Do you always lose weight if you stay within your calories?

spyro88

I find that I usually have to do a little bit 'extra' to actually lose weight. The plan that MFP worked out for me to lose weight is to eat 1570 calories a day. I would have thought that should work as they say the average woman needs 2000... But my stubborn body seems to do just fine maintaining on 1570! Haha! Does anyone else find they have to do a little extra - either exercise or eat under their calories?

StealthHealth

Despite our best efforts, calories consumed is always a little inaccurate (often due to batch to batch variations in packaged foods, processed meats etc) but you would generally expect those errors to even out over time and, if the calorific target is correct the loss to be steady.

But, another big variation is calories expended. When on reduced calories in, people often subconsciously reduce energy expenditure (adaptive thermogenesis) and so need less calories that they would have expected.

If you've been stuck at current weight for 2-3 weeks, then I would say you are eating too much (either because of logging errors or because of reduce activity) and you should consider moving more or eating less. If it's less than 2 weeks stalled - keep calm and carry on.

vespiquenn

I actually started dropping my goal to 100 cals under my normal goal to account for times I didn't weigh food. Just because I'm lazy and that was easier to do, to be honest.

silvilunazul

There's no such thing as the "average woman". MFP says that to maintain I can consume around 1600kcal whilst according to my Garmin, which has an all day round heart rate monitor, my TDEE is around 1400 including exercise. I am quite active and average 1 hour of cardio a day plus strenght training. But I'm also very short (1.53 m) and since I'm in a good physical condition my resting heart rate averages 45 bpm. So I am quite efficient at doing a lot of exercise without burning that many calories. If I ate what MFP tells me, I would be gaining. Not even the Garmin is so accurate. There are so many variables the only way to figure out is to keep good records yourself manually.

kommodevaran

spyro88 wrote: »

I find that I usually have to do a little bit 'extra' to actually lose weight. The plan that MFP worked out for me to lose weight is to eat 1570 calories a day. I would have thought that should work as they say the average woman needs 2000... But my stubborn body seems to do just fine maintaining on 1570! Haha! Does anyone else find they have to do a little extra - either exercise or eat under their calories?

Don't worry about the average woman and her needs. Calculate your TDEE and subtract calories to lose 1% of your body weight per week. Weight doesn't follow a straight line though. Foods don't have the exact number of calories that's on the label. But it's close enough. And if you log calorie intake accurately enough and stick to your calorie goal (don't "cheat" or "forget"), it will even out after some time and it should be quite predictable. The variable that makes calorie estimation a bit difficult, is activity level (it can't be determined/measured like the oher variables, so you'll have to "guess"), which you will have to deduce anyway, as you adjust your intake to your actual weight loss rate.

I maintain on 1750-1800 calories, smack in the middle for someone my height, weight, age, sex, and activity level.

Francl27

You might be eating more than you think.

I weigh my food and had no problem losing... the least I ate was 1650.

healthygreek

I don't lose everyday when I stay within my calorie deficit, but I do lose a pound a week.

ninerbuff

These are approximations. Some people of the same height, weight and age burn more/less due to genetics, type of work (physical/non physical), lean skeletal muscle, and how they eat.

A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

kschramm7

Chances are you can follow the plan PERFECTLY and every once in a while not lose weight.

Changes in hormone levels, water retention, a change in exercise intensity/type...heck, what's sitting in your stomach when you hop on the scale will all affect that number on the scale....temporarily. You have to try to not get hung up on the number on the scale.

Take measurements once a month, and even when you have an occasional week where the scale doesn't change, you'll see a progressive decrease in your measurements.

cwolfman13

spyro88 wrote: »

I find that I usually have to do a little bit 'extra' to actually lose weight. The plan that MFP worked out for me to lose weight is to eat 1570 calories a day. I would have thought that should work as they say the average woman needs 2000... But my stubborn body seems to do just fine maintaining on 1570! Haha! Does anyone else find they have to do a little extra - either exercise or eat under their calories?

This could also be a matter of user error...selecting erroneous entries from the database, logging incorrect serving sizes, etc. Most people tend to underestimate their intake even when logging so it is quite possible that you are eating more than you think you are.

Beyond that, these calculators are simply a starting point...unfortunately far too many people can't seem to grasp this and act like these are hard and fast "gospel" numbers...their just estimates based on population statistics...ultimately one must make whatever adjustments necessary as per their real world results...but yeah...people get pre-occupied with the numbers these overly simplistic calculators spit out and it's kind of silly.

