Not really losing

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Inspiration15
Inspiration15 Posts: 42 Member
in Getting Started
I have been eating 1200 calories or less for 24 days and have only lost 2.4 pounds. Should I eat less? 56 year old woman.
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  • shaf238
    shaf238 Posts: 4,021 Member
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    I wouldn't recommend eating less. Are you weighing your food? Logging everything accurately? How much exercise are you doing?
  • kommodevaran
    kommodevaran Posts: 17,890 Member
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    1200 calories is the bare mimimum, so no, you're not going to eat less than that. But if you aren't losing as expected, you're either having unrealistic expectations, or you're eating more than you think. 2.4 pounds could be a good loss for you, what is your weight and height?
  • jdubois5351
    jdubois5351 Posts: 460 Member
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    First of all, welcome. 1200 calories is the bare minimum that you as a woman need for your daily bodily functions, so no, you should definitely not eat less.

    How are you determining how many calories you eat? Do you honestly weigh/measure & log everything you eat? Also, how many pounds do you stand to lose? If you need to lose a lot, the pounds usually come off rather quickly in the beginning, but the closer you get to your goal (or if you only have a few pounds to lose), the slower it tends to get.
  • Inspiration15
    Inspiration15 Posts: 42 Member
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    I am 5’ 6” and weigh 157. I feel like I should weigh 135. I have weighed that before. But always go back to the 150s.
  • Inspiration15
    Inspiration15 Posts: 42 Member
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    Great advice from everyone.
  • Inspiration15
    Inspiration15 Posts: 42 Member
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    I am 56. Desk job. Try for 5,000 steps a day. I want to weigh 140! At my current weight I wear a size 6/8. 157 seems high.
  • cesse47
    cesse47 Posts: 947 Member
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    mgoldin50, you are already in the acceptable weight range for your height. So, your weight losses will be small. Since we can't see your profile or your food diary it's difficult to make specific suggestions. I agree with TavistockToad's recommendations. Be sure you are logging every little item that passes over your lips, including gum, cough drops, etc.
  • kimny72
    kimny72 Posts: 16,013 Member
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    mgoldin50 wrote: »
    I am 56. Desk job. Try for 5,000 steps a day. I want to weigh 140! At my current weight I wear a size 6/8. 157 seems high.

    140 is a fine goal, but because you don't have much to lose it is going to be slower. You should be set to lose no more than 1 lb per week, and nothing wrong with losing 0.5lbs per week if you have the patience. Your rate of loss is actually kind of of perfect so you really don't have to change anything. If you aren't using a food scale, I'd guess you are eating a bit more than 1200 cals. You can tighten up your logging if you want to know your numbers better, but if not, you are doing just fine.

    Also keep in mind that water weight can fluctuate up and down several lbs so there will be some weeks where you don't see your fat loss show up on the scale. You just (unfortunately) need to be a little more patient :smiley: Good luck!
  • quiksylver296
    quiksylver296 Posts: 28,442 Member
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    Check out this thread. It shows why a food scale is such a powerful tool for weight loss. When you have so little to lose, you've got to be as accurate as possible with your calorie intake. But I agree with others, 1200 is too low. 1500 accurate calories would be my suggestion.

    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10634517/you-dont-use-a-food-scale/p1
  • kimny72
    kimny72 Posts: 16,013 Member
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    Just wanted to add that at 5'6, 156 lbs OP is a couple of lbs into the overweight category, and a goal of 135-140 puts her right in the middle of the healthy weight range for her height. The size she wears can have as much to do with where she carries her weight as it does the number on the scale.

    Also wanted to second what @TavistockToad said but forgot to mention it - OP if you don't strength train, start that. It can make such a difference to how you are shaped and how you feel. And preserving muscle as we get older is super important. I started recently (I'm in my 40's) as I'm seeing the women in my family in their 60s and 70s struggling and wishing they were stronger. Strong muscles and strong bones work hand in hand!
  • Inspiration15
    Inspiration15 Posts: 42 Member
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    Ok. I will up my calories to 1350. Walk more. I often wonder if our set point is genetic. That what we are is what we should be despite our efforts. Who needs to starve? I have no health issues. So maybe at 56 at 5’6” I am supposed to weigh 156 pounds. Thoughts??? Isn’t life too short to worry and stress over 15 pounds? I just don’t want 156 to become 166! So I am watching myself.
  • kimny72
    kimny72 Posts: 16,013 Member
    edited August 2018
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    mgoldin50 wrote: »
    Ok. I will up my calories to 1350. Walk more. I often wonder if our set point is genetic. That what we are is what we should be despite our efforts. Who needs to starve? I have no health issues. So maybe at 56 at 5’6” I am supposed to weigh 156 pounds. Thoughts??? Isn’t life too short to worry and stress over 15 pounds? I just don’t want 156 to become 166! So I am watching myself.

