ugh! Calories out vs. calories in, doesn't seem to work!

cmbx2mom

I've had my Fitbit flex for about 5 1/2 weeks now. I wanted to get a better perspective on what my daily caloric burn actually is, and in the process it has also made me move/walk more during the day. According to Fitbit my average caloric burn per day has been 2462. My average caloric intake has been 1891 (I have this info input into an excel spreadsheet). I weigh myself almost everyday and then average my weight per week. Based on all my values (calorie deficit/3500) I should be down 6.6 pounds by now. I try to log as accurately as possible (weighing/measuring food) but there are times I do have to guess. Assuming I am logging low 100 calories per day everyday I should still be down5.5 pounds. This morning my weight was 0.5 pounds lower then my starting weight, this week so far averaging about 1 pound down from starting weight. I do not eat "perfect". I allow myself chocolate and just celebrated my anniversary with cake. However I log all this in as best as possible. I tried to work on increasing my protein and decreasing my carbs, but with a busy schedule it doesn't always work out that way. I was *hoping* that still with a caloric deficit I would see some weight loss. I also measure my waist, hips etc and have seen NO loss. My clothes are not any looser. My stats: Female almost 39 years old 5'7" currently weigh 167 pounds. Since I have received my fitbit I have acheived 10,000 steps on all but 1 day. I exercise 4 times a week (I vary it up from lifting and running to intervals etc). Right now I'm trying to decrease calories to 1700 per day, focus on more "clean" foods and go back to focusing on running (how I lost weight in the past). Does this seem like the whole calories in vs. calories out thing independant of food choices doesn't work for me, or could my RMR/BMR be lower then what is figured by the calculators and I just need to lower my calories and see if that works? Of course I woudl like to eat cleaner, but my schedule can get so hectic that I don't always have time to prepare all my own meals. I don't need people scrutinizing every calorie I have put in my mouth, just trying to get some perspective if just tracking calories (independent of what they are) doesn't work for everyone....

BobcatGirl110

I am certainly no expert and in my process of learning I have read all the posts saying that it's "simple math" that you burn more calories than you eat; I too have found that I can not lose much just eating at a deficit. If I do not run I do not see much loss. I've been at this 7 months and I am starting to learn what works and doesn't work for me and it seems that the exercise is what matters to my body and not just a calorie deficit.

I'll be very interested to read what others say regarding "can this be done by calories out > calories in" since it doesn't seem to be quite that way for me as well and someone may teach us something about this

MzManiak

Do you input your exercises on Fitbit? Or do you let it calculate those for you as well? I found that the Fitbit gave me a really low number for weight lifting... and was really disappointed... but it's been pretty accurate since I'm maintaining my weight as I should be.

I would suggest trying to let Fitbit pick up on all of your burns by itself for a few weeks and see if your TDEE changes. (Maybe go ahead and eat at 1700 until you see what Fitbit says after the first week unless you feel hungry.) Remember that the Fitbit may not be 100% accurate. It takes a while to find your balance.

To answer your question, a caloric deficit IS all that is needed to lose weight... but if you don't eat enough protein, you can expect your muscles to retain more water as they heal from your workouts. Cake and chocolate are not evil. Most of my friends on here eat ice cream almost every day (myself included). It's the only thing that keeps us sane! lol

thepetiterunner

I can only speak from my experience, and I will say it works for me. BUT (and it's a big but), it's not even. Like if I eat at a deficit for 5 days, I don't automatically lose the equivalent weight on the scale (i.e. if I "should" have lost 0.5 lbs in that time, I don't necessarily see it right away and "on time"). There are too many other variables that affect weight fluctuations for me such as how hydrated I am, how my hormones are that day, what I ate, time of day, etc. Are you weighing yourself at the same time everyday/week, however often you're doing it? However, I'll be at a certain number on the scale for a couple/few weeks then all of a sudden one day my weight will drop dramatically, like 2 lbs in a day (that's a lot for me).

Also, are you strictly measuring things out? I found "eyeballing" versus getting measuring cups, etc, can make you overlook quite a few calories a day, so you may not be eating at as much of a deficit as you think.

Lizzy622

Stress can also make your body hold onto fat. There are may factors and most people do not lose exactly according to a schedule. I can be the same weight for several weeks and then be down 2 or more pounds the next week. All calorie counts are estimates as well as the FitBit. Obviously some tools are more accurate than others but in the end all are estimates. If 1700 works better for you go for it.

FrankiesSaysRelax

Were you exercising prior to the past 5 weeks? Your body could be holding on to water weight from the new activities you're doing. Also, when you say you're "guessing" for some entries.. those can be off by way more than 100 calories. So this could be a problem of under-estimating the calories you're consuming. Are you using a food scale? I know I've guesstimated before on calories in things and been way off. Especially things from a restaurant that aren't listed.. I'd choose another similar dish from somewhere else but those are really not comparable.

cmbx2mom

My settings on MFP is sedentary and I do NOT log any workouts on fitbit (or MFP). I let my steps account for everything. I just recently changed the settings to "worn on dominant hand" even though I keep it on my less dominant hand in hopes that I can decrease the sensitivity in the chance it is over calculating.
I weigh myself at the exact same time every morning. I have seen some flucuations week to week hence why I waited a few weeks to see where I'm at. ANd why I will average my weight for the week, not just looking at one individual days weight.
I have a food scale and use it regularly.
I have been using protein powder to try and increase my protein intake.

