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Im at a standstill

sarahjenks74

I stick to 1200 calories a day and exercise but my weight stays the same. Should i be on less calories?

Replies

Liftng4Lis

Can you open your diary?

amyr271

How long have you been doing this for?

sarahjenks74

10 months

L

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sarahjenks74

How do i open my diary

PinkPixiexox

If you aren't losing weight on 1200 calories, chances are you aren't actually eating 1200 calories :]
Do NOT - under any circumstances - aim for lower than 1200.

Make sure you are correctly weighing your food and logging everything accurately. If you are guessing portion sizes, You are most likely over-estimating which is messing with your deficit.

sarahjenks74

Im not eating my "excercise" calories but i do try and stick to my 1200

PinkPixiexox

sarahjenks74 wrote: »

Im not eating my "excercise" calories but i do try and stick to my 1200

What I mean is, if you aren't losing weight - you are probably eating more than 1200 calories, hence why weighing your food and portions is vital

Liftng4Lis

sarahjenks74 wrote: »

How do i open my diary

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/account/diary_settings

mummiecakes

Hi...I had the same issue a little while ago and the folks here were super helpful. I bought a scale and realized that I wasn't as accurate as I thought in my portions (even using measuring cups wasn't as accurate as weighing). I worked to be more consistent with using the scale and accurate. Since then, I've managed to make some progress. However, I've also had to come to accept that, as I read from another MFP'er, weight loss is not linear...some weeks I lose, some I seem to maintain (frustrating!!).

The people here have a wealth of knowledge and a lot more experience than me, so hang in there and take their good advice. Best of luck!

diannethegeek

sarahjenks74 wrote: »

I stick to 1200 calories a day and exercise but my weight stays the same. Should i be on less calories?

1. If it's been less than 3 weeks or so, don't sweat it! Normal fluctuations happen and unfortunately sometimes we stall for a week or two even when we're doing everything right. Give your body some time to catch up with the changes you're making.

2. If you aren't already, be sure that you're logging everything. Sometimes people forget about things like veggies, drinks, cooking oils, and condiments. For some people these can add up to enough to halt your weight loss progress.

3. Consider buying a food scale if you don't already have one. They're about $10-$20 dollars in the US and easily found at places like Amazon, Target, and Walmart. Measuring cups and spoons are great, but they do come with some degree of inaccuracy. A food scale will be more accurate, and for some people it makes a big difference.

4. Logging accurately also means choosing accurate entries in the database. There are a lot of user-entered entries that are off. Double-check that you're using good entries and/or using the recipe builder instead of someone else's homemade entries.

5. Recalculate your goals if you haven't lately. As you lose weight your body requires fewer calories to run. Be sure you update your goals every ten pounds or so.

6. If you're eating back your exercise calories and you're relying on gym machine readouts or MFP's estimates, it might be best to eat back just 50-75% of those. Certain activities tend to be overestimated. If you're using an HRM or activity tracker, it might be a good idea to look into their accuracy and be sure that yours is calibrated properly.

7. If you're taking any cheat days that go over your calorie limits, it might be best to cut them out for a few weeks and see what happens. Some people go way over their calorie needs without realizing it when they don't track.

8. If you weigh yourself frequently, consider using a program like trendweight to even out the fluctuations. You could be losing weight but just don't see it because of the daily ups and downs.

9. Some people just burn fewer calories than the calculators predict. If you continue to have problems after 4-6 weeks, then it might be worth a trip to the doctor or a registered dietitian who can give you more specific advice.

sarahjenks74

I have opened my diary.
Def not eat over 1200.

janejellyroll

sarahjenks74 wrote: »

I have opened my diary.
Def not eat over 1200.

Are you weighing all your solid foods? I see a lot of weights on there, but there are also many things without weights ("1 slice" of bread, a cup of potatoes).

sarahjenks74

I dont have to weigh the bread as i scan the barcode of the package but the veg etc is all weighed

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janejellyroll

sarahjenks74 wrote: »

I dont have to weigh the bread as i scan the barcode of the package but the veg etc is all weighed

If you aren't weighing packaged foods, you may be eating more than you think. A slice of bread can vary from what is shown on the package. Weighing foods is the best way to ensure that you are actually meeting your calorie goals.

starwhisperer6

I am so dreading when I stop losing like I am right now and have to start weighing my food

janejellyroll

starwhisperer6 wrote: »

I am so dreading when I stop losing like I am right now and have to start weighing my food

It's really easy though! I found it even faster than measuing because I didn't have to count things out anymore (like I did with tortilla chips) or try to figure out if my cups were level. Figuring out a serving of spaghetti is way easier with a scale . . . not to mention the angst of trying to figure out if your apple is "medium" or "large."

Not to diss your method, it's just I think weighing is not as hard as it seems.

unknown

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sarahjenks74

Ok thanks everyone i'll start to weigh everything

starwhisperer6

Half the time I don't even measure... I guess and just try very hard to over guess. The very epitome of lazy I think

kshama2001

janejellyroll wrote: »

starwhisperer6 wrote: »

I am so dreading when I stop losing like I am right now and have to start weighing my food

It's really easy though! I found it even faster than measuing because I didn't have to count things out anymore (like I did with tortilla chips) or try to figure out if my cups were level. Figuring out a serving of spaghetti is way easier with a scale . . . not to mention the angst of trying to figure out if your apple is "medium" or "large."

Not to diss your method, it's just I think weighing is not as hard as it seems.

Agreed. I love love love my digital food scale and find weighing easier and more accurate than measuring or estimating sizes.

starwhisperer6

I have already planned, I am only about 10 pounds from where I want to end up, so I am betting in the next couple of months I will have to switch to measuring to make sure I get where I want to be. I am glad to see that so many of you think it is easier, it makes me dread it less.

lemurcat12

Yeah, I'm another who hated measuring and estimating--too easy to waste time worrying about whether it's correct or not--and enjoys weighing. It's just another part of my cooking now and takes no additional time, and I have a weird pleasure in the precision.

wilsoncl6

sarahjenks74 wrote: »

I dont have to weigh the bread as i scan the barcode of the package but the veg etc is all weighed

Many people don't know this but weights on products are an average of what should be in the package or container. The producer is allowed by law a certain leeway in overage and under estimates of actual weight to facilitate efficient packaging and shipping. Sometimes you might get more in a package, sometimes you might get a little less. Whole Foods got into trouble with this because their average weights on their products were consistently less than what was on the package. You need to weight everything, even packaged goods.

wilsoncl6

My two cents. I think many of us are overly focused on weight when BF% should be the appropriate goal. Weight is easier to measure but your lack of loss may not even be related to you caloric deficit but could be water retention or muscle gain (especially if lifting or newbie to working out). You might be better off doing measurements or calipers or getting a body scan.

sarahjenks74

What is everyones opinion on a "cup" size. I have different cup sizes in my home so what do you use. These measurements dont have an oz or grams weight

janejellyroll

sarahjenks74 wrote: »

What is everyones opinion on a "cup" size. I have different cup sizes in my home so what do you use. These measurements dont have an oz or grams weight

Are you talking about for liquids? Cups should only be used for liquid and you should be using actual measuring cups for this, not drinking cups.

kimny72

In the US, a cup of liquid is 8 fluid oz. A measuring cup is only accurate for liquids, solid foods it is better weigh.

kimny72

OP, I noticed your protein and fat are often pretty low. Some people find they have a hard time feeling satisfied on lower calories if they aren't getting enough protein and fat. So if you find you are having a tough time sticking to your calorie goal, try focusing on getting those numbers a little higher, it "may" help. good luck :drinker: