Need advice on calorie counting and goals
Hey all! I’m at 154 trying to get down to 135. I’ve been targeting 1200-1300 calories per day based on an online calculator. However it’s not showing much movement. It’s up and down the same 1-2 lbs every week. I have been a lot more active the last month, probably also since I’ve been counting calories. Attached is my Fitbit activity for the last few weeks. Is it possible I’m eating too little? I feel like I’m dreaming that’s it but I’m new to this and just trying to figure it out. Im 6 months postpartum with my 5th and it has never been so difficult to get the weight off.
Inside the calories I do eat, I am working on increasing proteins and vegetables, less carbs, and sugar. Sugar is my bane so it needs improvement still but I know it is 100x better than even 2 months ago.
can someone give me some tips or ideas? Thank you.
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I tried to look at your food diary, but it is set at private, so I couldn’t see any details.
My guess is either:
- you are not recording your food intake accurately and you are actually eating more than you think you are
- You are eating too little and your body has slowed down your metabolism as a result.
I’ve had 4 children and definitely found that it took longer after each pregnancy to get down to my pre-pregnancy weight .
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those gizmos like Fitbit and others is a good way to overestimate how many calories you're actually burning.
The actual proof is after 4 to 6 weeks at a calorie amount if you're not losing, you're not in a weekly calorie deficit. You may think you're taking a a certain amount of calories however Your body doesn't lie and if no losses, it means no deficit. You say how many calories you're eating, you may be undercounting or possibly you're not logging every day and only the days where you're eating on the lower end0 -
I am at 147-148 and I try to eat 1200 calories or sometimes lower and I walk 15-20K steps a day and try to burn 2300 calories a day and I sometimes hit plateaus of several weeks.
It could be you aren't weighing/measuring accurately or that the food you are tracking is actually higher calories than you think. Calorie counting is unfortunately not an exact science. Manufacturers are not always honest about the calories listed on the packaging. And things like sodium can affect water retention as can food waste in the system which can cause you to at least temporarily hold weight.
It can be very frustrating.
To get the best results, try to go as low carb (carbs tend to hold water in processing) and low salt as you can, to limit those fluctuations.
You might try going to 800 calories for a few days to see if that helps. If you are under counting calories taken in, and your fitbit or other tracker is over estimating calories burned, which it is often claimed they do, then you could be eating 1500 to 1800 calories and are actually at maintenance. Going a little lower for a while can give you some insight to that. I wouldn't go higher.
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Please don't give unhealthy diet advice. That you are potentially doing something rather unhealthy, eating 1200 calories or even less and walking a massive amount of steps on that is one thing (doesn't sound like a good idea), but please don't tell other people to do the same.
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you don't know that she is eating 1200 calories a day. She may not be. Counting is notoriously inaccurate. She may need to drop a couple of hundred calories. People take fasting days all the time on this website. Dropping a couple of hundred calories is hardly going to make her unhealthy - it hasn't made me unhealthy. And if she finds it isn't enough to satisfy her, she can add more calories. obviously if she has been eating 1200-1300 calories, by her estimate, a day and not lost anything, there's probably a counting/weighing measuring error in there somewhere.
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If your Fitbit is correct, and you're burning 2200+ calories daily; and your logging is correct, and you're actually averaging 1200-1300 gross calories eaten daily, you'd expect to lose about two pounds a week . . . on average over 4-6 weeks, or at least one full menstrual cycle if you have those. Shorter time periods, it may not show up yet.
The important issue is that both Fitbit and logging are estimates, not realities. I'm not dissing either one, especially not logging, when I say that.
No matter how meticulous we are about logging every single bite, lick, taste, beverage, condiment, cooking oil, etc., weighing every single thing on a food scale, never using other people's recipe-type entries in MFP but inputting every ingredient individually after checking labels against the MFP data, no unlogged cheat days/cheat meals/oopsie eating . . . it's still approximate. One apple is sweeter than the next. One piece of meat sheds more fat in the broiling than another. Labels in the US are allowed to be off by 20%. And more.
Fitbit or any other tracker basically uses fancy algorithms to produce calorie estimates based on research, but at heart it uses assumptions that the user is statistically average for their demographic.
