have a medical issue. If you haven't had your weight loss journey overseen by a doctor, make an appointment. For the longest time, nobody believed me about what I was eating - not even my lazy doctor or the dopey dietician. Then I got diagnosed, treated and started losing weight...and everyone believed me.

    If you KNOW you're doing everything right, keep trying new doctors until you find one who believes you and treats you.

    Good luck!
  • ILiftHeavyAcrylics
    ILiftHeavyAcrylics Posts: 27,732 Member
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    renovagirl wrote: »
    I need to eat under 1200 calories to lose weight based on my height, activity level, age and weight.

    I have found this calculator to be fairly accurate in determining how many calories I need to eat to lose and maintain.

    http://www.calculator.net/calorie-calculator.html?ctype=standard&cage=20&csex=f&cheightfeet=5&cheightinch=6&cpound=0&cheightmeter=180&ckg=60&cactivity=1.2&printit=0&x=61&y=4

    1200 is a guideline, not an absolute

    You have your weight entered as 0 pounds, and that's why it's telling you that. How much do you weigh?
  • Liftng4Lis
    Liftng4Lis Posts: 15,150 Member
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    First, open your diary, second starvation mode doesn't exist. Are you weighing and measuring everything you eat?
  • 21million
    21million Posts: 113 Member
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    ILiftHeavyAcrylics wrote: »
    renovagirl wrote: »
    I need to eat under 1200 calories to lose weight based on my height, activity level, age and weight.

    I have found this calculator to be fairly accurate in determining how many calories I need to eat to lose and maintain.

    http://www.calculator.net/calorie-calculator.html?ctype=standard&cage=20&csex=f&cheightfeet=5&cheightinch=6&cpound=0&cheightmeter=180&ckg=60&cactivity=1.2&printit=0&x=61&y=4

    1200 is a guideline, not an absolute

    You have your weight entered as 0 pounds, and that's why it's telling you that. How much do you weigh?

    Bad calculator with no option for thinner people to take it slower than a pound per week. I am 5'3, 130lbs. Had me at 1080.
    Skylarfit181 wrote: »
    If you are not eating enough, your body is telling you basically that, fine, if you're not giving me enough fuel, I'll go into starvation mode and store everything you give me as fat. Also, you should NEVER eat less than 1200 calories!

    Are extremely underweight people just bags of bones and fat?
  • renovagirl
    renovagirl Posts: 85 Member
    Options
    ILiftHeavyAcrylics wrote: »
    renovagirl wrote: »
    I need to eat under 1200 calories to lose weight based on my height, activity level, age and weight.

    I have found this calculator to be fairly accurate in determining how many calories I need to eat to lose and maintain.

    http://www.calculator.net/calorie-calculator.html?ctype=standard&cage=20&csex=f&cheightfeet=5&cheightinch=6&cpound=0&cheightmeter=180&ckg=60&cactivity=1.2&printit=0&x=61&y=4

    1200 is a guideline, not an absolute

    You have your weight entered as 0 pounds, and that's why it's telling you that. How much do you weigh?

    Those are not my specific stats. I copied the link as an example

    Each person needs to enter THEIR OWN INFORMATION



  • renovagirl
    renovagirl Posts: 85 Member
    Options
    21million wrote: »
    ILiftHeavyAcrylics wrote: »
    renovagirl wrote: »
    I need to eat under 1200 calories to lose weight based on my height, activity level, age and weight.

    I have found this calculator to be fairly accurate in determining how many calories I need to eat to lose and maintain.

    http://www.calculator.net/calorie-calculator.html?ctype=standard&cage=20&csex=f&cheightfeet=5&cheightinch=6&cpound=0&cheightmeter=180&ckg=60&cactivity=1.2&printit=0&x=61&y=4

    1200 is a guideline, not an absolute

    You have your weight entered as 0 pounds, and that's why it's telling you that. How much do you weigh?

    Bad calculator with no option for thinner people to take it slower than a pound per week. I am 5'3, 130lbs. Had me at 1080.
    Skylarfit181 wrote: »
    If you are not eating enough, your body is telling you basically that, fine, if you're not giving me enough fuel, I'll go into starvation mode and store everything you give me as fat. Also, you should NEVER eat less than 1200 calories!

    Are extremely underweight people just bags of bones and fat?

    Whatever. Now I remember why I stay away from this site.

    I know what my stats are and I know how accurate it is for me.

    Good luck to you

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