Losing weight on 1300-1500 calories
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etherealanwar
Posts: 465 Member
Hi everyone,
So I began my diet roughly a month ago and I've been trying to stick to a 1,200 calorie per day routine. Unfortunately for me I seem to frequently (and by frequently i mean 80-90% of the time) go to the 1300-1500 range. I am a female, 5"4 feet and currently weigh 192 pounds. I've lost 6.8 pounds so far in 4.5 weeks but I feel as though most of that was water weight and not "real" progress. For the last 2 weeks I've been stuck at 192. I purchased a food scale last week and have been measuring everything since (learned this was necessary from these forums actually). Am I able to lose weight at this range of calories and if so what should I be expecting?
So I began my diet roughly a month ago and I've been trying to stick to a 1,200 calorie per day routine. Unfortunately for me I seem to frequently (and by frequently i mean 80-90% of the time) go to the 1300-1500 range. I am a female, 5"4 feet and currently weigh 192 pounds. I've lost 6.8 pounds so far in 4.5 weeks but I feel as though most of that was water weight and not "real" progress. For the last 2 weeks I've been stuck at 192. I purchased a food scale last week and have been measuring everything since (learned this was necessary from these forums actually). Am I able to lose weight at this range of calories and if so what should I be expecting?
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Replies
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6.8lbs in 4.5 weeks is a good rate of loss.
just keep doing what you're doing.
given your stats you don't need to eat as little as 1200 cals to lose weight.12 -
I started off low like you, but I’ve since moved up to 1,300 calories and I’m still losing quite quickly. I’m gonna give it another week and then look at upping by another 100 or 200 calories just to slow things down (I lost about 10lbs in a month). I’m also 5’4” and currently at 128lbs, so I’d recommend sticking to the higher calorie amount and just making sure you’re counting correctly and drinking enough water.1
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Your sedentary TDEE should be around 1920 for your height, weight and sex. So to lose a pound a week, you'd want to net 1420 calories a day.
You've lost almost 7lbs in 4.5 weeks, so that's about 1.5lbs per week! Sure a bit of it might be water weight, but you seem to be right on track.3 -
A lot will depend on your activity, but from what I've seen on the forums, people with your height and weight do lose on 1300-1500 calories (and sometimes eating even more.) Many people find 1200 calories a day to be unsustainable in the long-term, so you may have better results overall if you do eat more to start out with (i.e. because it will be easier to stick to your calorie goals.)3
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I also doubt that a whole 6lbs is water weight. You’ve definitely made progress, and I think sometimes it’s normal to stall for a little while?3
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Thanks everyone, I know I can lose at this calorie amount it's mostly the last 2 week stall that's got me worried that I'm not doing it correctly and perhaps I needed to restrict myself more. My weight has fluctuated between 192.4 to 191.2 over the 2 weeks. It's funny because I can *almost* go the whole day at around 1200 but I always get the munchies late at night and I snack on something that puts me over that amount haha. Got to work on that self restraint I suppose!0
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I have the same stats as you but the difference is I am 60yo. I am losing at a rate of 1/2 lb a week. I log every meal and weigh and measure at 1400 cal. My job is not strenuous but I do move around.
Now for me to lose faster I know I need to do more formal physical activity.0 -
etherealanwar wrote: »Thanks everyone, I know I can lose at this calorie amount it's mostly the last 2 week stall that's got me worried that I'm not doing it correctly and perhaps I needed to restrict myself more. My weight has fluctuated between 192.4 to 191.2 over the 2 weeks. It's funny because I can *almost* go the whole day at around 1200 but I always get the munchies late at night and I snack on something that puts me over that amount haha. Got to work on that self restraint I suppose!
weight loss isn't linear.
the people who are most successful at losing weight are generally the ones who eat as much as possible, not as little.10 -
etherealanwar wrote: »Thanks everyone, I know I can lose at this calorie amount it's mostly the last 2 week stall that's got me worried that I'm not doing it correctly and perhaps I needed to restrict myself more. My weight has fluctuated between 192.4 to 191.2 over the 2 weeks. It's funny because I can *almost* go the whole day at around 1200 but I always get the munchies late at night and I snack on something that puts me over that amount haha. Got to work on that self restraint I suppose!
I enjoy having a big dinner and some evening snacks so I practice intermittent fasting to fit them into my calorie goal.
I don't eat breakfast and have a small lunch, usually around 400 calories. I save all the rest of my calories for the evening! 1 -
etherealanwar wrote: »Thanks everyone, I know I can lose at this calorie amount it's mostly the last 2 week stall that's got me worried that I'm not doing it correctly and perhaps I needed to restrict myself more. My weight has fluctuated between 192.4 to 191.2 over the 2 weeks. It's funny because I can *almost* go the whole day at around 1200 but I always get the munchies late at night and I snack on something that puts me over that amount haha. Got to work on that self restraint I suppose!
