Doing enough?
Jayco141
Posts: 221 Member
Knowing most of you are younger, I am in my early 50's. But I am trying to lose weight and get in shape. With work (8am - 5pm) and other commitments I do have restricted time. But I exercise roughly 60 minutes a day (6 days a weeks) 25 mins of cardio, then 35 minutes of strength training. Diabetes also runs in my family and I have been diagnosed as pre-diabteic so I have restricted my carbs an increased my protein.
I am 6'3/215 and want to get below 200LBs. I just don't seem to be moving at all on my weight and I have been at this for months. My calories are usually around 2000 per day.
I am 6'3/215 and want to get below 200LBs. I just don't seem to be moving at all on my weight and I have been at this for months. My calories are usually around 2000 per day.
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Replies
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TavistockToad wrote: »
I do not weigh my food, I do check calorie levels consistently1 -
TavistockToad wrote: »
I do not weigh my food, I do check calorie levels consistently
you're not losing weight because you're eating more than you think.6 -
Well, your food page is not available for us to view. Maybe open it up and we can help.
It's about accurate tracking and staying close to your goals. How long have you been logging food?0 -
Not true, I know exactly what I am eating. I have been using this App on and off for years. I try and log but don't get to it every day.4
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I opened my log1
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Not true, I know exactly what I am eating. I have been using this App on and off for years. I try and log but don't get to it every day.
so you can look at a chicken breast or potato and you know how much it weighs? great skill OP, its a shame that the other 99.999999999999999999% of the population underestimate how much they eat....6 -
TavistockToad wrote: »
I do not weigh my food, I do check calorie levels consistently
Without weighing your food how do you know how much you're eating. People consistently underestimate their consumption when just eyeballing the portion sizes (if you're relying on the packaging info closely check what they list as a portion size......it can be deceptive in some cases) At your height and weight you would be losing weight at 2,000 cal a day.
Sounds like you've got your time managed pretty well if you're consistently getting your workouts in. I can tell you from personal experience (I'm in my 60s) that as we age it seems to take twice the work to get half of the fitness improvements it did when we were younger....more reason to keep at it!0 -
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Probably true as I have not been on for a week basically
But prior to that it should be noted.
When logging I always trend high on the caloric/serving sizes. If it says a 4 oz portion of chicken breast is 200 calories i will usually put in 6 ounces or 2 servings. I don't underestimate my amounts, I overestimate my amounts always. Bottom line is I have been doing the a long time and though my log may not be as full as usual, I do know what I am eating and the calories I am consuming. My point/question was, am I working out enough to help my metabolism which is slow as hell !TavistockToad wrote: »4 -
Probably true as I have not been on for a week basically
But prior to that it should be noted.
When logging I always trend high on the caloric/serving sizes. If it says a 4 oz portion of chicken breast is 200 calories i will usually put in 6 ounces or 2 servings. I don't underestimate my amounts, I overestimate my amounts always. Bottom line is I have been doing the a long time and though my log may not be as full as usual, I do know what I am eating and the calories I am consuming. My point/question was, am I working out enough to help my metabolism which is slow as hell !TavistockToad wrote: »
but how do you have any idea if you are underestimating if you are not weighing anything??? this makes no sense.5 -
If you don't want to weigh your food long-term that's totally fine, but you'd be well served to buy a scale (they're maybe $20 on Amazon) and weight everything for at least a week or two. Then you can be sure you're eating around what you think you're eating. Some calorie-dense foods in particular can be extremely hard to estimate - I'm thinking nuts, granola, mayo, peanut butter, dried fruits, and so on. An hour of exercise a day at 2000 calories at your current weight should be plenty for you to lose weight. If it's been months and you've done this before, you know how it works - you can try working out more, but chances are it'll be easier to eat less.
Another thought too - the last time you lost weight, were you more active during the day? Exercise is all well and good, but moving during the day can really make a big difference. Most of the "lowered metabolism" effect people see as they age is actually lowered daily activity.2 -
My point/question was, am I working out enough to help my metabolism which is slow as hell !
