1,200 Caloires

martyc91
martyc91 Posts: 55
edited September 28 in Food and Nutrition
OK, I have netted 1,200 calories for the last 4 days and have not lost any weight - what gives, should I be netting 1,200 calories per day while working out every day for about 45-60 minutes. Also, does weight lifting 3 days a week help or hinder your weight loss?

Replies

  • krizstyling
    krizstyling Posts: 40 Member
    weight lifting helps. How could it hinder? It helps to shred fat. Ultimately, your goal should be to give your metabolism a kick (which weight training does) AND get rid of fat, not necessarily always about a number.

    However when it comes to eating calories, are you also eating your exercise calories? If you do a search on the board, you'll find that this has been discussed many times and YES you should eat your exercise calories.

    Four days is nothing, some people hit plateaus that last weeks or months. Give it some time.
  • Brihammond
    Brihammond Posts: 29
    Weight lifting doesn't hinder your weight loss but it will alter your results. You gain muscle where you are losing the fat so that may be why your not seeing the scale move. Plus 4 days is a little early to worry. You might find different results maintaining what your doing and checking in 3 more days. Remember it takes a 3500 calorie deficit to lose a pound of fat so give yourself a few more days to let it add up.
  • Paintrain6242
    Paintrain6242 Posts: 5
    1200 calories is practically starving yourself unless you're a tiny girl.

    Don't expect to see "instant" weight loss. REAL results take 3-12 months. Don't weigh yourself every day.

    Lifting weights increases muscle mass (weight) but more muscle also burns calories. It will help you get healthier, leaner and look better. 150 pounds of lean muscle looks alot better than 150 pounds of marshmallow. If you don't lift any weights/do calisthenics solely for the purpose of losing weight, you'll look like crap when you hit your 'target' body fat anyway.
  • meinco
    meinco Posts: 62 Member
    OK, I have netted 1,200 calories for the last 4 days and have not lost any weight - what gives, should I be netting 1,200 calories per day while working out every day for about 45-60 minutes. Also, does weight lifting 3 days a week help or hinder your weight loss?

    1. Are you drinking enough fluids?
    2. Are you eating too much sodium?
    3. Are you trying to lose 10lbs or 100lbs? The closer you are to a healthy weight the longer it usually takes to lose each lb.
    4. Are you actually weight and measuring everything you log?
    5. Don't use the estimates on MFP for your exercise calories and then eat them back. MFP is notorious for way overestimating calorie burn.

    Just a few ideas. 4 days isn't considered terrible. At a 500 calorie deficit for each day...it would take you 7 days to lose a lb. (1 lb = 3500 calories)

    I wouldn't get frustrated just yet! :)
  • jessdeweerdt
    jessdeweerdt Posts: 128
    I think you should weigh yourself less.. I usually do once a week, and measure, measure, measure. Don't let the scale be your only guide! Make sure you are getting plenty of water too. I understand that strength training will make you gain at first (muscle is heavier than fat), but then ultimately help you lose (because more muscle helps you burn fat).
  • haeden
    haeden Posts: 183 Member
    i have 1200 calories but i work out and it ends up being about 1400? i didnt notice anything until two weeks and i lost five pounds.its frustrating at first! but just give ya time! you will do great!
  • mynameisuntz
    mynameisuntz Posts: 582 Member
    Weight lifting should be your #1 priority in terms of training while losing fat. Period. You will not gain muscle while at a caloric deficit outside of immediate "beginner gains," which last ~2-4 weeks.

    Weight training > cardio for fat loss. By a long shot.
  • outersoul
    outersoul Posts: 711
    Weight lifting doesn't hinder your weight loss but it will alter your results. You gain muscle where you are losing the fat so that may be why your not seeing the scale move. Plus 4 days is a little early to worry. You might find different results maintaining what your doing and checking in 3 more days. Remember it takes a 3500 calorie deficit to lose a pound of fat so give yourself a few more days to let it add up.