    Ultimately, that's between you and your doctor. Some people do better at the high end weight wise, some at the low end, and some people decide they would rather accept a less than optimal weight than make the necessary changes to lose weight.

    I would only up your calories after you revisit the accuracy of your logging, otherwise you will quite possibly just start losing slower. The amount you are eating is only problematic if your logging is very accurate, or if you are uncomfortable with how much you are eating right now.

    Set point is a debatable topic, one that I personally don't subscribe to. But this all comes back to the fact that you are losing weight at a rate of 0.5-1 lb per week, which is not you being stuck, it's you being impatient. You ARE losing weight. I'd bet you probably are already eating more like 1400 calories if you are not currently using a food scale for all solids and verifying the entries you are using in the database. Check out this thread when you get a moment:

    https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1234699/logging-accurately-step-by-step-guide/p1

    https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10012907/logging-accuracy-consistency-and-youre-probably-eating-more-than-you-think/p1

    We tend to jump here to make sure women aren't under eating in an effort to lose weight quickly and hurt themselves, but if you aren't sure of your logging accuracy, eating more may be unnecessary, and I'd hate to see you stop making progress because you were actually eating more than the minimum anyway!

    I know not everyone is, but if you're comfortable setting your diary to public temporarily, we may be able to let you know where you can tighten it up.
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
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    mgoldin50 wrote: »
    Ok. I will up my calories to 1350. Walk more. I often wonder if our set point is genetic. That what we are is what we should be despite our efforts. Who needs to starve? I have no health issues. So maybe at 56 at 5’6” I am supposed to weigh 156 pounds. Thoughts??? Isn’t life too short to worry and stress over 15 pounds? I just don’t want 156 to become 166! So I am watching myself.

    I dont believe set point is a thing, you just have to work hard, be accurate and consistent when youre losing vanity pounds from an already healthy weight.

    Its not worth 'stressing' over 15lbs, only you know if its worth the effort though.
  • lolagurlx0x0
    lolagurlx0x0 Posts: 149 Member
    edited August 2018
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    People are impatient with their bodies when its science. If you require 1600 calories a day- based on your BMI then you eat 3000 less calories than that Per Week. You should have an average of 1lb loss a week( Which is Healthy)

    Nothing is true for every person, but persistency and consistency will always win. What you've been doing is more than adequate to reach your goals, you just need to keep doing it. 24 days and weight-loss at the weight and height you are at is phenomenal, you shouldn't change much since its only been 3 weeks.

    I repeat 2.4 lbs loss in 3 weeks is great. Some people lose nothing. That means that in one month you will lose an average of 3 lbs most likely, but if you keep at the same regime for 6 months you will probably reach your goal.
    I'd also like to point out that since 1lb per week weightloss is the height, youre only projected to be 1lb behind what MFP sets your goals to.
  • Crochetluvr
    Crochetluvr Posts: 3,143 Member
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    mgoldin50 wrote: »
    I often wonder if our set point is genetic. That what we are is what we should be despite our efforts. Who needs to starve? I have no health issues. So maybe at 56 at 5’6” I am supposed to weigh 156 pounds. Thoughts??? Isn’t life too short to worry and stress over 15 pounds? I just don’t want 156 to become 166! So I am watching myself.

    My ultimate goal is 150 pounds. I am 5'6" and 64 years old. I am also a diabetic. I used to weigh 210 pounds then got to down to 160. I gained back 20 when I went through a life crisis. I wasn't concerned when I was only 10 pounds heavier but now that I gained back 20 of the 50 I lost, I AM concerned.

    I don't starve but I have to be very careful with my carb intake because of the diabetes. As I said, I wasn't stressing when I was only up 10 pounds but 20 was a red flag...clothes getting tighter, feeling sluggish, digestion issues. I think if I were 156 pounds I would be well satisfied but I am not you. I know I will never see 135 again...I don't believe my body would let me get that light. And its already been determined that older people (me, not you) can afford to be a few pounds heavier than they believe. :)
  • senorajoselina
    senorajoselina Posts: 19 Member
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    That's fine. You're losing! Keep up with it and you'll reach your goal with time.

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