giving it a shot but feel out of water

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  • kmac1196
    kmac1196 Posts: 188 Member
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    Great job being consistent!
  • justsayinisall
    justsayinisall Posts: 162 Member
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    Checking in with the weekly update.

    Week 11
    average calories 2575 starting weight 203.3 finishing weight 204.6


    Fitbit says I ate 18031 and burned 18004 so +27 calories for the week.

    The scale has went as high as 205.7 this week (this morning I saw 206.4). I'm seeing a lot of fluctuating on a daily basis. The only thing I can think of that I'm doing differently is that I stopped caffeine about a month ago. I also changed up my cardio routine and added elliptical prior to the treadmill (for the last 2 weeks).

    Meh...we'll see what continues to happen. I don't want to keep seeing this upward trend, at some point it has to stop lol. I have a cruise looming on the horizon, beginning of April, I know I will gain weight that week. I am kicking around the idea of cutting the month of February, then cruise, come back and continue cutting. I don't know. Too soon?

    Here's the recap:
    week 1
    average calories 2040 starting weight 197.9 finishing weight 197.1

    week 2
    average calories 2090 starting weight 197.1 finishing weight 195.7

    week 3
    average calories 2290 starting weight 195.7 finishing weight 197.4

    Week 4
    Average calories 2450 starting weight 197.4 finishing weight 198.9

    Week 5
    Average calories 2510 starting weight 198.9 finishing weight 199.7

    Week 6
    Average calories 2442 starting weight 199.7 finishing weight 199.7

    Week 7 & 8
    lost to the vacation and holidays

    Week 9
    Average calories 2492 starting weight unknown finishing weight 203.7

    Week 10
    Average calories 2553 starting weight 203.7 finishing weight 203.3

    Week 11
    average calories 2575 starting weight 203.3 finishing weight 204.6
  • heybales
    heybales Posts: 18,842 Member
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    I minor deficit for a month and then a reset week isn't bad idea, then back to deficit. About time then for deficit anyway in Feb, right, 3 months plus?
  • justsayinisall
    justsayinisall Posts: 162 Member
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    well yeah... I'm sitting here laughing because I never thought about the amount of time I've been doing this lol. I just look at the calories and pounds lol. I can safely say I do not want to cut....so probably time for a cut *sigh* I hate my "off" days from the gym because I don't get to eat as much.

    I've been weighing and measuring my food for a few years. My husband thinks it's so sad. One thing I realized by weighing? I am an under estimator! I get to eat WAY more food by weighing (butter is a good example...what I used to think was a Tbls was probably only a few tsps). That's neither here nor there, just trying to talk myself into thinking the cut won't be so bad...right? lol
  • heybales
    heybales Posts: 18,842 Member
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    Not a realistic deficit, probably not bad at all.

    And are you doing average weekly TDEE so you eat the same amount daily - or activity tracker or MFP method of different goal daily?
  • justsayinisall
    justsayinisall Posts: 162 Member
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    I started doing the scooby calculated TDEE and eating the same amount daily. For the last 3 weeks I've been doing the MFP set to not lose/gain and my Fitbit Charge HR and eating back everything. Some days I do eat over that amount though.

    Scooby says my TDEE is 2525 which is 17,675 calories per week. That is with 3-5 hours of moderate exercise per week.

    Last week with MFP and Fitbit I ate 18,031 and burned 18,004
    week prior with MFP and Fitbit I ate17,883 and burned 17,245

