Stalled in a weird place...
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The same thing is happening to me, I don't know why it happens but I'm pretty sure its related to the exercise.
Last year I lost +-27kg, I let myself go off the wagon and put about 13kg back in abouth as many months. Last year I was losing about a kilo a week eating around 1600 calories, wasn't doing any sort of exercise and have a desk job.
About a month and a half, when I started taking back control, I didn't do any sort of exersise for 2 weeks and the weight dropped like crazy, something like 4kg, eating around 1600-1700 cals day, mostly water weight I'm sure. Four weeks ago, I started a weight lifting routine that takes me about an hour 3 times a week, upped my calorie intake to compensate to about 1700-1800, some days I also go running for 45 mins or so so I up my calories a bit more to around 2000. I'm 6'0 and the most pesimistic of the calculators puts my TDEE around 2600 (I know its higher than that because of my weight loss last year), even eating 2000 a day would put me at a 24% deficit so I SHOULD be losing weight but no, my weight loss has completely stalled.
Its hard looking at the scale every morning and not seeing any changes but when I rationalise this I know its impossible and the changes are happening, I'm just not seeing them because of some weird process going on in my body due to exercise.
So I'm gonna continue doing what I'm doing, eating at what I know is way below maintenance, won't stop the weightlifting and just hope for the best. I'm going to give my body time to adapt to the changes and reassess in a few months time
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I asked my self what would I do.
The three things that are within my control, calorie intake and exercise and how much I move around during the day (NEAT calories), and what have or may be doing differently
1) I was not logging meticulously
2) I added in more exercise, etc..
3) Am I moving less in general (just normal day to day stuff) than I was when I started in Jan) ??
I added exercise which equals even more stress. I might be moving less cause of all the extra exercise, And even though at 1650 (so I thought), could I be keeping myself out of deficit/ slight gain by consuming to many calories and eating back too many exercise calories?
Do I need a break? Or do I tighten up logging, moderate/scale back on some exercise and keep going? Do I need to increase NEAT calories as well?
I am not sure what avenue you should take, but there are things that you can consider in order to move forward, or just keep going. I do wish you luck! 0 -
I asked my self what would I do.
The three things that are within my control, calorie intake and exercise and how much I move around during the day (NEAT calories), and what have or may be doing differently
1) I was not logging meticulously
2) I added in more exercise, etc..
3) Am I moving less in general (just normal day to day stuff) than I was when I started in Jan) ??
I added exercise which equals even more stress. I might be moving less cause of all the extra exercise, And even though at 1650 (so I thought), could I be keeping myself out of deficit/ slight gain by consuming to many calories and eating back too many exercise calories?
Do I need a break? Or do I tighten up logging, moderate/scale back on some exercise and keep going? Do I need to increase NEAT calories as well?
I am not sure what avenue you should take, but there are things that you can consider in order to move forward, or just keep going. I do wish you luck!
Some people suggest diet breaks and I'm like 'dude I haven't lost anything in 2 years maybe it's a diet break enough' LOL. But I still have a hard time eating less, so yeah.
Honestly OP, I just do the best I can at this point and at least I'm not gaining. For me losing those last pounds isn't worth being miserable over.0 -
RoxieDawn, what does NEAT stand for? Contextually, I'd guess it's added calories to compensate for daily activity levels but what is the actual acronym please?0
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born_of_fire74 wrote: »RoxieDawn, what does NEAT stand for? Contextually, I'd guess it's added calories to compensate for daily activity levels but what is the actual acronym please?
Non-exercise activity thermogenesis.0 -
Thanks!0
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Check what your suppllements are calorie wise. I was shocked to find out how many calories my vit c from cherries had, even tea and turmeric, cinnamon etc. have calories, more than I would have expected in fact. Good luck in your search!0
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born_of_fire74 wrote: »RoxieDawn, what does NEAT stand for? Contextually, I'd guess it's added calories to compensate for daily activity levels but what is the actual acronym please?
We burn calories from basal metabolic rate (BMR), plus the thermic effect of the foods you eat, added to something referred to as Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis (NEAT)..
BMR+TEF+NEAT = energy requirements for each day add EAT (exercise acitivy thermogenesis) on top that to make up TDEE. If you do not exercise its just the first three that makes up total energy.
NEAT is huge in weight loss. It can effect things for example: A person might burn about 150 calories digesting the food each day. A person might burn anywhere from 150 to 500 calories more per day depending on whether the day is FULL of walking or just sitting (sedentary).. A person also might burn 200 - 500 calories in exercise.
