Not Sure I'm Doing The Calorie Intake Correctly

Narivsa
Narivsa Posts: 19 Member
edited July 2018 in Health and Weight Loss
Hello Everyone,

I'm confused to exactly how much calories I should intake daily. As per My Fitness Pal it is saying 1200 while other sites say 1500.

I started with 220 Lbs (The highest I have ever been) :(
I started by cutting out what I love to eat which is Pastas and Potatoes. I started to eat healthier and I started to count my calories, which I think for starters I lost the 1st 24lbs because of this and some light exercise.

I am now down to 196lbs but it seems I have plateaued. I either stay the same 1-3 weeks or go up 1-3 lbs and then back down to 196 lbs. Now here's the thing, I have started to go to the gym and doing full body workouts for 45-60mins.

I am not sure since I have started to do more exercises if I should bring up my calorie intake or keep it at 1200. The only thing is, sometimes I find it even difficult to reach my 1200, cause I'm not hungry. I feel like I am doing something wrong.

If someone can please help me here I would greatly appreciate it. If you need more information, please feel free to ask. :)

Quick info about myself:
Height: 5'1
Current Weight 196lbs
Weight Goal: 130lbs (I am aiming 1st for 150lbs, but my main goal will be 130lbs)
Workouts: 3-5 Days full body workouts at gym and others brisk walking.
My main struggle is: Drink enough water and meet my calorie intake.

NOTE: I am doing 16:8 intermittent fasting

Replies

  • Narivsa
    Narivsa Posts: 19 Member
    edited July 2018
    What did you put as your 'rate of loss'?

    edit: also there is nothing wrong with eating pasta and potatoes! Don't make losing weight harder by cutting out your favorite foods :)

    Thank you for replying :)
    I want to hold back a bit in eating those, until I lose a few more lbs hehe. Now regarding my "rate of loss" I put to lose 2lbs per week. Which at 1st I was loosing 1 - 1.5lbs a week and now 0, which is frustrating.
  • fitoverfortymom
    fitoverfortymom Posts: 3,452 Member
    How are you measuring your food intake? Are you using a food scale?

    How long have you been stalled? If you just started a new exercise routine, that can cause water retention that may be masking weight loss, also.
  • Narivsa
    Narivsa Posts: 19 Member
    Thank you all for replying. OK lets see...
    - I have a measuring scale at home for solid foods. For the most part I am using that.
    - I also go by tbs, tbsp and cups
    - For beverages I have been drinking plain water and sometimes (not very often) Clear Ice Sparkling Water.
    - For cooking oils I use Coconut Oil or Olive Oil.
    - No Cheat food yet. I've been strict about it.
    - I will say I have been stuck for about 3 weeks around the same weight. (More or less around the same time I started to walk more/workout more)
    - I have started a "new workout"...I started the gym sessions a week ago.
  • DomesticKat
    DomesticKat Posts: 565 Member
    Narivsa wrote: »
    Thank you all for replying. OK lets see...
    - I have a measuring scale at home for solid foods. For the most part I am using that.
    - I also go by tbs, tbsp and cups
    - For beverages I have been drinking plain water and sometimes (not very often) Clear Ice Sparkling Water.
    - For cooking oils I use Coconut Oil or Olive Oil.
    - No Cheat food yet. I've been strict about it.
    - I will say I have been stuck for about 3 weeks around the same weight. (More or less around the same time I started to walk more/workout more)
    - I have started a "new workout"...I started the gym sessions a week ago.

    See the bolded. Can you make your food diary public and post a link so we can check for common logging errors?
  • yasiral
    yasiral Posts: 133 Member
    I think it is most probably coz of your new work out . I have just introduced strength training in addition to cardio and my weight loss has stalled even though my eating habits haven't changed . My scale has not moved for last 10 days. Maybe it is coz of the water that body is storing.
  • jennifer_417
    jennifer_417 Posts: 12,344 Member
    A couple of things could be at play here.

    First, if you just started a new fitness routine, then that could temporarily mask any loss. Your muscles hold on to water to repair themselves. This should go away eventually.

    Second, how carefully are you measuring your food? It's really, really easy to eat many more calories than you think. Even prepackaged foods can be inaccurate as to portion size. I suggest you get a food scale and weigh everything, at least until you feel like you have an excellent grasp of portion sizes. Also measure any liquid that has calories (milk, soda, etc.)
  • Narivsa
    Narivsa Posts: 19 Member
    nowine4me wrote: »
    There is no possible way - ZERO - that you are not losing weight at 1500 cals, regardless of exercise. Your logging is off somewhere.

    I haven't tried the 1500. I was going by My Fitness Pal and doing 1200. Reason I asked since I started strength training and cardio workout if I should switch it to 1500. Then again I find it hard to even complete the 1200 many days I am off (lower) by 200-300 calories cause I'm not hungry. This could also be a problem I am not eating enough?
    yasiral wrote: »
    I think it is most probably coz of your new work out . I have just introduced strength training in addition to cardio and my weight loss has stalled even though my eating habits haven't changed . My scale has not moved for last 10 days. Maybe it is coz of the water that body is storing.

    Yes this could be a possibility too.
    See the bolded. Can you make your food diary public and post a link so we can check for common logging errors?

    Sure, I'll check out how to do this.
  • RelCanonical
    RelCanonical Posts: 3,882 Member
    Narivsa wrote: »
    nowine4me wrote: »
    There is no possible way - ZERO - that you are not losing weight at 1500 cals, regardless of exercise. Your logging is off somewhere.

    I haven't tried the 1500. I was going by My Fitness Pal and doing 1200. Reason I asked since I started strength training and cardio workout if I should switch it to 1500. Then again I find it hard to even complete the 1200 many days I am off (lower) by 200-300 calories cause I'm not hungry. This could also be a problem I am not eating enough?
    yasiral wrote: »
    I think it is most probably coz of your new work out . I have just introduced strength training in addition to cardio and my weight loss has stalled even though my eating habits haven't changed . My scale has not moved for last 10 days. Maybe it is coz of the water that body is storing.

    Yes this could be a possibility too.
    See the bolded. Can you make your food diary public and post a link so we can check for common logging errors?

    Sure, I'll check out how to do this.

    My Home > Settings > Diary Settings > Diary Sharing (at bottom). Set to public.
  • fiddletime
    fiddletime Posts: 1,868 Member
    I lose at 1200 cal but I’m 63 and 5’2”. I’m also at goal weight, so you must be off in your counting. When I started a new exercise regime I plateaued for 3 weeks. Also, be careful about allocating too many calories if you’re lifting weights. For cardio I only eat half the calories back that mfp gives me.
  • Narivsa
    Narivsa Posts: 19 Member
    Thank you everyone for replying and for advice. I have much to learn and you all have helped.
  • CSARdiver
    CSARdiver Posts: 6,252 Member
    You have a great attitude already. Problem solving with this is pretty easy. If you're not losing weight you are not in a caloric deficit.

    Start here are read all the "stickied" threads. There's gold within:

    https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10300319/most-helpful-posts-general-health-fitness-and-diet-must-reads#latest