eat less calories than recommended not losing

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FemmeAndi
FemmeAndi Posts: 107 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
So i've been doing the tedious counting of those blasted calories! hehehe I've been keeping my calories a little under recommended and exercising. I am in my 5 straight week of working out.. i have lost CMs on waist only, and have went up the scale 3-4 pounds. When will i experience a drop on the scale?
P.S. I'm guilty of going out to have drinks on friday and saturday night .. equally about 6-8 beer all weekend. Could this be my number 1 monster in the closet from getting that number to drop on the scale and could you guys recommend lower calorie alcoholic beverages to have wih my friends?
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Replies

  • SheilaSisco
    SheilaSisco Posts: 722 Member
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    If you're not netting at LEAST 1200 calories a day, it would account for the lack of weight loss. If you are not fueling your body properly it will hold on to the fat for fear of starving, causing a lack of loss and sometimes a gain. Sometimes you have to eat more to lose more... I know it sounds stupid but it is very true and has been proven time and time and time again. Sodium could also be a culprit...
  • texas1234
    texas1234 Posts: 1
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    is it bad if i eat under the recommended 1200 calories
  • SheilaSisco
    SheilaSisco Posts: 722 Member
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    Yes, texas... that number is the lowest MFP goes for a reason. If you eat less than that, you risk doing serious and possible irreversible harm to your body and metabolism.
  • sheisbrown
    sheisbrown Posts: 171 Member
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    Yes. You will not lose weight. Change up your plan.
  • mleipe
    mleipe Posts: 54
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    Are you religiously recording everything you're consuming, beer and all? If not, try doing that - you might be surprised. Booze has tons of calories.

    The other thing to keep in mind is this: I read several years ago that to lose a pound of body weight you need to expend 3,600 more calories more than you consume in a given time period and this has been confirmed by several credible sources over the years. This means that if you are consuming 100 calories less than your target every day, it's going to take you 36 days to lose one pound!

    I've lost 9 pounds in about three weeks, but I've been exercising like crazy and keeping the food intake well below what MFP says should be my daily limit - as a result, most days my caloric deficit - how many calories I burn minus how many I ingest - is in the range of 500 - 1000 calories or even more.

    Given that measuring caloric intake and consumption are very inexact sciences, I very strongly believe that you will never lose weight if you're only 100 or so calories below your limit.
  • calliope_music
    calliope_music Posts: 1,242 Member
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    also, your muscles will sometimes hold water if you do something new or strenuous. i generally gain weight if i do an intense strength training workout and then lose after a day. are you drinking enough water as well? that could be a problem if you're not getting enough.
  • wildcatlizzie
    wildcatlizzie Posts: 13
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    It's not necessarily bad to eat under the 1200 calorie recommendation. However, if it's consistently done for an extended period of time, you're more likely to gain weight rather than to lose because your body will go into that starvation mode. If you eat under the 1200 recommendation sporadically, it shouldn't be a problem.
  • deal4321
    deal4321 Posts: 25 Member
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    is it bad if i eat under the recommended 1200 calories

    If you do this all of the time yes. We all have had days were we didn't eat the recommended 1200 calories but to do this all of the time isn't going to help you lose weight faster. It will only cause you to put your body in starvation mode and that isn't healthy for you.
  • rebysue
    rebysue Posts: 136
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    Another thing to keep in mind is that you need to eat a minimum of 1200 NET calories. That means if you are eating 1200 calories, but burning 500 calories when you exercise, you are only consuming 700 net calories and your body will go into starvation mode.
  • rileysowner
    rileysowner Posts: 8,239 Member
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    Are you religiously recording everything you're consuming, beer and all? If not, try doing that - you might be surprised. Booze has tons of calories.

    The other thing to keep in mind is this: I read several years ago that to lose a pound of body weight you need to expend 3,600 more calories more than you consume in a given time period and this has been confirmed by several credible sources over the years. This means that if you are consuming 100 calories less than your target every day, it's going to take you 36 days to lose one pound!

    I've lost 9 pounds in about three weeks, but I've been exercising like crazy and keeping the food intake well below what MFP says should be my daily limit - as a result, most days my caloric deficit - how many calories I burn minus how many I ingest - is in the range of 500 - 1000 calories or even more.

    Given that measuring caloric intake and consumption are very inexact sciences, I very strongly believe that you will never lose weight if you're only 100 or so calories below your limit.

    This might be a little confusing. The author here talks about 100 calories below your "target" I hope what they mean is 100 calories below the number of calories you normally burn in a day. My worry is that you would think that what was meant was 100 calories below the target this site gave you. The amount it suggest already has that 100 or more taken off.
  • lutzsher
    lutzsher Posts: 1,153 Member
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    You have to be spot on with your food intake. I used MFP for the first 6 months without losing because I was also a "weekend warrior". You will NOT lose weight continuing this behavior and have to make the choice between that and your weight loss goals.
    On an up note you can imbibe once you have reached your goal sometimes without fear of gaining, it is much easier to maintain but you really have to be dedicated to getting there first.
    I have found that diet is about 85% of the battle. Unless you are consistent here you will not see the results you want. I actually had to increase my food because I was not eating enough so those calories are very important to monitor.
  • karilynn27
    karilynn27 Posts: 190 Member
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    Basically, if you are not eating 1200 calories everyday then your body is definitely in starvation mode. Your body is storing your fat because it thinks you have stopped eating.

