Only eating 1200 calories a day and not losing Weight

xx1chloe5xx · May 2020

So for over a year now I have only been eating 1200 calories a day which is what MFP reccomends for me to lose weight. When I do exercise I burn more therefore I eat more. But I haven’t been losing weight I’m the same weight I was last year. Sometimes I might lose a few lbs so think it’s working but then next week they would of been gained back. I don’t understand

Muscleflex79 · May 2020

are you weighing EVERYTHING you eat??

janejellyroll · May 2020

If you open your diary, we may be able to help you troubleshoot.

xx1chloe5xx · May 2020

@muscleflex22 if it’s something like cheese or cereal where I only want the reccomend amount for the calories I will weights otherwise I just read the back of the packaging for example it will say 1 chicken fillet is 300 calories so I just record everything I eat

janejellyroll · May 2020

xx1chloe5xx wrote: »

@muscleflex22 if it’s something like cheese or cereal where I only want the reccomend amount for the calories I will weights otherwise I just read the back of the packaging for example it will say 1 chicken fillet is 300 calories so I just record everything I eat

The back of the package will tell you how much the recommended serving is. It will not tell you how much you're actually eating.

Terytha · May 2020

You're eating more than you think.

It's simple science. You can't eat 1200 and not lose weight therefore you are eating quite a bit more than that. Especially if you aren't weighing everything. Calorie info on packaging can be off by up to 20%.

snowflake954 · May 2020

Do you have a digital food scale? Are you weighing and measuring everything? Do not go by the packages. Weigh everything yourself. How much are you trying to lose?

Muscleflex79 · May 2020

xx1chloe5xx wrote: »

@muscleflex22 if it’s something like cheese or cereal where I only want the reccomend amount for the calories I will weights otherwise I just read the back of the packaging for example it will say 1 chicken fillet is 300 calories so I just record everything I eat

as others said above, the package only tells you what you are eating - not how much. start by weighing things and you'll be in for an eye opener.

JBanx256 · May 2020

Simply stated, you aren't logging accurately.

janejellyroll · May 2020

pitbullpuppy wrote: »

I'm curious how you have ate 1,200 calories for a year and had no results and stuck with it. I'd have a fit.

In most cases like this, it seems to turn out that the 1,200 is just an estimate and isn't the result of accurate logging.

xx1chloe5xx · May 2020

@janejellyroll it does for example it will say 30g of frosted flakes is like 134 calories so I will then weigh out 30g frosted flakes

janejellyroll · May 2020

xx1chloe5xx wrote: »

@janejellyroll it does for example it will say 30g of frosted flakes is like 134 calories so I will then weigh out 30g frosted flakes

I'm referring to this: "otherwise I just read the back of the packaging for example it will say 1 chicken fillet is 300 calories so I just record everything I eat."

You have no way of knowing how much you're eating if you're just pulling one chicken fillet from the bag and assuming that the calories are what the bag says it is. You're weighing some foods, but not others. If you want better results, it may be worth implementing more accurate logging.

xx1chloe5xx · May 2020

@janejellyroll if the packaging says 1 chicken is 300 cAlories then it mostly likely is 300 calories there not allowed to lie.

janejellyroll · May 2020

xx1chloe5xx wrote: »

@janejellyroll if the packaging says 1 chicken is 300 cAlories then it mostly likely is 300 calories there not allowed to lie.

They're not lying, but they're also allowed to have variances of up to 20%. That can add up fast. But it's up to you. If you want the results you're getting, you can keep doing what you're doing.

yirara · May 2020

Are you also weighing cooking oil, or anything else fatty like butter? Creamer in coffee, drinks with calories? vegetables and fruit?

If you want us to help you figure out what's going on it might be worth it to open your diary. There might be wrong entries you've been using for a year without noticing.

angelsja · May 2020

xx1chloe5xx wrote: »

@janejellyroll if the packaging says 1 chicken is 300 cAlories then it mostly likely is 300 calories there not allowed to lie.

2 chicken fillets won't weigh the exact same that's why you will usually see per 100g is x calories or per serving is x calories. For example I had a salmon parcel it said 240 calories per parcel but when I weighed it it was over the weight of the serving size so therefore more calories

Lillymoo01 · May 2020

xx1chloe5xx wrote: »

@janejellyroll if the packaging says 1 chicken is 300 cAlories then it mostly likely is 300 calories there not allowed to lie.

Start weighing all prepackaged food and you will be in for a surprise. As an example, I had a protein bar yesterday and the serving size on the package was 30 grams. When weighed it was 37 grams instead. Those extra few grams here and there can add up to a significant number of calories by the end of the day. It is very rare for food to weigh less than what is on the packaging but over is very common.
These might give you some more insight https://www.verywellfit.com/the-number-not-to-trust-on-the-nutrition-label-3495626
https://www.berkeleywellness.com/healthy-eating/nutrition/article/can-you-trust-calorie-counts

Avidkeo · May 2020

Yep what everyone else said.

My example, I often eat pita pockets for lunch. One serving is one pita, 44 grams.
I weigh everything. Every single pita is over that. Most are around 55 grams. That's around 20% more, and therefore 20% more calories. You need to weigh everything.

If you think about it, it's impossible for manufacturers to get every single serve exactly correct. That's why allowances are made.

Also check the serves. Very frequently things that LOOK like one serve are often 1.4 or 1.7 or even 2. A good example is a kit kat. One serve is 2 fingers, but they come packaged as 4, and most eat them as 4.

PAV8888 · May 2020

Or pop tarts (2 to a package, info is for one).

Or... what's the name of the "healthy cookies" that list HALF a cookie for a portion. What the *kitten*? HALF a cookie? You're going to open up a single cookie package and eat HALF? <yes, apparently one of my MFPeops DOES.... they sure ain't me!>

Or... how about some nice 0Cal oil spray or zero Cal condiments (let's not even exclude granulated Splenda from that) since they list a serving size that comes to just under 5 Cal... so they can claim ZERO cal on the package. Except... we tend to use just a "tinge" more than that in actual life.

or... how about the fact that I just went through Domino's Pizza nutrition guide today to double check on my medium pizza slices (even though I log by weight I would expect that the large slice entry I was using would have different ingredient proportions)... and it seems that Domino's have reduced their Calories during the past couple of years even though the ingredient weights have remained the same!?!?!?

Why do I get the feeling that, randomly, manufacturer information is "similar" to logging a "cheesecake slice".... regardless of whether the slice was 1/8th of a 6" cake or 1/8th of a 90.5" cake!!!

RachelAnnSaldana · May 2020

I don’t eat my excercise calories and I don’t like that the app adds the calories onto your total. If I eat the excercise calories I always gain.

moonangel12 · May 2020

Here’s my at-home, personal experience, example for why you can’t always trust “per piece” label amounts...

Only eating 1200 calories a day and not losing Weight

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