Please tell me what im doing wrong!!

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13

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  • robin52077
    robin52077 Posts: 4,383 Member
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    you most definitely need to eat more. The 1200 MINIMUM should be NET. Meaning if you exercise that day and burn 300, you should eat 1500 MINIMUM that day.
    With only a few more pounds to lose you should be eating very close to maintenance level with heavy strength training.
    I weigh 107 and eat 1600-2200 a day, depending on how hard I work out.

    You should add about 100 a day to your intake for a week, then 100 more the next week, etc. Add back slowly so your body gets used to it. You may gain a little but it will come back off once your screwed up metabolism stabilizes. Change your activity level to active, with all that yard work you do, you are DEFINITELY active. Set your goal to 1/2 lb a week, that's the only way to get off the last few in a healthy manner. And then EAT what it tells you to! And when you exercise (above and beyond the yard work that is already built into your activity level) log it and eat it! The yard work is part of your lifestyle, not "exercise" in the sense that you'd add it you your diary...

    also, track sodium. any time you have a bad sodium day, you will weigh more ht next day, and that could be why you think you "gained weight" eating 1200 calories.

    a pound of fat is 3500 calories, so to gain a pound in a week, you would need to eat 500 calories OVER MAINTENANCE every day for a week. So in order to actually GAIN a pound, you would need to eat well over 2000 a day for a whole week. Any weight gain you saw was strictly water/bloat, etc. Not actual fat gain.
  • TourThePast
    TourThePast Posts: 1,753 Member
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    I dont really know where to start.. I always over do it, then im out for 3-4 days!
    No wonder you've been put off!

    If you can afford it, what would really benefit you is to join a really good gym (which does not mean an expensive one, or a place with all the latest shiny equipment) who will assess your current fitness level and give you a programme which will not cripple you - and tell you the right stretching exercises to do, it's important not to skip those, as if you do you can end up being stiff for days afterwards!
  • robin52077
    robin52077 Posts: 4,383 Member
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    oh, one other thing. not trying to attack you here, but you did ask what you were doing wrong...

    you say you eat really well, but lets take a particular day for an example:
    on April 9th, you ate 1307 but logged 500 of exercise, so you really only Netted 807.
    on that day, you ate 855 calories of pizza, hot dog, ice cream, hot fudge, oreos and jelly beans.

    so in reality you gave your body ZERO calories to actually work with. Where is the nutrition on that day. That is just one example, there re others almost as bad.
    You need to give your body at least 1200 calories net of actual usable nutrition, not empty calories.

    Sorry so blunt, but you asked what you are doing wrong, and I am telling you in the most direct way I know how.

    I would like to be friends and discuss this further and help you.
    You want to be fit, strong, and energetic, not frail, scrawny, weak, and tired, right? Eat more and lift weights and build some muscle. The number on the scale may go up as you build muscle but let me tell you, I look AND feel better now at 107 than I did at 103 thanks to extra muscle tone. I fit MORE comfortably in my same pants 4 pounds more.....
    don't worry about the scale at this point, go by your body, strength, endurance, etc.
  • DizzieLittleLifter
    DizzieLittleLifter Posts: 1,020 Member
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    When i up my calories to 1200 a day i gain weight! If you look back at my progress the first week or so it was set at 1200.. i gained almost 4 pounds... ! so the last 20 days i started at 136 and right now im still 136!! UGGG

    yeah, maybe beacuase your metabolisim is soo low, or maybe because of other factors. Perhaps the extra caloires you took in were sodium filled, perhaps it was TOM, perhaps there wasn't a BM. There is a bigger picture. You need to eat small frequent meals. 1200 cals + at least 1/2 your exercise calories. Make sure you are drinking plenty of water, eating protein after workouts, and eating non starchy, high fibrous carbs. There is a science to losing weight and it's not just decrease one's calories so low your body can't function. :flowerforyou:
  • gameovergt
    gameovergt Posts: 502
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    be patient
  • PJilly
    PJilly Posts: 21,740 Member
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    You want to be fit, strong, and energetic, not frail, scrawny, weak, and tired, right? Eat more and lift weights and build some muscle. The number on the scale may go up as you build muscle but let me tell you, I look AND feel better now at 107 than I did at 103 thanks to extra muscle tone. I fit MORE comfortably in my same pants 4 pounds more.....
    don't worry about the scale at this point, go by your body, strength, endurance, etc.
    Robin speaks the truth. I think she could help you a lot if you'd let her. I wish you the best!
  • Diana061
    Diana061 Posts: 118 Member
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    800 calories will put your body in stravation mode.. up your calories to at least 1200 and keep up the good work
  • kkmonk
    kkmonk Posts: 3
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    Hey,