    So it's looking like Scooby is pretty darn accurate. But as long as I have the Fitbit I may as well put it to use. My none workout days MFP says I should eat 2085 calories per day to maintain, those are going to be the days I won't like cutting. Though I usually do some exercise daily. Last week was just one day off. This week I'm doing a little more days off because I'm awaiting a cardiologist appointment...apparently I have some long QT's buh. My first thought was; "OMG what if they tell me I can't gym?" It's taken me three years but I just realized this weekend (I was cranky on Sunday, have no idea why, nothing was making me happy. Hubs dragged me for a light bike ride and I felt SO much better) that I am the type of person that gets out of sorts if I don't get some form of exercise, pretty much on a daily basis. We shall see what happens.
  • jerilynconn
    jerilynconn Posts: 524 Member
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    I think scooby is the closer number for me too, which is surprising! Since it was so high (than the other calculators) i had kinda ignored it and stuck to the other numbers for a while.
  • heybales
    heybales Posts: 18,842 Member
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    Just remember that the average range between levels of the standard TDEE chart Scooby uses is around 250-300 calories means some are going to be right in the middle and get the right numbers - but odds are most will not within 100 - which isn't a huge whoop - whatever a whoop is.

    That's great you enjoy the exercise.
    If I don't do enough cardio, migraines come back. Not as bad as many get, but still. I'd rather schedule 5 hrs of exercise weekly at time convenient for me than have 5-10 hrs robbed at bad time or two.
  • jerilynconn
    jerilynconn Posts: 524 Member
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    heybales wrote: »
    Just remember that the average range between levels of the standard TDEE chart Scooby uses is around 250-300 calories means some are going to be right in the middle and get the right numbers - but odds are most will not within 100 - which isn't a huge whoop - whatever a whoop is.

    I went back at checked my scooby and i am actually eating higher than the number they gave me. I'm not gaining. So maybe i put in the wrong activity level?
  • justsayinisall
    justsayinisall Posts: 162 Member
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    saranharm wrote: »
    heybales wrote: »
    Just remember that the average range between levels of the standard TDEE chart Scooby uses is around 250-300 calories means some are going to be right in the middle and get the right numbers - but odds are most will not within 100 - which isn't a huge whoop - whatever a whoop is.

    I went back at checked my scooby and i am actually eating higher than the number they gave me. I'm not gaining. So maybe i put in the wrong activity level?

    saranharm Has to be! If you aren't gaining you are burning what you eat so eat on!

    heybales thankfully I've never been one to have migraines. I had no clue that exercise can help with them.

  • heybales
    heybales Posts: 18,842 Member
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    saranharm wrote: »
    heybales wrote: »
    Just remember that the average range between levels of the standard TDEE chart Scooby uses is around 250-300 calories means some are going to be right in the middle and get the right numbers - but odds are most will not within 100 - which isn't a huge whoop - whatever a whoop is.

    I went back at checked my scooby and i am actually eating higher than the number they gave me. I'm not gaining. So maybe i put in the wrong activity level?

    Considering those levels were based on a formula and the fact there are really infinite levels - they had to pick a limit to make it easy to select from - so they picked 5 back in 1919, when the study was done.

    They could have easily have picked 6, 7, or 8 levels for you to pick from. And the formula would have spit out the between figures you don't see at 5 levels.
    Right now you could pick the higher level, and that could be too high - you could be exactly between 2 levels when using just 5.

    Considering the advent of web pages - all those sites could do a great service and just use the formula and ask a few simple questions to at least get a better rough figure that is really based on hours of exercise.
    That's basically what I do in the Just TDEE Please spreadsheet, except I know different exercise burns different amount - so I split it down even more and use better formula from more recent studies than 1919.
    And ask about daily life which the TDEE table sites never do ask about.

    (Weekly workout hrs x 0.0875) + 1.2 = Activity Factor you multiply your BMR by

    Then it's merely a matter of how do you count your hrs, since obviously an hour of walking isn't the same as an hour of running.
    So if you have an active job on your feet, consider those hrs as 1/8 the actual time (40 hrs nurse feet time is 5 hrs workout).
    If you walk as exercise or heavy for you lifting, consider that time as 1/2 the actual time (4 hrs weekly walking is 2 hrs workout, 90 min lifting is 45 min workout time).
    Other exercise is straight time.

    So if you have 4 hrs workout time - do the math and see you happen to hit the 5 level TDEE chart correctly.
    If you actually have 5 hrs - you would be higher than Moderately Active.
  • justsayinisall
    justsayinisall Posts: 162 Member
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    Weekly update

    Week 12
    average calories 2337 starting weight 204.6 finishing weight 205.7

    Fitbit says I consumed 16,437 and burned 16,858 so -423 calories. Not sure why I'm gaining weight. TOM is not applicable for me.

