Plateu? Or am I not doing this right??

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ahnpe
ahnpe Posts: 32 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I am going insane! Forget that in the past month my weight and measurements have been fluctuating, but all I want is to lose about 2 or 3 pounds to get under that 140 mark!

Granted, I just began exercising about 4 days a week with an hour of cardio and some strength training, and I struggle to eat as much as 1200 calories a day, but shouldn't there have been any results by now??

Tips maybe please?

Replies

  • missfitmt
    missfitmt Posts: 67 Member
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    well, 3500 calories = 1 lb of fat. so do the math and you should know how many calories you need to cut. (example, i want to lose 3 lbs/month, so i need to cut 350 calories/day). also, eat back whatever calories you burn from the workout because MFP already accounts for the calorie cut and if you don't eat enough your metabolism will slow down. 1200 calories is sufficient, but it seems kinda low. but i guess that is relative depending on your goals for weight loss. and if you've hit a plateau, the most common thing i've seen for advice on that is to change your diet up and/or your workouts as well. my beachbody coach suggested i try eating vegan or the paleo diet for a month just to see if i break my plateau. at that point, it wasn't about how many calories i was consuming a day, but what kind of calories (i.e. vegetables vs. fast food). i kept my workouts the same tho (they change every day with my turbo fire schedule) and sure enough, i broke my plateau! i hope this was helpful...
  • 1234terri
    1234terri Posts: 217 Member
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    I can't tell from your post how long you've been dieting or doing the cal limit, to even know if your loss is slow. So let us know how long:-) Weight loss is so different from body to body. Metabolism, all kinds of factors. I lose about 3 lbs a month, but that's pretty low.

    -Terri O
  • 1234terri
    1234terri Posts: 217 Member
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    I never eat back my workout cals, by the way, nor will I. My metabolism is fine, too:-) Each person has to figure this out on their own.

    -t
    well, 3500 calories = 1 lb of fat. so do the math and you should know how many calories you need to cut. (example, i want to lose 3 lbs/month, so i need to cut 350 calories/day). also, eat back whatever calories you burn from the workout because MFP already accounts for the calorie cut and if you don't eat enough your metabolism will slow down. 1200 calories is sufficient, but it seems kinda low. but i guess that is relative depending on your goals for weight loss. and if you've hit a plateau, the most common thing i've seen for advice on that is to change your diet up and/or your workouts as well. my beachbody coach suggested i try eating vegan or the paleo diet for a month just to see if i break my plateau. at that point, it wasn't about how many calories i was consuming a day, but what kind of calories (i.e. vegetables vs. fast food). i kept my workouts the same tho (they change every day with my turbo fire schedule) and sure enough, i broke my plateau! i hope this was helpful...
  • ahnpe
    ahnpe Posts: 32 Member
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    This time around i've been doing my cal limit and workout for about a month. As far as work outs go, I began with 20 minutes of cardio and each week upped my time.
    I could be a little more choosy about what I eat, because 1 or 2 days a week I don't have any time except for a microwave burrito or a candy bar for lunch between classes AND to reach the calories i need to eat.

    I'm anxious because last time I did this for a month, I lost 10 lbs. Granted I was able to eat more healthy and consistently.
    I guess that's where I have my answer.

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