CICO not working, why?
MomOnAMission76
Posts: 200 Member
Hi all, I am looking to lose about 115 lbs. At my size, I've looked into all the TDEE calculators to determine what I should be eating to lose weight. The problem is, my body seems to tolerate much fewer calories without gaining. For example, I've been told (both by calculators and my endocrinologist who I see for my thyroid) that I "should" be able to lose 2 lbs/week eating around 1800-1900 calories a day. My husband is 160 lbs and our diets are pretty much identical. Is it really just a metabolism issue? I've had full labs done and nothing was off that would explain this.
For the past 6 weeks, I've been eating an average of 1600 calories a day and lost 6 lbs in the first week (likely water weight), but nothing since then. I've tried 1800 cals, I've tried 1400 cals (that does seem to make the scale move, but seems very low for my size), and everything in between. I've watched my share of weight loss surgery TV shows where people who are morbidly obese improve their diet and lose massive amounts of weight, so I don't know how I can't even lose 2 lbs/week. I have not added in exercise yet, since I wanted to lose the first 20 lbs or so by diet alone to increase my confidence/stamina at the gym. I know I need to do this, but I still want to figure out why I'm not successful at this point with diet alone, knowing that diet is such a huge part of weight loss. The biggest thing confusing me is that at 1600 cals/day, I should be in a decent deficit to lose weight. I don't think I am in "starvation mode" at this level. I track my macros, eat about 120 g protein, 130 g carbs, 60 g fat a day, give or take. I drink plenty of water, keep my sodium at a reasonable level, and I measure all of my food with either a food scale or measuring cups, depending on the item. What else, other than dropping my cals even further, do I have to do to get the scale to budge?
thanks in advance!
For the past 6 weeks, I've been eating an average of 1600 calories a day and lost 6 lbs in the first week (likely water weight), but nothing since then. I've tried 1800 cals, I've tried 1400 cals (that does seem to make the scale move, but seems very low for my size), and everything in between. I've watched my share of weight loss surgery TV shows where people who are morbidly obese improve their diet and lose massive amounts of weight, so I don't know how I can't even lose 2 lbs/week. I have not added in exercise yet, since I wanted to lose the first 20 lbs or so by diet alone to increase my confidence/stamina at the gym. I know I need to do this, but I still want to figure out why I'm not successful at this point with diet alone, knowing that diet is such a huge part of weight loss. The biggest thing confusing me is that at 1600 cals/day, I should be in a decent deficit to lose weight. I don't think I am in "starvation mode" at this level. I track my macros, eat about 120 g protein, 130 g carbs, 60 g fat a day, give or take. I drink plenty of water, keep my sodium at a reasonable level, and I measure all of my food with either a food scale or measuring cups, depending on the item. What else, other than dropping my cals even further, do I have to do to get the scale to budge?
thanks in advance!
3
Replies
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How are you measuring your food? You're definitely not in starvation mode, because it doesn't exist.24
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Drop the measuring cups, and check all entries.17
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I use both a food scale and cups, depending on the item and if it has a listing for oz vs. cups, but always try to weigh where possible. I am very diligent with this, and usually round up if I'm not sure.0
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Without being able to see your diary it is hard to say. Here are a couple of "Most Helpful" posts that may help you out:
https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1234699/logging-accurately-step-by-step-guide/p1
https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1296011/calorie-counting-101/p1
99 times out of 100, most of the problem is logging accuracy. Logging is a skill, and took some practice for all of us to get right! Hang in there :drinker:12 -
Measure in grams and don’t use cups. Weigh everything that passes your lips. Do you pick the right entries from the database?4
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L1zardQueen wrote: »Measure in grams and don’t use cups. Weigh everything that passes your lips. Do you pick the right entries from the database?
I usually try to find the one with the check mark to make sure it's the right item, but when there isn't one, I try to default to the higher one so I'm not over.
I just made my diary public if anyone wants to look. I try to maintain balance and not exclude food groups. It's hard to resist the lures of things like keto but I know for me, I have to do something that I can maintain for the rest of my life.6 -
MomOnAMission76 wrote: »L1zardQueen wrote: »Measure in grams and don’t use cups. Weigh everything that passes your lips. Do you pick the right entries from the database?
I usually try to find the one with the check mark to make sure it's the right item, but when there isn't one, I try to default to the higher one so I'm not over.
