why am I not losing?

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mindyrosy
mindyrosy Posts: 38
in Health and Weight Loss
I have been sticking to around 1200 calories per day and eating very healthy - maybe I don't exercise hard enough - I walk the dog and do yoga. I sweat like crazy at yoga! I can't believe it only burns 200 calories! I am active during the day. I weigh around 178 and just can't seem to lose. I am 5 ft. 6 in. I am a teacher and start school next week- maybe that will help me lose??? Any ideas? I feel good but would like to weigh around 155. Please don't tell me to up my calories - tried 1400 and started gaining!
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Replies

  • zonah
    zonah Posts: 216 Member
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    If you do nothing 1200 cals might be enough. My guess is you are in starvation mode increase you cals.
  • beccala18
    beccala18 Posts: 293 Member
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    Try some strength training. Even basic body weight exercises will help. You might gain some water weight in the beginning, but muscle will burn more fat in the long run and give you a more toned shape.

    Or it could be the type of calories you are eating. Try changing up your macros by increasing protein and decreasing carbs.
  • yanicka
    yanicka Posts: 1,004 Member
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    Change your setting to lose 1 pound a week. Eat 75% of your exercices calories.
  • lonelytylenol
    lonelytylenol Posts: 18
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    I do about 900 cals/day with 20 mins elliptical @ 150cals. I'm 5'2 and 122lbs and steadily loosing. Upping cals made me gain too. Works for some people but sometimes to see results I have to decrease them.
  • fionarama
    fionarama Posts: 788 Member
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    1200 calories is plenty. I am losing weight no problem 1200 calories and 40 mins cardio a day burning around 300 calories.
    I looked at your food diary and to be honest its really not very healthy.
    I do think what you eat is important too, also you won't get the same benefits from exercise if you don't fuel your body well.
    You don't seem to be tracking your food that well so I'm not sure I am with you on the calories, "around" 1200 calories can mean anything, its really quite easy for example to eat 300 calories - if you ate 1500 calories in a day with only 200 calories light exercise you won't lose.
    I say religiously track your diet, and stick to lean meat, unprocessed food, low salt low sugar cereal. 10 tortilla chips is not lunch!!!! a healthy sandwich made with lean mean and fresh vegies (substitue avocado or cottage cheese in place of butter).
    grilled meat and vegies for dinner.
    Keep it simple , keep it clean and really use MFP to manage your diet, plan your days eating the night before etc.
    It does work but you need to be focused.
  • Mommyof3texans
    Mommyof3texans Posts: 347
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    Some ideas to look at:

    1 - lower carbs a little and up protein
    2 - watch sodium - keep under 2000mg
    3 - limit or eliminate processed foods
    4 - try 1300 calories - it worked for me and seems to work for others from what i read here
    5 - on walks, try adding in short jogs and build up to more jogging maybe
  • lsd007
    lsd007 Posts: 435
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    I do about 900 cals/day with 20 mins elliptical @ 150cals. I'm 5'2 and 122lbs and steadily loosing. Upping cals made me gain too. Works for some people but sometimes to see results I have to decrease them.

    Netting 750 calories a day isn't healthy, don't do this. ^
  • theprettyone1010
    theprettyone1010 Posts: 408 Member
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    Muscle burns fat. 1 lb of muscle burns 50 calories a day without any extra effort. You need to start a strength/resistance workout regimen. 3, 5, or 8 lb weights should be enough. And don't worry about getting bulky! Women don't have enough testerone to get bulky. Muscle burns fat!

    Also, yoga and walking is never going to be enough. I used to do yoga and pilates and nothing happened for me, as well. You need cardio! If you hate running (as I do) try an eliptical, stationary bike, a workout dvd or something else that will get your heartrate really pumping! At least 75% of your max heart rate.

    Good luck!
  • lsd007
    lsd007 Posts: 435
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    if you ate 1500 calories in a day with only 200 calories light exercise you won't lose.


    Netting 1,300 calories shouldn't keep you losing weight, unless you have a very low bmr.
  • JustMichelleB
    JustMichelleB Posts: 290
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    A look at your diary shows a lot of 1400cal days, maybe cut it by 100cal?
    You don't track sodium, but you may be eating foods high in salt - you may want to add that to your tracker.
    Yoga imo, isn't a great weight loss mechanism (i'm sure some will argue with me). I'd do it once or twice a week, and do more cardio (aim for 3x/week) and strength training (twice a week).
  • dianediaz
    dianediaz Posts: 53 Member
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    Hi there - I'm going to say that it sounds like you are not eating enough calories. For example, I am very short, only 5 feet tall and the calories I need to maintain my weight are around 1,300. For someone your height, even set to lose a certain amount of weight per week, it would seem like you should be eating more. So I agree with the other poster who said your body might be in starvation mode.

    Also, keep in mind that when you set the MFP to lose a certain amount of weight per week, your calorie deficit is already built in. Then whatever calories you burn you also consume. That way you always maintain a consistent intake versus expenditure and you keep your blood sugar consistent, thus avoiding that starvation mode.