If you burn 400 calories in exercise for example and your NEAT is decreased for the rest of the day, you negate the calorie burn from exercise compensating less calorie burn in your NEAT.
I always like to tell people if you burn all your energy in exercise or your first half of the day and you are doing less the rest of the day, you can be burning less calories total in the day than you think..0 -
born_of_fire74 wrote: »trigden1991 wrote: »As I think you have realised; it comes down to your accuracy and consistency with tracking. Also TDEE calculators are estimates and it will be more beneficial for you to use your calories consumed and weight loss to back work your TDEE.
Trouble is that I've been at 1688 from the start so I don't really have any data to work back with. I lost at this intake until I stopped losing >.<
The answer is obvious. Because of the weight you have lost you TDEE has gone down meaning you are no longer at a deficit. Drop your calories to 1500 and see what happens.0 -
rileysowner wrote: »The answer is obvious. Because of the weight you have lost you TDEE has gone down meaning you are no longer at a deficit. Drop your calories to 1500 and see what happens.
It might be obvious aside from the fact that I have recalculated my TDEE several times over using several different calculators since I hit this plateau. I'm already hungry all the time; I'm not about to go cutting almost 200 calories from my intake without exploring other places I might be deficient first. On swimming days, that'd be a 500 calorie deficit. Pretty sure it wouldn't be long before I was eating everything in sight if I tried a 500 calorie deficit.3 -
RoxieDawn, how does one go about determining their NEAT? Do TDEE calculators take it into account? Does MFP take it into account?
I have been using third party TDEE calculators but yesterday I plugged my numbers into MFP instead. To get a recommendation for less than 1688 calories, I had to tell it I want to lose 2lbs a week (pretty ambitious) or drop my activity level to sedentary and tell it I wanted to lose 1lb a week (I'm definitely not sedentary and 1lb a week is still on the ambitious side).
I've recently read some articles talking about how severe calorie deficits can actually lower your metabolism and decrease your BMR. As someone who often ate less than 1000 calories a day up until I started at my crossfit gym, is it possible I've done this to myself and all the TDEE's are simply over-estimating my BMR?0 -
born_of_fire74 wrote: »RoxieDawn, how does one go about determining their NEAT? Do TDEE calculators take it into account? Does MFP take it into account?
I have been using third party TDEE calculators but yesterday I plugged my numbers into MFP instead. To get a recommendation for less than 1688 calories, I had to tell it I want to lose 2lbs a week (pretty ambitious) or drop my activity level to sedentary and tell it I wanted to lose 1lb a week (I'm definitely not sedentary and 1lb a week is still on the ambitious side).
I've recently read some articles talking about how severe calorie deficits can actually lower your metabolism and decrease your BMR. As someone who often ate less than 1000 calories a day up until I started at my crossfit gym, is it possible I've done this to myself and all the TDEE's are simply over-estimating my BMR?
To answer your question in the last paragraph, yes..but not just BMR, your NEAT as well.
TDEE calculators include EAT.. and MFP is NEAT..
TDEE calculators ask you for your exercise.. So the TDEE factors all this in when it gives you a final number.
MFP uses NEAT (you add exercise on top of that yourself).. Your activity level you give MFP is your NEAT..
edited: For TDEE, just know that there is a fair amount of individual variation as far as BMR and other factors like NEAT are concerned, so you should always bear in mind that this is just an estimate, and you may need to adjust upwards or downwards based on how much weight you’re gaining or losing. And factor in extreme dieting and possible metabolic slow downs.
This is where if you had historical data to look at we could figure out your real TDEE.. But since we don't there needs to be a starting point, finding that starting point is what we need.
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born_of_fire74 wrote: »rileysowner wrote: »The answer is obvious. Because of the weight you have lost you TDEE has gone down meaning you are no longer at a deficit. Drop your calories to 1500 and see what happens.
It might be obvious aside from the fact that I have recalculated my TDEE several times over using several different calculators since I hit this plateau. I'm already hungry all the time; I'm not about to go cutting almost 200 calories from my intake without exploring other places I might be deficient first. On swimming days, that'd be a 500 calorie deficit. Pretty sure it wouldn't be long before I was eating everything in sight if I tried a 500 calorie deficit.
