Is it really about eating at a calorie deficit?
cruzmom123
Posts: 72 Member
Since joining MFP 136 days ago, I have lost 24 pounds. However, I have not lost any weight for about a month now. I continue to eat under my daily calorie goal and I workout at 3 times a week. I will admit, I've indulged in a couple of fried food dishes as well as Coke Zero. But should that matter? I thought it was more important to eat at a calorie deficit and exercise.
0
Replies
-
Have you updated your calorie goal in that time?
As you lose weight, your calorie goal will also go down.
0 -
Some questions:
- Do you weigh your food?
- Are there any days in the week where you skip logging?
- Are you using homemade or generic entries from the database?
- In terms of exercise calories, are you eating them back? If so, how much?
- What has your sodium intake looked like for the past month?
- Have there been any changes to your exercise routine this month?
All that said, according to your ticker you have 8lbs left. The last 8 lbs will probably be the hardest part and I wouldn't be surprised if you only lose half a pound a week at this point. I've also had points in my weight loss, where my weight stayed the same for about a month and then suddenly I dropped a lot all at once.0 -
You need to adjust your calorie goal every 5-10 lbs lost. The less you weigh, the less calories you need to survive/function. An overweight person could lose weight eating 2000 calories net per day, but I would either gain or maintain on that same amount.0
-
3dogsrunning wrote: »Have you updated your calorie goal in that time?
As you lose weight, your calorie goal will also go down.
Yep, go into your settings as if to change your goal (even if you don't want to) and re-save and see if you get a different target.
If not, you may need to look at your logging. You only have 8 lbs left to lose so your deficit is probably tighter. Which means little inaccuracies, that would not prevent weight loss when your deficit is big, can eat huge chunks of it, if not all of it, now.
And the fried food / fast food / restaurant / takeaway is totally fine! *Except* that it can be tough to get an accurate calorie count for it, so if you underestimate when you log it, you might overeat by accident. Plus, eating those foods can cause temporary water weight gain / retention, which can mask your progress a little. Not saying to not do it -- just be extra careful to estimate high when logging it, and be aware of the possibility of scale fluctuations on the scale because of it.0 -
cruzmom123 wrote: »Since joining MFP 136 days ago, I have lost 24 pounds. However, I have not lost any weight for about a month now. I continue to eat under my daily calorie goal and I workout at 3 times a week. I will admit, I've indulged in a couple of fried food dishes as well as Coke Zero. But should that matter? I thought it was more important to eat at a calorie deficit and exercise.
Well, if you are willing to miss your eating calorie goal by some %, say 20%, why aren't you willing to miss your goal weight by the same % amount?
If you are thinking bigger deficit is better, why not just stop eating and get it done with quicker?
Are you correctly logging exercise and eating back some calories?
Or still missing the calorie goal that was intended for when you do no exercise?-2 -
Yes all good answers. Yes it is a calorie deficit that creates weight loss. However as others have mentioned, if you've guessed your calories in you may have accidentally underestimated. Personally to compensate for this, I overestimate where I can and usually have a buffer of a hundred calories from my goal.0
-
I've lost the exact same amount as you, and also have 8lbs left to go. It took me nearly 4mths to lose the 24 and according to a weight loss calculator it will take me another 4mths to lose the remaining 8lbs.
I have a small deficit now, set to lose .25kg a week. I'm 5"8 and (trying to) eating 1390 calories.0 -
how many calories a day have you been eating over this 136 day period?
do you use a food scale?
as you want to lose the last eight pounds, then you are really going to need to tighten up logging and pay more attention to macro/micros….0 -
136 days is a bit over 19 weeks. So you are losing over a pound a week. That is great! So what is the issue?0
-
With so little left to lose, you need to be very tight on logging.0
-
how many calories a day have you been eating over this 136 day period?
do you use a food scale?
as you want to lose the last eight pounds, then you are really going to need to tighten up logging and pay more attention to macro/micros….
@ndj1979 can you explain why we have to pay more attention to macros/micros?
0 -
It is important to eat at a deficit, but as others have pointed out theres a question as to whether you were at one plus weight loss isnt linear. Its not clear what sort of deficit you think you are running, but you should tighten up or burn more. Working out at 3x a week, doesnt say how long, what intensity, what you are doing etc. It requires a lot of exercise to burn significant calories and that could easily be swallowed up by logging inaccuracies.0
-
christinev297 wrote: »how many calories a day have you been eating over this 136 day period?
do you use a food scale?
as you want to lose the last eight pounds, then you are really going to need to tighten up logging and pay more attention to macro/micros….
@ndj1979 can you explain why we have to pay more attention to macros/micros?
yes, because macro/micro adherence is important for body composition goals. So as you want to get leaner, i.e. lose the last "five pounds" get to x body fat, etc, you need to pay more attention to what percent of your calories is coming from.
that is the basic explanation ….0 -
christinev297 wrote: »how many calories a day have you been eating over this 136 day period?
do you use a food scale?
as you want to lose the last eight pounds, then you are really going to need to tighten up logging and pay more attention to macro/micros….
