Please help. Very confused and fed up.

jaz050465

Over the years I have tried everything. For the past year I've tried MFP calculations, scooby calculator, BMF and fitbit. All give me very different TDEEs but I don't seem to be able to lose weight. I am within my healthy weight range so have tried a deficit of 500 but then every so often I binge (only mini binge) and lose any deficit I had. I am constantly gaining and losing the same few pounds.

I then throw myself into exercise and am so stiff that I can't do anything for a few days. I want to do alternate days of C25K and strength training but lack of weight loss demotivated me to do this too.

I want it to work but have totally lost confidence in ever losing weight. I also don't know what to believe in terms of my TDEE and what deficit to have so I don't know how many calories to eat.

I am 47, 5 ft 7 and weight about 148 pounds. I have a small frame though and am about 36 % body fat.

I am really getting depressed by this. I am going on a beach holiday in three weeks and I really wanted to be about 10 pounds lighter when I booked it last year. I haven't really lost anything.
Edited by jaz050465 On June 08, 2013 7:22 am

yarwell

then every so often I binge (only mini binge) and lose any deficit I had

If that continues to be the case is the answer not staring you in the face ?

I'm on a push to lose weight at the moment, your breakfast was double the calories of mine and loaded with carbohydrates. Do you make it through to lunchtime without snacking ? Considered something like an omelette or bacon and egg instead ?

80, 90, 117g of sugar per day. Avoid the dried fruits and reduce the sweeter ones to one a day perhaps ?

At 23 BMI you don't have a whole lot to lose, you have enough fat to provide over 1,000 cals a day for a while so the deficit shouldn't be excessive. I would try to keep the carb intake down so your blood sugar gets the chance to fall and facilitate using fat from reserves.

Katch McArdle suggests your BMR is about 1300, let's say 1600 to maintain so for a deficit you need to be less than that - say 1300 cals a day. Your exercise is reasonably light so keep with that and don't eat more food to "compensate".

You can dial in the 1300 target at http://www.myfitnesspal.com/account/change_goals_custom then set your macros to 30% carbs / 35 % protein 35 % fats. Set sugar to 50g per day and track it on your food diary.

Stay away from diet foods which replace fat with carbs or sugars, stick to the calorie goal. Try it and see :-)

_Zardoz_

I am within my healthy weight range

So you don't need to lose weight. Concentrate on fitness eat at maintenance and fuel your body enough to exercise and tone your body up.

jaz050465

then every so often I binge (only mini binge) and lose any deficit I had

If that continues to be the case is the answer not staring you in the face ?

I'm on a push to lose weight at the moment, your breakfast was double the calories of mine and loaded with carbohydrates. Do you make it through to lunchtime without snacking ? Considered something like an omelette or bacon and egg instead ?

80, 90, 117g of sugar per day. Avoid the dried fruits and reduce the sweeter ones to one a day perhaps ?

At 23 BMI you don't have a whole lot to lose, you have enough fat to provide over 1,000 cals a day for a while so the deficit shouldn't be excessive. I would try to keep the carb intake down so your blood sugar gets the chance to fall and facilitate using fat from reserves.

Katch McArdle suggests your BMR is about 1300, let's say 1600 to maintain so for a deficit you need to be less than that - say 1300 cals a day. Your exercise is reasonably light so keep with that and don't eat more food to "compensate".

You can dial in the 1300 target at http://www.myfitnesspal.com/account/change_goals_custom then set your macros to 30% carbs / 35 % protein 35 % fats. Set sugar to 50g per day and track it on your food diary.

Stay away from diet foods which replace fat with carbs or sugars, stick to the calorie goal. Try it and see :-)

Thanks very much.
The breakfast includes milk for tea for the whole day. I'm a veggie but know I should try to increase my protein.

jaz050465

See this is why I'm so confused. Two totally conflicting pieces of advice about how many calories to eat.

brower47

See this is why I'm so confused. Two totally conflicting pieces of advice about how many calories to eat.

That's generally because there isn't just one right answer (though there are many wrong ones).

nikilis

then every so often I binge (only mini binge) and lose any deficit I had

If that continues to be the case is the answer not staring you in the face ?

I'm on a push to lose weight at the moment, your breakfast was double the calories of mine and loaded with carbohydrates. Do you make it through to lunchtime without snacking ? Considered something like an omelette or bacon and egg instead ?

80, 90, 117g of sugar per day. Avoid the dried fruits and reduce the sweeter ones to one a day perhaps ?

At 23 BMI you don't have a whole lot to lose, you have enough fat to provide over 1,000 cals a day for a while so the deficit shouldn't be excessive. I would try to keep the carb intake down so your blood sugar gets the chance to fall and facilitate using fat from reserves.

