I keep reading the whole burn more calories than you consume thing. The problem is, though I often eat only 12-1500 calories a day ( sometimes only 800-1000 if I don't feel like eating an evening meal ) I am physically unable to burn more than around 6-700 calories in a day.

3-4 times a week I walk 5 miles home at a fast pace ( I get the bus fridays as a treat and Mondays I often go to aerobics ). It takes me 50 minutes. I enter this information into the elctronic port at the gym - we have a key that stores all your exercise info and some info you have to add yourself like walking or swimming ect , you enter time spent doing the activity and the intensity (low medium high ).

So I enter 60 mins walking. It shows I've burned around 400 calories. I have no idea how accurate this is but that's what it tells me anyway. Then when in the gym, I go round the machines doing about 10 mins on each. I struggle to burn 100 calories in 10 mins despite having done aepobics for a year, despite all the walking and despite trying so hard I often feel vaugely faint after using whatever machine I'm on.

After using around 4-5 machines ( treadmill crosstrainer, rower, wavestepper, bike ) Plus 5-10 mins on the boxing punchbag, when I put my key into the machine and it takes down all my info, added on with the walking it shows I've usually burned no more than round 7-800 calories .


So going by that, I'm not burning more than I consume.

But I cannot physically exercise any more. I surely can't stick to eating 800-900 calories a day ( which is the most I eat in a day if I have no dinner of an evening ), even I know that's not normal and I wouldn't be able to exercise on that amount because I would definitely pass out.


My daily usual food plan is here on this page of this thread

http://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/20-s...age-day-2.html

I'm just so upset because the scale has stopped, I'm exercising and counting calories, but I cannot burn more than I consume. I physically cannot.

Oh, Honeythorn, you are completely forgetting something! You are not only burning energy when you are walking, or in the gym. Your body is burning energy all the time! Your heart, lungs, intestines, muscles, they all need energy, all the time!
So depending on your weight and age and height, you have a basic metabolic rate which will probably be somewhere between 1200 and 1500 kcal a day (you can calculate it here, for example) PLUS whatever you exercise off!!!
So if your BMR is 1200, and you exercise 700 off, eating 1400 kcal will put you at the ideal deficit of 500kcal/day.

So please don't starve yourself! Please give your body what it needs - if you are already feeling faint when using machines at the gym, it's a sure sign your body needs more energy, not less!
For not losing weight anymore, check all the plateau threads - sometimes we stop losing for a while, it's just what our bodies do, they are not machines. You will get there, don't give up!

I'm 5'4 27 years old and 179 lbs. According to that BMR thing on that site I have a BMR of 1607.55. I have discalcula so what that means I have no idea but it's a high number so it doesn't look good at all.

I just don't know what else to do. I'm not starving myself as you can see from my link to what I eat. But I surely can't lower my calories any more? I go to the gym 3 times a week depending on how much energy I have.

I work in a warehouse and for the most part have to stand in one place, but quite often deliveries come in and we have to rush about unloading heavy boxes and so on, plus I move about and lift heavy things setting up my machine and so on.

On the days I don't go to the gym I don't just sit on my backside either. I often have shopping to do, or I help out at the allotment, or simply go for a walk. Sometimes a jog. I also attend a toning class once a week at leadt, which uses this vibrating plate thing that you have to do all manner of squats and what seems to be some pilates moves on.

I've stopped losing inches and I definitely have several to lose. Just measured myself. Bust ( under my saggy tits >.< ) 36 inches, waist ( just above bellybutton ) 32 inches, hips round the fattest bit which is also over my fat lower belly roll, 42 inches. Thighs 25 inches, calves 17 inches ( no boots for me then ) upper arms 13 inches ....

I get demotivated very quickly. I've been on this plateau for over a month and I'm really losing hope now.

The number you listed is what your body burns in a day even without any exercise. So you see, you are burning calories anyway.

If you burn 400 calories exercising, you ADD that to the BMR, so your total calorie burn would be 2007.55 that day.

I would say, eat closer to 1500 for a couple of weeks and keep exercising, and see what happens then. Just my suggestion.

Jay

I'm sorry to hear you're stuck with your weight, I have been more or less stuck for the last 3 weeks too and I know how frustrating it is. I was going to try weighing and measuring my food to get accurate calorie counts and eat more whole foods. I remember there was a girl from NZ here who said she once plateaued for ages until she switched to mainly whole foods but kept her calories the same. Funny how some things people say really stick in your mind! Also there is someone here who always says count every morsel, lick and crumb to get the most accurate calorie count, obviously not applicable if you're following another kind of diet.
Don't forget you will get results if you persist!

I'll give it a go. Thanks you guys for your support. I know I whine but I do appreciate it.