How have you determined that your metabolism is "slow as hell"? Have you been tested?
At your height & weight (I plugged in age 55 as a guess) your BMR , in the absence of a metabolic disorder, is just shy of 2,000 cal per day and that's what you need to maintain basic bodily functions while remaining completely sedentary.
What type of strength training are you doing? Are you giving yourself enough time to recover between sessions? The only surefire way to boost metabolism is to increase your lean muscle mass but that also requires, especially as we age and testosterone levels drop, a big commitment to heavy lifting, lots of protein and eating at a surplus....muscle takes fuel to build.
The other alternative, assuming you're actually eating 2,000 cal per day and you want to lose fat would be to increase the amount of cardio you're doing. Even vigorous cardio like running for 25 minutes (assuming 6 mph) would be 2.5 miles in 25 minutes would be about 340 cal for your weight and typically cardio burns far more calories in a given amount of time than strength training.
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Probably true as I have not been on for a week basically
But prior to that it should be noted.
When logging I always trend high on the caloric/serving sizes. If it says a 4 oz portion of chicken breast is 200 calories i will usually put in 6 ounces or 2 servings. I don't underestimate my amounts, I overestimate my amounts always. Bottom line is I have been doing the a long time and though my log may not be as full as usual, I do know what I am eating and the calories I am consuming. My point/question was, am I working out enough to help my metabolism which is slow as hell !TavistockToad wrote: »
I used to blame my weight on a slow metabolism and not having enough muscle to burn calories at rest. Turns out, the difference between slow metabolisms and fast metabolisms (barring any medical metabolic conditions) is actually really small. Like +/- 100 calories per day small. But my "fast metabolism" friend from high school, who I always compared myself to since we were in the same activities, ate the same foods, were the same height, etc. didn't just have a "fast metabolism," she was a fidgeter who had to frequently be up and moving, while I could sit and watch TV for hours. Maybe her metabolism had her burning 100 calories more than me a day, but her fidgeting and walking around probably had her burning 200-300 more calories than me a day, which is what really made the difference.
You can try to exercise and build more muscle to boost your metabolism, just like you can include more spicy foods into your diet to do the same, or keep your house really cold so your body has to work harder to keep warm, but your best bet is always going to be to lower your calorie intake and include more movement into your everyday life, not just tacking on more dedicated exercise.2 -
Losing weight is a simple calories in vs calories burned calculation.
If you’re not losing weight at 2000 cals, drop to 1900. An even less scientific version is if you normally have 4 potatoes, change it to 3.
Going on what’s been said so far you also need to be more consistent in your logging, it’s a new habit you need to make.4 -
Knowing most of you are younger, I am in my early 50's. But I am trying to lose weight and get in shape. With work (8am - 5pm) and other commitments I do have restricted time. But I exercise roughly 60 minutes a day (6 days a weeks) 25 mins of cardio, then 35 minutes of strength training. Diabetes also runs in my family and I have been diagnosed as pre-diabteic so I have restricted my carbs an increased my protein.
I am 6'3/215 and want to get below 200LBs. I just don't seem to be moving at all on my weight and I have been at this for months. My calories are usually around 2000 per day.
"Usually" "around"
^^this is the problem.
Well, that and:Not true, I know exactly what I am eating. I have been using this App on and off for years. I try and log but don't get to it every day.
Do you know or don't you? You contradict yourself in these three sentences.
I mean, c'mon. I had to be consistent and had to actually know for a fact what I was eating before I could make ANY meaningful changes. It took a few months of good data.
Run the (actual) experiment. It's what we all had to do. ::shrug::
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I have also tracked for a number of years. The first few without a food scale and the last 4+ years with a food scale. I would estimate by comparing the "pre-food scale" years to the "food scale always used" years that I was underestimating my intake before using a food scale by 300 or 400 calories a day. That's an estimate, but I am fairly sure that it's a bigger variable than the +/-100 calories per day difference between fast and slow metabolisms.1
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I opened my log
So just for kicks and giggles I looked back at your past month's FOOD entries. You logged for about 25% of the past month. The foods you chose were good. Every single day you logged you left between 300 and 1300 calories uneaten and the foods you did log looked like mostly estimates.
