Can anyone help

Jillian55190
Jillian55190 Posts: 8 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I have 2 questions:
I started a lifestyle change Aug 6. I have went from 247 to not 235. Feel great but why some days when I weigh does the scale go up 2 pounds? Not binging or modifying diet. I've been strict with myself. I was losing 1.5 pounds per week and now no weight loss in 9 days. Upsetting.

Second question: what is all this about basal metabolic rate? Can I just continue on 1200 calorie diet and walking 6 miles per day or is there this rule that your body needs more than 1200 calories at my weight just to function??

Replies

  • seska422
    seska422 Posts: 3,217 Member
    edited October 2021
    1. Weight loss isn't linear. The scale measures more than just fat. People (especially women) have a varying amount of water each day. You want to look at your long-term weight trend, over several months. If your weight goes down over time, you are doing the right things to lose fat. Each day's weight is just a data point and not meaningful by itself.

    Here's a chart of my weight when I was at or below my target calories every day. I knew that I was doing what I needed to do so I wasn't worried when the scale weight went up and down. I knew that it would show an overall loss eventually.

    khs7hv07enyg.jpg

    2. When we eat fewer calories than our body uses, that's when fat loss occurs. The body stores fat to be used in times of famine and eating less than TDEE (which is a combo of BMR and movement/exercise) means that the body dips into those fat stores for extra energy to make up the difference. BMR just gives you an idea of what your body uses on days when you don't exercise. 1200 calories is fine as long as you are getting your nutrients and have enough energy.
  • Jillian55190
    Jillian55190 Posts: 8 Member
    Thanks for the help. So if I walk 6 miles do I need to eat more to stay above 1200 calories. Also I am 5'2.
  • seska422
    seska422 Posts: 3,217 Member
    Let me tell you how I did it: I experimented to find a calorie intake amount that satisfied me, met my nutritional goals, and provided weight loss over time.

    Weight loss is a marathon, not a sprint. Slow and steady wins the race. You don't want to be overly hungry. If you are, experiment with what you are eating and how much to find a satiation point that still leaves you with a deficit.

    MFP is designed to have a base amount of calories and then add more for exercise. I didn't like changing my calorie goal every day so I experimented to find a calorie goal that worked for me. I ate 1350 total for most of my weight loss but I didn't exercise much.

    Make changes that you'd be happy to keep doing even after you lose weight. Maintenance is just like weight loss with a few more calories in your goal, and not really that many more calories at that.

    Concentrate on the process, rather than what the scale says from day-to-day.

    As for 1200 calories and walking 6 miles per day: Some recommend eating back all of your exercise calories, some recommend half, and some recommend not eating them back. I recommend you start at eating back about half and adjust over time to find a sweet spot that gives you some weight loss (but not too fast) and enough energy to do the exercise and go about your day.

    A general rule of thumb is that people burn about 100 calories per mile walked. Through experimentation, I found that I burn closer to 70 calories per mile.
  • Jillian55190
    Jillian55190 Posts: 8 Member
    I am having to convert steps to distance. I do a lot of fast walking throughout my work day. This app no longer works with my Samsung gear 3 watch to pull that data in.
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 34,620 Member
    On the question of scale fluctuations specifically, this is a really good read, if you haven't already run across it:

    https://physiqonomics.com/the-weird-and-highly-annoying-world-of-scale-weight-and-fluctuations

    Highly recommended.
  • Jillian55190
    Jillian55190 Posts: 8 Member
    Maybe that is the problem!!!! I didn't even think of that
  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,809 Member
    Jillian55190 wrote: »
    Maybe that is the problem!!!! I didn't even think of that

    Two options:

    Set yourself to a high activity setting which should bump up your base calories.

    Estimate and log the miles walked as exercise - here's a good calculator and you want to use the net calorie estimate https://exrx.net/Calculators/WalkRunMETs which will mean your daily calories vary in line with your walking (just like it would do if your Samsung watch was successfully syncing here).
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 28,052 Member
    Jillian55190 wrote: »
    I am having to convert steps to distance. I do a lot of fast walking throughout my work day. This app no longer works with my Samsung gear 3 watch to pull that data in.

    My pedometer does not link to MFP. I know how many steps are in my miles, and I know I do a 20 minutes mile, so if I've walked 2 miles (or the equivalent amount of steps) I use the entry "Walking, 3.0 mph, mod. pace" and put in 40 minutes.

    I bet if my cheap "dumb" pedometer has the option for miles in addition to steps, your tracker will too, which will save a step in the calculation.

    I start logging after the first mile. I've seen a wide variety of how many steps = sedentary, and that 1 mile's worth works for me.
  • xrj22
    xrj22 Posts: 218 Member
    So, basically, if you have been dieting for around 8 weeks, and lost 12 lbs (1.5 lbs per week), and you feel great. I would say just keep doing what you are doing. It works for you. That is quite a reasonable rate of loss. Don't worry about a few bad days, or one week going up if you are truly doing the same thing. Sometimes things like sore muscles, lack of sleep, eating more salt, getting your period, etc. can make you retain more water temporarily. Sometimes you never identify a reason, there is some fluctuation and the trend continues. However, if you weigh 200 + and you are loosing 1.5 lbs per week, you are probably eating more than 1200 calories per day. You might want to look at your portion sizes, truth in reporting, etc. That being said, you ARE loosing 1.5 lbs per week, so basically you are eating the right amount for weight loss, and you should keep doing whatever you are doing.
  • Jillian55190
    Jillian55190 Posts: 8 Member
    Yes I am staying under 1200 calories religiously. Some on here are saying if you don't eat enough, your body will hang onto weight and I think that is what is happening to me. But even though I have reached a plateau after initial weight loss, I have lost 2 inches in my waist.
  • Jillian55190
    Jillian55190 Posts: 8 Member
    Well I've read that consuming too few calories and high exercise can slow metabolism. But what you saiddoes make sense. Everyone has such different opinions.
  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,809 Member
    Jillian55190 wrote: »
    Yes I am staying under 1200 calories religiously.

