Anyone knows why?

I am turning 30 this year, 5'2" tall.  Recently my weight was 170 lbs. (1 March 09).  I have tried to lose some weight by limiting what I eat daily around 1,000 cal without any significant exercise.  My daily activities burn around 2,000 cal.  For the last 3 weeks, I have successfully lost 15 lbs., but when I am in the 4th week, my weight just stops dropping !!  How come ?!?

Does anyone know what happens and how I can do to continue losing weight?  My target is 125 lbs. (30 lbs to go) before November.

Thanks for the answer.

Sammy

Sounds like some of that could have been water weight. How's your diet?

Eat more......1500 calories a day.

~H~

Thanks both for the responses.

I eat only low calorie food, such as, salad with 0% fat free dressing, tuna & egg sandwich using whole-wheat bread, 0% fat free milk & yoghurt.  I hardly eat carbohydrate and it seems only the protein I eat is tuna.  (approximately 1,000 cal a day)

I dont do exercise at all coz most of my time working on a computer at least 10 hours a day.  I drive and when im back home, I spend time watching TV and playing PS2 games.  (approximately 2,000 cal a day)

~H~, will eating 1,500 cal a day and burn 1,000 cal a day help in my case?  If I wanna lose more, which exercise I should take and how often a week?

Sam

Nobody should ever eat under 1200 calories a day.  If you want to have a larger deficit, you will need to add some sort of exercise...even walking!  You'd be surprised how much moving just a bit will help

~H~

Thanks !!  What a speedy response !!   : )

Then, I guess I must change my diet plan to eating a bit more and (dont wanna think about it) exercise at least 3 times a week.

I shall eat 1,150 cal a day then coz that's what CC sets my "Eat Goal".

Thanks H !!  This helps !! 

I bet you will get a bajillion remarks saying that even 1150 is not enough food.

You are putting yourself into 'conservation' mode and your body will not drop any weight because it will think it's starving.  Please reconsider your intake and perhaps just go for a little walk a few times a week. 

I'm sure someone else will chime in soon to help me explain the process better :)
~H~

I agree with haley. You've stopped losing because your body thinks there's a food shortage on and it's time to hang onto those precious fat supplies. In order for you to get your body to think it doesn't have to hoard fat, you'll have to eat MORE than the bare minimum. Please eat 1500 calories. You may gain a bit at first, but you should lose a pound a week in the long run.

You're undereating.

here you go! enjoy.

Q :  Can I consume less than 1200 calories a day and still lose weight in a healthy manner?

A :  If you are a woman you need, unless under medical supervision from your doctor, 1200 calories a day (some sources recommend 1500). If exercising you will also need to consume more calories.

For men 1500 calories a day is the minimum (up to 1800 calories is recommended by some sites). Again, if exercising you'll need to consume more calories.

Going under 1200 or 1500 calories one day will not send you straight to starvation mode, not to worry :) If you need help getting more calories in your diet, click here and here.

Everyone is different and so will naturally have different needs. 1200 calories for women - 1500 calories for men is only a general guideline for a typical person. Heavier, taller, thinner, shorter people will of course, have different needs and will therefore consume more calories on a daily basis. Speak to your doctor and/or nutritionist. Find out what is right for you.

Daily deficits must stay between 500-1000 calories for a 1-2 pound weight loss per week. Having a greater deficit than 1000 calories and you risk starvation mode.

Severly calorie restricted diets can cause serious harm to your body, throw off your metabolism and damage your organs. If you're serious about losing weight in a healthy manner use this site to your advantage. Use the tools, read the forums.

Forum Discussions and Info:
http://www.calorie-count.com/forums/post/3178 .html#6
http://www.calorie-count.com/forums/post/8532 .html
http://www.calorie-count.com/forums/post/1223 0.html
http://www.calorie-count.com/forums/post/4815 .html


Handy Linkagae:
http://magazines.ivillage.com/goodhousekeepin g/diet/supermar ket/qas/0,,686685_704150,00.html
http://www.annecollins.com/calc/5.htm
http://www.mypyramid.gov/pyramid/discretionar y_calories_amou nt_table.html
http://www.netwellness.org/healthtopics/diet/ faq6.cfm
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/artic le/001940.htm

According to mary....

In the long run, you won’t lose weight faster by eating 1200 calories a day.  Under-eating deprives your body of essential nutrients and leads to muscle breakdown to provide energy.  With less muscle, you require fewer calories and you reach a weight low plateau more quickly.  Restrictive dieting also places you at risk for binge-eating which can lead to weigh gain and a life of yo-yo dieting. The Calorie Target calculator in the Tools section recommends x calories a day for you, personally, to lose 1-2 lbs per week, and so eat x calories, feel happy and healthy, and set yourself up for lasting weight loss success.

15 lbs sounds like a helluva lot of weight in 3 weeks!  Alas, it was probably water weight.  And, you are not eating enough, especially with all the exercise you are getting.  That's my 2 cents.