Am I on the right track? Overeating or Undereating?

chrisgallant65

Hello! I've got that age old question. I've lost weight before (about 90 pounds in 2014-2015) but having some troubles 6 weeks in this time. Just looking for some input on if I'm just impatient or if I should change something.

I'm a big boy - about 290lbs and 6 feet tall / 39 years old. From the calculators I've seen, I should be taking in about 2350-2400 calories for good weight loss. I have trouble getting up that high without getting carried away on fats, but can get to 2100-2200 now (started the first couple weeks getting to 1950-2100). I don't usually go much over 80g fat, 25-30g fibre. Carbs are usually under 200g. Protein might be the big one here, but I take in 100-125g usually (I struggle with this one as I'm on one income/family of three and meat is so expensive). I do get protein powder to get the protein up a bit.

I exercise once a day through the week, 4-5 days per week (pushups, dumbbells, then elliptical for 12 minutes, sweating a lot, slowing building up more time). I know I probably do have a bit more muscle coming on with the exercise, so maybe that's throwing off the scales a bit. I drink lots of water.

Should I still be eating more? Less? Or should that work? It's pretty disheartening seeing no change/half pound gain on the scales after 2 weeks. I get it's a long term outlook, but seeing SOME changes would help keep my head up.

I just need to know if I'm still heading in the right direction, as I'm sure you know, you start to doubt yourself!

Thanks in advance!

tomcustombuilder

No loss in 4-6 weeks at a certain calorie intake means your weekly intake is too high. You now know your actual maintenance calories and that is hugely important info. The calculator numbers are just suggestions.

westrich20940

Do you mean you have not lost weight in 6 weeks? Like, your weight has stayed the same?

I think the calculation you gave of the daily calorie goal of ~2400 is right on track with the data you've given at least.

Did you use a TDEE calculator or the guided set up in MFP?

I'd not think you've gained that much muscle mass if you're in a calorie deficit....but you may very well be retaining a lot of water that can screw with scale numbers. But if you've stayed the same over 6 weeks and you've consistently consumed ~2400 calories (and are tracking accurately).....I'd simply say that's probably really your true maintenance.

Whatever estimate you get from MFP or a TDEE calculator is just an estimate - so you can use the data you have (losing, staying the same, or gaining) to make whatever little adjustments you need to.

I'd keep in mind that the estimate of your BMR is ~2268/day so you really don't want to consume below that (NET). What you need to try to consider right now is if 2400 actually is your maintenance calories or not.

cmriverside

I would also say:

1. Fat doesn't make you fat unless your calories are too high. So don't worry about "too much" dietary fat. I'd say try to stick to unsaturated fats for the most part.

2. How accurate is your food logging? Are you logging everything you eat? Having "cheat" days or meals that you aren't logging or that you just guess as to calories? Lots of restaurant meals? Have you checked your logged foods to assure individual accuracy? This database on myfitnesspal has to be vetted carefully.

tomcustombuilder

In order to be accurate the first step is logging EVERY DAY CONSISTENTLY. This is why the weekly number is what you want to look at because daily numbers vary and then some people don’t log high days. Every day matters when you’re counting if you want to do it right

claireychn074

Just going to put some suggestions for cheap protein in, but with the caveat that I'm in the UK so prices could be off.

Greek yoghurt and cottage cheese can be high in protein and cheap: frozen white fish can also be cheap and tasty especially when cooked with a bit of garlic / herbs: milk can be another cheap source of protein for those who can digest it, and mixing your protein powder with Greek yoghurt and frozen fruit can be a great way to max out your protein intake without breaking the bank. Also worth noting that reduced fat cheddar is much higher in protein (but might not be that affordable), and a whole chicken in the UK is much better value than prepared chicken pieces (ie roast chicken one day, chicken stew for the next couple). It can be tough feeling a family on one income, so good luck!

chrisgallant65

Thanks for the tips. I do log accurately as possible, but I'll likely get a food scale just in case to be 100%. No restaurants, etc. Will monitor my sodium levels more closely too as retaining water may be an issue. The initial two weeks were quick losses, but since it's been +/- half a pound with no big changes made on intake. I will likely try going down a bit more.

chrisgallant65

claireychn074 wrote: »

Just going to put some suggestions for cheap protein in, but with the caveat that I'm in the UK so prices could be off.

Greek yoghurt and cottage cheese can be high in protein and cheap: frozen white fish can also be cheap and tasty especially when cooked with a bit of garlic / herbs: milk can be another cheap source of protein for those who can digest it, and mixing your protein powder with Greek yoghurt and frozen fruit can be a great way to max out your protein intake without breaking the bank. Also worth noting that reduced fat cheddar is much higher in protein (but might not be that affordable), and a whole chicken in the UK is much better value than prepared chicken pieces (ie roast chicken one day, chicken stew for the next couple). It can be tough feeling a family on one income, so good luck!

Protein powder with greek yogurt is a great idea, haha! I struggle with GY because of the bland taste, but have been mixing in quick oats and berries, no TOO bad, but still rough going. Thanks!

tomcustombuilder

chrisgallant65 wrote: »

Thanks for the tips. I do log accurately as possible, but I'll likely get a food scale just in case to be 100%. No restaurants, etc. Will monitor my sodium levels more closely too as retaining water may be an issue. The initial two weeks were quick losses, but since it's been +/- half a pound with no big changes made on intake. I will likely try going down a bit more.

scale is a 100% must

AnnPT77

chrisgallant65 wrote: »

Thanks for the tips. I do log accurately as possible, but I'll likely get a food scale just in case to be 100%. No restaurants, etc. Will monitor my sodium levels more closely too as retaining water may be an issue. The initial two weeks were quick losses, but since it's been +/- half a pound with no big changes made on intake. I will likely try going down a bit more.

One common pattern is a quick drop in the first week or two that's partly fat loss, partly reduced water retention, partly lowered average amount of food residue in the digestive tract on its way to the exit. After that, water retention may rebalance, masking continuing gradual fat loss on the body weight scale. That pattern can make the person think they're in a fat-loss stall or plateau when they're actually not.

If the exercise is new (or increased in frequency, duration, intensity or types), that will tend to add water retention, too, for muscle repair.

If any of that's happening for you, the answer is patience. It takes at least 4-6 weeks on a given new eating/activity routine to get enough personal data to make rational decisions (whole menstrual cycles for women who have those). Even then, if the first couple weeks differ wildly from what follows, it may make sense to ignore those first weeks and continue for another couple of weeks before adjusting.

Believe me, I know that's frustrating.

I'd say your protein is lower than ideal for your size, especially if you how for muscle or strength maintenance/gain. (My protein minimum is 100g daily, which is around 1g per pound of estimated lean mass, 0.8g per pound of healthy goal weight - I'm an average height, healthy weight, active li'l ol' lady). Pursuing affordable sources to increase protein could be helpful. It's also fine to eat more than fat goal. Under-eating calories is usually counterproductive.

Others are right, you could have lower than average calorie needs - less than the calculators estimate. I admit mine is higher than average, but I maintain at around 2100-2200 as a 69 y/o female who's 5'5" and around 135 pounds. That's quite a demographic gap between us.

I'd say stay the course for another 2-4 weeks: Decent chance the scale is being a lying liar that lies about fat loss, which they definitely can do sometimes, IME.

Oh, yeah: Do get a food scale. They're not just more accurate than cups/spoons (let alone eyeballing), but they're quicker and easier than cups/spoons once you learn a few usage tricks. They're also pretty affordable.

Best wishes for success!