need to lose weight, help!

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celinamoreno
celinamoreno Posts: 4 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
hello so I need to lose weight and am having a hard time doing it. I exercise 4 days a week and eat less than my required calorie amount daily. I am required 1200 a day and I eat less than that yet I am not losing a single pound. I don't get it. I eat healthy proteins and veggies and only water so what am I doing wrong? is it possible that I am not eating enough and retaining it instead, if that is thw case what is the minimum calories I have to eat in a day in order to lose? I thought I needed to eat less to lose weight. please help.
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Replies

  • seska422
    seska422 Posts: 3,217 Member
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    1200 is the minimum. You need to eat enough to get your nutrients.

    This chart has good advice:

    hoc9dxsco7za.jpg
  • CattOfTheGarage
    CattOfTheGarage Posts: 2,750 Member
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    How long have you been doing this?
  • janetennet
    janetennet Posts: 143 Member
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    How long have you been doing the above?
    What are your current stats - age, weight, height etc.
    How are you measuring your intake - are you using a food scale or guestimating?
    A food scale is a necessity!
  • celinamoreno
    celinamoreno Posts: 4 Member
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    hello I have been eating healthy for a year and excerising for almost 6 months consistently 4 days a week I do not use a food scale I know what 4 ounces chicken or fish look like and measure my veggies by cups. I weigh 135 and am 5"4 and 32 yrs old. I don't always eat my full 1200 cals and am wondering if because of that I am retaining the weight? any suggestions appreciated.
  • daniip_la
    daniip_la Posts: 678 Member
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    celinamoreno wrote: »
    hello I have been eating healthy for a year and excerising for almost 6 months consistently 4 days a week I do not use a food scale I know what 4 ounces chicken or fish look like and measure my veggies by cups. I weigh 135 and am 5"4 and 32 yrs old. I don't always eat my full 1200 cals and am wondering if because of that I am retaining the weight? any suggestions appreciated.

    Eating too little will not cause you to not lose weight. You might want to try weighing your food, and be sure you're using accurate entries in the database when you select the foods you eat.
  • quiksylver296
    quiksylver296 Posts: 28,442 Member
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    Start with a food scale.
  • roamingtiger
    roamingtiger Posts: 747 Member
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    You're not eating enough.
  • seska422
    seska422 Posts: 3,217 Member
    edited September 2016
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    135 is within the normal BMI range. Weight loss is going to be slow since you can't create much of a calorie deficit.

    Since you have such a small window, it's even more important to be as accurate as possible when you count calories consumed and burned.
  • diannethegeek
    diannethegeek Posts: 14,776 Member
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    celinamoreno wrote: »
    hello I have been eating healthy for a year and excerising for almost 6 months consistently 4 days a week I do not use a food scale I know what 4 ounces chicken or fish look like and measure my veggies by cups. I weigh 135 and am 5"4 and 32 yrs old. I don't always eat my full 1200 cals and am wondering if because of that I am retaining the weight? any suggestions appreciated.

    If you've been consistently in a deficit for a year and know for sure that all of your numbers are correct, then it's time to see a doc because something is off. If not, go through the steps above.
  • LazSommer
    LazSommer Posts: 1,851 Member
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    celinamoreno wrote: »
    hello I have been eating healthy for a year and excerising for almost 6 months consistently 4 days a week I do not use a food scale I know what 4 ounces chicken or fish look like and measure my veggies by cups. I weigh 135 and am 5"4 and 32 yrs old. I don't always eat my full 1200 cals and am wondering if because of that I am retaining the weight? any suggestions appreciated.

    LOL
    O
    L

    @ninerbuff

    see it's true, man.
  • CattOfTheGarage
    CattOfTheGarage Posts: 2,750 Member
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    How much weight are you trying to lose? Are you sure you need to lose it? You are already at a healthy weight.

