Losing Weight/Calorie goal

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sasaar
sasaar Posts: 36 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Hi there

I'm 5"2.5 and hover between 129 (on a great day) and 133. I eat really clean, stay away from processed foods, red meat and starchy carbs (bread, rice, white potatoes, etc) but haven't been able to move the needle even a drop. My goal weight is 120-125. I've gotten there about five years ago.

The MFP app recommends I eat 1200 calories per day. I stuck to it and nothing happened. I adjusted the goal to 1,000/day and still haven't been able to get past the daily fluctuation of 130.5-133.

I just got an injury so I can't exercise for a while, not that I've been doing much of that before.

One more thing to note-- when I did reach 120, I wasn't excercising. When I do get into a vigorous training phase, I tend to eat more and gain weight. (Not of the muscle variety..)

Any tips???

Replies

  • jemhh
    jemhh Posts: 14,261 Member
    edited October 2016
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    TIP #1: Stop changing your calorie level.

    You are very small to start out with. Your deficit is not big enough to show a scale change every single week. It is likely that it will take 3-6 weeks to see a change when you consider your size and normal female weight fluctuations. Set it and forget it.

    TIP #2: See #1
  • sasaar
    sasaar Posts: 36 Member
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    While I understand that my number may sound like I'm pretty small, I have quite a bit of fat around my hips and thighs. But I totally get what you mean...i'll give it a few more weeks before throwing in the towel
  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
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    I can't see your diary, but sometimes when people aren't losing it is due to some common logging mistakes -- using measuring cups instead of a scale or choosing inaccurate database entries ("generic" or "homemade" items).
  • jemhh
    jemhh Posts: 14,261 Member
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    sasaar wrote: »
    While I understand that my number may sound like I'm pretty small, I have quite a bit of fat around my hips and thighs. But I totally get what you mean...i'll give it a few more weeks before throwing in the towel

    I'm not saying that you don't. I am simply saying that your maintenance calories are going to be lower than average because you are short and relatively light. Also, you are a woman, which means that your body may be shifting up to 10 pounds of water weight on the regular due to hormonal fluctuations alone. A woman can see an uptick in water weight at ovulation and right before her period. That means that if you have a 28 day menstrual cycle you can have that happening every two weeks. Add to that water weight fluctuations due to varying carb and sodium levels, weight fluctuations due to different amounts of food in your GI tract, etc. and you will not see scale movement for quite awhile. Slow movement on the scale is the trade off for not being overweight/obese.
  • sasaar
    sasaar Posts: 36 Member
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    janejellyroll wrote: »
    I can't see your diary, but sometimes when people aren't losing it is due to some common logging mistakes -- using measuring cups instead of a scale or choosing inaccurate database entries ("generic" or "homemade" items).
    Jus got a food scale today! Planning to weigh everything I put into my mouth!!
  • sasaar
    sasaar Posts: 36 Member
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    jemhh wrote: »
    sasaar wrote: »
    While I understand that my number may sound like I'm pretty small, I have quite a bit of fat around my hips and thighs. But I totally get what you mean...i'll give it a few more weeks before throwing in the towel

    I'm not saying that you don't. I am simply saying that your maintenance calories are going to be lower than average because you are short and relatively light. Also, you are a woman, which means that your body may be shifting up to 10 pounds of water weight on the regular due to hormonal fluctuations alone. A woman can see an uptick in water weight at ovulation and right before her period. That means that if you have a 28 day menstrual cycle you can have that happening every two weeks. Add to that water weight fluctuations due to varying carb and sodium levels, weight fluctuations due to different amounts of food in your GI tract, etc. and you will not see scale movement for quite awhile. Slow movement on the scale is the trade off for not being overweight/obese.


    Thank you!!! I didn't realize that the female body fluctuates THAT much. This is so insightful and you really sound like you know what you're talking about. Really appreciate it.
  • jemhh
    jemhh Posts: 14,261 Member
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    sasaar wrote: »
    jemhh wrote: »
    sasaar wrote: »
    While I understand that my number may sound like I'm pretty small, I have quite a bit of fat around my hips and thighs. But I totally get what you mean...i'll give it a few more weeks before throwing in the towel

    I'm not saying that you don't. I am simply saying that your maintenance calories are going to be lower than average because you are short and relatively light. Also, you are a woman, which means that your body may be shifting up to 10 pounds of water weight on the regular due to hormonal fluctuations alone. A woman can see an uptick in water weight at ovulation and right before her period. That means that if you have a 28 day menstrual cycle you can have that happening every two weeks. Add to that water weight fluctuations due to varying carb and sodium levels, weight fluctuations due to different amounts of food in your GI tract, etc. and you will not see scale movement for quite awhile. Slow movement on the scale is the trade off for not being overweight/obese.