    Your goal is 1200 + exercise calories.
  • nooshi713
    nooshi713 Posts: 4,877 Member
    AnnPT77 wrote: »
    Jillian55190 wrote: »
    Yes I am staying under 1200 calories religiously. Some on here are saying if you don't eat enough, your body will hang onto weight and I think that is what is happening to me. But even though I have reached a plateau after initial weight loss, I have lost 2 inches in my waist.

    The "some on here" who are saying that are incorrect. (Think about it: If human bodies hung onto weight as the people ate less, no one would ever starve to death. Sadly, many people do so daily, worldwide, and they aren't fat when it happens.)

    What can happen is that if one eats too little, fatigue sets in, reducing our spontaneous movement thus our energy expenditure; various body processes can subtly slow (slowed hair growth that may show up as hair thinning a few weeks later, slightly reduced body temperature so feeling cold more often, etc.). In addition, stress hormones can cause gradual increases in water retention, masking ongoing fat loss on the scale. Under those circumstances, one might lose more slowly than expected, especially as measured by scale weight, but *fat* loss doesn't *stop* because of low calorie intake.

    The larger problem is that too-low calories increase health risks, things like chance of gallbladder problems, reduced immune system function, etc. In extreme, though fortunately rare cases, major health crises can ensue, as for this woman:

    https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10761904/under-1200-for-weight-loss/p1

    Nine days is not a plateau. There may be a scale stall, but that's very common during weight loss, and probably more common during aggressive weight loss (that stress hormone thing). A few women not yet in menopause only see a new low weight on the scale once a month, at a particular point in their monthly cycle, with the rest of the time being confusing ups and downs due to water weight fluctuations. Bodies are weird.

    Co- sign all of this.
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 28,052 Member
    Jillian55190 wrote: »
    Yes I am staying under 1200 calories religiously. Some on here are saying if you don't eat enough, your body will hang onto weight and I think that is what is happening to me. But even though I have reached a plateau after initial weight loss, I have lost 2 inches in my waist.

    Your body can hang on to *water* for various reasons, but your goal is *fat* loss.

    Undereating is stressful to the body, which can raise your cortisol levels, leading to water retention.

    If you are eating under 1200 calories, especially if you are not eating back your exercise calories, you are definitely undereating.
  • Jillian55190
    Jillian55190 Posts: 8 Member
    Your post felt insulting and not helpful. I am back to losing again, it is like my body took 9 days off. Please don't post on here unless it is helpful.
  • glassyo
    glassyo Posts: 7,759 Member
    Sooooooo many responses, so little time. :)
  • TX_Bluebonnet
    TX_Bluebonnet Posts: 244 Member
    heybales wrote: »
    Jillian55190 wrote: »
    Yes I am staying under 1200 calories religiously. Some on here are saying if you don't eat enough, your body will hang onto weight and I think that is what is happening to me. But even though I have reached a plateau after initial weight loss, I have lost 2 inches in my waist.

    So you are willing to miss your eating goal by how much, what %?

    Are you willing to miss your goal weight by say the same % and call it close enough?

    A goal is something you usually try to reach, right, if not even go above and beyond.
    Not miss. (never mind the fact you have misunderstood how the goal works in this case)

    Yes, reread Ann's points as to the effects you can look forward to if you keep this up.
    You have classic symptom of water weight gain due to increased stress - terrible state for body to be in - that will backfire eventually.

    Add to it likely joining the 80% that either fail to reach or fail to maintain goal weight for over 6 months.
    Due to exactly those same effects on the body.

    Despite the fact so many people appear to enjoy attempting weight loss, based on the fact they restart doing it every year, really ask if you want to join that group.
    Yes, you get great deals on gym memberships in Jan - but still...

    The bolded is something I would have never known anyone on MFP thought this way until I read this. Very disheartening.
  • age_is_just_a_number
    age_is_just_a_number Posts: 631 Member
    Weight fluctuations are normal. What matters is the overall trend.
    https://physiqonomics.com/the-weird-and-highly-annoying-world-of-scale-weight-and-fluctuations/
  • MargaretYakoda
    MargaretYakoda Posts: 2,997 Member
    Jillian55190 wrote: »
    Yes I am staying under 1200 calories religiously. Some on here are saying if you don't eat enough, your body will hang onto weight and I think that is what is happening to me. But even though I have reached a plateau after initial weight loss, I have lost 2 inches in my waist.

    I suspect that 1200 is too low for you.
    I am losing weight at about 1 1/2 pounds a week, and am extremely sedentary because of disability. And I am eating more than you.

    You have gotten great advice from other people here. I hope you can take their words to heart.

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