Frustrated

melissabartush1
melissabartush1 Posts: 8 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
So for the past 5 weeks I've had my calorie intake at 1850 within 50 calories. EVERY.DAY.
My Fitbit tells me my calorie burn is 2800-2900 calories per day...if I go by every stinking article online, weight loss is a calorie out/calorie in, no excuses.... So why haven't I budged on the scale?

Replies

  • Cherimoose
    Cherimoose Posts: 5,208 Member
    Search the forum for "weight loss flow chart" for the common reasons for no scale movement.
    Fat loss is calories in/out, not weight loss. :+1:
  • diannethegeek
    diannethegeek Posts: 14,776 Member
    1. Normal fluctuations happen and unfortunately sometimes we stall for a week or two even when we're doing everything right. Give your body some time to catch up with the changes you're making.

    2. If you aren't already, be sure that you're logging everything. Sometimes people forget about things like veggies, drinks, cooking oils, and condiments. For some people these can add up to enough to halt your weight loss progress.

    3. Consider buying a food scale if you don't already have one. They're about $10-$20 dollars in the US and easily found at places like Amazon, Target, and Walmart. Measuring cups and spoons are great, but they do come with some degree of inaccuracy. A food scale will be more accurate, and for some people it makes a big difference.

    4. Logging accurately also means choosing accurate entries in the database. There are a lot of user-entered entries that are off. Double-check that you're using good entries and/or using the recipe builder instead of someone else's homemade entries.

    5. Recalculate your goals if you haven't lately. As you lose weight your body requires fewer calories to run. Be sure you update your goals every ten pounds or so.

    6. If you're eating back your exercise calories and you're relying on gym machine readouts or MFP's estimates, it might be best to eat back just 50-75% of those. Certain activities tend to be overestimated. If you're using an HRM or activity tracker, it might be a good idea to look into their accuracy and be sure that yours is calibrated properly.

    7. If you're taking any cheat days that go over your calorie limits, it might be best to cut them out for a few weeks and see what happens. Some people go way over their calorie needs without realizing it when they don't track.

    8. If you weigh yourself frequently, consider using a program like trendweight to even out the fluctuations. You could be losing weight but just don't see it because of the daily ups and downs.

    9. Some people just burn fewer calories than the calculators predict. If you continue to have problems after 4-6 weeks, then it might be worth a trip to the doctor or a registered dietitian who can give you more specific advice.
  • SueInAz
    SueInAz Posts: 6,592 Member
    edited July 2016
    Here's the flow chart. It was created by @lemonlionheart.

    a37btb7mxb3t.jpg

    Here's an article I posted yesterday that basically points out why "...people are bad at tracking. Almost all people. You need to keep this forefront in your mind and err on the high side with how many calories you believe you ate and drank, and the low side with what you think is your caloric burn."

    http://www.bodyforwife.com/the-most-important-thing-you-can-do-to-lose-weight/

    Here's a great post about keeping a food diary that might offer some insight: http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10191216/the-most-important-thing-you-can-do-to-lose-weight

    If you still have questions, please ask.
  • melissabartush1
    melissabartush1 Posts: 8 Member
    From all the advice, I'm going to start using a digital scale, I had a manual one....i still don't feel like that's the issue bc I find it hard to believe I am eating 1000 calories more than what I'm logging each day ( i use measuring utensils and a manual scale so I'm not just guessing) so as to only maintain my weight, not lose. I've checked my fitbit, it seems very accurate as compared to any other heart rate monitor and my name with activity level chosen formula available online.
    I went to my school doctor three times for blood work to check my overall health. Only thing that was out of the ordinary was my triglyceride levels were slightly elevated. The only way to lower it is to take fish oils (which I already do) and lose weight...the doctor seems stumped. I will gladly open my diary for anyone to see. I try to get my macronutrients balanced in the proper portions too, so I'm aware of WHAT I'm eating rather than just calories.
    I am female 5'5, 215.... 31 years old.
  • Maxematics
    Maxematics Posts: 2,287 Member
    melissabartush1 wrote: »
    From all the advice, I'm going to start using a digital scale, I had a manual one....i still don't feel like that's the issue bc I find it hard to believe I am eating 1000 calories more than what I'm logging each day ( i use measuring utensils and a manual scale so I'm not just guessing) so as to only maintain my weight, not lose. I've checked my fitbit, it seems very accurate as compared to any other heart rate monitor and my name with activity level chosen formula available online.
    I went to my school doctor three times for blood work to check my overall health. Only thing that was out of the ordinary was my triglyceride levels were slightly elevated. The only way to lower it is to take fish oils (which I already do) and lose weight...the doctor seems stumped. I will gladly open my diary for anyone to see. I try to get my macronutrients balanced in the proper portions too, so I'm aware of WHAT I'm eating rather than just calories.
    I am female 5'5, 215.... 31 years old.

