What am I doing wrong?
Options
Replies
-
Nope. Sugar has nothing to do with it. Calorie deficit = weight loss. Unless she has a medical reason (like diabetes or PCOS) to limit sugar, your advice is going to make things more complicated for her, not easier.Portion size. Don't eat too many fruits. the cooking oil/butter when cooking at home.
Typically all these when first switching to eating more healthily will get you. Fruits have a lot of natural sugars, which although better for you than refined sugars, will still hinder weight loss if you have too many servings. And once again, olive oil (or other healthy cooking fats like lard, tallow, butter/ghee) are all high fat - although healthy fat, it's still fat and calories and needs to be limited.
0 -
janejellyroll wrote: »1200 calories total doesn't really leave a lot of room for bigger calorie meals. 400 calories isn't really my idea of satisfying or filling.
Where did you get that calorie goal? That's the absolute lowest recommended for a woman, it could be that you could potentially eat more -- especially if you are exercising.
Since she's 5'1'', it sounds about right. I think 1200-1300 is what it would recommend for a basic calorie intake to lose (if she doesn't add exercise calories).
Also 160, though.0 -
janejellyroll wrote: »1200 calories total doesn't really leave a lot of room for bigger calorie meals. 400 calories isn't really my idea of satisfying or filling.
Where did you get that calorie goal? That's the absolute lowest recommended for a woman, it could be that you could potentially eat more -- especially if you are exercising.
Since she's 5'1'', it sounds about right. I think 1200-1300 is what it would recommend for a basic calorie intake to lose (if she doesn't add exercise calories).
It could be right, but she could check her goal rate of loss (it may be set to 2 pounds and she could get more calories by choosing .5) and she could eat back at least some of her exercise calories. This would allow larger meals. I'm shorter and I still ate more than 1,200 calories while I was losing weight.0 -
Yep. 1200-1300 is my given goal for losing. Since I'm so damn short I'm supposed to weigh 95-115. Last time I weighed 115 I was 18 years old and worked out five hours a day. Sorry, I just don't have a spare 5 hours now to devote.0
-
Yep. 1200-1300 is my given goal for losing. Since I'm so damn short I'm supposed to weigh 95-115. Last time I weighed 115 I was 18 years old and worked out five hours a day. Sorry, I just don't have a spare 5 hours now to devote.
But how much weight did you say you wanted to lose per week? 0.5 pounds, 1 pound, 2 pounds, etc.? Your calorie target is dependent on your desired rate of loss.0 -
I said I want to lose 2 pounds a week, but when I enter all the information it say I can only lose 1 pound a week at 1200 calories. Thanks for the encouragement, MFP!0
-
I need to lose as fast as possible. I'm 34, and the older I get the harder it's going to be.0
-
Yep. 1200-1300 is my given goal for losing. Since I'm so damn short I'm supposed to weigh 95-115. Last time I weighed 115 I was 18 years old and worked out five hours a day. Sorry, I just don't have a spare 5 hours now to devote.
If you're going to brush off every suggestion we make, then you may not be ready to lose right now. It sounds like you have a lot going on in your life. Why don't you concentrate on maintenance for a while and try again when you're better prepared?0 -
I said I want to lose 2 pounds a week, but when I enter all the information it say I can only lose 1 pound a week at 1200 calories. Thanks for the encouragement, MFP!
That makes sense. 1200 is the lowest goal MFP will spit out; you could theoretically tell it that you wanted to lose 10 pounds per week, and it would still give you 1200.
What you need right now is to get some momentum and start recording some losses. Why not set it for 0.5 pounds per week for right now, until you've gotten used to logging and eating at a deficit? That would give you some more calories to play with and you should start seeing downward motion on the scale. You can always increase your goal once you've adjusted to losing.0 -
I need to lose as fast as possible. I'm 34, and the older I get the harder it's going to be.
Your TDEE, excluding the exercise, at sedentary, is 1570. 1320 would be half a pound a week. You could eat more or lose faster including your exercise.
