Frustrated... my own fault?

thrillho3

Hey gang.

I started in July at 214lbs. I'm 5'5" and 30 years old.

At first I was eating 1900 cal because MFP told me my TDEE was around 2400 and I was aiming for 1lb loss a week.

That worked pretty well until about a month in when I stalled around 208. I decreased my calorie intake to 1700 and got a FitBit. The FitBit told me I was burning around 2200 cal/day, at which point I switched down to 1600 cal/day, thinking that I might also be underestimating my calorie intake (I have little patience to weigh food--I'd rather just eyeball, log everything ASAP, and keep my Goal Calorie number 100-200 cal below on average, know what I mean?)

I ride my bike to and from work about 4 days/week (20 min each way about 400 cal total), and I play tennis on the weekends (30 min, burning about 350 cal). I sometimes eat back my exercise calories, sometimes not. My "bad" days are usually Friday/Sat, when I go to happy hour with coworkers or out to dinner with my fiancé. These days I might go over 500 cal, but it usually "balances out" on average from the past 7 days.

The problem is, I've been hovering between 207 and 209 for like over a month and it's getting to me. My measurements are also going up and down. My "weigh in" day is Wednesday, but I weighed myself on Tuesday (207) and today (208.7).... so...wtf?? :explode:

I have Hashimoto's, but my levels are good. Work has been stressful, but has calmed down in the last week.

Is there something I'm doing wrong? Should I just "exercise patience"? Eat more? Eat less? Weigh everything? Or, lift weights?

Any advice appreciated, thanks!

MzManiak

You should weigh your food and stop changing everything every week when you don't get instant results.

teamstanish

I think the best thing to do would to not weigh yourself so frequently. Decide on a plan calorie wise and stick to it for at least 3-4 weeks and then weigh yourself and check your measurements. If you find that after a month there is no change then change your calories around again.

On your question of weights, I would suggest adding them to your routine. They do wonders!

Greenrun99

I might also be underestimating my calorie intake (I have little patience to weigh food--I'd rather just eyeball, log everything ASAP, and keep my Goal Calorie number 100-200 cal below on average, know what I mean?)

Buy a scale cause eyeballing means your underestimating your food.. And I think you are definitely overestimating your exercise calories..

Buy a scale, eat 1700 for a month + and see what happens.

Cindyinpg

I might also be underestimating my calorie intake (I have little patience to weigh food--I'd rather just eyeball, log everything ASAP, and keep my Goal Calorie number 100-200 cal below on average, know what I mean?)

Buy a scale cause eyeballing means your underestimating your food.. And I think you are definitely overestimating your exercise calories..

Buy a scale, eat 1700 for a month + and see what happens.

I agree, give this a read: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/872212-you-re-probably-eating-more-than-you-think

hbrittingham

Also, if you are doing your TDEE with a deficit, you aren't supposed to eat back your exercise calories. If you are going to eat back your exercise calories, then you need to go with the calorie goal that MFP sets for you.

And weigh your food.

kr1stadee

Your HRM says you burn more so you eat less? Doesn't sound right.

You started at 1900 before you stalled (how long did you stall?), you dropped to 1700, than 1600 but actually consume 1400-1500 calories a day? You've been at this for 2 months, you shouldn't be changing things up so much!!

Buy a food scale, eat at 1700 calories a day for 6-8 weeks before deciding whether it works or not.

crazybookworm

Don't stress if something doesn't work over a course of a week. It takes time for the body to adjust so give it about 2 weeks instead of one.

Yes, you probably are underestimating your calories. To be really sure, measuring and weighing food will give you a more accurate understanding on your portion sizes. Doing that alone will probably help kick start your weight loss again!

Change up your exercise frequently. It sounds like you are pretty active, but it seems very routine. Bike and Tennis. Your body now knows what to expect and doesn't have to work as hard to burn calories. Try adding in something else throughout the week; Including strength training.

Good luck!

NeverCatchYourBreath

I don't think that 2200 is a high estimate if you do all the work you say you do at your weight and age.

I do suggest weighing at least MOST of your food intake.

I also recommend sticking to ONE PLAN for at least 4-6 weeks because 1 week is not long enough to see a change at all.

Practice Patience. You'll get there. Don't worry.

Also, take measurements, calculate your body fat and lift weights.

tasharock

I prefer to eyeball too, but weighing and measuring helps me sleep at night. And has helped me lose 80 lb. (started at 219)

lisajsund

What is your basal metabolic rate? Mine is around 1630 and I have my calorie goal is set to 1880. I'm also training for a 1/2 marathon. My goal at 1880 allows me to eat my exercise calories back. All based off BMR, which you can estimate using any online calculator.

SteveHunt113

Your weight will fluctuate based on many factors. Here are some:

* Weighing at different times of the day. I always weigh myself in the morning after using the rest room.
* The amount of food/liquid you consumed at your last meal.
* The time of your last meal.

