Too much or too little? Crossfitters needed

DanielleTake2

I've been logging for 4 weeks, crossfitting 4 days/week for 3 weeks and experimenting with my calorie intake. Yes, I weigh and measure everything! My diary is open.

I started at 1500 c/day and I was starving! Did that for a week and then I upped it to 1750 (been there for about 3 weeks) and I'm less starving (still hungry AF tho) and the scale has not budged!

158... week after week... the scale says 158. Zero change. 158... I'm seeing it in my nightmares.

So, am I eating too much and sabatoging myself or too little and starving myself?

I'm 5'5", 32 years old, TDEE is about 2000 calories according to various online calculators. I am tracking body fat and inches (no change) and my clothes don't feel loose. I have no visible signs of progress.

Please help!

jjpptt2

all of this... this is in the context of a 4-week time frame?

Can't hurt to give it a couple more weeks, but the last thing I'd do is eat *more*. If you're hungry, play around with different types of foods, different macros, higher volume (lower calorie) foods, etc and see if you can find a sweet spot where you aren't unreasonably hungry but also eating an appropriate amount.

Ultimately, taking the post at face value... you're NOT starving yourself/sabotaging yourself. So it's up to you if you want to cut cals a bit or give 1750 a bit more time.

DanielleTake2

Bumping. People are looking at my post but not responding! :-( Please. Anyone? Anything?

jjpptt2

It's been 20 minutes. Relax. People will respond.

Maybe patience is what you need to work on after all?

malibu927

You’re probably still retaining water from starting Crossfit and stressing out your muscles. Give yourself another week or two and if you don’t see a drop, check your diary to see what you can tighten up.

BZAH10

You don't gain or maintain weight by eating too little, so that's not the issue.

Are you sure your scale is working properly? If so, then it's only been 4 weeks. With a new exercise schedule and making dietary changes at the same time, water weight fluctuations are normal.

Keep taking your measurements. If you're consistent and patient you'll see results soon.

RoxieDawn

Weigh ALL of your food. Bananas strawberries, all of it. If it has calories weigh it.

You slowed your weight loss by increasing the calories, this a slower amount of progress you will see. You retain water from exercise its normal.

Weigh all food, give your changes more time, expect it be slower and hidden by some water fluctuations. Calorie deficit will prevail if you are indeed in a calorie deficit, patience, try to have a little bit of that.

Cassandraw3

In my non-expert opinion, I would say it appears that you are eating at a maintenance level. Since you are doing crossfit, have you at least noticed progress there? Certain moves getting easier, lifting heavier, etc.

I'm 5'4", 29 years old, CW 163 and I go to crossfit 3x a week. I found that with eating around 1500 cal/day, I was losing .5 lb/week. To get that extra .5 lb/week I have been adding running the last few weeks which I find burns fat better than crossfit for me. I knew eating less wouldn't work for me, so that is why I added the extra cardio sessions.

DanielleTake2

Ok, thanks all. Sorry to seem impatient-- I just didn't want the post to get buried. I appreciate all of your insights.

Muscleflex79

definitely not starving - if you were starving you'd be losing like crazy! as others said - patience!

toxikon

Looking at your diary, there are a few things you could change to adjust the satiety factor.

Peanut butter is a big one. It's soooo many calories for a small portion, it's often just not worth it. I'd recommend switching to a powdered peanut butter like PB2.

Simple carbs like Goldfish crackers don't tend to provide much in terms of satiety or nutrition.

Those Larabars you're eating are almost 200 calories - do they keep you full? I personally don't find those types of bars filling at all.

Swap those full-sugar Gatorades for a zero-calorie drink to save some easy calories.

You don't seem to be hitting your protein goal very often and protein can be very satiating. I'd say replace some of those carbs with protein. More poultry, fish, eggs, beans, legumes, etc.

KarenSmith2018

If your TDEE is 2000 calories then eating at a 250 cal deficit a day will result in a 0.5lb a week loss (1750cal deficit). This can be so easily masked by water weight, TOM, DOMS, food in your system etc. You certainly need to give it more time to see a downward trend. I fluctuate my 0.5lbs between daily weigh ins, if not more. Trust the process and give it time for such a small rate of loss (that is entirely appropriate BTW!) I understand the hungry feeling as I cut my calories for a month before my holiday from 2200 to 1700 which should have had me lose a couple of kgs (4ish 1lbs) but only a kg of that actually materialised long term because of the timescales in which i was trying to measure.

