Calorie Count

The fewer calories you consume the more weight you will lose. 1200 is recomeded as the minimum intake for health reasons.

You wont gain weight if you eat less or any such nonsense but you may get tired or eventually become malnourished.

Because you would be consuming fewer calories....

The less energy you consume, the more you lose.

That carries on until you die.

Open your diary for more advice.

Do you use a food scale for every solid/semi-solid food? Measuring cups/spoons should only be used for liquids.

If you're not losing on 1200 calories, you're eating more than you think you are.

~Lyssa

morey235 wrote: »

ok, thanks I will check everything again.. I do use a food scale though… I will listen to everyone's advice, thanks for replying.

Double check foods as you log them - many of the entries in the database are either inaccurate entirely or may be inaccurate for a specific item in your region.

Always check the nutrition information against what the package you have says.

~Lyssa

morey235 wrote: »

ok, thanks for all replies. Still don't understand it… I go by the MFP food chart. cityruss wrote..

The less energy you consume, the more you lose. I would think the "more" energy I used the more I would lose.

Ahhh, so confused.

You're making this waaaaaaaaay more complicated than it is.

A calorie is a unit of energy. So when @cityruss said, "The less energy you consume, the more you lose", he means that the fewer calories you consume, the more you lose. When you say "the more energy I used, the more I would lose", you are also correct: if you burn more calories than you consume, you will lose.

You'll see the acronym "CICO" here a lot. It refers to "calories in /calories out". It's a simple formula: Calories in < Calories out. The amount of calories you take in must be less than the amount of calories your burn.

Weigh all of your food and when you log, be sure to pick the most accurate entry in the database. Avoid ones that say "generic" and "homemade". Go with ones that have a lot of member confirmations (meaning a lot of people here have verified that the information is accurate).

morey235 wrote: »

if I stick to 1200 calories, I'm still not losing weight. I have been following diet and exercise everyday. I can't eat less calories, so what should I do.. I really need help with this. thanks

1. Check your portion sizes (do you use a scale?). Check your MFP entries (many are incorrect). Log every bite, lick, taste, etc. It all adds up.

2. MFP expects you to eat 1200+ exercise calories. BUT, exercise calorie burn estimates are often inflated. Eat back half.

3. Be patient. When you are closer to goal, weight loss will be slower. 1/2 pound a week is good progress when you are within 15 pounds of goal.

Bxqtie116 wrote: »

Use the recipe builder for your own meals. You simply list every ingredient and how much and it calculates it for you.

On another note, sometimes you can do all the right things but your body may be holding onto the weight. If you're under eating, your body could be going into survival mode. Make sure you're drinking plenty of water as well.

If you're under-eating other bad things will likely happen, but you will still lose weight. Given that OP is using the "homemade" entries of others, it's much more likely that they are eating more than they think.

morey235 wrote: »

What happens if you under-eat?

Your body is using calories 24/7. It won't get 100% of what it needs from fat stores, it doesn't work that way. Your body needs fuel (heart, lungs, brain, kidneys). When you under eat you force your body to make choices.....fuel your heart, or fuel the hair on your head. People who have eaten very low calories (regularly) have reported hair loss. When you lose weight you are at risk for lean muscle loss too. Eating at a moderate deficit is one of the things you can do to protect it.