AnnPT77

kommodevaran wrote: »

spyro88 wrote: »

I find that I usually have to do a little bit 'extra' to actually lose weight. The plan that MFP worked out for me to lose weight is to eat 1570 calories a day. I would have thought that should work as they say the average woman needs 2000... But my stubborn body seems to do just fine maintaining on 1570! Haha! Does anyone else find they have to do a little extra - either exercise or eat under their calories?

Don't worry about the average woman and her needs. Calculate your TDEE and subtract calories to lose 1% of your body weight per week. Weight doesn't follow a straight line though. Foods don't have the exact number of calories that's on the label. But it's close enough. And if you log calorie intake accurately enough and stick to your calorie goal (don't "cheat" or "forget"), it will even out after some time and it should be quite predictable. The variable that makes calorie estimation a bit difficult, is activity level (it can't be determined/measured like the oher variables, so you'll have to "guess"), which you will have to deduce anyway, as you adjust your intake to your actual weight loss rate.

I maintain on 1750-1800 calories, smack in the middle for someone my height, weight, age, sex, and activity level.

I would add: Calculate your TDEE by logging food/activity meticulously for a while, and tracking your weight gain or loss. Then use your personal data to calculate your TDEE, and eat at a deficit from that.

Many people come out pretty close to what MFP & other calculators suggest, as far as a calorie level to lose/maintain/gain weight. But some will differ. The calculators basically give you an average, but there's a bell curve (albeit a fairly narrow one), and some people fall above or below that average. Using your own data, after you have a month or two or more of it, will give you better accuracy.

Same principal if you use NEAT rather than TDEE, you just have exercise estimates in the picture as well.

(P.S. I found I had to eat a little bit extra to lose at the rate MFP predicted . . . or, more accurately, to avoid losing unhealthily fast.)

Nikion901

I have logged everything I've eaten, as acurately as possible after weighing/measuring and finding database hits for almost 300 days without a miss. I also keep a separate spreadsheet on it because, in the past, I thought the same thing you just said ..."But my stubborn body seems to do just fine maintaining on 1570!" ... and I wanted to eventually do some calculating of my own.

This is what I found out ... MFP is right on the money! ... It have me my deficit calorie goal is 1490 to lose 1 pound a week. My own calculations came out to 1494 to lose 1 pound a week.

No, I haven't lost 26 pounds so far this year ... that's because I ate more than that 1490 calories a day. My TDEE is only 1990 cause I'm a short, old, sedentary woman ... and for a lot of days I ate about 1800 calories, shucks, if truth be told, there was a period of a couple of months where my calories were more than 2000 almost every day! ... But I did lose weight even with all of that. And the calculations proved out. Now I can ditch my obssessive spreadsheet work and trust MFP to stear me in the right direction!

yawzagirl

I don't think its as easy as calories in/calories out.
Finding your happy place may take more work. Try watching your nutrition for a while. You may be eating too many carbs or fat. Processed food is also a derailer. No, that's not a word...
It took me a long time to get the correct calorie and nutrition intake that works for weight loss. Age is a major factor, but also keep in mind that genetics is in that mix as well. My body takes carbs and sends them directly to my belly and bottom. That, of course is not exactly what happens, but you get the picture.
I try to eat clean as much as possible. Read labels!!!! Not just the calorie and fat count.

At this point, I try to keep nutrition to:

50% Protein
30% Carbs
20% Fat

Most of my Carbs come from fruits and vegetables, but on the weekend, I like to cheat a little. I love bread..good bread. Sugar is also a big no no... but, about once a month, I will have dessert.

Get a good food scale, it made a huge difference for me.

I struggled for 3 years.... I have been using myfitnesspal for a very long time, but was concentrating on calories in/calories out. Once I made the change in January of this year, I have been losing consistently, but slowly. Ten pounds so far... Ten pounds that won't come back because I lost them too fast.

This isn't a race, it's a lifestyle.

BarbieAS

StealthHealth wrote: »

(snip)
If you've been stuck at current weight for 2-3 weeks, then I would say you are eating too much (either because of logging errors or because of reduce activity) and you should consider moving more or eating less. If it's less than 2 weeks stalled - keep calm and carry on.

First and foremost, completely agree w/ the above. 2, 3, even 4 weeks, just keep going. If you're only weighing weekly, try weighing every day for awhile and look at the results as a whole. Sometimes there's a downward trend that you temporarily can't see because your recorded weigh-ins happen to be on higher days.

