Not loosing weight,starving 1500cals

laurenphillips198686
laurenphillips198686 Posts: 15 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I'm 35 female. 5ft7.5 and I weigh 11.4stone.

I have been eating 1500 cals a day and I lost weight for a couple of weeks. I have not lost for weeks and weeks. I've tried long walks, etc eat. And the weight just will not budge.

I'm constantly hungry, most days I eat my meal and I'm hungry within an hour, if not before. It doesn't matter what foods I eat, it always the same.

I'm loosing the will, I don't know what to do. I'm so sick of starving all day every day for absolutely no weight loss at all.

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Replies

  • musicfan68
    musicfan68 Posts: 1,143 Member
    What did you set in MFP as your deficit? Maybe you set a too aggressive goal. What did you set your activity level at?
  • laurenphillips198686
    laurenphillips198686 Posts: 15 Member
    I've done lots off different calculators to see what calories I should be eating to loose weight and they all say approx 1500, but it just will not come off. And there's no way I can eat any less.
  • laurenphillips198686
    laurenphillips198686 Posts: 15 Member
    Well I'm on the borderline of being over weight for my height, I don't need to loose loads though. Right now I'd be happy with half a stone. I physically can't eat any less calories, I'm hungry all the time on 1500. I just feel like not matter what I do, it just won't go away.

    I've questioned am I'm not eating enough? Am I eating too much. I've added in walking 10k to 14 a day. And still the scales don't move. I don't loose in my measurements either!. I'm banging my head against a wall. I feel like it's causing me so much upset.



    yirara wrote: »
    You're fairly tall, and ... about 72kg? With so little to lose the weight will come off slowly. Are you weighing daily, weekly, monthly? Maybe a weight trending app is an option for you to see small changes easier.

    My
  • sonjabeasley46
    sonjabeasley46 Posts: 2 Member
    Start lifting weights and you may need to eat a little more. Also make sure your eating a good amount of protein. Protein usually will help with excessive hunger.
  • laurenphillips198686
    laurenphillips198686 Posts: 15 Member
    sonjabeasley46 wrote: »
    Start lifting weights and you may need to eat a little more. Also make sure your eating a good amount of protein. Protein usually will help with excessive hunger.

    Unfortunately I'm waiting for physio for a back problem, so thats just not an option at the moment
  • musicfan68
    musicfan68 Posts: 1,143 Member
    edited March 2022
    I'll ask again since you didn't answer - a different way. Did you set yourself up to lose 2lb a week and sedentary? If so, you probably can eat more calories, and won't be so hungry.

    ETA: I put your stats in and lightly active, losing .5 lb, since you only want to lose 7 lbs, and I get a calorie goal of 1671.

    Also, how are you measuring your calories - weighing, cups, spoons, eyballing? If you aren't losing, maybe you need to be more precise with your calorie counting.
  • laurenphillips198686
    laurenphillips198686 Posts: 15 Member
    musicfan68 wrote: »
    I'll ask again since you didn't answer - a different way. Did you set yourself up to lose 2lb a week and sedentary? If so, you probably can eat more calories, and won't be so hungry.

    ETA: I put your stats in and lightly active, losing .5 lb, since you only want to lose 7 lbs, and I get a calorie goal of 1671.

    Also, how are you measuring your calories - weighing, cups, spoons, eyballing? If you aren't losing, maybe you need to be more precise with your calorie counting.

    I've tried re adjusting to loose half a pound a week and it's given me 1300 calories. I weigh every single bit of food I eat on kitchen scales and record everything on mfp.
  • musicfan68
    musicfan68 Posts: 1,143 Member
    laurenphillips198686 wrote: »
    musicfan68 wrote: »
    I'll ask again since you didn't answer - a different way. Did you set yourself up to lose 2lb a week and sedentary? If so, you probably can eat more calories, and won't be so hungry.

    ETA: I put your stats in and lightly active, losing .5 lb, since you only want to lose 7 lbs, and I get a calorie goal of 1671.

    Also, how are you measuring your calories - weighing, cups, spoons, eyballing? If you aren't losing, maybe you need to be more precise with your calorie counting.

    I've tried re adjusting to loose half a pound a week and it's given me 1300 calories. I weigh every single bit of food I eat on kitchen scales and record everything on mfp.