I just made my diary public if anyone wants to look. I try to maintain balance and not exclude food groups. It's hard to resist the lures of things like keto but I know for me, I have to do something that I can maintain for the rest of my life.
Just had a quick look. Never go by "item" = 1 large or 0.5 or whatever. Always find weight or at least cup measure.
Gotcha. I usually do this for veggies (the one you saw was probably zucchini), figuring that it's a low cal item and not as crucial. But I'll make sure to do that, anything helps.0 -
Don't do that - first, the check mark is a gimmick and doesn't even guarantee the values are correct for the item it refers to, second, the entry you pick has to refer to the item you're actually using. Check with the food label, or the manufacturer's website, or the USDA website for produce.MomOnAMission76 wrote: »L1zardQueen wrote: »Measure in grams and don’t use cups. Weigh everything that passes your lips. Do you pick the right entries from the database?
I usually try to find the one with the check mark to make sure it's the right item, but when there isn't one, I try to default to the higher one so I'm not over.5 -
kommodevaran wrote: »
Don't do that - the check mark means nothing. Choeck with the food label, or the manufacturer's website, or the USDA website for produce.MomOnAMission76 wrote: »L1zardQueen wrote: »Measure in grams and don’t use cups. Weigh everything that passes your lips. Do you pick the right entries from the database?
I usually try to find the one with the check mark to make sure it's the right item, but when there isn't one, I try to default to the higher one so I'm not over.
Oh sorry yes, I meant in the absence of a food label. that is always my go to. usually I find this only happening with fresh food like veggies or fruit.0 -
You may also just be an outlier. Calorie calculators are based on population statistics, so they're generally true for most people. You may just be on the lower end of caloric need, unfortunately. Kind of like height. I'm about average at 5'6", but my sister is 5'10" and a friend of ours is 4'11"-- no illnesses or genetic conditions or anything, it's just how we all turned out. You might want to try a system like MFP uses where you eat back exercise calories instead of a TDEE calculator that may be assuming more activity or a higher burn for activity than you're actually getting. I find MFP is more transparent and makes it easier to see if errors are on the CI side or the CO side.3
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MomOnAMission76 wrote: »Hi all, I am looking to lose about 115 lbs. At my size, I've looked into all the TDEE calculators to determine what I should be eating to lose weight. The problem is, my body seems to tolerate much fewer calories without gaining. For example, I've been told (both by calculators and my endocrinologist who I see for my thyroid) that I "should" be able to lose 2 lbs/week eating around 1800-1900 calories a day. My husband is 160 lbs and our diets are pretty much identical. Is it really just a metabolism issue? I've had full labs done and nothing was off that would explain this.
For the past 6 weeks, I've been eating an average of 1600 calories a day and lost 6 lbs in the first week (likely water weight), but nothing since then. I've tried 1800 cals, I've tried 1400 cals (that does seem to make the scale move, but seems very low for my size), and everything in between. I've watched my share of weight loss surgery TV shows where people who are morbidly obese improve their diet and lose massive amounts of weight, so I don't know how I can't even lose 2 lbs/week. I have not added in exercise yet, since I wanted to lose the first 20 lbs or so by diet alone to increase my confidence/stamina at the gym. I know I need to do this, but I still want to figure out why I'm not successful at this point with diet alone, knowing that diet is such a huge part of weight loss. The biggest thing confusing me is that at 1600 cals/day, I should be in a decent deficit to lose weight. I don't think I am in "starvation mode" at this level. I track my macros, eat about 120 g protein, 130 g carbs, 60 g fat a day, give or take. I drink plenty of water, keep my sodium at a reasonable level, and I measure all of my food with either a food scale or measuring cups, depending on the item. What else, other than dropping my cals even further, do I have to do to get the scale to budge?
thanks in advance!
At 115 lbs, 1800-1900 is probably too much if you are not getting significant regular exercise. (I believe the estimate for sedentary maintenance on here at that weight is ~ 1400 calories).
Also, most people under-estimate calories by a lot if they aren't weighing food.
EDIT: oops-misread that you were 115 lbs, not looking to lose 115 lbs.1 -
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MomOnAMission76 wrote: »MomOnAMission76 wrote: »L1zardQueen wrote: »Measure in grams and don’t use cups. Weigh everything that passes your lips. Do you pick the right entries from the database?
I usually try to find the one with the check mark to make sure it's the right item, but when there isn't one, I try to default to the higher one so I'm not over.