I've lost 126 pounds after 50. Age is pretty much a copout. Your metabolism slows much less than people believe and, even then, most or all of that is due to lower activity not age, per se.0 -
I'm 5'1, 121lbs and eat 1200-1400 calories a day! Try 1400-1600 and see if you can lose!
Weigh everything... The only time I will skip weighing is occasionally with a stick of celery, but I tend to over compensate by putting 2 stalks instead of 1!
Being hungry comes with losing weight I'm afraid...0 -
Yep. 1200-1300 is my given goal for losing. Since I'm so damn short I'm supposed to weigh 95-115. Last time I weighed 115 I was 18 years old and worked out five hours a day. Sorry, I just don't have a spare 5 hours now to devote.
I'm 5'3" and 116.5 pounds. I started here at the end of June at 139 pounds. I'm also 30 years old. I workout for a half hour or so most days of the week. I've lost weight on much more than 1,200 calories per day. You don't have to exercise five hours per day or eat "clean". You're not losing weight because you're eating too much. You're eating above your maintenance.0 -
TwentyLosingTwenty wrote: »I'm 5'1, 121lbs and eat 1200-1400 calories a day! Try 1400-1600 and see if you can lose!
Weigh everything... The only time I will skip weighing is occasionally with a stick of celery, but I tend to over compensate by putting 2 stalks instead of 1!
Being hungry comes with losing weight I'm afraid...
If she's not losing at 1200-1300, she won't lose at 1400-1600.0 -
DeguelloTex wrote: »TwentyLosingTwenty wrote: »I'm 5'1, 121lbs and eat 1200-1400 calories a day! Try 1400-1600 and see if you can lose!
Weigh everything... The only time I will skip weighing is occasionally with a stick of celery, but I tend to over compensate by putting 2 stalks instead of 1!
Being hungry comes with losing weight I'm afraid...
If she's not losing at 1200-1300, she won't lose at 1400-1600.
I don't think she's actually eating 1200 -- she's getting so hungry that she's going over or bingeing. 1200 might be her goal, but it's probably not her observed average. She might actually be able to stick to 1400.0 -
DeguelloTex wrote: »TwentyLosingTwenty wrote: »I'm 5'1, 121lbs and eat 1200-1400 calories a day! Try 1400-1600 and see if you can lose!
Weigh everything... The only time I will skip weighing is occasionally with a stick of celery, but I tend to over compensate by putting 2 stalks instead of 1!
Being hungry comes with losing weight I'm afraid...
If she's not losing at 1200-1300, she won't lose at 1400-1600.
I don't think she's actually eating 1200 -- she's getting so hungry that she's going over or bingeing. 1200 might be her goal, but it's probably not her observed average. She might actually be able to stick to 1400.
I said "If." My point is that increasing calories will not increase or cause weight loss.
I posted earlier that 1320 plus exercise calories is more feasible than what's happening now.0 -
DeguelloTex wrote: »TwentyLosingTwenty wrote: »I'm 5'1, 121lbs and eat 1200-1400 calories a day! Try 1400-1600 and see if you can lose!
Weigh everything... The only time I will skip weighing is occasionally with a stick of celery, but I tend to over compensate by putting 2 stalks instead of 1!
Being hungry comes with losing weight I'm afraid...
If she's not losing at 1200-1300, she won't lose at 1400-1600.
She's already implied that she's not really sticking to 1200.... She said she's too hungry and binges.
I'm trying to advise if she had a little more food she might be able to resist those binges.0 -
Underpinning all of that is correct knowledge of how much she's actually eating, though. 1200 is clearly too aggressive but "eat more" in the face of already gaining 10 pounds probably isn't a good first step. I think she first needs to get a really good handle on what she's actually eating and then determine what deficit is feasible from there.TwentyLosingTwenty wrote: »DeguelloTex wrote: »TwentyLosingTwenty wrote: »I'm 5'1, 121lbs and eat 1200-1400 calories a day! Try 1400-1600 and see if you can lose!
