deficit question

rachylouise87

ok i am 160lbs
goal 132lbs
mini goal 145lbs

im 5ft1
mfp has my tdee at 1750
and daily calories at 1200
5 cardio workouts 3 of them with .5lb weights

sometimes i have eaten back calories sometimes not, what should i be netting? if im in deficit by 550 is there a reason im not losing? just wanted to check im doing all i can. i have tried various things, eating 3 meals and snacks, slimfast and one meal with snacks even the 5:2 diet which killed me. didnt have this problem before i had my son

deksgrl

Your NET is whatever calorie amount MFP has you set at.

Example:
1200 (amount MFP tells you to eat)
-300 (amount of calories you burned in exercise)
+300 (amount more calories you ate to fuel the exercise)
=1200 NET
(but 1500 total calories consumed)

If you are not losing, then this probably means you are consuming more calories than you think (do you use a food scale and log as accurately as possible?), or your calorie burns for exercise are inflated (MFP is said to have overestimated exercise amounts). If you are logging calories accurately, then try eating only half of your exercise calories instead of all of them.

rachylouise87

i have been using vo2max and my HRM average hr for the workouts for my burn estimates so i dont think it can be far off. i think i am burning around 2-300 calories per 30-45 minutes i use a food scale and double check packaging with mfp food logs. i usually eat some exercise cals back rather than all. the only thing that could be wrong is the estimated calories burned.

deksgrl

200-300 calories burn seems reasonable for 30-45 minutes. Are you on any medications or have any health issues that might be preventing weight loss? How long has it been since you started? Also, are you breastfeeding? You need more calories for that.

rachylouise87

my son is 14 months so not breastfeeding. i started around 2 months ago. initially lost 14lbs now been stuck for 3-4 weeks. weight loss was steady 1-1.5lbs then stalled. i wonder if my workouts lack in intensity? i was thinking of starting p90x since my overall fitness has improved dramtically

rachylouise87

oh and no medications the only issues i could possibly think of is i have hormonal inbalances only symptomatic not blood test conclusive which i have suffered with since around 14 years old.

deksgrl

3-4 weeks stall isn't that unusual. Your HRM should be pretty accurate as far as burns so I don't think "intensity" should be an issue. But by all means, try upping it if you are able. Hormonal imbalance could be an issue, depending on what kind. For example, women with PCOS are typically more insulin resistant, so a lower carb diet is beneficial.

rachylouise87

i have displayed PCOS symptoms since puberty but NHS screens came back ok but symptoms include hirsutism ( i am fair haired) weight problems, infertility, cycle issues, weight around the middle, acne, oily skin, PMS etc. NHS blood pannels come back within range but they refuse to test for insulin resistance and the other thyroid one apart from the normal one. i think i shall lower my carbs and replace with more fresh vegetables to bulk my meals up and take it from there. thanks for the tips i shall keep pestering the docs for more bloodwork. i think something is off since the birth of my son.

deksgrl

Sounds like a plan.