I just made my diary public if anyone wants to look. I try to maintain balance and not exclude food groups. It's hard to resist the lures of things like keto but I know for me, I have to do something that I can maintain for the rest of my life.
Just had a quick look. Never go by "item" = 1 large or 0.5 or whatever. Always find weight or at least cup measure.
Gotcha. I usually do this for veggies (the one you saw was probably zucchini), figuring that it's a low cal item and not as crucial. But I'll make sure to do that, anything helps.
The checkmark doesn't guarantee accuracy. Neither does the barcode scanner if you're using it. Be sure you double-check against the nutrition label in your hand instead of just guessing or picking the highest one.
I went back over a month in your diary. First, great job on logging every single day. It looks like you're logging everything, including supplements, but be sure you aren't missing anything like cooking oils or drinks. You'd be surprised how many people forget to log things like the oil they cook their chicken in. It can really add up for some people.
The food scale has been covered pretty well. Things like 1 burger, 1 slice of bread, 1/2 a maple bar, etc may not make a big difference, but it's one thing to look into when you're stalled. Especially with things like protein powder. Whoo boy, do not trust protein powder scoops. Even if you just do it for a week or two, weigh everything and compare it against the serving size on the package to see if you spot any major discrepancies. I remember once I bought a package of italiansausage that promised each link would weigh 82 grams, but every one in the package was over 100 grams, which really messed up my calories. Double check everything.
Home Chef is a meal delivery service, right? I haven't used it, but do you prepare the foods or do they come preprepared? You might double-check the accuracy of their recipes to be sure you're following them exactly and that they aren't off. You can do this by plugging your ingredients into the recipe builder as you go to see if the numbers come out the same. Sometimes they fudge their nutrition info.
Same deal with quick add calories. We all do it from time to time, but it's better if you can log what you're eating instead of using a random number.
You eat out sometimes, and that's okay -- again we all do it -- but sometimes you can't trust the nutrition at restaurants. Normally, I wouldn't even say anything about it, but since you're stalled it might be something to look at.
Unfortunately, troubleshooting a diet is sometimes like troubleshooting a broken computer. You just have to keep trying things until you narrow down what's wrong with it. These are some of the things that stood out to me that might be worth a look.20 -
I get your frustration, I've been there. I've found that dieting for my body requires skill and fine tuning. I know that there are foods I can eat and others that I just can't do. I had to learn to listen to my body and nourish it the way it wanted to be nourished. I had to pay close attention to my blood sugars and look for food sensitivities ( swollen fingers, stiff joints, general fatigue etc). I had to become a doctor in the study of me. I am still very much a work in progress but I'm gaining more insight everyday. I found that Paleo/Keto like dieting works best for me. I eat protein with large servings of vegetables at every meal. I don't do any bread, rice pasta or refined sugar or salt. This works for me and through experimentation you'll find what works for you.
Starting at 1800-1900 calories may be to drastic of a switch for your body and may have thrown you into starvation mode. You also mentioned that you have thyroid issues, you may want to try foods that help support thyroid function to help you lose weight. You may also want to consider tweaking your macro's instead of your calories, increase protein, and decrease carbs, etc. Make sure you're eating every 2 to 3 hours this helps with sluggish metabolisms.
Most of all don't compare your weight loss to your husband's that will make you insane, men don't lose weight the way that women do they often can lose it much quicker with less effort.
Best of Luck!38 -
Starvation mode isn't a thing.18
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Thanks everyone for your responses. This was not a dramatic change for my body, I probably ate closer to 2000 before. I've never been able to eat a lot without seeing it on the scale, luckily tracking on and off for 6+ years has helped me to know what I should and shouldn't eat. I will improve my accuracy and keep at it.3
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I feel your pain. I don't believe you mentioned your age or height? I'm 62 and 5'5" tall and maintain on about 1400 calories a day. Having said that I am sedentary other than my daily walking and have a sick thyroid (but I take meds for it). Since your doc can't find anything wrong I would try very hard to log abosolutely everything. I take 4 evening primrose a day which since it is oil counts towards my calories. Sometimes I think we miss simple things like that. A bite here and there when cooking can add up too. Good luck and don't give up.1
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cheryldumais wrote: »I feel your pain. I don't believe you mentioned your age or height? I'm 62 and 5'5" tall and maintain on about 1400 calories a day. Having said that I am sedentary other than my daily walking and have a sick thyroid (but I take meds for it). Since your doc can't find anything wrong I would try very hard to log abosolutely everything. I take 4 evening primrose a day which since it is oil counts towards my calories. Sometimes I think we miss simple things like that. A bite here and there when cooking can add up too. Good luck and don't give up.
