# I've completely crashed, not losing any weight or fat



## Retsu (Aug 12, 2011)

I'm absolutely exhausted every day now. I feel weak even on my days without a work out.

At first the 1200 calories stuff was fine for a few weeks but I think it's really hit me hard now. I've been the same weight for the past few weeks and I'm not losing any more fat. What do?


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## Dao (Sep 13, 2013)

Your body may be in starvation mode where it stores lipids to conserve energy. Try 1500 calories per day and see what happens, unless you are weight training, in which case you will need more.

What are your macro-nutrient percentages?


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## Retsu (Aug 12, 2011)

Dao said:


> Your body may be in starvation mode where it stores lipids to conserve energy. Try 1500 calories per day and see what happens, unless you are weight training, in which case you will need more.
> 
> What are your macro-nutrient percentages?


Yeah, I weight train at the gym 3 days a week and do bike cardio five days a week. I'm meant to do cardio at the gym as well but I haven't had the energy to do it.

About 50% carbs each day, though I've started to reduce it by having scrambled eggs for breakfast instead of cereal.

Yesterday I had quite a bit of protein for my tea from two boneless and skinless chicken breast fillets, along with a salad, mini spring rolls and feta cheese. 

I eat sandwiches for lunch every day.


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## BenevolentBitterBleeding (Mar 16, 2015)

Look into a Ketogenic diet; it keeps you feeling _clear_ and full.


* *




I'm not sure if it's a good idea to live on the diet forever, but I've read _respected_ people doing it for years or with additional carb-cycling on weekends without any adverse effects. I did both carb-cycling and without.

The hard part is initially giving up the addiction to all the sugar in: drinks, fruits, rice, pasta, potatoes, snacks, etc... (as well as being aware of macros when you dine out or making it difficult for those you dine with.) It can get pretty boring too.

It's a commitment that might not be for everyone, but in my experience it works.

Tips: Coconut + olive oil are very healthy and efficient ways to increase the fat intake per day. Just use a few tablespoons with salt, pepper, in a salad each meal or when cooking.

A tablespoon of coconut oil with a helping of plain yogurt and a tablespoon of peanut butter, with a side of almonds etc... is an easy 4-500 calorie snack(just don't mix the oil into the yogurt it's terrible).

Obviously you can plan your meals to your preferences and what's easily available.


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## Ace Face (Nov 13, 2011)

You're not consuming enough calories. It needs to be closer to 1600 for you to feel remotely normal. Also, I hope you're not doing a crash diet, i.e. no carbs, no sugars, etc. Our bodies need these things, and crash diets like that only confuse your body. Your body will start inadvertently holding on to EVERYTHING you consume when you're not consuming enough which does result in weight gain.The name of the game is moderation. Don't overdo it. Continue to exercise though. Cut out EXTRA stuff like soda (that can easily be substituted for more satisfying things.) An occasional candy bar isn't satan. Starving yourself to lose weight though kinda is. Weight loss, when done properly, will be a more gradual and more healthy endeavor than doing a shitty diet for two months. 

Best of luck to you, sweetheart!


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## Retsu (Aug 12, 2011)

Ace Face said:


> You're not consuming enough calories. It needs to be closer to 1600 for you to feel remotely normal. Also, I hope you're not doing a crash diet, i.e. no carbs, no sugars, etc. Our bodies need these things, and crash diets like that only confuse your body. Your body will start inadvertently holding on to EVERYTHING you consume when you're not consuming enough which does result in weight gain.The name of the game is moderation. Don't overdo it. Continue to exercise though. Cut out EXTRA stuff like soda (that can easily be substituted for more satisfying things.) An occasional candy bar isn't satan. Starving yourself to lose weight though kinda is. Weight loss, when done properly, will be a more gradual and more healthy endeavor than doing a shitty diet for two months.
> 
> Best of luck to you, sweetheart!


No, about 50% of my consumption is carbs. My sugar I've cut down but I haven't eliminated it entirely. I also stopped adding salt to everything. Basically, I ate what I usually did but quite a bit less. I still eat too much bread though.

I have started to not drink pop with subway now, and I'm trying to get my drink intake to purely water. Easy enough at work. 