Experiment with what you eating: consider lots of volume foods like vegetables where you can get a whole lot for only a few calories. I long ago swapped rice for cauliflower rice during calorie restriction as you get lots of volume for a tiny amount of calories. It also takes time to adjust to a new eating regieme.

Good luck and stick with it. The results will appear.

SCoil123

When you said how many calories you’re eating it looks like a consistent daily amount. Are you logging and eating a portion of exercise calories the days you work out? I know on the days I do my gym workouts (1hr weights followed by 1hr boxing) I eat 300-500 more calories because my body really does need more those days to fuel the activity. I don’t do CrossFit but I think the weight lifting and boxing are probably similar on the body. There is always a conditioning section in our boxing too with things like box jumps and battle ropes

Play with your macros. This is very individualized, different combinations make people feel more satisfied longer.

I eat 1500-2000 a day depending on activity and am never that hungry anymore since figuring out which macros work best for me. Proteins and fats keep me full longer than most types of carbs. An example day -

Breakfast: Black coffee, 2 eggs, piece of fruit or black coffee and protein enriched oatmeal with some dried fruit mixed in and sometimes some nuts

Lunch: my husband is a chef who makes balanced “Fit meals” so he makes my lunch usually. All are 350-450 cals and protein centric with some steamed veg and starch added. If he doesn’t pack my lunch it’s usually a protein shake I make or I’ll go to jamba and get a smoothie

Snacks: typically avocados, nuts, protein bar, or yogurt

Dinner: changes all the time based on how many calories I have left, how active I was that day, and what we have at home to prepare

cwolfman13

DanielleTake2 wrote: »

I've been logging for 4 weeks, crossfitting 4 days/week for 3 weeks and experimenting with my calorie intake. Yes, I weigh and measure everything! My diary is open.

I started at 1500 c/day and I was starving! Did that for a week and then I upped it to 1750 (been there for about 3 weeks) and I'm less starving (still hungry AF tho) and the scale has not budged!

158... week after week... the scale says 158. Zero change. 158... I'm seeing it in my nightmares.

So, am I eating too much and sabatoging myself or too little and starving myself?

I'm 5'5", 32 years old, TDEE is about 2000 calories according to various online calculators. I am tracking body fat and inches (no change) and my clothes don't feel loose. I have no visible signs of progress.

Please help!

If you're TDEE is in fact 2,000 calories and you're eating 1750, that would put you at .5 Lb per week deficit. I have done this when I'm training and don't want my performance to suffer but still wanting to cut some weight and the difficult part of having such a small deficit is that it can take a couple of months to see much of anything because your natural weight fluctuations will mask such a small loss.

Having such a small deficit is also hard because there's basically no margin for error and even when you're trying to be as accurate as possible, there are just inherent inaccuracies in calorie counting.

If it were me, I'd go with a larger deficit and then play with your macros in regards to your hunger.

DanielleTake2

Thank you all, so much!!! This is so helpful.

Calliope610

DanielleTake2 wrote: »

I've been logging for 4 weeks, crossfitting 4 days/week for 3 weeks and experimenting with my calorie intake. Yes, I weigh and measure everything! My diary is open.

I started at 1500 c/day and I was starving! Did that for a week and then I upped it to 1750 (been there for about 3 weeks) and I'm less starving (still hungry AF tho) and the scale has not budged!

158... week after week... the scale says 158. Zero change. 158... I'm seeing it in my nightmares.

So, am I eating too much and sabatoging myself or too little and starving myself?

I'm 5'5", 32 years old, TDEE is about 2000 calories according to various online calculators. I am tracking body fat and inches (no change) and my clothes don't feel loose. I have no visible signs of progress.

Please help!

Measure - yes. Weigh - No. Most of your food logging is by volume (1 cup strawberries, 1/2 cup roasted carrots) or by piece (2 eggs, 1 banana, 1/2 med avocado). Weighing by ounce or by gram is much more accurate. Those "2 eggs" could range from 45-60+ grams each, a combined caloric difference of 44 calories. That "1/2 med avocado" is calorie dense and the logging inaccuracy could be significant.