I think I'll have breakfast and go swimming *schlepschlepshlep*

You are misunderstanding a fundamental component of how calorie deficits work. First, there is your BMR, or Base Metabolic Rate, which tells you how many calories you burn just by being alive--moving your lungs, heartbeat, walking, etc, at the current weight you are now. This is your starting off number. You can find this number using a calculator online, there are plenty to choose from. To lose weight, you need to either (a) consume less calories than your BMR, (b) exercise to burn calories you subtract from your food calories, or (d) create a combination of the two. Science has suggested a combination of low-calorie diet combined with exercise is the best and most effective long term solution to weight loss. For example, if I had a BMR of 2000, and I ate 1500 calories, I would have a calorie deficit of -500 calories, which over a week, would equal a 1 lb. loss. Adding exercise adds to your total calorie deficit. If I had the BMR of 2000 and ate 2000 calories, I would maintain my weight. If I ate more than 2000 calories, I would gain weight.

(I am aware that some successful dieters keep these numbers separate and don't add calorie deficits together, preferring to watch their total calorie totals for the day and consider exercise an added bonus to their calorie count, avoiding "eating the calories back.")

I understand your frustration and from reading your post I feel like a slacker..lol

Just keep doing what you are doing and it will all come together for you

We just had a similar discussion on the Featherweights forum and I wrote a long response there. One thing I want to mention, and please take it with a grain of salt b/c it is definitely my opinion:

I mention that this website includes the line: Generally, it is inadvisable to ingest fewer calories than your basal metabolic rate. Remember, your BMR is what your body needs to function even if you don't get out of bed all day -- just to breathe, have your blood circulate, keep your body temp up, etc. Everything you do beyond laying in bed burns more calories, especially when your job has you on your feet and moving. Add in the exercise and you are burning hundreds of calories more than your BMR each day (if not a thousand).

My point is, even without eating below your BMR, you are burning fat and should see the results on the scale. But when you eat below your BMR, you are not giving your body the calories it needs for your basic functions. Please consider starting with a calorie level AT LEAST your BMR and then tweak it as you go.

I know some people here will disagree and have found that they need to go very low to lose. And of course the BMR calculators are just estimates and some people have slower metabolisms. But there is no harm in starting at a certain level and adjusting. Many people here lose at 1700, 1800 calories per day!

i agree, you need more calories...my last weight loss go. i was stuck, i got suggestions to eat more. I ate 1700 cs a day versus 1200, the scale started dropping again. The good thing about coming to 3fc, is the advice you get about dieting is from ladies in the know.

you are very active and i think you would lose at 1700. it will take a few days to adjust, meaning you might go a little up at first, but then you will start dropping easier.

I agree with jendiet. Your body probably thinks it's starving at this point so you need to up your calories, especially at your size (you and I are about the same height and weight right now). I believe the general rule is that *nobody* should eat less than 1000-1200 calories a day, 800 is WAY too low!!! Especially with your exercise! Feed your body!

As others have said, you burn calories each day just by living. If you are eating 800 calories, I strongly suggest you raise that.

Good luck and keep us updated

No no, I don't eat 800 calories every day. Just every once in a while when I don't fancy an evening meal which isn't often. I usually eat 12-1500 calories.

Honeythorn,

I tend to zigzag my diet, and there are days when I only eat 800 cals. Usually because i'm not hungry or don't feel like dinner.

When I started journalling and being honest about what I ate, I found there were other days when I was eating 1900 - 2000 cals. Those days were causing me to stall. My overall average was over 1600. One day at 800 does not make up the damage of two 2000 cal days.

I can lose 1 - 2lbs a week if I keep my daily average under 1400 (and exercise). But I maintain at about 1600 - 1800 average. We are talking about the difference of something as small as 1 chocolate chip cookie or small serving of icecream a day can make the difference between a small loss and a stall. Accurately tracking everything you eat makes a difference. Food packages can be off as much as 20% on their labelling of calorie counts, just imagine the differnce if you aren't weighing and measuring what you eat.

Also, look at WHAT you eat, not just how much you eat. For some people, carbs tend to make them stall even if they are doing everything else right. (for me, a salty meal can make a huge difference).

Finally, something that recently did the trick for me was taking an exercise break for a week. (I still walked alot, but did not weight train or do my usual strenuous cardio). I kept my food intake the same, but found that I lost 3lbs.

Chunky-- so glad you said that!! People sometimes react like i am crazy when i suggest they give their bodies a rest from training, to get fat loss going again! It CAN REALLY MAKE ALL THE Difference, especially for those of us who are overtrained... so many people (dieters) dont realize how very real overtraining is, because honestly, we dont recognize or acknowledge the symptoms...... they are not blaringly obvious sometimes....... takinga break from training for me ALSO helped me to finally be able to lose again......

As for the original poster...... i am not necessarily an advocate of upping the cals if you arent losing, but i AM an advocate of trying something different,if what you are doing isnt working! upping the cals by a couple hundred a day will NOT set you back at, if it doesnt work.
What i AM a huge advocate of, however, is meticulously tracking your cals if you arent losing..... that means digital scale, splenda packets, weighing food out to the gram.. everything. Generally though, this is only really necessary for those looking to lose those last pounds.

A question about your history though... how long have you been dieting? Are you a yo-yo dieter? How long have you been working out as hard as you are now? The longer youvebeen doing this stuff, the more *damage* you may have done, possible requiring slightly more drastic measures (such as weighing every single gram) than someone who is on their first go-around....