Katch McArdle suggests your BMR is about 1300, let's say 1600 to maintain so for a deficit you need to be less than that - say 1300 cals a day. Your exercise is reasonably light so keep with that and don't eat more food to "compensate".

You can dial in the 1300 target at http://www.myfitnesspal.com/account/change_goals_custom then set your macros to 30% carbs / 35 % protein 35 % fats. Set sugar to 50g per day and track it on your food diary.

Stay away from diet foods which replace fat with carbs or sugars, stick to the calorie goal. Try it and see :-)

really good advice dude. 5 stars :P

BeachGingerOnTheRocks

1) You're sedentary. 1700 calories might be close to maintenance for you because a) you're 47 and b) high body fat for size. I'm also 5'7", and I eat 1700 plus exercise when at maintenance. If you aren't working out, then you're not eating at a deficit. Eat at 1500 plus exercise and see if that works for you.

2) Sugar. WOW. It is very high. Dried fruits might as well be candy. There's very little nutritional value in dried fruits.

3) Not enough protein. You aren't getting nearly enough protein in your diet. I see no meat so I presume you are an ovo-lacto vegetarian. Add protein to your diet. Try to aim for 80-100 grams a day. Egg substitutes, protein powders, milk, Fat Free yogurt with protein powder added to it, Fat Free cheese.

4) Exercise. You need to get moving. You need to incorporate strength and cardio. Pick up a couple books: Starting Strength by Rippetoe and New Rules of Lifting for Women. Even if you don't use the programs, they will give you some knowledge. And if you can't run, get out and walk an hour a day.

5) Be patient.

BeachIron

You have to figure our your own TDEE through trial and error. MFP, scooby and the rest are simply estimates and we all vary based on exactly how much activity (sedentary, lightly active and active are clear generalizations) and actual muscle mass (which burns calories just being there). This is why accurate tracking is critical.

Let me give you an example. I am a 40 year old male, 5'10", currently 186 and with sub 13% BF (I don't track BF carefully because I use how I look as a guide, and again, estimates). I lift weights for 70-90 minutes 4 days a week, and I run about 25km a week (am am building that back up after a knee injury). I use the MFP method for setting my TDEE, and I use the sedentary setting, which means maintenance for me is about 2240 + exercise. I ate more when I was younger but the sad truth is I'm not a 3500 calories a day guy anymore as much as I would like to be. When I cut I'm down to about 1700 to 1800 calories total a day.

I also make sure to track every day, even days I splurge because it helps me track my WEEKLY intake which is a good indicator of whether I'm going to lose weight or not. You can't cheat the system with binges and think it will come off if you eat below TDEE by a little bit on other days unless you are eating below by enough to make a difference. It's simple math.

Also, looking at your diet, you're not getting enough protein. That won't affect weight loss but it will help you retain muscle mass if you're strength training. This means it will affect the way you look in the mirror.

downsizinghoss

If you truly maintain and track things over a long period of time, then you don't need calculators.

Use the calculators as a starting point and keep tracking.
Don't starve yourself, but if you keep to XXXXX calories per day/week and you don't lose weight, then cut calories or increase exercise.

In the long run, you can answer your own questions with your own data. move it around. change things up and down to find a point where you have the fuel to workout, but still can decrease body fat.

downsizinghoss

You have to figure our your own TDEE through trial and error. MFP, scooby and the rest are simply estimates and we all vary based on exactly how much activity (sedentary, lightly active and active are clear generalizations) and actual muscle mass (which burns calories just being there). This is why accurate tracking is critical.

Let me give you an example. I am a 40 year old male, 5'10", currently 186 and with sub 13% BF (I don't track BF carefully because I use how I look as a guide, and again, estimates). I lift weights for 70-90 minutes 4 days a week, and I run about 25km a week (am am building that back up after a knee injury). I use the MFP method for setting my TDEE, and I use the sedentary setting, which means maintenance for me is about 2240 + exercise. I ate more when I was younger but the sad truth is I'm not a 3500 calories a day guy anymore as much as I would like to be. When I cut I'm down to about 1700 to 1800 calories total a day.

I also make sure to track every day, even days I splurge because it helps me track my WEEKLY intake which is a good indicator of whether I'm going to lose weight or not. You can't cheat the system with binges and think it will come off if you eat below TDEE by a little bit on other days unless you are eating below by enough to make a difference. It's simple math.

Also, looking at your diet, you're not getting enough protein. That won't affect weight loss but it will help you retain muscle mass if you're strength training. This means it will affect the way you look in the mirror.

doh. what he said

BeachIron

^ Big shout out to Hoss above who is doing it right. Slow and very successful. Check out his profile if you need some serious inspiration.

