Still confused

phwdjones

Hi,

I started dieting back in July this year. I thought I would be able to lose 30 lbs over 4 months or so with complete ease, but I soon realised it was going to be incredibly difficult.

I started at about 208, and by November I got down to 190, but then I gave up. Going low on calories (1900 as a 6'1 male) was killing me. I felt drained and miserable, but whenever I pushed my calories above 2100 I seemed to flatline or gain weight, so I just gave up, stopped dieting entirely and ate whatever I wanted. The amazing thing was that I barely gained weight. I probably gained back 3lbs over the course of 3 weeks or so..

Now I'm back dieting again as I want to get down to 175 lbs, but I'm finding similar frustrations - namely that I'm eating a low amount of calories for my gender and size (see my diary) but unless I eat about 1600 calories then I seem to gain weight on the scale back almost every day...

I weigh myself in the morning after going to the bathroom on a totally empty stomach, but shouldnt the weight be coming off way, WAY quicker than this??! It's been months of me eating at similar calories, and I just cant seem to get through this plateau - I hate having a small frame with a beer gut SO much - i just want ab definition. What can I do?! What's wrong with my diet?

malibu927

Yes, your goal was difficult and aggressive. How are you measuring your calorie intake?

PAV8888

pick a smaller deficit. approximately 15% to 20% of your TDEE. based on the numbers you're throwing around, a deficit of about 500 Cal for an expected loss of 1lb a week.

Stop expecting to see movement on your scale using your naked eye. Plug in your numbers into a trending weight web site or application.

Evaluate your gain or loss over a 6-8 week period. You have your old weight ins? plug them into an app and have a look at what the trend is doing over time.

jemhh

PAV8888 wrote: »

Evaluate your gain or loss over a 6-8 week period. You have your old weight ins? plug them into an app and have a look at what the trend is doing over time.

This is so important. Do not make decisions based on day to day weight fluctuations. At a minimum you should look at 3-4 weeks but 6-8 is even better.

Unless you are a complete slug you can lose on 2100 calories eaten (I'm not talking about net after exercise) per day. It might not be as fast as you'd like it to be but you will lose at that rate.

VintageFeline

If I recall you had scale fluctuations explained to you but you refused to accept this would happen.

Yes, you did. This is one of those threads. If you lose on 1900 you aren't going to then gain on 2100, it's not logical.

http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10600685/bizarre-weigh-ins-makes-no-sense-2lbs-gain-overnight/p1

WhereIsPJSoles

Your diary is kind of all over the place. Blank entries and half finished ones (at least I hope so and not that you’re eating that little). I would tighten that up before worrying or concluding that you only gain or lose weight on x amount of calories.

Lean59man

Why would you want to weigh 175 lbs at 6'1"?

That's scrawny.

malibu927

Lean59man wrote: »

Why would you want to weigh 175 lbs at 6'1"?

That's scrawny.

It's a 23 BMI. That doesn't sound scrawny.

RAinWA

Lean59man wrote: »

Why would you want to weigh 175 lbs at 6'1"?

That's scrawny.

My 6"2' husband ranges between 175 and 180 and doesn't look scrawny at all.

jemhh

My husband is 6'2" and weighed 190 at that height in high school. He was pretty fit/lean and looked good. 175 seems light to me but he's my only frame of reference.

Tacklewasher

jemhh wrote: »

My husband is 6'2" and weighed 190 at that height in high school. He was pretty fit/lean and looked good. 175 seems light to me but he's my only frame of reference.

Both would be withing the normal BMI range.

Tacklewasher

To the OP. You've gotten good advice above. But strive for some consistency in logging daily. You diary seems all over the place.

Plus, if you find you are not getting enough to eat, then I'm thinking it's time to increase your activity and eat those calories.

I'm 6' and ~215. I'm set with MFP to lose 1 lb per week because any more than that doesn't give me a happy amount of calories. Even at that, I hit the gym or the trail just so I can eat more. I don't eat them all back (because I can afford to lose more than 1 lb per week) but I'm eating most back and these are my treat/wine calories.

Makes my life much easier.

