Getting frustrated - 1200 calorie diet

asullivan6
asullivan6 Posts: 7 Member
edited December 4 in Motivation and Support
Hi all,

I've been diligently following a 1200 calorie diet for a few weeks and also working out at least 5 days a week. I've barely lost any weight - 6 pounds in 8 weeks.
What gives? I'm 5'2" and down to 160 lbs. Should I try upping my calories?

Replies

  • JeromeBarry1
    JeromeBarry1 Posts: 10,179 Member
    At 5'2" and 160 lb you should be in a calorie deficit with a total calorie intake of 1200 calories per day. How very certain are you that you are precisely following a 1200 calorie daily intake? Your food diary is not visible. Have you been recording what you eat?
  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 34,454 Member
    You're eating more than you think.

    How are your measuring your food?

  • asullivan6
    asullivan6 Posts: 7 Member
    Yes, I track diligently.
  • asullivan6
    asullivan6 Posts: 7 Member
    Typical day for me is - 2 eggs and one slice of whole wheat toast, salad with tons of protein and veggies for lunch with vinegar as a dressing, protein and veggies for dinner. I have one square of 85% cacao during the day.
  • quiksylver296
    quiksylver296 Posts: 28,439 Member
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  • 13thGeneral
    13thGeneral Posts: 24 Member
    edited October 2016
    Do realize that it's not uncommon to have your weight "plateau" or even rebound on occasion, because a variety of factors besides caloric intake and exercise effect your weight. Keep at it and stay resolved. Also understand that some people are just naturally heavier, due to bone density, water retention, musculature, etc. - the BMI and BMR are really just general baseline guides for determining a healthy lifestyle. If you really feel something isn't working, talk to your doctor or maybe seek a personal trainer's advice.
  • zz99b0
    zz99b0 Posts: 1 Member
    I understand your frustration. I'm 5'3" and started at 180 and am now down to about 145. I logged diligently at about 1200 calories as well and was losing at about the same pace (very frustrating).

    My doctor and nutritionist both highly recommended the following for me based on my food tracking and exercise exertion - I work about 4-6 times a week and sometime multiple times (running and strength). My doctor's assistant reviewed MFP entries for several months and provided me weekly feedback.

    Here are some of their recommendations:

    . Increase my calorie intake to between 1500 and 1800 calories. They thought my body was going into starvation mode, thus no matter what I did, my body was not going to let the weight go.
    . Increase by fats with walnuts, peanut butter, coconut oil ... not bad fats, but the good ones.
    . Don't totally eliminate carbs (that was hard to add back in 3-4 months after I eliminated it)
    . Eat protein
    . Have a morning and afternoon snack (fruit with protein)
    . Eat more veggies

    These were not a silver bullet for me or easy. But gave me a different look on how to view what I was eating. They also later recommended that I add carbs back in, as I had almost eliminated them early in my journey.