I enjoy having a big dinner and some evening snacks so I practice intermittent fasting to fit them into my calorie goal. I don't eat breakfast and have a small lunch, usually around 400 calories. I save all the rest of my calories for the evening!
I wish I could go without breakfast and not having hunger pangs but I do and it's quite annoying. I might try just having a cheese string or granola bar in the morning to curb that hunger and having a small lunch like you said. It's most definitely easier to not eat while at work, hahaha!0 -
etherealanwar wrote: »etherealanwar wrote: »Thanks everyone, I know I can lose at this calorie amount it's mostly the last 2 week stall that's got me worried that I'm not doing it correctly and perhaps I needed to restrict myself more. My weight has fluctuated between 192.4 to 191.2 over the 2 weeks. It's funny because I can *almost* go the whole day at around 1200 but I always get the munchies late at night and I snack on something that puts me over that amount haha. Got to work on that self restraint I suppose!
I enjoy having a big dinner and some evening snacks so I practice intermittent fasting to fit them into my calorie goal. I don't eat breakfast and have a small lunch, usually around 400 calories. I save all the rest of my calories for the evening!
I wish I could go without breakfast and not having hunger pangs but I do and it's quite annoying. I might try just having a cheese string or granola bar in the morning to curb that hunger and having a small lunch like you said. It's most definitely easier to not eat while at work, hahaha!
It's definitely not for everyone. But I used to NEED breakfast or I'd feel nauseous and starving all morning. I don't know when exactly it changed, but my body just slowly adapted to my new eating schedule and now I have no trouble not eating until 11am-12pm. I just drink nice flavored teas all morning. Anyway! It may not work for you, but it may be worth a try if you don't want to give up your evening snacks.1 -
I used to eat breakfast because various diet gurus said we should........0
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I'm 5'3 and started at 172 and am down to 166 in 5 weeks. I'm eating 1300-1600 a day mattering on my activity level. I'm losing about a pound a week. I did notice I gained almost 2 pounds right before my period and lost it the day after I stated so FYI your weight can fluctuate a lot with your cycle. I find this a good reason to weigh everyday so you can know what your normal fluctuations are. I track it on the Happy Scale app. Many years ago I lost weight on a 1200 diet but it was hard and I gained it back. I'm much happier on this level of calories and am not as hungry at night either.2
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I’m in my mid-twenties and we’re a similar size—I’ve been losing on 1,500 calories a day. I tried 1,200 as well but it was just not sustainable for me.2
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I'm 5'3 and started at 172 and am down to 166 in 5 weeks. I'm eating 1300-1600 a day mattering on my activity level. I'm losing about a pound a week. I did notice I gained almost 2 pounds right before my period and lost it the day after I stated so FYI your weight can fluctuate a lot with your cycle. I find this a good reason to weigh everyday so you can know what your normal fluctuations are. I track it on the Happy Scale app. Many years ago I lost weight on a 1200 diet but it was hard and I gained it back. I'm much happier on this level of calories and am not as hungry at night either.
I gain 3-5 lbs around my time of month but unfortunately due to my IUD my periods have been out of whack and I never know when to expect it. It skips months at times too. I'm going to try limiting my breakfast to allow for my eating habits at night and see how that pans out otherwise I'll stick to what I'm doing currently. Slow progress is better than none I suppose.0 -
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Don't let yourself get too caught up in the idea that the only way to lose weight is to eat at or under 1200 calories. You lose weight if you eat less than the number of calories it takes to support your current weight and general activity level (i.e. maintenance). That number can vary based on a number of factors, but even for us shorter women (5'2" here) it's generally several hundred calories over 1200, and if you're overweight or obese can easily be a thousand or more over. The important things are to estimate your calorie intake and output as accurate as possible and to be patient. If it's been some time (4-6 weeks) and your weight isn't trending down, take a look at your tracking accuracy - chances are extremely good you're eating more than you think you are.2
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If you're premenopausal, one possibility is that you've added some new menstruasl-cycle-related water weight that's temporarily masking fat loss. Different women experience this at different points in their cycles, and the magnitude can be up to several pounds. After a couple of months in a deficit, you'll learn your personal pattern.
There are other things that can add a bit of water weight, too: Muscle repair from new exercise, a little extra sodium or carbs eaten vs. usual (even if a perfectly healthy amount, within calorie goal), fighting off a minor virus/infection and more.
So, hang in there, give it two or three weeks, and don't panic. I predict you'll be fine.
(I lost most of the weight from 180s to 120s in less than a year, at 5'5", age 59-60, on 1400-1600 net calories.)0 -
Your weight seems to fluctuate a mere pound. You're doing great!!1
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DebLaBounty wrote: »Your weight seems to fluctuate a mere pound. You're doing great!!
Awe thank you! I think making this thread was a good idea to reassure myself everything is going just fine and not to freak out. It's just that i've decided to really take it seriously this time and not give up as I have all others so any thoughts of me messing up irk me a lot. So far its a downward trend and i'll keep my eye on that 0
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