Am I just a whiny *B*?

SlimJanette

I suggest a HRM to calculate the calories burned properly. I think if you are exercising that much and only eating 1600 calories, maybe you are not eating enough.

3dogsrunning

I suggest a HRM to calculate the calories burned properly. I think if you are exercising that much and only eating 1600 calories, maybe you are not eating enough.

A HRM isn't going to be accurate for yoga.

_HeartsOnFire_

I think this will help...(for TDEE calculation)

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/654536-in-place-of-a-road-map-2-0-revised-7-2-12

egh1974

I think this will help...(for TDEE calculation)

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/654536-in-place-of-a-road-map-2-0-revised-7-2-12

Link doesn't work

MzManiak

Measure everything accurately with a scale and log it
Exercise (don't overestimate your burns)
Eat all your calories
Patience.

^This.
There is so much misinformation posted here already. Every one take a deep breath, and chill. 2 weeks is not a plateau. What you were doing was working very well for you. If you haven't changed anything, just keep at it.

ETA: 12 pounds in a month is awesome! Congrats! That's 3 pounds per week! Do you really expect more?

Bankman1989

Looking at your diary...my first glance was TOO MUCH SODIUM and too many calories. 1,800 is my maximum. I have recently lost 30 lbs by changing my approach. I dont eat back my calories. I limit my carbs. I bumped my protein up to over 200 grams a day.

You have a lot of empty calories and not enough fruits and veges. Instead of that sausage get a boiled egg.

egh1974

ETA: 12 pounds in a month is awesome! Congrats! That's 3 pounds per week! Do you really expect more?

The answer is yes - I'm a spoiled brat lol

jjwalker77

[/quote]

I need to get one of these for sure
[/quote]

DEFINITELY worth the money - and super motivating. I was logging my TurboFire workouts in as "Kickboxing" because that is what it is and it was estimating 700+ calories. Even on the long workouts (45-60 minutes) I burn 450-500. Over a week, that is 1000 extra calories that it was over estimating for me as "burned" - kwim?

Yoga is awesome flexibility training, but it doesn't burn near as many calories as MFP estimates, even if you're carrying some extra pounds.

I also am struggling with the scale. I have lost 5 inches off my waist over 3 months. My clothes aren't really a lot looser, but I feel awesome and am less jiggly everywhere from building all kinds of muscle. I have to think of this as not a linear goal - like "I want to lose 25 pounds by x date" but more like "I want to eat healthy, feel good, and love my body...FOREVER."

wilsoje74

What exercise are you doing to burn 750-1000 cals??? For me that is 1.5-2 hrs of continuous running 9-10 min/mile pace. I'm thinking you are overestimating exercise burns and eating too much of it back.

45 mins of elliptical and 60 mins yoga. MFP gives me the calories.

I would guess these are high estimates. I'd say 400 max for either of those.

qtgonewild

You need to be consistent with your logging. Even on the weekends. Or Especially on the weekends.

anlu37

I am going through the exact same issue. I measured and lost an inch in my calves and waist. It makes it easier when the scale is not moving.

_HeartsOnFire_

I think this will help...(for TDEE calculation)

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/654536-in-place-of-a-road-map-2-0-revised-7-2-12

Link doesn't work

DOH!

I think the site is having some issues right now. Maybe later search for in place of a road map

egh1974

You need to be consistent with your logging. Even on the weekends. Or Especially on the weekends.

:embarassed:

Yes, you're right.... [[[ walk of shame]]]

jaecamp1

I look at my total calories over the course of the week, instead of strickly per day. Some days for me are way over, some under. As long as it averages its all good I do notice a huge difference if I'm eating cleaner too. Plus you get more food that way so you can pretty much eat all day. Lol.

MFP does over estimate calories burned too, so I wouldn't trust their numbers. I don't eat back exercise calories either. I also do not log them. That way my goals and stuff look clean and I know exactly where I stand with my food.

You fan add me if you'd like. I started at a similar weight to you

_HeartsOnFire_

Try this link

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/974888-in-place-of-a-road-map-2k13

pcastagner

Overestimating calories burned.

I can guarantee you are not staying the same weight from eating to little.