Not everyone is average. Most people are close, but some can be surprisingly far off average, and the tracker's estimate will be further from reality for them. (That 4-6 week or one cycle trial period sheds light on that, too.) I'm one of the non-average weirdos. My good brand/model tracker - one that others here say is reasonably close for them - is off by 500 or so calories daily for me, compared to nearly 10 years of logging and successful weight management experience. That's rare, but it can happen.
So, the logging is an estimate, and Fitbit is an estimate.
That's OK, workable estimates are close enough. But it's good to be as self-honest and accurate in logging as practical, short of reaching mental-health-threatening obsession.
Are you eating too little? That's complicated. Generally, under-eating won't result in ultra-slow weight loss. If we consume less fuel than we burn, our body has to make up the difference somehow, and most of that "somehow" is by burning stored body fat.
But under-eating can result in slower-than-expected weight loss. That's because another part of the "somehow" is that our bodies have been programmed by millennia of human history that have included lots of famines: Our bodies down-regulate some calorie-burning things if they think we're in a famine.
A diet - especially an extreme one - feels like a famine to the body. Maybe we move less, possibly in subtle ways, because of fatigue. Core body temperature can drop, so we feel cold a lot. Immune system can down-regulate, meaning we'll get sick more easily. Hair and nail growth slow, and hair may break/fall out a few weeks down the road. If that starts to sound bad, it should . . . and there's worse.
Also, you mention being 6 months post partum. Are you nursing? If so, a big calorie deficit can endanger milk supply, too.
If I had 19 pounds to lose, and goal was 135, I wouldn't be trying to lose 2 pounds a week, personally. That's not because weight loss wouldn't happen at all, but because that's a high health risk strategy, and does increase the chances it'll be too hard to stick with consistently for long enough to lose the whole 19 pounds.
A common rule of thumb around here is to keep weight loss in the range of 0.5-1% of current weight per week, with a bias toward the 0.5% unless severely obese and under close medical supervision for deficiencies or medical complications. I don't know how tall you are, but if 135 is a good weight for you, high odds 154 isn't severely obese. Half a percent of your current weight would be around 3/4 of a pound per week. A pound a week would probably be OK even.
Coincidentally, I joined MFP at around the mid-150s pounds, and now weigh in the lower 130s. (I'm 5'5", as context.) I started at 1200 plus all exercise calories (so more like 1400-1500 most days), because that's what MFP thought I needed to lose at a sensible pace (because I'm old and sedentary excluding exercise - 59 then, 69 now, retired). I felt fine at first, energetic, not hungry . . . then suddenly hit a wall. I was weak and fatigued. Though I started eating more as soon as I realized I was under-eating, it took multiple weeks to recover normal energy and strength. No one needs that, perhaps especially not a busy mother a few months post-partum.
Don't worry, I do see that your concern is that you're not losing fast enough. You gave us data back to March 30. Have you been logging longer? If so, how long? Has your current activity level - steps plus any other daily life activity plus any intentional exercise - increased recently?
Realistically, it takes at least 4-6 weeks on a consistent eating/activity regimen to get enough experience data to average and guesstimate actual fat loss rate. Shorter than that - especially with changes in what a person eats, when they eat it, exercise and other activity - water weight fluctuations and digestive waste still in the body will distort scale results.
If you have menstrual cycles, it's better to compare body weight at the same relative point in at least two different cycles, because hormonal water retentions shifts can be quite extreme for some women. Though it's not the most common pattern, some women report only seeing a new low weight once a month, at a particular point in their cycle. If you've calorie-counted before, the hormonal patterns can change over time, and of course can be different for a while post-partum.
My advice: If you've had a shorter time horizon, then go longer and see what happens. Don't do some crazy calorie cut until you have that minimum 4-6 weeks/one cycle track record to go on to estimate your actual calorie needs.
If it's already been longer, look at that average over many weeks, not the daily ups and downs. If you need us to tell you how to use calorie logs and weight loss results to personalize your calorie goal, post back and say so - I'll reply.
Meanwhile, if there's anything that can be tightened up in your logging, and you can do that without getting over-obsessed, do so. If you'd like old hands here to look at your diary and see whether there are any things they've learned from experience that might help you, make your diary MFP-public and post here that you've done so. People are generally nice, wanting to help, not jerks, when reviewing diaries.