@ndj1979 can you explain why we have to pay more attention to macros/micros?
yes, because macro/micro adherence is important for body composition goals. So as you want to get leaner, i.e. lose the last "five pounds" get to x body fat, etc, you need to pay more attention to what percent of your calories is coming from.
that is the basic explanation ….
Thanks, got it
0 -
3dogsrunning wrote: »Have you updated your calorie goal in that time?
As you lose weight, your calorie goal will also go down.
I3dogsrunning wrote: »Have you updated your calorie goal in that time?
As you lose weight, your calorie goal will also go down.
I lowered my calorie goal after the first 10 pounds lost then again after 20 pounds lost. I still didn't lose any more weight. One of my co-workers who exercises and diets religiously told me to up my calories and see if that works.0 -
cruzmom123 wrote: »3dogsrunning wrote: »Have you updated your calorie goal in that time?
As you lose weight, your calorie goal will also go down.
I3dogsrunning wrote: »Have you updated your calorie goal in that time?
As you lose weight, your calorie goal will also go down.
I lowered my calorie goal after the first 10 pounds lost then again after 20 pounds lost. I still didn't lose any more weight. One of my co-workers who exercises and diets religiously told me to up my calories and see if that works.
I also feel that sometimes upping calories even for a short time can help. However. That is on the assumption that everything else is on point.
Personally, I would dial in my calorie logging first and see how that goes. More than likely, there is something going on on that end.
Opening your diary may be helpful as well.0 -
do you use a food scale OP??????0
-
Definitely make your diary public for more detailed help.
As for upping your calories, I'd say no at this stage, not until you've got your weighing, measuring and logging spot on.
I'm thinking of zig zagging my calories, but not upping them.0 -
shadow2soul wrote: »Some questions:
- Do you weigh your food?
- Are there any days in the week where you skip logging?
- Are you using homemade or generic entries from the database?
- In terms of exercise calories, are you eating them back? If so, how much?
- What has your sodium intake looked like for the past month?
- Have there been any changes to your exercise routine this month?
All that said, according to your ticker you have 8lbs left. The last 8 lbs will probably be the hardest part and I wouldn't be surprised if you only lose half a pound a week at this point. I've also had points in my weight loss, where my weight stayed the same for about a month and then suddenly I dropped a lot all at once.
* No, I do not own a food scale. I need to invest in one.
* I have logged every since day for 136 days
* I use homemade entries from the database when I cook (fry) my food. I only list generic when the name brand of the food is not in the database
* I never eat back my exercise calories
* I will admit -- whenever I list "meats" at food -- whether it's turkey or chicken, it seems to have a lot of sodium.
* At first, I was doing 10 minute workouts burning around 87 calories each time. Now, I am doing 22 minute workouts -- which allows me to burn more calories (169).
0 -
cruzmom123 wrote: »shadow2soul wrote: »Some questions:
- Do you weigh your food?
- Are there any days in the week where you skip logging?
- Are you using homemade or generic entries from the database?
- In terms of exercise calories, are you eating them back? If so, how much?
- What has your sodium intake looked like for the past month?
- Have there been any changes to your exercise routine this month?
All that said, according to your ticker you have 8lbs left. The last 8 lbs will probably be the hardest part and I wouldn't be surprised if you only lose half a pound a week at this point. I've also had points in my weight loss, where my weight stayed the same for about a month and then suddenly I dropped a lot all at once.
* No, I do not own a food scale. I need to invest in one.
* I have logged every since day for 136 days
* I use homemade entries from the database when I cook (fry) my food. I only list generic when the name brand of the food is not in the database
* I never eat back my exercise calories
* I will admit -- whenever I list "meats" at food -- whether it's turkey or chicken, it seems to have a lot of sodium.
* At first, I was doing 10 minute workouts burning around 87 calories each time. Now, I am doing 22 minute workouts -- which allows me to burn more calories (169).
Before trying upping calories I would invest in a food scale and give that a try.
Like others have mentioned, at this stage in the game you have less wiggle room for error.
0 -
So for the homemade stuff, if you are not using the recipe builder than it is probably not correct.
Entries that start with "Generic" tend also to be wildly inaccurate. If you know the nutritional information and can't find it in the database, there is an option to add it yourself.
Changing up exercise routines can cause temporary water retention.0 -
FoxyLifter wrote: »You need to adjust your calorie goal every 5-10 lbs lost. The less you weigh, the less calories you need to survive/function. An overweight person could lose weight eating 2000 calories net per day, but I would either gain or maintain on that same amount.
I started off with a 1,730 calorie goal, lost 10 pounds, it went down to 1,610. My co-worker suggested I increase my daily calories since I haven't lost weight in a month. She is a workout fanatic. She eats really clean and is training for a body building competition so I trust her advice.
