I am not losing weight...ugh

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  • chevy88grl
    chevy88grl Posts: 3,937 Member
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    I truly think that 1200 calories isn't enough for you.

    Do you know what your BMR is? How about your TDEE? These won't give you an exact, set in stone number but they will definitely be a starting point. They'll give you an idea of how many calories you're burning in a day and therefore how many you should be eating. For most people, 1200 calories isn't enough calories. Yes, there are some people that do very well on 1200, but most people NEED more calories in a day. I suspect you are one of them.

    Also, the weight gain is probably water retention from your period and will drop back off. But, if I were you, I would start doing the research now and make sure you aren't creating too large of a deficit. Too large of a deficit = stalled or stopped weight loss. You HAVE to give your body the proper fuel if you want it to lose weight.
  • hayess85
    hayess85 Posts: 2
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    FYI: I didn't do any strength training either and still built muscle in my legs, arms and core from swimming and the elliptical.
  • simplebeauty
    simplebeauty Posts: 22 Member
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    Don't worry about the "weight loss"...at this point I think your body just needs to become healthy...but too...muscle "weighs" more than fat, so as you are creating muscle...the scale will change...that being said, the scale may not be your friend at the moment, so I would just go by the feel of your clothes and measurements...that is more accurate then the scale.
  • WittneeT29
    WittneeT29 Posts: 47 Member
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    I agree that you should definitely be eating more... It isn't healthy to eat too few calories this early on. You want your diet to be sustainable!

    With that said, DO NOT WORRY SO MUCH ABOUT THE SCALE! It lies! Especially if you have recently started working out. Now, I do not believe that you are already building enough muscle to cause a weight gain. I DO believe that your glycogen stores and water retention from working out are showing up on the scale. You are using different muscles, tearing them, your body is repairing them... and it holds onto water during this. Even if you are not yet lifting weights, your body is adjusting to your new routine.

    Check out this information on the "whoosh effect". It may help you not be as discouraged.

    http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/fat-loss/of-whooshes-and-squishy-fat.html

    Weight loss is not linear!! Especially if you are female and have to deal with periods, hormones, etc. So, don't let the scale discourage you, eat enough calories to get you the nutrients you need, and know that you WILL see results!!
  • chevy88grl
    chevy88grl Posts: 3,937 Member
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    Don't worry about the "weight loss"...at this point I think your body just needs to become healthy...but too...muscle "weighs" more than fat, so as you are creating muscle...the scale will change...that being said, the scale may not be your friend at the moment, so I would just go by the feel of your clothes and measurements...that is more accurate then the scale.

    Muscle does NOT weigh more than fat. Does not. They weigh exactly the same amount. 1lb of muscle and 1lb of fat both = 1lb. Plain and simple. And if you are in a deficit, it is nearly impossible to gain muscle.
  • rwa3457986
    rwa3457986 Posts: 49
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    Put away the scale for the first month and measure yourself. You should be losing inches.
  • Tn2009
    Tn2009 Posts: 21
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    Ok...so I should eat the 1800 calories that MFP says to eat then eat whatever calories I burn for exercise...for instance 1800 + say 400 from exercise...so 2200 calories and I will lose weight? Thanks to all who have given me advice!!
  • Coco_Puff
    Coco_Puff Posts: 823 Member
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    You're not eating near enough. You have to eat or your weight loss will stall.
  • badgerbadger1
    badgerbadger1 Posts: 954 Member
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    Ok...so I should eat the 1800 calories that MFP says to eat then eat whatever calories I burn for exercise...for instance 1800 + say 400 from exercise...so 2200 calories and I will lose weight? Thanks to all who have given me advice!!

    Yes. Your deficit is already built into the 1800, meaning if you set it to lose 2 lbs a week, it calculated your daily need as 2800 and subtracted 1000 cals to achieve your weight loss. You eat most of your exercise cals because you already have a sufficient deficit included, creating a larger deficit will just deter your loss as your body won't be getting the nutrients it needs to function on a daily basis, never mind exercise on top of that.
  • renkath
    renkath Posts: 91 Member
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    Muscle does NOT weigh more than fat. Does not. They weigh exactly the same amount. 1lb of muscle and 1lb of fat both = 1lb. Plain and simple. And if you are in a deficit, it is nearly impossible to gain muscle.

    LOL. Literal can be meaningless. Yes, a pound of feathers "weighs the same" as a pound of rocks. They do, however, take up significantly different amounts of space. Density.

