I hate these posts but, what am i doing wrong?
dawnna76
Posts: 987 Member
for that last year i have flucuated around 195lbs give or take a few. over the holidays i did get as high as 203 but was back down to 195 as of 4 weeks ago. since then i have not lost a single ounce. i eat 1800 calories a day. sometimes eating back what i burn, sometimes not depending on appetite.
I weigh all my food on a food scale and i wear a heart rate monitor to get a more accurate account of calories burned during exercise over what MFP suggets. i run three days a week (about 15 miles a week at this point) and weight train on two of those running days as well. the other days are a mix of zumba, cycling and cross circuit training (bodyweight HIIT stuff) i rest sundays.
everything i have ready says i should be seeing results. i have cross checked MFP and TDEE to figure out a calorie goal. I just dont get it. I have been working out 4-6 days a week for over a year and while I am slimmer (not a whole lot but at least a size) the scale doesnt budge. I just odnt get it!
any ideas on what I should do?
I weigh all my food on a food scale and i wear a heart rate monitor to get a more accurate account of calories burned during exercise over what MFP suggets. i run three days a week (about 15 miles a week at this point) and weight train on two of those running days as well. the other days are a mix of zumba, cycling and cross circuit training (bodyweight HIIT stuff) i rest sundays.
everything i have ready says i should be seeing results. i have cross checked MFP and TDEE to figure out a calorie goal. I just dont get it. I have been working out 4-6 days a week for over a year and while I am slimmer (not a whole lot but at least a size) the scale doesnt budge. I just odnt get it!
any ideas on what I should do?
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Replies
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herrspoons wrote: »Eat 1600. Don't claim back exercise.
Agreed. Your metabolism might just be slower than average. Eat less for awhile and see if you start to see progress. Sometimes it's a game of trial and error to figure out what works for you.0 -
Maybe decrease your calorie intake a little bit. Trial and error.0
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Is 1800 the number that MFP gave you when you put your stats in for one pound per week?
herrsppons advice sounds good...
can you open your food diary?
do you use the generic entries in the MFP database or the USDA ones?0 -
diary is open.0
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sorry I just noticed that your diary is already open..
Your logging looks good.
I did notice that you are eating back 100% of your calories burned, which is putting your at 2100 a day....typically, a lot of the calories burned estimates can vary wildly. So if you think you are burning 300 a day and eat those 300 back then you could be consuming an extra 2100 calories a week and not even knowing it.
I would suggest just eating to 1800 and not record exercise calories...
OR
herrspoons advice of going to 1600 and no exercise calories...0 -
sorry I just noticed that your diary is already open..
Your logging looks good.
I did notice that you are eating back 100% of your calories burned, which is putting your at 2100 a day....typically, a lot of the calories burned estimates can vary wildly. So if you think you are burning 300 a day and eat those 300 back then you could be consuming an extra 2100 calories a week and not even knowing it.
I would suggest just eating to 1800 and not record exercise calories...
OR
herrspoons advice of going to 1600 and no exercise calories...
This, although I think 1800 with no exercise first, and if after a month you still don't see loses then try reducing further to 1600.0 -
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sorry I just noticed that your diary is already open..
Your logging looks good.
I did notice that you are eating back 100% of your calories burned, which is putting your at 2100 a day....typically, a lot of the calories burned estimates can vary wildly. So if you think you are burning 300 a day and eat those 300 back then you could be consuming an extra 2100 calories a week and not even knowing it.
I would suggest just eating to 1800 and not record exercise calories...
OR
herrspoons advice of going to 1600 and no exercise calories...
This, although I think 1800 with no exercise first, and if after a month you still don't see loses then try reducing further to 1600.
I agree with this 100%. If you're not currently losing, you should see a drop @ static 1800. You can always go a little lower if you need to.0 -
I would double check your settings, that seems like a high calorie allowance. Do you have yourself set for the right activity level (not including exercise you are logging)? IE sedentary, lightly active, etc? Go through the goals process and update them just in case there's a glitch. If it's not that, then you're eating too many calories for your individual body.0
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Well, on the bright side, you discovered your maintenance calories - so that's a good thing!