    That's weird because I get 1671. You should be eating more at your height and weight.
  • laurenphillips198686
    laurenphillips198686 Posts: 15 Member
    musicfan68 wrote: »
    laurenphillips198686 wrote: »
    musicfan68 wrote: »
    I'll ask again since you didn't answer - a different way. Did you set yourself up to lose 2lb a week and sedentary? If so, you probably can eat more calories, and won't be so hungry.

    ETA: I put your stats in and lightly active, losing .5 lb, since you only want to lose 7 lbs, and I get a calorie goal of 1671.

    Also, how are you measuring your calories - weighing, cups, spoons, eyballing? If you aren't losing, maybe you need to be more precise with your calorie counting.

    I've tried re adjusting to loose half a pound a week and it's given me 1300 calories. I weigh every single bit of food I eat on kitchen scales and record everything on mfp.

    That's weird because I get 1671. You should be eating more at your height and weight.

    Well I have been seriously wondering if my lack of weight loss could be due to not eating enough. But I'm a bit apprehensive to Try upping my calories because I'm scared I might gain.
  • xxzenabxx
    xxzenabxx Posts: 935 Member
    laurenphillips198686 wrote: »
    Well I'm on the borderline of being over weight for my height, I don't need to loose loads though. Right now I'd be happy with half a stone. I physically can't eat any less calories, I'm hungry all the time on 1500. I just feel like not matter what I do, it just won't go away.

    I've questioned am I'm not eating enough? Am I eating too much. I've added in walking 10k to 14 a day. And still the scales don't move. I don't loose in my measurements either!. I'm banging my head against a wall. I feel like it's causing me so much upset.



    yirara wrote: »
    You're fairly tall, and ... about 72kg? With so little to lose the weight will come off slowly. Are you weighing daily, weekly, monthly? Maybe a weight trending app is an option for you to see small changes easier.

    My

    10k-14k is not lightly active. You’re not eating enough! I would assume you are more active than you think. Go to maintenance for 2 weeks and then reduce 200-250 calories from that.
  • laurenphillips198686
    laurenphillips198686 Posts: 15 Member
    xxzenabxx wrote: »
    laurenphillips198686 wrote: »
    Well I'm on the borderline of being over weight for my height, I don't need to loose loads though. Right now I'd be happy with half a stone. I physically can't eat any less calories, I'm hungry all the time on 1500. I just feel like not matter what I do, it just won't go away.

    I've questioned am I'm not eating enough? Am I eating too much. I've added in walking 10k to 14 a day. And still the scales don't move. I don't loose in my measurements either!. I'm banging my head against a wall. I feel like it's causing me so much upset.



    yirara wrote: »
    You're fairly tall, and ... about 72kg? With so little to lose the weight will come off slowly. Are you weighing daily, weekly, monthly? Maybe a weight trending app is an option for you to see small changes easier.

    My

    10k-14k is not lightly active. You’re not eating enough! I would assume you are more active than you think. Go to maintenance for 2 weeks and then reduce 200-250 calories from that.

    I'm going to try adding on 200 calories a day. 1700, hopefully that might take the pressure off of being so hungry all the time. I'm just so scared to gain any weight. I do have quite bad obsessive behaviours when it comes to weight loss, the scales etc
  • laurenphillips198686
    laurenphillips198686 Posts: 15 Member
    sandielewis2001 wrote: »
    Why not up your calories to a maintenance goal? Anything under that goal should go towards a loss and otherwise you should maintain. Give it a month of not stressing and expecting to maintain and see where you are. I always give myself permission to eat up to my maintenance calories if my body tells me I need more food. It helps ease the stress of staying in a strict deficit without worrying about gaining.

    Yes maybe I should try this, I just really really struggle with my weight, the scales I get obsessive and a bit mentally ill over it all. I'm scared if I up my calories I will gain. It really is a huge mental drain on me, and I've litterrly had enough of being starving hungry and getting on the scales just to have lost nothing for 5 weeks
  • laurenphillips198686
    laurenphillips198686 Posts: 15 Member
    PAV8888 wrote: »
    Your numbers AS STATED are not making much sense kind lady.

    I am getting from you: 159.6lbs, 67.5", 35yo, F.

    Are you using a weight trend app for your weight? Do you weight at home or at the "chemist"? Is your scale on carpet or other yielding surface? Are you comparing your weight to previous similar points of your menstrual cycle?

    You are walking 10+Km a day. You are NOT SEDENTARY. You are trying to apply an extreme deficit for your current conditions and you are getting a reaction from your body.

