Why am I not losing weight?

I am 24, 5"1 and weigh in about 140. I have been counting calories for about 2 months now and exercising regularly with no results!

I normally stick to 1200 calories, and I never go over my burn rate. I have a moderately active lifestyle, but even sticking to the minimum amount of calories hasn't changed a thing.

Argh!! Its just so frustrating. Everyone around me is dropping the kilo's and mine have decided to stick around. Can anyone help me??

1200 probably isn't enough... when you don't get enough calories,  your body goes into starvation mode and holds on to all the fat it can. You shouldn't aim to lose more than 1/2 a kilogram a week... try and eat closer to 2000 calories.

Keep it up too, sometimes it takes a while but eventually all the exercise will kick in!

Make sure you're eating healthy too, lots of protein, not too much fat.

If you don't eat enough, your body will also burn up muscle... you don't want that to happen, because muscle boosts your metabolism. If you aren't already, include some weights in your exercise routine.

uh no nealoren....

can't post that here

not cool

and those places sell viagra anyway

I don't burn much over 2000 calories in a day, so I don't think I can eat that much. I think I do eat too much fat, but never too much. I think I do really lose weight slowly, but 6 weeks is too slow, I haven't even lost 100grams!!

For exercising I do skipping, casual bike riding and light weights.

I really hope it starts coming off soon before I give up!

You need at least 1300 a day then for light activity.  And the more you exercise you may need to up it.  Dont worry about the fat, just the calories in calories out.

Also from your picture, you are a beautiful girl... don't be so hard on yourself.

Ha yeah its a good picture!! I was also at my skinniest then.

I do often go over 1200, so my average is probably closer to 1300 to 1400 most days anyway. I always try to keep it at negative 500, so I can lose the calculated .4 kilo's per week.

And my exercise isn't ridiculous.. just trying to tone.

Make sure you're counting EVERYTHING. If you add a tbsp of margarine...count it. Creamer and sugar in coffee? count it.....   A little sour cream on a baked potato....count it.

yeah I am pretty sure I get every detail...

Sometimes it is hard when I eat out, but I usually try to overestimate instead of underestimate! Also as I live in Thailand, it is even harder to work out what they put in the food! Lots of oil, salt and sugar, that's for sure!!

Hi hide_me, you sound a lot like me when I first started.

I am 24, 5'1'', and started at 137 lbs.  It also took me awhile to see results.  I think my problem was that initially, before I started weight loss efforts, I wasn't eating healthy and sometimes probably didn't get 1200 cal a day...and on other days I ate more way than I should have...so when I started eating more consistently it took awhile for my body to adjust. 

Also, are you sure you have enough fiber in your diet?  That has made the biggest difference for me is making sure my digestive system is working properly (I don't recommend any of those cleanses or anything, but eating some fiber one cereal in the morning could really help you).  Since then I lose about a pound a week..I exercise 6 days a week, 30 mins of cardio each day and some calisthenics.  I do a little bit of calorie cycling, I'll eat 1200 about half the time and 1300-1500 the other days.  I'm currently down to 125ish and it's been 10 weeks.

You also might want to try adding in some heavier duty cardio 3 days a week...and drink lots of water!

Hang in there, you're doing the right things.  I think since technically we start at 'healthy' or very close to 'healthy' weights our bodies don't always want to give it up.

1200 calories is not enough. You will not effectively burn fat and loose weight if you don't get proper nutrition.

Many people underestimate the amount of calories they consume. You must count everything  you put in your mouth. Condiments, oils, a bite of this a bite of that. Butter on your toast, jam whatever it is. You must also eat clean/balanced to loose weight and keep it off. What are you eating? What kind of foods? What are you drinking? Do you get a lot of calories from liquids? Do you drink enough water? What is your workout like? How often. Do you strength train and do HIIT or interval training?

Have you calculated your BMI and figured out how many calories you need a day?

I think I add in everything I put in my mouth. Even my chewing gum! Under eating is definately not a problem in my case at all and never will be!

I normally eat fresh fruit for breakfast (like watermelon, pineapple and mangosteen) with a cup of green tea. Lunch is normally a thai dish with rice ( I do my best to stick to a cup). Then dinner is normally a vegetable stir fry with some fish, chicken or pork, and sometimes a boiled egg. My sweet tooth is my fall-down. Once I start it is very hard for me to stop. However I have cut down alot, and always include it in my calorie count!

I love snacking on dried fruits like banana. However, I am trying to decrease that too, as it is very high in calories.

I am a bad water drinker, but I am improving. I do not have a high calorie intake in my fluids, as I drink green tea, tea and coffee ( absolute max one each per day). No other real drinks unless special occasion.

Work out for me includes 3 sessions a week involving a short interval training warm up (sprint/walk) and fast skipping alternated with light workout. this is only a 30 minute workout. I normally do a 15 minute abs exercise routine once to twice a week and go for a bike ride on weekends. I also ride around the town on my bike as much as possible.

Please, I would love some feedback guys, if you have anything! Also I have hip problems, so frequent running is out of the question!

Thanks for all the input so far. xx

I think many people go from one extreme (eating a lot) to another (not eating enough).  Try upping your calories to maintenance for your weight for a week, and really work hard on maintaining that as an average.  Then drop down to 1500 for a week and see how that goes.  The gradual cutback may work better for your body.

You say under-eating is not a problem but you are only eating 1200 calories a day so that is not accurate. 1200 is not enough. When you are snacking on the dried fruits are you keeping track and counting those calories? The problem with dried fruits and fruit juices is that they are more concentrated and loaded with sugar. It is much better to eat fresh fruit.

I don't see any protein or carbs at breakfast. Try some whole grain cereal with skim or low fat milk and some fruit. Or an egg or two with some whole grain bread or a muffin. Lunch should include protein, fat, carbs and vegetables.

Add weight lifting to your schedule 3 days a week. Not consecutive.

If you don't like plain water add lemon or lime but in my opinion water is a key to successful weight loss. It keeps you hydrated and helps to digest your food better. Also when you drink water with a meal  you get full quicker.

I agree with some of the others, try eating more.

I'm 22, 5'4, and 140 (as of today) but I started at 145 and I've been eating around 1300-1600 calories a day and so far I've lost about 5 lbs in like a month.  I try to exercise 30 mins a day (Jillian Michales DVD or three sections in a 10 minute pilates dvd).  Sometimes I sleep in, or sometimes I eat too much and I've still been losing pretty steadily.

As for the water drinking, it took me a while to get to drinking enough water too.  I came up with a plan (hopefully it gives you an idea): at work we have the 5 gallon jugs with those little 8oz cups.  Every time I get up to walk away from my desk, I finish my little cup of water because I don't want to spill it accidentally.  Then, while I'm up, I refill it so I'm forced to drink again the next time I walk around.

Also, eating the Thai food can make it harder to lose too because it (i'm guessing) has a bunch more sodium than other foods will.  Sodium holds on to water so your not losing could also be a reslut of too much sodium and not enough water.  Try adding more water to help even out the sodium.  I notice that if I eat Chinese food one night, I'll weigh more the next day but the day after, I'll be back down to what i should have been because of the sodium in the food.

hmm... I'd have to say upping your raw foods-nuts, veggies and fruit- will boost your enzymes which will in turn do alot for your cells, among other things, guaranteeing weight loss.

I keep hearing, how, when people eat most or an all raw vegan diet they get astounding results. The key is variety :D