    I also pushed my doctor hard to evaluate if I had a thyroid issue -- as I had many of the signs. After several months of pushing, they finally did some detailed tests to reveal that I indeed do have an issue. Now that I'm on medication, the weight is not so hard to lose. I lost a lot in the first 6 weeks because the dosage was wrong. 3 months later, I'm not having to work so hard - I have leveled off for the moment, but I'm not gaining back. I can now have a cheat day and not try to recover from it all week. So, while I'm not dropping a lot at the moment - as I have about 10-15 to go, at least I'm not gaining it back at every hiccup.
  • bunnyluv19
    bunnyluv19 Posts: 103 Member
    I'd say weigh all your vegtables,the calories can add up fast.
  • asullivan6
    asullivan6 Posts: 7 Member
    @zz99b0 - I have thought about a thyroid issue - my dad has one. I am NEVER hungry. I have to force myself to eat lunch and could probably go from 730am - 3pm with just the eggs. I also gain weight very easily. Two pieces of pizza and I'll be up a few pounds. I gained 10 pounds in just a month or two.
  • ashleyx41987
    ashleyx41987 Posts: 26 Member
    I would try upping your calories. I am the same way, never hungry and have been skipping meals since I was about 10. I always knew I didn't eat enough but figured that should make me lose weight, especially working out hard with very few days off from the gym. I have a terrible habit of not giving my body a break. I was not seeing the results I wanted. After a few weeks of intense daily workouts and only eating about 800-1000 calories a day my body would give out and everything would crash. I would be out of the gym and in the doctors and hospitals constantly for a good 4-5 wks before I would feel well enough to workout again. Then I would be fine for about 6 wks and crash again. I did this for 3 brutal years. Finally after seeing a ridiculous amount of specialists and not really coming up with a clear reason why everything was shutting down whenever I'd start working out hard, my GI doctor made me track my foods and habits and realized my body was in extreme starvation mode. I gained over 20 lbs because of it. I was so unhealthy that I would throw up blood, my heart would act up and I'd pass out, my nails were so brittle they would rip in the pink part all the time, I was covered in bruises, I had severe joint pain, broke 4 bones, had such severe migraines all the time that I was almost in liver failure from the meds to control it, my labs were so crazy I was going in every few days for repeat lab draws and iv fluids... it was a huge mess. I'm only recently starting my fitness journey again, and I have started eating about 1200 calories a day. I notice now when I eat breakfast I'm hungry every few hours. Which I actually really hate because I get hangry lol but it's helped. I've lost 13 lbs in the last 6 weeks by eating more, I feel healthier, I look and feel more fit than before. I am slowly trying to work my way up to eating 1500-1600 calories a day. Some days, like yesterday, I mess up and fall back into the eat little, work hard habits but it's an ongoing process of trail and error. I guess my point is, that just because 1200 calories sounds like it should be a deficit for most people, if your body is in starvation mode, like mine was, you will not see the results you want until you break the cycle and eat a little more. Try it for 6 wks and see how you feel! :)
  • jemhh
    jemhh Posts: 14,261 Member
    Again, 6 pounds in 8 weeks is great progress. Don't ignore that and think you have a problem when you do not.
  • coreyreichle
    coreyreichle Posts: 1,031 Member
    asullivan6 wrote: »
    Hi all,

    I've been diligently following a 1200 calorie diet for a few weeks and also working out at least 5 days a week. I've barely lost any weight - 6 pounds in 8 weeks.
    What gives? I'm 5'2" and down to 160 lbs. Should I try upping my calories?

    If you're not losing weight with 1200 calories, then what good would come from upping your intake? That would make you gain weight.

    I'm going to hazard you're not logging accurately.
  • asullivan6
    asullivan6 Posts: 7 Member
    Thanks all - these are great words of wisdom! And I am proud of the 6 lbs - maybe I just have to adjust to being in my 30s and not having the metabolism of days past!
  • Dano74
    Dano74 Posts: 503 Member
    coreyreichle wrote: »
    asullivan6 wrote: »
    Hi all,

    I've been diligently following a 1200 calorie diet for a few weeks and also working out at least 5 days a week. I've barely lost any weight - 6 pounds in 8 weeks.
    What gives? I'm 5'2" and down to 160 lbs. Should I try upping my calories?

    If you're not losing weight with 1200 calories, then what good would come from upping your intake? That would make you gain weight.

    With all due respect, this isn't true at all.
  • coreyreichle
    coreyreichle Posts: 1,031 Member
    Dano74 wrote: »
    coreyreichle wrote: »
    asullivan6 wrote: »
    Hi all,

    I've been diligently following a 1200 calorie diet for a few weeks and also working out at least 5 days a week. I've barely lost any weight - 6 pounds in 8 weeks.
    What gives? I'm 5'2" and down to 160 lbs. Should I try upping my calories?

    If you're not losing weight with 1200 calories, then what good would come from upping your intake? That would make you gain weight.

    With all due respect, this isn't true at all.

    With all due respect, it's simple physics. If 1200 is your maintenance caloric intake, then upping your intake would cause you to put on weight.

    This is the entire principle behind MyFitnessPal.
  • Dano74
    Dano74 Posts: 503 Member
    edited October 2016
    coreyreichle wrote: »
    Dano74 wrote: »
    coreyreichle wrote: »
    asullivan6 wrote: »
    Hi all,

    I've been diligently following a 1200 calorie diet for a few weeks and also working out at least 5 days a week. I've barely lost any weight - 6 pounds in 8 weeks.
    What gives? I'm 5'2" and down to 160 lbs. Should I try upping my calories?

