Hey Everyone,
So I have been feeling so discouraged and down lately. After losing 12 lbs it seems that my weight loss has stopped even though i work out a lot more than i used to and my food intake is still very little. So i dont understand whats going on and i still have 15 lbs to go.......

Can you post a little more about your plan?

When you say that you eat "very little", how many calories does that mean? What kinds of exercise are you doing, and for how long? What other details can you give us about your plan?

It might help to provide a sample day of food (with amounts) and a sample day's worth of exercise, as well as your height, to give us a good baseline for advice.

Hi Mandalin,
Well i have a plan that i sometimes follow and sometimes dont. Which basically consists of lean meat vegetables and salad however i sometimes skip a mean and just have lunch and breakfast. My workouts consist of 5 days a week and i run for half an hour and do a little but of weights. Thats about it.

How many CALORIES are you eating each day? (or average when you do follow your plan?)

Oh and when you don't follow your plan, how many calories do you eat? You said you sometimes skip meals, but is that always the case when you don't follow your plan?

if you eat the same calories each day your body gets too used to it, your body basically thinks that your not eating enough and puts all the food straight into fat stores, to stop this i woul usualy have something like 1500cals for 2-3 days then lower it to 1200 for 4-5 days then put it back up so my metabolism gets an energy boost, maybe you should try this? im not garunteeing that it'll work for you but its worth a try

And how tall are you? Are you setting a realistic goal by having 15 lbs left to lose?

This has not been the case with me even a little bit. Luckily my body HAS gotten used to eating the same calorie allotment and has rewarded me with weight loss. No reason for it to go into fat stores as long as you are creating a calorie deficit. No, we create that deficit and than our bodies actually USE those fat stores. Eating a lower amount can't possible CAUSE fat stores.

Anyway, hard to get a clear picture from the OP.

This is the sentence that rings out to me

Not sure what the *sometimes don't* means.

But if you're not following your plan, it's kinda hard for it to work. So I think we need that one clarified a bit.

I do know for me, consistency with my plan is ESSENTIAL to seeing results.

I agree, this idea of "same calories every day = bad" holds very little weight with me. Your body will not store what you eat just because you eat the same number of calories every day. It will begin to store if you go too far below the calories your body needs to function (but even that is only temporary and yet severely not healthy). The calorie deficit has to be in the right range, but if you're in that right range, there should be no reason on earth eating the right number of calories every day would be a bad thing.

NOW, varying how much you eat can effect your metabolism. Eating a bit more than your right calorie deficit once a week may boost your metabolism to burn that bit more. But not doing so is definitely not going to lead to weight gain or weight loss stallage.

Anyhoo, Lose25, you'll have to be a bit more specific if you want any more specific help. I agree with others that it could be that your goal is unrealistic, or that your calorie/eating plan needs modified now that your weight is lower. I suspect that you aren't being as forthcoming as you could be with us because you don't want to admit something. Now yes, that could be paranoia talking. But, just in case, let me remind you that no one here will judge you, and we are all here to help!

HI everyone.
My calorie intake is anywhere between 1000-1200 and my height is 5'5. However sometimes i do miss my meals due to school. Am i eating too little?

In short, yes.

First off, you're pretty near to a healthy weight for your height (in fact, you have a Normal BMI right now), so your weight loss is going to be slow. You just can't create a deficit as big as someone who is a lot bigger. So know that you may just have to manage with progress a bit slower than you'd like.

Second, 1200 calories a day is generally considered the "bottom" most people should go for weight loss. Lower than that, and it's very hard to get in the nutrition you need to keep your body fueled. And if you're skipping some of that, you're making the problem worse...your body isn't sure when food is coming, so it's conserving what you have (thus holding onto the weight that you're attempting to lose).

I'd consider upping your calories by 100 a week or so until you reach 1300-1400 or so, making sure you're eating throughout the day, and focusing on sticking on plan consistently.

"Lose25" if I didn't know any better I'd swear I was reading myself. I weighed 150 and my height is 5'5". Its a pain because it is the "healthy" or "normal" for BMI so losing weight is slow.....oh so slow....well for me at least. lol I still have about 10lbs to lose and I eat around 1200-1300 generally with every once in a while going up to around 1500cal. Don't get discouraged it is frustrating but once you figure your body out it gets easier.

I know how you feel... it is really encouraging if you do everything but you don't lose any weight... this always makes me binge. But the others are right. You need to eat a little more than 1000-1200 cals as your metabolism just slows down if you eat that little... you also mess up your body functions. I have a really messed up metabolism therefore please be careful and try to maintain a healthy intake.

Good Luck!

Yes, yes, yes.

Thank you everyone. I am going to try to eat between 1200-1400 calories and stop skipping all meals. But when you say really slow weight loss what dos that mean RedRock? FOr exmaple last month i only lost like 2 lbs and the one before none. Is this normal? I go back to binge eating too when i stop losing weight. BUt this has helped. Thank you so much everyone.

Kee

dont give up! Some great advice givin here!