I've been eating 1200 calories and doing sit-ups and whatnot.. and I drink a gallon of water a day and the weight just isn't coming off. I do light exercise 4 times a week. I can't run. I live in Miami and it's way too hot and not safe to go out at night. Any help?

Maybe try upping your calories a little? 1200 is the minimum anyone should be doing but if you are exercising you want to eat a little more.

Well, I'm curious about what you're eating. Would you mind listing a daily menu with what you're eating how much & when?

I usually have 1 cup of Special K with 3/4 cup Light Soy Milk for breakfast (sometimes instead of Special K I have Cheerios with fresh strawberries) and then a fruit. Maybe an apple or a kiwi.

For lunch it changes but I try to get protein and veggies in there. For example, today I had some chicken breast baked with a slice of pineapple on top for flavor. I eat a veggie with my lunch: green beans, carrots, mixed veggies, celery, or beans.

I eat a light dinner, usually because I'm not very hungry. Today was a Boca patty on a slice of high-fiber wheat with a tomato slice and fat free mozzerella cheese.

My snacks are always raw fruits or veggies.

The only other thing that I drink besides water is plain black coffee.

What you're eating seems fairly balanced. (A little more protein for all the exercising you do would be nice)

So I'd say that truly it may be that 1,200 calories isn't enough food. Why not try something a few hundred calories more than that?

I guess I could give it a try. I'm just so afraid of gaining weight back :[

It says you are down 5 pounds from your starting weight so you seem to be losing some. Just be patient... remember you didn't put the weight on overnight so it wont come off overnight either. Just stick with your plan.... I know it can feel discouraging but we are all supporting you!

I'm a little confused. I was just reading over your past posts to try and get an idea of your situation and see that you started in October 08 at 164. Within a week you were down to 160. So are you saying that you have been sticking with 1200 calories a day plus exercise and around a gallon of water a day and have not lost a pound in over 2 months?

Well I hadn't logged my weight in a while. I actually had a concussion in that time and I DID lose the 4 pounds, but gained it back because I couldn't really leave my house for a while. I just didn't maintain my diet until I felt I was ready again.

I'm actually 161 pounds now. I just lost the forum for a while. :\

That's happened to me so many times. You do everything you're suppose to, then nothing happens. The ironic thing is that when I ate 1300 calories of absolute crap I'd suddenly lose weight.

There was actually a month where I only lost about 3 pounds, but things picked back up again. If you keep plugging away (yes, I just said plugging away) at it, it'll definitely pay off...and as cliche as it sounds, just be patient.

And hey, you live in a sauna, lucky you!

But like everyone else says, I'd definitely up your calories by at least 100-200. I eat between 1300-1400 a day, and I've been steadily losing. I just make sure never to go BELOW 1200 (you know, the whole 'slowing down your metabolism' thing).

Word.

For sure.. I'm going to try it out and hopefully by Friday (my weigh-in day) something will have changed. Thanks :]

good luck!

Thanks!

1200 isn't some magic number. The number of calories you need a day to maintain is different for everyone. Find a calculator on the web to figure out what yours is.

How many calories do you burn a day? If you are burning a lot more then you are putting in then your body will start to hold onto fat. If this is the case then you need to up your calorie intake. It helps to vary your calorie intake.

If your calorie intake is at the maintaining level for your body and the most exercise you get is light 4 times a week then you need to up your exercise routine. Exercise will give your metabolism a boost too.

You need to burn more then you take in in order to loose weight. You don't want to quickly drop your calorie intake. Keep a journal for a week and find out what your average intake is.
If you want to loose a pound every 2 weeks then burn 250 calories off your daily intake.


The plate diet helped me. Divide your plate like this.
½ veggies
¼ protein
¼ whole grains