    I was less active (waiting for doc appointment), I kept my gym to three days. Actually took some rest days (no walking or anything).

    I'll just keep on doing what I'm doing. See what happens. I'm going to continue to take it easy as far as exercise. Thus I expect to be adjusting my average daily calories down. One thing I notice with fitbit is that it tracks my exercise but doesn't always give me the calories on MFP. Like yesterday I did a 57 min walk, Fitbit says I burned 497 calories. But on MFP it only gave me 467 calorie adjustment. Mind baffles.

    Here's the recap:
    week 1
    average calories 2040 starting weight 197.9 finishing weight 197.1

    week 2
    average calories 2090 starting weight 197.1 finishing weight 195.7

    week 3
    average calories 2290 starting weight 195.7 finishing weight 197.4

    Week 4
    Average calories 2450 starting weight 197.4 finishing weight 198.9

    Week 5
    Average calories 2510 starting weight 198.9 finishing weight 199.7

    Week 6
    Average calories 2442 starting weight 199.7 finishing weight 199.7

    Week 7 & 8
    lost to the vacation and holidays

    Week 9
    Average calories 2492 starting weight unknown finishing weight 203.7

    Week 10
    Average calories 2553 starting weight 203.7 finishing weight 203.3

    Week 11
    average calories 2575 starting weight 203.3 finishing weight 204.6

    Week 12
    average calories 2337 starting weight 204.6 finishing weight 205.7
  • heybales
    heybales Posts: 18,842 Member
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    That Fitbit calorie adjustment on MFP is NOT exercise calorie burn.

    It is merely the difference between what Fitbit says you burned in total doing whatever, and what MFP estimated you'd burn doing the activity level you selected and no exercise.

    You could have huge workout and be really lazy and have negative adjustment.
    You could have no workout and be very active and have huge adjustment.
    You could have MFP at Sedentary when you're not - but with Fitbit adjustments it doesn't matter and that's better setup anyway.

    Might read the FAQ's on the Fitbit group site.

    Might also look at sodium levels the day or two prior to weigh in. That could be telling.
  • justsayinisall
    justsayinisall Posts: 162 Member
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    Bingo on the sodium levels! Sodium is just something I don't ever track, it's always over the recommended limit, but last week just, two days before weigh in, yep, higher than my normal. Should have known. This morning showed a 1.7# drop. I thought I was over the scale swings. Ugh maybe I should start tracking sodium. I don't want to track sodium *said in my whiniest voice*

    Any tips on cutting sodium? I'm pretty high (usually around 4000mg up to 6900mg per day) and that is not including the salt I add to food *face palm* dreading, dreading, bueller, dreading.

  • retirehappy
    retirehappy Posts: 4,754 Member
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    Bingo on the sodium levels! Sodium is just something I don't ever track, it's always over the recommended limit, but last week just, two days before weigh in, yep, higher than my normal. Should have known. This morning showed a 1.7# drop. I thought I was over the scale swings. Ugh maybe I should start tracking sodium. I don't want to track sodium *said in my whiniest voice*

    Any tips on cutting sodium? I'm pretty high (usually around 4000mg up to 6900mg per day) and that is not including the salt I add to food *face palm* dreading, dreading, bueller, dreading.

    I had to train myself to not salt food automatically. I used to eat French Fries that were white from all the salt. No more. I won't lie, it was not easy, I had to slowly cut back and keep cutting back till I could use herbs and lemon/lime juice to up the flavors. I do use salt still but it is a tiny, tiny fraction of what I did use and I average around 3500 mg a day. That is a HUGE cut on sodium for me. I recently had to switch to iodized salt, as I was using sea salt without anything added. Thyroid needs iodine it turns out.
  • heybales
    heybales Posts: 18,842 Member
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    If you don't have a health issue with sodium, then keeping at moderate levels is just fine. it's just water weight after all.
    If you keep it really low just during a diet but your body wants more - it'll retain sodium and water when you eat more finally.