    You're not actually gaining muscle. Putting on muscle works in reverse of losing fat. To lose fat you eat at a deficit. To gain muscle you eat at a surplus. At best you're toning up muscle.
  • haeden
    haeden Posts: 183 Member
    be sure to also weight yourself at the roughly the same time and on the same scale.
  • gec1266
    gec1266 Posts: 201 Member
    Take your scale and throw it out the window. As long as you have it near by,you will be tortured by it. You will always be running back and forth with the "I-didn't eat-alot-and-I-did-exercise-a-ton-so-I-should-be-25-pounds-lighter" syndrome. Give yourself time and eat all of your calories and the weight will drop of sooner than you think....best of luck on your journey..
  • krizstyling
    krizstyling Posts: 40 Member
    Weight lifting doesn't hinder your weight loss but it will alter your results. You gain muscle where you are losing the fat so that may be why your not seeing the scale move. Plus 4 days is a little early to worry. You might find different results maintaining what your doing and checking in 3 more days. Remember it takes a 3500 calorie deficit to lose a pound of fat so give yourself a few more days to let it add up.

    You're not actually gaining muscle. Putting on muscle works in reverse of losing fat. To lose fat you eat at a deficit. To gain muscle you eat at a surplus. At best you're toning up muscle.

    This statement is not true. You can lose fat AND gain muscle. IF you are just beginning to lift for the first time...so at the BEGINNING of your new weight loss program/strength training, which is what happened to me. Yes of course it isn't going to be anything crazy like 3lbs in a month...at most a woman who regularly weight lifts AND loses fat gains about .5-1lb of muscle IF that a month. And that's with A LOT of strength training.

    If you are putting on muscle (or just keeping your muscle that you already have, which is why it is so important to strength train at the BEGINNING of your weight loss efforts) you are going to burn more throughout the day as muscle burns fat.

    Also, no such thing as toning muscle. You can burn fat and lose fat and therefore your muscle SHOWS...but there's no "toning" muscle.
  • mynameisuntz
    mynameisuntz Posts: 582 Member
    This statement is not true. You can lose fat AND gain muscle. IF you are just beginning to lift for the first time...so at the BEGINNING of your new weight loss program/strength training, which is what happened to me. Yes of course it isn't going to be anything crazy like 3lbs in a month...at most a woman who regularly weight lifts AND loses fat gains about .5-1lb of muscle IF that a month. And that's with A LOT of strength training.

    If you are putting on muscle (or just keeping your muscle that you already have, which is why it is so important to strength train at the BEGINNING of your weight loss efforts) you are going to burn more throughout the day as muscle burns fat.

    Also, no such thing as toning muscle. You can burn fat and lose fat and therefore your muscle SHOWS...but there's no "toning" muscle.
    Where the heck did you get those numbers? A female BEGINNER can HOPE to gain 15 pounds in a YEAR. Male beginners, if lucky, can hope to gain 25-30 pounds of muscle in their first year. Each year that number will decline by ~50%, give or take a small margin.

    Outside of the initial 2-4 weeks of beginner effects, you CAN'T gain muscle and lose fat simultaneously without steroids. Gaining muscle REQUIRES a caloric surplus. Losing fat REQUIRES a caloric deficit. You can't appease both of these processes at once.
  • stormieweather
    stormieweather Posts: 2,549 Member
    Article by Tom Venuto on gaining muscle while at a deficit to lose weight:

    http://www.burnthefat.com/lose_fat_and_gain_muscle_at_the_same_time.html

    tl;dr It's extremely difficult but not impossible.
  • krizstyling
    krizstyling Posts: 40 Member
    This statement is not true. You can lose fat AND gain muscle. IF you are just beginning to lift for the first time...so at the BEGINNING of your new weight loss program/strength training, which is what happened to me. Yes of course it isn't going to be anything crazy like 3lbs in a month...at most a woman who regularly weight lifts AND loses fat gains about .5-1lb of muscle IF that a month. And that's with A LOT of strength training.