It doesn't feel like starving myself because it's been 1200 for so long. I guess I just need to get used to the idea of eating and not feeling guilty for it again.


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## Ace Face (Nov 13, 2011)

Retsu said:


> No, about 50% of my consumption is carbs. My sugar I've cut down but I haven't eliminated it entirely. I also stopped adding salt to everything. Basically, I ate what I usually did but quite a bit less. I still eat too much bread though.
> 
> I have started to not drink pop with subway now, and I'm trying to get my drink intake to purely water. Easy enough at work.
> 
> It doesn't feel like starving myself because it's been 1200 for so long.* I guess I just need to get used to the idea of eating and not feeling guilty for it again. *


Bingo! I've struggled with the same thing, and honestly, still am struggling. It's an uphill battle especially since most diets teach you to demonize certain foods. It's not healthy to demonize food to the point we're obsessing about it, which is why we need to be careful. It can easily slide from "Oh, it's just a diet I'm trying" to a full blown eating disorder.


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## chanteuse (May 30, 2014)

@Retsu

1200 may be too low for your body to sustain. If you are in a plateau it means your body is fighting to maintain a weight or mass that is natural to your genes and build. 

It could be that the work out you do is too demanding. It could mean that the 1200 cal is not coming from better source (1200 calories from bacon is different than 1200 calories from apples).

To break the plateau you may have to fool your body into thinking it's not famine. You may need to lessen the intensity of your workout or eating more calories (or switching calories from different sources).


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## Word Dispenser (May 18, 2012)

@Retsu:

I'm surprised that people are trying to give advice with such little information.

There is some crucial information we need to determine here.

What do you eat on a day to day basis, and how many calories are you subsisting on? 1200?

You've said that you eat quite a lot of bread? Is it white bread? What are you putting on your sandwiches?

What things do you drink?

How much do you weigh, and how tall are you?

How often do you work out, and what types of workouts are you doing?

When do you go to bed at night, and wake up in the morning? How many hours of sleep are you getting?


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## BenevolentBitterBleeding (Mar 16, 2015)

@Retsu Pretty sure you shouldn't be cutting out _all_ sodium as you actually need that to function properly.



Ace Face said:


> Also, I hope you're not doing a crash diet, i.e. no carbs, no sugars, etc. Our bodies need these things, and crash diets like that only confuse your body. Your body will start inadvertently holding on to EVERYTHING you consume when you're not consuming enough which does result in weight gain.


If you go on proper diets(not crash) with proper macros calculated for you(and your lifestyle), your body will adapt and can burn other things than glucose for energy. Although(apparently) you cannot go with 0 glucose(carbs) or your brain would probably stop functioning(or so I've read).

Like what @Word Dispenser is alluding to(I think), if you want to lose weight properly you should know how many calories you burn on average(what kind of lifestyle), what kind of diet you'd like to take on and the proper macros needed to actually achieve your set goal.

And whatever you decide to do, you should know what your body can't live without or would benefit from, example: sodium/potassium deficiency(bad), enough sleep, vitamin D(probably), fiber, nutrients, certain oils for body building etc...

Last thing, if you're building muscle your weight might not go down even though you lose fat. But you really shouldn't be seeing any drastic differences in muscle gain unless you're still relatively young.

There is a lot of useful information and articles on a certain bodybuilding website that is easy to find...


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## Retsu (Aug 12, 2011)

Word Dispenser said:


> @Retsu:
> 
> I'm surprised that people are trying to give advice with such little information.
> 
> ...


Let's see...

I prefer brown bread but sometimes have white when we've run out of brown that day. Usually ham or chicken. Occasionally lettuce. I also have subway before I go to the gym, though I've cut out fizzy drinks from that. Most days subway was my dinner as well so I didn't have anything else after it for the night.

About 1200 calories a day, yeah. I usually eat crunchy nut and semi skimmed milk in the morning but I've switched to scrambled eggs and ketchup for the past few days.

I weigh 138lbs on gym scales and 132lbs on mine in the morning. 

I mainly drink water at work though sometimes I'll have a mouthful of a fizzy drink at home just for some flavour.

