Not eating enough calories?

E02L05
E02L05 Posts: 9 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I need to lose 60 more pounds by May 2016. (14 down so far in 10 weeks, this is going too slow) MFP has me at 1,200 calories a day but I find if I stick to that I'm not losing just maintaining. Now that school started I have less time for exercise during the week, (30 minutes vs the 60 minutes I have in the summer) I average 5 miles a day walking according to my VivoSmart. I find a lot of days I don't eat enough and I get the error telling me to eat more. I'm not hungry, when I'm hungry I eat. I lowered my calories to 1,000 per day so i don't get the error but I'm still trying to stick to the 1,200 a day. I've been trying to stick to gluten free, high protein, low sugar.

What do I need to do to jolt my body in to losing weight steadier?

Replies

  • ShashayLee
    ShashayLee Posts: 178 Member
    14 pounds in 10 weeks is a great loss. Be happy with what you have done so far :)
    1200 calories is the minimum one should eat. Make sure you are weighing your food & logging accurately. & weight loss is not always steady, there are ups & downs.
  • brianpperkins
    brianpperkins Posts: 6,124 Member
    You need realistic expectations and a basic understanding of how things work. You're losing about a pound and a half per week which is a good, healthy rate. Nowhere in your post do you even mention how you're calculating intake and underestimating how much one eats is common. You're trusting a step counter for distance ... but unless you measure your stride and program the device it cannot accurately determine distance traveled.
  • rhyolite_
    rhyolite_ Posts: 188 Member
    14 pounds in 10 weeks is almost 1.5 lbs a week, which is an excellent rate of loss. You could lose weight more quickly, but you would also burn through muscle mass (possibly including heart muscle). The key to long-term sustainable weight loss is a reasonable calorie deficit. If your calorie deficit is too high, you aren't necessarily learning what you need to keep the weight off when it comes time for maintenance. High calorie deficits and rapid weight loss are risk factors for gaining all that weight back. You will find it very difficult to get your minimum daily nutritional needs eating below 1200 calories anyway, so that isn't very healthy.

    If you are eating GF, high protein, and low sugar because of personal preference or medical reasons, that is fine of course. But those ways of eating are not necessary or beneficial to weight loss. Most users here eat the same foods they did before losing weight, just much less of it.

    Again, though, you are losing at an excellent and healthy rate. I don't see why you need to change anything, unless you find that your weight loss stalls in the future.
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,427 MFP Moderator
    E02L05 wrote: »
    I need to lose 60 more pounds by May 2016. (14 down so far in 10 weeks, this is going too slow) MFP has me at 1,200 calories a day but I find if I stick to that I'm not losing just maintaining. Now that school started I have less time for exercise during the week, (30 minutes vs the 60 minutes I have in the summer) I average 5 miles a day walking according to my VivoSmart. I find a lot of days I don't eat enough and I get the error telling me to eat more. I'm not hungry, when I'm hungry I eat. I lowered my calories to 1,000 per day so i don't get the error but I'm still trying to stick to the 1,200 a day. I've been trying to stick to gluten free, high protein, low sugar.

    What do I need to do to jolt my body in to losing weight steadier?

    The general problem with low calorie diets is it becomes difficult to get all of the nutrients you need. And if you are active, you could need more. There are additional issues that can become an issue with low calorie diets, such as: increase muscle loss (means less fat loss), increase metabolic adaptation (lower resting metabolic rate) if done over long periods of time and some women experience hair loss or loss of period.

    At the current rate you lose, it's pretty good but as you get closer to healthy weight, you will want to reduce your deficit.

    And if you haven't done so already, add in resistance training. For some reason, it's always the last thing to be added but it provides the biggest impact. RT or weight training can aid muscle retention and maintain of metabolic functions (essentially improves your skeletal system).
  • queenliz99
    queenliz99 Posts: 15,317 Member
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  • DeguelloTex
    DeguelloTex Posts: 6,652 Member
    If you're maintaining on 1200, you're wrong about eating 1200.
  • E02L05
    E02L05 Posts: 9 Member
    Thank you everyone, I have a digital scale I use to measure everything I eat (kind of obsessed), I have one cheat day a week, as a family we get something for dinner but I still track it all. I am gluten intolerant so I try to avoid it as much as possible, I don't eat bread unless it's on my cheat day. I drink protein shakes and eat lots of salad, fruit and lean meats.

