confused how weight loss has stopped
wishingsize8back
Posts: 13 Member
I have lost 12 pounds in 4 weeks and feeling good it was coming off. not starving myself but mostly under 900 calories. i was advised this was too low so upped to about 1000 calories a day in past week.i have now gained 2pounds. i am gutted. i used to eat over 2500 calories a day, so how can eating less than half this a day do anything other than make me lose weight. im not exercising yet but surely the huge drop in calories would just keep melosing weight :-(
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Replies
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Eating under 1200 calories isn't going to be doing you any favours in the long run, particularly eating under 900 calories. Most of the weight you have likely lost is fluid and lean body mass due to the significant under eating.
You haven't gained 2lb in fat, its probably fluid gain due to rehydration, hopefully you are drinking additional fluid.
It will take a while for your body to stablise, you've been under-eating...give a few weeks.
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tiptoethruthetulips wrote: »Eating under 1200 calories isn't going to be doing you any favours in the long run, particularly eating under 900 calories. Most of the weight you have likely lost is fluid and lean body mass due to the significant under eating.
You haven't gained 2lb in fat, its probably fluid gain due to rehydration, hopefully you are drinking additional fluid.
It will take a while for your body to stablise, you've been under-eating...give a few weeks.
thanks , i was told on here i was undereating hence i upped my calories, but then to find i was gaining was disheartening. i never considered it could be fluid. thanks for your advice :-)0 -
You shouldn't be eating less than 1200 calories a day.
Get a food scale and start weighing your food to get an accurate measurement.
Oh and 12 lbs in 4 weeks is really fast. Most aim for about 1 lb per week.7 -
Trying to eat so little is not sustainable and will likely cause you binge and cheat. Calorie budgets should be based on your current size.
Weight loss is a process that should not be rushed. Those who rush through don't learn habits that will keep them at their goal weight and end up gaining it all back plus some typically because they go back to their old way of eating.3 -
1. Your two pound weight gain is probably water retention.
2. Listen to everyone about eating so low.
3. If you're not using a food scale, you have no idea how much you're actually eating.5 -
OP - how tall are you? And what is your current weight and your goal weight?
Here are some things for you consider:
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You need balance and to develop a healthy relationship with food. Food fuels and nourishes your body, makes it work properly and guards against disease. Starving yourself - you wonder why your body is rebelling against you?
Spend 15 minutes a day researching food and nutrition..super foods... heart health.. how to prevent diabetes.2 -
As others have said, the 2 pound gain is not fat gain. It's replenishing what you've depleted by drastically undereating.
You are still undereating.
I am going to be a bit harsh here.
You are setting yourself up for failure.
You are so focused on getting the weight off that you are being way to aggressive about this instead of focusing on the bigger picture.
Losing weight isn't just a one and done deal. Once the weight is off, you have to keep it off.
Managing your energy balance is a life long thing. Don't rush the process of learning healthy habits.
Of course, if you realize all this, have at it. Just up your calories to at least 1200.
No one, unless they are very, very short old and sedentary should be eating what you are.8 -
wishingsize8back wrote: »I have lost 12 pounds in 4 weeks and feeling good it was coming off. not starving myself but mostly under 900 calories. i was advised this was too low so upped to about 1000 calories a day in past week.i have now gained 2pounds. i am gutted. i used to eat over 2500 calories a day, so how can eating less than half this a day do anything other than make me lose weight. im not exercising yet but surely the huge drop in calories would just keep melosing weight :-(
You really do need to re-calculate taking in effect what weight you are now. 900-1000 calories a day is not sustainable. How much do you need to lose? In general (obviously not set in stone) recommendations are if you only have 10-20 pounds to go then calculate for a 0.5 pound a week loss. If you have 20-50 pounds then try for 1 pound a week. 50+ you can shoot for 2 pounds a week.
But often people do lose 10 pounds quickly because 2/3 of it is due to water woosh. When you up calories often a few pounds woosh back on because glycogen stores are replenished in the muscles and liver. Water binds to glycogen. So what you are experiencing is normal. Shoot for 1-2 pounds a week on average. When you get close to goal it may slow down.
It is normal to fluctuate a certain amount daily. Weigh at the same time each day preferably in the morning before you eat anything and after going to the bathroom. You might want to get to 5 pounds under goal to account for the inevitable water woosh.
