Help Please..with ? on this program

So, I have set my calories to 1150 for me to be eating a day. I do go over them here and there but not by much maybe 50 or a hundred at times. I realistically should be consuming probably 1200 calories anyway to be healthy, I noticed sometimes I have maybe a couple hundred calories or a hundred left but my Fat will show up as like a -10 (which I am assuming means I have eaten more fat then recommended for calories). So anyway, I weighed last week and then got on scale today and gained 4 pounds, I am not sure the scale was accurate since 2 different ones but I don't feel like I am losing at this point. Do I need to be focusing on fat as well? Sorry for the dumb question, I am just super upset seems like for the amount of calories I am consuming and feeling very deprived of things I am not losing the weight....any ideas??

Thank you,
Amber:sad: :brokenheart:

Replies

  • RLDeShazo
    RLDeShazo Posts: 356 Member
    MFP recommends eating at least 1200 calories a day. Are you working out any? Are you keeping measurements? Often the scale can be your biggest obstacle to weight loss! I suggest reading the forum for a bit. You will get a ton of conflicting information, but take what you think will work for you. For example, I hear a lot about the benefits of low carbs. I've tried low carbing before, and it wasn't realistic for me. So no matter what the benefits, if I'm not going to be able to stick to it, it is better for me to look for a different route. There is more than one way to lose a pound. :)
  • wild_wild_life
    wild_wild_life Posts: 1,334 Member
    For most people, 1150 per day is not enough, especially if you are exercising. I don't know your stats so can't comment on how much you should be eating. Where did you get this number? Personally I don't feel that carbs and fat matter that much as far as weight loss goes. I wouldn't try to keep fat down. It's more about total calories. You need to be eating enough but not too much. What is your height/weight/goal weight?
  • veganbaum
    veganbaum Posts: 1,865 Member
    At 15 pounds to lose you should have your weight loss goal set to .5lb/week. I'm guessing you don't since you're only eating 1150 calories. You might want to try adjusting your goal and eating at that amount for around a month and see how that works.
  • amsleigh
    amsleigh Posts: 8
    Thanks all......I gave myself the crazy # and no the only exercising I am getting is a 2 mile walk maybe every few days. I am very # driven so to see the scale today hurt me to the core. I have been doing really well andpretty much not even enjoying any alcohol with my friends at all and not indulging. Honestly, I don't know if the scale I weighed on today was accurate it was at work and someone came up right behind me and the scale is so ginormious that the whole world can read the #. According to my health check at work last week i was 5'4" I always thought 5'5" lol, but we will go 5'4" I am getting older. I weighed in at 151.2 that was after a 12 hour fasting for blood work and healtch check up at work. I weighed in today 1 week and 1 day to that weigh in for work and I was 155.............:sad: :sad: :sad: :sad: :sad: :sad: :huh: :huh: :huh: :cry: :cry: :cry: :cry: :cry: :cry: :frown: :frown: :frown: :frown:

    I did have gall bladder taken out about a month ago and don't know that I am still better because my stomach still always hurts and I feel like I am always full of air,,,about to try a new med maybe it will help. I just always had really good progress on weight watchers but on the old program but wanted to try something new. I am wondering could the scale have been wrong,
  • amsleigh
    amsleigh Posts: 8
    At 15 pounds to lose you should have your weight loss goal set to .5lb/week. I'm guessing you don't since you're only eating 1150 calories. You might want to try adjusting your goal and eating at that amount for around a month and see how that works.

    Okay maybe I will try that thank you need to figure out maybe I have profile goofed up! thanks
  • amsleigh
    amsleigh Posts: 8
    I agree patience I think I have none......and yes I am getting older and just had surgery things not disappearing like they use to. guess I need to not compare myself to other people
  • strecruit
    strecruit Posts: 2
    Seems like every scale is a little different. Might be good idea to stick with the same one each time you weigh. Also if you are close to your monthly cycle, water weight could be the issue. Are you keeping withing the salt allowances? Several years ago I read an article about how the cells sometimes resist change while dieting and that cells will actually hold in additional water for a brief time to maintain its current size, subsequently, the cell releases the water causing the cells to shrink and the weight loss shows up on the scales.