I have a ten minute moderate effort bike ride twice a day on weekdays, and strength training Monday, Wednesday and Friday. I'm meant to do cardio at the gym as well but I haven't had the energy to do so.

I sleep at half eleven and wake up at seven every day, though today I woke up at half seven and usually I wake during the night. No trouble getting back to sleep though.
@BenevolentBitterBleeding I do get sodium in food like the subs, I just don't add salt to food anymore.

I don't know how to calculate macros, but a few calculators has told me that my maintenance calories are about 1900 when taking into account my exercise and weight.


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## BenevolentBitterBleeding (Mar 16, 2015)

Assuming everything is correct 700 deficit per day 4900 calorie loss per week... Honestly, I think you're burning yourself out with the routine you have going. And you're tired because your diet isn't giving you everything your body needs to repair itself while you're wearing it down.

If it's possible try to redo your diet; it might get to be a bit more expensive. Split it up into 5-6 meals per day breakfast, snack, lunch, snack/after workout/dinner. (so that you get a consistent supply of energy for your waking/sleep periods)

Calculate your macros by taking a look at the nutritional information of everything you're eating and making a spreadsheet for the values of *protein, carbs, fat* and calories. Do some reading up on total carbs and net carbs before you start.

Here's a link I randomly found(there might be a better one somewhere) to help you figure out what the total of each is that you'll need - including calories for your goal.

https://healthyeater.com/flexible-dieting-calculator

This would just be a starting point and you'll have to readjust as you're progressing(to have it more fine tuned for you specifically). 

I inputted 155cm(random) for your height and moderate activity with that calculator and the numbers it gave me were just under 1670 calories total per day to lose weight as the goal so yea...


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## Retsu (Aug 12, 2011)

BenevolentBitterBleeding said:


> Assuming everything is correct 700 deficit per day 4900 calorie loss per week... Honestly, I think you're burning yourself out with the routine you have going. And you're tired because your diet isn't giving you everything your body needs to repair itself while you're wearing it down.
> 
> If it's possible try to redo your diet; it might get to be a bit more expensive. Split it up into 5-6 meals per day breakfast, snack, lunch, snack/after workout/dinner. (so that you get a consistent supply of energy for your waking/sleep periods)
> 
> ...


My actual requirements are a little bit higher at 1739 calories to lose because I'm 10cm taller... I mean I just thought I was lightly active because most of the day I have a desk job so I'm just sat down for most of it  and weekends are my do nothing days so I considered them as well.

I had a look and I think it'd probably be easier for me to have 4 meals rather than 5. Thanks!


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## BenevolentBitterBleeding (Mar 16, 2015)

@Retsu No problem, just spread them out enough so you're not left feeling hungry all the time. ._.

Also, I don't actually know if you're moderate activity or heavy activity or w.e... if you're pushing a lot of weight or are doing 1hour long sessions 3 times a week plus your cardio 2 times a week - you're burning a lot of calories. So, you might want to consider what the numbers are with a different activity level.


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## Word Dispenser (May 18, 2012)

Retsu said:


> Let's see...
> 
> I prefer brown bread but sometimes have white when we've run out of brown that day. Usually ham or chicken. Occasionally lettuce. I also have subway before I go to the gym, though I've cut out fizzy drinks from that. Most days subway was my dinner as well so I didn't have anything else after it for the night.
> 
> ...


It seems as if @BenevolentBitterBleeding is taking you under his wing, which is awesome. I can tell he knows his shit. :kitteh:

Your diet sounds decent, but as he says, it likely requires an overhauling, considering the lack of energy you're experiencing, and the lack of results.

The only thing that I'd add to what he's recommending, is a pretty decent website to help plan, calculate your calories and even your exercise. Lose It! - Succeed at weight loss with Lose It!.

Generally, what I'll do is weigh the stuff that I'm going to eat, and add new food if it's not already in there. You can check the nutrients of what you're intaking, the protein and carbs, and the percentages of each on another tab. Also, you can check your overall calories for the week. It only records 4 meals per day, the fourth being 'snacks,' but I doubt you need a divider that much, or care about the labels. :wink:

Anyway, I wish you the best of luck on your journey, and hope you achieve the results you're looking for.


