I'm not losing the weight.

Hi there I am new to this forum and need some help and advice!.

It began in January of this year.  I gave up smoking completely and soon after that, began eating like a horse as my taste buds returned. I then began to tackle the food issues around late January and began to cut out everything with salt and sugar and majority of fats and just ate raw vegetables and healthy whole foods but completely cut out the snacking altogether and no sweets or junk whatsoever.

I have been following this healthy lifestyle eating fairly rigidly and have not once bought any crisps, cakes, chocolate, ready made meals or anything like that over the past two months and drink nothing but water and herbal tea and have skimmed milk on my whole grain cereal I now eat breakfast everyday and my food portions are massively small in comparison to what I was used to eating before.  I should be losing the weight given the volume of food I used to eat but no longer and what I eat too!.  I eat five types of vegetables a day and eat brocolli, Kali leaves, spinnach, carrot, sweetcorn, peppers all mixed  up every evening at around 6pm with four fishfingers as I just cannot eat raw food by itself but my portion sizes are the same and never change.

For lunch, I have two bolied eggs as they are filling with salad leaves and two slices of wholemeal bread with a scraping of fat free maragarine.  My daily calorie intake is around 800 - 1000 a day maximum and I do sit ups with a special abs trainer I have and go for a 30 minute very fast walk a night.  I have the occassional Banana if I am hungry and some dried dates or an apple but none of this should be keeping me fat when I have really changed my entire eating lifestyle to a very healthy one.  I cannot understand it and I am not eating more than I am burning up but I admittedly am not getting enough physical exercise if I only exercise for around an hour maximum a day as also do floor exercises and dance around my room every few days too.

I have huge legs and big breats and I hate the way I look and feel like I am eating healthily for the sake of being clean inside but it isn't doing very much on the outside.  I am a size 16-18 the same as when I first started the diet but my trousers are a little baggier on me but nothing else is happening.  I can't believe that the wight is not wanting to come off despite what I am doing and it should be even if I am not running marathons a day when the healthy eating should be adequate enough with the exercise I do already.  I am going to get into jogging but waiting for my new trainers and tops to come this week but when i run, my legs seem to appear even bigger and feel so heavy and makes me feel depressed about how big they are!. 

I am only 34 but I just seem to have an exeptional body because I have an hour-glass shape and I look athletic and trim because my height kind of makes me appear more slender too but have a good figure at 5ft5 but have huge legs that are just so beautiful when you see the actual shape the fat hides them.  I just want to lose the weight but not sure what I should be doing and can't go back to eating regular food because I have weaned myself off it and am careful of everything I eat now and never binge eat at all.  I used to eat a whole box of cakes in the evening and a can of coke with criss and take-out foods and I still fit into the very clothes I just shouldn't after two months.

Please please help me as feel so desperately low and want to just binge eat because of how I feel but just won't and haven't yet so I should feel proud of myself.  I haven't eaten a single bad thing for months now and I do miss it from time to time but I just eat very healthy instead and why I cannot understand this problem?.  I have never had children so am not overweight because of that and there is just nothing else except not doing enough exercise a day.  If I run for 30 minutes a day will that do the trick???????? - I can't eat any less than 800 calories a day as I am already hungry as it is most of the time and take Hoodia max diet control pills to curb my appetite.

Please give experienced advise and many thaks in advanace for reading and or answering my question.

My daily calorie intake is around 800 - 1000 a day maximum.
This may be you problem.  The less you eat the slower your metabolism.  Have you used the tools on this site to figure out how many calories you really need to feed your body.
If your body is always hungry, then you are going to binge.

Welcome to C-C
Go to these links and fill out your info
 BMI Index · Allowance · Expenditure

Then visit these links 
Plenty of information and useful tips!
The Calorie-Count.com Diet

Good luck with your journey!

