New to mfp need advice/tips

I've been on mfp for 20 days. My daily calorie goal is 1240, I always hit under that usually 1,000-1100. I've lost 8 lbs over the 20 days which sounds low to me. Yesterday to today I gained 1 lb and no idea why, my calorie intake yesterday was 933.

Replies

  • Chef_Barbell
    Chef_Barbell Posts: 6,644 Member
    Why are you eating so little?
  • diannethegeek
    diannethegeek Posts: 14,776 Member
    A healthy rate of weight loss is 1-2 pounds per week. 8 pounds in 3 weeks is great progress! Stop trying to kill yourself with such a low calorie goal and adjust your expectations :flowerforyou:

    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10084670/it-is-unlikely-that-you-will-lose-weight-consistently-i-e-weight-loss-is-not-linear/p1
  • Amandagetsfit89
    Amandagetsfit89 Posts: 14 Member
    Why are you eating so little?

    Mfp gave me the goal of 1240 and I'm just trying not to go over that.
  • Chef_Barbell
    Chef_Barbell Posts: 6,644 Member
    Why are you eating so little?

    Mfp gave me the goal of 1240 and I'm just trying not to go over that.

    How much do you weigh and how much are you trying to lose? Very rarely people, usually very small/short or older, have to eat that little to lose weight.
  • zamphir66
    zamphir66 Posts: 582 Member
    I've been on mfp for 20 days. My daily calorie goal is 1240, I always hit under that usually 1,000-1100. I've lost 8 lbs over the 20 days which sounds low to me. Yesterday to today I gained 1 lb and no idea why, my calorie intake yesterday was 933.

    Because weight loss is not linear, that's why.

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  • Gena575
    Gena575 Posts: 224 Member
    I've been on mfp for 20 days. My daily calorie goal is 1240, I always hit under that usually 1,000-1100. I've lost 8 lbs over the 20 days which sounds low to me. Yesterday to today I gained 1 lb and no idea why, my calorie intake yesterday was 933.

    A) Eat to your goal...provided you are weighing your solid foods vs eyeballing. 8lbs in 20 days is almost 2lbs per week...that's a LOT in the world of weight loss.
    B ) 20 days in...where are you in your cycle? Ovulation week and shark week are very common water weight increase weeks. Your reproductive organs need the extra fluids to do their thing.
    C) bonus tip...if you're weighing foods like peanut butter or mayo, set the opened jar on the scale. Hit zero/tare and remove your serving. The negative number is how many grams you're eating. No messy sticky measuring cups!
  • Amandagetsfit89
    Amandagetsfit89 Posts: 14 Member
    Why are you eating so little?

    Mfp gave me the goal of 1240 and I'm just trying not to go over that.

    How much do you weigh and how much are you trying to lose? Very rarely people, usually very small/short or older, have to eat that little to lose weight.

    I'm 27 and weigh 197, started at 206. My goal is to lose 50 lbs.
  • Chef_Barbell
    Chef_Barbell Posts: 6,644 Member
    Why are you eating so little?

    Mfp gave me the goal of 1240 and I'm just trying not to go over that.

    How much do you weigh and how much are you trying to lose? Very rarely people, usually very small/short or older, have to eat that little to lose weight.

    I'm 27 and weigh 197, started at 206. My goal is to lose 50 lbs.

    And you put 2 lbs a week loss right? I would change it to 1 to 1.5 lbs a week.

    Check this thread out:

    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1318741/in-5-weeks-youll-lose-10lbs-why-is-it-not-working/p1
  • Amandagetsfit89
    Amandagetsfit89 Posts: 14 Member
    Gena575 wrote: »
    I've been on mfp for 20 days. My daily calorie goal is 1240, I always hit under that usually 1,000-1100. I've lost 8 lbs over the 20 days which sounds low to me. Yesterday to today I gained 1 lb and no idea why, my calorie intake yesterday was 933.

    A) Eat to your goal...provided you are weighing your solid foods vs eyeballing. 8lbs in 20 days is almost 2lbs per week...that's a LOT in the world of weight loss.
    B ) 20 days in...where are you in your cycle? Ovulation week and shark week are very common water weight increase weeks. Your reproductive organs need the extra fluids to do their thing.
    C) bonus tip...if you're weighing foods like peanut butter or mayo, set the opened jar on the scale. Hit zero/tare and remove your serving. The negative number is how many grams you're eating. No messy sticky measuring cups!

    Yes I do weigh and measure everything I consume.
    I'm 9 weeks pp and just finished having my first cycle 2 days ago.
  • Amandagetsfit89
    Amandagetsfit89 Posts: 14 Member
    Why are you eating so little?

    Mfp gave me the goal of 1240 and I'm just trying not to go over that.

    How much do you weigh and how much are you trying to lose? Very rarely people, usually very small/short or older, have to eat that little to lose weight.

    I'm 27 and weigh 197, started at 206. My goal is to lose 50 lbs.

    And you put 2 lbs a week loss right? I would change it to 1 to 1.5 lbs a week.

    Check this thread out:

    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1318741/in-5-weeks-youll-lose-10lbs-why-is-it-not-working/p1

    Yes I put 2 lbs a week and marked myself at light activity.
  • Gena575
    Gena575 Posts: 224 Member
    Gena575 wrote: »
    I've been on mfp for 20 days. My daily calorie goal is 1240, I always hit under that usually 1,000-1100. I've lost 8 lbs over the 20 days which sounds low to me. Yesterday to today I gained 1 lb and no idea why, my calorie intake yesterday was 933.