    You may believe that the sledgehammer method will work. Your inner workings are not going to allow you to drive them to the ground.

    Either you will be flexible enough to work with what you've got. Or you will keep banging your head on a wall... and the concussion will not be fun.

    Yada yada yada... I am fairly sure we're close enough in terms of height that for you to go 10Km in distance is putting your daily step count in the 15K range or more. Which in MFP speak would make you VERY ACTIVE (not sedentary). Plugging your numbers into sailrabbit... would have you closer to losing weight at 2K Cal as opposed to 1500, given the activity level.

    WOULD THE LOSS BE AS FAST AS YOU WANT. The answer to that is probably no.

    But you know what GUARANTEES no loss? UNSUSTAINABILITY to the point of NON ADHERENCE guarantees no loss.

    Time to pivot and get to a level where hunger and exercise are at a level that you can ADHERE TO. doesn't matter how slow it is at that point... because you can adhere to it.... in other words you can keep going.

    Time is on your side. If you let it work some magic.

    Currently you're setting up for a hormonally driven rebound and weight gain.
    NO-ONE can control that.
    And if you find me the one or two people who have managed to... it sure isn't the play option I would chose to go with!

    Beyond that... you're ALREADY at a healthy weight which makes fast loss attempts even more questionable!

    https://www.smartbmicalculator.com/result.html?unit=2&hf=5&hi=7.5&ws=11&wl=5.6&us=1&ua=35&ue=0&gs=&gl=

    There is no "more healthy because I'm lower" and "less healthy because I am higher" when it comes to the normal weight zone.

    ALL that the normal weight zone tells us is that SOMEWHERE in that zone PROBABLY a person with your height will be at a weight that presents the less amount of health related challenges.

    It COULD be that MY healthy point in that zone is at BMI 20 and YOUR healthiest part in that zone is at BMI 24.9. But we have no way of knowing that based on the crude measure we are using. (or, let's be honest, probably ever)

    A lot depends on your physical build and on the amount of muscle you have. And your doctor is probably the person who can best opine as to whether there exist a benefit for you to lose weight or not.

    By the way: weight loss does not equal increased physical performance or the other way round. You can get healthier with or without weight changes.

    But you can't get healthier by driving yourself into a wall.

    Thanks for all the info you have given me, when I say 10k, I actually ment 10k steps in a day. Not 10k distance. Not sure how much difference that makes. And yes I'm 159lbs and I'm 5ft 7in. I weigh on digital scales at home, always same time of day, and in the exact same place, on hard kitchen floor.
  • PAV8888
    PAV8888 Posts: 14,238 Member
    edited March 2022
    10K steps would put you in the MFP category of "Active" without adding anything extra for the activities that got you there. Not exactly the way mfp intends as the intention of mfp is for you to be adding deliberate exercise separately. However, I've had relatively good luck lumping walking type activity into general daily activity myself without logging it separately hence the approximations described.
  • paperpudding
    paperpudding Posts: 9,279 Member
    I've tried re adjusting to loose half a pound a week and it's given me 1300 calories.

    I dont understand that.

    You are taller than me, younger than me, same starting weight - MFP gave me 1460 to lose at 1/2 pound per week.
    That was on setting of lightly active.
    1460 NET - so that plus excercise calories

  • kissanyacat
    kissanyacat Posts: 11 Member
    I’ve found increasing protein makes me full longer and adding weight lifting to get lean muscle helps too
  • spw1274
    spw1274 Posts: 6 Member
    I’m a 50 yr old man with a similar issue. I’ve lost 100 lbs over the last 18 months but stuck at the 185 - 190 lb range. I was turned onto “reverse dieting”. It’s essentially slowly increasing your caloric intake over time. I went from 1400 calories/day to 2400 calories/day over a few months and actually lost a few lbs. it was nice eating more without gaining weight. The next phase was to cut calories for a period of time to promote weight loss. I track every morsel and workout just about everyday of the week. I know how frustrating it can be
  • antigymrat
    antigymrat Posts: 8 Member
    See your doctor as it might be a medical issue (like your hormones are really doing a number on you this month)...but if it is not a medical issue then finding a balance is key. Maybe you are restricting your calories too much so your body is really holding onto what you do eat and eating a bit more might help...maybe you need to kick your exercise up a notch in intensity. Losing weight isn't a linear event, it happens in spurts.
  • wilson10102018
    wilson10102018 Posts: 1,306 Member
    I get 1700 calories per week for a 1/2 pound loss. This is a marginal area where poor logging, poor weighing, poor data base choices, water and waste accumulation will skew the weigh-in all to hell. So you have to count rigorously and give it 8 weeks. And, human nature being what it is, the hungrier you are the more inaccurate your diary will be. Just saying. And, switch to 1700 calories but count every cough drop and milk in your tea. At least till is starts to work for you.
  • Seasonal_One
    Seasonal_One Posts: 49 Member
    wilson10102018 wrote: »
    I get 1700 calories per week for a 1/2 pound loss. This is a marginal area where poor logging, poor weighing, poor data base choices, water and waste accumulation will skew the weigh-in all to hell. So you have to count rigorously and give it 8 weeks. And, human nature being what it is, the hungrier you are the more inaccurate your diary will be. Just saying. And, switch to 1700 calories but count every cough drop and milk in your tea. At least till is starts to work for you.

