Help, haven't lost in a week even though I've been eating 800 calories a day
Replies
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I'm 5'3", 66 years old, sedentary except for moderate purposeful exercise and even I lose weight at 1200 calories plus eating back exercise calories. If you are eating 800 calories and not seeing a loss in your second week of calorie restriction it has nothing to do with fat loss and everything to do with the factors discussed above.
I'll add my (alto) voice to the choir: if you continue to eat 800 calories daily at your height and weight you WILL become ill, and it's the kind of illness that takes months to recover from.5 -
Ready2Rock206 wrote: »CannedKindness wrote: »MichelleSilverleaf wrote: »800 cal a day in your situation is a great way to wreck your health. With how little you have to go now you need to do a few things: set a loss rate of .5lb a week, have super precise logging and patience.
If you're not losing weight you're eating at maintenance, how are you determining how much you eat? Odds are you're eating a lot more than 800-900cal a day.
I am most certainly not eating more than that, I'm not a liar and I log in everything. Take your accusations somewhere else.
I think you're a little hangry. Do you just want to be told you're a special snowflake and it is totally out of your control that you're not losing weight or did you actually want helpful suggestions which people gave (and then you got angry about)?? No one accused you of anything.
You're being ruder to me than I was to that person, when their initial post and follow-up post make it pretty clear how antagonistic they are being. I assume you heard the term special snowflake in some political video, as that's where I generally hear it, and this isn't the place to call names like that. Thank you.18 -
suzannesimmons3 wrote: »CannedKindness wrote: »Ready2Rock206 wrote: »CannedKindness wrote: »MichelleSilverleaf wrote: »800 cal a day in your situation is a great way to wreck your health. With how little you have to go now you need to do a few things: set a loss rate of .5lb a week, have super precise logging and patience.
If you're not losing weight you're eating at maintenance, how are you determining how much you eat? Odds are you're eating a lot more than 800-900cal a day.
I am most certainly not eating more than that, I'm not a liar and I log in everything. Take your accusations somewhere else.
I think you're a little hangry. Do you just want to be told you're a special snowflake and it is totally out of your control that you're not losing weight or did you actually want helpful suggestions which people gave (and then you got angry about)?? No one accused you of anything.
You're being ruder to me than I was to that person, when their initial post and follow-up post make it pretty clear how antagonistic they are being. I assume you heard the term special snowflake in some political video, as that's where I generally hear it, and this isn't the place to call names like that. Thank you.
That's the internet honey.....people call you out on dangerous eating levels....
Did you read the post? They were not calling me out on dangerous eating levels, they said it was impossible that I was doing what I said.1 -
I didn't know this place was full of jerks. I'll be leaving now. As soon as I can figure out how to delete it.5
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CannedKindness wrote: »suzannesimmons3 wrote: »CannedKindness wrote: »Ready2Rock206 wrote: »CannedKindness wrote: »MichelleSilverleaf wrote: »800 cal a day in your situation is a great way to wreck your health. With how little you have to go now you need to do a few things: set a loss rate of .5lb a week, have super precise logging and patience.
If you're not losing weight you're eating at maintenance, how are you determining how much you eat? Odds are you're eating a lot more than 800-900cal a day.
I am most certainly not eating more than that, I'm not a liar and I log in everything. Take your accusations somewhere else.
I think you're a little hangry. Do you just want to be told you're a special snowflake and it is totally out of your control that you're not losing weight or did you actually want helpful suggestions which people gave (and then you got angry about)?? No one accused you of anything.
You're being ruder to me than I was to that person, when their initial post and follow-up post make it pretty clear how antagonistic they are being. I assume you heard the term special snowflake in some political video, as that's where I generally hear it, and this isn't the place to call names like that. Thank you.
That's the internet honey.....people call you out on dangerous eating levels....
Did you read the post? They were not calling me out on dangerous eating levels, they said it was impossible that I was doing what I said.
They said it was impossible not to lose weight eating what you said, not that you were impossible you were doing it. While they weren't entirely accurate (it would be impossible in the long term, but not the short term accounting for water weight and more food in your system), they also never called you a liar. They were discussing the matter of physics and science of weight loss.
Some good advice someone gave me here once is to read everything in the voice of Kermit the Frog. Tone doesn't come through in text easily and it's easy for us to read things into text that the poster didn't intend to be there.9 -
CannedKindness wrote: »I didn't know this place was full of jerks. I'll be leaving now. As soon as I can figure out how to delete it.
You cannot delete your own posts on this board. What you can do is use the "flag -> report option" and choose "this is my post and I want it deleted." If you're on mobile, that's the three dots in the righthand corner. On a PC it's at the bottom of your post.
For the record, this is how posts you find mean should be dealt with, as well (choose the appropriate option, of course) instead of resorting to name-calling those of us who are trying to help you.9 -
I think the poster failed to notice that you were talking about ONE WEEK, which is why it's not impossible, but the point that if you were eating 800 cal and not losing over a period of time that your logging is almost certainly off (which is common) is certainly true. And, more significantly, neither an attack nor warranting the aggressive response it received.
