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  • escloflowneCHANGED
    escloflowneCHANGED Posts: 3,038 Member
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    It's simple, you won't lose weight with net calories of 600-1000 a day. You seem to work out so I would guess you need at least 1600 calories net to lose weight.
  • kiranicsmom
    kiranicsmom Posts: 63 Member
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    First of all let me just say BRAVO! It takes a lot of guts to put yourself out there for others to look at what you are eating and "offer" suggestions for what they think is better choices for you. Eating and weight loss are very personal things. Your reasons for wanting to weigh a certain weight are yours and yours alone.

    I did look at your food diary and unfortunately I think that I have to concur with what a lot of posters have said.
    1. Sodium might be an issue with the processed meats.
    2. I think that it is great that you are drinking a shake that is high in protein because I think you might need even a little more in your day.
    3. In my opinion your calories are too low. You should be eating 1200 calories every day. An occasional day where it is lower isn't going to hurt but consistently eating lower than 1200 can make our bodies go into starvation mode and then our metabolism with decrease too.
    4. Fruits and veggie would help round out your day too.

    Lastly, if you are so close to your goal weight, it can be harder to lose those last pounds. Keep your head up! Continue to track what you are eating and continue exercising especially with the weight training. Maybe take some of these suggestions and play around and tweek things but don't get frustrated and down about it!

    Good luck!
    Jenn
  • LordBezoar
    LordBezoar Posts: 625 Member
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    I know you will all tell me to eat more, but if you look back several days you will see I vary my calories up and down and don't always under eat.

    Nope, I looked through for a week and you definitely under-eat. You don't want to hear it, but cycling between 800 and 1100 calories is way too little fuel. You will likely try and look for every other answer under the sun because you don't like my opinion, but to me it is pretty obvious what the problem is.

    Also, your diary is very light on produce. Add some fruit and veg in there!

    ^^ This. Also, if you are really doing 30DS, there is no way you getting enough food. You need to eat back the Calories you burn from that every day. Your body isn't going to give up the fat if it knows it isn't going to get fed properly. I didn't believe it at first either, but it is the truth.
  • kaitlynnme
    kaitlynnme Posts: 19 Member
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    You have already gotten quite a bit of advice here. But I do agree with the others that you need to increase your calories. I went through the same thing as you. And I know it can be scary to think that eating more will help you lose weight. You could try increasing your calories by 100 and keep it there for a week or 2 and then increase them again by another 100 for a week or 2, etc. until you get to the amount you need to be. And if you keep your diet super clean, I guarantee you will start to feel better. Are you lifting heavy when you are doing weights? You will want to lift heavy to build muscle, but you also have to eat more to fuel the muscle building and to make sure that you do not lose what you have. The more muscle you have, the more fat your body will burn. It all works together and it takes patience. It took me 6 months to get back on track where my body began to trust that I would feed it and start letting go of the fat. You can do it!
  • SparklesPlenty
    SparklesPlenty Posts: 90 Member
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    Are you lifting heavy when you are doing weights?

    I lift as heavy as I can :happy:
  • katlynx6
    katlynx6 Posts: 68
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    I'm by no means an expert but I have to agree with what mostly everyone else has said - eat more. I know that seems to be a pretty popular theme around MFP forums nowadays so you might be skeptical (as I was) but it really does have benefits!

    I'm also 5'2 - and 108 lbs used to be my goal - until I started strength training and realized that I'd rather be toned and strong than hit a certain number on a scale. From August until December of last year I was student teaching so I was insanely busy/exhausted constantly and I never worked out and didn't count my calories but my weight was stable at 116. After I graduated, I started working again out to fill some of my newfound free time, but I didn't change my eating habits - I ate pretty much the same as when I wasn't working out (I'm a creature of habit and tend to eat alot of the same foods every day - I know what I like!). I thought that I should be losing weight since all I'd changed was that I'd started exercising (all cardio) but instead I gained! Only once I started eating more, eating exercise calories back, and strength training, did I lose anything at all. Now I've lost the pounds I gained when I wasn't eating enough plus a few extra.