Give yourself 450 for the elliptical, and 50 for the yoga. If you lose too fast or feel weak, then consider eating more.


And my two cents: skip the eliptical and start strength training. Once a week cardio is plenty on a calorie deficit.

emirror

Stop counting the yoga. MFP really over-estimates those calories. Track that you went by giving yourself, say 10 minutes in the log.

Go ahead and count your elliptical, but use the heart rate monitor on it to tell you what your calories are. I stay on until it says I have burned 300 calories according to the built-in monitor, and then log it as 30 minutes (MFP says that is 300 calories worth).

I also suggest cutting down on the sodium. I try to stay well below my suggested amount. Every once in a while I want some pickles, but I stay away from foods like that on a daily basis. Mrs. Dash makes some great, salt-free seasonings. Also, lemons can trick the tongue into thinking you've salted something. Instead of sprinkling salt on with a shaker, put the salt in your hand first and physically pinch out a bit at a time onto your food. Once you are used to not eating as much salt, you will become more sensitive to the taste of it. Since I have been low-sodium for a while now, it burns my tongue when there is a lot of salt in something. Anyway, it will help you with water weight, too.

Add more water. Just an extra glass or two. If I'm not getting up at least once in the night to go to the restroom, I know I am not drinking enough. Water is needed to help flush out the byproducts of the body using fat.

BigCed had a great idea of bumping up the protein. Try fish, it'll really keep you full.

If you want to eat back your calories, I would add in some heavy weight lifting to your routine. Fat doesn't need fat to maintain itself, it needs food (protein and carbohydrates). Muscle needs fat, protein, and carbohydrates to maintain itself. So, when you do exercise, and are eating at a calorie deficiency, you are making your body use up the food you have eaten that day, and then it starts using up fat. It uses carbs first, then protein, then fat. If you eat back calories used in cardio, this is going to decrease the amount of fat your body can use in the day (because it wants to use the food first). Now, if you build muscle too, the body uses food for the cardio, the weight lifting, and maintaining the muscle. Once it runs out of food, it starts burning fat. The more muscle you have, the more food and fat the body needs to maintain that muscle. So, adding more muscle is going to speed up the weight loss. Do keep in mind that while you will visually shrink when weight lifting, the scale will move more slowly (muscle has greater density per pound than fat; think of the size of a 1-pound block of lead vs. a 1-pound block of feathers - the feather block will be a lot larger, but both weigh the same).

mapnerd2005

I lose in spurts. My scale won't move for weeks, or even goes up (I weight daily, too), and then one morning I'll step on the scale and 3 pounds are gone. My weight reports look like a freakin' EKG printout, but as long as it's trending downward, I'm not worried.

wilsoje74

I think some of you are right though. I actually may not be eating enough, which is so hard for me to wrap my head around. I think for the next week I'll try the TDEE - 20% thing. I used this website to come up with that. Is this a pretty good one?

http://iifym.com/iifym-calculator/

I would not eat more. Some will disagree, but when you are inconsistent in logging I'm guessing you are eating more than you think, especially on weekends, and this is why your loss has stalled.

egh1974

My weight reports look like a freakin' EKG printout, but as long as it's trending downward, I'm not worried.

haaaaaaaahahahahahahaahah

egh1974

I think some of you are right though. I actually may not be eating enough, which is so hard for me to wrap my head around. I think for the next week I'll try the TDEE - 20% thing. I used this website to come up with that. Is this a pretty good one?

http://iifym.com/iifym-calculator/

I would not eat more. Some will disagree, but when you are inconsistent in logging I'm guessing you are eating more than you think, especially on weekends, and this is why your loss has stalled.

Probably right

MagicalLeopleurodon

It happens. Keep plugging away, it willget there. Also consider that your dietary needs change as you lose the weight. Every 10 lbs, recalculate your TDEE.

Unfortunately 6lbs a week isnt going to be every week....probably ever again. I dont even bother qith my scale anymore. At 125lbs, im smaller than i was at 115lbs. Measure

egh1974

Overestimating calories burned.

I can guarantee you are not staying the same weight from eating to little.

Give yourself 450 for the elliptical, and 50 for the yoga. If you lose too fast or feel weak, then consider eating more.


