Week 5 and not 1lb has budged!

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smnasypany
smnasypany Posts: 13 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
After having my son in February I was given the all clear from the doctor to get back to working out the first of March. On March the 7th I started logging everything (measuring and weighing everything religiously), struggling to stay at 1200 a day and started with walking 3days a week. Now I'm on my 5th week and I've gotten back to doing my turbo fire home DVD HIT workouts 3 days a week and easily keeping at 1200 now. Upon weighing myself this morning the scale has not moved a single pound. I have had people tell me I'm probably starving myself and not eating enough calories but I have been following what fitnesspal tells me to calorie wise. I found an online calorie calculator that figures a 35 yr old 5'4" weighing 200lbs should eat 1789 calories to lose a pound a week. A different calculator said 1684.

I'm losing steam and hope at any progress. Should I ignore myfitnesspal and eat 1650 a day? Why would the calorie calculated be different in myfitnesspal from these calorie calculators if all the same info is given to both?
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Replies

  • ZeroDelta
    ZeroDelta Posts: 242 Member
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    582byn83s5or.jpg
  • itsbasschick
    itsbasschick Posts: 1,584 Member
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    ZeroDelta, you beat me to it.
  • janjunie
    janjunie Posts: 1,200 Member
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    1200 calories is a terrible goal for someone of your weight and height who just had a baby. Thankfully I don't think you are actually eating 1200 calories.
  • lemmie177
    lemmie177 Posts: 479 Member
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    Just to add maybe relevant info. If you're nursing, it can be very energy-intensive and can cost an extra ~600 calories or so above your own energy requirements. I know your dr. ok-ed the workouts, but I'd check in about the diet as well and see if they have any guidelines for you since you might have a few extra considerations to think about in terms of nutrition.
  • smnasypany
    smnasypany Posts: 13 Member
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    ZeroDelta wrote: »
    582byn83s5or.jpg

    I had my thyroid tested before and during my pregnancy and it came back normal. I will set up another doctor appointment.
  • smnasypany
    smnasypany Posts: 13 Member
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    janjunie wrote: »
    1200 calories is a terrible goal for someone of your weight and height who just had a baby. Thankfully I don't think you are actually eating 1200 calories.

    The first week was a struggle, keeping between 1200-1600 but by that Friday I had it down to a science. Its a high protein diet so its kept the hunger away but if that isn't the right amount of calories I'm wondering why MFP would tell me that's the amount I need to be consuming. It has way more info then these other calorie calculators do since I enter everything into it everyday. It just frustrates me.
  • smnasypany
    smnasypany Posts: 13 Member
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    lemmie177 wrote: »
    Just to add maybe relevant info. If you're nursing, it can be very energy-intensive and can cost an extra ~600 calories or so above your own energy requirements. I know your dr. ok-ed the workouts, but I'd check in about the diet as well and see if they have any guidelines for you since you might have a few extra considerations to think about in terms of nutrition.

    I quit nursing at the beginning of March so that shouldn't be a factor anymore.
  • eldamiano
    eldamiano Posts: 2,667 Member
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    Eating too much. Doing exercise doesnt equal weight loss. Calorie deficit = weight loss
  • I_Will_End_You
    I_Will_End_You Posts: 4,397 Member
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    smnasypany wrote: »
    janjunie wrote: »
    1200 calories is a terrible goal for someone of your weight and height who just had a baby. Thankfully I don't think you are actually eating 1200 calories.

    The first week was a struggle, keeping between 1200-1600 but by that Friday I had it down to a science. Its a high protein diet so its kept the hunger away but if that isn't the right amount of calories I'm wondering why MFP would tell me that's the amount I need to be consuming. It has way more info then these other calorie calculators do since I enter everything into it everyday. It just frustrates me.

    This poster was implying that you're eating more than 1200 calories per day without realizing it. Which is likely true. Opening your diary would be helpful.
  • willrun4pancakes
    willrun4pancakes Posts: 12 Member
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    Are you weighing your foods? If you open your diary, people can give more specific advice.
  • Nicklebee93
    Nicklebee93 Posts: 316 Member
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    How are you measuring out food? Lots recommend you use a food scale. It's actually not uncommon that when we use measuring cups we have more than we actually think. There is a great video people post, i don't have it, so i hope someone posts it. But you could actually be consuming more than you think...