    I started three weeks ago and was getting really down about not losing much weight until my boyfriend suggested i measure my waist, hips etc. I was shocked to find that I had actually lost 2.5 inches from both. Just goes to show that muscle does weigh more than fat and that it can make what the scales say misleading.

    Perhaps you could also measure your vitals?
  • jasonweinberg
    jasonweinberg Posts: 270
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    i really ought to stop reading these threads. she did ask and everyone is trying to be helpful. robin is 100% right about what you eat being critically important and eating pizza hot dogs and ice cream is definitely not going to give your body the fuel it needs on a low calorie diet. however, everyone here seems to be so certain about this 1200 calorie minimum and starvation mode (and yes i have read the webmasters info regarding this) but my experience in my program contradicts this. i was in an intensive bariatric program in conjunction with lap-band surgery and under their care i was on a much lower than 1200 calorie a day regimen, exercised regularly, never ate back my exercise calories and lost a ton of weight, had no problems with energy or health throughout. my dr. and my nutritionist told me that they believe the whole concept of starvation mode is widely misunderstood and i do think a lot of you offer it up as fact when in fact you are not nutritionists or doctors. if it is a fact how did i manage to lose about 60 lbs. over six months while on calorie limits of 600, then 800, then 1,000 calories a day while exercising regularly? and if it screws up my health and good cholesterol how come all of my bloodwork has been perfect with all my nutritional levels and cholesterol levels being picture perfect? it is important to note that i did focus very much on keeping my protein to calorie ratio very high throughout so i was still maintaining my muscle. i realize this is a theory that you all wholeheartedly believe in, but it is not in fact the gospel. my results are a testament to the fact that you can most certainly lose weight and remain healthy while eating less than 1200 calories a day and not eating back your exercise calories. my two cents.
  • ladyhawk00
    ladyhawk00 Posts: 2,457 Member
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    i really ought to stop reading these threads. she did ask and everyone is trying to be helpful. robin is 100% about what you eat being critically important and eating pizza hot dogs and ice cream is definitely not going to give your body the fuel it needs on a low calorie diet. however, everyone here seems to be so certain about this 1200 calorie minimum and starvation mode (and yes i have read the webmasters info regarding this) but my experience in my program contradicts this. i was in an intensive bariatric program in conjunction with lap-band surgery and under their care i was on a much lower than 1200 calorie a day regimen, exercised regularly, never ate back my exercise calories and lost a ton of weight, had no problems with energy or health throughout. my dr. and my nutritionist told me that they believe the whole concept of starvation mode is widely misunderstood and i do think a lot of you offer it up as fact when in fact you are not nutritionists or doctors. if it is a fact how did i manage to lose about 60 lbs. over five months while on calorie limits of 600, then 800, then 1,000 calories a day while exercising regularly? and if it screws up my health and good cholesterol how come all of my bloodwork has been perfect with all my nutritional levels and cholesterol levels being picture perfect? i realize this is a theory that you all wholeheartedly believe in, but it is not in fact the gospel. my results are a testament to the fact that you can most certainly lose weight and remain healthy while eating less than 1200 calories a day and not eating back your exercise calories. my two cents.

    I'm glad you've had such good success. And I'll certainly agree that the concept of starvation mode is overused and misapplied sometimes.

    However, you're neglecting to recognize a key factor that kept starvation mode from directly applying to you (for a time.) That is the fact that you were obese. Someone who is obese can generally afford a much larger deficit than someone closer to healthy BMI. And an obese person has enough fat stores that the ratio of fat/muscle loss will always favor fat, simply because there is a lot of it.