And my two cents: skip the eliptical and start strength training. Once a week cardio is plenty on a calorie deficit.

But I'm not eating exercise cals really. Just some. My average on exercise days is 1600. 12-1300 on non-exercise days. Agreed on the cardio. I guess I need to relearn the best way to start weight training...

pcastagner

Stop counting the yoga. MFP really over-estimates those calories. Track that you went by giving yourself, say 10 minutes in the log.

Go ahead and count your elliptical, but use the heart rate monitor on it to tell you what your calories are. I stay on until it says I have burned 300 calories according to the built-in monitor, and then log it as 30 minutes (MFP says that is 300 calories worth).

I also suggest cutting down on the sodium. I try to stay well below my suggested amount. Every once in a while I want some pickles, but I stay away from foods like that on a daily basis. Mrs. Dash makes some great, salt-free seasonings. Also, lemons can trick the tongue into thinking you've salted something. Instead of sprinkling salt on with a shaker, put the salt in your hand first and physically pinch out a bit at a time onto your food. Once you are used to not eating as much salt, you will become more sensitive to the taste of it. Since I have been low-sodium for a while now, it burns my tongue when there is a lot of salt in something. Anyway, it will help you with water weight, too.

Add more water. Just an extra glass or two. If I'm not getting up at least once in the night to go to the restroom, I know I am not drinking enough. Water is needed to help flush out the byproducts of the body using fat.

BigCed had a great idea of bumping up the protein. Try fish, it'll really keep you full.

If you want to eat back your calories, I would add in some heavy weight lifting to your routine. Fat doesn't need fat to maintain itself, it needs food (protein and carbohydrates). Muscle needs fat, protein, and carbohydrates to maintain itself. So, when you do exercise, and are eating at a calorie deficiency, you are making your body use up the food you have eaten that day, and then it starts using up fat. It uses carbs first, then protein, then fat. If you eat back calories used in cardio, this is going to decrease the amount of fat your body can use in the day (because it wants to use the food first). Now, if you build muscle too, the body uses food for the cardio, the weight lifting, and maintaining the muscle. Once it runs out of food, it starts burning fat. The more muscle you have, the more food and fat the body needs to maintain that muscle. So, adding more muscle is going to speed up the weight loss. Do keep in mind that while you will visually shrink when weight lifting, the scale will move more slowly (muscle has greater density per pound than fat; think of the size of a 1-pound block of lead vs. a 1-pound block of feathers - the feather block will be a lot larger, but both weigh the same).

lolwut?

walterm852

What exercise are you doing to burn 750-1000 cals??? For me that is 1.5-2 hrs of continuous running 9-10 min/mile pace. I'm thinking you are overestimating exercise burns and eating too much of it back.

I second this

emirror

lolwut?

Which part would you like clarification on?

Ang108

I think some of you are right though. I actually may not be eating enough, which is so hard for me to wrap my head around. I think for the next week I'll try the TDEE - 20% thing. I used this website to come up with that. Is this a pretty good one?

http://iifym.com/iifym-calculator/

I think you might eat enough calories, but not get enough nutrition, because you live of fast and processed food. I saw no vegetables to speak of and almost no fruit. If you replace at least part of your calories with healthy protein, good fat ( like avocados ) and vegetables you might not feel like you need more food. But even if you ingest more calories, it will be good for you to eat at least somewhat healthier.

McGuireTO

Often times people lose big in the first couple weeks then add on a few pounds - it's brand new muscle. Even if you're just walking, running, doing yoga, you're strengthening certain muscles and adding some new muscle mass. Don't be discouraged you have the proper formula.

Something I Find is that I will be stuck at the same weight for a few weeks, maybe even a month and a half, then rapidly drop 10lbs in the span of a week or so. I think sometimes our bodies just need to adjust to the new weight before it changes it's weight again.

steve2kay

I'm suspicious of the calculated calorie burn thing - quite a few online calculators including MFP rate 60 minutes of cycling at 600+ calories which just seems too high to me. My Heart rate monitor has it at 500 - 550 calories but I'm still suspicious.

If I'm eating to replace the calories I burnt then I think I'm in danger of over eating.

MsLindaH

It will happen. :-)