Hey, i know it seems odd but if you dont meet ur daily intake then you won't lose weight. I didn't believe it either but after I did i am losing weight every week! There is a lot of post where people talk about the need to eat enough calories a day. Good luck and check out those links CC is on the right track!

From what I have read on this forum, you need to eat at LEAST 1200 calories a day to maintain a normal metabolism. I read on this forum that a human body needs 1200 calories just to function or else it goes into a "starvation mode" and becomes more efficient at storing fat.

800 - 1000 a day? No wonder you are hungry!

The best thing about calorie counting is that you don't have to go hungry! Also, you can pretty much eat whatever you want, but in moderation. If you want to eat in larger quantities, the food has to be healthier.

As said above, use all of Calorie-Count's tools.

I have lost 9 lbs so far (started 1.5 months ago) on Calorie-Count.

Eat more! At LEAST 1200 cals!

Good luck !

Wow! I was so surprised to get responses so quckily so that is nice!.

I honestly don't beleive that eating more calories is the key to weight loss because I have done that before too but it is more about the movement and how much of that you get in a day, but to eat at leat three meals a day is good and is what I eat everyday.

My diet looks like this:

Breakfast: one bowl of sugar-free and wheat -free museli with skimmed milk and one apple.  I cup of herbal tea.   Lunch: one plate of salad with two to three boiled eggs and two slices of wholemeal bread with a scraping of low fat maragarine.  I banana  and a huge glass of water.   Dinner: A full medium sized plate of raw vegetbales I enjoy eating that contains at least 5 portions of my daily vegetables I have with four fish-fingers. I have water and herbal tea throughout the day and evening and eat a banana and dried fruits in modertaion as healthy snacks but only one banana a night for instance and do not binge eat.

My diet is very healthy indeed and it doesn't contain naughty calorific junk of any kind because I have cut that out from my diet altogether as that is what causes people to often put the weight back on because sugars and salts are addictive even in smaller quantities and why it is difficult to eat them in modertaion at the best of times.   I do not binge eat either - I keep to my diet very strictly and so the problem is not that at all and neither is not counting calories.

I actually think that calorie-counting is not my thing at all and makes me more paranoid about what I eat and so this is why I don't do it but go by portion size instead - this is a lifestyle change and not a diet.   As long what you are eating is healthy and whole and in the right sizes, then this is what makes the difference to weight loss and it is never a good idea to consume more than you burn (this is why I eat 800 - 1000) calories a day because I am not burning that up through adequate exercise and if you eat 1'200 calories without moving your body enough (2-3 hours a day) then you are not burning those calories up so how do you lose weight?.

I have found that when I was moving more, I was looking trimmer but had to stop running in the morning as don't have a pair of tarmac resistant trainers  but have ordered some and hopefully they should come within the next few days as I do intend to get back into it.  The brisk 30 minute walk I do a day isn't enough if I am not losing anything and can't see how eating more calories than you burn is going to lose people weight - please explain this to me as this is what I need to know.

As for BMI and all that stuff I cannot get myself into the dieting mind but I can tell how much my body needs by how full it feels - my hunger is also emotional too so having to separate that from the physical sensations of hunger can be quite tricky but what I eat is enough for any healthy person and my hunger is because I crave the addictive stuff I gave up months ago as it takes time to get used to the healthier food stuff.  I don't eat huge filling meals anymore because being over full is not good and you can't tell when you are full or not so eat the right sized portions my body needs a day and according to health experts I eat the right amount for someone who doesn't do massive amounts of exercise a day.

But the lack of movement a day is what I beleive causes the weight to stay - you have to be moving for a good part of the day like when you are in work and moving around a lot and then going for a run in the morning.  I currently don't work but am trying to get a full time job but don't use me legs as I ought to be doing and am positive this is why I am not losing the weight more than anything else at all.  If I eat more than I am burning up, I am going to just get bigger for sure so the answer cannot be this.   An athlete needs around 1'700 calories a day or more but that is because they move for many hours in a day.  I do 30 minutes maximum.