Like mentioned, eat 1600 calories instead. Or eat 1800 and don't log the exercise.0 -
blankiefinder wrote: »I would double check your settings, that seems like a high calorie allowance. Do you have yourself set for the right activity level (not including exercise you are logging)? IE sedentary, lightly active, etc? Go through the goals process and update them just in case there's a glitch. If it's not that, then you're eating too many calories for your individual body.
this is solid advice too ...
although just going to 1600 to 1800 with no exercise calories would probably have same affect...0 -
blankiefinder wrote: »I would double check your settings, that seems like a high calorie allowance. Do you have yourself set for the right activity level (not including exercise you are logging)? IE sedentary, lightly active, etc? Go through the goals process and update them just in case there's a glitch. If it's not that, then you're eating too many calories for your individual body.
My thoughts also, 1800 seems high. My wife is 195# and at 1200.
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beemerphile1 wrote: »blankiefinder wrote: »I would double check your settings, that seems like a high calorie allowance. Do you have yourself set for the right activity level (not including exercise you are logging)? IE sedentary, lightly active, etc? Go through the goals process and update them just in case there's a glitch. If it's not that, then you're eating too many calories for your individual body.
My thoughts also, 1800 seems high. My wife is 195# and at 1200.
1200 @ 195# seems LOW to me. I'm 150# and eat 1500 to lose (without eating back calories burned)
I would think if OP stuck to 1800 without eating back calories she would see progress. If not, drop to 1700 without eating back calories burned and so one... until OP sees progress. But do give each change a good 3-4 weeks to work before making more changes
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You don't need to eat exercise calories back if you chose an activity level in the beginning that includes your exercise. MFP doesn't make this very clear. If you put that you are lightly active, for example, because you workout 1-3 times a week, MFP already has calculated that into your calorie allowance. There is no need to eat them back!
I agree with everyone else and just don't eat them back. You are eating at maintenance right now.
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sorry I just noticed that your diary is already open..
Your logging looks good.
I did notice that you are eating back 100% of your calories burned, which is putting your at 2100 a day....typically, a lot of the calories burned estimates can vary wildly. So if you think you are burning 300 a day and eat those 300 back then you could be consuming an extra 2100 calories a week and not even knowing it.
I would suggest just eating to 1800 and not record exercise calories...
OR
herrspoons advice of going to 1600 and no exercise calories...
Thanks I think i am just going to try the 1800 for a while and not eating back the exercise calories. although there may be days i have to as I am training for a marathon and on my long run days i can burn upwards off 700+ calories according to my heart rate monitor and i just ned the extra fuel or i feel light headed.beemerphile1 wrote: »blankiefinder wrote: »I would double check your settings, that seems like a high calorie allowance. Do you have yourself set for the right activity level (not including exercise you are logging)? IE sedentary, lightly active, etc? Go through the goals process and update them just in case there's a glitch. If it's not that, then you're eating too many calories for your individual body.
My thoughts also, 1800 seems high. My wife is 195# and at 1200.
I would literally fall over dead with the amount of exercise i do ( 6 days, intense effort) if i only ate 1200 calories. maybe if all i did was sit at my office and nothing else, but I know from expierence that amount is just way to low!holly55555 wrote: »You don't need to eat exercise calories back if you chose an activity level in the beginning that includes your exercise. MFP doesn't make this very clear. If you put that you are lightly active, for example, because you workout 1-3 times a week, MFP already has calculated that into your calorie allowance. There is no need to eat them back!
I agree with everyone else and just don't eat them back. You are eating at maintenance right now.
I actually choose lightly active to get that amount but I am actually more active than that, but i figured it would build in a little more deficite if i underestimated my activity.
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I switch to adding high fat stuff like nuts and berries to my diet when I seem stalled and it seems to do the trick. It might have nothing to the nuts or the fat itself so much as its some type of significant change. Lately I'm sick of chicken and letting my protien levels slide a bit and again I seem to have started losing a little faster again.0
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I agree with the others. Weight loss is a numbers game. If you're not losing the first thing is to look at cutting calories. Also take into consideration fluctuations and stalls that are pretty common and can happen over weeks.0
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I would definitely try the 1800 for at least a month.0
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Also, bear in mind that any muscle you build weighs more than the fat it replaces. So you can be considerably slimmer and more compact without changing your actual weight on the scale0
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blankiefinder wrote: »I would double check your settings, that seems like a high calorie allowance. Do you have yourself set for the right activity level (not including exercise you are logging)? IE sedentary, lightly active, etc? Go through the goals process and update them just in case there's a glitch. If it's not that, then you're eating too many calories for your individual body.
