I am new to MFP, but not to trying to lose weight

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Marti4Fit
Marti4Fit Posts: 1 Member
in Introduce Yourself
I joined Take Shape for Life on Jan 1st. The program uses Medifast meals and then allows a "Lean & Green" meal for dinner. When I first started the plan, I lost a lot of water weight. But, now the scales are not budging! My caloric intake is 1,000 per day, 45 grams of carbs, 13 fat grams, over 100 grams of protein, and 25 grams of fiber. I use a heart rate monitor to track my workouts. I burn right at 900 - 1,000 per day through exercise alone. I burn right under 3,000 a day with excercise and daily activities. I measure and calculate everything I do and eat to a T. I drink 2.5 - 3 liters of water a day. WHY AM I NOT LOSING?!?! In 13 days I lost 2 pounds? How is that possible?! I am so frustrated! I am not going to quit exercising because I love it and NEED it! But, is this Medifast plan all it is cracked up to be??? I just started MFP today.

Replies

  • GreekByMarriage
    GreekByMarriage Posts: 320 Member
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    :huh:
  • yesthistime
    yesthistime Posts: 2,051 Member
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    So you are trying to lose weight?
  • kimmie185
    kimmie185 Posts: 550 Member
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    I think i misunderstand your heading? It says your not trying to lose weight, but your thread when I read says you are frusterated because you can't lose weight???

    humm...

    anywho, Welcome :flowerforyou:
  • jimmie25
    jimmie25 Posts: 266
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    your title says you're not trying to lose weight but you're frustrated that you're not losing weight?
  • hillm12345
    hillm12345 Posts: 313 Member
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    sounds like you're not eating enough calories.
    but i'm no mathematician
  • AlexPflug
    AlexPflug Posts: 132 Member
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    I know nothing about Medifast, but if you are eating 1000 calories and burning 1000 calories, you are running on empty, and your body probably thinks it's starving. You cannot do that to yourself. Your body will retain your weight and you will start losing mass, but it will most likely be muscle mass.
  • hope516
    hope516 Posts: 1,133 Member
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    anybody else confused :huh:
  • krystinaarlene
    krystinaarlene Posts: 54 Member
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    She's saying she's not new to trying to lose weight. Meaning that she has been trying and is still trying.

    And yes, I agree you are eating WAY too little. You're body thinks it's starving.
  • Blakkmale2001
    Blakkmale2001 Posts: 14
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    yeah son..youre strarving...
  • kardsharp
    kardsharp Posts: 618 Member
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    No Medifast is not all it's cracked up to be. Get off of that stuff fast. Eat healthy balanced food choiced at at least 1200 calories a day. When you exercise caculate those calories and eat some of them back.

    Welcome and good luck

    Namaste, Kristine
  • robinogue
    robinogue Posts: 1,117 Member
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    anybody else confused :huh:

    very.....
  • JPod279
    JPod279 Posts: 722 Member
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    For those who say they do not understand.....she is saying she is new to this site, but not new to trying to lose weight.

    You are putting your body into starvation mode and that is why you are not losing weight. Search this site for eating exercise calories back and you will get about 50 gajillion responses on how your body works.
  • TriumphNow
    TriumphNow Posts: 526 Member
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    So you are you trying to lose weight or not? You're post title conflicts with your post. My first thought is that you're not eating enough, especially if you burn 900 to 1000 calories a day with exercise.
  • treetop57
    treetop57 Posts: 1,578 Member
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    "I am new to MFP, but not to trying to lose weight" means "I am new to MFP, but I am not new to trying to lose weight."

    I didn't see the "to" before "trying" the first time I read it, but it's crucial to the meaning of the sentence.

    Hope that helps!
  • TriumphNow
    TriumphNow Posts: 526 Member
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    For those who say they do not understand.....she is saying she is new to this site, but not new to trying to lose weight.

    You are putting your body into starvation mode and that is why you are not losing weight. Search this site for eating exercise calories back and you will get about 50 gajillion responses on how your body works.

    Ok, got it now. My response is still the same though...you're not eating enough.
  • megsmom2
    megsmom2 Posts: 2,362 Member
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    I misread her title too...she is trying to lose weight...and is not new to that concept.
    But..you lost 2 lbs over less than two weeks? And you're not happy? Not getting that part. I don't know anything about the program you're on, but if you're trying to lose lots of weight really quickly, I'm not sure this is the place to get a lot of support. MFP is more about doing it healthfully, which usually translates to a pound or two a week, and eating real food, just differently than we used to.
    It does sound to me like you're in a starvation mode and your body is panicking, trying to hang onto mass. You should try eating more, and more real food. Give it a try! Might help! Best of luck to you, I hope everyone here is helping you. They're a good bunch.
  • manderson27
    manderson27 Posts: 3,510 Member
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    Hi, always nice to have new members here.