    This is a good idea; it can help us spot possible errors. Since a lot of the database entries come from MFP users, some can be terribly inaccurate and you can end up being hundreds of calories off even when trying to be as diligent as possible.
  • nat8199
    nat8199 Posts: 39 Member
    I think this is part of the danger of fit bits.... they measure a lot of activity that is just normal every day stuff. When looking at the math for weight loss, I would have an exact measure for your intake and only measure your purposeful exercise, especially if you are thinking about eating calories back.
  • Maxematics
    Maxematics Posts: 2,287 Member
    nat8199 wrote: »
    I think this is part of the danger of fit bits.... they measure a lot of activity that is just normal every day stuff. When looking at the math for weight loss, I would have an exact measure for your intake and only measure your purposeful exercise, especially if you are thinking about eating calories back.

    I understand where you're coming from, but we can't assume this without taking a look at her food diary. With her current stats, a 2800 to 2900 TDEE doesn't seem far-fetched. I use a Fitbit Charge HR. I'm 5'3" and 108 pounds and my TDEE is usually around 1900 to 2400 per day. If I eat anything less than that, I still lose weight.
  • abitofbliss
    abitofbliss Posts: 198 Member
    nat8199 wrote: »
    I think this is part of the danger of fit bits.... they measure a lot of activity that is just normal every day stuff. When looking at the math for weight loss, I would have an exact measure for your intake and only measure your purposeful exercise, especially if you are thinking about eating calories back.

    Exactly why I brought mine back! Seemed too phony although I do miss the HRM.
  • melissabartush1
    melissabartush1 Posts: 8 Member
    Okay my diary is public, I try to pick the items that have a green check arrow next to it for verification....i know a lot of people are talking about eating calories back. I don't eat any calories back. If I exercise, i just let it be extra calorie burn. Thanks for all the help though! I really appreciate it!
  • melissabartush1
    melissabartush1 Posts: 8 Member
    Also- I want to say it's embarrassing knowing people are going to be seeing some bad stuff I eat (for example yesterday was horrible!) So be kind!
  • CoachJen71
    CoachJen71 Posts: 1,200 Member
    melissabartush1 wrote: »
    Okay my diary is public, I try to pick the items that have a green check arrow next to it for verification....i know a lot of people are talking about eating calories back. I don't eat any calories back. If I exercise, i just let it be extra calorie burn. Thanks for all the help though! I really appreciate it!

    Just be aware that you can lose a lot of muscle mass that way. It's not pretty, and lowers your metabolism. I had to learn that the hard way. :)
  • Colorscheme
    Colorscheme Posts: 1,179 Member
    edited July 2016
    Well, a couple of things I see that could be problematic:

    you logged 1 banana, did you weigh it before you logged it? bananas can vary in size and weight. did you also measure your protein powder by grams? or the peanut butter? and the flax seed?

    I see a lot of tablespoon and cups measurement and that could be the issue.
  • nutmegoreo
    nutmegoreo Posts: 15,532 Member
    edited July 2016
    Edited: because spam removed.
  • nutmegoreo
    nutmegoreo Posts: 15,532 Member
    Colorscheme wrote: »
    Well, a couple of things I see that could be problematic:

    you logged 1 banana, did you weigh it before you logged it? bananas can vary in size and weight. did you also measure your protein powder by grams? or the peanut butter? and the flax seed?

    I see a lot of tablespoon and cups measurement and that could be the issue.

    ^^^This, I'm seeing a lot of cups, scoops, and spoons. This can throw off your numbers considerably. Start weighing everything that can be placed on the scale. I know it sounds crazy, but it's much more accurate. Even the prepackaged stuff is frequently off by a pretty good margin. These things add up more than you realize throughout the day.
  • Colorscheme
    Colorscheme Posts: 1,179 Member
    edited July 2016
    nutmegoreo wrote: »
    Colorscheme wrote: »
    Well, a couple of things I see that could be problematic:

    you logged 1 banana, did you weigh it before you logged it? bananas can vary in size and weight. did you also measure your protein powder by grams? or the peanut butter? and the flax seed?