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## LibertyPrime (Dec 17, 2010)

Retsu said:


> I'm absolutely exhausted every day now. I feel weak even on my days without a work out.
> 
> At first the 1200 calories stuff was fine for a few weeks but I think it's really hit me hard now. I've been the same weight for the past few weeks and I'm not losing any more fat. What do?


 what are you doing? You just need to reduce the fat and carb intake while exercising, but you shouldn't starve yourself.


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## bluekitdon (Dec 19, 2012)

@Retsu I agree with what other posters have said, 1200 is a bare minimum for most people and is very likely why you are getting tired. Since you are exercising you'll probably need more than that. I recommend using www.myfitnesspal.com, it's free and they also have an app that makes it extremely easy to put in food and exercise. It'll give you a target for your weight loss after you put in a few parameters and show you the calorie count, does a breakdown of the nutrition so you can see if you are lacking something, and shows your macros (fat, carbs, protein). I usually feel best when I'm somewhere around 20% fat, 40% carbs, 40% protein but each person is a little different so you may have to experiment to find what works for you.


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## Retsu (Aug 12, 2011)

bluekitdon said:


> @Retsu I agree with what other posters have said, 1200 is a bare minimum for most people and is very likely why you are getting tired. Since you are exercising you'll probably need more than that. I recommend using www.myfitnesspal.com, it's free and they also have an app that makes it extremely easy to put in food and exercise. It'll give you a target for your weight loss after you put in a few parameters and show you the calorie count, does a breakdown of the nutrition so you can see if you are lacking something, and shows your macros (fat, carbs, protein). I usually feel best when I'm somewhere around 20% fat, 40% carbs, 40% protein but each person is a little different so you may have to experiment to find what works for you.


I do use it, myfitnesspal actually recommended 1200 for 1kg a week weight loss. So I've put my goals up to 1600 now. Now I need to use it to log that I'm eating enough.


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## BenevolentBitterBleeding (Mar 16, 2015)

If you're on android Calorie Counter by FatSecret is a great free tool that has a huge database and tracks meals/adjusts portions based off inputted nutritional values. Has bar code scanning built in too.


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## bluekitdon (Dec 19, 2012)

Retsu said:


> I do use it, myfitnesspal actually recommended 1200 for 1kg a week weight loss. So I've put my goals up to 1600 now. Now I need to use it to log that I'm eating enough.


Sounds like a good plan. If you start going up in weight again at that calorie level then you can try lowering the goal a bit, just be careful of dropping it too far or you'll bottom out on your energy like you've seen. Some of this is just playing to find out what works for your body.

Here's a great article on long term weight loss based on the most comprehensive study I've found on this which tracked more than 50,000 people over 20 years. MMS: Error

A little sample pointing out foods to avoid or reduce such as potato chips and sweetened drinks, and foods you should eat like vegetables, nuts, and yogurts.



> The dietary factors with the largest positive associations with weight changes, per serving per day, were increases in the consumption of potato chips (1.69 lb), potatoes (1.28 lb), sugar-sweetened beverages (1.00 lb), unprocessed red meats (0.95 lb), and processed meats (0.93 lb). A secondary analysis of potato subtypes showed that weight changes were positively associated with increases in the consumption of french fries (3.35 lb) and of boiled, baked, or mashed potatoes (0.57 lb). Weight gain associated with increased consumption of refined grains (0.39 lb per serving per day) was similar to that for sweets and desserts (0.41 lb per serving per day).
> 
> Inverse associations with weight gain, per serving per day, were seen for increased consumption of vegetables (−0.22 lb), whole grains (−0.37 lb), fruits (−0.49 lb), nuts (−0.57 lb), and yogurt (−0.82 lb).


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## Fleetfoot (May 9, 2011)

There is a lot of fantastic advice already posted. 

Like most people have been saying, calorie and nutrient deficits will hurt your weight loss goals. Your body is a machine, and even when it breaks down fat (since it seems to be a specific focus) you need calories to do so. I would also recommend foods that assist in the process of fat burning and energy boosting, like probiotic yogurt, raspberries, monounsaturated fats, tea, legumes, oatmeal, nuts, and quinoa just to name a few. 

