On 1200 calories a day for over a month and I have not dropped a pound

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UGH! I faithfully weigh and count my calories. I have been on 1200 calories a day for last month and can not drop a pound. I walk 4 x a week briskly.

I am also on Eliquis for A-Fib so don’t know if the Eliquis is stopping me from loosing as I have read you gain weight with it. I have been on Eliquis for 3 months.

I am a active older women, 5’ 6’ at 140 pounds which I gained 8 from our cruise in March. I am usually 133 pounds which I am trying to get back to with no luck lately.

My husband tells me I am not eating enough calories.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Michele


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Replies

  • dejavuohlala
    dejavuohlala Posts: 1,821 Member
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    Michelle do you keep a diary on mfp? Is it open, if so get some like minded friends on here so you can share diaries and this may better show where the problems are. Good luck, as you get older it is slower but can still be achieved with patience for
  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 33,958 Member
    edited July 2018
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    I agree with dejavuohlala.

    You can open your FOOD diary here : Food Settings - scroll to the bottom and click, "Public." We may be able to spot some errors.

    You don't have a lot of weight to lose, and I know from experience it's slow going at that stage plus you have no room for error. If you are exercising, 1200 is definitely too low. Try eating 1400-1500 on those exercise days.

  • emmamcgarity
    emmamcgarity Posts: 1,593 Member
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    At your height and current weight I would expect a very slow loss.
  • Mickey317
    Mickey317 Posts: 7 Member
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    Thank you everyone. Very much appreciated
  • Healthydiner65
    Healthydiner65 Posts: 1,579 Member
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    I’m 66 and in the same boat! 1200 calories but losing some. I had to cut my carbs and up my protein before I started losing again. Send me a friend request if you would like support!
  • livingleanlivingclean
    livingleanlivingclean Posts: 11,752 Member
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    mnalsa83 wrote: »
    Everyone tells us that 1200 is the goal, honestly (just finished a nutrition course) 1200 is roughly what the body needs to just function daily. This can cause the body to hold onto the fat for later energy use when we do exercise.
    Also, we tend to not eat "properly". We restrict a lot of what our bodies need... healthy fats because weve been told fats are bad. Not enough protein (prime example in my own diet). And the wrong types of carbs. We consume a lot of fruit, which is high sugar (though natural) too much = bad.
    Take a look at your diet and see if any of these could be at fault. I honestly consume anywhere from 1200 (non gym days) to 2000+ and still am losing weight.

    Which nutrition course did you do?
  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 33,958 Member
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    This can cause the body to hold onto the fat for later energy use when we do exercise

    What? :huh:
  • livingleanlivingclean
    livingleanlivingclean Posts: 11,752 Member
    edited July 2018
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    mnalsa83 wrote: »
    Everyone tells us that 1200 is the goal, honestly (just finished a nutrition course) 1200 is roughly what the body needs to just function daily. This can cause the body to hold onto the fat for later energy use when we do exercise.
    Also, we tend to not eat "properly". We restrict a lot of what our bodies need... healthy fats because weve been told fats are bad. Not enough protein (prime example in my own diet). And the wrong types of carbs. We consume a lot of fruit, which is high sugar (though natural) too much = bad.
    Take a look at your diet and see if any of these could be at fault. I honestly consume anywhere from 1200 (non gym days) to 2000+ and still am losing weight.

    Which nutrition course did you do?

    So we can avoid it right?

    Yes. :D
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,523 Member
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    mnalsa83 wrote: »
    This can cause the body to hold onto the fat for later energy use when we do exercise.
    Yeah, no. Whatever nutrition course you took, they took your money.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

    9285851.png
  • rose2_0
    rose2_0 Posts: 150 Member
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    Between the medication causing water retention, masking a loss, and the possibility of your TDEE being on the lower side...you might not see the loss until after a month. I'd give it one more week. I'm 5'4" and in the 140s and I lose weight at a snails pace, just about 1200 calories.
  • Diatonic12
    Diatonic12 Posts: 32,344 Member
    edited July 2018
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    Food group elimination diets claim that fruit is bad and fat is your friend and you just need to eat more along with fat for the big win. I'm familiar with that train of thought, I tried it. It does not work.

    The advice I receive here is sound and proven by science. I've been here for a few years and I've not been led astray by nutrition coaches or anyone. There are 1000's of people who follow the guidelines and get good results. I'm one of them.
  • deannalfisher
    deannalfisher Posts: 5,600 Member
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    mnalsa83 wrote: »
    Not eating enough calories destroy your metabolism. It's like telling your body that you're starving. ... Not eating enough calories will also force the body to cannibalize muscle and hold on to fat.

    The course I took was through expert rating.

    adaptive thermogensis is a real thing yes, starvation mode is not...if they didn't differentiate in the course, then its woo at best
  • livingleanlivingclean
    livingleanlivingclean Posts: 11,752 Member
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    mnalsa83 wrote: »
    Not eating enough calories destroy your metabolism. It's like telling your body that you're starving. ... Not eating enough calories will also force the body to cannibalize muscle and hold on to fat.

    The course I took was through expert rating.

    And this is a good example why people should see dieticians and not nutritionists (or at least make sure they've done proper study)
  • Mickey317
    Mickey317 Posts: 7 Member
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    How many calories should I eat a day or should it be different each day? I heard that eating a higher calorie day once in awhile is good. Thanks everyone.