Maybe chill and focus on the fact that you lost 8 lbs in a week and a half (so my guess is the logging isn't particularly off) and probably your body is just adjusting and the answer is to pick a more sustainable deficit and be patient and consistent.
If you want logging tips (IMO, useful, but I'd guess you don't) opening the diary is sometimes something people like to try. Many experienced loggers might see issues.4 -
lemurcat12 wrote: »I think the poster failed to notice that you were talking about ONE WEEK, which is why it's not impossible, but the point that if you were eating 800 cal and not losing over a period of time that your logging is almost certainly off (which is common) is certainly true. And, more significantly, neither an attack nor warranting the aggressive response it received.
In a later comment she mentioned that she'd been eating less than 800cal before she bumped it up to that, so she's been under eating (or think she has) for longer than a week. But she's going by labels and guesstimates, so I think logging is definitely the issue.
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CannedKindness wrote: »The user I snapped at is still completely antagonistic and says it is outright impossible that I am doing what I say I am doing. There's no need for that. This forum doesn't need to be as toxic as most of the others on the internet.
For logging in, I eat stuff with the calories on the box/jar/package sometimes, so I know that's right. The calories for cube steak are pretty generally known, and I eat that. For stuff like cornbread I do just try to guess from online logs cuz that's hard. But if I am not logging in correctly, it can't be off by more than a few hundred and that would put me at 1200. I should still be losing.
However, at first I was only eating about 500-600 a day because I was dumb and didn't know what I was doing. Only this past week I went up to 800. Maybe my body got shocked or something.
I don't have a problem going up to 1200 if that is best. I don't want to do the wrong thing. But I don't want to maintain either, I was really hoping to get down to 150 by the summer, which would be 18 lb in 6 months, which is 3 lb a month, which doesn't seem impossible. My fitness pal thinks that 1200 will lose me 2 lb a week.
Ok. I'm going to throw some things out there...don't assume I'm insulting your intelligence, these are things I learned the hard way. You could very possibly be logging 800 calories and eating 1200. I'm not saying reduce what you're eating as a knee-jerk reaction, rather see if you might be underestimating per these suggestions below.
1. Weighing is better than measuring. It's easy to think you're having a serving of 2 tbs of peanut butter (32g) when if you weighed it you may actually have gotten 45. Boom, an extra 100 calories. Same thing with items like a banana. They're about 1 calorie per gram but you could have a 75g banana or 150g. Logging "Large Banana, 100 calories" isn't very accurate.
2. The calories on a box can be misleading for a couple reasons. First, the USDA allows food companies to round down (I forget the percentage or whatever) and second, they subtract fiber from net carbs. If you want to get technical, protein and carbs are both 4 calories per gram and fat is 9. It's easy to double check nutrition fact panels with some quick math.
3. If you're making something from a recipe you make often, like cornbread, take the time once to enter all the ingredients and save it as a food. Next time...easy peasy.
4. The calories of raw and cooked meat are very different; make sure you're not weighing raw and logging cooked or vice versa.
My advice would be to weigh in every morning and use an app to track the trend so you don't stress about daily fluctuations. I'd also up your calories to 1200 per day and add 100 calories per day until you see the weight trend level out...now you know your maintenance calories. Now, slowly reduce them by 100 calories per day until your weight trends down at the desired rate. Yes, this will take longer but otherwise you're guessing at what your calorie requirements actually are. Best of luck.10 -
MichelleSilverleaf wrote: »lemurcat12 wrote: »I think the poster failed to notice that you were talking about ONE WEEK, which is why it's not impossible, but the point that if you were eating 800 cal and not losing over a period of time that your logging is almost certainly off (which is common) is certainly true. And, more significantly, neither an attack nor warranting the aggressive response it received.
In a later comment she mentioned that she'd been eating less than 800cal before she bumped it up to that, so she's been under eating (or think she has) for longer than a week. But she's going by labels and guesstimates, so I think logging is definitely the issue.
I under ate for a week and a half and lost 8 lb. I under ate for another week and stopped losing.5 -
You should check out this article, it really helped me.
https://www.livestrong.com/article/485503-will-eating-too-few-calories-make-you-gain-weight/
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Sorry--you're just not going to get a lot of support around here for a very low calorie diet especially if your not under a doctor's care...4
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OK, OP. If you're still around to read this... take a deeeep breath! Yes, some people are blunt - but try not to take it personally. Eating so few calories can be dangerous, and people are concerned for you. Add the fact that you seem to be a bit impatient with your weight loss - well, people aren't going to react well. Just know that everyone is trying to help in their own way.
You've already got good advice, so I'll just lump onto it.
Eating below 1200 calories a day is not recommended for an adult woman. Your body needs a certain amount of nutrients, fat and protein to function properly. Without enough of them, you're likely to lose muscle mass, turn your nails and hair brittle, LOSE your hair (!), feel weak and exhausted, faint, and develop a bunch of other health concerns associated with malnutrition. It's not something to take lightly!
