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tiffany_leanne
tiffany_leanne Posts: 6
in Introduce Yourself
So, I have been doing this calorie counter thing for a couple months now. I am eating 1000 calories, most of the time less, a day. I haven't lost the weight I want & it keeps fluctuating each day going up & down. What am I doing wrong?? Do I need to eat even less calories?

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  • SueInAz
    SueInAz Posts: 6,592 Member
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    No, you need to eat more. 1000 calories per day is too little. Your body won't let go of fat if it thinks it's being starved. I know it sounds counter-intuitive but the science is there. Eat whatever MFP is telling you that you are supposed to eat. It will take a few weeks for your body to realize it's going to get more food now and you will either not lose or may even gain a few pounds back during that time. DON'T GO BACK TO EATING TOO LITTLE! :) Once your body realizes you're going to continue to feed it properly, you'll start to lose weight.

    ETA: Wondering if I'm in the presence of a troll here.
  • tiffany_leanne
    tiffany_leanne Posts: 6
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    It appears that I am gaining instead of losing... Grrrrrrrr, I am getting very upset & aggravated!! On the 20th I weighed in at 114, I ate 810 calories on that day; on the 21st I weighed 115, I ate 600 calories; today (the 22nd) I weighed in at 116 and so far have ate 620 calories. Why am I gaining??? This dosent make sense!! Help!!!
  • runningfromzombies
    runningfromzombies Posts: 386 Member
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    You need to eat more. It's as simple as what sfoust66 said. Follow the guidelines this website sets you for one pound of loss per week, and you'll be fine.
  • Hodar
    Hodar Posts: 338 Member
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    There is a really good post in the FAQ area about this.

    You are in STARVATION mode. You NEED to eat the calories the MFP recommends, or somewhere in that area. You are well below 1200 calories; so you body is grabbing the purest form of protein it can find, to fuel it. It takes energy to burn fat - you are in starvation mode; so instead of burning fat, you body is consuming muscles and your internal organs.

    Your body is trying to hang on to every carb it can get, and the fat is being kept in emergency reserve.

    Eat more, a couple apples - kick your calories up to NEAR your MFP daily allotment, exercise moderately - and the weight HAS to come off. Your body has no other choice. You will leave starvation mode; and transition to fat-burn mode. Your body will have enough food, for you to turn into a lean, mean, fat-burning machine.
  • JDRBT
    JDRBT Posts: 264 Member
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    Remember - it takes time to get out of starvation mode AND to get the weight off. Plan on about a 3 weeks of crazy numbers while your body adjusts. :)
  • Refisblind
    Refisblind Posts: 77 Member
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    All of what was said was good advice. You need to eat way more then you are now. Feed the muscles and they will burn calories like crazy. Also, don't weigh in so much. You body fluctuates all the time due to lots of things. Mostly how much water you are holding. High salty foods will make you old upto 10 extra pounds of water. Pick a time, for you every 2 weeks preferably in the morning and see what happens. Might take a week or 2 for your body to know it is being fed though
  • afyfe1999
    afyfe1999 Posts: 16
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    Follow the advice given here and also don't weigh everyday. Your weight WILL fluctuate depending on TOM, sodium intake, water intake, etc. Weighing once a weeks gives a better idea of your real weight.
  • marye62
    marye62 Posts: 1
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    :happy:
    NO you need to eat more and eat healthy. You need to count your calories. I just started so i am no expert, and actually counting calories is fun, but i noticed that all of what i have at today so far i stil have calories to go. It's also learning and training your body to adaption of the food. Don't give up, and continue and rejoice the success you do..
    Mary
  • DestinyDarbi
    DestinyDarbi Posts: 260 Member
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    At your weight, I'd say you need to quit trying to lose in the first place. Your body is starving. Try and maintain your weight instead.
  • tiffany_leanne
    tiffany_leanne Posts: 6
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    I have gained about 15 pounds in the past few months, which is what I'm now trying to lose. Several people have mentioned to me about me weight gain, one person even asked if I was pregnant : (. My clothes won't fit, I had to go shopping for bigger sizes. I'm desperate.
  • TiffyCooper
    TiffyCooper Posts: 48
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    I know it is frustrating and hard to see the pounds come back on. Everyone here is absolutely correct, though. Please take their advice because by eating less you are sabatoging yourself. If you have doubts, talk to a physician. They can also help you make a meal plan to follow and help you along the way.
  • megrrt
    megrrt Posts: 115 Member
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    Please listen to the other people that have post here. You need to have at least 1200 cal.
    Good luck. :flowerforyou:
  • landorki
    landorki Posts: 93 Member
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    It appears that I am gaining instead of losing... Grrrrrrrr, I am getting very upset & aggravated!! On the 20th I weighed in at 114, I ate 810 calories on that day; on the 21st I weighed 115, I ate 600 calories; today (the 22nd) I weighed in at 116 and so far have ate 620 calories. Why am I gaining??? This dosent make sense!! Help!!!

    how tall are you? what is your BMI? at 116, it is quite possible you are at a healthy weight. You should not be eating so little calories.

    At a healthy weight, you will fluctuate a few pounds depending on a few tings... especially women. If your BMI is around 22, you are at an ideal weight.
  • amayzingamanda
    amayzingamanda Posts: 254 Member
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    I'd be interested to know how tall you are.... I'm 5'1" and only weigh a couple more pounds than you and when friends hear I'm counting calories to lose a couple pounds they look at me like I have ten heads.

    But more about you. I agree with the poster above about your BMI. Definitely find out what it is because there is a good chance you are a healthy weight already (which makes losing more harder....and if you lose too much makes it unhealthy). Also, as just about everyone has said, you actually need to eat more in order to lose. Not eating enough is extremely unhealthy. Starving yourself is not the way to go. Your body needs the calories in order to burn them. I find it really difficult to meet my goal some days and I've tried to add some snacks to my day like a piece of fruit of a granola bar. It doesn't need to be another huge meal, but maybe try that to help increase the amount of calories you take in. Drink plenty of water, and make sure you replenish some (or all, depending on your view) of the calories you burn off during exercise.

    Good luck and stay positive!
  • eap20mn
    eap20mn Posts: 18 Member
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    Lets eat !!
  • rjh423
    rjh423 Posts: 18
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    You're gaining because you're starving yourself. My stomach is growling just thinking about only eating 600 calories. Your body needs fuel to burn!! Eat, eat, eat!! :smile:
  • ColoradoRobin
    ColoradoRobin Posts: 510 Member
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    For people who like to weigh every day, there's a site that will find the weighted moving average of your body weight, and show you the real trend line on a graph. It factors out the noise caused by fluctuations in water retention and the like. You just enter the data every day, and a trend will begin to emerge. I like it because it shows the long term trend and gets rid of those crazy day to day spikes.
    http://physicsdiet.com

    Otherwise the advise given here has been great. Eat enough, especially protein, lift weights (not the little barbie weights either!), and do interval training. Those things have worked for many people. Ask around here, the community is very supportive. Good luck!

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