Low, low calories

ashleyjloss85
ashleyjloss85 Posts: 11 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
So I've been eating 1200 a day for weeks. The scale hasn't BUDGED.

I ate 900 a day for a week and lost.

Tried 1200 a day for a week....nothing.

Went back to 900 , lost

It seems liked I can only lose weight when I'm starving myself. In getting very frustrated.


31. 5'3. 160 lbs

Replies

  • singingflutelady
    singingflutelady Posts: 8,736 Member
    DanniB423 wrote: »
    Are you using a food scale? You could be eating more than what you think is 1200.

    I agree with this
  • ashleyjloss85
    ashleyjloss85 Posts: 11 Member
    singingflutelady wrote: »
    DanniB423 wrote: »
    Are you using a food scale? You could be eating more than what you think is 1200.

    I agree with this

    I'm very careful calculating , yes.
  • savithny
    savithny Posts: 1,200 Member
    Have you gained and lost a lot of weight in the past?
  • cerise_noir
    cerise_noir Posts: 5,468 Member
    ashleyjloss85 wrote: »
    singingflutelady wrote: »
    DanniB423 wrote: »
    Are you using a food scale? You could be eating more than what you think is 1200.

    I agree with this

    I'm very careful calculating , yes.
    So, that's 'yes' to using a food scale for every food item that isn't water/juice/milk/stock? Have you been counting cooking oils and condiments?

    Can you open your food diary?
  • MyBeautifulRose
    MyBeautifulRose Posts: 1 Member
    You're losing weight when consuming 900 calories per day because your body is starving and eating your muscles for fuel. You're not losing while consuming 1200 calories per day because that's just enough for your body to use for fuel, then store some for later use...because it thinks you're about to starve. You need to go see a dietitian and have them work something out that is tailored to fit your lifestyle. *OR* Try eating 1300-1500 calories per day, with at least 75g of protein and 20g fiber. Eat 4 servings of veggies per day, and drink at least 64oz of water.
  • KateTii
    KateTii Posts: 886 Member
    edited September 2016
    Can you open your diary? It can help us look further.

    Also:
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  • Sued0nim
    Sued0nim Posts: 17,456 Member
    1) food scale for all solids including peanut butter and even oils ?- you didn't answer this directly

    2) weight loss isn't linear ...there isn't a direct correlation to diet week by week ...average over 6-8 weeks

  • Christine_72
    Christine_72 Posts: 16,049 Member
    edited September 2016
    At your height and weight you should be losing at 1200 calories . Tighten up your logging. 99.9% of the time when someone stalls or gains, inaccurate calorie counting is the culprit, barring any medical conditions..
  • RuNaRoUnDaFiEld
    RuNaRoUnDaFiEld Posts: 5,864 Member
    MyBeautifulRose wrote: »
    You're losing weight when consuming 900 calories per day because your body is starving and eating your muscles for fuel. You're not losing while consuming 1200 calories per day because that's just enough for your body to use for fuel, then store some for later use...because it thinks you're about to starve. You need to go see a dietitian and have them work something out that is tailored to fit your lifestyle. *OR* Try eating 1300-1500 calories per day, with at least 75g of protein and 20g fiber. Eat 4 servings of veggies per day, and drink at least 64oz of water.

    No starvation mode in this context doesn't exist.
  • malibu927
    malibu927 Posts: 17,562 Member
    MyBeautifulRose wrote: »
    You're losing weight when consuming 900 calories per day because your body is starving and eating your muscles for fuel. You're not losing while consuming 1200 calories per day because that's just enough for your body to use for fuel, then store some for later use...because it thinks you're about to starve. You need to go see a dietitian and have them work something out that is tailored to fit your lifestyle. *OR* Try eating 1300-1500 calories per day, with at least 75g of protein and 20g fiber. Eat 4 servings of veggies per day, and drink at least 64oz of water.

    How would she lose muscle at 900 calories but store fat at 1200? Unless her TDEE fell in between those two numbers, which is highly unlikely?
  • RuNaRoUnDaFiEld
    RuNaRoUnDaFiEld Posts: 5,864 Member
    ashleyjloss85 wrote: »
    singingflutelady wrote: »
    DanniB423 wrote: »
    Are you using a food scale? You could be eating more than what you think is 1200.

    I agree with this

    I'm very careful calculating , yes.

    Is that the same as yes I weigh everything on a food scale or are you using cups etc?
  • savithny
    savithny Posts: 1,200 Member
    If she's yo-yo'd in the past, her RMR might be significantly lower than the calculator would suggest.
  • Charis50
    Charis50 Posts: 181 Member
    savithny wrote: »
    If she's yo-yo'd in the past, her RMR might be significantly lower than the calculator would suggest.

    Agreed. I just had my Resting Metabolic Rate (RMR) tested this morning, and I burn about 150 calories below the Mifflin RMR estimate for a woman of my height, weight, and age. My bad for doing stupid fad/crash diets on-and-off for like 30 years.

    If this might apply to you, can you get an RMR test? (It's not the same as Basal Metabolic Rate, but you don't have to stay overnight so it's usually a lot less expensive.) That might help you target your caloric intake a little more accurately.
  • refuseresist
    refuseresist Posts: 934 Member
    Or, even if you are measuring and weighing everything then you can't necessarily rely on the entries in MFP database to be correct, you might want to double check those
  • Need2Exerc1se
    Need2Exerc1se Posts: 13,575 Member
    ashleyjloss85 wrote: »
    singingflutelady wrote: »
    DanniB423 wrote: »
    Are you using a food scale? You could be eating more than what you think is 1200.

    I agree with this

    I'm very careful calculating , yes.

    If you are sure of your calorie counts I'd suggest seeing a doctor to check for metabolic/hormonal disorders that may lower your RMR/BMR.
  • Spliner1969
    Spliner1969 Posts: 3,233 Member
    If it were me, I'd eat the 1200 and do an extra 300 cals of exercise daily. That's a 30 minute walk (fast walk anyway) or 20-30 minutes on an elliptical. Should be easy to fit that in, and you'll be better off for it in the long run. I'm male, 6'2" tall so 1200 would scare me more than most, but when MFP set me at 1600 at first I could not stand it. I had no choice but to lose slower or exercise more. I chose exercise more and eat more. Over the year that it took me to lose my weight I managed to get in infinitely better physical shape because of it. Just a thought.
  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,136 Member
    MyBeautifulRose wrote: »
    You're losing weight when consuming 900 calories per day because your body is starving and eating your muscles for fuel. You're not losing while consuming 1200 calories per day because that's just enough for your body to use for fuel, then store some for later use...because it thinks you're about to starve. You need to go see a dietitian and have them work something out that is tailored to fit your lifestyle. *OR* Try eating 1300-1500 calories per day, with at least 75g of protein and 20g fiber. Eat 4 servings of veggies per day, and drink at least 64oz of water.

    nope, nope, nope..

    it would take extremely low calories for a long period of time for that to happen.

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