What am I doing wrong?

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sweet2th68
sweet2th68 Posts: 5
in Health and Weight Loss
Very frustrating that I haven't lost any more than 2 lbs in 3 weeks. I started at 140 lbs and want to go down to 120. I exercise and watch that I don't go over my 1200 calories. Is my body just stuck there?

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  • deathtaco
    deathtaco Posts: 237
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    can't really comment cause I know nothing about your weight or diet. But here's a shot in the dark:

    Raise calories to 1300-1400
    Decrease fat to 20% of calories.
    Increase protein to 1g/lbBW
    Adjust carbs to the rest of your calorie limit.
  • oxavecamourxo
    oxavecamourxo Posts: 270 Member
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    How much exercise are you getting?
    And are you eating your exercise calories?
  • christinathompson1
    christinathompson1 Posts: 144 Member
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    a lot of people focus on just calories.. watch your fat, and carb intake as well and make sure you are drinking LOTS and LOTS of water!
    keep your body hydrated! :) one of the best workouts is swimming.. swimming burns a lot of calories in a little amount of time because your working every muscle in your body.. :)
  • sweet2th68
    sweet2th68 Posts: 5
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    I did hear that the more you eat the more you lose. That might be what I need. I did also notice "flaws" in my diet. Too many carbs and sugars. I am a "SWEETS" addict. This will be very difficult to get away from.
  • sweet_lotus
    sweet_lotus Posts: 194 Member
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    You may be doing nothing wrong. It's a lot more difficult to lose weight quickly at a lower starting weight than a higher one! If you were 280 and losing a little under a pound/week then that would be different.

    It took me several months to lose my last ten pounds!
  • robin52077
    robin52077 Posts: 4,383 Member
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    can't really comment cause I know nothing about your weight or diet. But here's a shot in the dark:

    Raise calories to 1300-1400
    Decrease fat to 20% of calories.
    Increase protein to 1g/lbBW
    Adjust carbs to the rest of your calorie limit.

    this

    especially raising calories.

    when you say you stay "under" 1200, that's a huge red flag right there. 1200 is the BARE MINIMUM healthy amount you need to live off each day. If you aim to stay under that you are starving yourself.

    When you are within 30 lbs or so of your goal weight you should be set at ONE pound per week not TWO, and aim to eat every last calorie.

    ALWAYS net OVER 1200.
  • MaryW1962
    MaryW1962 Posts: 23
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    I'm a sweets addict also. In the past I have tried to give up the things I love and my diets have lasted about two weeks. This time I decided I was going to eat whatever I want but just try and find lower calorie chocolate and bread. (Another weakness) So far it's worked for me. I think if you change your diet too much and you know you can't stick with it the rest of your life then you will just gain it all back later. I say exercise more and eat your calories when you need too.
  • sweet2th68
    sweet2th68 Posts: 5
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    Thank you all so much for the advice. I will definitely keep trying and change my eating habbits. I think I will try to find a printed meal guide and see how that works.
  • deathtaco
    deathtaco Posts: 237
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    meal guides get boring. Experiment in the kitchen. Just follow the general guidelines above and you will be fine. The best part of dieting is figuring out new ways to do it.
  • ericacaldwell
    ericacaldwell Posts: 5 Member
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    i had the same problem. if you dont have a lot of excess weight, you get stuck! i was at a plateau too until just recently when i started resistance and strength training. try to build up muscle. they use more energy (burn calories calories) than fat does. ive been doing it two weeks and already revved up my weight loss again. hope this helps!
  • aippolito1
    aippolito1 Posts: 4,894 Member
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    Drink half your body weight in ounces of water MINIMUM, i.e.: 150 lbs = 75 oz. of water
    Get enough fiber, 25-30g per day
    Get enough protein, 25-30% of your diet
    Eat back your exercise calories so that your NET is 1200 and no less, consistently (going under 1200 every now and then is okay but don't make a habit of it)
    Watch your sodium. No more than 2400-2500mg per day - if you go over, compensate with EXTRA water.

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