I will be 37 in a couple months and I'm 5'6". I have a desk job so that certainly doesn't help. I know exercise will help, but it's not going to be magic. I know giving up isn't an option, because if I stop tracking I will surely gain weight, I always do. After my youngest was born in 2016, our diet slid a bit just due to being busy, not sleeping much, and getting too much takeout. With identical diets and portions, I gained 30 lbs in two years and my husband, maybe 5. It's like, come on!3 -
MomOnAMission76 wrote: »cheryldumais wrote: »I feel your pain. I don't believe you mentioned your age or height? I'm 62 and 5'5" tall and maintain on about 1400 calories a day. Having said that I am sedentary other than my daily walking and have a sick thyroid (but I take meds for it). Since your doc can't find anything wrong I would try very hard to log abosolutely everything. I take 4 evening primrose a day which since it is oil counts towards my calories. Sometimes I think we miss simple things like that. A bite here and there when cooking can add up too. Good luck and don't give up.
I will be 37 in a couple months and I'm 5'6". I have a desk job so that certainly doesn't help. I know exercise will help, but it's not going to be magic. I know giving up isn't an option, because if I stop tracking I will surely gain weight, I always do. After my youngest was born in 2016, our diet slid a bit just due to being busy, not sleeping much, and getting too much takeout. With identical diets and portions, I gained 30 lbs in two years and my husband, maybe 5. It's like, come on!
How much taller is your husband? Does he have a more active job? Does he move around more after work?
My OH and I use to split pizzas until the light bulb went off and I realized it made more sense for him to get 5/8 to my 3/8 because he is bigger than I am.9 -
kshama2001 wrote: »MomOnAMission76 wrote: »cheryldumais wrote: »I feel your pain. I don't believe you mentioned your age or height? I'm 62 and 5'5" tall and maintain on about 1400 calories a day. Having said that I am sedentary other than my daily walking and have a sick thyroid (but I take meds for it). Since your doc can't find anything wrong I would try very hard to log abosolutely everything. I take 4 evening primrose a day which since it is oil counts towards my calories. Sometimes I think we miss simple things like that. A bite here and there when cooking can add up too. Good luck and don't give up.
I will be 37 in a couple months and I'm 5'6". I have a desk job so that certainly doesn't help. I know exercise will help, but it's not going to be magic. I know giving up isn't an option, because if I stop tracking I will surely gain weight, I always do. After my youngest was born in 2016, our diet slid a bit just due to being busy, not sleeping much, and getting too much takeout. With identical diets and portions, I gained 30 lbs in two years and my husband, maybe 5. It's like, come on!
How much taller is your husband? Does he have a more active job? Does he move around more after work?
My OH and I use to split pizzas until the light bulb went off and I realized it made more sense for him to get 5/8 to my 3/8 because he is bigger than I am.
He's the same height actually and we both have desk jobs. He may move a bit more with meetings but still is sitting most of the day. I hope to some day be smaller or at least the same size as him.2 -
Something I just thought of and wanted to post here for insight...I've been measuring my proteins in cooked ounces. A 6 oz chicken breast would cook down to maybe 4 oz, so I've been entering 4 oz. Have I been doing this wrong all along?0
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MomOnAMission76 wrote: »Something I just thought of and wanted to post here for insight...I've been measuring my proteins in cooked ounces. A 6 oz chicken breast would cook down to maybe 4 oz, so I've been entering 4 oz. Have I been doing this wrong all along?
Are you choosing an entry for cooked chicken breast using the same cooking method you are using? If so, it's probably close enough. Although for better accuracy I weigh all my meat raw when possible.3 -
MomOnAMission76 wrote: »Something I just thought of and wanted to post here for insight...I've been measuring my proteins in cooked ounces. A 6 oz chicken breast would cook down to maybe 4 oz, so I've been entering 4 oz. Have I been doing this wrong all along?
Are you choosing an entry for cooked chicken breast using the same cooking method you are using? If so, it's probably close enough. Although for better accuracy I weigh all my meat raw when possible.
