Calorie deficit but no pounds lost?

aimeekrn

Here is my second post ever... here goes nothing!

I use the body media fit device (similar to the body bugg) which has been a huge reality check. For the last 5 weeks I have been continuously at a calorie deficit over 1200 per day. I would have to guess the average to be somewhere around 1500/day for 5 weeks straight. I am currently eating 1200-1600 calories a day, workout 4-5 days a week for 450-600 calories each workout (pretty much all cardio). At that rate, mathematically, I should have lost well over 2 pounds a week but Ive been really losing around 1 pound or less a week. My clothes are fitting better and Ive dropped a size so Im not overly concerned, but Im wondering why this is happening. Is there any truth to the starvation mode theory? I dont really believe I have gained enough muscle to off-set the fat loss on the scale - I think Id have to be lifting pretty heavy which I am not at all, could I be wrong about this? In case anyone wonders, Im trying to stay around 2g sodium daily. Anyone else having this issue? What did you do to change it?

amberecochran

I had the very same problem. I was working out six days a week, eating between 1200-1500 calories per day, gave up sweets, soda, and was showing very minimal results. I even spent hundreds of dollars on special shakes/programs, hoping that would work, but it didn't. I finally started looking at what I was eating. Even though the foods I ate were healthy, I was eating all kinds of processed foods and complex carbs. I am a very busy mom, and its really easy for me to grab a bar as I'm walking out the door. Bars, frozen meals, bread (even whole grain), shakes, and fruit were keeping me from losing weight. I cut all of that out and began eating low carb. Don't get me wrong, I still eat carbs, just the good ones like in veggies and eggs. There are TONS of low carb recipes out there! Some are so good that even my husband and kids don't realize they are healthy. I started eating this way the last week in March and I have lost 23lbs. Now, I can't do those high intesity programs, for obvious reasons, but I do still walk everyday. I make sure to get in my 8-10 glasses of water everyday, take my supplements, and never skip meals. This is what has worked for me. It may or may not work for you or others.

DonPidgeon

Did you excercise before?

Could be that you are replacing the fat with muscles. Weighs about the same, but is denser, thus your clothes fit you better but you are not losing any actual weight.

ChangingAmanda

Provided you're accurately weight/measuring/recording your calorie intake, you might not be eating enough. Too much or too little of a deficit can hinder/slow weight loss.

Your goal of 2 lbs per week may be too lofty. The closer you are to a normal weight, the slower the weight loss.

strawberryjellybaby

Here is my second post ever... here goes nothing!

I use the body media fit device (similar to the body bugg) which has been a huge reality check. For the last 5 weeks I have been continuously at a calorie deficit over 1200 per day. I would have to guess the average to be somewhere around 1500/day for 5 weeks straight. I am currently eating 1200-1600 calories a day, workout 4-5 days a week for 450-600 calories each workout (pretty much all cardio). At that rate, mathematically, I should have lost well over 2 pounds a week but Ive been really losing around 1 pound or less a week. My clothes are fitting better and Ive dropped a size so Im not overly concerned, but Im wondering why this is happening. Is there any truth to the starvation mode theory? I dont really believe I have gained enough muscle to off-set the fat loss on the scale - I think Id have to be lifting pretty heavy which I am not at all, could I be wrong about this? In case anyone wonders, Im trying to stay around 2g sodium daily. Anyone else having this issue? What did you do to change it?

You will get similar answers but are you eating back your exercise calories? If not you are really consuming around 700-900 calories a day and you are probably in starvation mode so your metabolism is down. Eat back your calories so you are consuming around 1500 calories a day NET

SmartAlec03211988

Firstly, how much weight do you need to lose?

Secondly, you're eating a minimum of 1200 calories and burning a minimum of 450 via exercise... are you eating those calories back? You definitely should. That's a net of 750 calories - that's way too little. You should NET 1200.

Thirdly... a 1200 daily calorie deficit is huge. You should probably eat more. Try a 500 calorie deficit instead.

