1200 is not enough!

Chelle8070 · October 2018

So for about 6 months now I've been trying my darndest to stick to a 1200 calorie diet. On days I workout, I do add back in the extra calories.... but on days I don't... 1200 is so hard!

I did this based on the recommendation of my trainer, along with macros of 50%p/25%c/25%f. Most days I do alright, although it's probably more realistically 45%p/20%c/35%f. I don't know that my trainer has any kind of nutrition background.

They also keep pitching a "meal prep plan" to me, where they have meals made and delivered the beginning of the week. When I look at these meals I realize if I did their plan, NO WAY would I be within the limits that we originally discussed.

My weightloss has not been significant. During the day I'm very sedentary. I have a job that doesn't require much movement. In the evenings I'm either at the gym for an hour, at soccer practice (I coach) for 90+ minutes, doing housework (moving around) or a plethera of combinations.

Could I maybe not be eating enough? Could I be hurting myself rather than helping?

I know I'm opening myself up to all kinds of criticisms... that's ok. I'm just frustrated and want to try and "fix" it.

Any and all suggestions/opinions welcome. Thank you!

jjpptt2 · October 2018

Could I maybe not be eating enough?

Not likely. That's not really how things work. In 99% of cases like this, people are actually eating more than they think, usually because they aren't weighing their foods. Cheat days, incomplete logging, and unrealistic expectations can also be problems.

Let's start with the basics..

You say you've been at 1200 cals for 6 months, correct?
In that 6 months, has there been any change in weight?
How often are you weighing yourself, and are you using a weight trending app like Libra or Happy Scale? If so, what has your trend weight done over that 6 month timeframe?
During that 6 months, do you believe your logging to be complete - i.e. are you logging/recording every single thing you eat AND everything you drink?
During that 6 months, have you been measuring your portions? If so, how (weight, measuring cups, food scale, eyeballing, single-serving packets/portions, etc)?
Are you will/able to make your diary public so we can see what you've been eating/logging?

Sabine_Stroehm · October 2018

It's quite possible you're not eating enough. But is that why you're not losing? I don't know. I wonder about your logging.
But, more important for me is: what is your: age/height/weight? what is your goal weight? Do you have MFP set to 2pounds a week?

fwiw, I couldn't do 25% fat. I couldn't do low carb AND low fat.

urloved33 · October 2018

i just joined body on demand and they figure your daily caloric intake differently than I had experienced before..so now im eating more but eating properly (with portion control cups that measure how much fat. protein, carb etc) and now im starting to lose. yes I feel 1200 cals a day kept me stuck for over a year.

RelCanonical · October 2018

What's your current height and weight? I'm at 1,280 per day losing a pound a week, but I am straight up sedentary, 5'1'', and 165 pounds. If you're any taller, your sedentary days might be more. What does MFP say when you put in your stats?

cmriverside · October 2018

1200 calories is really low. It is hard to stick to and probably not necessary.

Two things people will ask:

How tall are you, how much weight are you needing to lose to get into a healthy body weight?

...and...please open your FOOD diary for us to try to troubleshoot. FOOD > Settings, scroll down, click "Public."

funjen1972 · October 2018

You'll get lots of feedback on your post. I am absolutely no expert but I have two comments:

1. I don't trust anyone with a secondary agenda, such as selling me a meal plan. You're paying your trainer to improve your physique, not for a sales pitch.

2. Under eating does not stop weight loss. Otherwise there would be no such thing as starving kids in 3rd world countries or anorexia.

I suspect you are either eating more than you think or burning less calories than you account for through exercise. Maybe a combination of both.

pinuplove · October 2018

My initial impression: 1200 calories for 6 months would make me homicidal, and that's a heckuva lot of protein. Don't feel like you have to use anybody else's idea of what the 'right' macro split is. Cover your minimums for fat and protein and fill the rest however you want. I eat moderately high fat (nowhere near keto levels, just compared to most), keep protein between 20 and 25%, and don't let my carbs get below 100g/day, otherwise I get grumpy(er).

kimny72 · October 2018

Chelle8070 wrote: »

So for about 6 months now I've been trying my darndest to stick to a 1200 calorie diet. On days I workout, I do add back in the extra calories.... but on days I don't... 1200 is so hard!

