[roseylipps]

I have been eating 500 calories a day and taking alli weight loss pills for few weeks and only lost two pounds why?

[Wondergirl]

Because your body is smart enough not to fall for this so-called "diet" you are on.

How much weight do you want to lose? Why? What have you been eating (the 500 calories)?

[stevetcg]

Because 500 calories a day is enough to put your body into starvation mode so it is instinctively NOT losing weight. You are fooling your body into thinking that it needs to conserve energy. Oh, and you are probably hurting yourself in the process.

Eat about 1200 calories a day and I bet you see a difference in your weight loss.

[Eileen G]

What exactly are you eating? Can you list what you eat and how much? What are you drinking? What exercise are you taking? What is your weight, age and height?

[kp2171]

As mentioned... you can tailor your diet to whatever # calories you want... more, less, whatever.

The prob is that your body is wired to adjust.

If you starve yourself, your metabolism slows.

It is a survival instinct.

So... in my experience... the best method for healthy and sustainable weight reduction has less to do with caloric restriction and more to do with confusing your body.

Work your arse off... doing many different things. Don't find one exercise routine and just do that.

The best athletes in the word cross train. Its because it confuses the body.

Think about it... your body naturally doesn't crave eight pack abs. it just wants to survive... and that often means having some excess energy in reserve... which is fat.

So... without having a clue about your diet or exercise or other aspects of your private life... its just hard to give you an answer that is solid gold.

[Eileen G]

People tend to misunderstand starvation mode. Yes, it exists, but it doesn't mean that if you drop your calories significantly, your body will somehow go into reverse and stop losing weight.

Starvation mode means that your body will reduce the amount of calories it burns in response to a huge decrease in calories. Typically by up to a maximum of 30%. But the decrease in calories must be a lot more than 30%, so you will still continue to lose weight, just a little more slowly then "calories in, calories out" suggests. It also takes much longer than two weeks to kick in.

My guess is that you are eating more than 500 calories. Unless you are weighing all your food, it's almost certain that you are eating more than you think. Something like breakfast cereal has a very small portion size, usually 30g. Most people will pour anywhere from 60-90g into their bowl without thinking about it. That means that at breakfast, you have probably eaten three times as many calories as the label on the box says.

If you are eating fruit, it's also likely that you are underestimating the amount of calories. A normal banana is usually more than 100 calories, same as a very small bunch of grapes. And the portion size for plain rice or pasta is tiny.

Most people forget to count the calories in what they drink too.

[XOXOlove]

Like everyone else said, 500 calories is not enough. Also, you are only losing water weight with the alli pills. You must eat a proper diet and exercise to see results.

[TBrilliant]

Are you following a structured eating plan? Usually if a diet has a very low calorie requirement it also has very strict food guidelines. Are you within a healthy BMI range for your height and age? The closer you get to your ideal weight the harder it becomes to lose weight. On a very low calorie diet like yours or HCG it is easier to plateau.

[kp2171]

Fyi

The OP'er hasn't been back since 7/21... even though there have been active posts...

So... until we get some feedback, this is a dead-ish thread.

[iroselewis]

Everyday, you should eat at least 900 calories to 1200 calories. Workout more. Not eating this amount of calories will reduce the amount of energy, and will therefore stop the process of losing weight.