Fourth... are you weighing and measuring your food accurately with a food scale? You cannot know how much food you're actually eating without one.

I was in the same position - I burn somewhere between 2400-3000 per day (depending on how active I am), and I was consistently having a deficit of 700-1400. I wasn't losing weight. I upped my calories so that my deficit was around 250/day and I'm losing again. I also have a BodyMedia FIT.

bonniecarbs

AMBERECOCHRAN - what you are doing sounds like I can do. I need to replace the foods I eat. I'm at a complete stand-still for the last 5 months, holding on to the last 12 pounds since I can remember, but I still grab that Hormel canned ham. Gonna do what you are doing, and OP - congrats on losing SOMETHING each week, even if just a quarter of a pound I'll take it!

Pixi_Rex

Here is my second post ever... here goes nothing!

I use the body media fit device (similar to the body bugg) which has been a huge reality check. For the last 5 weeks I have been continuously at a calorie deficit over 1200 per day. I would have to guess the average to be somewhere around 1500/day for 5 weeks straight. I am currently eating 1200-1600 calories a day, workout 4-5 days a week for 450-600 calories each workout (pretty much all cardio). At that rate, mathematically, I should have lost well over 2 pounds a week but Ive been really losing around 1 pound or less a week. My clothes are fitting better and Ive dropped a size so Im not overly concerned, but Im wondering why this is happening. Is there any truth to the starvation mode theory? I dont really believe I have gained enough muscle to off-set the fat loss on the scale - I think Id have to be lifting pretty heavy which I am not at all, could I be wrong about this? In case anyone wonders, Im trying to stay around 2g sodium daily. Anyone else having this issue? What did you do to change it?

Your title is misleading. You say you aren't losing weight but then in your post you say you are losing around 1 pound a week so what is it zero or one because one pound a week is decent.

You eat between 1200 - 1600 calories a day, if you are burning 400 and you only ate 1200 calories you are really only eating 800 calories a day, are you eating back your exercise calories? Are you weighing and measuring your food for accurecy? Are you drinking water? How much weight are you trying to lose - the closer you get to your goal you should be adjusting for less weight loss, than if you have a lot of weight to lose.

1 pound a week is nothing ti be sad about either just FYI. Mathematically speaking you COULD be losing 2 pounds, but math and science sometimes don't work into everyday life of hormons, and eating and drinking and not pooping...

staplebug

How much are you trying to lose? When you get closer to your goal (within 10-15 pounds), you should try not to deficit over 500 calories a day.

janessanessa

I think the huge 1200 calorie deficit is an issue. Your practically starving your body if your not eating back your exercise calories and still having a deficit of that amount. Increase your protein intake a bit, and strive for a deficit around 250-500 calories. It's worked for me.

STrooper

This seems to be a common problem. I have dutifully logged my food count and my calorie expenditure (Fitbit, HRM and a few other sources) and I "should be" at least 70 pounds lighter than I am now according to the standard formulas (that would put me at 98 pounds). I am a quite healthy 168 -170 pounds (depends upon the day).

Part of it is that measuring weights by their equivalent volume is one source of error. I did not realize that until I got a scale.

Aviendha_RJ

.... My clothes are fitting better and Ive dropped a size so Im not overly concerned, but Im wondering why this is happening. Is there any truth to the starvation mode theory? I dont really believe I have gained enough muscle to off-set the fat loss on the scale - I think Id have to be lifting pretty heavy which I am not at all, could I be wrong about this?

K.... So the same thing has happened to me. I'm a runner... I put about 5-6+ miles into a run (that's about 8-10km) about 3-4 times per week. Just got myself some new runners... bit different in their support than my old ones... & noticed muscle soreness after running that I hadn't had before. So today, I asked a trainer at the gym:

1) "I wouldn't have guessed that you were 150lbs, but then, muscle and fat weigh the SAME (a pound being a pound being a pound), but muscle takes up a LOT less space."

