HELP working out and eating 1200 calories NO CHANGE

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  • k8ermarie
    k8ermarie Posts: 204
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    I am 4'10" and am working out 6 days/week for at least 60 minutes. I am also limiting my calorie intake to 1200/day. Until YESTERDAY when I attended the Nutritional Seminar at my GYM for my Weight Loss Challenge. Yes. I have lost a few pounds. But I am kind of stuck now. And wondering why?

    So, I talked to the Registered Dietition and my personal trainer. They both said, UP YOUR CALORIES! If you are only eating 1200/day you are putting your body into starvation mode. Remember your body already burns calories just by you living! BMR! Basic Metabolic Rate.

    Food = Energy

    Your body needs energy. If you are working out a lot then you really need the energy to replace what you have lost. Sounds weird right? Why would I eat more to lose more?

    I was a non-believer until yesterday. I am not just going to jump up to the 1500 cal/day minimum they gave me but I am bumping up to 1400 to give it a try.

    Fewer Calories + More Activity = Loss of Muscle

    In comes PROTEIN as well. You need to replenish the muscle you used after working out. Lean mass burns FAT! If you aren't eating enough...your body is going to store everything you give it and while you may lose a little weight...it won't stay off forever! Hope this is somewhat helpful. I will update on the results after my final 6 weeks of eating 1400 a day. :)

    Good luck to you!
  • DavidNewOrleans
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    I can tell you how I dropped 25lbs in 6 weeks. I wasn't what anyone would consider heavy. I was musclular but not ripped. I thought there was no way I could lose 15lbs and not look healthy, but we all carry a lot more fat than we think, that aside, I did this:


    Caffeine pills!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Wallmart sells them, $4 for 100 200mg pills, excedrine is also great for energy, one 15-20 minutes before a session, it will give you the energy you need when you are dieting.
    weights and cardio (you can skip the weights or just do them once a day) 3 times a day, first session BEFORE ANY MEAL!!!!! LAST session after your last meal!!! Always do cardio after weights and in the morning on an empty stomach!! your body will burn tons of fat!
    Carbs under 50,
    salads with lettuce, spinach, brocoli.eggs and even shredded cheese(don't go crazy) are great
    a teaspoon on peanut butter when you get a sweet craving
    NO, NO, NO BREAD or pasta period!!! Wheat or white, none!!
    NO NO NO Carbs until after 12 noon!
    NO FRUIT!! but lots of vitamins, at the very least, one multi a day, preferrably two
    EGGS! eat them, learn to love them!! My cholesterol actually went down and I was eating 6-9 a day! the trick.. your body needs carbs to make the bad stuff!!
    Olive oil is ok too!
    No fried food or starches!!!
    DIET COKES????????????????? SURE, I drink them all the time. no problem, Another thing the "experts" are wrong about.The only thing is they will give you a little more cravings. I really enjoy one with a teaspoon of peanut butter and peanut butter is great for stopping cravings.
    At night you might have cravings before bed, drink a protein shake with no more than 3 carbs in it, you should sleep fine.

    Count those calories too!!!

    Tell yourself you will do this for only one week and then look at yourself in the mirror and decide if you want to continue. This eliminates anxiety and allows you to make the choice without pressure!! Pressure causes anxiety and anxiety causes cravings!!!

    You will hit a point at about week 3 or 4 when weight will drop so fast it will litterally scare you, but don't worry, your body will hit a point where it will level off and you will LOVE it!

    I really hate when people give unwanted advice so please just ignore this if you don't want it. I did this and it has worked for me ever since. I got down to 5- 6% bodyfat on it and I didn't lose a lot of muscle like so many "experts" say.
  • brenlynn23
    brenlynn23 Posts: 15
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    Thank you for the website will check it out. I'm 5'2" and weigh about 139. So I was always use to being small framed and very very petite. Another problem I have is that I had 3 kids and my 3rd was a c-section so now I have belly fat like you would not believe. I look 5 months pregnant. It's depressing. Any tips or workouts that you could reccomend for me to minimize it?
  • dore0021
    dore0021 Posts: 137
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    I can tell you how I dropped 25lbs in 6 weeks. I wasn't what anyone would consider heavy. I was musclular but not ripped. I thought there was no way I could lose 15lbs and not look healthy, but we all carry a lot more fat than we think, that aside, I did this:


    Caffeine pills!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Wallmart sells them, $4 for 100 200mg pills, excedrine is also great for energy, one 15-20 minutes before a session, it will give you the energy you need when you are dieting.
    weights and cardio (you can skip the weights or just do them once a day) 3 times a day, first session BEFORE ANY MEAL!!!!! LAST session after your last meal!!! Always do cardio after weights and in the morning on an empty stomach!! your body will burn tons of fat!
    Carbs under 50,
    salads with lettuce, spinach, brocoli.eggs and even shredded cheese(don't go crazy) are great
    a teaspoon on peanut butter when you get a sweet craving
    NO, NO, NO BREAD or pasta period!!! Wheat or white, none!!
    NO NO NO Carbs until after 12 noon!
    NO FRUIT!! but lots of vitamins, at the very least, one multi a day, preferrably two
    EGGS! eat them, learn to love them!! My cholesterol actually went down and I was eating 6-9 a day! the trick.. your body needs carbs to make the bad stuff!!
    Olive oil is ok too!
    No fried food or starches!!!
    DIET COKES????????????????? SURE, I drink them all the time. no problem, Another thing the "experts" are wrong about.The only thing is they will give you a little more cravings. I really enjoy one with a teaspoon of peanut butter and peanut butter is great for stopping cravings.
    At night you might have cravings before bed, drink a protein shake with no more than 3 carbs in it, you should sleep fine.

    Count those calories too!!!

    Tell yourself you will do this for only one week and then look at yourself in the mirror and decide if you want to continue. This eliminates anxiety and allows you to make the choice without pressure!! Pressure causes anxiety and anxiety causes cravings!!!

    You will hit a point at about week 3 or 4 when weight will drop so fast it will litterally scare you, but don't worry, your body will hit a point where it will level off and you will LOVE it!

    I really hate when people give unwanted advice so please just ignore this if you don't want it. I did this and it has worked for me ever since. I got down to 5- 6% bodyfat on it and I didn't lose a lot of muscle like so many "experts" say.

    I'm interested to hear what happened after the 6 wks?
    Was it difficult to adjust to not taking caffine pills or do you just take them all the time now?
    What's happened with your weight/body fat when you resumed eating normal balanced meals? Or do you continue to eat this way now?
    How long has it been?
    Curious.
  • wahmx3
    wahmx3 Posts: 646 Member
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    you need to eat more !
  • DavidNewOrleans
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    Let me clairfy, I worked out 3 times a week, twice a week. 2 times a day every other day and I continue to do that now. I work out Mon - Sat and take off Sunday. Saturday I only workout once and I do legs that day. I originally did that April 2011 and my starting weight was 226 and my ending weight was 199-98. As of today I am 207 which is heavier than usual but I am doing very heavy lifts to get ready for a competition this summer. I am normally 200-204. I try to stay within 2 weeks of my goal wait all the time. I am attempting to go down to 190 for the competition.

    Caffeine, yes I take it almost every day. normally only one tab a day but sometimes if I feel sluggish I will take one before each workout. Another thing I like to do is keep one next to my bed with a glass of water on my early jogging days(5:30am) I wake up and immediately take the pill, within 20 minutes, I cannot stay in bed and I amd ready for my run. This works great!!!!

    Normally my diet is not 100% clean, only when I want to get ripped and then I will occasionally eat a candy bar or something else with simple carbs. I only do this about once or twice a week. I am not in that mode yet, I will start in 2 weeks. Now I keep it somewhat clean but I am doing a lot of lifting and cardio so my fat is not very high but I am not nearly ripped enough. It is not healthy to stay that way and I know this because my body will fight me very hard when I get real low on my fat %.

    I hope I answered all your questions. One thing I found after years of trying everything is that you have to do cardio, or at least I do, Every diet that I have ever seen that guarentees rapid weight loss is LOW carbs and Lots of cardio, I have found that you can do anything with those two.
  • missprincessjenny
    missprincessjenny Posts: 104 Member
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    A few tips I've used;

    Give yourself atleast 5 weeks of following MFP and excersising.
    Weigh yourself once a month or less
    Take body measurements that is where you will notice it first.
    Drink water
    Gree Tea
    6 small meals a day (Breakfast largest, supper smallest)
    High protein, lower carbs & fat (ot too low)
    7.5 hours sleep per night help your metabolism