Weigh everything... The only time I will skip weighing is occasionally with a stick of celery, but I tend to over compensate by putting 2 stalks instead of 1!
Being hungry comes with losing weight I'm afraid...
If she's not losing at 1200-1300, she won't lose at 1400-1600.
She's already implied that she's not really sticking to 1200.... She said she's too hungry and binges.
I'm trying to advise if she had a little more food she might be able to resist those binges.
0 -
Weighing is overwhelming at first but, once you get a rhythm going it isnt much longer process than just putting it on a plate. You have to put in the work to get the results. You are willing to eat nothing but, healthy food and jog 2 miles a day but, not put food on a scale. Seems a tad ridiculous to me.0
-
DeguelloTex wrote: »
Underpinning all of that is correct knowledge of how much she's actually eating, though. 1200 is clearly too aggressive but "eat more" in the face of already gaining 10 pounds probably isn't a good first step. I think she first needs to get a really good handle on what she's actually eating and then determine what deficit is feasible from there.TwentyLosingTwenty wrote: »DeguelloTex wrote: »TwentyLosingTwenty wrote: »I'm 5'1, 121lbs and eat 1200-1400 calories a day! Try 1400-1600 and see if you can lose!
Weigh everything... The only time I will skip weighing is occasionally with a stick of celery, but I tend to over compensate by putting 2 stalks instead of 1!
Being hungry comes with losing weight I'm afraid...
If she's not losing at 1200-1300, she won't lose at 1400-1600.
She's already implied that she's not really sticking to 1200.... She said she's too hungry and binges.
I'm trying to advise if she had a little more food she might be able to resist those binges.
But I'm suggesting "have a bigger calorie budget" not "eat more"???
If 1400 calories was more than she's 'literally' eating then she couldn't have gained weight... 1400 is just more than she's aiming and failing to eat right now...0 -
I think it's fair to say that that's not at all clear from your original post. And a legit 1600 is possibly above her TDEE, depending on her exercise burns.TwentyLosingTwenty wrote: »DeguelloTex wrote: »
Underpinning all of that is correct knowledge of how much she's actually eating, though. 1200 is clearly too aggressive but "eat more" in the face of already gaining 10 pounds probably isn't a good first step. I think she first needs to get a really good handle on what she's actually eating and then determine what deficit is feasible from there.TwentyLosingTwenty wrote: »DeguelloTex wrote: »TwentyLosingTwenty wrote: »I'm 5'1, 121lbs and eat 1200-1400 calories a day! Try 1400-1600 and see if you can lose!
Weigh everything... The only time I will skip weighing is occasionally with a stick of celery, but I tend to over compensate by putting 2 stalks instead of 1!
Being hungry comes with losing weight I'm afraid...
If she's not losing at 1200-1300, she won't lose at 1400-1600.
She's already implied that she's not really sticking to 1200.... She said she's too hungry and binges.
I'm trying to advise if she had a little more food she might be able to resist those binges.
But I'm suggesting "have a bigger calorie budget" not "eat more"???
If 1400 calories was more than she's 'literally' eating then she couldn't have gained weight... 1400 is just more than she's aiming and failing to eat right now...
0
Categories
- All Categories
- 1.4M Health, Wellness and Goals
- 391.9K Introduce Yourself
- 43.5K Getting Started
- 259.8K Health and Weight Loss
- 175.7K Food and Nutrition
- 47.3K Recipes
- 232.3K Fitness and Exercise
- 398 Sleep, Mindfulness and Overall Wellness
- 6.4K Goal: Maintaining Weight
- 8.5K Goal: Gaining Weight and Body Building
- 152.8K Motivation and Support
- 7.9K Challenges
- 1.3K Debate Club
- 96.3K Chit-Chat
- 2.5K Fun and Games
- 3.3K MyFitnessPal Information
- 23 News and Announcements
- 975 Feature Suggestions and Ideas
- 2.3K MyFitnessPal Tech Support Questions