2) "YES, it is highly possible that running has built muscle in your calves, hamstrings, quads, and glutes. It'll do that."

3) "Possibly, you're just using muscle groups slightly differently than you were before. As long as it stays a kind of I've-used-my-muscles-and-now-they're-trying-to-recover soreness and not an OMG-I-just-did-something-stupid-now-this-hurts soreness... you're good. I wouldn't worry about it."

LongIsland27itl

How did you calculate how many calories your maitinance level is? Are you sure it's correct? And did you say you're eating 12-1500cal deficit, which would mean you're eating 1500 less calories than it takes you to maintain weight? Tats a horribly large deficit, you should lose on 300-500cal deficit.

What are your stats, some people's maitinance cals are the same amount that your deficit is. Unless you're 300+lbs something is not making sense

JewelsinBigD

I think the huge 1200 calorie deficit is an issue. Your practically starving your body if your not eating back your exercise calories and still having a deficit of that amount. Increase your protein intake a bit, and strive for a deficit around 250-500 calories. It's worked for me.

I would have to agree with this - and also food quality. What got me off my plateau was more meals a day - less per meal. It shook my body up but also help me to be satisfied with less food- A VERY GOOD THING! And when I tell myself "it doesn't matter if you are not 'full' - you will be eating again in another 2-3 hours"- my body was like "ok cool I can wait that long".

TeaBea

I am currently eating 1200-1600 calories a day, workout 4-5 days a week for 450-600 calories each workout (pretty much all cardio).

Ok - you are not eating enough. 2 pounds a week may be too agressive a weight loss goal for you. When you try to lose weight too fast you lose muscle AND fat.

Pounds per week
75+ lbs to lose 2 lb range
Between 40 - 75 lbs to lose 1.5 lb range
Between 25-40 lbs to lose 1 lb range
Between 15-25 lbs to lose 1.0 lb range
Less than 15 lbs to lose 0.5 lbs range

MFP as designed gives you a calorie deficit BEFORE exercise ..... so whan you add exercise ... they expect you to eat the calories back (fuel your workouts so to speak).

H_Factor

There is truth to starvation mode...but since you are still losing weight, I don't think that's the problem. As someone suggested in these comments, perhaps some of the foods you're eating are inhibiting you from maximizing weight loss. This falls into the "not all calories are created equal" category. Unfortunately, knowing what works best for you requires some amount of trial and error. When I do my best, I'm eating lean protein, healthy fats and low GI (glycemic index) carbs. Its not a low carb diet...but its a diet that prefers certain carbs over others.

Also, if you want to lose more weight, try switching from steady state cardio to HIIT. If you do HIIT the right way 3x/week, and keep everything else the same, I bet you start seeing the scale number drop faster (albeit the scale number should not be your primary measuring stick for success).

ILiftHeavyAcrylics

Here is my second post ever... here goes nothing!

I use the body media fit device (similar to the body bugg) which has been a huge reality check. For the last 5 weeks I have been continuously at a calorie deficit over 1200 per day. I would have to guess the average to be somewhere around 1500/day for 5 weeks straight. I am currently eating 1200-1600 calories a day, workout 4-5 days a week for 450-600 calories each workout (pretty much all cardio). At that rate, mathematically, I should have lost well over 2 pounds a week but Ive been really losing around 1 pound or less a week. My clothes are fitting better and Ive dropped a size so Im not overly concerned, but Im wondering why this is happening. Is there any truth to the starvation mode theory? I dont really believe I have gained enough muscle to off-set the fat loss on the scale - I think Id have to be lifting pretty heavy which I am not at all, could I be wrong about this? In case anyone wonders, Im trying to stay around 2g sodium daily. Anyone else having this issue? What did you do to change it?

That deficit is huge. How much do you have to lose? You may not be able to support that kind of deficit and may actually be losing muscle. You're definitely NOT gaining muscle.

How are you measuring your food? Do you use a scale?