It has to be much more accurate than this.4 -
Knowing most of you are younger, I am in my early 50's. But I am trying to lose weight and get in shape. With work (8am - 5pm) and other commitments I do have restricted time. But I exercise roughly 60 minutes a day (6 days a weeks) 25 mins of cardio, then 35 minutes of strength training. Diabetes also runs in my family and I have been diagnosed as pre-diabteic so I have restricted my carbs an increased my protein.
I am 6'3/215 and want to get below 200LBs. I just don't seem to be moving at all on my weight and I have been at this for months. My calories are usually around 2000 per day.
Well, that is an assumption that is not necessarily accurate. I am 66. And I know others that are in their 50 and 60s and some in the 70s and 80s here.
You are doing just fine with exercise. So, if that is what you mean by doing enough, the answer is yes. But exercise doesn't cause weight loss in and of itself. It contributes by burning calories but....
The path to weight loss (fat loss) is calorie out > calories in. That is where your issue lies. You state that you usually get "around" 2000 calories per day but don't weigh and measure. Plain fact of the matter is you are not accurate with your intake and you haven't lost because you are eating more than your burning.
Other have told you this but you continue to push back. But that is the fact of the matter. You are consistently logging and you aren't weighing and measuring. The problem with your lack of loss is easily identifiable. Continue to do what you've done and you'll continue to get what you've gotten.
FTR: I am 5'9", age 66 as I said. I have lost 30lbs overall and 17 since May. The age is not a factor and the exercise certainly helps my fitness but the overarching thing that has helped accomplish this is disciplined tracking of my intake and my calorie burns via a Fitbit and keep my own data as to how accurate it all is. It not easy but it's not really hard either.2 -
Knowing most of you are younger, I am in my early 50's. But I am trying to lose weight and get in shape. With work (8am - 5pm) and other commitments I do have restricted time. But I exercise roughly 60 minutes a day (6 days a weeks) 25 mins of cardio, then 35 minutes of strength training. Diabetes also runs in my family and I have been diagnosed as pre-diabteic so I have restricted my carbs an increased my protein.
I am 6'3/215 and want to get below 200LBs. I just don't seem to be moving at all on my weight and I have been at this for months. My calories are usually around 2000 per day.
Well, that is an assumption that is not necessarily accurate. I am 66. And I know others that are in their 50 and 60s and some in the 70s and 80s here.
You are doing just fine with exercise. So, if that is what you mean by doing enough, the answer is yes. But exercise doesn't cause weight loss in and of itself. It contributes by burning calories but....
The path to weight loss (fat loss) is calorie out > calories in. That is where your issue lies. You state that you usually get "around" 2000 calories per day but don't weigh and measure. Plain fact of the matter is you are not accurate with your intake and you haven't lost because you are eating more than your burning.
Other have told you this but you continue to push back. But that is the fact of the matter. You are consistently logging and you aren't weighing and measuring. The problem with your lack of loss is easily identifiable. Continue to do what you've done and you'll continue to get what you've gotten.
FTR: I am 5'9", age 66 as I said. I have lost 30lbs overall and 17 since May. The age is not a factor and the exercise certainly helps my fitness but the overarching thing that has helped accomplish this is disciplined tracking of my intake and my calorie burns via a Fitbit and keep my own data as to how accurate it all is. It not easy but it's not really hard either.
And he is so, so, right . . . says this 62-year-old (hypothyroid, even) who lost 50+ pounds in under a year, a couple of years back, via careful food logging, and who has stayed at a healthy weight since, doing the same.3 -
OP, even if you only use a food scale for a couple of weeks, it will shine a light on where you are missing calories and then you can improve from there.
Currently you're spinning your wheels, so what's the harm in committing to a one month experiment? Get a food scale and use it to log accurately and consistently for 4 weeks. Log everything everyday, meals, snacks, beverages, condiments. After that 4 weeks you will have compiled a wealth of data that will help you figure out how to proceed.
