Still can't lose

[Vgalgano]

I have had the fit bit for several months and not losing any weight at all. I allow it to set my goal and it's a 1000 cal deficit so I am eating about 800-900 calories a day and still not losing??? Maybe I am missing something???

[Dominique]

It is generally considered that a woman should eat at least 1200 calories a day. If you are currently burning 1800-1900 calories per day, you either need to be more active, or you need to settle for a smaller deficit (eg. 500 calories), which will allow you to eat more. How much do you need/want to lose? 

[SunsetRunner]

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@Vgalgano wrote:
I have had the fit bit for several months and not losing any weight at all. I allow it to set my goal and it's a 1000 cal deficit so I am eating about 800-900 calories a day and still not losing??? Maybe I am missing something???

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Post your daily fitness routine and what you typically eat.  Even if you just walked for several months  and a decent diet you should have lost something.  

[Dominique]

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@Vgalgano wrote:
I have had the fit bit for several months

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There are "holes" in your Fitbit history (at least during the past 30 days, based on your profile😞

For optimal results, you should wear it 24/7, less the time spent showering or recharging it.

Have you set up a food plan in Fitbit?

[JohnRi]

My wife typically ate one meal a day, around 600-800 calories.  She was very active, 15000-20000 steps a day.  She lost nothing.  Now that she's eating three meals a day and around 1500 calories a day, she's lost 25 lbs so far.

If you eat too little your body hangs onto the fat like a life preserver.  And worse burns muscle instead of fat.  And losing muscle means your body burns fewer and fewer calories, so it will even add more fat.

You have to up those calories to at least 1200-1300 range.  If you are determined to keep a 1000 calorie deficit, you will have to exercise daily to burn the extra calories to keep the deficit.

Sounds like to me you are trying to lose a lot of weight fast.  It doesn't work that way.  If you ony have 10-20 lbs to lose, you should use a 250 or 500 calorie deficit.  Choosing a large deficit close to your goal, will cause your body to lose mostly muscle and keep the fat.  So if you need to lose just a few lbs, you need to have a small deficit so you can lose the fat, and not the muscle.

How many pounds are you trying to lose?  What is your current weight?

[FitBeforeFifty]

I think you probably need to double check the accuracy and consistency of your food logging. Very few people would fail to lose weight eating 800-900 calories per day over a 2 month period ... regardless of size, age and activity level.

[JohnRi]

@FitBeforeFifty As I mentioned in my comment, my wife who was very active, only ate 600-800(sometimes less) calories a day, eating just one time a day.  She gained weight.  But just by increasing her diet to three meals, around 1500 calories, she's dropped 25 lbs.

I had no idea how active she was, but working around are yard, and taking care of our animals (we have chickens, dogs, goats, rabbits, geese, ducks, and we used to have turkeys) she gets 10,000 to 20,000+ steps a day.  60+ active minutes.  I didn't see that until she got her fitbit. Then when she started to log her food, I saw her problem. 

Very strange things happen when you eat too little...

[SunsetRunner]

If one's activity level is high they definitely need to take in enough calories to lose weight to keep from  preserving fat like JohnRi mentioned. I'm 6'1 and my weight fluctuates between 170lbs- 174lbs.   I was weighing  174lbs before a weekend challenge and later ate 4 homemade hamburgers to prep for it.  The next morning my weight was 170lbs.  So even after eating 4 hamburgers, I still lost weight.  

Also, one morning I weighed myself and was at 177lbs.  Went to the gym and weighed myself after and it was 174lbs.   Went walking later in the evening was down to 172lbs.   So in one day, I dropped 5 lbs.  Maybe it was just water weight because I drink only water and go through 35 bottles weekly.   Today, I'm at 172lbs.  Monday, I'll be back at 170lbs.  

So I guess for some, it's easy to lose weight and for others it's hard.  The taller one is the better chances of losing weight.

[FitBeforeFifty]

When faced with long term calorie restriction our bodies will attempt to conserve energy with biological and behavioural adaptations (adaptive thermogenesis). Muscle contractions get optimized, your body maintains a lower temperature, we have less spontaneous movement/fidgeting, we have less energy to exercise etc...

There is a limit, however, to how much adaptation can occur. Most people would not be able to adapt enough to conserve fat when eating below their predicted BMR if they were reasonably active. Eating more can reserve some of these adaptations. For example, generally speaking, the more we eat the more we move. So, it's not really a mystery that some people can actually lose weight by eating a little more but, once again, there are limits. For most people, 800 calories would be below that limit.

[emili]

when I was losing I ate below 1200 five days a week and to 1200 for two. It worked for me. I never stalled or starved (we can debate this for hours- I am firmly in the camp that eating low calories for a few weeks, even months will not starve you- particularly if you have fat reserves) or felt malnourished. I steadily lost every week until I got to where I needed to be. I also did not move beyond normal life activities. Everyone is different and by no means am I advocating my approach. I am just surprised that no loss has occurred if you truly are eating so few calories. I think possibly there might be a miscalc somewhere. I would encourage you to weigh, measure and log every single thing you put in your mouth including gum and a tic tac. You might be surprised where it adds up.

[Marcy]

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@JohnRi wrote:

My wife typically ate one meal a day, around 600-800 calories.  She was very active, 15000-20000 steps a day.  She lost nothing.  Now that she's eating three meals a day and around 1500 calories a day, she's lost 25 lbs so far.

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  Bazinga!!!