Do you eat back your exercise calories (it sounds like no)?

aimeekrn

Well first, I wasnt really expecting nit-picking but, ok, I suppose the title is misleading. I guess it should read "...losing little weight" or something along those lines. My bad, wasnt really thinking about the title at all...

Yes, it does not make sense. I eat until Im full. Most days I dont even want more than 1200 but I cram down another 400 or 500.

The deficit isnt huge intentionally, I just eat til Im done. I work 12 hour days in a 12 story hospital and I take the stairs all the way up and down all day long. Then I work out when Im off. I do my own yard work, I clean my own house, I exercise a big rottweiler, etc... Im not a sedentary person.

No, I guess Im not eating back my exercise calories. That always seemed counterproductive to me. That will be hard for me to let go of.

I eat high(ish) protein. Fish, egg whites, some whole eggs, chicken, etc, etc. Carbs are things like salads, fruits, some whole grain bread. Yes, I do weigh and measure my food. Im not obsessive about it so not EVERY SINGLE THING. Like, for example, Ive weighed an ounce of cheese enough times to know what it looks and feels like.

I think I have around 40 pounds to lose.

Sounds like a lot of people have had the same issue and I thank you for sharing that and what you did to fix it. I had suspected it was probably too few calories. Maybe there is something to this "starvation mode" thing. Probably have to suck it up and eat more calories.

aimeekrn

.

Also, if you want to lose more weight, try switching from steady state cardio to HIIT. If you do HIIT the right way 3x/week, and keep everything else the same, I bet you start seeing the scale number drop faster (albeit the scale number should not be your primary measuring stick for success).

I have to do some more research on low GI carbs. I have dabbled with that but Im a sucker for potatos
And HIIT is something I was just looking at today, sounds like everyone whos done it swears by it. I would like to know more about what that is doing at the cellular level but regardless, Im going to start HIIT this week. Thank you for these suggestions.

ILiftHeavyAcrylics

I'd say try eating them back. It's less about "starvation mode" and more about the stress you're putting on your body. Read this for clarity:

http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/fat-loss/why-big-caloric-deficits-and-lots-of-activity-can-hurt-fat-loss.html

My opinion is that if you're not losing on track weighing, measuring and logging every single thing is a good place to start. Also 40 lbs seems like a lot (at least it did when I was there) but that's not really enough to support a 2 lb per week loss. 1 lb per week is a perfectly healthy rate of loss.

SmartAlec03211988

How much does your BodyMedia say you burn daily?

Eat 20% less than that number. Simple. Easy. 1200 is WAY too little for your activity level. WAY too little.

erickirb

For starters if that is your deficit, that is too large unless you have 150ish lbs to lose.

That said, do you know that is your deficit? Are you weighing all solids that you eat, and measuring all liquids? If not you are probably taking in way more calories than you think you are. If you are doing all that and no losing I suggest having your thyroid tested.

yarwell

With your job I would just quit the exercise.

deksgrl

Sounds like a lot of people have had the same issue and I thank you for sharing that and what you did to fix it. I had suspected it was probably too few calories. Maybe there is something to this "starvation mode" thing. Probably have to suck it up and eat more calories.

Metabolic slowdown is a more accurate term. Your body's metabolism slows down to match the fuel you are giving it. You create stress on your body when you diet and exercise. Stress releases the hormone cortisol. Cortisol makes your body hold on to your fat stores.

yarwell

Metabolic slowdown is a more accurate term. Your body's metabolism slows down to match the fuel you are giving it.

Doesn't happen when measured credibly. There is a slowdown worth about a candy bar, but it doesn't match your intake.

If metabolism matched intake we would never get fat.

aimeekrn

Thanks for all the suggestions, you guys are all great. Going to try them all, even getting thyroid checked - I have that done every year anyway.

neanderthin

Your probably eating more than you think and burning less than you think.....and 1 lb a week is not nothing.

Sjenny5891

I am 5'3". I weigh 120 pounds. If I eat 1200 calories I'm only going to get around .5lb weight loss.