    Thank you!!! I didn't realize that the female body fluctuates THAT much. This is so insightful and you really sound like you know what you're talking about. Really appreciate it.

    You are welcome.

    I am happy to have lost the majority of my weight but sometimes I do long for heavier days when I could lose more quickly :grin:
  • SueInAz
    SueInAz Posts: 6,592 Member
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    At 5'2.5" and 129 - 133 pounds with a little extra fat you don't like you may want to look into body recomposition through strength training rather than trying to lose more weight. I came to that realization a few years ago and it's made a huge difference for me. I'm an inch taller than you and bounce between 132 and 137. I can eat more food and maintain this weight than I could when I hit my previous goal weight of 122 pounds. I can also wear the same pants I was wearing then and that's what is more important to me than the number on my scale that no one but me and my doctors ever see.
  • sasaar
    sasaar Posts: 36 Member
    edited October 2016
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    b
  • StaciMarie1974
    StaciMarie1974 Posts: 4,138 Member
    edited October 2016
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    The point about being 'small' is not to say you don't have weight to lose. A 'smaller' body uses less energy in a day than a larger body. I will use myself as an example.

    I am 5'5.5" and right now 136. Had been maintaining in the mid to upper 120's but now trying to re-lose a few pounds. On a very active day (for me) where I get 10k-12k steps, my total calorie burn is about 1800-1900. If I'm less active, my total calorie burn is only about 1600-1700. I eat around 1500 calories per day. Which means on a very active day, I have a deficit of 400 at most. On a less active day, perhaps only 100. Taking the average of those (assuming some days are very active and some are not) then my deficit is about 250/day for a loss rate of .5 pounds per week. Meaning in a month's time, if all is perfect, I'll lose about 2 pounds. Though all is not perfect because I'm human, and even when I try my best to be accurate I may be off a little. So 1-2 pounds a month is realistic.

    You are a little smaller than me, so your burns are likely a little lower meaning your deficit is likely a little less as well. So a realistic expectation is to lose at the rate of 1-2 pounds a month, not 1-2 pounds per week. It will take time, patience to see results.

    And once you reach maintenance, be aware that a smaller body cannot eat 2000-2500 calories per day (the recommended expectation according to a lot of food labels) without gaining weight.
  • fabulousmo
    fabulousmo Posts: 41 Member
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    I started focusing more on weights and less on cardio while staying at around 1500 calories a day, and I am gaining weight HOWEVER my clothes are looser and my body fat percentage that is being measured at my gym is going down! I wonder if you maintained your caloric intake (or even upped it a bit) then started a weight routine - if that would give you the results that you hope for (forgetting about numbers on the scale)?
  • sasaar
    sasaar Posts: 36 Member
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    fabulousmo wrote: »
    I started focusing more on weights and less on cardio while staying at around 1500 calories a day, and I am gaining weight HOWEVER my clothes are looser and my body fat percentage that is being measured at my gym is going down! I wonder if you maintained your caloric intake (or even upped it a bit) then started a weight routine - if that would give you the results that you hope for (forgetting about numbers on the scale)?

    Will start doing that! Can I buy a couple of weights and use them at home? How long per day do recommend?
  • Seffell
    Seffell Posts: 2,222 Member
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    sasaar wrote: »
    jemhh wrote: »
    sasaar wrote: »
    While I understand that my number may sound like I'm pretty small, I have quite a bit of fat around my hips and thighs. But I totally get what you mean...i'll give it a few more weeks before throwing in the towel

    I'm not saying that you don't. I am simply saying that your maintenance calories are going to be lower than average because you are short and relatively light. Also, you are a woman, which means that your body may be shifting up to 10 pounds of water weight on the regular due to hormonal fluctuations alone. A woman can see an uptick in water weight at ovulation and right before her period. That means that if you have a 28 day menstrual cycle you can have that happening every two weeks. Add to that water weight fluctuations due to varying carb and sodium levels, weight fluctuations due to different amounts of food in your GI tract, etc. and you will not see scale movement for quite awhile. Slow movement on the scale is the trade off for not being overweight/obese.


    Thank you!!! I didn't realize that the female body fluctuates THAT much. This is so insightful and you really sound like you know what you're talking about. Really appreciate it.

    My weight only drops down like twice a month, being a female. So be patient and don't get discouraged by fluctuations. Just weight your food and stick to a reasonable calorie limit (1100 is not very reasonable, 1300 is better).

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