What everyone else said, plus this.
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holly55555 wrote: »You don't need to eat exercise calories back if you chose an activity level in the beginning that includes your exercise. MFP doesn't make this very clear. If you put that you are lightly active, for example, because you workout 1-3 times a week, MFP already has calculated that into your calorie allowance. There is no need to eat them back!
I agree with everyone else and just don't eat them back. You are eating at maintenance right now.
This whole MFP activity level setting can be a big daunting. I work a desk job but my activity level is set to active. I weight lift 3 days a week and run 3 days, and do the Elliptical cross-trainer (average six to seven hours a week exercise), I eat all my cardio exercise calories calories back, but not weight lifting, and I've been maintaining for over a year.
At first I was lightly active and lost weight quicker than I set my goals for, then raised it to lightly active and still lost weight quicker than I wanted to. Finally, I tried active and everything was peachy from then on.
In my opinion, finding the correct activity level takes some trial and error.0 -
If you've lost a clothing size, that's fantastic! You're definitely gaining muscle while losing fat. Have you taken measurements? Try measuring bust-waist-hips each month - maybe you can see results that way if not on the scale.
Sadly, you may need to reduce your calorie count to lose. I weigh about the same as you and maintain at 1900. It depends on your activity level when you're NOT working out, too. I'm basically sedentary at work, so even on a day that I go to the gym I'm still not necessarily that active overall.
If you struggle with hunger, focus on lean protein and tons and tons of vegetables; avoid sugar and starch. This is not at all a criticism because it looks like you eat really well. But if you're having hunger problems, starchy carbs will make it worse.
Whatever you do, don't give up. I've been exactly where you are. The workouts you're doing will benefit your health and fitness levels no matter what.0 -
sorry I just noticed that your diary is already open..
Your logging looks good.
I did notice that you are eating back 100% of your calories burned, which is putting your at 2100 a day....typically, a lot of the calories burned estimates can vary wildly. So if you think you are burning 300 a day and eat those 300 back then you could be consuming an extra 2100 calories a week and not even knowing it.
I would suggest just eating to 1800 and not record exercise calories...
OR
herrspoons advice of going to 1600 and no exercise calories...
Thanks I think i am just going to try the 1800 for a while and not eating back the exercise calories. although there may be days i have to as I am training for a marathon and on my long run days i can burn upwards off 700+ calories according to my heart rate monitor and i just ned the extra fuel or i feel light headed.beemerphile1 wrote: »blankiefinder wrote: »I would double check your settings, that seems like a high calorie allowance. Do you have yourself set for the right activity level (not including exercise you are logging)? IE sedentary, lightly active, etc? Go through the goals process and update them just in case there's a glitch. If it's not that, then you're eating too many calories for your individual body.
My thoughts also, 1800 seems high. My wife is 195# and at 1200.
I would literally fall over dead with the amount of exercise i do ( 6 days, intense effort) if i only ate 1200 calories. maybe if all i did was sit at my office and nothing else, but I know from expierence that amount is just way to low!holly55555 wrote: »You don't need to eat exercise calories back if you chose an activity level in the beginning that includes your exercise. MFP doesn't make this very clear. If you put that you are lightly active, for example, because you workout 1-3 times a week, MFP already has calculated that into your calorie allowance. There is no need to eat them back!
I agree with everyone else and just don't eat them back. You are eating at maintenance right now.
I actually choose lightly active to get that amount but I am actually more active than that, but i figured it would build in a little more deficite if i underestimated my activity.
Ah, yup. By choosing lightly active, you've given yourself about 250 extra calories, which is the deficit you need for about 1/2 lb per week loss. But the activity level is meant to be your activity outside of intentional exercise, if you're doing plain MFP method. If you're sedentary outside of exercise, then it's likely you've been double dipping.