    A) Eat to your goal...provided you are weighing your solid foods vs eyeballing. 8lbs in 20 days is almost 2lbs per week...that's a LOT in the world of weight loss.
    B ) 20 days in...where are you in your cycle? Ovulation week and shark week are very common water weight increase weeks. Your reproductive organs need the extra fluids to do their thing.
    C) bonus tip...if you're weighing foods like peanut butter or mayo, set the opened jar on the scale. Hit zero/tare and remove your serving. The negative number is how many grams you're eating. No messy sticky measuring cups!

    Yes I do weigh and measure everything I consume.
    I'm 9 weeks pp and just finished having my first cycle 2 days ago.

    9 weeks pp! And the energy to work on weight! Go you! That's awesome. And I'd bet dollars to donuts that gain is residual from your cycle. Keep on...what you're doing is working!
  • Chef_Barbell
    Chef_Barbell Posts: 6,644 Member
    Why are you eating so little?

    Mfp gave me the goal of 1240 and I'm just trying not to go over that.

    How much do you weigh and how much are you trying to lose? Very rarely people, usually very small/short or older, have to eat that little to lose weight.

    I'm 27 and weigh 197, started at 206. My goal is to lose 50 lbs.

    And you put 2 lbs a week loss right? I would change it to 1 to 1.5 lbs a week.

    Check this thread out:

    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1318741/in-5-weeks-youll-lose-10lbs-why-is-it-not-working/p1

    Yes I put 2 lbs a week and marked myself at light activity.

    You shouldn't be eating less than 1200 period. Putting yourself at the minimum calories allowed means there will be no wiggle room when you lose more weight, and it puts you at risk for frustration and falling off. No need to eat the least amount of food to lose, but rather the most you can eat and still lose. You will need energy to take care of that little one.
  • Amandagetsfit89
    Amandagetsfit89 Posts: 14 Member

    Gena575 wrote: »
    Gena575 wrote: »
    I've been on mfp for 20 days. My daily calorie goal is 1240, I always hit under that usually 1,000-1100. I've lost 8 lbs over the 20 days which sounds low to me. Yesterday to today I gained 1 lb and no idea why, my calorie intake yesterday was 933.

    A) Eat to your goal...provided you are weighing your solid foods vs eyeballing. 8lbs in 20 days is almost 2lbs per week...that's a LOT in the world of weight loss.
    B ) 20 days in...where are you in your cycle? Ovulation week and shark week are very common water weight increase weeks. Your reproductive organs need the extra fluids to do their thing.
    C) bonus tip...if you're weighing foods like peanut butter or mayo, set the opened jar on the scale. Hit zero/tare and remove your serving. The negative number is how many grams you're eating. No messy sticky measuring cups!

    Yes I do weigh and measure everything I consume.
    I'm 9 weeks pp and just finished having my first cycle 2 days ago.

    9 weeks pp! And the energy to work on weight! Go you! That's awesome. And I'd bet dollars to donuts that gain is residual from your cycle. Keep on...what you're doing is working!

    Thank you!
  • bethannien
    bethannien Posts: 556 Member
    General rule of thumb is women shouldn't be eating below 1200 calories per day. Sure the weight loss will look great but you're not just losing fat at such a steep deficit. You're also looking at lean muscle loss (which you'll lose anyway by the way but you can minimize the damage by maintaining a slightly more reasonable deficit).

    Also eating such a low amount can cause hair loss, dry skin, etc. it's not a race. You have to take care of yourself and your new little one. It's really hard to get adequate nutrition on so few calories.
  • ahoy_m8
    ahoy_m8 Posts: 3,053 Member
    If you're nursing, you need extra calories. Factor that in!
  • Amandagetsfit89
    Amandagetsfit89 Posts: 14 Member
    ahoy_m8 wrote: »
    If you're nursing, you need extra calories. Factor that in!

    I'm not able to nurse anymore.
  • k_nelson_24
    k_nelson_24 Posts: 251 Member
    First of all, 8 pounds in 20 days is terrific! Be proud of that number.
    And secondly, IMO, you should be eating a minimum of 1200 calories per day. Maybe even more. When I started on MFP about a year and a half ago, I weighed 249 lbs and lost over 2 pounds per week with a calorie goal of about 1800. Now, I weigh 153 and am actively losing weight with a 1580 calorie goal. No need to deprive yourself!

    Good luck!
  • ogtmama
    ogtmama Posts: 1,403 Member
    As everybody has said, 8 pounds in 20 days is actually way ABOVE your goal! Congratulations, and be a little patient, in another 5 pounds or so it will become visible, like a size down and then it will get a little more exciting.

    Congratulations on the new baby!
  • Amandagetsfit89
    Amandagetsfit89 Posts: 14 Member
    First of all, 8 pounds in 20 days is terrific! Be proud of that number.
    And secondly, IMO, you should be eating a minimum of 1200 calories per day. Maybe even more. When I started on MFP about a year and a half ago, I weighed 249 lbs and lost over 2 pounds per week with a calorie goal of about 1800. Now, I weigh 153 and am actively losing weight with a 1580 calorie goal. No need to deprive yourself!

    Good luck!
    That's amazing good job! Your at my goal weight, can't wait to get there
  • Amandagetsfit89
    Amandagetsfit89 Posts: 14 Member
    As everybody has said, 8 pounds in 20 days is actually way ABOVE your goal! Congratulations, and be a little patient, in another 5 pounds or so it will become visible, like a size down and then it will get a little more exciting.

    Congratulations on the new baby!

    Thank you :)