Stay where you are and tighten up your logging first. If the scale doesn't budge and you REALLY want to lose those last few pounds, you'll have to get your head around the idea of eating less. Some people can do it pretty easily, but I wasn't one of them - I'm 5'5.5" and got down to 120 once upon a time. I was hangry going from 123-120, and I found maintenance there difficult. I'm 127-129 right now, which doesn't look as good, but it's easier to maintain.
Over the years, I've found if I run twice a week (5K) and lift four times a week (45 mins) my TDEE is around 1800 (if I don't exercise, it's more like 1600). If my weight creeps up above 130, I cut on 1400, stay strict during the week, and loosen up on weekends - I prefer it to a 250 cal daily deficit. I do weigh and measure everything, so I know my calorie counts are as accurate as possible.
As far as TDEE calculators go, they drastically overestimate for me if I use "moderately active" or "very active" as the settings even though I exercise 5-6 times a week. I have to use "lightly active" as my exercise setting. TDEE calculators w/o BF% overestimate by about 100 calories, and but those with BF% are pretty spot on. I know you're taking an average of everything, but you may need to aim low instead of in the middle? And if you don't know your BF%, get a ballpark estimate with calipers.
All of this to say: start with weighing and measuring. It really helps with the last few pounds. If that doesn't get you anywhere, accept that your TDEE is lower than you hoped and do a bigger cut. Hunger isn't any fun, but hopefully you'll adapt better than I did - maybe play with your macros and see if there's a more satiating ratio, and eat back cals on swimming days. If that STILL doesn't help, go see your doctor and make sure everything is normal.
Another option would be a full-on diet break. If you've been eating in a deficit this entire time, it can be really exhausting mentally. Go up to 1800-2000 for 3-4 weeks, then cut again. You might not feel so ravenous, and you'll get a motivating drop on the scale from water weight after the first week or two of returning to a deficit.1 -
You are at what should be a deficit and not losing. One of your comments in this thread is that you are already hungry all the time. You could try eating at maintenance for a few weeks.
All the online calculators and logic in the world will tell you that you won't not lose anything at maintenance, however it should clear up the 'hungry all the time' problem.
Sorry, I don't have any science, but I think your body may be telling you it needs a break from trying to lose. You don't want to cut any more....and good, because starvation is silly. You are exercising well, maybe your body is trying to tell you it wants fuel for that? So fuel it. Take some time to figure out what your true maintenance is - you already know that all of the online calculators have a differing opinion of that magic number. Once you have figured out how many calories your body truly needs to maintain your weight and your energy expenditure, it might be ready to let you cut calories and lose more weight.
It might mean you'll gain a little bit, or a fair bit, but the benefit is that you will than know what true maintenance or TDEE is, and you can then start a cut again.
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This may be overly simple but you might be gaining girth due to CrossFit...Crossfit builds an extremely strong core. Building abdominal muscles will actually make your abdominals bigger until the fat is lost. I would eat at maintenance calories for a while and see what happens.1
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This may be overly simple but you might be gaining girth due to CrossFit...Crossfit builds an extremely strong core. Building abdominal muscles will actually make your abdominals bigger until the fat is lost. I would eat at maintenance calories for a while and see what happens.
This is what I am hoping is the case. If 1688 turns out to be my maintenance, as it appears it may be aside from the small gain at my waist, then I am recomping by accident. I think my bum is getting smaller FWIW.
Knowing my BF% would be super helpful. Time to get some calipers!
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born_of_fire74 wrote: »rileysowner wrote: »The answer is obvious. Because of the weight you have lost you TDEE has gone down meaning you are no longer at a deficit. Drop your calories to 1500 and see what happens.
It might be obvious aside from the fact that I have recalculated my TDEE several times over using several different calculators since I hit this plateau. I'm already hungry all the time; I'm not about to go cutting almost 200 calories from my intake without exploring other places I might be deficient first. On swimming days, that'd be a 500 calorie deficit. Pretty sure it wouldn't be long before I was eating everything in sight if I tried a 500 calorie deficit.
Calculators are based on averages. If you remember bell curves from school, that means some people will be above the average and others below. The range is not that huge, but it would be enough to stall out some people. The reality is if you are eating a certain amount of food, and are not losing for a significant amount of time like at least 3-4 weeks, then you are eating a maintenance or close enough that is makes no difference. Thus, cutting back how much you are eating, not by a huge amount but by say 250 calories.
As for hunger, you may need to change your macro ratio to see what might help you feel full longer.0
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