NOT BUDGINg-HELP NEEDED

Amy100lbstoLoose

Help! i have given myself 1600 calories per day every day for over a week i have been under like 300-500 and have been eating good, but i am loosing nothing just maintaining !! any suggestions on helping to move fat? i have 112lbs to loose so not like its a small amount to come off. i ahveupped my water in take massivly like 10-15 cups a day and 4x green teas, could that be the problem?

thanks

callsitlikeiseeit

tinkerbellang83

Suggestion: patience and accuracy. It takes longer than a week to see progress.

Also you shouldn't be aiming to be under by 300-500, your calorie allowance already takes your deficit into account. With over 100lbs to lose if you stick at your 1600 calorie deficit you will lose. Trying to aim under constantly will in the long term leave you feeling lethargic and wanting to binge.

Just make sure you are logging anything that has calories, that you are choosing the correct entries and that you are accurately measuring your portion sizes (a food scale is the best way to do this).

Edit: Having looked through your diary for the last 2 days already spotted some definite errors:

1. Banana 18 calories, definitely not - I eat half a banana on my breakfast every day and that's around 70 calories.
2. Large Chicken Breast 4 ounces (113g) - A large chicken breast is around 180-200g
3. Mashed Potato 1.5 potatoes 130 calories - A medium sized UK supermarket potato is around 230g once it's peeled and is around 180 calories. So 1.5 potatoes is going to be closer to 270 calories and that's not taking into account anything else you might add if you're making mashed potatoes with butter, milk or cream, etc.

Whilst these errors will probably still leave you under maintenance, you do need to get in the habit of accurate recording, because when you get closer to your goal weight, you won't have the margin for error that you do now.

tripleformfitness

I would suggest that you up your calorie intake a little more. If you have a goal of 1600 calories a day and are consistently under that, you are only giving your body basically what it needs to function and that's it. You're going to burn out fast like that and cause yourself potentially severe metabolic damage. Up your calories to about 1800-2000 and track what you're eating here on MFP. Drop your calories down by 100-200 after about a month after you have lost a couple pounds.

Also, I suggest you eat more lean protein. Aim to get between 20-30g per meal. Good sources are: boneless, skinlesss chicken breasts, plain tuna, whey protein isolate, pea protein isolate, egg whites, eggs, lean ground turkey, turkey bacon, lean red meats (in moderation), Fage greek yogurt (plain) and salmon. Protein is the most thermogenic of the three macronutrients, meaning your body uses the most energy to digest and assimilate it. Unlike carbohydrates, your body will not convert protein into stored fat (it can, but only in really extreme, one-off crazy circumstances).

The influx of water could be another reason why your scale hasn't budged, if you weren't drinking that much water before and/or if you are getting a lot of sodium in your diet relevant to the total amount of calories you are taking in. Also, being patient will benefit you. I am sure it took you a long time to gain 112 pounds, it will take a while for it to come off. Don't be hard on yourself. You got this, girl

Lillymoo01

Buy digital kitchen scales and use them for everything solid, including prepackaged food which can weigh more than indicated on the package.

Buy measuring cups and spoons and use them for all liquids that have calories.

Make sure logging is accurate. There is no accuracy with logging one medium banana as that is a very subjective term. Make sure you log the exact weight. Check your entry against information on the package or the usda database. As the app is user added there are some very incorrect database entries.

If you eat out, or eat other people's cooking and you can't get the nutritional information find an entry that is the best match and over estimate portion size. If you think it is 200 grams, enter it as 220 grams. If you can't find a good entry then look online for a recipe with the same ingredients and add that to your recipe database.

Assume that the equipment used is underestimating your calories burned, at least for the first month until you have solid data to go by. Start with only eating back half to 2/3rds and then adjust calories if needed depending on the rate of your weight loss.

Remember that weight loss is not liner. Some weeks you may lose nothing, or even gain while other weeks you may lose much more than normal. Many things affect water retention but this has no bearing on how much fat you are losing.

crb426

The above posts echo what I would say, but I wanted to add that you don't need that much water. In fact, it can be dangerous if you drink too much at once. Your kidneys can only filter so much at a time, so bombarding them with water can be a real problem.

tripleformfitness

If, in a month you are on track and still are not seeing any weight loss, definitely go to your doctor. You will want them to check your cortisol levels, your thyroid function and your blood sugar. Make sure that you don't have any metabolic damage from earlier in your life.

callsitlikeiseeit

tripleformfitness wrote: »

I would suggest that you up your calorie intake a little more. If you have a goal of 1600 calories a day and are consistently under that, you are only giving your body basically what it needs to function and that's it. You're going to burn out fast like that and cause yourself potentially severe metabolic damage. Up your calories to about 1800-2000 and track what you're eating here on MFP. Drop your calories down by 100-200 after about a month after you have lost a couple pounds.

eating more will not make a person lose weight. thats not how it works.

more than likely, the culprit is it just hasnt been long enough, water weight from the over influx of water and possible logging errors (which when someone comes on complaining of not losing, is the the problem the overwhelming majority of the time)

and looking at the diary, i would say that is, indeed, the issue. we also dont know her height. that affects it greatly. if i ate 2000 calories a day like you suggest, i would gain RAPIDLY.

Jingsi84

@Lillymoo01 I think you meant that the equipment over estimates calories burned, not underestimates.

LivingtheLeanDream

1 week is not enough time to see any progress.

4legsRbetterthan2

give your plan 4-6 weeks before you decide if it is working. some people experience large losses up front, some don't. I tend to hang out at a weight for about 2 weeks, then drop big, hang out, drop, so on. If you keep changing things after only a week it will be impossible to tell whats working and what isnt

gamerbabe14

If the OP has over 100lbs to lose, I would be little surprised if they hadn't seen results in a week TBH. Nothing drastic but at least 1lb of loss. That being said this is contingent on the OP accurately measuring their food intake using a scale and not measuring spoons or packaging suggestions. Also, if the OP has began exercising where previously there wasn't any exercise than that could be a contributor.

So basically what everyone else has said. Make sure you accurately measure your intake. Your goal of 1600 calories is already putting you in a calorie deficit. You won't get extra points for being under it by 500 calories, you'll only be hungrier.

Josh_lol

1 week? That's nothing.

Amy100lbstoLoose

thank you everyone - weighed yesterday and am 3lbs down - i am use to doing slimming world and seeing fast progress at the start- but i have taken everything on board- thanks for helping