    So it's more about keeping level amounts.

    That's why valid weigh-in day is about minimizing expected known water weight fluctuations:
    Morning after rest day eating "normal" sodium levels, not sore from last workout.

    If you eat less or more than normal - you have invalid weigh-in with a number not meaningful to valid weigh-ins.
  • justsayinisall
    justsayinisall Posts: 162 Member
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    heybales wrote: »
    If you don't have a health issue with sodium, then keeping at moderate levels is just fine. it's just water weight after all.
    If you keep it really low just during a diet but your body wants more - it'll retain sodium and water when you eat more finally.

    So it's more about keeping level amounts.

    That's why valid weigh-in day is about minimizing expected known water weight fluctuations:
    Morning after rest day eating "normal" sodium levels, not sore from last workout.

    If you eat less or more than normal - you have invalid weigh-in with a number not meaningful to valid weigh-ins.

    I could so kiss you for that! I needed someone to tell me it's ok lol I'm going to RUN with it. I think I will be more mindful of sodium, I do see there are some things I can do; use rotisserie chicken instead of lunch meat for my lunch sammies for one. I'm surprised how much food has sodium! I never expected it to be in my protein powder yeesh
  • heybales
    heybales Posts: 18,842 Member
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    When I had some high blood pressure readings in the past - Dr of course said I should go low sodium - so I did and researched the fact that isn't always the cause.

    I massively changed the sodium level, blood pressure barely lowered. It was different reasons (overall health).

    So sodium went back up to normal (which for me isn't high anyway, I add salt to nothing) during time exercise was able to increase after an injury - BP went down to healthy levels.

    I asked about that - Dr agreed, and said sodium is first easy thing to recommend whether it's the reason or not so they always do - because they also know merely watching the sodium levels causes better choices.
    That's true - one study of a group where they wanted no change of food, but logged their own food and sodium levels caused them to make different choices. Which of itself helped.
    Very hard to get a baseline from most folks because the mere act of paying attention causes different choices.
  • justsayinisall
    justsayinisall Posts: 162 Member
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    Week 13
    average calories 2366 starting weight 205.7 finishing weight 204.7

    Fitbit says I consumed 17315 and burned 15304 so +2011 calories.
    MFP says I consumed 16567 and burned 15304 so +1263 calories.

    I'm getting antsy. I've been feeling pretty "fluffy" lately. Maybe it's just the last few weeks with less exercise, I don't know. I want to get rid of these last 30 or so pounds. No news on the doc visit. Awaiting ultrasound of the heart and a Holter Monitor.

    Here's the recap:
    week 1
    average calories 2040 starting weight 197.9 finishing weight 197.1

    week 2
    average calories 2090 starting weight 197.1 finishing weight 195.7

    week 3
    average calories 2290 starting weight 195.7 finishing weight 197.4

    Week 4
    Average calories 2450 starting weight 197.4 finishing weight 198.9

    Week 5
    Average calories 2510 starting weight 198.9 finishing weight 199.7

    Week 6
    Average calories 2442 starting weight 199.7 finishing weight 199.7

    Week 7 & 8
    lost to the vacation and holidays

    Week 9
    Average calories 2492 starting weight unknown finishing weight 203.7

    Week 10
    Average calories 2553 starting weight 203.7 finishing weight 203.3

    Week 11
    average calories 2575 starting weight 203.3 finishing weight 204.6

    Week 12
    average calories 2337 starting weight 204.6 finishing weight 205.7

    Week 13
    average calories 2366 starting weight 205.7 finishing weight 204.7
  • heybales
    heybales Posts: 18,842 Member
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    Trying to recall - have you done the checks on Fitbit to confirm it's estimate is as decent as it can be?

    Like known distance measuring your daily purposeful pace, comparing to what Fitbit saw - perhaps adjusting stride length?

    Confirm steps seen during day are accurate for actual level of activity - no scads of false steps with small but decent calorie burn associated?