    If you're not losing weight with 1200 calories, then what good would come from upping your intake? That would make you gain weight.

    With all due respect, this isn't true at all.

    With all due respect, it's simple physics. If 1200 is your maintenance caloric intake, then upping your intake would cause you to put on weight.

    This is the entire principle behind MyFitnessPal.

    I get where you're coming from-- in this case, the 1200 calories isn't her maintenance- it's her diet and most likely the base default MFP floors out-- on top of which she is working out 5 times a week. She's not even close to maintenance, much less covering BMR, even with a calorie bump.
  • coreyreichle
    coreyreichle Posts: 1,031 Member
    edited October 2016
    Dano74 wrote: »
    coreyreichle wrote: »
    Dano74 wrote: »
    coreyreichle wrote: »
    asullivan6 wrote: »
    Hi all,

    I've been diligently following a 1200 calorie diet for a few weeks and also working out at least 5 days a week. I've barely lost any weight - 6 pounds in 8 weeks.
    What gives? I'm 5'2" and down to 160 lbs. Should I try upping my calories?

    If you're not losing weight with 1200 calories, then what good would come from upping your intake? That would make you gain weight.

    With all due respect, this isn't true at all.

    With all due respect, it's simple physics. If 1200 is your maintenance caloric intake, then upping your intake would cause you to put on weight.

    This is the entire principle behind MyFitnessPal.

    I get where you're coming from-- in this case, the 1200 calories isn't her maintenance- it's her diet and most likely the base default MFP floors out-- on top of which she is working out 5 times a week. She's not even close to maintenance, much less covering BMR, even with a calorie bump.

    Well, firstly, I temporarily accepted the premise she was accurately logging and not losing weight. This would be her "maintenance TDEE". Then pointing out the fallacy of "If I eat more, I'll lose weight" idea, if this were the case.

    Then, I followed with,"In reality, you're probably not logging accurately." She is likely consuming more than 1200, and I'd hazard in the neighborhood of 1700 (Minimally).
  • Dano74
    Dano74 Posts: 503 Member
    coreyreichle wrote: »
    Dano74 wrote: »
    coreyreichle wrote: »
    Dano74 wrote: »
    coreyreichle wrote: »
    asullivan6 wrote: »
    Hi all,

    I've been diligently following a 1200 calorie diet for a few weeks and also working out at least 5 days a week. I've barely lost any weight - 6 pounds in 8 weeks.
    What gives? I'm 5'2" and down to 160 lbs. Should I try upping my calories?

    If you're not losing weight with 1200 calories, then what good would come from upping your intake? That would make you gain weight.

    With all due respect, this isn't true at all.

    With all due respect, it's simple physics. If 1200 is your maintenance caloric intake, then upping your intake would cause you to put on weight.

    This is the entire principle behind MyFitnessPal.

    I get where you're coming from-- in this case, the 1200 calories isn't her maintenance- it's her diet and most likely the base default MFP floors out-- on top of which she is working out 5 times a week. She's not even close to maintenance, much less covering BMR, even with a calorie bump.

    Well, firstly, I temporarily accepted the premise she was accurately logging and not losing weight. This would be her "maintenance TDEE". Then pointing out the fallacy of "If I eat more, I'll lose weight" idea, if this were the case.

    Then, I followed with,"In reality, you're probably not logging accurately." She is likely consuming more than 1200, and I'd hazard in the neighborhood of 1700 (Minimally).

    I don't think we're at odds here- just obviously operating off different baseline assumptions. Agreed: No one's losing weight by eating above their maintenance. I was pointing out that if calories are gross 1200, she's already below even a recommended deficit and that eating more may very well shift the needle. There's no fallacy at deliberately increasing calories, while still in deficit, and seeing weight loss move again-- in that case, "eating more to lose less" is still accurate and a viable option pending, as you point out, accurate tracking and ballpark TDEE.
  • kgirlhart
    kgirlhart Posts: 5,186 Member
    Are you weighing all your food, and are you eating back some of your exercise calories? Weighing your food will insure that you are actually eating the amount of calories you think you are eating. MFP is designed for you to eat back exercise calories. They can be hard to estimate so it is a good rule of thumb to start back by eating half and reevaluate after about 4 weeks. And be patient. 6 pounds in 8 weeks is good progress.
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