    Hope these help

    Ditto.
    And to answer the OP's question. Yes lift weights. As heavy as you can. The more muscle you have the more calories you burn. Do HIIT cardio 3 x a week. I do it on the treadmill. 5 min brisk walk to warm up. Increase incline to ten for two minutes. My heart rate goes up, Drop the incline to 0 for two minutes. I continue that for 15 min. Then do a 5 min cool down. And I have split up my weight routine so I'm not using the same muscles two days in a row. I lift for about 30 min a day.
    Eat clean, and drink water.
    Google water calculator.
    I was surprised to find out that the more you weigh the more water you need. 8 glasses is not enough for me. And yes I do have to go to the bathroom more...but if your a little dehydrated it affects you, especially your metabolism. Drink your water.
  • Cookme1
    Cookme1 Posts: 15
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    Just guessing, but this may be too many calories for your metabalic rate. Have you ever had it measured by an MD or figured it out on your own. MFP says my intake should be 1660 and that is way to much for me to drop pounds.
  • Edestiny7
    Edestiny7 Posts: 730 Member
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    Never go below 1200 calories and ALWAYS eat back the calories you burn in exercise. It worked for me.
  • blasiansrus
    blasiansrus Posts: 151
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    well you said it yourself 'working out and eating 1200/1300 cals'..you're body is starving, if you workou at least 3-5 times a week you should be eating aroudn 1400/1700 depending how much you excercise...
    ^ this. 1200 isn't a magical number & it's really low for MOST people (unless you're just really short or something it's most likely to be) You should almost always eat above your bmr or else you're just doing damage to your body whether you realize it or not.
  • erikkasusann
    erikkasusann Posts: 104
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    I just read this incredibly helpful info...

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/3047-700-calories-a-day-and-not-losing

    It explains why you've got to fix your metabolism to lose weight, adresses the "eat to lose" concept, etc.

    Best of luck!
  • all4derby
    all4derby Posts: 55
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    ummm. I just want to say NOT ENOUGH INFORMATION.

    From your post and your information available, you could be 180 lbs. Or you could be a 90 lb anorexic. I will say that if you are eating only 1200 and buring 400, you're netting 800 which isn't enough and can make your body cling to what it has for dear life. There's also a lot in terms of exercise that could be affecting you- when you begin a new exercise program, it's not uncommon for your body to hold on to extra water for a bit. There are just too many variables.

    Yes, all of this. I say this all the time, but your body doesn't know the difference between a concentration camp and a diet. You're feeding it enough to survive, but not much else so its clinging onto every last pound.

    Also, I follow this and it works: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/557201-how-to-lose-weight-correctly
  • secretgirl4611
    secretgirl4611 Posts: 474 Member
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    BTW i use to eat 1200/1300 and worked out almost everyday and nothing....i upto 1400/1500 and worked out at least 30 minutes a day heavy cardio 3-4 days aweek....i'm 18lbs lighter....

    Checked out ur food diary cuz you said u lost 18 pounds and thats all I really have to lose in total.. and u said on this comment that u realized to up your calories.. But for this past wk you have been well under you calorie goal of even 1200.. Just wondering what happend there. and then y you would give such advice if u urself have not been following it ???
  • rmwhitlo
    rmwhitlo Posts: 4 Member
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    I really believe it is about the food we consume. I compare my eating habits as I would putting fuel in a car. If the gas is crap then your car runs like crap right? Same with food if you eat crap then you get crappy results not saying that you do but a lot of people don't realize this. Food now a days is full of chemicals and well just plain crap! The first thing I did was cut out soda and fast food and I got almost instant results if you still eat this stuff give it a try. If not then don't worry not everyones metabolism is the same it took me almost 2 years the reach my goal gradual is better for long term results trust me:smile:
  • melb2003
    melb2003 Posts: 198
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    In addition to eating back your exercise calories, also watch your sodium. You track that too under your food diary settings. I was hitting a plateau every other week, and I realized my sodium was out of control. I finally got it under control, and I lost 4 lbs in a week. A lot of things have sodium, even things that claim to be healthy.

    Be patient on top of that. Since you have 21 lbs left to lose, it's going to be a little more complicated to find out what is going to lose weight for your body. Everyone is different. If you are feeling healthy and everything, the weight will come off.
  • tomakehermine
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    i have been having this same issue for five weeks so you are not alone hee hee <3