So it just doesn't make sense to me anymore - I talk sense and have done a lot of dieting to know what I know but if all what you are saying is true, how are you losing the weigt just by eating more than you do - surely you must exercise a good part of the day?.

I agree with the others, you need more calories. Look at it this way: you have quit smoking and your body is now trying to heal itself from the damage. This process takes a lot of readily available calories and nutrients.

Try adding one TB ground flax seed to your breakfast cereal, one TB olive oil to your salad, and/or dinner, and maybe a handful of walnuts to your snack. This will give you a source of healthy omega-3 fats which are essential to good nutrition, and get your calorie counts up in a good range.

Be aware that smoking was the equivalent of metabolizing an extra 200 cals per day. But it doesn't do it in a healthy way... not at all: each jolt of nicotine made your body produce extra insulin. What this means is that smoking was setting you up for diabetes. This is why smokers, even if underweight, tend to have a pot belly. And it's probably also why your weight loss is now being stubborn - your body is all screwed up as it is trying to get back to more normal rythyms. Give it time!

To offset the 200 calories from quitting, try briskly walking about 2 miles, just 30 minutes per day. This will also help with mood swings, insulin swings, and any cravings you may still have.

P.s. I quit smoking:

Eight months, three weeks, four days, 12 hours, 36 minutes and 59 seconds. 5410 cigarettes not smoked, saving $1,352.83. Life saved: 2 weeks, 4 days, 18 hours, 50 minutes.

I started walking and watching my diet within a month or so of quitting. It took me 6 months to lose the first 6 pounds. I've lost another 4 or 5 since January. Just 5 more to go to meet my goal!


If you are currently NOT gaining, consider yourself doing very, very well! Keep it up, add in some walking, get your calories up, and be patient. You *will* see results.

>>>I honestly don't beleive that eating more calories is the key to weight loss because I have done that before too but it is more about the movement and how much of that you get in a day, but to eat at leat three meals a day is good and is what I eat everyday.<<<

Then you believe wrong.  While there is a small minority of people who can live and be healthy on less than 1200 calories a day, 1200 is the recommended amount for your body to stay alive.

Your body needs fat.  Cutting out trans and saturated fats is great, but there are others that you need.  Your body needs sodium.  While too much sodium will have consequences, too little will have just as many.  Cutting down on vital nutrients will cause cravings.  Limiting your caloric intake to below what your body requires for its organs to function properly will obviously have adverse affects.

These are proven medical facts by various studies.  This comes from recommendations of doctors and nutritionists.

Where is the protein in your diet?  How much fat are you truly eating? 

Your heart requires a set number of allocated energy to pump efficiently.  It moves, it requires some.  If you are using all your consumed energy towards exercise, what is left to go to your hearth and your organs?

The idea of eating less than you burn is the right idea.  But there is a line between how much less you should consume before you start starving your body from the vital energy it needs to live. 

Which is what you are doing.  Faced with not having enough energy to live (calories = energy), your body shuts down and goes into survival / starvation mode where it stores up everything you eat, whether you think you are burning it off or not.

You say you can tell what you body needs.  You say you are on a very strict diet.  You say we should as much as you consume.  Question for you... how has that been working for your healthy weight loss plan so far?

Things are recommended for a reason...because they work.  If you don't want to take the writtings on an internet posting board as the truth, then go talk to a specialist and see what they say.

I'm mostly posting to agree with bigtwinky.

Eat too few calories and your metabolism slows down to match. You plateau out and stop losing. And that's the end of the story unless you either burn more calories (exercise more) or eat less. Both ways lead to madness, or at least major damage to your body.