No I am choosing the entry for the brand of chicken I use, which doesn't specify.0 -
MomOnAMission76 wrote: »MomOnAMission76 wrote: »Something I just thought of and wanted to post here for insight...I've been measuring my proteins in cooked ounces. A 6 oz chicken breast would cook down to maybe 4 oz, so I've been entering 4 oz. Have I been doing this wrong all along?
Are you choosing an entry for cooked chicken breast using the same cooking method you are using? If so, it's probably close enough. Although for better accuracy I weigh all my meat raw when possible.
No I am choosing the entry for the brand of chicken I use, which doesn't specify.
It’s almost certainly for raw product if it’s not specified as your could cook it any number of ways and end up with different calories (deep frying v poaching v covering in breadcrumbs).
To give you an idea on the unreliability of green ticks take a look at these amounts
Then for instance an egg is 70cal, 10gm butter 70cal so two fried eggs in 10gm butter would be 210cal
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MomOnAMission76 wrote: »Something I just thought of and wanted to post here for insight...I've been measuring my proteins in cooked ounces. A 6 oz chicken breast would cook down to maybe 4 oz, so I've been entering 4 oz. Have I been doing this wrong all along?
If you prefer to weigh cooked, you need to find an entry that specifies cooked. The usda usually publishes info in cooked weight, like "chicken, white meat, roasted". You can look for entries like that. The info on packages is for raw or dry, unless it specifically states "as prepared" or something like that.1 -
Noreenmarie1234 wrote: »MomOnAMission76 wrote: »cheryldumais wrote: »I feel your pain. I don't believe you mentioned your age or height? I'm 62 and 5'5" tall and maintain on about 1400 calories a day. Having said that I am sedentary other than my daily walking and have a sick thyroid (but I take meds for it). Since your doc can't find anything wrong I would try very hard to log abosolutely everything. I take 4 evening primrose a day which since it is oil counts towards my calories. Sometimes I think we miss simple things like that. A bite here and there when cooking can add up too. Good luck and don't give up.
I will be 37 in a couple months and I'm 5'6". I have a desk job so that certainly doesn't help. I know exercise will help, but it's not going to be magic. I know giving up isn't an option, because if I stop tracking I will surely gain weight, I always do. After my youngest was born in 2016, our diet slid a bit just due to being busy, not sleeping much, and getting too much takeout. With identical diets and portions, I gained 30 lbs in two years and my husband, maybe 5. It's like, come on!
Is no one concerned OP is 115 at 5'6 and trying to lose weight?!
I think she wants to lose 1150 -
MomOnAMission76 wrote: »Something I just thought of and wanted to post here for insight...I've been measuring my proteins in cooked ounces. A 6 oz chicken breast would cook down to maybe 4 oz, so I've been entering 4 oz. Have I been doing this wrong all along?
If you prefer to weigh cooked, you need to find an entry that specifies cooked. The usda usually publishes info in cooked weight, like "chicken, white meat, roasted". You can look for entries like that. The info on packages is for raw or dry, unless it specifically states "as prepared" or something like that.
Agreed.
Additionally, your 4 oz cooked chicken will have more calories than 4 oz of raw chicken, therefor if you have been weighing it cooked and logging it as raw (I know it doesn't specify, but as said above, it is generally raw unless specified), then you have been under estimating that chicken by about 75 calories per 4 oz, depending on preparation method.0 -
It definitely says ‘looking to lose 115lb’0
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I need to lose 115, no need to worry.
Back to the chicken, I am not adding calories in cooking so all good there. I add garlic powder and pepper and bake on a sheet pan. But I will have to be sure I'm not underestimating the oz considering the whole raw vs cooked option.1 -
MomOnAMission76 wrote: »I need to lose 115, no need to worry.
Back to the chicken, I am not adding calories in cooking so all good there. I add garlic powder and pepper and bake on a sheet pan. But I will have to be sure I'm not underestimating the oz considering the whole raw vs cooked option.
Yeah measure raw and then cook - I tend to buy big packs, divide it and measure as I divvy it up into smaller freezer bags all of roughly the same weight to save time when cooking later on.
Also as another thought I’ve discovered that the place I order from does ‘minimum’ weights rather than actual - so for instance the packs of steak I get are 2 steaks with recorded weight as min. 340gm - however each steak is closer to 200 than 160 previously I would just divide the 360 by 2). Which is about 70cal difference in one piece of meat.
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