    With the limited workout time I have should I be doing more cardio (treadmill, elliptical, body bag) or strength training (free weights and Bowflex) When I do a cardio day I feel like I'm cheating and should be doing more. In the summer I usually do 30 minutes cardio and 30 minutes strength 5 days a week, 15 minutes each doesn't seem like enough to me. I think this may be why I stalled because I'm not burning as much calories as I was in August

    Thanks again!
  • SueInAz
    SueInAz Posts: 6,592 Member
    edited October 2015
    Edited: There's so much wrong with this that I just can't. I can see Alice's rabbit hole ahead.

    OP, you're severely undereating. Unless you are very tiny, or have a health issue impacting your metabolism, you shouldn't have to starve yourself on 1000 calories per day to lose weight.
  • Muscleflex79
    Muscleflex79 Posts: 1,917 Member
    And - if you have 60lbs to lose - you should not be having a problem with NOt being able to eat enough!
  • cmtigger
    cmtigger Posts: 1,450 Member
    Why do you want to loose faster? You have over 6 months, that is under 10lbs a month.
  • diannethegeek
    diannethegeek Posts: 14,776 Member
    1. You have an aggressive weight loss goal that may not be reachable in your timeframe. I don't say this to discourage you, I set some pretty high goals when I was losing too. But it may be time to reassess your goals and see if your plan is sustainable for you or if it's time to try something else. As cliche as it is, this is a marathon and not a sprint. If you burn out early then you're less likely to reach your goals at all.

    2. Unfortunately, hunger signals aren't the best indicator that we're getting enough to eat. They can be knocked out of whack by too many things (including exercise and periods of undereating). We can't trust our bodies to tell us that we're getting, for instance, enough calcium or B vitamins or whatever. That's why the calorie minimums exist. Please work harder to meet them.

    3. Cheat days can be good for your psychological well being, but they often hurt weight loss goals. It's just far too easy to wipe out a deficit with a single day of overeating. You may need to cut them out or cut them back so that you at least stay within your maintenance goals for the day. Consider viewing your calorie deficit as a weekly goal and see how your cheat days are affecting it.

    4. If you're truly gluten intolerant, why on earth would you hurt your body by including it on your cheat days?

    5. You addressed a few of the things in the flowchart linked above, but I urge you to go back through it and see if you've addressed all of those steps.

    6. You've lost 14 pounds in 10 weeks. That's fantastic progress! I know it doesn't feel like it, but give yourself a pat on the back for that.
  • teresadutton
    teresadutton Posts: 217 Member
    I didn't read every word of all the previous posters but I scanned it. If you are maintaining at 1200, eat 1000. I also maintain at 1200. I actually had a test done that reads and registers what MY body burns simply sitting and breathing. And it said just this, I maintain at 1200. It sucks.
  • maidentl
    maidentl Posts: 3,203 Member
    teresadutton wrote: »
    I didn't read every word of all the previous posters but I scanned it. If you are maintaining at 1200, eat 1000. I also maintain at 1200. I actually had a test done that reads and registers what MY body burns simply sitting and breathing. And it said just this, I maintain at 1200. It sucks.

    Did it tell you that you burn 1200 just sitting and breathing? If so, that is not your maintenance number.
  • queenliz99
    queenliz99 Posts: 15,317 Member
    teresadutton wrote: »
    I didn't read every word of all the previous posters but I scanned it. If you are maintaining at 1200, eat 1000. I also maintain at 1200. I actually had a test done that reads and registers what MY body burns simply sitting and breathing. And it said just this, I maintain at 1200. It sucks.

    You must very short and old.
  • maidentl
    maidentl Posts: 3,203 Member
    queenliz99 wrote: »
    teresadutton wrote: »
    I didn't read every word of all the previous posters but I scanned it. If you are maintaining at 1200, eat 1000. I also maintain at 1200. I actually had a test done that reads and registers what MY body burns simply sitting and breathing. And it said just this, I maintain at 1200. It sucks.