This is not a complete list, but you get the idea. Eating food means you now weigh what you did before you ate, plus the weight of the food you just consumed. That food must be digested and processed by your body. Until it is burned as energy (heat) or disposed of (toilet), it's part of your overall weight. This will cause your weight to bounce around. Don't worry about the up's an downs ... EVERYONE sees this.

As for what you may be doing wrong, you won't know until you start to accurately measure your food. I thought I knew what I was doing until I started to measure. Low and behold, I'm a poor judge of weight and volume if I try to guess. I stopped guessing, started logging accurately, and started losing.

Also, I think you may be over estimating your caloric burn on your ride. That seems like a high number to me. Do you use a HRM to get an estimate of calories burned?

dibasketcase

All good advice--I'd add watch your sodium and make certain you are drinking your water as well. I've had water gain when I've thought I've done well--and when it gets flushed back out the results are there.

Hang in there...

BrendaLee

If you're not losing, you're overestimating your burn and/or underestimating your intake. Weigh and measure your food. Your exercise really isn't that intensive. If you're eating 1600 calories/day, you're probably eating enough to cover a short bike ride to and from work and a weekly 30-minute tennis match, especially with calorie overages on the weekend. I would suggest picking a number and sticking with it. 1600 sounds good. Try that for a few weeks. You can still have your higher-calorie day on the weekend, but you'll need to be consistent throughout the week.

Kamikazeflutterby

Since you're sure your thyroid levels are good the next thing I'd do is start weighing and measuring food. Even though that's not something you want to do forever please try it for a week or two. You'll probably be surprised at the difference between an "eyeballed" serving size and a weighed one. Once you know what 62 grams of your favorite food looks like your eyeballed portions will be more accurate than they were, and you can randomly double check your serving size on the scale. That made a huge difference for me.

littlebudgie

You have a few entries in your diary that say "homemade" in the name. I'm not sure if you created those entries or not, but if you didn't, the calorie count could be completely off, since whoever created the entry could have a completely different recipe than you do.

Fuzzystump

Wow, you have gotten many replies (some of them good) just in the past few minutes. I took a quick peek at your food intake and that is a weak area for you. Pretty much every day I saw "non-optimal" food for losing weight. You are making some decent choices most days but then you sabotage yourself with kit kats, ice coffee, fried foods, etc.

-Also, as others have said buy a small cheap food scale and start measuring/weighing everything you eat.

-You've made a good start with the activitiy level although I think your may be a little optimistic on the calories used.

jfrankic

I might also be underestimating my calorie intake (I have little patience to weigh food--I'd rather just eyeball, log everything ASAP, and keep my Goal Calorie number 100-200 cal below on average, know what I mean?)

Buy a scale cause eyeballing means your underestimating your food.. And I think you are definitely overestimating your exercise calories..

Buy a scale, eat 1700 for a month + and see what happens.

Agree. Just a thought..... Also, what kind of FitBit do you have? The Flex won't pick up on our daily bike ride, so it would be underestimating unless you manually add it in there. I burn around 2,600 per day according to my Flex and this is with no intentional cardio. I've been maintaining for months eating at Flex's TDEE. For me, it's been very accurate.

sarahrbraun

I will probably get flamed for this...but don't be so focused on the scale. I have been on my journey for 18 months, and have only lost 37 pounds. Only THREE of those pounds have been this YEAR.

I could be heartbroken that the scale isn't moving, but I am not. I eat an average of 2,000 calories a day. I lift 2-3x a week, and do cardio 2-3x a week ( no more than 5 gym days a week). Over the last 7 months, my body has changed. That is what matters to me. Would I like to get out of the obese range, and down to a few pounds into overweight? Heck yeah!


2/13, 4/13, 9/13 by crochetmom2010, on Flickr

ETA: it won't help your scale move, but DEFINITELY lift weights! Not only is there something that just feels empowering about lifting, but that is what shapes your body!

paulygi

I started in June at 335, was down to 295 by August. Weight was falling off almost effortlessly. Got stuck at 293 till this week (6 weeks of frustration). And finally after evaluating my intake I reallized that eating back calories lost from exercise really didn't work. I was letting myself snack too much and getting too complacent. So this weekend I said no more snack and stay under 1800 calories (eyeballing too). I feel the food scale is just a tad obsessive.

So the results this week so far are a loss of another 2.4 lbs.

Walking daily for 60 min and following a pushup, Situp and squats routine through runtastic apps. I started one at a time.

So don't get down on yourself, remember why you started, and your goals. KEEP GOING. Good luck and hope to see you in the success stories in the future.

kacarter1017

You should weigh your food and stop changing everything every week when you don't get instant results.

This. And add in weights. Consider bumping up exercise time in general as well.