But everyone is different and some lose a pound or two a week all the way to goal. I've never been able to do that. You aren't doing yourself any favors starving yourself as you might experience rebound weight or develop binge eating due to hunger and stress. Just relax and make some lifestyle changes. Try not to eat above maintenance or you will gain weight. What you gained is not fat. No way can you gain a pound of fat by upping calories by 100 a day unless you are above your TDEE.
A 2 pound gain is nothing. You netted a 10 pound loss in 4 weeks which is well above average. So you can set a reasonable goal. I wish I knew back when I originally started dieting what I know now.2 -
You ARE starving yourself, 900 calories is just ridiculous.5
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You're stressing yourself out over very few data points here, it's counter-productive. And you shouldn't have to be eating so few calories to produce a workable deficit either.2
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GottaBurnEmAll wrote: »
You are setting yourself up for failure.
^This. So much this.
You need to think about the long run. You need something that is sustainable.
Because no matter how you feel about 900 calories now. At some point, it will all come crashing down. Because that's not a sustainable allowance.
A lot of the people here who fall off the wagon (myself included) do so because they restrict themselves too much, to the point that they snap. And once you snap, it's difficult to get back into the healthy living regime.
Stop looking at the scales so much. You don't just need to lose weight. You need to be healthy. Food is not your enemy, you just need to make it work for you. Yes, it's exciting to lose so much so quickly. But it's not what works. A lot of us can speak from experience here. Set yourself smaller goals.6 -
GottaBurnEmAll wrote: »As others have said, the 2 pound gain is not fat gain. It's replenishing what you've depleted by drastically undereating.
You are still undereating.
I am going to be a bit harsh here.
You are setting yourself up for failure.
You are so focused on getting the weight off that you are being way to aggressive about this instead of focusing on the bigger picture.
Losing weight isn't just a one and done deal. Once the weight is off, you have to keep it off.
Managing your energy balance is a life long thing. Don't rush the process of learning healthy habits.
Of course, if you realize all this, have at it. Just up your calories to at least 1200.
No one, unless they are very, very short old and sedentary should be eating what you are.
So much this!
Also, spoiler alert: maintenance is more difficult than loosing the weight. You MUST fix your relationship with food if you hope to keep your progress.7 -
As silly as this sounds, you have to eat in order to lose weight.. And while that sounds "out there in left field", your body will fight to help keep you alive (not to be dramatic) and eating too little compounds all your efforts to lose weight. I can write out a huge list of things that happen when eating too little, but hopefully from all the posts here, you realize that this is unnecessary to achieve your goal.
You must (and please listen to these ladies) eat the min 1200 and preferably with additional exercise calories if you do or will plan to exercise in the future..2 -
As silly as this sounds, you have to eat in order to lose weight.. And while that sounds "out there in left field", your body will fight to help keep you alive (not to be dramatic) and eating too little compounds all your efforts to lose weight. I can write out a huge list of things that happen when eating too little, but hopefully from all the posts here, you realize that this is unnecessary to achieve your goal.
You must (and please listen to these ladies) eat the min 1200 and preferably with additional exercise calories if you do or will plan to exercise in the future..
What is most likely happening is that the 900 calories being quoted is an inaccurate count and the OP needs to weigh and log everything she eats. Your body can't hold on to weight if you're really in a deficit. Weight loss might slow down slightly over time in extreme cases, but it can't violate the laws of physics.
Also OP, as weight is lost, you have to update your weight in MFP and have it recalculate your calorie/macro goals. When you weigh less, your body requires fewer calories to maintain that weight and you have to create a new deficit by eating less or burning more. Just be sure to weigh and log everything and definitely don't eat 900 actual calories, it's way too low.3 -
Wow thanks guys people really take the time to help in here it just astounds me how supportive and kind you all are.great advice xx0
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wishingsize8back wrote: »Wow thanks guys people really take the time to help in here it just astounds me how supportive and kind you all are.great advice xx
Kudos to you for taking it on board OP! It's refreshing to see your attitude. Hopefully you'll move forward from strength to strength with a new focus.0 -
There's a strong chance that a few of the 12lbs you lost early on was water weight and now some of that water came back. If you can average 2lbs lost per week you are doing amazing.2
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Just came across this thread and I had a similar question
I was also surprised as 900 calories sounds low -in fact the mfp app on the phone won't calculate your progress unless you eat a minimum of 1000 calories per day - it tells you that your body can go in starvation mode.