0 -
OP - get a food scale and weigh all solids and as many liquids as you can. Log everything you eat into mfp for three weeks and see if you start losing again. I would do this before adding in more calories….0
-
cruzmom123 wrote: »FoxyLifter wrote: »You need to adjust your calorie goal every 5-10 lbs lost. The less you weigh, the less calories you need to survive/function. An overweight person could lose weight eating 2000 calories net per day, but I would either gain or maintain on that same amount.
I started off with a 1,730 calorie goal, lost 10 pounds, it went down to 1,610. My co-worker suggested I increase my daily calories since I haven't lost weight in a month. She is a workout fanatic. She eats really clean and is training for a body building competition so I trust her advice.
that does not make her an expert….just saying..
get a food scale and tighten up logging for a few weeks and see how it goes.0 -
Thanks everyone for the advice! I am going to lower my daily calorie intake. I would like to lose 1.5 to 2 pounds a week. I will try that for a while and also buy a food scale.0
-
cruzmom123 wrote: »FoxyLifter wrote: »You need to adjust your calorie goal every 5-10 lbs lost. The less you weigh, the less calories you need to survive/function. An overweight person could lose weight eating 2000 calories net per day, but I would either gain or maintain on that same amount.
I started off with a 1,730 calorie goal, lost 10 pounds, it went down to 1,610. My co-worker suggested I increase my daily calories since I haven't lost weight in a month. She is a workout fanatic. She eats really clean and is training for a body building competition so I trust her advice.
that does not make her an expert….just saying..
get a food scale and tighten up logging for a few weeks and see how it goes.
I was going to say the same thing.
(and this is coming from someone who has also competed).
Like I said, it is a solid suggestion when other possibilities have been eliminated. But right now, they haven't. Right now the likely scenerio is you are overestimating calories.0 -
cruzmom123 wrote: »Thanks everyone for the advice! I am going to lower my daily calorie intake. I would like to lose 1.5 to 2 pounds a week. I will try that for a while and also buy a food scale.
I think if you get a food scale and tighten up logging that you would not need to drop your calorie allotment any lower...0 -
"cruzmom123 wrote: »At first, I was doing 10 minute workouts burning around 87 calories each time. Now, I am doing 22 minute workouts -- which allows me to burn more calories (169).
Is that all you're doing ... 3 days a week ... for a workout?
Might be time to do a bit more.
Perhaps start walking 30 min a day, 6 days a week in addition to that.
Or add a couple 1-hour bicycle rides so that you're doing something 5 days a week.
What can happen is that our bodies get used to a certain exercise and certain fitness level, and become more efficient at that level, and it seems like we don't burn as many calories as we did when we started. So we need to shake it up a bit.
Your bodybuilder friend probably works out 5-6 days a week for at least an hour each day.
0 -
"cruzmom123 wrote: »At first, I was doing 10 minute workouts burning around 87 calories each time. Now, I am doing 22 minute workouts -- which allows me to burn more calories (169).
Is that all you're doing ... 3 days a week ... for a workout?
Might be time to do a bit more.
Perhaps start walking 30 min a day, 6 days a week in addition to that.
Or add a couple 1-hour bicycle rides so that you're doing something 5 days a week.
What can happen is that our bodies get used to a certain exercise and certain fitness level, and become more efficient at that level, and it seems like we don't burn as many calories as we did when we started. So we need to shake it up a bit.
For the most part, we really don't.
Calorie burn is weight x intensity. Some activities do have an element of efficency but things like walking, not so much.
What usually happens is that people drop in weight so doing the same exercise at the same intensity means a lower calorie burn.
0 -
cruzmom123 wrote: »FoxyLifter wrote: »You need to adjust your calorie goal every 5-10 lbs lost. The less you weigh, the less calories you need to survive/function. An overweight person could lose weight eating 2000 calories net per day, but I would either gain or maintain on that same amount.
I started off with a 1,730 calorie goal, lost 10 pounds, it went down to 1,610. My co-worker suggested I increase my daily calories since I haven't lost weight in a month. She is a workout fanatic. She eats really clean and is training for a body building competition so I trust her advice.
But you're already eating more than you think
0
This discussion has been closed.
Categories
- All Categories
- 1.4M Health, Wellness and Goals
- 393.4K Introduce Yourself
- 43.8K Getting Started
- 260.2K Health and Weight Loss
- 175.9K Food and Nutrition
- 47.4K Recipes
- 232.5K Fitness and Exercise
- 427 Sleep, Mindfulness and Overall Wellness
- 6.5K Goal: Maintaining Weight
- 8.5K Goal: Gaining Weight and Body Building
- 153K Motivation and Support
- 8K Challenges
- 1.3K Debate Club
- 96.3K Chit-Chat
- 2.5K Fun and Games
- 3.7K MyFitnessPal Information
- 24 News and Announcements
- 1.1K Feature Suggestions and Ideas
- 2.6K MyFitnessPal Tech Support Questions