    I won't say that I've thrown out my scale and don't care about the numbers anymore because that's not entirely true (although I'm trying to care less) - but I feel better and weigh less than when I was netting less than 1,200 a day - usually I net around 1,300, sometimes more. Good luck! :smile:
  • ArroganceInStep
    ArroganceInStep Posts: 6,239 Member
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    I'm not going to comment on eating more as many people already have and I don't think I have anything to add to that regard beyond what they've said. One point of contention I do have is on your estimate for BMR. I did a quick check and your BMR should be closer to 1325 than 1175. My $0.02

    What I will mention though is consistency. I've NEVER liked the idea of zig zagging calories. I don't think it works and believe it can mask actual progress you may be making.

    I would strongly suggest that you pick a calorie target and a macro target, and hit it EVERY single day for two weeks. Only after that time should you reassess and see if you should change things.

    The people saying you won't lose weight eating 600 calories a day are wrong, you will lose weight that way. But it's REALLY bad for your body and you'll lose a lot of muscle mass in the process. If you liked the way you looked 10 lbs lighter, I guarantee you that losing 10 lbs of muscle won't make you look any better than you do right now.

    I personally think that picking a target, even if it's below the magical 1200 calorie mark, and consistently eating that many calories along with a good balance of protein, fat, and carbs, will do much more for you than your current diet ever would. Now you *should be eating over your BMR, but that's beside the point. Try to eat a consistent amount of food, and get adequate nutrients. I suspect you'll start seeing better results.
  • qtiekiki
    qtiekiki Posts: 1,490 Member
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    And last, talk to your doctor and get an idea of what a healthy wt would be for you. I know the shorter we are the less we weigh, so talk to him/her and get an idea of where you should be with your wt.

    Good luck to you, I hope you are able to meet your goals.

    I have spoken to my doctor and he put my healthy weight at 105.

    Thank you for your help!

    Why is your healthy weight at 105? It's a little strange to have a specific weight. A range would be more realistic. You are already in the healthy BMI range with so little body fat, so I don't understand the need of the doctor to say 105 is it.

    I agree with everyone that say you are undereating, and I think you should eat more real food. I mean all you are eating for breakfast is protein powder.
  • SparklesPlenty
    SparklesPlenty Posts: 90 Member
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    And last, talk to your doctor and get an idea of what a healthy wt would be for you. I know the shorter we are the less we weigh, so talk to him/her and get an idea of where you should be with your wt.

    Good luck to you, I hope you are able to meet your goals.

    I have spoken to my doctor and he put my healthy weight at 105.


    Thank you for your help!

    Why is your healthy weight at 105? It's a little strange to have a specific weight. A range would be more realistic. You are already in the healthy BMI range with so little body fat, so I don't understand the need of the doctor to say 105 is it.

    I agree with everyone that say you are undereating, and I think you should eat more real food. I mean all you are eating for breakfast is protein powder.

    He actually said 103 - 108 which is where I was at the time I talked to him. So I just went with the middle number :)
  • katcod1522
    katcod1522 Posts: 448 Member
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    Im 5'2...my dr says my healthy weight can be anywhere from 120-136. Just sayin.
  • qtiekiki
    qtiekiki Posts: 1,490 Member
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    And last, talk to your doctor and get an idea of what a healthy wt would be for you. I know the shorter we are the less we weigh, so talk to him/her and get an idea of where you should be with your wt.

    Good luck to you, I hope you are able to meet your goals.

    I have spoken to my doctor and he put my healthy weight at 105.


    Thank you for your help!

    Why is your healthy weight at 105? It's a little strange to have a specific weight. A range would be more realistic. You are already in the healthy BMI range with so little body fat, so I don't understand the need of the doctor to say 105 is it.

    I agree with everyone that say you are undereating, and I think you should eat more real food. I mean all you are eating for breakfast is protein powder.

