Eating to few calories that is hurting my weight loss?
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gbjess204
Posts: 27 Member
I have had read several things that have me one the fence about how many calories to eat. I do know calories in vs calories out, but I have been stick very close to my recommended amount that MFP gives me, however I am not really seeing much loss. I have been working out regularly and sticking to a healthier eating lifestyle for 3 months now and I have not even seen the scale drop more than 4 pounds. Anyone that has knowledge on this would be great. Please do not use this tread to complain or insult anyone, this is about help and advice. My diary is open to public.
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Replies
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get a food scale and weigh everything before you log. also, if you are using MFPs exercise calculations they are usually incorrect (too high)0
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Yes agreed, too high. Keep calories low, and output (exercise) high. That's the quickest way to lose weight, be active and limit calorie intake. (years of experience) It's how I dropped.0
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Cut the calories down. i had to go down to 1200 a day to see any results, and some days i go down to below 1000 (the 5:2 diet also seems to work for me). But MFP advised me to be on 1500-1800, but i had no weight loss at all until i drastically reduced calories. I have since found i can eat a bit higher and still lose if i don't eat sugar, chocolate, cakes, white bread, and other highly processed foods. Find out what works for your body and don't believe everything MFP says when it comes to calories. Unfortunately it sounds like you need to make much more drastic changes, and cut down on the treats - maybe treat yourself to one cookie a week, one portion of fries maybe every 2 weeks, see treats as rare, not normal. Once you see the results it will be worth it!0
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Thank you guys for your input. I will try to drop to ~1,000 cal a day0
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Thank you guys for your input. I will try to drop to ~1,000 cal a day
NO!!!!! 1200 is a minimum, and it is for super short (like, 4'10"), older ladies. You're 5'6" tall and young. It is very difficult to get all the nutrients your body needs to function on only 1200 calories a day. If you drop to 1,000 several things are likely to happen: The muscle you have will be metabolized first, because it takes more energy to sustain muscle than it does to sustain fat. Therefore, your body will begin to rid itself of the tissue that takes more energy to sustain. Second, you're much more likely to binge because you're not fueling yourself properly. Third, your workouts will suffer, because you're not eating enough to perform at an optimal level.
You say you "haven't really seen much loss," - how much are you talking about? Progress is progress, even if it is slow than you'd like. Slower loss preserves the most muscle. Is it frustrating, yeah. But is it worth it, HELL YEAH. Be patient. Keep doing what you're doing, use the tool as designed (which means be honest and accurate about your activity level, be realistic in setting your pounds-per-week weight loss goal, be deadly accurate with recording your intake, and eat back a portion of your exercise calories).0 -
Your exercise calories look really inflated. (35mins of elliptical @ 523 cals for example).
Would also stop using spoons and cups to measure things - weigh them instead.
Suggest you look to tighten up and food and exercise logging before reducing your calorie goal.0 -
Thank you guys for your input. I will try to drop to ~1,000 cal a day
NO!!!!! 1200 is a minimum, and it is for super short (like, 4'10"), older ladies. You're 5'6" tall and young. It is very difficult to get all the nutrients your body needs to function on only 1200 calories a day. If you drop to 1,000 several things are likely to happen: The muscle you have will be metabolized first, because it takes more energy to sustain muscle than it does to sustain fat. Therefore, your body will begin to rid itself of the tissue that takes more energy to sustain. Second, you're much more likely to binge because you're not fueling yourself properly. Third, your workouts will suffer, because you're not eating enough to perform at an optimal level.
You say you "haven't really seen much loss," - how much are you talking about? Progress is progress, even if it is slow than you'd like. Slower loss preserves the most muscle. Is it frustrating, yeah. But is it worth it, HELL YEAH. Be patient. Keep doing what you're doing, use the tool as designed (which means be honest and accurate about your activity level, be realistic in setting your pounds-per-week weight loss goal, be deadly accurate with recording your intake, and eat back a portion of your exercise calories).
I do weight my foods on a scale. I have been at this since December and I have only seen 4lb loss. When I cook I dont use oil, I will just use water and I rarely add seasoning to anything because I really like the natural flavor of food.
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Try a intermittent fast. I've been trying that for a little over a week and got things moving again. Keep the same calories per week as you eat now but alternate daily amounts. I eat between 600-800 one day and 1800-2000 the next. Averaging 1300 a day. I haven't gotten it totally regulated (seriously over ate on saturday) but it seems to be working. Strenuous workouts should be reserved for high days.