I did this based on the recommendation of my trainer, along with macros of 50%p/25%c/25%f. Most days I do alright, although it's probably more realistically 45%p/20%c/35%f. I don't know that my trainer has any kind of nutrition background.

They also keep pitching a "meal prep plan" to me, where they have meals made and delivered the beginning of the week. When I look at these meals I realize if I did their plan, NO WAY would I be within the limits that we originally discussed.

My weightloss has not been significant. During the day I'm very sedentary. I have a job that doesn't require much movement. In the evenings I'm either at the gym for an hour, at soccer practice (I coach) for 90+ minutes, doing housework (moving around) or a plethera of combinations.

Could I maybe not be eating enough? Could I be hurting myself rather than helping?

I know I'm opening myself up to all kinds of criticisms... that's ok. I'm just frustrated and want to try and "fix" it.

Any and all suggestions/opinions welcome. Thank you!

In my personal experience, most women who say they are eating 1200 cals aren't actually eating 1200 cals. That's not a criticism, logging is a skill that takes practice and direction. For six months I was positive I was eating 1400 cals and not losing weight. Once I started using a food scale for all solids and choosing my database entries more carefully, I discovered I was actually eating more like 1700-1800 cals!

Before you try changing anything else, read the logging thread below and log super carefully for a couple of weeks. Also, consider balancing out your macros a little. Macros are mostly important for satiety, and it's possible that you need more fat or fiber to feel full. I personally need a nice helping of a starch at every meal, for others it's fat. You might have to play around with it.

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

What calorie goal does MFP give you? What are your height and weight?

I'll also add that while eating too little won't stop you from losing weight, it's possible that not eating enough, not eating a macro balance that keeps you full, stress, and doing vigorous exercise can be messing with your hormones, causing water weight fluctuations to cloud your results on the scale. Just something else to think about.

pinuplove · October 2018

Adding to what @kimny72 said, I find my TDEE tanks when I'm not eating enough. I enter what I call 'slug mode.' Not to be confused with the mythical starvation mode - it simply means I burn fewer calories because I'm tired and move less. No fidgeting, no pacing, more likely to crash on the couch than vacuum the floors after work, etc.

Chelle8070 · October 2018

Instead of quoting people, I'll answer some questions:

1. I'm 5' 5", I do that whole weigh first thing in the morning naked thing, so this morning was 181.6lbs and I'm 34 years old. Goal weight is 155 and I have it set to 1.5lbs a week and "not very active"

2. By all means, I'm not perfect and I went a little while without logging because I was frustrated.. but on the days I log, it is complete. I use a scale for all my meats and measuring cups for most other things - spinach/lettuce I guesstimate because if that's really the thing that puts me over the top, then just so be it. LOL I will make it public as soon as I figure out how to

3. My start weight on May 10th was 208lbs so I guess I am down 26.4 lbs and should give myself some credit

Chelle8070 · October 2018

I appreciate all of the help/input - diary is open.

Chelle8070 · October 2018

funjen1972 wrote: »

You'll get lots of feedback on your post. I am absolutely no expert but I have two comments:

1. I don't trust anyone with a secondary agenda, such as selling me a meal plan. You're paying your trainer to improve your physique, not for a sales pitch.

2. Under eating does not stop weight loss. Otherwise there would be no such thing as starving kids in 3rd world countries or anorexia.

I suspect you are either eating more than you think or burning less calories than you account for through exercise. Maybe a combination of both.

To your #1 - I tell them all the time I'm not buying their crap LOL!!!

I do like the protein powder, meal replacement shakes they sell though, so they got me there (when I can't find it cheaper elsewhere)

Rocknut53 · October 2018

Chelle8070 wrote: »

3. My start weight on May 10th was 208lbs so I guess I am down 26.4 lbs and should give myself some credit

You need to give yourself a lot of credit for the progress you have made. 26 pounds since May is an amazing loss. You are in this for the long term so if 1200 calories is dragging you down, accept a little slower weight loss and up your calories a bit. @kimny72 gave you great advice. Keep up the good work!

