General Diet Plans and Questions General diet questions, support for various diet plans other than those listed below.

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Old 10-15-2010, 06:17 PM   #1  
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Default 1200 calories way too much?

I've been dieting for exactly a month now and I've come to realize...

I gain weight when I eat 1200 calories or more.

Is that normal??

I'm not really active, I walk at least 30 minutes every day though.

When I eat less than 800 calories, that's when I start to lose weight, and I'm not talking about drastic weight loss, just like, 2 lbs a week.

I thought 1200 calories was a good number to eat at, but the pounds pile on when I do that. I was at 10 lbs down when I was doing the 800 or less and now I'm only 7 lbs down and I've been stuck at this. Haven't lost any more weight.

Is that normal? Does anyone else experience this problem?

I'm 5'5'' and currently 187 lbs.
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Old 10-15-2010, 06:22 PM   #2  
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No offense, but it's impossible for you to lose 2 pounds a week at 800 calories and gain weight at 1200 calories. It takes 3500 calories for a pound. If you lose 2/week at 800, you would have to eat 1800 to neither gain nor lose weight. Even if you factor in a sloooooow metabolism, there's no way a 400-calorie/day difference is going to take you from LOSING 2/week to gaining weight.
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Old 10-15-2010, 06:24 PM   #3  
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Well, that's what's been happening. I log everything in my online food diary to a T and this is what I've come up with. ;(
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Old 10-15-2010, 06:25 PM   #4  
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Well what are you eating? Post a typical menu- you might find it's not how much you are eating, but WHAT you are eating.
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Old 10-15-2010, 06:27 PM   #5  
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That must be frustrating. Have you seen a doctor or nutritionist about it? That would be my first suggestion because I think that if you are eating 1200 calories a day and exercising, you should be losing weight based on your current weight.

Also, how closely are you recording your calorie intake? I know it's easy for me underestimate the amount of calories I've taken in...but I've also experienced the extreme frustration of cutting calories and not seeing the scales move.
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Old 10-15-2010, 06:36 PM   #6  
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@beerab: I usually don't eat breakfast because I don't wake up in time for it, but I eat lunch around 2 or 3pm, and that usually consists of a bowl of pasta or a plate of fruit and veggies with ranch dip. For dinner (if I eat dinner) usually a bigger portion of pasta with a side of vegetables and low calorie slice of bread. And that's it, really. On days I eat more, I might eat another small bowl of pasta later at night.

@Sunshine: I use ************ to record my calories and I usually put in my own meals that I create when I can mark the calories pretty much exactly.
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Old 10-15-2010, 06:41 PM   #7  
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Whaaaaaaaaat, dang, girl, who told you to eat pasta for weight loss???? That's refined starch and is one of the worst things for you to eat! Stuff like pasta will encourage your body to pack on the fat if you don't burn it off quickly. That's why runners eat pasta the night before a run, it turns into energy, and if you don't use that energy, it turns into fat. If you're eating that much pasta, you should be doing tons of cardio. Also, where's your protein? Where's your fat???? Where's anything but carbs?? Oh, gosh, girl, you really gotta examine WHERE your calories are coming from! Someone eating 1000 calories balanced between fat, protein, and complex carbohydrates is NOTHING like someone eating 1000 calories of simple carbs.
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Old 10-15-2010, 06:45 PM   #8  
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I agree too much pasta.
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Old 10-15-2010, 06:49 PM   #9  
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Bread, pasta, potatoes--not great foods for weight loss! You want dense, nutritious food. If you're going low-fat/low-calorie, you still need protein and vitamins! Spinach, broccoli, peas, lean meats, eggs! If you have pasta, have pasta with meat sauce or a small piece of low-fat spinach lasagna. Have filling and fibrous fruits like berries and apples! Also--eat breakfast! Your body wakes up after not eating and is waiting for food. It doesn't get food--how does it now you aren't just going to keep starving it? Feeding yourself in the morning tells your body to get that metabolism going. If you don't eat breakfast, it won't know to get the machine chuggin' away.

You should spend a bit of time googling macronutrients and finding a balance that's right for your eating habits.
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Old 10-15-2010, 06:54 PM   #10  
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Space-Try 1200 calories of BALANCED food instead and see what happens. low or non-fat yogurt, veggies, chicken or fish or beans or tempeh...lean protein. I'm willing to bet that you can eat a lot more if you eat more kinds of foods and that your body will cooperate better at losing the weight for the same amount of activity. Please remember that you can't just try it for a couple of days and then give up, but stay with it for say a month and see how you feel and if you are losing better. Also, take a multi-vitamin. If you don't know how to make a good balanced menu, lots of chicks here will help you with that, including me.