You can work your way through this and reach a solid solution, IME. It may take a little patient persistence, but it's worth the effort.
Apologies for the stupid-long essay. I'm like that. 😬🤷♀️ I'd like to see you succeed, sincerely - it's worth the effort, IME.
Best wishes!
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@patriciafoley1
You have given some compelling explanations in the past about why and what you are doing / attempting to do. Including the fact that it took a while for your blood sugar numbers to respond leading for you to continue on your VLCD path.
Even though for many valid reasons VLCDs have not, traditionally, been supported and endorsed on MFP forums (talking about them remains against the MFP terms of service as far as I know), the fact that you gave the explanations about what you're doing has led to many people not pointing out to you that a lot of the symptoms you're observing in terms of how your weight is reacting are a direct corollary of what you do. One that modified approaches may have avoided for example.
Personally I really hope you find success, not only now but in the future. But in a world where we have far fewer success stories than attempts your path has more risks than most.Success, to me, is defined not only as to today but as the end result 5 to 10 years later. If memory serves you are older than myself but still, I think and hope, a 10 year time horizon is worth aiming for!
Your transition from current weight loss to maintenance. The way you will handle the exercise level you are implicitly relying on in the presence of additional years and potential injuries all these have to take place.
In more situations than not, encouraging people who intake few calories to intake fewer doesn't work well. What other issues or impediments may co-exist may be a better thing to explore.In any case, I would be really hesitant to suggest to a six month post-partum mother of five children that eating less than 1200 Calories is appropriate.
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No, but you don't know either. Hence you should not advice to drop calories. Tightening up logging and getting a better idea on what one actual daily calories needs are is the way to go, and not something potentially unhealthy.
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You are both correct although in different ways. If someone WAS to get more accurate with counting due to no progress then calories need to go a bit lower. The body doesn't know numbers, it only knows if it's being given energy to either lose mass, gain mass or maintain mass.
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My first thought was "you need to eat"
Then I re-read your post and saw "is it possible I'm eating too little? "
Apparently you think you need to eat, too.
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She asked if she should eat less or more. My tendency, if I am not losing weight, is that there's too many calories going in. This isn't rocket science. The OP is a grown woman, and no one is locking her in a barrel and feeding her through a bunghole. She asked for opinions, (one of her options being fewer calories), and I answered. She can try it or not.
There's no difference between dropping a hundred or two calories and fasting one day a week. I am not the fasting type, but it is often recommended. There are people that take weight loss drugs, that have potentially dangerous side effects, or have bariatric surgery. They post on MFP all the time. Do you judge them? I don't. We are all (or mostly) adults here, and we can make up our own minds.
So please shelve the virtue signalling.I was at a plateau a month, and I kick started my weight loss again by dropping a couple hundred calories for a few weeks. It did the trick. Now that I've gotten back a normal BS, and almost a normal weight (2 pounds left to go) , I've gone back up a couple of hundred. The OP can try it or not. It isn't the end of the world.
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Well, only because some days I just feel ravenous in the evening. I try to fast from 8 ish to 10 ish daily. That seems to go well and I’m satisfied with my meals and feel full until after dinner. After reading here I need to be stronger about keeping with it. Yes I’ve only been tracking since mid March. A few days a week I have not tracked because it’s just another thing I have to do. 5 younger kids is busy but that’s still no excuse. If I have time to scroll reels and zone I can do this. (Pep talk)
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What a helpful reply! Thank you for your time! I do agree, 1 lb a week is fine with me. I have just gotten frustrated with the yoyo effect. I have only been tracking here since mid March and unfortunately have missed somedays so I guess that’s not surprising. I need to commit more to tracking. I think part of it is sugar. While B my calories are lower there’s a good portion of unhealthy carbs sugar that I need help with trying to not crave. I am better than I was, but come night time I either feel very hungry or crave sugar… at least a few times a week.
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Night time cravings can also be fatigue related. I hate to say this because I know it may be unrealistic for a mom of 5, but if sleep quality or quantity can be improved, that could help. Ditto for stress reduction or improved stress management/mitigation techniques, since stress is fatiguing.
If you think about it, by evening we're the most distant from our previous sleep. Our bodies are becoming fatigued. Fatigue can make the body seek energy, and food is energy. Sugar is fast energy. Voilà, cravings, perhaps especially sugar cravings!