When I started using a food scale, I found that I wasn't eating 1400 cals, I was eating 1700 cals. Game changer. Good luck!5 -
Do yourself a favor and just get a food scale. Try it for a few weeks, then if ypu think we are wrong come back and say so.
Its simple, if you are not losing it's because your eating more than you burn. It doesn't matter how much exercise you do.1 -
No you're not doing enough. You're eating too much. Eat less and weigh your food.2
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Weighing food is an estimate for me,I admit! But it is an educated estimate. If I buy a pack of chicken breasts I look at the total weight on the package and I divide that by number of breast and then add a couple ounces to what I eat just to make sure I cover my tracks. I also look at every package for information.
I am going to be logging daily again, I lost about 35Lbs about 18 months ago as I was once 250, I am now 215 but have staggered and slowed. I want to get below 200 to about 190 - 195.
I am also happy to see people my age or older helping me out! I appreciate it!
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Weighing food is an estimate for me,I admit! But it is an educated estimate. If I buy a pack of chicken breasts I look at the total weight on the package and I divide that by number of breast and then add a couple ounces to what I eat just to make sure I cover my tracks. I also look at every package for information.
I am going to be logging daily again, I lost about 35Lbs about 18 months ago as I was once 250, I am now 215 but have staggered and slowed. I want to get below 200 to about 190 - 195.
I am also happy to see people my age or older helping me out! I appreciate it!
why are you so insistent on guessing/estimating and not just weighing though?
if you are so sure that you are right and that you are overestimating everything, you will be pleasantly surprised when you weigh your food and realize you could be eating more.4 -
I lost my weight (70 pounds) at age 54.
Here's the problem with not being accurate. 1.) You will eat too much or too little. Neither is good. What's with all the hundreds of calories left uneaten in your logged foods? 2.) Nutrition. How do you know you are getting enough protein, fats? 3.) Free-form just doesn't work for weight loss for a lot of people (and you're saying you're one of them for whom guesstimating isn't working.)
The first 50 pounds I lost I didn't keep very good records. I didn't have a food scale and I was eyeballing or using measuring cups. That last 15 was difficult. Bodies want to hold onto a bit of protective fat...so you have to really work at that last 15 pounds - and the only way I lost it was with consistent logging. And it took a long time - like nine months.4 -
The answers are here. Weigh your food. Every single thing you put in your mouth. I guarantee you will be surprised. Next log everything you eat using MFP. At the end of the day, you'll have a good idea of your calories eaten. Round up to the nearest 100 to be conservative in your estimate. Calculate your average caloric intake for the week.
Weigh yourself every day at the same time (right when you wake up is best). Calculate your average weight at the end of the week. That's your weight. Do this for a month. If the scale doesn't move, cut your caloric intake (500 calories less per day translates to 1 pound weight loss per week).
This sounds like a pain, but you'll get used to it quickly. Once the pounds start coming off (assuming you're really doing these things correctly), you'll wonder what took you so long.3 -
You already answered your own question. At your height weight and age (6'3", 215lbs, early 50's) your Basal Metabolic Rate is around 2000 per day - therefore if you laid in bed all day and did absolutely nothing you would burn about 2000 calories per day. However, you said you are exercising 6 days per week and eating about 2000 calories per day, but you are not loosing weight. That is NOT possible, just do the math, you are not eating only 2000 calories per day OR you are not exercising OR you are not 6'3" and 215 lbs, I don't see any reason you would lie about any of those, so the most likely explanation is you are eating more than you think. Granted you may be gaining muscle but it would not make the scale stay stable like that if all you say is accurate.3
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Nobody logs 100% accurately. It's just not possible. Everyone has some source of inaccuracy that they could tighten up if they needed to. The people who are pointing out some of your sources of inaccuracy aren't doing so because they're perfect and you're not; they're doing so because you asked for help and they can see where you are being inaccurate.
It's been my experience that the people who are willing to hear about their own blind spots -- and then make changes in order to improve their results -- tend to be more successful in the long run.8
This discussion has been closed.
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