My diary is a mess right now, but working on getting that back on track too.
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Firstly, how much do you weigh, what's your height, and how much do you want to lose? Also, do you eat back exercise calories? Everyone is jumping in with the usual before even checking these things. Typical MFP. For all you know she is within a heathy weight range and looking to drop 12lbs for example, so of course loss will be slower, so don't tell her to eat fewer calories without checking.
I'm 5'6 and looking to lose 30lbs to get back to pre-pregnancy weight. I eat 1500-1600 calories a day and I rarely eat back exercise calories. I work out pretty much every day (spinning, PT sessions, kettlebells, HIIT class, circuits...all hardcore stuff) and I walk a lot (10,000 steps on my Fitbit is a lazy day for me). I weigh pretty much everything, and I have a big deficit, yet I lose 0.5-1lb a week. However, I lose inches more quickly than on the scale.
Sometimes weight loss can be slow, but definitely take measurements too. The closer you are to goal weight, loss slows down.
I agree about being accurate with logging, but it sounds like you are (although I haven't looked at your diary).0 -
Looking at your diary, I some weighing of foods but not all. Home made items, are they yours? Bananas have a lot of calories but you are not weighing them. I see cottage cheese that you used a measuring cup. So yes, you need to weigh everything. And as previous poster mentioned your calorie burns seem high. How do you calculate your calorie burns?0
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DawnieB1977 wrote: »Firstly, how much do you weigh, what's your height, and how much do you want to lose? Also, do you eat back exercise calories? Everyone is jumping in with the usual before even checking these things. Typical MFP. For all you know she is within a heathy weight range and looking to drop 12lbs for example, so of course loss will be slower, so don't tell her to eat fewer calories without checking.
I'm 5'6 and looking to lose 30lbs to get back to pre-pregnancy weight. I eat 1500-1600 calories a day and I rarely eat back exercise calories. I work out pretty much every day (spinning, PT sessions, kettlebells, HIIT class, circuits...all hardcore stuff) and I walk a lot (10,000 steps on my Fitbit is a lazy day for me). I weigh pretty much everything, and I have a big deficit, yet I lose 0.5-1lb a week. However, I lose inches more quickly than on the scale.
Sometimes weight loss can be slow, but definitely take measurements too. The closer you are to goal weight, loss slows down.
I agree about being accurate with logging, but it sounds like you are (although I haven't looked at your diary).
To the bolded, don't lump us all in there. I checked before I replied, she's 28 years old, 5'6" tall and her profile says she's bounced between weights from 160-220 and that she's "at the highest she's ever been" so I did have to guess there at 220. Based on that, 1200 is too little let alone dropping to 1000, which I told her NOT to do.0 -
DawnieB1977 wrote: »Firstly, how much do you weigh, what's your height, and how much do you want to lose? Also, do you eat back exercise calories? Everyone is jumping in with the usual before even checking these things. Typical MFP. For all you know she is within a heathy weight range and looking to drop 12lbs for example, so of course loss will be slower, so don't tell her to eat fewer calories without checking.
I'm 5'6 and looking to lose 30lbs to get back to pre-pregnancy weight. I eat 1500-1600 calories a day and I rarely eat back exercise calories. I work out pretty much every day (spinning, PT sessions, kettlebells, HIIT class, circuits...all hardcore stuff) and I walk a lot (10,000 steps on my Fitbit is a lazy day for me). I weigh pretty much everything, and I have a big deficit, yet I lose 0.5-1lb a week. However, I lose inches more quickly than on the scale.
Sometimes weight loss can be slow, but definitely take measurements too. The closer you are to goal weight, loss slows down.
I agree about being accurate with logging, but it sounds like you are (although I haven't looked at your diary).
To the bolded, don't lump us all in there. I checked before I replied, she's 28 years old, 5'6" tall and her profile says she's bounced between weights from 160-220 and that she's "at the highest she's ever been" so I did have to guess there at 220. Based on that, 1200 is too little let alone dropping to 1000, which I told her NOT to do.