Everyone is individual, so what works for one person may not be the right strategy for others. With that in mind: One thing that helped me reduce evening cravings was getting a solid breakfast with plenty of protein, then protein through the day.
One thing that helped me reduce cravings for calorie-dense sweets like candy and baked goods was making it a point for a while to eat several servings of whole fruit every day. The fruit idea is of course not universal, but I've seen others here say it helped them, too, so it might be worth a try. For me, I started with minimum 3 fruit servings daily, and that one took maybe a couple of weeks of will power before the effect on cravings kicked in fully.
Another thing some people do here for evening cravings is to save up some calories for a planned evening snack.
Like I said, we're all individuals, and all that other people can do is give us experiments to maybe try. Trying things others suggest is fine; IMO feeling we must do things because others recommend them isn't necessarily equally great. Finding the right personalized tactics is a key success factor, IMO.
In that context, I'm personally not a fan of "be stronger" if "make an easier plan" is an option. There are always things in the popular culture that are trending for weight loss, with people thinking we must do them or we won't lose weight . . . but in most cases they're not essential if the main or sole goal is weight management, and often their contribution to success is minor at most, plus they can even detract from success if they make the process harder than it minimally needs to be.
I'm talking about things now like fasting, extreme carb restriction (unless required for a health condition), "eating clean" as an absolute, daily HIIT workouts, etc. - much hyped, seems like. If those make the process easier for an individual, I'll cheer them on. But if they make it harder, and weight loss is the main goal, I'd suggest the person drop them.
When it comes to getting off the yo-yo weight carnival ride, I think the big deal is thinking not so much "lose weight fast" but "find new, more positive, relatively easy, relatively pleasant, practical new eating and activity habits and make them our long-term daily routine". It's a completely different mindset.
The habits we follow day in and day out on most days are a power tool for long-term weight management. The rare day when we eat too much cake or work out for 5 hours are a drop in the ocean. What we do on most days on repeat, those humdrum habits, are the ocean.
Best wishes!
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Please don't worry about an ominous yoyo effect. Weight constantly fluctuates outside of bodyfat, and it's all related to water fluctuations in your body, waste in transit in your body, the clothes you wear when you step on the scale and the time of the day.
water weight: it constantly fluctuates due to menstrual cycle, eating a bit more less salt or carbs, starting or intensifying a workout, stress, a few hours in transit, etc.. it's normal, and it hides fat loss.food waste: Of course it has weight, and again it's not body fat. if you've had a poop before going to bed you might be lighter the next morning. If you are not quite so regular there's more weight in your intestines, again: it's not bodyfat.
clothes: of course everything you wear has a different weight. Naked, or always the same clothes are best here.
time of day: if you don't always step on the scale in the morning before any food or drinks, and after the loo the scale weight is more consistent. Drink 500ml of any fluid and you're 500g heavier. Have breakfast, or anything else to eat it's part of your weight and you appear heavier.
Thus lots of reasons why weight fluctuates, and depending on the reason this can be quite a substantial amount. Accept it happens, and try to ignore it. If you're really consistent with your diet and logging then fat will go away even if it's not always obvious on the scale. To give you some perspective: just a three hour flight usually adds 1kg for me. Longer bus, train or car rides also add up. The water weight drops again in a few days.0 -
I would be so stressed with 5 kids! If it were me, I'd meal plan with mfp and prelog meals around 1500 calories not worrying too much on being exact, but focusing more on healthy meals and nutrition and try not to stress about it. I saw a professional weight loss nurse 10 years ago and they told me 147 was a healthy weight for me. I was suprised as I am only 5'1.5 I've mostly focused on health and lifestyle rather than strict calorie counting and am 137 now.
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I forgot to mention, I'd do the above IF the babies are already weened. (I honestly think it's irresponsible to advise calorie counting while pregnant or breastfeeding unless Dr.'s orders)
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Yeah, I’m definitely stressed a lot. I know it won’t help. I’m trying to work on that also 😂 the 3, 3 and under particularly 🤪 my 6 and 7 yo are okay mostly.
I just used the meal planner for the first time about a week ago. It was really cool and I’m going to continue to work with it. I did not know you can pre log! That might help.
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