    He actually said 103 - 108 which is where I was at the time I talked to him. So I just went with the middle number :)

    That is still only the low end of the healthy BMI range for your height, and a very narrow range. I guess I just don't know what he was basing it on, if not BMI.
  • sizzle92
    sizzle92 Posts: 1,015 Member
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    I would seriously question my doctor if they gave me a range of healthy weight like that. A good doctor wouldn't do that. I have worked in family medicine for 15 years. I want to know where he came up with these magical numbers?

    I think you should look into a dietician/nutritionist's help with your diet.

    Keep it up! I know it's tough. You're doing great!
  • SparklesPlenty
    SparklesPlenty Posts: 90 Member
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    I would seriously question my doctor if they gave me a range of healthy weight like that. A good doctor wouldn't do that. I have worked in family medicine for 15 years. I want to know where he came up with these magical numbers?

    I think you should look into a dietician/nutritionist's help with your diet.

    Keep it up! I know it's tough. You're doing great!

    He picked the numbers based on what I was fluctuating between for a year and that I was healthy at those weights.
  • sizzle92
    sizzle92 Posts: 1,015 Member
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    and a very narrow range...................

    This. Very odd.
  • sizzle92
    sizzle92 Posts: 1,015 Member
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    I would seriously question my doctor if they gave me a range of healthy weight like that. A good doctor wouldn't do that. I have worked in family medicine for 15 years. I want to know where he came up with these magical numbers?

    I think you should look into a dietician/nutritionist's help with your diet.

    Keep it up! I know it's tough. You're doing great!

    He picked the numbers based on what I was fluctuating between for a year and that I was healthy at those weights.

    :/
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,402 MFP Moderator
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    You have already gotten quite a bit of advice here. But I do agree with the others that you need to increase your calories. I went through the same thing as you. And I know it can be scary to think that eating more will help you lose weight. You could try increasing your calories by 100 and keep it there for a week or 2 and then increase them again by another 100 for a week or 2, etc. until you get to the amount you need to be. And if you keep your diet super clean, I guarantee you will start to feel better. Are you lifting heavy when you are doing weights? You will want to lift heavy to build muscle, but you also have to eat more to fuel the muscle building and to make sure that you do not lose what you have. The more muscle you have, the more fat your body will burn. It all works together and it takes patience. It took me 6 months to get back on track where my body began to trust that I would feed it and start letting go of the fat. You can do it!

    This!!!


    And she can back it up with a recent success story. I am just saying!
  • cpiton
    cpiton Posts: 380 Member
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    I don't have much to add. Eat at your BMR--net, more vegies, less processed stuff, more water (I'm always trying to drink more water, too), etc. I eat at my BMR and eat almost all my exercise cals back and I'm finally losing again after a 6 week plateau spent eating much less. Also, I changed up my weight routine and that helped. I eat 3 meals a day, not six, and it hasn't affected my metabolism one way or the other. (I lost 50+lbs eating 3 meals) Do what seems right for you in that regard.

    My point is, the one thing everyone has said here is for you to eat more. That's the one consistent piece of advice you've gotten, so I'd try that first. Maybe that's all you need to change.

    I would love to hear about your progress!
    Also, I think you're really brave for "putting it out there" when you needed help. Best to you! :flowerforyou:
  • hiker282
    hiker282 Posts: 983 Member
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    I think you shouldn't be going under 1500 calories, personally. Also, get off of the processed foods and eat more whole foods. I know there's a crap load of sodium in there and a lot of useless crap. Others have said to move to more fruits and veggies and lean proteins like chicken and fish and I am 100% with them.
  • sixisCHANGEDjk
    sixisCHANGEDjk Posts: 243
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    1200 calories a day did nothing for me but make me mad. I'd change my setting to 1/2 pound a week (maybe 1 lb/week) with exercise. Eat back most or all of what you exercise. I've been doing that and realizing a 1/2 lb/week loss. Not being extremely overweight, it takes a bit of time to see some results.
  • SparklesPlenty
    SparklesPlenty Posts: 90 Member
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    What is a good goal for sodium intake? I am always way under MAP goal levels. What should I have that set to?

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