Listen to Bigtwinky.

was like you at first I thought if I cut way back on my calorie intake the fat will come off faster.  if you want to eat such low calories you need to not exercise.  I have done the medifast diet these people stay in the calorie range you do.  and there dieticians recommend light to moderate exercise 3 times a week.  they tell you on there that your body goes into a starvation mode if you burn up to many cals in a day with what you are consuming.  you should eat every 2-3 hrs a day.  eat more veggies then anything else if you can. anyway you can.  I have a personal trainer at the moment and that?s where I got that from.  I was just like you, I was working out so much and not eating nearly enough I didn't lose a pound.  it is also good to change up your cardio if you can the trainer told me.  she said after awhile your body gets used to the same thing and won?t respond to it by losing weight.  I tend to eat more cals now just watch what kind of carbs I eat.  stay away from anything with white flour also.  take it from me I learned the hard way.  ( I see a change too when I switch up my diet sometimes more protein sometimes more veggies just different keep your body guess and it will keep on changes is what I was told.)  sometimes your body needs time to catch up also.  you will see yourself losing way more inches then weight.  I have only lost 13 pounds since Feb. but I can see a huge difference in the way I look and the way my clothes fit.  inches baby inches!!!  I was getting so depressed when I got on the scale so now I try to not get on it as much or at least not put so much into what shows up on there!!!!   Don?t learn the hard way people out there have been in your shoes try to be open to new things!!!!!!!!!

I honestly don't beleive that eating more calories is the key to weight loss because I have done that before too but it is more about the movement and how much of that you get in a day, but to eat at leat three meals a day is good and is what I eat everyday.

Your beliefs and science are at odds then. You burn calories ALL DAY, doing technically 'nothing'... that is, sitting in a chair, breathing, eating, just being alive. You do not need to be exercising all day to eat more.

I'm willing to wager you burn at LEAST 1700 a day sitting around, without exercise. Use the tools at the top to work out how many calories you should be eating. 800-1000 a day is NEVER enough.

Lastly, read bigtwinky's post over and over! That's what you need to know to lose weight healthily and understand why it's working. :)

I can certainly empathize; I too changed my eating habits in January to a more healthy way of eating.....whole grains, veggies, fruits, cooking from scratch, etc.  And I too have only seen the same 2 lbs come off and come back.   I started out around 1300-1400 calories, but I exercise pretty much every day and burn on avg 650 calories.....so I've upped the calories the last month to try to keep the calories expended and the calories consumed gap to between 500-1000 calories......then I read that you need to wait at least 3 months for your body to catch up......well, I've been doing this now for 50 days......so 40 more days and hopefully I'll start seeing some weight drop.  I suspect inches have dropped, since I started at 16-18 size range and am now down to 14-16......I certainly feel like I have more control of my eating and my skin is much clearer and I have LOTS more energy.  I'm 47 so I suspect mother nature is not helping me here.

Isn't it true that you have calories stored in the fat on your body?  Wouldn't that provide the necessary fuel for your body to function?  If your getting 100% of the necessary nutrition, plenty of protein, and a few carbs plus have fat to burn why is a problem to eat less than 1200 calories?  I'm 25lbs overweight which should mean i have 87,500 calories for my body to burn before going into starvation mode.

Please help!

cameres, it's true fat stores energy. but there's a few reasons eating less than 1200 is not a good idea. taking into account what you've already said:

- it takes energy to break down the fat cells in order to release their energy. you need to 'trick' your body by eating enough (but on a deficit) into breaking down fat to make up the calorie deficit.

- if the deficit is too big, your metabolism is likely to adjust to burning less every day rather than waste your fat cells, as - if you were actually starving - these could be used to fuel you in the future.

- muscle is metabolically active tissue, that is, it burns calories even when it is not 'doing' anything. fat is not. in the long-term on a restricted diet, removing muscle is a much more effective way of cutting the calories you burn to help you survive than wasting energy breaking down fat.

- it is very hard to get 100% of the necessary nutrition on less than 1200. very. plus: a calorie is a calorie. it's all energy to the body... energy you need to run all your bodily functions and organs. i don't see why you would deprive yourself of that.