BTW, one thing I think that we forgot to mention is that you need to make sure that you're weighing and measuring your food. If it's a low cal food or liquid, then measuring is fine. If it's a high calorie solid though, weighing is really the way to go. You cannot "eye ball" portions as you will absolutely underestimate how much you are eating. We have all made that mistake at some point in time.

jaz050465

^ Big shout out to Hoss above who is doing it right. Slow and very successful. Check out his profile if you need some serious inspiration.

BTW, one thing I think that we forgot to mention is that you need to make sure that you're weighing and measuring your food. If it's a low cal food or liquid, then measuring is fine. If it's a high calorie solid though, weighing is really the way to go. You cannot "eye ball" portions as you will absolutely underestimate how much you are eating. We have all made that mistake at some point in time.

Thanks. I do weigh everything.

BeachIron

^ Big shout out to Hoss above who is doing it right. Slow and very successful. Check out his profile if you need some serious inspiration.

BTW, one thing I think that we forgot to mention is that you need to make sure that you're weighing and measuring your food. If it's a low cal food or liquid, then measuring is fine. If it's a high calorie solid though, weighing is really the way to go. You cannot "eye ball" portions as you will absolutely underestimate how much you are eating. We have all made that mistake at some point in time.

Thanks. I do weigh everything.

If that's the case, then it's a simple matter of adjusting your calories intake and sticking with it. As mentioned above, cutting out most of the dried fruit and replacing that with some vegetables good fats and protein will help you feel fuller longer and thereby help you stick to your calorie goals.

jaz050465

I'm confused about this dried fruit. I very rarely have it. I think one day, i had a few apricots. My sugar comes from milk and fresh fruit. The last week or so have not been typical. I've felt very demotivated.

Debby0904

1) You're sedentary. 1700 calories might be close to maintenance for you because a) you're 47 and b) high body fat for size. I'm also 5'7", and I eat 1700 plus exercise when at maintenance. If you aren't working out, then you're not eating at a deficit. Eat at 1500 plus exercise and see if that works for you.

2) Sugar. WOW. It is very high. Dried fruits might as well be candy. There's very little nutritional value in dried fruits.

3) Not enough protein. You aren't getting nearly enough protein in your diet. I see no meat so I presume you are an ovo-lacto vegetarian. Add protein to your diet. Try to aim for 80-100 grams a day. Egg substitutes, protein powders, milk, Fat Free yogurt with protein powder added to it, Fat Free cheese.

4) Exercise. You need to get moving. You need to incorporate strength and cardio. Pick up a couple books: Starting Strength by Rippetoe and New Rules of Lifting for Women. Even if you don't use the programs, they will give you some knowledge. And if you can't run, get out and walk an hour a day.

5) Be patient.

This is dead on! I will be 46, am 5'7" and sit around 129 pounds with 18.2% bodyfat. Milk? Lose the milk too unless it's almond milk etc.. I eat between 1500 and 1700 per day, lift weights, run, etc. so I'm very active. If that helps. Please remember that the closer you get to your goals the harder it is to achieve them. Patience is key. One day at a time, one meal at a time and one workout at a time. You can do this!

LorinaLynn

I am 47, 5 ft 7 and weight about 148 pounds. I have a small frame though and am about 36 % body fat.

In that case, it's not weight you need to lose, but fat.

My suggestion would be to eat just a little below maintenance (200-300 calorie deficit), aim for ~100g protein a day, and lift some weights.

I'm 5'5 and 143 pounds, I'll be 41 tomorrow, and I'm smaller and leaner than I was two years ago at 130 pounds, thanks to weight lifting. Losing weight with cardio alone made me smaller, but my body kept the same shape.

Ophidion

bump for later sorry I have got nothing helpful to add but you seem to hit the jackpot, some very sound advice here...they sure have your back.

Great work guys.

BeachGingerOnTheRocks

I'm confused about this dried fruit. I very rarely have it. I think one day, i had a few apricots. My sugar comes from milk and fresh fruit. The last week or so have not been typical. I've felt very demotivated.

Just please read everything everyone has written. Your answers are here. Cut 200 or so calories from your diet. Stop making excuses to not exercise. Trade your morning porridge for a protein.

Look. We all get demotivated. You've been sedentary and eating at maintenance and that's why you're not losing.

jaz050465

So- I've adjusted cals to 1550 plus exercise and macros to 35% protein and fat and 30% carbo. Going to keep sugar down as low as possible.

Going to do C25k alternated with you are your own gym and going to have two rest days as I don't want got over do it. Going to do this for a month ( unfortunately holiday in Italy in three weeks) and then adjust if necessary. Does this seam a good idea.

As an aside, as I'm a veggie, if I have milk or cheese, it will increase my sugar too. I,'ll try to snack on protein instead of so much fruit though.