Not losing logical amt of weight?!!!
4cplusplus
Posts: 5 Member
Hello, so for the past month I have been trying to lose weight through the standard means (diet+exercise).
I am a 23 yr old female, 5'10", and started in Dec weighing ~163.5 lb, which could vary +/- 1.5 lb daily.
Over the course of a month I have been attending cycling classes 4-5x a week, which range from 45-75 min, so roughly 200-250 min vigorous cardio a week. I have also been tracking my calories, trying to reduce carbs. On a daily basis I eat from 900-1600 calories. These efforts have resulted in my current weight, 161 lb, pretty much <3lb loss over the course of a month!!!
As an example of my typical habits, yesterday I went to spinning at 6am, and ate the following:
9am:
baby bell mini cheese thing
15 peanuts (salted)
coffee with ~2 tblspn light cream
12pm:
1 apple
1 cup roasted cauliflower
2pm:
8oz coconut chicen curry soup (basically watered down thai curry with some brown rice mixed in, from a hospital cafeteria so not wildly unhealthy)
6pm:
1 cup beed bone broth
~10 small shrimp (sautéed)
~1/4 cup of asian rice noodles
~1/4 cup cilantro
~1/8 teaspoon of sesame oil
dessert stuff, 8pm:
1/4 cup fresh pineapple
2 small pieces of coconut
1 fake whole foods oreo
couple dark chocolate sea salt covered almonds (~5)
I dont usually like to eat so frequently thoughout the day, I like to try to skip breakfast to maintain a longer period of fasting if possible, and usually dont eat in between lunch and dinner (12-5/6pm), so yesterday was an anomaly.
Anyways any advice would be helpful on what I could do to achieve more aggressive weight loss in the coming month. Thanks!!
I am a 23 yr old female, 5'10", and started in Dec weighing ~163.5 lb, which could vary +/- 1.5 lb daily.
Over the course of a month I have been attending cycling classes 4-5x a week, which range from 45-75 min, so roughly 200-250 min vigorous cardio a week. I have also been tracking my calories, trying to reduce carbs. On a daily basis I eat from 900-1600 calories. These efforts have resulted in my current weight, 161 lb, pretty much <3lb loss over the course of a month!!!
As an example of my typical habits, yesterday I went to spinning at 6am, and ate the following:
9am:
baby bell mini cheese thing
15 peanuts (salted)
coffee with ~2 tblspn light cream
12pm:
1 apple
1 cup roasted cauliflower
2pm:
8oz coconut chicen curry soup (basically watered down thai curry with some brown rice mixed in, from a hospital cafeteria so not wildly unhealthy)
6pm:
1 cup beed bone broth
~10 small shrimp (sautéed)
~1/4 cup of asian rice noodles
~1/4 cup cilantro
~1/8 teaspoon of sesame oil
dessert stuff, 8pm:
1/4 cup fresh pineapple
2 small pieces of coconut
1 fake whole foods oreo
couple dark chocolate sea salt covered almonds (~5)
I dont usually like to eat so frequently thoughout the day, I like to try to skip breakfast to maintain a longer period of fasting if possible, and usually dont eat in between lunch and dinner (12-5/6pm), so yesterday was an anomaly.
Anyways any advice would be helpful on what I could do to achieve more aggressive weight loss in the coming month. Thanks!!
0
Replies
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This should help you. You're not WEIGHING anything, only using cup measurements, which means you're probably eating more than you think you are.
7 -
You're 5'10 and you weigh 161 lbs. You don't have much to lose. It's going to be slow and you need to be accurate in your calorie tracking.
Do you have a food scale? Do you use it religiously and log everything, no skipping, cheating or forgetting?
5 -
3lb in a month is a good rate of loss with your stats. you need to re-adjust your expectations.
you might want to consider adding in some strength training as your issue may be one of body composition, not just scale weight.18 -
Let me say a couple of things, and yes I agree weight items as well.
Don't always follow what it says you burned for calories. Just because you burn 400 calories, doesn't mean you can eat 400 more calories, it doesn't work that way. Also, 900 calories is a very small amount as well if that is true, and 900 - 1600 is a huge swing.
Figure out your maintenance calories and try and hit that, and pay attention to your macro %'s.0 -
Did you put all those meals into your MFP diary to see what the total calories were?