Barb
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Old 10-15-2010, 07:01 PM   #11  
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I can't eat breakfast anyway. I get really sick. I can only eat a few bites.
I used to be able to eat breakfast, but I really can't stomach it.

But yeah, I figured I was eating too many carbs as I was typing that all out. Trying to cut that out now I guess. Oh, and I'm going to cut out soda too because I think that's making me bloated.
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Old 10-15-2010, 07:14 PM   #12  
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Default soda???? OMG!!!

Quote:
Originally Posted by SpaceCoconaut View Post
I can't eat breakfast anyway. I get really sick. I can only eat a few bites.
I used to be able to eat breakfast, but I really can't stomach it.

But yeah, I figured I was eating too many carbs as I was typing that all out. Trying to cut that out now I guess. Oh, and I'm going to cut out soda too because I think that's making me bloated.
I don't eat my "breakfast" at breakfast time. I walk first then have a cuppa and it's usually around 11 before I eat. Just me.

And just curious if you are counting your sodas in your calories? If they are regular...not sugar free then that's a whopping lot of calories even if you only drink one a day...YIKES!!!! You can get a lot of chicken and veg for one soda's worth.

Barb

Last edited by angelskeep; 10-15-2010 at 07:15 PM. Reason: can't type!
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Old 10-15-2010, 07:18 PM   #13  
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Wow! No wonder you aren't losing weight. You are eating way too many carbs and not enough protein, good fats and fiber. Especially protein and fiber. These two will make you feel fuller so you won't overeat. And EAT BREAKFAST!
Good luck on your weight loss journey!
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Old 10-15-2010, 07:29 PM   #14  
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If I eat 1200 calories of simple carbs I pack it on. I can eat up to 2,000 calories of protein/fat foods and not gain, I've found. Simple carbs bloat some people up like there is no tomorrow. Have you thought of trying a low carb plan?

Last edited by ValRock; 10-15-2010 at 07:29 PM.
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Old 10-15-2010, 07:39 PM   #15  
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I also agree carb levels may be your bigger problem.

The first thing I'd recommend though, is a check-up to try to find out why you have such a slow metabolism. Gaining weight on 1200 calories, even if every one of those calories were coming from refined carbohydrates is a bit unusual, and could be a symptom of a metabolic disorder. I'd ask the doctor to run tests for hormonal and endocrine issues - tests for diabetes/insulin resistance, thyroid issues... For the insulin resistance/diabetes, I'd ask for a glucose tolerance test (it's a more sensitive test than blood sugar).

I do think carbs are the likely culprint. I have insulin resistance and borderline low-thryroid (not low enough to warrant thyroid medication, but high enough to slow my metabolism to half or less what it was even ten years ago). I understand where you're coming from though, because I've found that for myself I don't lose at all, or lose slowly on 1800 calories if I'm not eating low-carb. It shouldn't be possible at my size, but like you my food journals have proven it to me.

On low-carb food, I can eat 2000 calories or more and still lose weight. So you might find it isn't the calorie count that is preventing you from losing weight, it could be the carb content.

I can eat at least 500 calories more on low-carb eating than I can on normal or high carb eating, and still lose weight more consistently and at a faster pace. Everything I thought I knew about weight loss tells me this isn't possible, and yet my food journals prove otherwise. It's hard to believe even after proving it to myself.

Another wonderful side-effect of low-carb dieting for me is hunger control. On 4,000 calories of high-carb eating, I feel far hungrier than I do on 1,000 calories of low-carb eating (I don't usually eat that low on low-carb, because I don't have to - but it is true that no amount of food on a high-carb diet is enough to satisfy me). It just makes sense for me to reduce carbs because I can lose more weight on more calories and feel less hungry - it's a win-win situation.

For me, eating low enough in calories to lose weight on high-carb eating is miserable. I feel starved all the time and the weight barely comes off even at starvation levels.

It's at least something to consider and experiment with. Wouldn't it be great if 1600 calories of low-carb eating yeilded the same or better results than 800 calories of high-carb, and left you more satisfied? It's been my experience and it could be yours too. I'm not making a guarantee, but there are a lot of folks here who have had similar experiences (the low-carb forums, if you're interested).

Last edited by kaplods; 10-15-2010 at 09:09 PM.
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