    Most people have no trouble understanding that the size/weight ratio changes. Small, hard bodies can weigh more than less-dense, larger, fatty ones. That is pure and simple physics, too. And a bit more meaningful.
  • JacksMom12
    JacksMom12 Posts: 1,044 Member
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    After reviewing your diary, it seems you are severely undereating. Some days you're eating 700-900 calories?!? I bet that's not even half of your BMR.
  • shalinimunjal
    shalinimunjal Posts: 192 Member
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    You have over 120lb to lose. You should focus on making healthy eating habits, incorporating strength training and cardio into your life and not worry about the number on the scale for a while. If you do this right you WILL lose weight. You're in for the long haul so don't get discouraged after 2 weeks!! There will be many ups and downs along the way. Keep your long term goal in mind.
    Are you eating your exercise calories back? MFP gives you a daily calorie goal with calorie deficit already built in so you need to eat those exercise calories back. This will hurt you in the long run if you don't.
    Also - if you can invest into a Heart Rate Monitor it will be helpful in determining the exact calories burnt based on your stats. I have found it to be helpful. Good luck with your journey.
  • rileysowner
    rileysowner Posts: 8,239 Member
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    Ok...so I should eat the 1800 calories that MFP says to eat then eat whatever calories I burn for exercise...for instance 1800 + say 400 from exercise...so 2200 calories and I will lose weight? Thanks to all who have given me advice!!

    Now you are getting it. While eating very low calories is tempting at first with the thinking being you will lose the weight faster, that is not the case, and even if you take the weight off quickly, you will also put it on even quicker since you would also lose a lot of muscle mass as well, at least more than is normal. I was going to say you need to eat more, but you seem to have gotten that message. The other down side of eating so little is that it makes falling out of these new eating patterns much easier because your are depriving your body so much of what it needs.

    As to the weight gain, as much as some would like to say you put on muscle, muscle is very difficult to put on, and at the calories you were eating, virtually impossible to put on. What likely happened is what you can find here http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/200544-why-do-you-sometimes-gain-weight-when-starting-a-new-exercis

    Keep at it.

    To make things absolutely clear, the calories given by this site at the goal you should seek to reach. If you end your day above or below that number by 100 calories or less, you are doing great.
  • kasicrawford
    kasicrawford Posts: 33
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    Remember you have to NET 1200 if that's your plan. I'm at 185, trying to lose another 40 and I eat 1450 calories a day BEFORE exercise. (Since I am it 1450 I don't always eat back all my calories, but at least 1/2 of them and I'm losing!) You have to eat what you burn! You will go into starvation mode burning 400 of your 1200 calories a day. That's only giving you 800 for energy.

    Also, if exercising is new to you (like it is to me), or you've ramped it up somewhat, you will be retaining some water as your muscles repair themselves. :) And it is completely normal to gain up to 4-5 lbs around that time of the month, just makes it more fun afterwards when the scale goes back down... positive thoughts.

    Hope this is helpful. Baby steps!

    Exactly what she said!!
  • simplebeauty
    simplebeauty Posts: 22 Member
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    sorry...I was in a rush and wasn't able to explain it...but as someone has also stated above...I had put the word weight in brackets because they weigh the same, but 1lb of muscle is more condensed then fat...so the same size of muscle to fat would result in the muscle "weighing" more...does that make sense???
  • ladyraven68
    ladyraven68 Posts: 2,003 Member
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    sorry...I was in a rush and wasn't able to explain it...but as someone has also stated above...I had put the word weight in brackets because they weigh the same, but 1lb of muscle is more condensed then fat...so the same size of muscle to fat would result in the muscle "weighing" more...does that make sense???

    Don't worry, we knew what you meant.

    Muscle does weigh more than fat, by volume, and that's what most people mean when they say muscle weighs more than fat.

    Then the pedants come along and say a pound of muscle weighs the same as a pound of fat, but I have never seen anyone actually say any different. Nobody here has ever said a pound of muscle weighs more than a lb of fat, but still people insist on trotting out this "correction".
  • steveanna19
    steveanna19 Posts: 7
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    Hi all
    After reading all the post Im too the same. Im 5ft 6" weighing 158 pounds and want to get to 140 pounds. Im not loosing the weight either!!! I was taking in1200 calories a day and exercising 30 mins on the wii fit Step. which was adding 323 calories burned.
    Im totally confused how many calories Im suppose to be eating any help wouldbe very much appreciated, Im now into week four.
    Thank you
  • fionarama
    fionarama Posts: 788 Member
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    No one is going to go into "starvation mode" after two weeks so all this "your not eating enough" is rubbish. If she has really reduced the amount she is eating she would have lost some weight (even if undereating is not advisable long term).
    LOG EVERYTHING
    Make sure the exercise calories you are recording are accurate - DON'T go off the machines or MFP: as this is normally comp;letely wrong. Buy a Heart Rate Monitor.
    Eat clean, remove all junk.
    keep; consistent - that means logging and exercising and eating well in the weekends as well as during the week
    Avoid alcohol
  • mrseelmerfudd
    mrseelmerfudd Posts: 506 Member
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    Eating 1200 while exercising defo isnt enough. The days I play sport I make sure I eat more than I usually would. Also if you have started to increase your exercise levels, your body will retain water for the first few weeks, and you also will be building muscle, so thats possibly why you gained. keep at it, and you will see a loss, both on the scale and in inches.
  • steveanna19
    steveanna19 Posts: 7
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    Hi So how do I caculate how many calories I should be eating.I thought this was kinda low for me!!! Thank you

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