5'3 122 lb woman REALLY wanting to lose 15 lbs! Need tips!

Hey The only solution that I can suggest is the p90-x program it really works and works and you will be in the best shape of your like. This program is awesome you will never see such fast results as you will with the p90-x . Try it you won't be disappointed I promises. It is only about 120.00 cheaper than any gym membership. Buy the recovery drink too tast great and also helps with sore mussels too!!

Is it possible I'm not eating enough calories? I guess I thought the less I would eat the more I would lose weight.

Most people think this, and this is where a big problem lies. Without going into the science too deeply, I will try to explain a core concept to fat loss. We need to burn the fat and feed the muscle at the same time. Basically, cardio and weight training burns the fat, but in order for your body to do this correctly and efficiently, you need to be feeding the muscle with nutritious food. So thinking this way, it becomes clear that eating less can stunt your progress, if not completely stop it, because you are not giving your muscles what they need to get through the exercises which in turn burn the fat.

Oftentimes, people go into what is called starvation mode where they eat too few calories and the body simulataneously holds on to the body fat it has because the brain realizes that it is not getting nourished from food that it wants. The body fat is stored and used sparingly to keep your body alive and in check. People can go for literally months without food! This is why. When you increase how much you are eating, what you are actually doing is giving your lean muscle the fuel it needs to work. When this happens, the lean mass pushes through exercise which we already know burns fat and causes you to lose weight.

Long story short: eat more nutritious food and your body will in turn work better at burning fat.

Took me years to believe that, but when I started putting it into practice, the body fat started melting right off of me. :):):) Good luck!

So I've read through all of the post and gosh its just insane how much info is out there that is either straight up wrong or could be taken the wrong way.

First and foremost let me tell you I'm in my senior year studying to become a Registered Dietician. My biggest advice for you if you really believe you need to lose 15 more lbs is to see a registered dietician. They can assess everything in your diet and tell you whats going on. I don't think you need to lose weight and I don't care what the body fat % scale said, you should get your body fat % tested by a professional, usually they'll dunk you in water, or theres an expensive test called a DEXA scan, dont trust a body fat scale a theres so many factors that play into how accurate they are.

However if you want to lose weight (theres a difference between want and need- you are healthy and active so you don't need to lose weight) you need to EAT some more!! 1000 cals a day and are doing intense workouts, you are actually doing your body more harm than good. When you workout muscle is being broken down and you're body can't rebuild that muscle if you're not even giving it enough calories to do basic functions every day. You should get your basal metabolic rate(BMR) calculated, I'm pretty sure MFP has a calculator for that. Eat at least that much everyday, I'm 5'3" and mine is around 1400ish cals a day. When you use MFP for weight loss and use the built in plans it puts your calorie count under your BMR and then tells you to eat your exercise calories. That works for individuals who have quite a bit of weight to lose but for someone who is at a healthy weight and is looking to lose that last 10-15lbs the game is different. I HIGHLY suggest you get Jillian Michael's Book Making the Cut Its a program specifically for people trying to lose the last 10-20lbs. If you aren't eating enough your body holds on to every ounce of fat it has left, and hangs on for dear life. If you continue the work outs and eating only 1000cals a day you'll start feeling weaker and weaker, not be able to keep up with your workouts that you were doing before, and if it goes on for long enough you'll actually start getting sick more often, your body will breakdown muscle for energy, break down bones and other tissues for essential minerals and vitamins you're not getting for such a strict diet. Its just bad news to drop so low with your calorie count. And if you have muscle from working out so much, your BMR is higher than a normal individual's and you require more calories so eating only 1000 cals is even more dangerous

Also, consider taking an extra day off a week from exercise every couple of weeks, just give your body time to recover and rest.

If you teach your body that you will give it exactly what it needs throughout the day by eating fruits veggies 100% whole wheat products lean meats healthy fats and time your meals right throughout the day (every 4 hours, breakfast, lunch, snack, dinner) And continue with workouts you love that continue to challenge your body you'll see a change in your body but its going to take time, don't be surprised if you don't lose 1lb a week like people who have more weight to lose.

I hope that helps a bit, but again see a registered dietician so they can get a nutrition assessment on you in person and take any other measurements etc. Since you're eating so little you may have nutrient deficiency that they can catch as well. And buy Jilliian's book, its amazing and so is her book Master Your Metabolism! And I'm going to try to find a link for you to another post that I think you should read, its specifically for short small women trying to lose weight.