    That said, you almost certainly still experienced adaptive thermogenesis (metabolism decrease.) You just didn't have enough of a decrease to prevent weight loss (as is the case with most obese people.) And while for some people, a VLCD is appropriate because of surgery and overall immediate health risks due to obesity/morbid obesity, it still has risks (which I assume and certainly hope your doctors/dietitians explained to you.) In some cases, those risks are outweighed by the benefits - but they're still there.

    Second, you also had the benefit of being provided a specific dietary guideline from your doctor/dietitian. That helps ensure that while you were on a VLCD, you still received the necessary nutrition to prevent most issues. Most people don't have that assistance and most people cannot structure a dietary plan well enough on their own to meet nutritional requirements with that low of an intake. It is very difficult to do.

    And most of the people here are NOT under the care of a physician and/or dietitian - and an LCD or VLCD should never be attempted without that supervision and monitoring.

    I discussed some of the risks of VLCDs and rapid weight loss in this thread:

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/222019-60-lbs-in-60-days?hl=60+lbs

    Again, for some individuals, their doctor may decide that the benefits outweigh the risks. But it should always be an informed decision made between patient and doctor, and should never be attempted otherwise.

    Edit to add: The OP has a goal 8 lbs to lose, so it's somewhat safe to assume she's near a healthy BMI. She is a classic candidate for adaptive thermogenisis and loss of lean tissue. I don't know that she's in "starvation mode", but it's certainly not out of the question. And regardless, she's not in a situation to need a VLCD, nor is it safe for her.
  • lilmissy2
    lilmissy2 Posts: 595 Member
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    However, you're neglecting to recognize a key factor that kept starvation mode from directly applying to you (for a time.) That is the fact that you were obese. Someone who is obese can generally afford a much larger deficit than someone closer to healthy BMI. And an obese person has enough fat stores that the ratio of fat/muscle loss will always favor fat, simply because there is a lot of it.


    This actually isn't true. If you aren't fuelling your body appropriately then your body will burn either muscle or fat depending on how urgently the energy is required - your energy converting processes are not affected by the amount of body fat you have, unless you have a minimal amount (I'm talking very underweight), in which case your body will be forced to use muscle where it would usually use fat.

    Basically, starvation mode is 'real' in the sense that someone who is eating too few calories could be losing weight just as efficiently (or more efficiently) by eating more calories (and who wouldn't want that?!). However, the concept that eating too little will make you gain weight is kind of ridiculous, your body needs to get energy from somewhere - if you don't eat enough it will burn fat or muscle and you will lose weight. If you are truly eating so few calories consistently and not losing weight, then this is likely a medical issue.
  • jerzite
    jerzite Posts: 12 Member
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    DOnt be sorry for being blunt, but c'mon, outta 20 or so days, that particular one really was a bad day..! I have 2 very healthy children, although one loves anything healthy and the other doesnt budge!! Hubby will eat whatever i put in front of him, he is overweight and refuses any type of cardio or strength training!
    I guess i need to slowly add more calories back and get into resistance and strength training. I am an Italian woman, and i love to cook and eat... although Its tough, either its too much of not enough...UUGGG
    Of course im in the yard gardening again today, but its almost done. Once thats done and i come back from vacation, ill be looking into the resistance and strength training.
  • ladyhawk00
    ladyhawk00 Posts: 2,457 Member
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    However, you're neglecting to recognize a key factor that kept starvation mode from directly applying to you (for a time.) That is the fact that you were obese. Someone who is obese can generally afford a much larger deficit than someone closer to healthy BMI. And an obese person has enough fat stores that the ratio of fat/muscle loss will always favor fat, simply because there is a lot of it.


    This actually isn't true. If you aren't fuelling your body appropriately then your body will burn either muscle or fat depending on how urgently the energy is required - your energy converting processes are not affected by the amount of body fat you have, unless you have a minimal amount (I'm talking very underweight), in which case your body will be forced to use muscle where it would usually use fat.

    Basically, starvation mode is 'real' in the sense that someone who is eating too few calories could be losing weight just as efficiently (or more efficiently) by eating more calories (and who wouldn't want that?!). However, the concept that eating too little will make you gain weight is kind of ridiculous, your body needs to get energy from somewhere - if you don't eat enough it will burn fat or muscle and you will lose weight. If you are truly eating so few calories consistently and not losing weight, then this is likely a medical issue.