    And be sure that you are getting plenty of protein. Your total calories should not consist of mostly carbs and fats. Protein is essential for satisfying hunger, building muscle, etc.

    Give that a go and good luck!
  • dianediaz
    dianediaz Posts: 53 Member
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    Hi there again, I took a look at your food diary and one thing I noticed is that you don't have a lot of entries on any given day. But when you look at each item entered most of them are processed and prepackaged sorts of items. I suggest trying to stay away from a lot of prepackaged foods which normally don't provide proper nutrition and, instead, opt for eating more frequently but from more natural foods. I'm not talking organic and expensive sorts of things. But things that are not processed.

    Just as a comparison, my food diary has about twice as many entries. But I eat little bits throughout the day to maintain my blood sugar level. And I try to eat things like fruit, veggies (baby carrots are the best snack), applesauce single serve cups, salmon filet, egg white omelette with mushrooms and sun dried tomatoes, dry Kashi cereal to snack on, etc. I just find that by eating more frequently I avoid those times when all I want to do is sit down with a bag of chips. I'm not saying I never do that, because that does happen sometimes. But I mostly avoid it and I get more wholesome ingredients in my body.

    Also, a little tip, with fresh fruit I always cut it up and eat it with a fork. Maybe it's a mind trick, but it really makes me feel like I'm eating more than I really am. I even do it with bananas. Worth a shot anyway.

    Good luck to you!
  • vinkariz
    vinkariz Posts: 17
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    I'm not losing either....very frustrating. I looked at your food diary and it looks a lot like mine. This is what I'm thinking about doing (and have dond before) cut the carbs....I'm not saying do Atkins or anything (although i've done that too and lost big time!) I'm saying cut the simple carbs...sugar, white flour, white rice, fruit high on the glycymic index. So basically you're eating lean protien, vegtables, fruit (stawberries and blueberries) maybe a little brown rice, sweet potato, ....like that. Have one sugar free treat per day and maybe not every day and make sure you drink the water. That's what I'm going to try to do.

    I was on Atkins for 2.5 years and it worked! I just couldn't sustain it. Carbs/sugar just don't work for me...they make me fat.
  • mindyrosy
    mindyrosy Posts: 38
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    I really had a whole wheat tortilla with some cheese, peppers, and mushrooms - it was the same amt of calories as the tortilla chips so I just used that to count the calories.
  • daddyratty
    daddyratty Posts: 305 Member
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    Also try zig-zagging your calories. 1200 is OK, but it's on the borderline of what folks would consider 'starvation.' If nothing else you'll get a proverbial noodle-lashing in here, but only you know what's best on that front.

    Zig-zagging takes your mean calorie goal and floats a range about 200-300 calories on either side of it. If you're going to do this it's really important to come as close as possible to each day's goal. But I don't think it would bring you much below 1200. It might give you a range of 1200 - 1500 or 1600 calories a day.

    Those days when you are eating more act as kind of a turbo boost to your metabolism. Also, your body thinks "hey, I get 1500 calories a day, so I'll burn accordingly." Then when you hit a day with only 1200 calories, your body is preparing for more and burning more. It's worked for many people - you don't have to starve yourself, and you can still lose weight.

    You might also want to have a total cheat day every 2 or 3 weeks, for the same reason(s) outlined in the paragraph above.
  • daddyratty
    daddyratty Posts: 305 Member
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    Oh, another thing ... if you're at or near a weight where you've been before in your journey, it can create a physiological or psychological hurdle that can be tough to overcome. Do not underestimate this effect. It can be tough to move beyond, and can take weeks or even months. But you can do it!
  • lloydrt
    lloydrt Posts: 1,121 Member
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    Mindy, add a sodium column in your diet plan........I just went thru your diet............hun, your processed food items are way way up there
    again, you asked and Im here to tell you processed foods arent your friend............youd be blown away by the amt of sugars, refined and processed sugars, salts, and sodium.

    your cals are good, but if you just add that sodium column to your diet ,it would shock you

    im not a professional, but I only lost weight after a 5 month plateau by OBSERVING my sodium intake...............I thought I was eating good..........wrong.........

    again, give it a try mindy , add me if youd like, you and I are close to the same age................Lloyd
  • drk_diva
    drk_diva Posts: 36 Member
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    WOW!!!
    I really found some helpful information from this thread. I am new to MFP and is looking for all tips and success stories to help me along the way. I really believe that I'll find a great motivation here.
    Super excited!!!

    Good luck Mindy. I'm sure the weight will start dropping very soon. Especially from all of the helpful tips from everyone.
  • _Khaleesi_
    _Khaleesi_ Posts: 877 Member
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    Question! How do you add a sodium column?
  • daddyratty
    daddyratty Posts: 305 Member
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    Question! How do you add a sodium column?

    Go to Settings (very top, next to your username), then to "Diary Settings" where you can custom-select from a boatload of micronutrients.

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