As for impatience - it's normal to feel impatience, but you'll need to work on your expectations. You didn't gain 5lbs in a week, so expecting to lose 5lbs in a week just isn't realistic (as an example). Most of us track our progress over months, not days or weeks. If you're down 5lbs in a month, that's fantastic. Slow and steady is the preferable and more sustainable method. As long as you're regularly eating below your TDEE, but above 1200 calories - you're on track.
As for your initial 8lbs weight loss, most of that is water weight and less poop in your body! Gross but true. Body weight fluctuates all the time - that's why making regular weigh-ins and tracking your weight over MONTHS is the best way to go. You may lose 2lbs one week, gain 1lbs the next week, then lose 0lbs the next week - all while sticking to a deficit. Bodies are just funny that way - but at the end of the day, you've still lost a pound!
Anyway - good luck and try not to take things personally!
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CannedKindness wrote: »MichelleSilverleaf wrote: »lemurcat12 wrote: »I think the poster failed to notice that you were talking about ONE WEEK, which is why it's not impossible, but the point that if you were eating 800 cal and not losing over a period of time that your logging is almost certainly off (which is common) is certainly true. And, more significantly, neither an attack nor warranting the aggressive response it received.
In a later comment she mentioned that she'd been eating less than 800cal before she bumped it up to that, so she's been under eating (or think she has) for longer than a week. But she's going by labels and guesstimates, so I think logging is definitely the issue.
I under ate for a week and a half and lost 8 lb. I under ate for another week and stopped losing.
Weight loss isn't linear. Some weeks we lose more, some we lose less, some we lose none. A weight loss rate ("X pounds a week") is an average per week over a longer period of time, not that amount every single week.
Stress affects weight loss via water weight. Eating way too little is a stressor. I'm not saying eating too little is the full reason you're not losing weight, but it may be a factor in your fat loss being masked by water weight.2 -
1. Your initial loss was due to water weight
2. Weight loss isn't linear. Some weeks you lose, gain or neither. Many factors play into this (DOMS, TOM, sodium, hormones)
3. If you are truly consuming only 800 calories a day you would be losing, but why would you want to torture yourself by only consuming under your BMR? You will still lose if you eat more calories.
4. Are you weighing your food and logging everything you consume with accurate entries (no homemade or generic)? If not you are probably consuming more calories than you think.
No one is trying to be mean or cruel. You aren't the first person to post about not losing on so few calories.5 -
Have a snickers OP.
Once you've had that, think about just what the *kitten* you are doing to your body.
By eating this little, you are losing not just fat but also muscle (your heart is a muscle btw). Another reaction is stress which causes a higher level of cortisol which can cause massive water retention. Body weight is not a static number and can vary radically due to the very variable water weight and all that affects it.4 -
How old are you?7
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Even though MFP “gives” you 1200 to lose 2 lbs a week, that won’t actually happen because the calculator stops at 1200. At your height and weight, if you enter 1 lb a week, you’ll probably get close to 1200 also. If you subtract 500 calories (representing another lb per week), that will be the number to lose 2 lbs a week which will be far under 1200 and not possible at your weight.
Change to 1/2 lb a week, use a weight trending app, start weighing your food and be patient and you’ll start losing.1 -
CannedKindness wrote: »The user I snapped at is still completely antagonistic and says it is outright impossible that I am doing what I say I am doing. There's no need for that. This forum doesn't need to be as toxic as most of the others on the internet.
For logging in, I eat stuff with the calories on the box/jar/package sometimes, so I know that's right. The calories for cube steak are pretty generally known, and I eat that. For stuff like cornbread I do just try to guess from online logs cuz that's hard. But if I am not logging in correctly, it can't be off by more than a few hundred and that would put me at 1200. I should still be losing.
However, at first I was only eating about 500-600 a day because I was dumb and didn't know what I was doing. Only this past week I went up to 800. Maybe my body got shocked or something.
I don't have a problem going up to 1200 if that is best. I don't want to do the wrong thing. But I don't want to maintain either, I was really hoping to get down to 150 by the summer, which would be 18 lb in 6 months, which is 3 lb a month, which doesn't seem impossible. My fitness pal thinks that 1200 will lose me 2 lb a week.
If you're going purely off the value on the package (and not verifying the weight yourself), using what is "generally known" and guessing from the entries of others, then it's completely possible that you are eating more than you think you are.
It's possible that you still aren't eating enough (because you did lose one pound in a week), but getting your logging more accurate so you can reliably know how many calories you're eating would probably be a good idea. After all, you can't make adjustments for what isn't working if you don't know what isn't working.
Please don't look at the suggestion that your logging isn't accurate as it could be as an insult or a slam. None of us came here able to log perfectly, we all benefited from the help and advice of others at some point.11 -
I think any more comments on here is probably going to fall on deaf ears unfortunately.... She didn't get the answer she WANTED to hear so now the poor thing is upset and left.... I'm a big believer that emotions need to be kicked to the curb regarding weightless when you are specifically asking people for help. I don't believe anyone intends to me mean (most of the time), they are just trying to be real with someone.... maybe use some sarcasm that gets taken the wrong way.... Open mindedness is a MUST on here as you might have one of those face palm moments when you find out what you are doing wrong ( I had one.... or a couple of these myself)7
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