You don't have a lot to lose so aim for 0.5-1lb a week. Eat back half the exercise calories to account for over estimation of the calorie burn.4 -
You're within the normal BMI range for your height (I'm also 5'10") so 3 lbs per month is actually a good, if not somewhat fast, rate of loss. When you are already at a healthy weight .5 lbs per week is the recommended rate of loss. You say you eat anywhere from 900-1600 calories per day and I would advise you to actually eat more than that (I weight about 30 lbs more than you and can lose .5 lb per week eating around 1800 calories per day) but since it doesn't look like you use a food scale to weigh your food I'm guessing you are actually eating more than the 900 you say you sometimes eat.
So, my advice: set your MFP goal to lose .5 lbs per week and get a food scale. Actually weigh out all of your food so you know how much you're eating. Eat back some of your exercise calories. And most importantly, adjust your expectations. Since you are at a healthy weight already it's better to lose at a slower rate so you preserve your muscle and so that you don't get burned out and quit.8 -
TavistockToad wrote: »3lb in a month is a good rate of loss with your stats. you need to re-adjust your expectations.
you might want to consider adding in some strength training as your issue may be one of body composition, not just scale weight.
This2 -
i think you might be eating less then recommended. Weigh your food and enter it in MFP to get accurate count of calories.5
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I am a small frame (I can wrap fingers well around my wrist) so I would like to lose around 20 lb, if possible.
As for body composition, I am definitely skinny fat and have a much higher fat/muscle ratio than the avg woman my age, so body composition is an issue but I assume that if I reduce weight it will be body fat and not muscle as I have pretty much none to begin with.
And for cheat/skip days etc, I don't really have those, I don't have binge problems or ever really eat/crave unhealthy things, at most Im underestimating volume and eating at the higher end of my range, which is still certainly <2000 cal. That is still low for someone my height and activity level!2 -
Also, consider that your new exercise program may be causing some water weight as your muscles get used to it. Either way, give it time.
I don't weigh food, and have lost 30 pounds at a steady pace (over the course of 7-8 months). If I stopped losing at a regular pace then I would take a closer look at whether my portion control is off and consider weighing.0 -
4cplusplus wrote: »I am a small frame (I can wrap fingers well around my wrist) so I would like to lose around 20 lb, if possible.
As for body composition, I am definitely skinny fat and have a much higher fat/muscle ratio than the avg woman my age, so body composition is an issue but I assume that if I reduce weight it will be body fat and not muscle as I have pretty much none to begin with.
And for cheat/skip days etc, I don't really have those, I don't have binge problems or ever really eat/crave unhealthy things, at most Im underestimating volume and eating at the higher end of my range, which is still certainly <2000 cal. That is still low for someone my height and activity level!
"Small frame" is a myth. I can also wrap my fingers around my wrist and OVERLAP by almost a whole knuckle. I'm not small-framed.
If you are skinny fat, start lifting weights. Not 3 pound dumbbells either. Real weights. Get on a beginner lifting program like Stronglifts 5X5, Starting Strength, or Strong Curves. As you lose weight, you will lose muscle if you're not doing anything to preserve it. Of course you have muscle. Your heart is a muscle.
And GET A FOOD SCALE!10 -
4cplusplus wrote: »I am a small frame (I can wrap fingers well around my wrist) so I would like to lose around 20 lb, if possible.
As for body composition, I am definitely skinny fat and have a much higher fat/muscle ratio than the avg woman my age, so body composition is an issue but I assume that if I reduce weight it will be body fat and not muscle as I have pretty much none to begin with.
And for cheat/skip days etc, I don't really have those, I don't have binge problems or ever really eat/crave unhealthy things, at most Im underestimating volume and eating at the higher end of my range, which is still certainly <2000 cal. That is still low for someone my height and activity level!
Weight lifting will help with the skinny fat issue. It'll help with the body recomp and will put you on the path towards looking the way you want to.
I'm not actually entirely sure if the whole "small frame/wrist size" thing is legit or not.