    If you are not new to losing weight then you probably already know that you need to eat healthy well balanced meals and that you shouldn't go under 1200 calories net. So if you are only eating 1000 cals and then burning a similar amount or more through excercise you are not giving your body any fuel and that is dangerous

    Your body will not funtion properly on so little nutrition try and eat a minimum of 1200 calories plus some of your excercise calories and I am sure you will start losing.

    Good luck :flowerforyou:
  • gsager
    gsager Posts: 977 Member
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    If you are burning 1000 calories exercising and on a 1000 calories diet for MFP you should be eating 2000 to cover what you burned. The way that you are eating and exercising is just going to slow your metabolism and make you fatter. You may not be new to losing weight but it sounds like you're new to doing it successfully. Good luck.
  • Fitness4Paul
    Fitness4Paul Posts: 166 Member
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    That's right. This is a huge posting I kept because it explains things really well. See below

    ​Great question! To start, I would like to clarify that eating 1200 calories to lose weight is fine for some people, and not others. It may be too low. So for those of you that are interested in calorie counting, you must check a program first like the one listed above, as the amount can be influenced with your activity level, your height, and your age. When you're eating 1200 calories per day you would likely lose weight without exercise. So when you add exercise in there, and burn another 600 calories, you leave your body only 600 calories to use for energy throughout your day. This is not good. Not only will this make you tired and quite possibly *****y, but your body will start going into starvation mode. This is a fact my friends! Our bodies are absolutely brilliant, and we are made to survive. This is what our bodies want, and will do anything to obtain. Therefore, when you eat too little, your body will hang onto everything you eat...just in case it doesn't get enough calories today, and/or the next day. When you eat just enough calories for your body, your body will be satisfied, and will burn the calories for energy. This is what you want because this will also make you feel energized, and it will feed the muscles we are working so hard to get :) Therefore, when you workout, yes you want to replace the calories lost, and you want to replace it with healthy food choices and not look at it as an excuse to hit the Toonie Tuesday fast food restaurant on your way home. Working out is awesome for losing weight because there is a calorie deficit, but more importantly, it helps you relieve stress so you don't stress eat, and it also helps you build lean muscle so your body is strong and burning calories at rest all day long. Remember, every pound of muscle you have on your body, you burn and extra 50-100 calories doing nothing per day! If you want to get this lean muscle, you must eat back a proper amount of calories after our workouts. So no, you are not defeating the purpose by eating back some of the calories lost during a workout. Another point I would like to make is that when people create a calorie deficit of course they're going to lose weight initially. You just need to be mindful how much of a deficit you've created. If it is too much of a deficit, you'll lose for a couple weeks, and you'll lose fast. The only thing is that it is not maintainable. You're body will start craving food like crazy, and when you start to feed yourself a proper amount of calories, your body will pack on pounds because it is scared that it will soon run into another famine, trying to survive on low calories. It will want to preserve the calories it is getting as a "safety net". Therefore, you want to lose weight by taking calories out in a smart way. This can simply be through healthy eating and exercise. Our workouts can burn anywhere from 300-800 calories per hour. This depends on how hard you work, your current weight, and the type of workout we do for that day. Another deficit you can create in a healthy way is through your food. Counting calories is a great way to show you portion control, so you start to learn what your body needs. I do believe that counting calories at the beginning of a weight loss journey is good as it teaches you about types of food and the calories they contain, along with the amount necessary for you. Portion control is great thing to learn in this day and age with "supersize this, and 2 for 1 that", because we have portion distortion when it comes to food. Nonetheless, if this is something that you can't find the time to do, or something you don't want to do forever, listening to your body is very important as well. If you're cutting back on your calories, working out, and are well hydrated but notice you're always tired, one of the reasons could be because you've cut out too many calories. Adding in an apple a day, or some cottage cheese could make the world of difference. Cookies don't usually fit the bill. Overall, being mindful of the types of foods you eat while working out, is likely going to work for some as well. Kicking the late night snacking can slash a couple hundred calories a week - or more! Switching from double double coffee to black can cut back calories, opting for an actual piece of fruit compared to a glass of juice can make a difference. Make small changes that cut back calories in a smart way....don't overdo it and put your body into starvation mode. It will be the start of habitual yo-yo dieting. Yikes! Balance it out so it is a lifestyle you can maintain :)

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