Can’t lose weight on 1200 cal per day
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shezian
Posts: 9 Member
I am 49 years old and going through menapause and l have to eat 900 per day to lose weight and exercise at least 3 times per week. Anyone else have the same problem? I weigh everything and do not eat back my exercise calories, l usually lose weight on lite n easy 5 days of 1200 calories per day spread over a week and normally lose about 1/2 kilo per week, but last time l did this for 2 months l only lost 2 kilos. I was so disappointed as that was the only thing that worked! I’m about to give up! I am 153cm tall and 63 kilo. I would like to lose 5 kilos.
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Replies
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No, because no one should have to eat 900 calories a day to lose weight.
How are you determining how much you are eating? Do you use a food scale?12 -
You should try dropping sugar. It's It can be done. It's more work but it can be done. Only have fruits if you need something sweet. No agave no stevia,ect. Try this for a two weeks and let me know how it goes. NO CHEATING! 😁👍💪2
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Yes l weigh everything.0
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Okay, what about your diary entries? Are you using usda entries and nutritional information from the packaging?7
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What's your height and weight, and how much are you trying to lose?8
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If you're only wanting to lose about 10 lbs set your activity level, set your weight loss goal to .5 lbs a week, and eat back your exercise calories. Eating 900 calories a day is dangerous and unhealthy.9
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I'm 4'9 and now maintaining under 100 pounds. If I were only eating 900 calories a day I'd be losing 1 pound a week, assuming I did no intentional walking. You either have a metabolism which is REALLY up the creek (which is very unlikely but worth checking out for reassurance)) or your logging is inaccurate and you are eating much more than you think you are.14 -
No, I don't find that, at age 64. I admit, I'm a good li'l ol' calorie burner - despite being long since past menopausal, severely hypothyroid, sedentary outside of intentional exercise and all that jazz. But I'm losing gradually now on 1850 net calories, at about 0.5lb/week average, just as I'd predict from experience. (I am 165 cm, 59kg.) 1200 calories (plus exercise!) tried to make me sick. Can't imagine 900.
Five kilos isn't much to lose - it will be slow, or at least should be slow, like .25kg/week. A weight-trending app, and a lot of patience, might be helpful. Quick is unlikely.8 -
Gosh there must be something wrong with me then. What do you mean blood work? What am looking for in blood tests? My thyroid is fine, My tracking is perfect I double triple check everything. I’m hungry all the time but l have no other choice but to starve myself to get my weight down. It’s terribly draining. I really thought it was because lm getting older. Thinking of seeing an endocrinologist, not sure if she will be able to help. I think it’s my hormones. My heights is 153cm, weight 63 kilos. I’m 49.6
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Gosh there must be something wrong with me then. What do you mean blood work? What am looking for in blood tests? My thyroid is fine, My tracking is perfect I double triple check everything. I’m hungry all the time but l have no other choice but to starve myself to get my weight down. It’s terribly draining. I really thought it was because lm getting older. Thinking of seeing an endocrinologist, not sure if she will be able to help. I think it’s my hormones. My heights is 153cm, weight 63 kilos. I’m 49.
You have lots of options besides starving yourself. Your heart is a muscle and at 900 calories a day you aren't feeding it. If you are hungry eat.12 -
How about you make your diary public while waiting for a doctors appointment? Others may be able to spot common logging errors. People are convinced their logging is on point here all the time when it actually isn't. I am still well aware of how bad I was when I started doing this, thinking I too was being really accurate.13
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Your weight is already low and you only want to lose a little bit. Losing 1kg per month is normal there! Just accept that it will take time. But you have to fuel your body properly. Your body can only lose a certain amount of fat per day. Once that amount is gone your body munches away on your muscles. This is bad in two respects: a) your heart is a muscle b) osteoporosis. Muscles keep your bones healthy. If you lose muscles your bones will lose strength, and at your age it will be very difficult to build new muscles. Thus slow down, eat properly, preserve your muscles. You need them!12
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What exercise do you do? I only ask because I wonder if strength training might be an option for you? (there are those on this forum who are more knowledgeable than me on this who might advise better). I just wonder if it might help to start building a body frame you are happier with and resistance exercise is beneficial as we age....9
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You could consider increasing your intake to 1200 so it is easier to sustain. You will lose your 5kg more slowly but hopefully you'll feel less hungry and, once the weight is off, it'll stay off. Good luck - I'm sure you can do it!
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Last year I wanted to lose 10-15 pounds. I am barely still 54 and hard to believe perimenopausal, and certifiably hormonally screwed up as verified by my doctors. I was eating the recommended 1200 calories for the first month and began tracking my calories. After reading so much wonderful advice on this site I bought a scale. I weighed everything and was shocked at the discrepancies always to the plus side. I also thought I was eating a lot of protein and was shocked to find I was only averaging 45 g a day. I am very active, and from what I learned on this site I doubled my protein, ate my exercise calories back and magically started losing weight. I had started taking a body pump class and was struggling - as soon as I added the protein I started to also become stronger. I have lost 12 pounds and then became lazy with logging and gained 4 back. Now Back to the grindstone... Good Luck to you!
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Gosh there must be something wrong with me then. What do you mean blood work? What am looking for in blood tests? My thyroid is fine, My tracking is perfect I double triple check everything. I’m hungry all the time but l have no other choice but to starve myself to get my weight down. It’s terribly draining. I really thought it was because lm getting older. Thinking of seeing an endocrinologist, not sure if she will be able to help. I think it’s my hormones. My heights is 153cm, weight 63 kilos. I’m 49.
Would you be willing to temporarily make your diary public? It would really help. Otherwise all we can tell you is your numbers are way out of whack somewhere - either there is some issue with your logging or something medically off that a doctor would need to determine.
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I noticed something I didn't catch the first time reading your OP:<snip> but last time l did this for 2 months l only lost 2 kilos. I was so disappointed as that was the only thing that worked! I’m about to give up! I am 153cm tall and 63 kilo. I would like to lose 5 kilos.
Losing 2 kilos in 2 months is a rate of 0.5lbs per week. Considering you are on the shorter side, and are only slightly overweight, that is a perfectly fine rate of loss. How long have you been eating so little? It could be possible that drastically undereating in an effort to lose weight fast is messing with your hormones and causing water retention and fatigue causing you to exert yourself less without realizing lowering your calories burned.15 -
Shezian, I'm a couple of cm taller than you, my starting weight wasn't much more than you are now and I'm a couple of years older. I'm passed the menopause. It took me over 6 months to lose 5kg, eating 1200 calories a day PLUS my exercise calories. It took me a further 8 months to lose another 5kg. I'm now in maintenance.
You say you're always hungry- the simple answer is to eat more. Put your stats in to the MFP set up screen. Select the smallest rate loss possible. Eat the number of calories allocated (probably 1200) plus your exercise calories. Don't be miserable on 900 calories which will ultimately make you very very ill.
You only want to lose 5kg - expect it to take a long time. Ignore all the adverts you ever see about losing lots of weight really quickly. That's usually water weight in the first instance - and the methods don't lead to long term eating plans that maintain the lower weight.6 -
Ok thanks so much for your advise, but the thing is when l eat 1200 calories per day l am not losing hence why l am eating at 900 cal per day. That’s the only way l actually lose any weight.1
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