Just for comparison, if you were in the sedentary setting, you'd need to eat around 1710 calories net to lose 1/2 lb per week. I think your margins are really quite close which explains lack of weight loss
The examples I saw in MFP tool: sedentary = desk job, lightly active is like a teacher, on your feet all day, active, mailman. Very active physical labor like construction, bike messenger, carpenter.
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karaanalunea wrote: »Also, bear in mind that any muscle you build weighs more than the fat it replaces. So you can be considerably slimmer and more compact without changing your actual weight on the scale
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karaanalunea wrote: »Also, bear in mind that any muscle you build weighs more than the fat it replaces. So you can be considerably slimmer and more compact without changing your actual weight on the scale
With the exception of newbie gains, one does not build muscle in a deficit.0 -
Liftng4Lis wrote: »karaanalunea wrote: »Also, bear in mind that any muscle you build weighs more than the fat it replaces. So you can be considerably slimmer and more compact without changing your actual weight on the scale
With the exception of newbie gains, one does not build muscle in a deficit.
and OP is doing primarily cardio workouts with minimal lifting, from what I can see…so newbie gains are going to be extremely minimal.0 -
beemerphile1 wrote: »blankiefinder wrote: »I would double check your settings, that seems like a high calorie allowance. Do you have yourself set for the right activity level (not including exercise you are logging)? IE sedentary, lightly active, etc? Go through the goals process and update them just in case there's a glitch. If it's not that, then you're eating too many calories for your individual body.
My thoughts also, 1800 seems high. My wife is 195# and at 1200.
I am at 221 and eating 1800, and losing about 1.4 lb a week. I agree, your setting seem a little high.
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I like that you are eating frequently as it keeps your blood levels even. Maybe try eating a little something with that coffee as well. The snacks / meals seem a bit big though. My snacks are 2-3 sticks of carrots or celery, sometimes 3-5 grapes, maybe 0.5-1oz of chicken. Most of my meals are half size but more frequent. Your snacks log in higher in calories and carbs than a good meal.
I would reduce carbs and sugars. I try to keep my carbs around 100 a day and try to keep the sugars as low as possible.
I also find most protein shakes and bars (or even creatine) to be a terrible source of protein (though I keep using the creatine). They include too many calories and carbs. I usually reserve it for my pre-workout snack when I am lifting. But, I lift heavy / to failure. I doubt you need that. (though you should lift heavy).0 -
JimFsfitnesspal wrote: »I like that you are eating frequently as it keeps your blood levels even. Maybe try eating a little something with that coffee as well. The snacks / meals seem a bit big though. My snacks are 2-3 sticks of carrots or celery, sometimes 3-5 grapes, maybe 0.5-1oz of chicken. Most of my meals are half size but more frequent. Your snacks log in higher in calories and carbs than a good meal.
I would reduce carbs and sugars. I try to keep my carbs around 100 a day and try to keep the sugars as low as possible.
I also find most protein shakes and bars (or even creatine) to be a terrible source of protein (though I keep using the creatine). They include too many calories and carbs. I usually reserve it for my pre-workout snack when I am lifting. But, I lift heavy / to failure. I doubt you need that. (though you should lift heavy).
Ignore this op 100 grams of carbs and sugar is not some magic number0 -
JimFsfitnesspal wrote: »I like that you are eating frequently as it keeps your blood levels even. Maybe try eating a little something with that coffee as well. The snacks / meals seem a bit big though. My snacks are 2-3 sticks of carrots or celery, sometimes 3-5 grapes, maybe 0.5-1oz of chicken. Most of my meals are half size but more frequent. Your snacks log in higher in calories and carbs than a good meal.
I would reduce carbs and sugars. I try to keep my carbs around 100 a day and try to keep the sugars as low as possible.
I also find most protein shakes and bars (or even creatine) to be a terrible source of protein (though I keep using the creatine). They include too many calories and carbs. I usually reserve it for my pre-workout snack when I am lifting. But, I lift heavy / to failure. I doubt you need that. (though you should lift heavy).
Ignore this op 100 grams of carbs and sugar is not some magic number
All I said is that is what I do so leave me alone and give it a rest.0
This discussion has been closed.
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