If you're not weighing your food, you're most likely OVER estimating. You'd be surprised about how much you can stuff into a "cup". I've had instances of 1.5 cup sized servings of oatmeal fitting into a measuring "cup". Don't even get me started on fruit, cheese, and peanut butter!3 -
Okay well Im ordering a food scale on amazon asap. Thanks for the advice!11
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3 lbs in a month is good, given that you don't have much to lose. .5 lbs/week is a steady loss, be proud. Don't use measuring cups-- use a food scale, especially with "loose" things like rice.1
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I'm a 23 year old female 5'10" and 167 lbs. I workout 5 days a week and eat anywhere between 1650 to 1850 calories a day. I'm averaging a weight loss of about 1.5 lbs every two weeks. You aren't eating enough. Log accurately and don't be afraid to eat.2
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4cplusplus wrote: »Hello, so for the past month I have been trying to lose weight through the standard means (diet+exercise).
I am a 23 yr old female, 5'10", and started in Dec weighing ~163.5 lb, which could vary +/- 1.5 lb daily.4cplusplus wrote: »I am a small frame (I can wrap fingers well around my wrist) so I would like to lose around 20 lb, if possible.
You're 5'10", and you want to weigh 141 lbs? First, that's probably an unhealthy weight for your height. Second, the last 5-10 lbs of that is going to take a looooooonnnnnnng time to come off. What others have told you here is a good idea -- look seriously into recomp.
4 -
I don't think 141 at 5ft 10" is unheathly, I am going by my sister who is almost same height and is approx 133lbs, she looks great and that weight suits her.
6 -
I am 5'9" and I was happiest at 130lbs so I dont think 141lbs is unhealthy at all4
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I don't think it's unhealthy, either. But it is going to take awhile to get there, as OP is already at a top-end acceptable healthy weight for her height.1
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4cplusplus wrote: »Hello, so for the past month I have been trying to lose weight through the standard means (diet+exercise).
I am a 23 yr old female, 5'10", and started in Dec weighing ~163.5 lb, which could vary +/- 1.5 lb daily.4cplusplus wrote: »I am a small frame (I can wrap fingers well around my wrist) so I would like to lose around 20 lb, if possible.
You're 5'10", and you want to weigh 141 lbs? First, that's probably an unhealthy weight for your height. Second, the last 5-10 lbs of that is going to take a looooooonnnnnnng time to come off. What others have told you here is a good idea -- look seriously into recomp.
A BMI of 20.2 is not unhealthy.2 -
4cplusplus wrote: »Hello, so for the past month I have been trying to lose weight through the standard means (diet+exercise).
I am a 23 yr old female, 5'10", and started in Dec weighing ~163.5 lb, which could vary +/- 1.5 lb daily.4cplusplus wrote: »I am a small frame (I can wrap fingers well around my wrist) so I would like to lose around 20 lb, if possible.
You're 5'10", and you want to weigh 141 lbs? First, that's probably an unhealthy weight for your height. Second, the last 5-10 lbs of that is going to take a looooooonnnnnnng time to come off. What others have told you here is a good idea -- look seriously into recomp.
So, I'm 5'11, almost 40 and weigh 141. I'm perfectly healthy, still have some fat reserves. Wear a size 4/6 jean in US Womens. Not disappearing into thin air...
OP, 3lbs in a month is great. You don't have much to lose so you'll have to pair down your expectations. Keep on keeping on and please don't starve yourself. Make sure you are getting enough calories for health. Your tall and young, you need to supply your body with fuel. Do yourself a favor and spend this time developing good, heathy habits so when you are my age, you don't struggle with your weight.6 -
I generally like to think I have good intuitive eating, and am not interesting in starving myself, however sometimes I just don't feel hungry and ~1000 calories is sufficient for me, probably because of my body composition as people have mentioned... also Id rather not spend the next 6 months painstakingly making my way down the number scale, Id rather be slightly uncomfortable now and be done faster, thus the frustration with my current results.1
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Let me say a couple of things, and yes I agree weight items as well.
Don't always follow what it says you burned for calories. Just because you burn 400 calories, doesn't mean you can eat 400 more calories, it doesn't work that way. Also, 900 calories is a very small amount as well if that is true, and 900 - 1600 is a huge swing.
Figure out your maintenance calories and try and hit that, and pay attention to your macro %'s.
I don't get this statement. Can you please clarify what you mean?2 -
4cplusplus wrote: »I generally like to think I have good intuitive eating, and am not interesting in starving myself, however sometimes I just don't feel hungry and ~1000 calories is sufficient for me, probably because of my body composition as people have mentioned... also Id rather not spend the next 6 months painstakingly making my way down the number scale, Id rather be slightly uncomfortable now and be done faster, thus the frustration with my current results.