I'm just curious, but do you have an end goal in mind that you're working towards? A certain weight, body fat percentage, etc?


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## yet another intj (Feb 10, 2013)

Retsu said:


> What do?


*Consume more fat: Thanks to homeostasis, your metabolism always try to collect and keep whatever is missing. Avoiding fat not makes you burn fat. Actually, it's making you keep (and get more) fat no matter how hard you are trying to burn it. By the way, your vital organs, including your brain are pretty much made of fat. You need them for your survival.

*Consume less carbohydrates: You don't "really" need them and they are responsible for endocrine disorders. You will never feel energetic as you will never burn any fat while your insulin levels are enjoying the roller coaster ride. 

*Consume more protein: That's what you need for healthy muscle tissues and you need healthy muscle tissues for increasing your metabolic rate. Faster basal metabolism means burning more calories while doing nothing.

*Rest: Resting properly is a crucial part of an healthy workout and you are still burning fat while resting. Let your metabolism repair the not so obvious injuries first. That's how you will get stronger by time and that will increase your capacity for increasing the intensity of your workout.


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## Laughmore (Jul 10, 2015)

You may want to investigate "high intensity interval training," as it supposedly helps speed up your metabolism, as opposed to light cardio for 45 minutes. I'm just a member of the peanut gallery though, I'd love to understand the methodology better.

aka "HIIT," a simple example would be 60 seconds of walking/jogging, 90 seconds of jogging/sprinting, depending on on your general fitness level. Total time spent in a single session would be about 15 minutes (!)


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## B3LIAL (Dec 21, 2013)

Calculate your Basal metabolic rate - Your BMR is how many calories your body needs simply to function without much exercise.

Eat 100 cals less than that, make sure you're eating foods that will give you energy, and also exercise 4-5 times a week for 25-30 minutes reasonably high intensity.

You'll slowly lose weight.


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## B3LIAL (Dec 21, 2013)

My humble advice -

You're only eating 1200 calories? I don't know if you're a very small woman, but that sounds too low. Crash diets are not sustainable.

Also, you didn't mention that you were exercising. The problem with many people who try to lose weight, mainly women, is that they think they can get in shape simply by eating less and healthy. They don't want to exercise.

Don't do this. Figure out your basal metabolic rate first. Your BMR is how many calories your body needs simply to function without exercise. Eat 150-200 calories less than this (E.G. My BMR is 1800 calories, so I'd eat 1650), and do high intensity training 3-4 times a week, and make sure you're activate at least 6 days in the week. On the days you're not training, go for a walk with your iPod/MP3/Kindle and make sure you're walking at decent pace. 

Simply walk away from your house for 15 minutes and walk back.

You'll steadily lose weight. The only sustainable weight loss is sensible, controlled, patient weight loss.


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## Retsu (Aug 12, 2011)

B3LIAL said:


> My humble advice -
> 
> You're only eating 1200 calories? I don't know if you're a very small woman, but that sounds too low. Crash diets are not sustainable.
> 
> ...


I mentioned in passing that I work out three times a week, but I can see how you missed that. I also cycle to work every weekday. For the past week or so I've actually been eating what I need to.

My BMR for lying in bed all day is about 1500, though I don't know what it is with exercise added on. I think it's about 1800. I've started trying to eat up to 1600 a day to fuel my exercise. It's a bit hard to fit food into an eight hour weekday but I'm getting better at feeling like I'm allowed to eat.

I've switched my program to free weights and my weight hasn't budged since I started eating more, but I feel more toned and energetic. 

One more thing - I hate walks.  but I do like bike rides. I usually end up riding at the weekend to get somewhere, though officially I make weekends my rest days.

Thanks for the advice.


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## Entropic (Jun 15, 2012)

BenevolentBitterBleeding said:


> @Retsu Pretty sure you shouldn't be cutting out _all_ sodium as you actually need that to function properly.


To be fair though, the naturally occurring sodium in most products are usually too high anyway, so if you stop add salt on your dishes you will be doing just fine, assuming you don't cook _everything_ yourself from the ground-up, which most people don't. Even those frozen pieces of chicken breast contain sodium as a part of the preservation process.


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