90 Day Stall - still can't find my calorie number

gabbo34

Long story short, I'm trying to lose 10 lbs that I gained last fall. I'd lost a lot of weight in 2014, then it slowly crept in as old eating habits came back at the end of last year. I know 10 lbs is not a big deal, especially for those of you on a big weight loss journey. But that last 10 lbs went all to my waist and makes a difference in how my clothes fit....and mentally the idea of buying back even one size bigger goes against all the work I put into losing weight and donating all my bigger sizes.

The hard part is finding a calorie number that gets the scale moving. I went back to eating clean. No processed foods, very limited sugar intake, 1720 calories (5'10/193/45m) 50/25/25 on the macros, non caffeine, alcohol, etc. The same approach that had me losing 1-1-1.5 lbs a week for the last half of 2014. I log everything. I use a food scale. When I lost weight the first time I was slightly active. I did a C25K the last few months. After I got to my lowest weight, I went hard into running. I did several 5ks and 2 HMs in 2015. I still run twice a week and go to an hour fitness boot camp 3-4 days a week...which I like because it's a mix of strength and cardio.

But the scale doesn't move and my waist size doesn't change. I've been all over the board. I started by only eating half the exercise calories back. No change. Then I went a few weeks eating none of the calories back. Scale didn't move and after a week or so I had trouble finishing runs/workouts. Then I got the advice to 'feed your body' to lose weight. So I ate more and the scale started moving up.

I had my annual physical last month and asked my doctor about it. I checked out healthier than ever. He gave the generic eat less calories/do more exercise. He did some tests to check my metabolism...everything was fine.

I'm at a bit of a loss on what direction to take. On January 1 I thought 10 lbs, 10 weeks - very doable. It's frustrating to work this hard for 3 months and see the scale be at .2 lbs higher than January 1 and my waist size the same.

Is there a rock solid way to find your BMR? Do I just drop calories to the lowest reasonable rate I can and cut off the exercise piece? Do I try to burn even more calories? It doesn't feel like it should be this drop the same weight that melted off (with a lot less work) the first time.

SingRunTing

Are you doing TDEE (eating the same number of calories everyday) or NEAT (base calories, then adding exercise)?

If TDEE, lower your intake by 100 calories a week until you start losing again.

If NEAT, try eating back fewer of your exercise calories. Calorie calculators can overestimate your burn levels for exercise. If you are eating them all back, try only eating half back.

gabbo34

I've tried going with TDEE...but found I didn't have the energy to exercise like I wanted to. But maybe I can just try to add 100 and keep pushing through. I usually try to do 60-90 minute long runs on the weekend and when I do base calories only I completely run out of gas.

itsbasschick

have you tried going with TDEE and eating some of your calories right before your workout? if you're not eating low carb, i'd suggest eating some carbs maybe 20 or 30 minutes before your workout.

lemonychild

clearly you have not understood TDEE. base calories belong to BMR and no wonder you ran out of gas eating calories that are sufficient ONLY to keep you alive. TDEE is total daily energy expenditure and that number is SIGNIFICANTLY higher than BMR especially with your activity level -- if you are going the TDEE route you need to eat at deficit 15% ... TDEE - 15% and that is the number you eat ONLY, NOT eat back the exercise calories .... if you are going the MFP route you should set you weight loss at 1lbs and eat 70% of the exercise calories back. (that is because the 2 forumals are set up differently) it is important to note here that both methods work as long as you are consistent, consistent in logging and in patience. ADDITIONALLY, i hope you have an HR that tells you exactly the amount you are burning as opposed to using the generic, over estimated exercise burns on MFP. (if you are using MFP)


the calculator i used is http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/ after entering your stats with strenuous exercise 5-6 days a week you should be eating 2713 calories! - i suggest you start with 2500 - NOW keep in mind if you have been eating only at 1800 and will shift to 2500 your body will have bloat and water retention, it will not immediately shift he scale to minus, rather it will go up in numbers. you have to be patient until the body adjusts to more calories. you can only keep this 2500 # IF You keep the exercise you have listed above. if you lessen your activity, you must lessen your calories as you will not need the same cals

2snakeswoman

Maybe you could use the MFP system for moderate activity and set the goal for losing 1/2 pound per week.

gabbo34

lemonychild wrote: »

clearly you have not understood TDEE. base calories belong to BMR and no wonder you ran out of gas eating calories that are sufficient ONLY to keep you alive. TDEE is total daily energy expenditure and that number is SIGNIFICANTLY higher than BMR especially with your activity level -- if you are going the TDEE route you need to eat at deficit 15% ... TDEE - 15% and that is the number you eat ONLY, NOT eat back the exercise calories .... if you are going the MFP route you should set you weight loss at 1lbs and eat 70% of the exercise calories back. (that is because the 2 forumals are set up differently) it is important to note here that both methods work as long as you are consistent, consistent in logging and in patience. ADDITIONALLY, i hope you have an HR that tells you exactly the amount you are burning as opposed to using the generic, over estimated exercise burns on MFP. (if you are using MFP)


the calculator i used is http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/ after entering your stats with strenuous exercise 5-6 days a week you should be eating 2713 calories! - i suggest you start with 2500 - NOW keep in mind if you have been eating only at 1800 and will shift to 2500 your body will have bloat and water retention, it will not immediately shift he scale to minus, rather it will go up in numbers. you have to be patient until the body adjusts to more calories. you can only keep this 2500 # IF You keep the exercise you have listed above. if you lessen your activity, you must lessen your calories as you will not need the same cals

I may have my terms confused. MFP has me at 1792 calories...I usually keep it at that level, except days I workout or run where I add an additional 400 calories. I don't have an HRM, but based on most of the activities I would estimate it at more than that. I was adding 500 calories back for every hour I run. (I think I burn a bit more than that - usually a 9:30 mile pace). I'll get an HRM to be sure. I've been eating less than that as I've gotten frustrated with the stall.

I'll check out the calculator and get an HRM. It makes total sense that I should need more energy if I'm burning more. It's hard to make that mental adjustment to 'eat more to lose'. But that's good advice about being patient and letting my body adjust.

ASKyle

Tighten up your logging. The last 10 are incredibly difficult.

The fact is, something you're logging is incorrect. You're either underlogging your food, over overlogging your calorie burns.

Suggestions:
-Eat back only half of your exercise calories that you're giving yourself.
-Play with your macro ratios. Many find greater fat/protein ratios give them a greater feeling of fullness.