I was in a very similar situation to the OP (eating over 2000 calories a day) and had to drop to about 1400 based on the mfp tool recommendation. It sounded scary at first but since I was serious (this time) I measured and logged everything. A serving of rice (half a cup) is about a third of what I would eat before!
I found the daily habit of logging anything (literally everything) that went into my mouth to be the "A-ha" moment for weight loss. I could not guess at what I was eating, I had to measure to get it right.
Things that "seemed" healthy (store bought granola?) weren't really healthy (besides the correct measured serving of store bought granola is less than what I used to think was an appropriate serving)
There were some really good tips to my question - if I could rephrase - monitoring your food intake will be your best friend for weight loss and weight management once you get to your ideal weight. Listen to your body to find what works to get you satiated (something I'm still learning to do). If you haven't already - add lots of fibrous vegetables to your meals. Also add healthy fats and get your protein targets.
All the best!!0 -
Agreed with @extra_medium
OP, you need to weigh ALL solid and semi solid food, and only use cups and spoons for actual liquids. Weigh pre-packaged food, too as they can be off by about 20%.
Change your weight loss to .5lbs per week. If you weigh all your food, you will see losses.Just came across this thread and I had a similar question
I was also surprised as 900 calories sounds low -in fact the mfp app on the phone won't calculate your progress unless you eat a minimum of 1000 calories per day - it tells you that your body can go in starvation mode.
I was in a very similar situation to the OP (eating over 2000 calories a day) and had to drop to about 1400 based on the mfp tool recommendation. It sounded scary at first but since I was serious (this time) I measured and logged everything. A serving of rice (half a cup) is about a third of what I would eat before!
I found the daily habit of logging anything (literally everything) that went into my mouth to be the "A-ha" moment for weight loss. I could not guess at what I was eating, I had to measure to get it right.
Things that "seemed" healthy (store bought granola?) weren't really healthy (besides the correct measured serving of store bought granola is less than what I used to think was an appropriate serving)
There were some really good tips to my question - if I could rephrase - monitoring your food intake will be your best friend for weight loss and weight management once you get to your ideal weight. Listen to your body to find what works to get you satiated (something I'm still learning to do). If you haven't already - add lots of fibrous vegetables to your meals. Also add healthy fats and get your protein targets.
All the best!!
I have never seen the app mention 'starvation mode'
*starvation mode isn't really a thing, as in "If you eat so little your body will hold on to all its fat" thing...0 -
@cerise_noir the starvation mode message used to come up when I first started here in 2014, they've since changed it.2
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cerise_noir wrote: »Agreed with @extra_medium
OP, you need to weigh ALL solid and semi solid food, and only use cups and spoons for actual liquids. Weigh pre-packaged food, too as they can be off by about 20%.
Change your weight loss to .5lbs per week. If you weigh all your food, you will see losses.Just came across this thread and I had a similar question
I was also surprised as 900 calories sounds low -in fact the mfp app on the phone won't calculate your progress unless you eat a minimum of 1000 calories per day - it tells you that your body can go in starvation mode.
I was in a very similar situation to the OP (eating over 2000 calories a day) and had to drop to about 1400 based on the mfp tool recommendation. It sounded scary at first but since I was serious (this time) I measured and logged everything. A serving of rice (half a cup) is about a third of what I would eat before!
I found the daily habit of logging anything (literally everything) that went into my mouth to be the "A-ha" moment for weight loss. I could not guess at what I was eating, I had to measure to get it right.
Things that "seemed" healthy (store bought granola?) weren't really healthy (besides the correct measured serving of store bought granola is less than what I used to think was an appropriate serving)
There were some really good tips to my question - if I could rephrase - monitoring your food intake will be your best friend for weight loss and weight management once you get to your ideal weight. Listen to your body to find what works to get you satiated (something I'm still learning to do). If you haven't already - add lots of fibrous vegetables to your meals. Also add healthy fats and get your protein targets.
All the best!!
I have never seen the app mention 'starvation mode'
*starvation mode isn't really a thing, as in "If you eat so little your body will hold on to all its fat" thing...
It used to mention starvation mode if you tried to close out your diary and were under 1000 calories for the day. I just now noticed that they have changed the pop up and took that part out.2 -
Christine_72 wrote: »@cerise_noir the starvation mode message used to come up when I first started here in 2014, they've since changed it.cerise_noir wrote: »Agreed with @extra_medium
OP, you need to weigh ALL solid and semi solid food, and only use cups and spoons for actual liquids. Weigh pre-packaged food, too as they can be off by about 20%.
