Help ... don’t know what calories are best

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Queeny37
Queeny37 Posts: 4 Member
in Getting Started
I have been following 1200 calories and the. Weight is not coming off.. am I eating too little ? I’ve lost 20 lbs already but the last few weeks have stalled .. I have 80 more to go .. I use the treadmill for 30 min on an incline and also yoga or weights along with it.. why won’t the scale move ?
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  • cathipa
    cathipa Posts: 2,991 Member
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    If you aren't losing you aren't in a deficit. What are you using to measure your food? Are you using correct entries (i.e. no homemade or generic entries) and logging everything you consume? Any cheat meals?
  • Queeny37
    Queeny37 Posts: 4 Member
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    I have logged everything .. I cut so much out and cut white bread and pasta as well .
  • kommodevaran
    kommodevaran Posts: 17,890 Member
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    If you're not losing weight, it's not because you're eating too little. Think about it.

    When you have a lot to lose, you don't have to be very accurate to lose weight. As you lose weight, weight loss rate slows down. You could be losing, but loss could be masked by water weight fluctuations, If you're really not losing anymore, you have to eat less than you are, and that means tighten up your logging, if you're counting calories.
  • cathipa
    cathipa Posts: 2,991 Member
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    Queeny37 wrote: »
    I have logged everything .. I cut so much out and cut white bread and pasta as well .

    How are you measuring what you are logging? Scale? Cups/spoons? Eyeballing? Your initial loss is probably due to water weight and eliminating certain foods which created a calorie deficit. Since you still have quite a bit to lose if you are truly only consuming 1200 calories a day you would still be losing.
  • musicfan68
    musicfan68 Posts: 1,133 Member
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    But again, HOW are you measuring your food to make sure you are actually eating that number of calories? You should be weighing all solid and semi-solid food, and using measuring spoons/cups for liquids. If you aren't doing this, that is why - you probably are eating way more calories than you think you are.
  • tinkerbellang83
    tinkerbellang83 Posts: 9,073 Member
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    Perhaps opening your diary up to public for a short while so people can suggest where you might tighten up your accuracy. With 80lbs still to lose you would be losing weight if you were logging accurately on 1200 calories (which probably is too low for you, but it is definitely not the reason you're not losing weight).
  • malibu927
    malibu927 Posts: 17,565 Member
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    If you were eating too little, the weight would be falling off. Tighten up your logging.
  • Queeny37
    Queeny37 Posts: 4 Member
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    Typical day 100oz water , plain oatmeal in morning, lunch Wendy’s grilled chicken sand half bun, dinner protein veggies and maybe a sweet potato . Snacks are sugar free popsicles .. or fruit like a banana , apple , pineapple . I measure with cups and spoons .. I guess I’ll have to really keep watching .
  • malibu927
    malibu927 Posts: 17,565 Member
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    Queeny37 wrote: »
    Typical day 100oz water , plain oatmeal in morning, lunch Wendy’s grilled chicken sand half bun, dinner protein veggies and maybe a sweet potato . Snacks are sugar free popsicles .. or fruit like a banana , apple , pineapple . I measure with cups and spoons .. I guess I’ll have to really keep watching .

    Get a food scale, weigh everything on it. It's going to make a world of difference.
  • cathipa
    cathipa Posts: 2,991 Member
    edited May 2018
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    Invest in a digital food scale. It doesn't need to be expensive, but make sure it has a Tare/Zero function and it can weigh up to 11 pounds (for when you are building a recipe). This will be the best weight loss tool you could ever purchase. Cups and spoons are notorious for being incorrect and can lead to consuming more calories than you think.
  • Queeny37
    Queeny37 Posts: 4 Member
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    I will do that ... want to really get to where I should be :)
  • cathipa
    cathipa Posts: 2,991 Member
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    ptuck196 wrote: »
    Also - change-up your exercise routine a little.

    Why? Exercise is for cardiovascular and musculoskeletal health. Yes it helps to increase TDEE, but ultimately diet is key for weight loss.
  • rsclause
    rsclause Posts: 3,103 Member
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    Best? that would be the wine calories.
  • musicfan68
    musicfan68 Posts: 1,133 Member
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    Smileyawaw wrote: »
    You are definitely eating too little. With 100lbs to lose, cutting to 1200 from the start is way too aggressive. You can just cut out white bread/pasta right now and lose weight. When you inevitably plateau, which you will cause everybody does, what are you going to cut from 1200 calories?? You can bump up your exercise but you are still eating too little to realistically sustain that for more than a few months without going bat *kitten* crazy. I have about 50 lbs to lose, I eat 1300-1400 cals/day and have been losing 2lbs a week without much exercise. When I begin to incorporate more exercise, I will adjust my meal plan so that I am eating enough while still losing. My diary is open to friends, I'll send you a request. Best of luck to you!! :-)

    She's eating way more than 1200 calories though. She is shooting for 1200, but obviously eating a lot more. She needs to accurately weigh foods to the gram and yes, she probably can eat more than 1200 calories, but the issue is still that she is eating more than she thinks.

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