This is very shortsighted.9 -
4cplusplus wrote: »I generally like to think I have good intuitive eating, and am not interesting in starving myself, however sometimes I just don't feel hungry and ~1000 calories is sufficient for me, probably because of my body composition as people have mentioned... also Id rather not spend the next 6 months painstakingly making my way down the number scale, Id rather be slightly uncomfortable now and be done faster, thus the frustration with my current results.
I think everyone wants weight loss to be faster. But wouldn't you rather spend 6 months developing healthy and sustainable habits to be able to maintain your goal weight once you are there? As opposed to overly restricting during a short time frame and then looking at the journey as completed and returning to your current habits, which often is how people regain their lost weight?6 -
ladyhusker39 wrote: »Let me say a couple of things, and yes I agree weight items as well.
Don't always follow what it says you burned for calories. Just because you burn 400 calories, doesn't mean you can eat 400 more calories, it doesn't work that way. Also, 900 calories is a very small amount as well if that is true, and 900 - 1600 is a huge swing.
Figure out your maintenance calories and try and hit that, and pay attention to your macro %'s.
I don't get this statement. Can you please clarify what you mean?
I think what he means is that exercise estimates are very much a ballpark figure, which is why it is recommended to only eat 1/2 of the exercise calories back. At least that's what I hope he means...2 -
4cplusplus wrote: »I generally like to think I have good intuitive eating, and am not interesting in starving myself, however sometimes I just don't feel hungry and ~1000 calories is sufficient for me, probably because of my body composition as people have mentioned... also Id rather not spend the next 6 months painstakingly making my way down the number scale, Id rather be slightly uncomfortable now and be done faster, thus the frustration with my current results.
As long as you understand that that means losing more muscle and still not liking your body when you get to goal weight?9 -
4cplusplus wrote: »I generally like to think I have good intuitive eating, and am not interesting in starving myself, however sometimes I just don't feel hungry and ~1000 calories is sufficient for me, probably because of my body composition as people have mentioned... also Id rather not spend the next 6 months painstakingly making my way down the number scale, Id rather be slightly uncomfortable now and be done faster, thus the frustration with my current results.
The bolded is a great way to lose even more muscle and be even less happy with how you look when you hit your goal weight. Also a recipe for struggling with maintenance. Eat at a reasonable deficit and lose at a reasonable pace and learn how to eat in a way you enjoy and be at the right calorie level to maintain your goal weight once you get there.
You are already in the healthy weight range for your height. Your current weight is on the high end and your goal weight is on the low end. Your best bet is a slower pace prioritizing protecting as much muscle as you can as you go. good luck!6 -
Let me say a couple of things, and yes I agree weight items as well.
Don't always follow what it says you burned for calories. Just because you burn 400 calories, doesn't mean you can eat 400 more calories, it doesn't work that way. Also, 900 calories is a very small amount as well if that is true, and 900 - 1600 is a huge swing.
Figure out your maintenance calories and try and hit that, and pay attention to your macro %'s.ladyhusker39 wrote: »Let me say a couple of things, and yes I agree weight items as well.
Don't always follow what it says you burned for calories. Just because you burn 400 calories, doesn't mean you can eat 400 more calories, it doesn't work that way. Also, 900 calories is a very small amount as well if that is true, and 900 - 1600 is a huge swing.
Figure out your maintenance calories and try and hit that, and pay attention to your macro %'s.
I don't get this statement. Can you please clarify what you mean?
A better way to phrase it is
Most fitness machines/exercise calculators overestimate by 25-200% of actual calorie burn.
For example, Tuesday I did 4.6 miles walk/run on a trail near my residence. Garmin estimated about 600 calories, which may be high, but isn't an overestimate.
My garmin data flows to Strava. For the same data. Distance, speed, HR, Strava gives me almost 1100 calories.
What it comes down to is you need reliable estimation and until you test the data, it's best not to trust it and round down to 50% or so.2 -
at your height and weight im pretty sure youre in the normal range. weight loss will take much diligence. 3 pounds in a week with that little to lose is PHENOMENAL.
look into recomp, it will probably give you the results you are actually looking for. unless you want to look sick.
i mean, i guess its a look.1
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