    You must very short and old.

    Hey, I resemble that remark! :wink:
  • queenliz99
    queenliz99 Posts: 15,317 Member
    maidentl wrote: »
    queenliz99 wrote: »
    teresadutton wrote: »
    I didn't read every word of all the previous posters but I scanned it. If you are maintaining at 1200, eat 1000. I also maintain at 1200. I actually had a test done that reads and registers what MY body burns simply sitting and breathing. And it said just this, I maintain at 1200. It sucks.

    You must very short and old.

    Hey, I resemble that remark! :wink:

    me too!! LOL
  • E02L05
    E02L05 Posts: 9 Member
    cmtigger wrote: »
    Why do you want to loose faster? You have over 6 months, that is under 10lbs a month.

    I have a bridesmaid dress to order :-( Rather lose quicker to get a smaller size and have to pay less to take it in.
  • E02L05
    E02L05 Posts: 9 Member
    diannethegeek wrote: »
    1. You have an aggressive weight loss goal that may not be reachable in your timeframe. I don't say this to discourage you, I set some pretty high goals when I was losing too. But it may be time to reassess your goals and see if your plan is sustainable for you or if it's time to try something else. As cliche as it is, this is a marathon and not a sprint. If you burn out early then you're less likely to reach your goals at all.

    2. Unfortunately, hunger signals aren't the best indicator that we're getting enough to eat. They can be knocked out of whack by too many things (including exercise and periods of undereating). We can't trust our bodies to tell us that we're getting, for instance, enough calcium or B vitamins or whatever. That's why the calorie minimums exist. Please work harder to meet them.

    3. Cheat days can be good for your psychological well being, but they often hurt weight loss goals. It's just far too easy to wipe out a deficit with a single day of overeating. You may need to cut them out or cut them back so that you at least stay within your maintenance goals for the day. Consider viewing your calorie deficit as a weekly goal and see how your cheat days are affecting it.

    4. If you're truly gluten intolerant, why on earth would you hurt your body by including it on your cheat days?

    5. You addressed a few of the things in the flowchart linked above, but I urge you to go back through it and see if you've addressed all of those steps.

    6. You've lost 14 pounds in 10 weeks. That's fantastic progress! I know it doesn't feel like it, but give yourself a pat on the back for that.

    •I've been trying to eat every 3 hours if I'm hungry or not.
    •"Cheat Days" I'm still tracking all my calories so it's not like I'm pigging out but I'm not saying no to pizza either lol. I still avoid gluten on Cheat days as well,
    •My family are all on diets too and just seems like they are all losing quicker than me, I'm the only one that didn't lose 20 pounds in 10 weeks, a few actually lost more. Some are going to a diet dr and some are doing 21 day fix.
    •This week I upped my calorie intake to 1200-1400, have to see come Wednesday if it made a difference.

    Thank you everyone for the replies and help. I refuse to be the chubby bridesmaid in my sisters wedding photos on the beach in St. John USVI!! :-)
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 28,052 Member
    E02L05 wrote: »
    Thank you everyone, I have a digital scale I use to measure everything I eat (kind of obsessed), I have one cheat day a week, as a family we get something for dinner but I still track it all. I am gluten intolerant so I try to avoid it as much as possible, I don't eat bread unless it's on my cheat day. I drink protein shakes and eat lots of salad, fruit and lean meats.

    With the limited workout time I have should I be doing more cardio (treadmill, elliptical, body bag) or strength training (free weights and Bowflex) When I do a cardio day I feel like I'm cheating and should be doing more. In the summer I usually do 30 minutes cardio and 30 minutes strength 5 days a week, 15 minutes each doesn't seem like enough to me. I think this may be why I stalled because I'm not burning as much calories as I was in August

    Thanks again!

    If you are truly accurate with your food logging, then the problem probably lies in how much exercise calories you think you are getting. What percentage of your exercise calories do you eat back?

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