WhAt Is HaPpENInG?!?!?!?!?

Ok I've got a huge problem! I need help!

My stats:
I'm 5'2" , 127 pounds, looking to be 110.

I've lost 22 pounds since September, by eating less and excercizing more.

Now, for the last 2-3 months,

I've been eating about 1200 calories very consistently every day, and doing around 40-60 minutes of cardio on the elliptical 5-6 days a week, and strength training every 3 or 4 days.

I've lost 2 pounds! In 2 months! Thats it!

What is wrong? Why am I not looseing weight?

Congrats on your weight loss! That's AMAZING!

I am also 5'2" and lost consistently by eating an average of 1500 calories a day. I did this by eating 1200 for 4 days and then 1800-2000 for the other 3 days of the week. My suggestion is you up the calories a little bit. If you have been exercising you probably need to eat more than 1200 calories. Give your body a bit of a jolt with a higher cal intake every few days. Also be aware you are probably gaining muscle. Have you measured your inches to check and see as the inches might be improving as you get in better shape without a major effect on the scale.

You might want to try adding adding a 100-200 calories to your diet. Your body might be going into "starvation mode" because of the low amount of calories you eat and how much exercise you do. Although you might not feel like you're starving, your body might think it is and slowed down its metabolism, making you burn less. Your body should probably start burning more in a week or two.

It sounds backwards doesn't it? Eat more to lose more. lol. But the body is an amazing, complex thing and will never conform to one equation. I hope this helps!

If I had to guess it's because you  need to eat more to make up for the cals you burn during exercise.  Hard to believe sometimes, but true from what I've heard.

I can't tell for sure without knowing how old you are, but your Basal Metabolic Rate is probably between 1300 and 1450 calories. This is the number of calories you would burn if you did nothing but lie in bed all day.

When you eat lower than this amount, your body goes into 'starvation mode,' because it doesn't think it's getting enough energy for basic living. As a result, it lowers your metabolism and starts storing as much food as it can.

Don't believe it? I accidentally ate under my BMR for a week and ended up plateauing just like you did. It took me a while to get back on track.

Up your calories to at least 1400, but do it slowly, and be aware that to begin with, you will *gain* weight. See, with your body in starvation mode, the first thing it will do when you add calories in is store as much as it can. Another reason to slowly increase your calorie intake rather than increase it quickly.

Good luck!

PS: To find out your BMR more precisely, go here: http://www.bmi-calculator.net/bmr-calculator/

i agree with all of the above! i was hardly losing any weight for a while and then as a fun experiement, i bought a box of those 100 calorie pack hostess cupcakes (SO GOOD!) and kept them by my bed.  i ate one pack every night before going to sleep- increasing my daily intake by about 100cal or so,  and after about a week i lost weight! and it was fun- best experiement ever  :)

Thank you for all of your replies!  I am 23 years old....

I am going to move my daily calorie intake to 1400 or 1450 calories - and maybe on the days that I don't exercise keep them at 1200.... How does this sound?

Original Post by tngardengal:

Thank you for all of your replies! I am 23 years old....

I am going to move my daily calorie intake to 1400 or 1450 calories - and maybe on the days that I don't exercise keep them at 1200.... How does this sound?

Nah nah I still don't think 1200 calories any day is good, i think 1400 should be your minimum. I've heard so many people say that they broke their plateau (which is what youre probably on) by eating more.

It might also be a good idea to alternate your daily calore intake even just by a little amount at the start so that your metabolism gets a wake up call and starts burning more calories! Do the same with your exercise too, just make it less predictable and you should lose weight :)