I am 5'6" and 220, you are correct. I want to get back to 160-170 where I was the happiest with my body. I do weight, with the measuring cup for cottage cheese, i do put it on the scale and it is 115g which is what the nutrition facts do day for 1/2 cup.0 -
I was 220 after my 2nd baby and lost 66lbs. I wasn't even strict with measuring and weighing then, and was eating around 1300 at first then gradually increased to 1500.0
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its all how you want to lose weight, I dropped from 2470 calories to 16200
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1200 is plenty for your height and weight. Is 1200 500 to 1000 deficit? Just curious because even with a 500 calorie deficit you should see some changes either in scale weight or change in your body measurements.
I would double check the food logging (you never know where 100 + 200 calories are coming from that are not logged accurately) and this can put a dent in your deficit.
And, I am 5'4" and I work out on the elliptical 4 times a week at 35 minutes and the most I can burn is an estimated 11 calories a minute (vigorous/hard effort) and can just get up to around 400 calories a work out...
MFP drastically overestimates exercise. I had to use a heart monitor to get actual calorie burn... The elliptical trainer computer and the heart monitor were close..0 -
I will start going off my Fitbit HR monitor for my workout sessions. I am going to try and do my workouts in the mornings- at least the cardio part. Since beginning of December I have only seen 4lbs loss, and 1.5 inch for hips and waist. and 1/2 inch on thighs. It is progress, but I would think I should have seen a little more by now.0
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Holy cow... so much wrong here.
You're 28 & 5'6".
Going by BMI you should be 115-150.
According to this calculator from the Baylor College of Medicine, at 150 lb your BMI would be 24.3 and you'd need 1540 cal/day to maintain that healthy weight if you were inactive.
(140 lb, 22.6 BMI, 1495 cal/day.)
So no, do NOT drop to 1000 cal/day. That's dangerously low.
That BCM calculator will also tell you how many servings of the various food groups you'll need in order to maintain that healthy weight.
From your comments & diary, it appears you need some help learning about healthy nutrition. Here's a resource which would help you learn: http://www.choosemyplate.gov/
This newbie help post has links to sexypants, realistic goal setting, accurate measuring of food, and other helpful things. At least read those first 2.
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McD's breakfast burrito, steak fries, Bailey's, & Crown Royal? That's all you had one day recently. Too few calories, and definitely not healthy.I have been stick very close to my recommended amount that MFP gives me, however I am not really seeing much loss. I have been working out regularly and sticking to a healthier eating lifestyle for 3 months
I'm seeing lots of meat, lots of alcohol, lots of processed foods, few fruits & veggies. (They're there, but not much.)
Have one drink of alcohol once a week. (A drink is 1.5 oz of hard liquor, 5 oz of wine, or 12 oz of beer.)
Have at least 5 servings of fruits & veggies every day.
Eat breakfast (and no, oat bran & coffee is not breakfast).
Also, it looks like your MFP calorie goal is 1450, but you're eating all over the place - 627, 1128, 1508, 1910, 1459, 738, 910 ... Find a healthy weight goal, a healthy calorie goal, and stick to it. Ignore net/exercise calories. Eat within 100 either way of your calorie goal.
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DawnieB1977 wrote: »Firstly, how much do you weigh, what's your height, and how much do you want to lose? Also, do you eat back exercise calories? Everyone is jumping in with the usual before even checking these things. Typical MFP. For all you know she is within a heathy weight range and looking to drop 12lbs for example, so of course loss will be slower, so don't tell her to eat fewer calories without checking.
I'm 5'6 and looking to lose 30lbs to get back to pre-pregnancy weight. I eat 1500-1600 calories a day and I rarely eat back exercise calories. I work out pretty much every day (spinning, PT sessions, kettlebells, HIIT class, circuits...all hardcore stuff) and I walk a lot (10,000 steps on my Fitbit is a lazy day for me). I weigh pretty much everything, and I have a big deficit, yet I lose 0.5-1lb a week. However, I lose inches more quickly than on the scale.
Sometimes weight loss can be slow, but definitely take measurements too. The closer you are to goal weight, loss slows down.
I agree about being accurate with logging, but it sounds like you are (although I haven't looked at your diary).
To the bolded, don't lump us all in there. I checked before I replied, she's 28 years old, 5'6" tall and her profile says she's bounced between weights from 160-220 and that she's "at the highest she's ever been" so I did have to guess there at 220. Based on that, 1200 is too little let alone dropping to 1000, which I told her NOT to do.
I agree with you.0
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