AnnPT77 wrote: »

kommodevaran wrote: »

spyro88 wrote: »

I find that I usually have to do a little bit 'extra' to actually lose weight. The plan that MFP worked out for me to lose weight is to eat 1570 calories a day. I would have thought that should work as they say the average woman needs 2000... But my stubborn body seems to do just fine maintaining on 1570! Haha! Does anyone else find they have to do a little extra - either exercise or eat under their calories?

Don't worry about the average woman and her needs. Calculate your TDEE and subtract calories to lose 1% of your body weight per week. Weight doesn't follow a straight line though. Foods don't have the exact number of calories that's on the label. But it's close enough. And if you log calorie intake accurately enough and stick to your calorie goal (don't "cheat" or "forget"), it will even out after some time and it should be quite predictable. The variable that makes calorie estimation a bit difficult, is activity level (it can't be determined/measured like the oher variables, so you'll have to "guess"), which you will have to deduce anyway, as you adjust your intake to your actual weight loss rate.

I maintain on 1750-1800 calories, smack in the middle for someone my height, weight, age, sex, and activity level.

I would add: Calculate your TDEE by logging food/activity meticulously for a while, and tracking your weight gain or loss. Then use your personal data to calculate your TDEE, and eat at a deficit from that.

Many people come out pretty close to what MFP & other calculators suggest, as far as a calorie level to lose/maintain/gain weight. But some will differ. The calculators basically give you an average, but there's a bell curve (albeit a fairly narrow one), and some people fall above or below that average. Using your own data, after you have a month or two or more of it, will give you better accuracy.

Same principal if you use NEAT rather than TDEE, you just have exercise estimates in the picture as well.

(P.S. I found I had to eat a little bit extra to lose at the rate MFP predicted . . . or, more accurately, to avoid losing unhealthily fast.)

^^Yes. If it's been longer than a month or so, do this. After struggling for WAY too long, I finally realized that the calorie goal that MFP and Fitbit gave me to lose 1-1.5 lbs/week was actually barely under my maintenance. Once I made the necessary changes to my calorie goals and took into account my *actual* TDEE, I'm now losing weight (on average) at exactly the pace my updated calculations predict.

BarbieAS

kommodevaran wrote: »

spyro88 wrote: »

I find that I usually have to do a little bit 'extra' to actually lose weight. The plan that MFP worked out for me to lose weight is to eat 1570 calories a day. I would have thought that should work as they say the average woman needs 2000... But my stubborn body seems to do just fine maintaining on 1570! Haha! Does anyone else find they have to do a little extra - either exercise or eat under their calories?

Don't worry about the average woman and her needs. Calculate your TDEE and subtract calories to lose 1% of your body weight per week. Weight doesn't follow a straight line though. Foods don't have the exact number of calories that's on the label. But it's close enough. And if you log calorie intake accurately enough and stick to your calorie goal (don't "cheat" or "forget"), it will even out after some time and it should be quite predictable. The variable that makes calorie estimation a bit difficult, is activity level (it can't be determined/measured like the oher variables, so you'll have to "guess"), which you will have to deduce anyway, as you adjust your intake to your actual weight loss rate.

I maintain on 1750-1800 calories, smack in the middle for someone my height, weight, age, sex, and activity level.

1% isn't always appropriate. My TDEE is approximately 1850, with 4-6 hours per week of light to moderate exercise. 1% of my body weight is around 2 pounds per week. In order to lose 1% of my body weight per week I'd have to eat 850 calories/day, which obviously I shouldn't do.

Not trying to make a big deal, just saying that like everything else there's no one size fits all and people should still use their best judgment on what is appropriate for them.

DylsGrandma

My plans says I need to eat 1640, but I don't lose at that calorie limit. I am eating 1250 to 1300 calories and losing about 2 pounds per week. When I reach maintenance then I can increase my calories a little.

lauraesh0384

I do lose weight eating 2000 calories a day, even though at times my body is stubborn. I went almost 4 weeks without any weight loss aside from bouncing up and down, but I didn't lose beyond my lowest weight I had previously recorded. Then magically over the past 2 days I dropped 3 lbs. Some people may have freaked out and dropped their calories, but I kept plugging along since I know I can lose weight on 2000 calories. I'm also about 5 lbs from my initial goal weight so I know my body is going to be more stubborn. MFP tells me to eat around 2,000 calories to lose 1/2 lb a week.

degenerationwhy

If you are eating a deficit you will lose weight. You have to remember that your weight fluctuates greatly with water so daily weighing can be deceiving