    Honestly, if you are eating less than 1200 calories everyday and drinking 6-8 alcoholic beverages on the weekends, you are making yourself ill. Its really hard to balance out the alcohol with less than 1200 calories in your body. Not healthy at all. Just saying.
  • bjohs
    bjohs Posts: 1,225 Member
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    I'm going to point out the other factor in the weight increase. Beer. I gain anytime I drink beer whether it is just one or a few. It's just not good for weight loss... period. Wine does the same thing for me.
  • SheilaSisco
    SheilaSisco Posts: 722 Member
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    Are you religiously recording everything you're consuming, beer and all? If not, try doing that - you might be surprised. Booze has tons of calories.

    The other thing to keep in mind is this: I read several years ago that to lose a pound of body weight you need to expend 3,600 more calories more than you consume in a given time period and this has been confirmed by several credible sources over the years. This means that if you are consuming 100 calories less than your target every day, it's going to take you 36 days to lose one pound!

    I've lost 9 pounds in about three weeks, but I've been exercising like crazy and keeping the food intake well below what MFP says should be my daily limit - as a result, most days my caloric deficit - how many calories I burn minus how many I ingest - is in the range of 500 - 1000 calories or even more.

    Given that measuring caloric intake and consumption are very inexact sciences, I very strongly believe that you will never lose weight if you're only 100 or so calories below your limit.

    This will only work if that deficit doesn't drop your net calories below healthy recommended levels. Even if it is an unhealthy deficit you might lose for a short while, but it will always stall out or reverse at some point. the limit is 1200 net calories per day for females and 1500 net calories a day for males. These are the numbers you need to stay ABOVE in order to experience HEALTHY and MAINTAINABLE weight loss.
  • katie_on_a_mission
    katie_on_a_mission Posts: 112
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    First of all, if you are eating under 1200 calories a day, you could be starving yourself. When your body is starving, it tries to CONSERVE FAT. So make sure you up your intake. Second, you should be logging everything with calories that you consume, including alcohol. If you're looking for a low cal alcoholic beverage, I would recommend liquor + diet soda. Beer and wine are also okay, but remember to plan ahead for these things. They *do* count in your intake.

    ETA: When your body is starving, not only does it conserve fat, but it burns muscle--that includes visceral muscle, such as your heart. That's why this is such a dangerous plan.
  • SheilaSisco
    SheilaSisco Posts: 722 Member
    Options
    Are you religiously recording everything you're consuming, beer and all? If not, try doing that - you might be surprised. Booze has tons of calories.

    The other thing to keep in mind is this: I read several years ago that to lose a pound of body weight you need to expend 3,600 more calories more than you consume in a given time period and this has been confirmed by several credible sources over the years. This means that if you are consuming 100 calories less than your target every day, it's going to take you 36 days to lose one pound!

    I've lost 9 pounds in about three weeks, but I've been exercising like crazy and keeping the food intake well below what MFP says should be my daily limit - as a result, most days my caloric deficit - how many calories I burn minus how many I ingest - is in the range of 500 - 1000 calories or even more.

    Given that measuring caloric intake and consumption are very inexact sciences, I very strongly believe that you will never lose weight if you're only 100 or so calories below your limit.

    This might be a little confusing. The author here talks about 100 calories below your "target" I hope what they mean is 100 calories below the number of calories you normally burn in a day. My worry is that you would think that what was meant was 100 calories below the target this site gave you. The amount it suggest already has that 100 or more taken off.

    Exactly this!!! If you have MFP set up to lose you 1 pound per week, you are ALREADY at a 500 calorie per day deficit. At 2 pounds per week it's 1000 calorie deficit. Do not eat LESS than the 1200 or 1500 calories NET or you WILL be creating too large of a deficit and hurting yourself... please don't do this... I see it all the time and it makes me sad...
  • katheern
    katheern Posts: 213 Member
    Options
    You have to be spot on with your food intake. I used MFP for the first 6 months without losing because I was also a "weekend warrior". You will NOT lose weight continuing this behavior and have to make the choice between that and your weight loss goals.
    On an up note you can imbibe once you have reached your goal sometimes without fear of gaining, it is much easier to maintain but you really have to be dedicated to getting there first.
    I have found that diet is about 85% of the battle. Unless you are consistent here you will not see the results you want. I actually had to increase my food because I was not eating enough so those calories are very important to monitor.

    I completely agree with this. Once you are at a maintaining point it's not a big deal if you have booze (in moderation) on the weekend, but if you are serious about the weight loss you either need to cut it out completely or try to limit yourself to one or two because that can completely stall you even if you are good with your diet during the week. Alcohol (especially beer) has a LOTTTT of calories.

    I am a huge beer fan and since I started my diet I limit myself to one or two every 2 weeks or so without any bad results so I can have like a "mental" day without having to be so strict. But I still always log it!
  • TAWoody
    TAWoody Posts: 261 Member
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    The daily target calories per day MFP gives you is a target, not a limit. Don't always eat less than your number otherwise you might have problems.
  • FemmeAndi
    FemmeAndi Posts: 107 Member
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    WOW!!!!!! Thank you all so much!!!! This was my first post ever and look at all the replies! You all are a very great support system! Thanks so much! All the tips were a great help!

    I was worried that I would have to count those darn beer calories. Will this is my first weekend to watch my beer intake! Wish me luck! I didn't realize there were 100 calories in 1 coors light! :(

    So this site recommends me to get about 1547 cals a day, I get up to 1400 during weekdays; on weekends with the beer I can easily take in 2400 cals :S

    So in my first weigh in, in my 5th week, today, I just noticed 1 pound gone!! yeppieeeeeeee
  • FemmeAndi
    FemmeAndi Posts: 107 Member
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    wow 9 pounds in 3 weeks! thats A-MAZ-ZING! Props for that. Umm no, I am guilty of not counting the beer calories. I have them late at night and don't bother to write them in my food journal. Soooo, tonight will be my first time recording them. Maybe it will make me drink less of them since it'll be on my concious.
    Thanks for the reply :)

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