    If you are putting on muscle (or just keeping your muscle that you already have, which is why it is so important to strength train at the BEGINNING of your weight loss efforts) you are going to burn more throughout the day as muscle burns fat.

    Also, no such thing as toning muscle. You can burn fat and lose fat and therefore your muscle SHOWS...but there's no "toning" muscle.
    Where the heck did you get those numbers? A female BEGINNER can HOPE to gain 15 pounds in a YEAR. Male beginners, if lucky, can hope to gain 25-30 pounds of muscle in their first year. Each year that number will decline by ~50%, give or take a small margin.

    Outside of the initial 2-4 weeks of beginner effects, you CAN'T gain muscle and lose fat simultaneously without steroids. Gaining muscle REQUIRES a caloric surplus. Losing fat REQUIRES a caloric deficit. You can't appease both of these processes at once.

    I believe that's basically what I said... 0.5-1 lb a month. Which in essence is about 12 pounds in a year. And like I said, that's WITH a LOT of strength training. So not sure what numbers you're referring to there....unless you read wrong?

    As for the rest of your statement, I also stated AT THE BEGINNING. So yes, it is possible in the beginning, is it further along? Not at all, but in the beginning or after a long break of not doing strength training, it IS attainable for a short window of time.

    Facts are facts and that is what I stated. You basically just repeated what I said but gave even more leeway in the addition of 3 extra pounds a year for women and added a sentence all while saying I was wrong? Color me confused.
  • mynameisuntz
    mynameisuntz Posts: 582 Member
    I believe that's basically what I said... 0.5-1 lb a month. Which in essence is about 12 pounds in a year. And like I said, that's WITH a LOT of strength training. So not sure what numbers you're referring to there....unless you read wrong?

    As for the rest of your statement, I also stated AT THE BEGINNING. So yes, it is possible in the beginning, is it further along? Not at all, but in the beginning or after a long break of not doing strength training, it IS attainable for a short window of time.

    Facts are facts and that is what I stated.
    No. You said you can lose fat WHILE gaining .5 - 1 pound of muscle per month. THAT is not true. A woman can hope to gain 15 pounds per year at a steady caloric surplus; NOT a steady caloric deficit.
  • krizstyling
    krizstyling Posts: 40 Member
    I believe that's basically what I said... 0.5-1 lb a month. Which in essence is about 12 pounds in a year. And like I said, that's WITH a LOT of strength training. So not sure what numbers you're referring to there....unless you read wrong?

    As for the rest of your statement, I also stated AT THE BEGINNING. So yes, it is possible in the beginning, is it further along? Not at all, but in the beginning or after a long break of not doing strength training, it IS attainable for a short window of time.

    Facts are facts and that is what I stated.
    No. You said you can lose fat WHILE gaining .5 - 1 pound of muscle per month. THAT is not true. A woman can hope to gain 15 pounds per year at a steady caloric surplus; NOT a steady caloric deficit.

    There are plenty articles and studies done on it. Just because, you didnt'? Doesn't mean others can't...even if it is just in the beginning. It is HARD, I'm not saying it's not. Any program is hard.

    You should try googling it, research it a bit...if you disagree, that's on you. Not me. Either way, I don't care. I wish you MUCH luck and success in your goals!

    Shout out to the poster above who posted a link. =)
  • mynameisuntz
    mynameisuntz Posts: 582 Member
    There are plenty articles and studies done on it. Just because, you didnt'? Doesn't mean others can't...even if it is just in the beginning. It is HARD, I'm not saying it's not. Any program is hard.

    You should try googling it, research it a bit...if you disagree, that's on you. Not me. Either way, I don't care.

