Ok, I admit it, I need help!!!

I'm usually a 'lurker' but I'm getting so frustrated that I thought it was time to finally reach out for help.

 I started counting my calories 3 weeks ago and had lost close to 6 lbs., yippie, I thought! I had cut my calories down to close to 900 a day. But upon reading, found that very unhealthy, so I uped my intake to about 1200 a day, and guess what... I'm gaining weight.

I have 60 lbs to lose and was excited at the little jump start but now, I'm feeling discourage as each half pound re-presents itself on the scale.

 Should I go back down to 900 calories a day?  

 My stats: I'm a 5'3" 35 year old woman weighing 190. I sit at a computer all day but do try to do a little stretching and lite excersize in the evenings. CC says I should eat 1450 a day, but I'm thinking no way if I'm gaining weight on 1200.

 I'm so confused!!! I really need some support and encouragement!

Stick with at least 1200. You might gain at first because of your previous low intake ... but don't let that panic you. I'm sure the weight will start coming off again soon!

I would not go back down to 900.  Stay at the 1200-1400 range and it'll come back off.  The gain is a temporary thing.  Once your body gets used to you having a more constant, healthy intake of food and nutrients it'll relax and start letting go.  Good luck!  You really will be fine if stick with it.  Also, don't weigh too often right now; maybe weekly.  Give your body a chance to adjust to the changes you're making.

How long have you been eating 1200 calories a day?  You weight may have just been jumping around due to more food in your stomach or something.  I say stick with it.  I started at 125 lbs and have been losing weight one 1300 calories a day so I am sure you can do it as well.  Also try eating more whole natural foods and plenty of fiber and water.  All those thing always help.  Good luck! 

Let me warn you that I am, in no way, a nutritionist, dietician, or doctor; just someone who reads a lot and has been on lots of diets (ugh)

here's what I think~

The spike in weight that your seeing is probably your body reacting to having been in starvation mode from your 900 calorie diet. When you put yourself in starvation mode your body wants to hold on to everything it gets.  Now that your eating a healthy amount of calories your body is holding on to everything.  I think it will be temporary, it's happened to me before. 

I would agree that you definitely should not go below 1200 calories, I know it's hard not to when you feel like you can and you see more results.

It sounds like your doing everything right and I think if you stick with it you will see results! 

Good luck!!

Please have your thyroid tested (it's a simple blood test).  You should not be gaining weight at 1200 a day providing that those 1200 calories are not all from fat.  (sorry Atkins enthusiasts) 

I never lost weight unless I went below 1000 calories a day and then I found a new doctor a couple of months ago who put me on thyroid medicine.  I eat between 1100-1400 a day (cc says I should have 1800) and I lose 2 pounds a week.  Slow and steady but what's more important, since the thyroid medicine, I feel GREAT.  

It is very unhealthy what you are doing - I did it once out of desperation and ended up in the hospital due to starvation (it is NOT good for your organs and I don't want to get into details here in public).   Besides the physical toll on your body, you are depriving yourself of addequate nourishment and that is not psychologically healthy either.

 Everyone is going to tell you to excersice more (they are right) but even sitting and doing nothing, you should NOT be gaining weight on 1200 calories.  Don't feel down - you are NOT sitting and eating 5000 Calories a day - THAT would be depressing - you are looking to become a more healthy person - THAT should be celebrated! 

P.S.  While you are sitting at your computer - flex your toes, tighten & relax your stomach muscles, butt muscles, etc.- just KEEP MOVING!   You'll turn up the burn meter a little bit  - hey, it's better than nothing! 

 

I just lost 70 lbs and I can tell you from experience, you must stay closer to 1200 a day.  You WILL level out and lose.  I promise you will.  You have to change your preconceived ideas of weight loss and know that you HAVE to eat to lose "quality" weight that will last a lifetime.  One of the biggest things I had to learn was to love fat in my diet.  I stayed away from fat and ate everything "fat free" for years with no success.  When I learned that my body needed good fats to thrive and keep a healthy weight, my life changed.  Read up on "good" fats and "damaged" fats.  It was key for me.  Also limiting soda was a huge thing as well.  Hang tight and stay moderate (no crazy dieting) and you WILL have success.

bonsfam how the flip did you manage to gain weight on 1200 cals a day when you weight 190 pounds? 1200 is well below what you need to even maintain 190 pounds!! BUT unfortunately it is possible to gain even if you are not taking in nearly enough cals to support your body weight.

If you skip meals or fast for part of the day then go eat carbs--weight gain will occur because weight gain is not just caused by the amount of calories eaten but by where the cals come from. That's right---the cals you do consume should be high quality cals. Skipping meals causes insulin to be released multiple times a day and eating carbs or processed foods causes the same response so it is possible to gain even when cals are low because you have turned your body into a very effective fat storaging machine. I know you didn't say you skip meals but on 900 cals a day I assumed you did.

You should eat 4 small meals a day of about 350 cals each. Each meal MUST be high in protein and low in carbs. Just forget about eating anything processed, contains sugar or flour. When I say low carbs I mean make sure the carbs you do eat come from non starchy vegetables. You should start working out and you MUST include weight resistence if you ever want to lose weight. Building muscle burns fat and that's what's going to change your metabolism from a fat storing machine into a fat burning machine.

So eat 1200-1400 cals a day spread to about 4 meals of 300-350 each, make sure those meals consist of high protein foods, and don't let more than 3.5 hours pass between the meals. Avoid eating after 7:00p.m or 8:00p.m and workout by doing 30 minutes of cardio 3 times a week and 30 minutes of strength 3 times a week. Better yet try a video called "Get Ripped 1000" with Jari Love and just do that 3 times a week --it's cardio and strength high interval training--it will change your metabolism!

Best of luck

I sit at a computer all day as well, and my average is around 1500, because I have about 40 lbs or so to lose still.

My advice would be to do at LEAST 20 lbs, and during lunch breaks and normal day breaks, walk around the office. Walk up and down stairs.
Challenge yourself to NEVER take the elevator.
Someone wants something sent downstairs/across the hall/even next cubicle...Take that chance to get up and do it!
Yes, you'll eventually become the office run-around, but you'll be RUNNING AROUND.
Try and fit more activity into your day, and the calories you eat will help you, not hurt you.

Best of luck!

to answer the question of how it is possible to gain weight on 1200 a day, I went to the CC+ Library, Q&A section for this explanation - I've bolded the key part

Why must I eat at least 1,200 calories a day when I want to eat less?

In order to get the daily food servings you need for a balanced diet, it takes about 1200 calories a day. With careful planning, you could have a balanced diet on 1000 calories, but the restrictiveness of a very low calorie level can lead to binging and weight cycling, which will take you further from your weight loss goal. What's more, very low calorie diets can cause excessive muscle breakdown and metabolic adaptations, which can drive down your calorie requirements. In the end, you'll need fewer calories to maintain a higher weight.