    Hope this helps.
  • wild_wild_life
    wild_wild_life Posts: 1,334 Member
    I totally agree with the above poster, you are not eating enough. If you dont have that much weight to lose you need to take it slower. Tell MFP that you want to lose 1 or .5 lbs per week and eat the amount it gives you. Under eating is no better than overeating for weight loss. Based on your weight and height, if you eat around 1300-1400 you should lose .5-1 lb per week, assuming minimal exercise. Try it for a few weeks and see what happens.
  • amsleigh
    amsleigh Posts: 8
    Seems like every scale is a little different. Might be good idea to stick with the same one each time you weigh. Also if you are close to your monthly cycle, water weight could be the issue. Are you keeping withing the salt allowances? Several years ago I read an article about how the cells sometimes resist change while dieting and that cells will actually hold in additional water for a brief time to maintain its current size, subsequently, the cell releases the water causing the cells to shrink and the weight loss shows up on the scales.

    Hope this helps.

    Very interesting prolly didn't help before I went to bed lol at midnight I still had some calories ate 94% fat free pocorn not all of it with spray butter and sprinkled salt and I don't even love salt lmao....thank you
  • amsleigh
    amsleigh Posts: 8
    I totally agree with the above poster, you are not eating enough. If you dont have that much weight to lose you need to take it slower. Tell MFP that you want to lose 1 or .5 lbs per week and eat the amount it gives you. Under eating is no better than overeating for weight loss. Based on your weight and height, if you eat around 1300-1400 you should lose .5-1 lb per week, assuming minimal exercise. Try it for a few weeks and see what happens.

    Sorry don't know how to do the posts on here either not saaavy lol but I will try this thanks to JSL and others!
  • kodom_123
    kodom_123 Posts: 117 Member
    Thanks all......I gave myself the crazy # and no the only exercising I am getting is a 2 mile walk maybe every few days. I am very # driven so to see the scale today hurt me to the core. I have been doing really well andpretty much not even enjoying any alcohol with my friends at all and not indulging. Honestly, I don't know if the scale I weighed on today was accurate it was at work and someone came up right behind me and the scale is so ginormious that the whole world can read the #. According to my health check at work last week i was 5'4" I always thought 5'5" lol, but we will go 5'4" I am getting older. I weighed in at 151.2 that was after a 12 hour fasting for blood work and healtch check up at work. I weighed in today 1 week and 1 day to that weigh in for work and I was 155.............:sad: :sad: :sad: :sad: :sad: :sad: :huh: :huh: :huh: :cry: :cry: :cry: :cry: :cry: :cry: :frown: :frown: :frown: :frown:

    I did have gall bladder taken out about a month ago and don't know that I am still better because my stomach still always hurts and I feel like I am always full of air,,,about to try a new med maybe it will help. I just always had really good progress on weight watchers but on the old program but wanted to try something new. I am wondering could the scale have been wrong,

    I also did weight watchers and lost lots of weight on it. I was only eating 1200 cals a day and I stalled out not losing any weight on that amount. I got to wondering how many calories WW points equaled up to...it was A LOT more than 1200!! I have since upped my cals and have started losing again.
    one point equals around 45 calories! Then you have to allow for the calories from vegitables and fruits that are "free" So you can see that on weight watchers you were eating more than what you are now and were losing more weight then. Your body probably needs you to eat more calories :) Good luck.
  • SmallMimi
    SmallMimi Posts: 541 Member
    The scale could have been wrong. If the scale is not calibrated at regular intervals, then there is no way it is accurate.
  • LovelyLifter
    LovelyLifter Posts: 560 Member
    You probably need to up your cals