- you need to take into account body fat % for your 87,000 calorie equation to work. and all the other things just mentioned. :)

An analysis of my body fat showed 25 lbs of fat; therefor, 87,500 calories of fuel waiting to be burned.  Does muscle store energy the way fat does?  Are you saying that my body would rather burn muscle than fat instead of using the muscle to burn the abundance of fat?

If my body were a car, and had a 2000 gallon tank, why would i need to put a certain amount of fuel in everyday to burn the fuel that's already there?  The car would continue to run without me putting anything into it until it ran out of gas. I'm just trying to run out of fat.

to get 100% nutrition i take alot of vitamins, protein, and make sure everything i eat is high in nutritional value.

So, why ask for advice and then shoot it down when people give it to you?  Iif you want to starve yor body, you're not going to lose weight.  or congrats, you'll lose weight and then gain in right back when you drink a glass of whole milk.  Is that what you want?  No?  Okay then listen to the people here. You might also want to give those diet pills up.  They're a load of crap, and pretty dangerous, no matter what the FDA claims.

An analysis of my body fat showed 25 lbs of fat; therefor, 87,500 calories of fuel waiting to be burned.  Does muscle store energy the way fat does?  Are you saying that my body would rather burn muscle than fat instead of using the muscle to burn the abundance of fat?

Your brain can only run on glycogen. Glycogen comes from the foods you eat or from the stores in your muscles. It does NOT come from the fat on your body. So if you have no glycogen circulating in your blood stream, it has no other choice than to start eating your muscle, because it can't get fed any other way.

Also it may help to think of your body more like a fire. Your body fat is like a big pile of logs. You cannot start the fire burning without some kindling (just enough food).

Are you saying that my body would rather burn muscle than fat instead of using the muscle to burn the abundance of fat?

Muscle requires more calories to maintain than fat. If your body thinks it is starving it will dump the muscle in an attempt to reduce calorie requirements. So, yes.

^^^ that too

Humans have been around a lot longer than grocery stores.  Our bodies our designed to help us survive through long periods of time without food (long winters, famines, etc)  If our food intake is cut severely, our body takes it as a sign that our food source has been cut off, and our bodies respond by working more efficiently.  Muscles and organs are inefficient tissue, so that is why our bodies break them down when our calorie deficit gets too big.  

To use your gasoline analogy, if there was a sudden gasoline shortage, would you be wasteful with that gasoline or would you change your ways and try to conserve that gasoline for when you need it (start walking vs. driving, get a more fuel efficient car, etc)

The important thing to remember is that your body does not know that you are trying to lose weight.  It only knows that it is used to getting 2000+ cals/day or so, and now it is only getting less than 1000/day... 

PS- When I started counting calories, I was shooting for 1200 cal/day (without compensating for exercise.)  My weight loss slowed, I got tired easily, I was really hungry, I was cold all the time...  After reading posts like this, I upped my calories to 1600/day + whatever I burn exercising, and I have been steadily loosing weight at about 1.5-2 pounds per week since.  I feel much better now, plenty of energy, and I get to eat MUCH more food.

cameres, your car analogy doesn't work.  You assume that your car only needs gas to go. It would be pretty dumb to run your car without oil, coolant, water, etc.

jenmc, burrous, thanks for the answers. The gas shortage and fire examples helped alot.

fauxtograph, i wasn't trying to be difficult, just to better understand.  i never said anything about diet pills and the FDA has never supported them they just don't regulate them as strictly as prescription drugs.

stayce, that's why i take vitamins, eat protein and make sure i'm getting the nutrition i need.

jenmcc, burrous, stacye... thanks for clarifying. (admittedly, i thought i was relatively clear in the beginning! hehe)

cameres - to clear one thing up you said that hasn't already been clarified: Does muscle store energy the way fat does?

i apologise because that was poor phrasing on my part. it is not really about 'storage'... when fat is burned, the energy density is different than for muscle, resulting in a higher number of calories produced (about 9 for fat and 4 for protein).