    I guess I'm confused - what part are you disagreeing with?

    Fat stores are accessed based on need and availability. As you lose fat, you will burn a higher amount of muscle along with fat. That's been proven. The percentages of fat and muscle lost depend on the amount of body fat and energy expenditure and intake.

    And I never said eating too little by itself would make you gain weight. But it can slow or stall weight loss, due to decreased metabolism and loss of lean tissue. When lean tissue is lost, TDEE (the amount burned through daily functions/activity) decreases. So it becomes a cycle where you eat less, decrease metabolism and burn lean tissue at a higher rate. This means your energy requirements decrease, so you can maintain weight at a lower intake than before. So you eat even less, and perpetuate the cycle. The levels at which this happens are different for each individual, and again are influenced by the amount of fat stores and MANY other factors (and most obese people won't encounter it until closer to a healthy BMI). But there's no doubt it happens.

    Some details of this are explained well in Robin's thread:

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/153704-myth-or-fact-simple-math-3500-calories-one-pound-eat
  • ladyhawk00
    ladyhawk00 Posts: 2,457 Member
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    DOnt be sorry for being blunt, but c'mon, outta 20 or so days, that particular one really was a bad day..! I have 2 very healthy children, although one loves anything healthy and the other doesnt budge!! Hubby will eat whatever i put in front of him, he is overweight and refuses any type of cardio or strength training!
    I guess i need to slowly add more calories back and get into resistance and strength training. I am an Italian woman, and i love to cook and eat... although Its tough, either its too much of not enough...UUGGG
    Of course im in the yard gardening again today, but its almost done. Once thats done and i come back from vacation, ill be looking into the resistance and strength training.

    Just keep working on it. Sometimes it takes a little expermenting to find the right combination of things that will work for you. :wink:
  • ibelieveinlove7
    ibelieveinlove7 Posts: 27 Member
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    I don't think 800 calories is enough for any adult to stay alive. Your body is probably in survivor mode now. How is your metabolism? My trainer worked with me to build muscle (but that caused me to gain some weight, which was fine because I lost inches) so that I would burn more calories and it would regulate my urges to eat...
  • BELINDASTAFFORD
    BELINDASTAFFORD Posts: 3 Member
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    Your calorie intake is too low. Since you are exercising your body will store what nutrients you take in reserves instead of spending them. Try to edit your personel info. See if it wont recalculate your baseline calories.
  • lilmissy2
    lilmissy2 Posts: 595 Member
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    I guess I'm confused - what part are you disagreeing with?


    Sorry to confuse you, I'm only disagreeing with the part I have quoted. The second paragraph is a general response to the OP's query.
  • dfresh050
    dfresh050 Posts: 15
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    Sound like you need a good structured plan of Nutrition, Strength and Cardio. Have you checked out P90X, Chalean Exrteme or Turbo Fire?
    i agree completely
  • jasonweinberg
    jasonweinberg Posts: 270
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    @ladyhawk: i appreciate your info. it does make sense. yes, i was obese and i was under a physician's care. no you shouldn't go on a very low calorie diet without being under a dr.s careful watch. that is all true. i guess what gets me is how so many on here simply parrot this "starvation mode" info as if they are in fact experts and things are as black and white as they portray them. even after my post, which admittedly was now on a previous page, these same kind of posts continue as if everyone on here was some kind of a nutritional/fitness expert because of some things they have read/been told by this site or these forums. now i do realize the poster asked for help and that is what people are trying to do. but naively responding "starvation mode" for anyone eating under 1200 calories per day or not eating back their exercise calories to me sounds an awful lot like people just reciting some mantra that has been recited to them without really knowing or understanding the true substance of what they are saying. by the depth and clarity of your response, it is obviously not the case for you...
  • jasonweinberg
    jasonweinberg Posts: 270
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    also @ladyhawk: just read the post you linked to your reply on here. very well-written and informative. very impressive. i also like the fact that you added a disclaimer that you are not an "expert" per se but that in your quest to be knowledgeable you have learned a thing or two. very well done. nothing there i would critique at all.

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