Change your weight loss to .5lbs per week. If you weigh all your food, you will see losses.wrote: »Just came across this thread and I had a similar question
I was also surprised as 900 calories sounds low -in fact the mfp app on the phone won't calculate your progress unless you eat a minimum of 1000 calories per day - it tells you that your body can go in starvation mode.
I was in a very similar situation to the OP (eating over 2000 calories a day) and had to drop to about 1400 based on the mfp tool recommendation. It sounded scary at first but since I was serious (this time) I measured and logged everything. A serving of rice (half a cup) is about a third of what I would eat before!
I found the daily habit of logging anything (literally everything) that went into my mouth to be the "A-ha" moment for weight loss. I could not guess at what I was eating, I had to measure to get it right.
Things that "seemed" healthy (store bought granola?) weren't really healthy (besides the correct measured serving of store bought granola is less than what I used to think was an appropriate serving)
There were some really good tips to my question - if I could rephrase - monitoring your food intake will be your best friend for weight loss and weight management once you get to your ideal weight. Listen to your body to find what works to get you satiated (something I'm still learning to do). If you haven't already - add lots of fibrous vegetables to your meals. Also add healthy fats and get your protein targets.
All the best!!
I have never seen the app mention 'starvation mode'
*starvation mode isn't really a thing, as in "If you eat so little your body will hold on to all its fat" thing...
It used to mention starvation mode if you tried to close out your diary and were under 1000 calories for the day. I just now noticed that they have changed the pop up and took that part out.
That explains a LOT! Thanks!
I am glad that it has been changed. All it seems to do is confuse people. There has been a few days where I was ill and couldn't hit my calorie goal and didn't even come across that 'starvation mode' message.0 -
extra_medium wrote: »As silly as this sounds, you have to eat in order to lose weight.. And while that sounds "out there in left field", your body will fight to help keep you alive (not to be dramatic) and eating too little compounds all your efforts to lose weight. I can write out a huge list of things that happen when eating too little, but hopefully from all the posts here, you realize that this is unnecessary to achieve your goal.
You must (and please listen to these ladies) eat the min 1200 and preferably with additional exercise calories if you do or will plan to exercise in the future..
What is most likely happening is that the 900 calories being quoted is an inaccurate count and the OP needs to weigh and log everything she eats. Your body can't hold on to weight if you're really in a deficit. Weight loss might slow down slightly over time in extreme cases, but it can't violate the laws of physics.
Also OP, as weight is lost, you have to update your weight in MFP and have it recalculate your calorie/macro goals. When you weigh less, your body requires fewer calories to maintain that weight and you have to create a new deficit by eating less or burning more. Just be sure to weigh and log everything and definitely don't eat 900 actual calories, it's way too low.
Yep and I totally get that, and have been there quite a few times my self.
Its called stress and water retention. I mentioned nothing about the body holding on to fat stores or holding on to weight.. this all related to hormones and to get technical cortisol, ghrelin, leptin and even thyroid and to add in the mix OP being female and you have a host of things going on inside the body resisting. Hense need to feed the body what it needs..0 -
In order to give you good sound advice, it would help to know what weight you started at and your stats.
Age..Height..Weight..Physical activity level.
You certainly can go on 900 calories for a short time (depending on your stats and gender) Long term, this would not be recommended or healthy.
Other than that, short term should be fine. I am 58, Male , 5'11 and started at 308 pounds. I went on a 1200 calorie a day diet (1200-1300) for about 3 months..fairly strict.
My Dr knew about it..never said boo..He simply said, your body will tell you how you're doing. He was right..There were days I could tell, I did not have enough fuel, and I would add calories.
I have since upped that as I have went along. Everyone is different and Doctors are different too. It all depends on you, (age, gender, height. weight, activity level etc.)
Find a balance that works for you..but be willing to adjust. Listen to your body. If you are under-fueled, too low in calories, your body will tell you.
I'm not a Dr, but heavier people can go lower, perhaps easier, as they have fat stored which can easily be burned off when you lower the calories.
If you're not all that overweight, then be careful on how low you go, and for how long.
I wish you success on your journey.0 -
I fluctuate up to a 5 lb gain some days. It can be a bit frustrating, but then I always try to look at the long term overall trend. Here's what it looks like when I weigh daily, all over the place up and down, but overall it's steadily down.
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