Hey Everyone.
I am 5 '2 and weigh about 136 lbs. For the past two months I have kept my calorie intake at 1200. And I lost nothing. I then began incorporating exercise into my week (about 4 times a week), burning about 400 calories each time. I added 400 calories to my food intake each time I exercised. And and still have not lost any weight. I am so frustrated and upset. I have worked so hard and it's not paying off at all. Anyone have any suggestions?
The same exact thing happened to me last year.
I wasn't eating enough. I ended up getting anemic and then I couldn't workout because I was so exhausted and Gained 10lbs, I never lost a pound but my body started to shut down the entire time my Scale said I was "Overweight"
You need to look at the possibility that you don't have much to loose. You also need to start eatin more.
ok love,
Your BMI says you are a healthy weight, and your daily calorie intake NEED is 2100.
Your eating 1200, and 1600 on workout days.
Your average defecientcy is almost 1000 calories, which is fine when you have lots of weight to loose but when you are already at a healthy weight it stalls you out. No no you need to eat more and lift more to get deffinition and tighten.
Definitely do not decrease. That will tell your body that you're not getting enough food, and go into starvation mode, where anything you eat will be stores as fat. It's instinct for your body to do that, so that it can survive. It looks like you have hit a plateau, so my advice is to up your calorie intake to 1400 WITHOUT exercise, have your deficit be 1000 or under, and also, if you're up to it would be a good idea to strength train. When you strength train, it takes the existing fat in your body and converts it into muscle. The conversion itself burns calories, and also - the more muscles you have, the more calories you burn in general.
But really, you do need to increase your intake. Your weight has found a comfortable place to stay at, and you're going to need to shock your body a bit so that it can continue burning calories to lose weight.
Eating less WILL make you gain more in the long run, trust me.
aleXXandra
Now I allow about average 1350 - 1400 cals/day. and eat a little more when I exercise. Result - 35 pounds lost!!! ( I'm 5'4" and have a slowing metabolism - 49 yrs old, Yikes)
So try adding a few hundred more calories to your day. Give it a few weeks and see what happens.
But even with eating back your exercise calories, you're still only getting that 1200.... that your body has become used to.
If you've been at this since October without varying anything besides adding a bit of exercise and then adding back in those calories, your body has adjusted to your intake.
Let yourself go for a week or two. Eat at maintence level and then drop back down to about 1400, splitting the difference on eating and exercising on those days. I KNOW it seems counter-productive in black and white, but it really does work. Your body just needs a shake up that the calories are still out there and it can still have some of them so it's okay to let go of a few pounds. Or eat at maintence for 2 days, drop it to 1200 for one day, up it to 1600 another 2 days.... for a week or two before you go back to the strict 500 deficit. You get the picture.
I think what alexxandra is saying is that you need to change something in order to "shock your body" out of the plateau you've hit.
One of the methods I have heard of is to eat 'normally'...like eat at your burn level...for a few days. You want to see the scale go up about 3-4 pounds. Then when you see that, go back on a calorie deficit. The theory is that it takes your body out of the starvation mode that calorie deficits put it in. And then when you begin to 'diet' again your body responds by burning fat instead of holding onto it.
Your body will work toward a static state, so if you continue doing the same thing, it will adjust itself so that that point is now normal for you. What is the total length of time you've been living on a calorie deficit?
I had a similar experience last summer. I was dieting and walking and aside from the initial water-weight loss of 8 lbs, NOTHING! For weeks! I got very discouraged and totally rebelled against limiting my food choices. For 4 months I ate whatever I wanted! The result...I gained 10 pounds. I have normally been one of those people who don't eat often enough: I'm a breakfast-skipper, so it's highly possible that I've been just lowering my metabloism for years. However, I just began eating right again and moderate exercise and this past week I lost 6 pounds. I know that it's my first week 'on' and that's normal, but at least something's happening.
Who knows, I might be on here next week complaining about the scale not moving again, but for this week I will be happy.
Yes that's exactly what I meant faithymom, thank you. :)
And yah, a 500 deficit is perfectly fine. And you should lose around 1lbs a week at that rate once you increase.
Eringilbert, that's a great idea to try, I've heard that calorie shifting really works. I'm about to try it out next week. I figure that as long as I get 10500cals/week in the end, I'll be okay. So one day would be 1200, then 1500, then 1400, then 1800 etc etc...
Good lucky lizzybelle!
I agree with the other posts about increasing your intake to normal level for a few days (probably about 1800 cals), but keep exercising lightly (maybe walks only). Keep your cal and burn level even for at least 3-4 days.
I think you aimed too low at 1200 cals a day and your body is in reserve mode. Definitely don't go that low again, and I agree that a 500 deficit is probably the most you want to do, maybe even only a 400 deficit. It may take a little longer to reach your goal, but it will be a healthier way to do it.
I didn't see you mention if you eat breakfast or not, but make sure you do eat something every morning and include some protein. That kick starts your metabolism for the day.
Keeping it Simple...
I know there has been a lot of conversation on this question, however, let's keep it simple: In order to loose weight you simply have to to use more energy than you take in. Once you begin working out, overtime muscle will replace fat and will weigh more. You need not be concerned with weight as you do with inches. Begin by getting out the tape measure and record your measurements weekly. You may find that while loosing inches your weight may maintain or even increase. As long as you are loosing inches and burning more calories than you take in you are doing alright!
I made the same mistake for years. Each time I'd eat less and less with no result, until I finally gave up. Please believe those of us who have been through this - eat more!
Here's a quote from the CC+ Library that explains what happens when you don't eat enough
"...very low calorie diets can cause excessive muscle breakdown and metabolic adaptations, which can drive down your calorie requirements. In the end, you'll need fewer calories to maintain a higher weight."
Use the Tools to recalculate your Burn. You didn't factor in the added exercise I bet. I think your burn must be closer to 1900 - 2000.
When you first increase your calories you might experience a temporary weight gain. Don't worry. This will level off and then you'll begin to lose.
So you can log your weight -- which allows you to do the following:
- Plot your weight curve
- Analyze the trend of your weight (see under Recent in the figure above)
- Determine the projected target date (see under Overall in the figure above)