    I see a lot of tablespoon and cups measurement and that could be the issue.

    ^^^This, I'm seeing a lot of cups, scoops, and spoons. This can throw off your numbers considerably. Start weighing everything that can be placed on the scale. I know it sounds crazy, but it's much more accurate. Even the prepackaged stuff is frequently off by a pretty good margin. These things add up more than you realize throughout the day.

    I learned the hard way. Bought pre package pizza that said it was 500 something calories but after weighing, it was more like 900 something. It was enough to wipe out my deficit and then some. Now I weigh and log everything, especially pre-packaged food.
  • nutmegoreo
    nutmegoreo Posts: 15,532 Member
    Colorscheme wrote: »
    nutmegoreo wrote: »
    Colorscheme wrote: »
    Well, a couple of things I see that could be problematic:

    you logged 1 banana, did you weigh it before you logged it? bananas can vary in size and weight. did you also measure your protein powder by grams? or the peanut butter? and the flax seed?

    I see a lot of tablespoon and cups measurement and that could be the issue.

    ^^^This, I'm seeing a lot of cups, scoops, and spoons. This can throw off your numbers considerably. Start weighing everything that can be placed on the scale. I know it sounds crazy, but it's much more accurate. Even the prepackaged stuff is frequently off by a pretty good margin. These things add up more than you realize throughout the day.

    I learned the hard way. Bought pre package pizza that said it was 500 something calories but after weighing, it was more like 900 something. It was enough to wipe out my deficit and then some. Now I weigh and log everything, especially pre-packaged food.

    Yup. Then there is the fine print on boxes. I have a granola breakfast where the serving size is 28g for 120 calories. There are four packages in the box. One would think that each package is a serving, but the box says 10 servings per box. So each package has 2.5 servings, factor in the weight error, and each package is around 360 calories! If I didn't weight the packages/read the box, that's 240 calories in breakfast alone!
  • geneticsteacher
    geneticsteacher Posts: 623 Member
    Also, if you are going to pick generic entries, go for the highest calorie count not the lowest. Chinese, buffet, 1 plate - there are entries for 500 calories, but also for 1,000 calories. I would have picked the higher entry.

    Learn to estimate for something such as the buffet. Did you take 1 or 2 cups of rice? Did you add calories for fat in the sauces and stir fry? How many ounces chicken/pork/beef? Anything fried?

    There are many entries for prepackaged/fast food/restaurant food. This is not necessarily a bad thing, but could you add some fruits or vegetables, preferably to each meal?
  • melissabartush1
    melissabartush1 Posts: 8 Member
    Thanks everyone! Starting this morning I've been weighing everything on my digital scale. Previous entries I'm sure at probably not as accurate, for example the Chinese food I eyeballed as cups after I split it into two plates. But other stuff(before today) was measured via measuring spoons and cups

    As for eating back exercise calories, is that recommended? I just would hate to mess up all that hard work by eating the calories back.
  • nutmegoreo
    nutmegoreo Posts: 15,532 Member
    melissabartush1 wrote: »
    Thanks everyone! Starting this morning I've been weighing everything on my digital scale. Previous entries I'm sure at probably not as accurate, for example the Chinese food I eyeballed as cups after I split it into two plates. But other stuff(before today) was measured via measuring spoons and cups

    As for eating back exercise calories, is that recommended? I just would hate to mess up all that hard work by eating the calories back.

    If you have FitBit synced with MFP, you can just let the programs do their thing.
  • melissabartush1
    melissabartush1 Posts: 8 Member
    I do have it synced.
  • nutmegoreo
    nutmegoreo Posts: 15,532 Member
    melissabartush1 wrote: »
    I do have it synced.

    If you trust your FitBit numbers, then I would just let them do their thing and aim for what they tell you. As long as your goals for both are set the same. I suspect that once you tighten up your logging, you will notice the difference.
  • melissabartush1
    melissabartush1 Posts: 8 Member
    I'm going to do that. Go by what they suggest. Thanks for the info!
  • Colorscheme
    Colorscheme Posts: 1,179 Member
    Good luck and report back :D

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