    What types of food are you eating? Have you measured yourself? Losing inches? I personally went a month without the scale budging but i was losing inches. I just now got the scale to go down..
  • daynaxxanne
    daynaxxanne Posts: 77 Member
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    Try eating at least 1500 calories a day, at how little your eating your body is probably thinking its starving itself and therefore will hold onto the fat to protect your body. I weigh 140 and am aiming to lose a pound a week and I eat 1480 calories a day (thats my goal) and I exercise (weights and cardio) 5 days a week so your body probably needs more calories. That being said, If you are exercising as long as the number on the scale isn't increasing, it could be muscle gain. And try taking measurements instead if weighing yourself. I know personally my weight is staying the same but I'm losing inches off my waist. But only take measurements about once every month or you'll get discouraged easily.
  • 3bambi3
    3bambi3 Posts: 1,650 Member
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    daynaxxanne wrote: »
    Try eating at least 1500 calories a day, at how little your eating your body is probably thinking its starving itself and therefore will hold onto the fat to protect your body. I weigh 140 and am aiming to lose a pound a week and I eat 1480 calories a day (thats my goal) and I exercise (weights and cardio) 5 days a week so your body probably needs more calories. That being said, If you are exercising as long as the number on the scale isn't increasing, it could be muscle gain. And try taking measurements instead if weighing yourself. I know personally my weight is staying the same but I'm losing inches off my waist. But only take measurements about once every month or you'll get discouraged easily.

    The answer to not losing weight is never to eat more calories. Your body doesn't 'hold onto the fat' if you aren't eating enough. It's just not possible.

    More likely is the scenario in which the OP needs to tighten up her logging.
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 27,981 Member
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    There are mistakes that people commonly make that cause them to not lose weight that we might be able to spot if you change your Diary Sharing settings to Public: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/account/diary_settings
  • janjunie
    janjunie Posts: 1,200 Member
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    smnasypany wrote: »
    janjunie wrote: »
    1200 calories is a terrible goal for someone of your weight and height who just had a baby. Thankfully I don't think you are actually eating 1200 calories.

    The first week was a struggle, keeping between 1200-1600 but by that Friday I had it down to a science. Its a high protein diet so its kept the hunger away but if that isn't the right amount of calories I'm wondering why MFP would tell me that's the amount I need to be consuming. It has way more info then these other calorie calculators do since I enter everything into it everyday. It just frustrates me.

    1200 calories is the setting Mfp gives women who want to lose 2 lbs/ week. It doesn't take anything else into consideration.
  • drpsamin
    drpsamin Posts: 265 Member
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    Hi I'm 9 months post partum and I've only started a Low calorie diet last week. Before this I was eating around 1800 per day as i was worried about my milk supply. I woundnt eat that little if your baby isn't on solids yet.
  • bigorange70
    bigorange70 Posts: 60 Member
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    I have mine set at 2 lbs per week but when i weighed 240 lbs my calorie intake was higher. As I lost weight it adjusted the amount of calories I could have. Not sure what yours is set to but it should adjust for you as you lose. 1200 seems low to me but i am male so maybe this is why.
  • DanaDark
    DanaDark Posts: 2,187 Member
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    Really gotta see that diary to give any reasonable feedback. And needs to be filled out for a few weeks and accurately.

    The best I can offer right now is that it is likely you are not in a caloric deficit. There are many things that can be the cause: Underestimating calories in, overestimating calories out, hormones lowering overall BMR, and more.

    You should not judge based solely on the scale either. Go by how your clothes fit and measurements as well.
  • StaPositv
    StaPositv Posts: 13 Member
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    ".. started with walking 3 days a week. Now I'm on my 5th week and I've gotten back to doing my turbo fire home DVD HIT workouts 3 days a week .."

    It sounds like you are doing plenty of cardio. I found that I had to work on building lean muscle to help burn fat, especially after having a baby. Light weights with 15 reps for your arm (change up exercises for your various upper body muscles, add weights for lower body and don't ignore the core muscles) every other day may help you burn more fat when you do your cardio work outs. This, and as others have mentioned, really keep track of the foods (and when you eat - I try to eat my larger meals earlier with dinner being one of my lighter meals per doctor recommendation).

    Keep going - you can do it!
  • smnasypany
    smnasypany Posts: 13 Member
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    willrun4pancakes wrote: »
    Are you weighing your foods? If you open your diary, people can give more specific advice.

    I'm weighing and measuring every single item to the point of being obsessive about it. I have to figure out how to open my diary.

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