    Trying to shave off few pounds when you're already at a healthy weight is much harder than when you are overweight or obese. You need to be obsessively accurate about both food and exercise. I'm your height, and if I was your weight, frankly, I wouldn't bother. I would concentrate on some other goal, like getting fit, taking up a new sport, or learning to crochet. Weight isn't everything.
  • MrsKila
    MrsKila Posts: 320 Member
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    quiksylver296 wrote: »
    Start with a food scale.

    This^^^^
  • Longevity100
    Longevity100 Posts: 84 Member
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    celinamoreno wrote: »
    hello so I need to lose weight and am having a hard time doing it. I exercise 4 days a week and eat less than my required calorie amount daily. I am required 1200 a day and I eat less than that yet I am not losing a single pound. I don't get it. I eat healthy proteins and veggies and only water so what am I doing wrong? is it possible that I am not eating enough and retaining it instead, if that is thw case what is the minimum calories I have to eat in a day in order to lose? I thought I needed to eat less to lose weight. please help.

    What does your exercise program look like? What foods are you eating specifically and in what quantities?
  • ogtmama
    ogtmama Posts: 1,403 Member
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    You don't know what an ounce of chicken or probably a tablespoon of peanut butter looks like. You need to measure my friend. (and I say that with absolutely no judgement or condescension, I just know how bloody shocked I was) On a positive note, you now know what maintenance looks like ;)
  • pander101
    pander101 Posts: 677 Member
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    celinamoreno wrote: »
    hello I have been eating healthy for a year and excerising for almost 6 months consistently 4 days a week I do not use a food scale I know what 4 ounces chicken or fish look like and measure my veggies by cups. I weigh 135 and am 5"4 and 32 yrs old. I don't always eat my full 1200 cals and am wondering if because of that I am retaining the weight? any suggestions appreciated.

    Yeah, you're eating more than you think. Get a food scale.
  • Sunny_Bunny_
    Sunny_Bunny_ Posts: 7,140 Member
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    I'm 5'4" also and have been fluctuating between 132-138 for a year. However, I've gotten smaller in that time. I had to buy new shorts when summer came even though I weighed the same as I did at the end of last summer.
    Take measurements. Maybe you'll have a similar experience.
  • ugofatcat
    ugofatcat Posts: 385 Member
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    hello so I need to lose weight and am having a hard time doing it. I exercise 4 days a week and eat less than my required calorie amount daily. I am required 1200 a day and I eat less than that yet I am not losing a single pound. I don't get it. I eat healthy proteins and veggies and only water so what am I doing wrong?

    Response from MFP community: Purchase a food scale.

    I do not use a food scale I know what 4 ounces chicken or fish look like and measure my veggies by cups

    False, this is why you are not losing weight.

    Here is a 4 minute video to demonstrate why food scales are so important:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vjKPIcI51lU
  • dariusshaw
    dariusshaw Posts: 29 Member
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    I'm going to get scale today but I been drinking gallon of water started Monday and it kind of control my hunger so I plan on doing it everyday. But my question is let's say the app says to eat 1600 calories and I only eat 1200 or less will that affect my weight loss. I try to eat the goal calories but the water helps me control my hunger and I thought it felt right since I'm feeling full. Also I can meet almost all of my macros except carbohydrates. Goal is 50 but I eat 30 and the rest of my macros ate ok but it is eat a carbohydrate that will increase the other macros over lol sighh.
  • trigden1991
    trigden1991 Posts: 4,658 Member
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    dariusshaw wrote: »
    I'm going to get scale today but I been drinking gallon of water started Monday and it kind of control my hunger so I plan on doing it everyday. But my question is let's say the app says to eat 1600 calories and I only eat 1200 or less will that affect my weight loss. I try to eat the goal calories but the water helps me control my hunger and I thought it felt right since I'm feeling full. Also I can meet almost all of my macros except carbohydrates. Goal is 50 but I eat 30 and the rest of my macros ate ok but it is eat a carbohydrate that will increase the other macros over lol sighh.

    If you eat less, you'll lose more weight. That's how the maths works. 1200 is the minimum recommended so you have no room to decrease calories when/if your weight loss stalls.

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