I have not lost a pound - and iota been a month

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Exercising and sticking to 1200 calories a day. Any suggestions.
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  • ILiftHeavyAcrylics
    ILiftHeavyAcrylics Posts: 27,732 Member
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    Open your diary. Also, you are very close to your goal weight, so if you set MFP to 2 lbs per week it's likely not a realistic goal. Try 1 lb or .5 lbs per week. You also need to eat back at least part of your exercise calories if you aren't doing that already. Other than that, we need to see your diary to offer good advice.
  • Adina81
    Adina81 Posts: 252 Member
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    It's been 4 for me. Lost my first pound today...off to the races from here.

    Stick with it
  • MyaPapaya75
    MyaPapaya75 Posts: 3,143 Member
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    your diary is private...could be anything ...food choices..sodium etc
  • rainunrefined
    rainunrefined Posts: 850 Member
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    Are you eating back any of your exercise calories?
  • roguex_1979
    roguex_1979 Posts: 247 Member
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    If you have been strictly sticking to your diet and exercise goal, try shaking your body up a bit and have a couple of days off - otherwise known as a spike day (but don't eat so much that you put on more than 1lb). It should help your body realise you're not 'starving' and it will 'lower it's defences'...as it were. When you start diet and exercise again, you should find you'll lose a couple of lbs quite quickly.

    Good luck!
  • Keegansmum6
    Keegansmum6 Posts: 193 Member
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    Try eating at least some of your exercise calories =)
  • daveainsworth
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    Go back and check again. Your weight is governed by a simple formula:

    Calories in > calories out = weight gain
    Calories in < calories out = weight loss

    If you are not losing weight, you are missing something, or miscounting something.

    Without seeing your diary I don't know what.

    One possibility is that MFP is over-counting some of the exercise you do. I think its estimates for both walking and running are extremely generous.

    Some other suggestions:

    Eat real food. Nothing processed. Get five portions of fruit and veg a day.
    Go through your cupboards and throw out anything high in fat and sugar.
    Check you're not getting ambushed by things you thought were healthy but are really calorific - olive oil, full-fat milk, bread.
    Check you're not taking in more alcohol calories than you think. Booze can play havoc with your targets.
    Make sure your portions are the size they think you are.

    Also, try to build a margin of error into your diary. If hitting the target isn't doing it, try to hit 10 per cent less than your target to give yourself a bit of space.
  • longhorngirl131
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    I have the exact same problem. I am trying to stay very close to my goal calorie and also working out about 5 times a week. But I havent lost a single pound or inches. My diary is open. Please help.
  • bprague
    bprague Posts: 564 Member
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    you probably are not eating enough. Make sure you have calculated how many calories it takes to power your body. If you go below that, you won't lose efficiently.
  • astrampe
    astrampe Posts: 2,169 Member
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    Longhorngirl, I looked through your diary and you are over most days....Some days you did not fill in anything, and the days you were under goal, it was not with much...try to stay under goal more and limit the overs.....
  • sabinecbauer
    sabinecbauer Posts: 250 Member
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    Same problem here. After some initial loss I've been fluctuating like crazy, but I haven't lost an ounce in two weeks. If anything, I'm trending up. 1200 kcal, daily exercise (cardio & strength). I've tried both eating back and staying slightly under 1200--neither makes a blind bit of difference.

    I need some fresh ideas, because I'm at the point of throwing in the towel--not least because this is only the latest in a string of identical diet experiences. Diary is open.
  • mallory3411
    mallory3411 Posts: 839 Member
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    Eat more! I bet you guys aren't eating enough if you are working out. You need to NET at least 1200 calories a day and even that may be far too low.
  • sabinecbauer
    sabinecbauer Posts: 250 Member
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    I'm aware of that, Mallory. If you look at my diary you'll see that I've been trying both eating back calories and sticking to 1200. Neither works.
  • mallory3411
    mallory3411 Posts: 839 Member
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    Sabine... what is your height and weight? 1200 calories may be too low for you
  • sabinecbauer
    sabinecbauer Posts: 250 Member
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    I'm 5'6" and currently 157 lbs. And yes, this is within spitting distance of my normal weight range, so I've been expecting a slower loss, but not what's happening now :(
  • ILiftHeavyAcrylics
    ILiftHeavyAcrylics Posts: 27,732 Member
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    Your numbers are consistently low. The first thing I'd do is make sure you're accurately measuring everything and getting as accurate a count on exercise as possible. The second thing I'd do is make sure you're eating all your calories. You're close to your goal, like I said, so you need to be eating at only a modest deficit (I believe 20% off your TDEE is recommended). Go set your goal to .5 lbs per week and then eat the number of calories MFP gives you. If that doesn't work, then try eating maintenance for a couple of weeks and then go back to a deficit. That's what broke my seemingly never ending plateau (3 months with no budge at all on the scale).

    Also do not be so quick to throw out everything with fat in it. Some fats are good for you and promote weight loss. Avacados, nuts, and olive oil are healthy sources of fat as long as they are used in moderation and measured accurately for calorie content.
  • ILiftHeavyAcrylics
    ILiftHeavyAcrylics Posts: 27,732 Member
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    sabine the best thing to do IMO is choose one strategy and stick with it awhile, at least 3 weeks or so, to see whether it's working before you switch. You won't be able to tell whether eating back your calories is working or not unless you give it a decent amount of time. Also make sure you're logging both food and exercise as accurately as possible and taking measurements. Stick with it!
  • swissmiss8
    swissmiss8 Posts: 13 Member
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    Like you I have now opened up my food journal. I have been eating some of my exercise calories which I may have to rethink. I am almost 49 and going through some hormone changes - I hate to think that weight gain is just a natural and unavoidable consequence!

    Keep it up. I travelling to Maui in March and I just want to loose 5 pounds.
  • mboutselis
    mboutselis Posts: 18 Member
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    I am doing the insanity program. My goal is to loose between 25 and 30 lbs. My diary is "public," so check it out and let me know your thoughts if I am on the right track...I am new to this, so trying to do my best, but there is so much info out there that it is hard to figure out the best method. I purchased a Heart Rate Monitor to check my calorie burn during work outs and have been eating 5 small meals a day (generally between 200-300 calories each). MFP recommends 1500 calories a day for me.

    Any advice on how you've achieved your goals will be a huge help!
  • ILiftHeavyAcrylics
    ILiftHeavyAcrylics Posts: 27,732 Member
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    I am doing the insanity program. My goal is to loose between 25 and 30 lbs. My diary is "public," so check it out and let me know your thoughts if I am on the right track...I am new to this, so trying to do my best, but there is so much info out there that it is hard to figure out the best method. I purchased a Heart Rate Monitor to check my calorie burn during work outs and have been eating 5 small meals a day (generally between 200-300 calories each). MFP recommends 1500 calories a day for me.

    Any advice on how you've achieved your goals will be a huge help!

    If you're doing insanity my understanding is that you should be eating a lot more. You probably should start a new thread to ask-- there are a lot of people here who have done it and I believe they said the minimum calories needed was 1800. I could be wrong though, so definitely ask in the forum.