    Shout out to the poster above who posted a link. =)
    Really? Find me a study on it, then. Burden of proof is on the person who made the claim.
  • krizstyling
    krizstyling Posts: 40 Member
    There are plenty articles and studies done on it. Just because, you didnt'? Doesn't mean others can't...even if it is just in the beginning. It is HARD, I'm not saying it's not. Any program is hard.

    You should try googling it, research it a bit...if you disagree, that's on you. Not me. Either way, I don't care.

    Shout out to the poster above who posted a link. =)
    Really? Find me a study on it, then. Burden of proof is on the person who made the claim.

    If it will make you happy.... http://blogs.menshealth.com/meet-the-trainer/research-proves-you-can-gain-muscle-and-lose-fat-at-the-same-time/2011/01/03/

    This lists 2 different studies of particular interest.

    and another:

    http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,164412,00.html

    It's not impossible. And that is all I was saying. Again, still don't understand what "numbers" you were referring to...unless you read wrong.
  • mynameisuntz
    mynameisuntz Posts: 582 Member
    If it will make you happy.... http://blogs.menshealth.com/meet-the-trainer/research-proves-you-can-gain-muscle-and-lose-fat-at-the-same-time/2011/01/03/

    This lists 2 different studies of particular interest.

    and another:

    http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,164412,00.html

    It's not impossible. And that is all I was saying. Again, still don't understand what "numbers" you were referring to...unless you read wrong.
    Those aren't studies. Those are mainstream media articles.

    Pubmed.com would be a good start to finding actual scientific literature, or even Google Scholar. Peer-reviewed research, please.
  • krizstyling
    krizstyling Posts: 40 Member
    If it will make you happy.... http://blogs.menshealth.com/meet-the-trainer/research-proves-you-can-gain-muscle-and-lose-fat-at-the-same-time/2011/01/03/

    This lists 2 different studies of particular interest.

    and another:

    http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,164412,00.html

    It's not impossible. And that is all I was saying. Again, still don't understand what "numbers" you were referring to...unless you read wrong.
    Those aren't studies. Those are mainstream media articles.

    Pubmed.com would be a good start to finding actual scientific literature, or even Google Scholar. Peer-reviewed research, please.

    Still don't understand those "Numbers" you were referring to but I'm going to let it go.

    Seriously? I've never been one of those people to go back and forth on a MB, esp this one. You can have your beliefs but I'm not going to cater to your demands all because you enjoy going back and forth...you have GOT to be young to have this much time on your hands. You can do your own research.

    Start with the Purdue Univ. study in 2007 as a headsup since you're so interested and those didn't suit your fancy =)

    Again, I wish you luck in your goals and success!

    As for the main topic of this thread, what I said still stands =)
  • deadmittens
    deadmittens Posts: 536 Member
    If you have only been eating 1200 calories AND working out 45+ minutes you need more food.

    Eat more!
  • abalicious
    abalicious Posts: 361 Member
    You could be retaining sodium or holding water weight. Don't weigh yourself every day, it will drive you crazy! What kinds of foods are you eating? It's not just about quantity, its about quality. Muscle is denser than fat, so it could be you're gaining muscle instead of burning fat (which is a good thing!) Your weight varies by day, even by hour!, so I would suggest only weighing yourself about once a week at most. I weigh only once a week to track progress and then record my official weight every 2 weeks or at the beginning of the month.
  • sleepytexan
    sleepytexan Posts: 3,138 Member
    I am surprised to hear that MFP overestimates calorie burn, (although I am very new). I say this because I am a dance/fitness/spin instructor and I find it significantly UNDER estimates what I burn in a spin class or while cycling, also I question what it says for dance (at least the way I dance, ha!). I couldn't find anything for my other significant activity, paddleboarding, so I entered that myself, based on my personal average calorie burn.

    Thanks for mentioning that; I will be careful when I log a different activity.

    blessings.
  • QueenNanna
    QueenNanna Posts: 4 Member
    When lifting you are gaining muscle, which burns fat better...it also weighs more than fat, so you may not see a drop right away but you will so keep going.
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