Plateau & Calories

I hope nobody will be mean to me and criticize for the heck of it... but here's my problem:

I am on a pretty low calorie diet right now, I don't really want to say, but I'm trying to get better. I also don't really exercise, maybe just a 30 minute walk twice a week or sometimes three times; I might start doing more. But my question is, my weight seems to be coming off VERY slow these days, and it usually only goes a fair amount down the day after I exercise/walk.

I've heard that there was someone on the biggest loser or something (a young man) who tried to lose weight faster so he ate even less than his trainers suggested, but didn't lose anything. and then when he upped his calories to the suggested amount, he started losing weight.

do you think that if I raised my calories to 1200 or something then I might lose faster even with a pretty sedentary lifestyle? I only have 3 pounds left!!! arghh!!!! so I ABSOLUTELY don't want that to make me start gaining again!!

Depending on your stats, you probably should raise your calories even past 1200. We can't recommend more specifics without knowing some - age, height, weight, gender.

you should def. go up to 1200 calories.. your body needs it...and just keep up with your walking and maybe you can come up with a few small exercise you can do while sitting down or something there are a few different things that take little effort but will still keep your body moving a lil...

First and foremost, you should absolutely not have to raise your calories to get to 1200.  You are eating way too little and you've put yourself into starvation mode.  You didn't post your stats so it's really hard to help you but I can tell you that if you are an adult woman, you need a bare minimum of 1200 calories just to live, more if you're male or a teen.  I've been more or less on a plateau myself, so I know how frustrating it can be, but you are going to have to make yourself eat more and get more active.  I recommend the Couch to 5k program.  It's designed to get you from couch potato to running 5k in 9 weeks and it does work.  It may or may not get you to that 5k mark, but it will get you to the point where you can run for 30 minutes, you can always increase speed once you're able to maintain the run for 30 minutes.  Also, since you're close to your goal, your weight loss is going to slow.  I think that the only way to combat this is to increase your activity level.  Right now though the important thing is to fix the problem of not eating enough.  You need to increase your calories right away.  You will probably see an increase in your weight briefly, but once your body is accustomed to a healthy calorie intake, you should start to lose again but it's probably going to be very slow going.  Good luck!

Being realistic, how is this going to play out?   You're obviously getting well below 1000 cals a day at the moment & you're not losing weight.  So let's say that, instead of losing a final 3lbs, you decide you're happy with your current weight and want to maintain that.  Are you happy to keep eating the same way for the rest of your natural?  I'm guessing not.  

A reasonably active adult female needs 1900-2100 calories a day to maintain her weight and to be healthy.  So somehow - regardless of whether you want to lose any more weight - that's where you have to end up.  Not simply up to 1200 but all the way to 1900-2100.... 

You're probably going to gain weight.  Crash dieters almost always do.  But the alternative to not increasing your intake is a lifetime of chronic undereating and the accompanying problems of malnutrition.   So understand that, accept that it's likely to happen and then start the ball rolling with 1200 calories as the absolute bare minimum, 1500 if you are a man.   If you are under 21 and female that number increases to 1500.  If you are under 21 and male it increases to 1800. 

If you find it tough to increase your intake, if you feel your eating is out of control, if you think of yourself as fat when others tell you you're thin.... then see a doctor.

thank you all so much for the help!!

I definitely value what you have to say.. I guess I will start increasing both food and exercise until it hits at least 1500 (for just the food, not exercise haha), like you say. and then work up from there.

When you eat too few calories you body goes into starvation mode...Ultimatly this means your body will make the most of the caloried that it does get, and then you muscles start to degenerate in order for your body to survive, and so that you can keep fat stores. Muscle burns calories so you really don't want to be losing muscle. Like it has been said you need at least 1200. I have a very sedentary life due to impending dead lines at university, however on 1400 cals i still am losing weight. Good luck, and get eating. 

how do you expect to lose weight on so few calories....i'm 110 pounds and i eat 2500 calories a day...when i was 105 i ate even more!!!  the biggest factor in weight loss is metabolism....and an even bigger factor is sustainable lifestyle! you can't diet you need a lifestyle change.  you should be eating different amounts of food everday....i couldn't tell you exactly how much without height/weight.  but i'm 5'4 so for me a week goes between 2000-2800 calories a day depending on excersise....on days when i excersise a lot i eat over 3000 calories. 

honestly though walking 30 minutes twice a week is not that intensely physical...so i would stick to around 1500 calories...even 1200 is dangerous.  up your excersise to boost your metabolism...if you don't like cardio start doing squats, weights, lunges (it won't make you bulky!!!!)....and start eating a lot more.

If its any help to you. 

I had been eating a few hundred calories  under my 1500 suggested  ( 1100 - 1300) not on purpose.. just didn't eat them.. I sat at the same weight for a week and decided I may not be eating enough.. So I ate about 2300 calories and then went back to closer to my 1500 that I'm supposed to eat...

I lost 2 lbs the following week..

Might be something in what they are telling you.  Just don't worry about when the weight will come off.. Eat right and it will.  And by eating right.. that means don't eat too little...or to much

I don't have much to say as I am also pretty new, but just wanted to say Great thread! And great advice everyone!

Diets under 1200 calories should be done only in a hospital setting.