What am I doing wrong, please help :)

Hi, this is a very common problem. Look up previous posts, you will see this question has come up ALOT and ppl have provided very detailed answers. In basic, 1200 calories is generally way too low, you need to eat more. And you MUST eat back your exercise calories.

Trust me, you have to eat more. I was in the same situation and so frustrated. I started to eat more and I lost weight. (personally I have lowered my carbs and that has helped a lot)

Breakfast: Veggie Omelet or Smoothie

Lunch: Vegan burger w/veggies or Ground Chicken w/Cheese & Salsa

Dinner: Chicken, Brown Rice (usually a mexican dish) Salsa, Multigrain Tortilla or Chicken & Veggies

Snacks: Fruit or Yogurt or Almonds, etc.

How long did you add cals and keep carbs the same for? How long did you reduce carbs for?

Eat more food. 2000 calories is the average for the average woman, so I'm sure you can eat more than 1200 in nutritious whole foods and lose weight. Go to www.fat2fitradio.com/tools, plug your numbers into BMR/Calorie calculator and pull the appropriate number according to your activity level from the bottom of the page.

You will get a lot of good information with the group here on MFP called Eat More to Lose More (or eat more to weigh less...) Anyway, like the other posters have said, you need to eat more. Your body needs fuel for your workouts! Your metabolism is like a fire. You have to feed it in order for it to burn efficiently. If you don't feed it, it doesn't burn as hot, and you don't lose weight.
For me, 1200 calories just wasn't enough. I started eating closer to 1500 sometimes more if when I exercise and the weight is coming off. Not super quickly, but it is coming off about 1 lb a weel. I know most people want quicker results, but slow and steady wins the race. It also teaches you long term healthy habits to follow so you don't gain the weight back. Good luck! You're definitely not alone!

I am by no means an expert, but you have to eat MORE calories. I'm not saying go out and eat a cheeseburger and fries to get in more calories, I'm saying eat high calorie good for you foods and that should help. First thing you need to do is find out what your BMR is. That is what your body burns while you are doing NOTHING. NEVER eat less than that amount! Then find out what your TDEE is. That is what your body burns from your activity level. If you are exercising 6 days a week, then your activity level is pretty high. Decrease that amount by how much you are trying to lose a week. 500 calories a day for 1 pound, 1000 calories a day for 2 pounds. So if your TDEE is 3100 then you can eat 2100 calories a day, but remember not to go under your BMR. Hope this helps you You might gain a few pounds the first week while your body is adjusting, but then it should start to drop off. It seems to be helping me. Good luck!

Eat more food. 2000 calories is the average for the average woman, so I'm sure you can eat more than 1200 in nutritious whole foods and lose weight. Go to www.fat2fitradio.com/tools, plug your numbers into BMR/Calorie calculator and pull the appropriate number according to your activity level from the bottom of the page.

What he said! That's where I got my numbers for increasing my calories.

You should try eating every 2 to 3 hours throughout the day. Pick low calorie foods that will tally up to your daily goal. The key is to eat this way to keep the metabolism going. Make sure you eat back your exercise calories or at least half of them. Drink lots of water. When choosing your snacks make sure the total carbohydrates are low say around 23 or less and make sure sugars does not equal half of the total carbohydrates. Watch the sugars in all foods there is more sugar in everything than you know.

My saving grace was giving myself a range...

ROCK BOTTOM: 1200 Calories Net
TARGET: MFP lose 1 lb a week until that got to 1200 cal then switch to lose 1/2 lb a week
TOP of RANGE: Goal Weight Maintenance Calories

As long as I keep in that range I'll continue to lose weight....

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SAFETY VALVE: Current Weight Maintenance Calories, as long as I don't go over this I should NOT gain (remember to recalculate this as your weight changes.)

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I think it's all about finding a weight you can sustain and live the life you want to live.

I want to eat more, but I'm scared of gaining weight. I've changed my diet to a more balanced one from pretty much eating cereal 3 times a day.

I completely understand but if you keep doing what you are doing, you'll keep getting what you have.

I once heard someone say "The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result."

Try eating at your BMR. Then anything else is a calorie burn under your TDEE.

I have been on this website for almost 5 months and would love to
a) hit the weight my diary promises I am going to be in 5 weeks
b) discover the calculations behind it
but so far none of that has happened. I am losing, however, little by little (sometimes it feels like not at all, granted, but then the next morning's weigh in surprises me in a pleasant way), and eating more has actually helped me along the way. Yes, I have given up snacking... no, I still snack... eating meals in between my meals and I now make healthier choices (for example, tried roasted squash today for the very first time in my entire life), and I am not starving (like I was on Weightwatchers), so things are progressing.

Sorry, I realize you want this thread to be about you. Have faith and patience and courage to try new things. You have just spent 8 weeks eating less. Try eating more and exercising regularly, drink lots of liquids. You'll see a difference in not only how you weigh and look, but how you feel as well.
Best of luck.

I eat 1200/day (3 meals & 3 snacks) & save my exercise calories (300-400, 3 or 4 days/week) for the weekend so I can relax and have a few beers :drinker: on Friday night. I always get my daily 8 cups of water in too. I do strength training 20 mins, 5 days/week. Doing this, I've lost 1lb/week for 9 weeks in a row.:happy:

Keep an eye on your sodium intake and start eating back half of your exercise calories!!!!

without breaking down everything and trying to sound like an expert - change something in your routine. Start with your workout, try new things, shock your body and see what happens. Good luck!

I am not an expert, but I was eating 1300-1500 calories a day and working out 5-6 times a week and I didn't lose any weight for 6 weeks. So two weeks ago I started eating 1800 calories a day PLUS eating back my exercise calories and I've lost 4 pounds.