Those small inaccuracies can negate any perceived reductions in caloric intake.

DanielleTake2

... and the difficult part of having such a small deficit is that it can take a couple of months to see much of anything because your natural weight fluctuations will mask such a small loss.

Having such a small deficit is also hard because there's basically no margin for error and even when you're trying to be as accurate as possible, there are just inherent inaccuracies in calorie counting.

If it were me, I'd go with a larger deficit and then play with your macros in regards to your hunger.

THIS! This makes sooooooo much sense. Thank you so much!

RjMaan

Besides balance diet you should also focus on exercises because some times cutting back from food does not results in weight loss.

toxikon

RjMaan wrote: »

Besides balance diet you should also focus on exercises because some times cutting back from food does not results in weight loss.

Did you miss the part where she mentions she does crossfit 4x a week?

And it's entirely possible to lose weight without any exercise. You can lose weight if you're bedridden. It all comes down to calories.

DanielleTake2

Calliope610 wrote: »

Measure - yes. Weigh - No. Most of your food logging is by volume (1 cup strawberries, 1/2 cup roasted carrots) or by piece (2 eggs, 1 banana, 1/2 med avocado). Weighing by ounce or by gram is much more accurate. Those "2 eggs" could range from 45-60+ grams each, a combined caloric difference of 44 calories. That "1/2 med avocado" is calorie dense and the logging inaccuracy could be significant.

Those small inaccuracies can negate any perceived reductions in caloric intake.

I hear you. And I understand, on an intellectual level, that this is a science - and accuracy matters. But, I have to admit... I'm a bit skeptical of weighing everything (even though I know people swear by it) because... honestly... did any of us get fat by eating an extra ounce of baby carrots? Or 2 extra grams of hard-boiled eggs?

I'm trying to balance getting results with making realistic changes I can stick to long term.

I'm thinking about that awful book that came out a few years ago called "French women don't get fat." Essentially, I'm fat because I have a fat person's mentality: FOOD IS THE ENEMY and if I eat it I should hate myself. And I'd really like to develop a healthier relationship with food. Food is something to be enjoyed in moderation.

I'm really just venting here. NOT trying to offend anyone or sound like I know better (because I don't.) Just spitballin'

kimny72

DanielleTake2 wrote: »

Calliope610 wrote: »

Measure - yes. Weigh - No. Most of your food logging is by volume (1 cup strawberries, 1/2 cup roasted carrots) or by piece (2 eggs, 1 banana, 1/2 med avocado). Weighing by ounce or by gram is much more accurate. Those "2 eggs" could range from 45-60+ grams each, a combined caloric difference of 44 calories. That "1/2 med avocado" is calorie dense and the logging inaccuracy could be significant.

Those small inaccuracies can negate any perceived reductions in caloric intake.

I hear you. And I understand, on an intellectual level, that this is a science - and accuracy matters. But, I have to admit... I'm a bit skeptical of weighing everything (even though I know people swear by it) because... honestly... did any of us get fat by eating an extra ounce of baby carrots? Or 2 extra grams of hard-boiled eggs?

I'm trying to balance getting results with making realistic changes I can stick to long term.

I'm thinking about that awful book that came out a few years ago called "French women don't get fat." Essentially, I'm fat because I have a fat person's mentality: FOOD IS THE ENEMY and if I eat it I should hate myself. And I'd really like to develop a healthier relationship with food. Food is something to be enjoyed in moderation.

I'm really just venting here. NOT trying to offend anyone or sound like I know better (because I don't.) Just spitballin'

You have to either be more patient, or more precise Their are people who get to have it both ways, but that's just luck.

I had 15 lbs to lose and had to settle for a barely 250 cal deficit to avoid being hungry. I just wasn't good at "measuring" portions so I had to weigh everything I ate or prepared at home for accuracy. Also realize that your monthly cycle causes water weight fluctuations that can easily hide a half lb loss. I usually saw the scale move around once a month.

You might also consider committing to the food scale for a couple of weeks. Use it to see if that cup of something is really a serving or if you need to eyeball it a little higher or lower in the future.

Make sure you are at least hitting the mfp default goals for protein, fat, and fiber. They are all generally satiating, so if you're low in any of them, work on correcting that. You can try playing with meal timing as well. Good luck!