Put your weight in a trending app (Libra, Happy Scale or trendweight.com) and focus on the trend, not what the scale says daily.

duskyjewel

One thing I learned during my 50 pound loss 5 years ago was DO NOT WEIGH YOURSELF EVERY DAY. Water weight and normal daily fluctuations will drive you batsh** crazy. I found myself becoming absolutely obsessed with eating and seeing the scale go down. I've never had an eating disorder but I came to understand how that mindset gets started. Pick one weigh in day each week and stick to it. Mine was Sunday, and I forced myself not to step on the scale except once on Sunday morning each week. Now that I finally have kicked myself in the *kitten* to re-lose the 20 I gained back during nursing school, I am again making myself weigh in and record weight only once per week. I know you want to step on there and see a little loss every day, but the problem is that you won't, and it can demoralize you. The likelihood of seeing a small loss each week is much higher as long as you stick to your calories, and that really does help in the long run.

edlanglais5

You’ve been given good advice so far concerning weight loss. I’d like to chime in on your comment convening “wanting abs.” Keep in mind that your figure shouldn’t change with a deficit, only your size. If you want “abs” or muscle definition, you’ll want to hit the weights as well.

On a side note, I have a small frame as well. The struggle is real because we show weight easily. Stay consistent my friend, no matter what.

malibu927

duskyjewel wrote: »

One thing I learned during my 50 pound loss 5 years ago was DO NOT WEIGH YOURSELF EVERY DAY. Water weight and normal daily fluctuations will drive you batsh** crazy. I found myself becoming absolutely obsessed with eating and seeing the scale go down. I've never had an eating disorder but I came to understand how that mindset gets started. Pick one weigh in day each week and stick to it. Mine was Sunday, and I forced myself not to step on the scale except once on Sunday morning each week. Now that I finally have kicked myself in the *kitten* to re-lose the 20 I gained back during nursing school, I am again making myself weigh in and record weight only once per week. I know you want to step on there and see a little loss every day, but the problem is that you won't, and it can demoralize you. The likelihood of seeing a small loss each week is much higher as long as you stick to your calories, and that really does help in the long run.

Many people have no problems weighing every day. A weight trending app will help see past the fluctuations. Yeah, due to the past post it does seem like the OP should not be weighing himself every day, but it is fine for others.

phwdjones

jemhh wrote: »

My husband is 6'2" and weighed 190 at that height in high school. He was pretty fit/lean and looked good. 175 seems light to me but he's my only frame of reference.

I've got a small frame so at 190 I look quite fit and broad with clothes on, but without them I have a gut.

As to everyone else replying I think my point is this: my weight should be going down daily considering I have cut my water and sodium intake and my calories are stripped back to the bone.

malibu927

phwdjones wrote: »

jemhh wrote: »

My husband is 6'2" and weighed 190 at that height in high school. He was pretty fit/lean and looked good. 175 seems light to me but he's my only frame of reference.

I've got a small frame so at 190 I look quite fit and broad with clothes on, but without them I have a gut.

As to everyone else replying I think my point is this: my weight should be going down daily considering I have cut my water and sodium intake and my calories are stripped back to the bone.

No it shouldn’t. https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10084670/it-is-unlikely-that-you-will-lose-weight-consistently-i-e-weight-loss-is-not-linear

jemhh

phwdjones wrote: »

As to everyone else replying I think my point is this: my weight should be going down daily considering I have cut my water and sodium intake and my calories are stripped back to the bone.

You're flat out wrong and the longer you refuse to accept that, the longer you will be frustrated. You're not going to lose weight every day. You will lose some days, gain some days, and maintain some days.

Furthermore, cutting water intake in order to lose weight is just plain stupid. It shows that you are focused only on weight loss rather than fat loss. It shows that you do not understand that dehydration leads to water retention which leads to weight gain or stagnation. It shows that instead of stubbornly clinging to your beliefs about how weight loss works you should pay attention and take the advice that several long term successful weight/fat losers have offered.

Lillymoo01

You have choices here.

1. Continually do things stubbornly your way and get frustrated by the results because you do not understand weight loss in a safe manner
Or
2. Listen to advice given here and learn something.

It is neither easy, or safe to be losing 1/2 pound a day and is impossible to do so without daily fluctuations. Seeing it on YouTube does not make it fact.

Darylw277

You're so deluded in believing BS that you're passing up on a lot of good advice...

My scale weight can fluctuate by up to 8lb I think is the most I've noticed, so no it's not only "Just" a lb here or there, it can be massive. And no it doesn't make sense, but human bodies rarely do because we aren't linear or all built the same.

I doubt you have, losing half a pound a day for over 2 weeks isn't possible... Not even with the best fat burners (Which are blackmarket and poison), unless of course they aren't eating and manipulating water weight... Point is, for the average Joe, that's never going to happen or be sustainable... Coming from someone who makes weight frequently for bodybuilding.

And again you call her stupid but you believe drinking LESS water will make you hold less water? I'll not even bother explaining this one because I'm sure it already was explained above...

Either accept the help given or don't ask.