    Open your Diary....so we can have a peek....it might help
  • roachhaley
    roachhaley Posts: 978 Member
    No, the fat is absolutely not your problem.
  • Fiery_Vixen
    Fiery_Vixen Posts: 795 Member
    Eat at the recommended 1200 recommended calories minimum and when you weigh yourself make sure its at the same time of day (mornings before breakfast is best) and with the same scale. Also only weigh yourself maybe once a week or you'll drive yourself nuts with the daily weight fluctuations (which are completely normal btw).
  • lnicks1
    lnicks1 Posts: 11 Member
    i used to be on the scale everyday. Now its once a week. If I have slice of pizza and a light beer it will effect my water weight for about a day even if i am within my calories. Dont give up and be patient
  • FlamingJune67
    FlamingJune67 Posts: 96 Member
    Let's see, you weighed yourself AFTER a 12 hour fast? Was that a water fast as well? Then you weighed yourself on a different scale today? and had you eaten breakfast yet?
    Basically, the "weight gain" is probably a result of using differently calibrated scales and your hydration levels. For accuracy, you should always weigh yourself at the same time of day (preferably first thing in the morning right after you pee) and on the same scales. Otherwise, these little week to week differences are meaningless.
  • SARgirl
    SARgirl Posts: 572 Member
    I started at 158 pounds and am 5'5" so I'm close to your starting point. I don't think you are eating enough. The lowest I ever had my calories set at was 1350 and I always eat back the majority of my exercise calories. I have not deprived myself of anything and it has been more about portion control for me. Slow and steady wins the race:). It will happen!
  • divinebird
    divinebird Posts: 81 Member
    I NEED to eat at least my 1250 a day or else my body thinks it's starving and the scale never moves. I also generally eat back about half to 3/4 of my exercise calories. I noticed a huge difference in how I felt and I noticed I do actually lose more steadily if I eat.

    A few things that may help you:

    1. Don't weigh yourself every day. You must get your mind away from the importance of the number on the scale. As others have mentioned, your weight fluctuates all day long and any number of factors can cause it to change. Especially when you're only losing 15lbs vs someone like me, working on 100...the less you have to lose, the harder it is to lose it. You don't usually have a lot of water weight to shed. This isn't a bad thing, but it does require more patience. Limit yourself to weighing only once a week at the same time each week. My official weigh-in is Friday morning, just after I get up & use the bathroom, but before I eat breakfast. I start looking forward to it because I know that's the prime time for my lowest weight--I've slept all night and my body has processed everything I ate the day before. You're less likely to be bloated in the morning, too!

    2. Regarding fats, MFP does not differentiate between good and bad fats--so that avocado or fish you ate with the really good Omega-3s is lumped in with the Doritos you grabbed as a snack (for example). I always look at what I ate throughout the day and so long as I can see the majority of my fat intake coming from healthy sources, I'm okay with going over. I wouldn't want to, say, double the amount every day, but in general, going over is fine. MFP tends to be conservative with their calculations, too--I regularly eat much more protein and fiber than they say I 'should'. Those numbers are guidelines, not rules.

    3. I'd also like to suggest that you find a way to approach this with a more relaxed attitude. Stress over a number doesn't help you in the slightest, and in fact can make it harder to lose weight. It puts way more pressure on you emotionally and affects your mental state. Concentrate on the things that DO make a difference--better overall health, a more positive outlook, changing measurements. I hear the same questions over and over here, and most of them focus on that one fickle number that doesn't tell us ANYTHING about how healthy we are. It's as arbitrary a measurement as a dress size. No two scales will tell you the same weight, and no two designers make the same size 10. It sets you up for an impossible goal. Find something else that makes you feel good about your weight loss journey--not about the numbers, but about your health! :)
  • amsleigh
    amsleigh Posts: 8
    I started at 158 pounds and am 5'5" so I'm close to your starting point. I don't think you are eating enough. The lowest I ever had my calories set at was 1350 and I always eat back the majority of my exercise calories. I have not deprived myself of anything and it has been more about portion control for me. Slow and steady wins the race:). It will happen!

    Awesome congrats! And will do Thanks to everyone and their advice.