    This would be my vote for post of the day. You have a fine line between maintenance and losing and you may be on the wrong side, just barely.
  • hhjs2021
    hhjs2021 Posts: 14 Member
    I would really suggest reading this back to yourself and imagine what you would advise a friend, child, sibling with the same issue.. If you're hungry all the time you're probably not giving your body enough food. I do 10-14k steps a day on a work day, lifting and shifting heavy things around. I'm heavier then you and shorter so it won't exactly match but my Fitbit normally gives me 500-1000 extra calories for that level of activity, I don't necessarily eat that much but if I don't have a more food to account for that I would be starving. Sending compassion, I hope you have someone you can talk to - uou don't have to live life going hungry and bring miserable when you have access to food.
  • ahoy_m8
    ahoy_m8 Posts: 3,053 Member
    Hi, OP. You have received really good advice. One more question: when you say you lost initially but it’s “been weeks and weeks” at the same weight, how many weeks exactly?

    It’s not uncommon to see no significant scale movement (just ups and downs around the same weight) for 3 weeks or so then *whoosh* 3 weeks worth of loss in a day or two. For many people, loss is not steady or even; instead it comes in lumps even with magnificently steady effort. This explains the “whoosh” phenomenon: https://bodyrecomposition.com/fat-loss/of-whooshes-and-squishy-fat

    Good luck!
  • Bridgie3
    Bridgie3 Posts: 139 Member
    I'd say go up to 1750 calories a day, and give yourself a break. you're overexercising, so that will be causing your muscles to retain water... You need to slow down and just chill. Good things take time. :)

    Also my personal bid for not being hungry is high fat low carb. I now find carbs virtually MAKE me hungry: I swear. I eat them and in 2 hrs I am starving. But if I have a big meal of bacon, eggs, avocado, tomato, salad, cucumber... and a pudding of berries and yoghurt? I am not hungry till the next day.

    And I'm on 1200 calories a day. Sometimes I have 800. I eat enough to not be hungry, and with high fat low carb that's way less than any other diet I've been on.

  • laurenphillips198686
    laurenphillips198686 Posts: 15 Member
    Bridgie3 wrote: »
    I'd say go up to 1750 calories a day, and give yourself a break. you're overexercising, so that will be causing your muscles to retain water... You need to slow down and just chill. Good things take time. :)

    Also my personal bid for not being hungry is high fat low carb. I now find carbs virtually MAKE me hungry: I swear. I eat them and in 2 hrs I am starving. But if I have a big meal of bacon, eggs, avocado, tomato, salad, cucumber... and a pudding of berries and yoghurt? I am not hungry till the next day.

    And I'm on 1200 calories a day. Sometimes I have 800. I eat enough to not be hungry, and with high fat low carb that's way less than any other diet I've been on.

    I have done low carb before, I actually lost a stone and half over a year ago doing keto. But when I cut out carbs, or even cut down to under 100g a day, I get really really bad insomnia to the point where even sleeping pills don't get me to sleep. It's absolutely un bearable.
  • anehcar
    anehcar Posts: 6 Member
    How much are you drinking? I find that drinking all day long has meant I’m never hungry. Also I have soup with most meals - as little as 77 calories in a tin and then plenty of calories left for my main.

    Maybe eating foods with more content will help you not to feel hungry. I also chew sugar free gum which helps me not to feel hungry.

    Last little trick - sugar free jelly.

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