On a calorie deficit and not losing weight, help!

hbiccheryl · July 2019

Hi everyone, so I need some help. 3 months ago I decided I wanted to lose some weight to feel better with my body and since then I’ve lost more than 8 pounds. I used to skip breakfast because I noticed that that was working for me, but a few weeks ago I started eating it again because I love it and I felt like I was depriving my body of something i’ve always really liked. So I started having breakfast again, and that’s when I stopped losing weight. I eat an average of 800-900 calories a day (I know it’s not enough but I’m scared to gain all the weight back if i eat more and i’m not even hungry anyway) and about 80-200 calories for breakfast. I also do some cardio, crunches and squats for 45 minutes a day and walk at least 10,000 steps daily. I drink plenty of water and get enough sleep. What am I doing wrong? Please help me

ceiswyn · July 2019

How are you measuring those calories?

If you were genuinely eating 800-900 calories a day, on that level of activity, you would have lost some weight over the last few weeks, rather than being in a plateau. Since you haven't, it's quite likely that you're eating more than you think.

There are a number of common logging mistakes that people make that can cause this. For example:

Trusting manufacturer portion sizes. For example, a manufacturer may list that a slice of bread is equal to 30g, but then when you weigh them it turns out that most slices are bigger than that.
Using volume measurements. These are really inaccurate. How big are the pieces? How much did you press them down? The general rule is to weigh all solids, and use volume measurements for liquids.
Using 'cooked' values for dry pasta/rice/etc weights. Not all the items in the database state whether they're for cooked or raw, and the difference is huge!
Using a lot of generic, homemade, or optimistically inaccurate database entries
Forgetting to log cooking oils, fruit, vegetables, dressings, drinks...

If you're willing to make your diary public, some of the experienced members here may be able to check out whether there are any errors in your logging that might be throwing out your numbers.

Lillymoo01 · July 2019

You are eating way more than you think you are. It really is as simple as that. If you were in a deficit the weight would be coming off. The loss would not be linear but the trend over time would be downwards.

As already mentioned there are many common logging errors that are made and most of us here also made them when we first began the journey so you certainly would not be alone with that one.

The best place to start to accurately log is with a set of digital kitchen scales. Use them for all solid food that goes into your mouth, including prepackaged foods as they can weigh much more than indicated on the label. Reserve measuring spoons and cups for liquids only.

Make sure when choosing an entry from the database that you cross-reference with the USDA database or the nutrition label on the package. As the database here is user added some entries are very inaccurate.

Learn to use the recipe builder here. It will save you time and be the most accurate way of measuring the calorie amounts in the foods you cook. It also doubles as a recipe book!

Emmapatterson1729 · July 2019

That low of calories, even without working out, but especially with working out, puts you at very high risk for heart failure, which if survived causes massive water weight gain (over 100 lbs in literally a few weeks), excessive loose skin and body deformities. Not worth starving yourself! The body stops trying to signal for hunger when starved, so starving person loses sensation of hunger.

A sedentary bed-ridden female should eat around 1200+ to lose weight. An active female working out that much should be consuming around 1600-1700+. 1500 would be a minimum.

paperpudding · July 2019

Emmapatterson1729 wrote: »

That low of calories, even without working out, but especially with working out, puts you at very high risk for heart failure, which if survived causes massive water weight gain (over 100 lbs in literally a few weeks), excessive loose skin and body deformities. Not worth starving yourself! The body stops trying to signal for hunger when starved, so starving person loses sensation of hunger.

A sedentary bed-ridden female should eat around 1200+ to lose weight. An active female working out that much should be consuming around 1600-1700+. 1500 would be a minimum.

That may be so - but if OP were really only consuming 800 - 900 calories per day for 3 months she would of lost weight.

They may be her on paper numbers but they are not her real numbers

If she is not losing any weight she is not risk of heart failure etc - because she is really eating more than that.

The problem is not that she is starving herself - the problem is that she is eating more than she thinks

Emmapatterson1729 · July 2019

paperpudding wrote: »

Emmapatterson1729 wrote: »

That low of calories, even without working out, but especially with working out, puts you at very high risk for heart failure, which if survived causes massive water weight gain (over 100 lbs in literally a few weeks), excessive loose skin and body deformities. Not worth starving yourself! The body stops trying to signal for hunger when starved, so starving person loses sensation of hunger.

A sedentary bed-ridden female should eat around 1200+ to lose weight. An active female working out that much should be consuming around 1600-1700+. 1500 would be a minimum.

That may be so - but if OP were really only consuming 800 - 900 calories per day for 3 months she would of lost weight.

They may be her on paper numbers but they are not her real numbers

If she is not losing any weight she is not risk of heart failure etc - because she is really eating more than that.

The problem is not that she is starving herself - the problem is that she is eating more than she thinks

When I was anorexic, I consumed around 1000 calories a day, sometimes dipping down as low as 600. I pretty much maintained my weight on those calories. OP says she lost 8 lbs, that's more weight loss than I had when I developed heart failure.

JustSomeEm · July 2019

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On a calorie deficit and not losing weight, help!

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