ExistingFish · October 2018

Chelle8070 wrote: »

Instead of quoting people, I'll answer some questions:

1. I'm 5' 5", I do that whole weigh first thing in the morning naked thing, so this morning was 181.6lbs and I'm 34 years old. Goal weight is 155 and I have it set to 1.5lbs a week and "not very active"

2. By all means, I'm not perfect and I went a little while without logging because I was frustrated.. but on the days I log, it is complete. I use a scale for all my meats and measuring cups for most other things - spinach/lettuce I guesstimate because if that's really the thing that puts me over the top, then just so be it. LOL I will make it public as soon as I figure out how to

3. My start weight on May 10th was 208lbs so I guess I am down 26.4 lbs and should give myself some credit

You've lost lots of weight! You do need to give yourself some credit!

kimny72 · October 2018

Chelle8070 wrote: »

I appreciate all of the help/input - diary is open.

A couple of things:

Double check the database entries you're using. Never use an entry that say "homemade" or "generic" as they were created by other users and you have no idea how they prepared it or where they got their numbers. Double check every entry to the package or to published USDA info by googling.

There are a fair amount of unlogged days. It's quite possible that you are undereating on days you are logging and then eating a lot of that deficit back on the unlogged days. Try logging more consistently for a little while.

26 lbs in 5 months is actually kind of perfect. I'd again suggest trying different macro %s. Maybe start making a note of what foods keep you full and which ones leave you hungry and start tweaking from there. Good luck!

Chelle8070 · October 2018

I think maybe I just need to switch trainers. If I only lose 5 or so pounds in a month he kind of guilts me about it. My weigh in and measurements are today so I’m anxious and questioning myself.

And yes, recently I stopped logging but have gotten myself back into it. I need to and I have the time so I have no excuses.

Thank you for the homemade tip. That makes sense. I usually use that when a lot of the options are restaurants and grocery store prepared foods but I will be more mindful.

I also pulled up that thread about logging and will be reading that too

_aenyeweddien_ · October 2018

I am no expert, but I would go crazy on such low carbs, especially when the kcal are so low:)

I've tried sticking to 1200kcal but it was just too hard, I was starving all the time...I increased kcal to 1400 and I feel much better now.

smolmaus · October 2018

Chelle8070 wrote: »

I think maybe I just need to switch trainers. If I only lose 5 or so pounds in a month he kind of guilts me about it.

Hmmmm, I would think about it. Why would he be guilting you? Is his job not to be supportive and helpful? If a trainer isn't motivating you or providing expert information, what's the point of him?

Chelle8070 wrote: »

I don't know that my trainer has any kind of nutrition background.

I would also be asking this question asap. I'm shorter and lighter than you and unless I am completely sedentary 1200kcal genuinely isn't enough for me (though if you're not losing I agree you're probably not eating 1200/day). I'd like to know his reasoning here. Giving you the minimum safe no. of kcal to make you lose the weight as quickly as possible is not at all what I would expect out of someone who is supposed to be a professional.

LaurenMT96 · October 2018

I was on 1200 cal for 7 months and went from 259lbs to 193.5lbs, so lost 65.5lbs, once i got into the 180's, I have upped to 1400. Currently 187 with a goal of 161 - 165. I had a digital scale since day 1 and weighed everything religiously, it was hard at first.

jjpptt2 · October 2018

In fairness... none of us (at least, the vast majority of us) have nutrition credentials, but look at all the advice we give. Lack of credentials doesn't automatically mean bad advice. Diet/nutrition isn't hard unless there are medical/nutrition issues at play. I'd be much more concerned about whether or not he has credentials and experience on the training side... and that those credentials and experience are relevant to your goals.

For me, the bigger issue is the anxiety. If that's causing you to work harder and stay focused because you know a "public" weigh-in is coming, then maybe it's a good thing. If it's causing you un-needed stress, then maybe it isn't?

In the bigger picture... it sounds like you're doing really well. 1-1.5lbs per week is about perfect, and certainly not something to be discounted.

1200 is not enough!

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