cmbx2mom

I've been exercising my whole adult life. It decreased quite a bit during my pregnancys and after the kids were first born, but the last 5-6 years or so I've exercised on a fairly regular basis. Prior to the kids I never had a weight problem. I was VERY active and ate pretty well. I gained a lot during my pregnancies and haven't been able to lose it all. I've come close a couple times iin the past, but ran into a few injuries that seemed to set me back and then the pounds would creep on.
I used to use a HRM during exercise to calculate calories but felt it was difficult to estimate my burn the rest of the day as my work can vary from sitting all day, to standing/walking all day, so I Thought the fitbit would help me.
In the past almost 6 weeks I have probably "guessed" at maybe 8-10 entries (meals, not days).

ailbheoconnell

I can only speak for what I have experienced, so bear with me. I have found that the online calculators for calories burned through exercise are often way overestimated, but found my heartrate monitor to be a reasonable number of cals. For example, I did the 60-day Insanity programme, and was not particularly fit before (an occasional walk). Looking at the internet and a lot of posts on mfp I expected to burn between 400 and 700 cals per second month workout (hour of HIIT). The only time I reached 400 was when I did 2 workouts back to back. I got the hrm and ate back my exercise cals, keeping the net cals to about 1300. I lost five pounds, but more importantly 5 % body fat during the two months.

I follow the Eat, Train, Progress group on here, and did the maths. Add up all cals eaten over the period you need to check, add in any cals from weight lost and divide the total amount by the amount of days. You then have your TDEE which is the amount of cals you would eat to maintain your weight. This is assuming you do not change your exercising, and also assuming you have been very very accurate in measuring your calorie intake. My TDEE over that period was averaging at 1900 cals per day, that means if I ate 1900 per day without changing my exercise I would maintain my weight. That is irrefutable evidence, considering I weighed everything and logged everything. Only by being accurate with intake was I able to see how many cals I consumed over the period, coupled with cals from weight lost (3500 per lb) to come to that number.

I don't think it is possible to lose weight without the accurate numbers, and having just googled a fitbit I dont see how it could be accurate. If it doesn't measure your heartrate how can it tell how many calories you have burned? You could sit on the couch and shake your arm for half an hour and it would tell you that you had burned lots of calories. Or maybe I have it wrong, but I can't see how it works otherwise. 2462 is a huge burn per day. My average day (monday to friday) was 45 mins to 1 hour high intensity workout (300 cals) followed by a half hour fast walk to work (desk job). A 40 mins fast walk at lunchtime, and a half hour fast walk home. And with all that exercise, my TDEE which is maintenance calories if you eat it, was 1900. I would consider that I was very active. I do believe it is calories in vs calories out, and I think if you have not lost weight, then you have been eating at maintenance, hard as it is to accept. Maybe try dropping your intake to 1600, while doing whatever amount of exercise you have been up to now. Weigh everything and log everything, even if it is half a biscuit. A 390 cal daily deficit should result in a pound lost in 9 days. Maybe try not to weigh yourself til then, just concentrate on weighing and logging. If indeed you lose about a pound in 9 days then you know what your maintenance cals are, which is the holy grail.

Just my two cents.

In the meantime, join Eat, Train, Progress and have a read of all the stickies at the beginning. They make a lot of sense.

PS I eat chocolate and crisps everyday. I just make sure I log them.

PPS watch this shocking vid to see why measuring scales are the only accurate way to measure cals
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JVjWPclrWVY

cmbx2mom

My BRM is calculated at 1517. My average steps per day according to Fitbit for last 5 1/2 weeks is 12,450. Which roughly equates to 6.2 miles.Multiplying by the sedentary factor I get 1820 calroies burned. If I enter in "moderately active" I get 2351 for calories burned. If you look at steps/miles and do the rough estimation of 100 calories per mile, then 620+1820= 2440 which is basically what fitbit tells me I burn. Seemed to make sense to me. ALthough I wonder if the 1.2X factor for "sedentary" is actually kind of already calculated in the Fitbit steps??? Maybe that's the problem? IF I switch to 1517+620=2137?
Has anyone else using Fitbit thought of that? That Fitbit actually already takes into account the 1.2X factor???

brraanndi

Are you synching fitbit with MFP?

Are you being sure to only enter in your food and workouts in MFP? If not, you are getting double the cals back for the workouts.

If you aren't losing weight you are either eating too much and/or overestimating your workouts ( unless you have some medical condition ). Calories in vs Calories out always works.

jvbrooks

Hormones, water weight, etcetera. If you have a lot of salt, you'll hold more water. If you strength train, you'll hold more water. If you're... uh, backed up, more weight. That time of the month? More weight (higher water weight retention, etc).

Acg67

Weight loss isn't linear

ndj1979

< eats in a deficit and loses weight..

You are more than likely over estimating calories or you have not calculated something correctly.

The problem with online calculators is that they are just estimates. You really need to experiment with what works for you...

Online calculators tell me that my TDEE is 2800, so in theory a 500 cal cut would be 2300, but I find that I lose about a pound a week on 2000 to 2100 a day in calories..so my TDEE is really about 2600....

If you are off 200 calories a day that is 1400 a week which is almost a half pound difference...

You might want to eat 100 less cals a day and see how that works for you....

MistyMtnMan

Try and just eat a daily allowance for a while and not track any other calories from working out or whatever. Lets say just try and hit 2,000 everyday and thats it. Tracking all these extra calories isnt necessary.

SezxyStef

I am your age, your height and about your weight.....I eat 1550 a day which is my TDEE-15%...about 1/2lb a week loss. My Maintance is 1,822 and that is based on actual personal data of weight lost, calories consumed (everything on my kitchen scale in grams calculation from Eat Train Progress group) exercising 5-6 days a week with an office job

So perhaps you are eating too much.