Aiming for 2lb pw - eating 1200cals - getting 1lb pw if I'm

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cesmith5
cesmith5 Posts: 28
in Health and Weight Loss
I'm 224lbs aiming to get down to 154lbs and the weight's not shifting. I'm aiming for 2lb pw eating the recommended 1200cals pd - doing hard exercise and eating most of those cals back but only getting 1lb pw if I'm lucky. I was thinking about going up to 1400cals pd but then I might not lose anything!
Any ideas anyone? please:angry:
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Replies

  • natashamcn
    natashamcn Posts: 145 Member
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    How long have you been at this?
  • dg09
    dg09 Posts: 754
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    How many weeks have you been at it? If it's just a few I'd say give it more time.

    Water fluctuations could be masking your weight loss. I pack on 5-7lbs of water weight the day after my cheat days on Monday, it takes me 3-4 days to lose it. You could easily be losing 2lbs of fat maybe more, but storing extra water for whatever reason, giving you a false reading.

    Just keep at it and don't get discouraged. You could also maybe let people here look at your diary to see if there's anything you could change in your diet, I'm not really good with that stuff though.
  • cesmith5
    cesmith5 Posts: 28
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    I've been at it for several years - eating between 1200 and 1500 cals pd without success. On MFP for 25days and sticking at 1200 cals pd apart from when I eat back the exercise cals. I'm hitting the targets for nutrition (protein / carbs / 5aday etc).
  • dg09
    dg09 Posts: 754
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    I'd suggest then to open up your food diary and letting people see if there's anything you can tweak in it.
  • Sabineslims
    Sabineslims Posts: 70
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    My body always struggles to lose weight with 1,200 calories. I'm always much more successful with at least 1,400. Maybe give yourself a test week and see what the results are :) If what you are doing is not and has not been working, you have to try something new. You can't expect different results with the same routine. Something has to change.

    Also, perhaps take a look at what you are eating. Is it high in sodium? What kind of carbs are you eating? Are you incorporating variety in to your diet?
  • 2012x
    2012x Posts: 149 Member
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    When i weighed over 200 i was eating 1500 day plus
  • XXXMinnieXXX
    XXXMinnieXXX Posts: 3,459 Member
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    I'd open your diary for advice x
  • crystal2012215
    crystal2012215 Posts: 4
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    My weight and goals are almost the same as yours start at 220 end at 150 .....don't give up keep trying i eat carbs one day none the next as in bread cereal pasta rice etc it seems to work for my body also try fluctuating your calories 1500 one day 1200 the next
    maybe your body just needs a surprise I too wish it would come of quicker but they say the slower you lose the more likely it will stay off . Good luck and don't worry it will come off some times it just takes a while...I keep telling myself the same thing.
  • cjaharmon
    cjaharmon Posts: 46 Member
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    My doctor said even one lb weight lose is better then nothing. And they say 1 to 1.5 a week is healthy.
  • RockChick1984
    RockChick1984 Posts: 239
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    you are the exact same start weight i was, and i want to finish around 150 also... MFP set me up with 1200 cals, but after 2 weeks of pathetic losses i realised my body was hanging onto fat as i was in starvation mode, have since upped it to 1480, and even around 1650 and i seemed to be losing slightly better... just play around and see what feels right for you... feel free to add me for support and share tips if you like... good luck
  • Cathnger
    Cathnger Posts: 72
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    Why not try for just 1 whole week not doing any exercise and eating purely 1,200cals per day. Then see what the scales say, if you only lose 1lb then - there must be something in your diet thats not accurate maybe. Just a thought, thats what I would do anyway.
  • TriedEverything
    TriedEverything Posts: 175 Member
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    I'm afraid I've no real advice to offer, but I'm interested to see what others say, as I seem to be in a similar position as you. And it's not as though I've already lost loads of weight! I still have loads to lose, but it's moving infuriatingly slowly. :frown:

    I really wonder sometimes about eating back the exercise calories - I know everyone says it's the right thing to do, but I think I might try NOT eating them back.

    Hope you find a way to get things moving again! (& if you do, let me know & I'll copy you! :laugh: )
  • luvapooh
    luvapooh Posts: 5
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    I am also in the same range but MFP set me up with 1630 calories. I have tried 1200 in the past and my doctor said that wasn't enough and my body was in "starvation mode" holding onto the fat. My weight loss has only been one lb a week but I'll take that since I can't workout bc of my back issues.
  • LillysGranny
    LillysGranny Posts: 431
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    Are you using a heart rate monitor to calculate your exercise calories? If you've just started working out, you may not be getting anywhere near the averages MFP calculates for exercise---and this seems to be especially true for the bigger people I work out with (and yes, they seem to be working HARD!) For example, I had a woman in my kickboxing class that MFP was calculating at over 1000 calories per hour, but when she finally got an HRM, it turned out to be more like 700....Her results had been like yours---doing everything right and more or less maintaining. Once she got her burn correct, she was able to hit the right intake and started losing "on schedule".
  • MrsSherrill
    MrsSherrill Posts: 58
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    check your BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate) which you can find in the tools tab at the top of the page. Thats the amount of calories that your body should be eating daily for your weight, hight and age. anything below your BMR could be too little for you and might be putting you into starvation mode. MFP set me up at 1200 calories but when i checked my BMR it was 1422 so i try to eat at least that everyday. your BMR will change as your weight changes so make sure you check it as you lose weight as it will change. hope that helps. =)
  • cesmith5
    cesmith5 Posts: 28
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    I do use a HRM which is really helpful - makes sure my heart rate's up there working hard and calculates the calories for me.

    My BRM is 1657 but I thought you had to knock a fair bit off to lose weight and MFP recommended 1200 for 2lb pw
  • Kim55555
    Kim55555 Posts: 987 Member
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    Your not eating enough!

    Try this: Eat 1800 gross calories per day for 8 weeks and report back here with your fat loss results! ;)

    ps throw out the scale for the 8 weeks!
  • 1bubblybroad
    1bubblybroad Posts: 16
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    2 lb pw is too much. I know it feels like it shouldn't be I tried to start off there too. I was at 200 lbs and I'm 5'4. After a couple weeks of starving and not seeing much success, I changed my goals to the reccommended 1 lb pw and boosted up to 1420 cals pd. I do exercise and eat back about half the exercise cals. This made a big difference for me! I saw better results on the scale and I felt physically better. Not starving. Good luck to you.
  • ladyraven68
    ladyraven68 Posts: 2,003 Member
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    I do use a HRM which is really helpful - makes sure my heart rate's up there working hard and calculates the calories for me.

    My BRM is 1657 but I thought you had to knock a fair bit off to lose weight and MFP recommended 1200 for 2lb pw

    Don't confuse BMR for TDEE.

    BMR is what your body would need if you were in a coma
    Then you apply a multiplier depending on how active you are, to get your Total Daily Energy Expenditure

    Have a look here.

    http://www.fat2fitradio.com/
  • cesmith5
    cesmith5 Posts: 28
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    Thanks

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