My net cals and stats for one week. Why no weight loss?

focuseddiva

Okay, today is day 7 on MFP. I am 41, female, 5'8", 180 lbs. Looking to get to 155. I've battled weight my whole life. Got to my goal of 140 several years ago. Maintained it by running a lot, and sticking to 1200-1500 cals a day. That's what I had to do to maintain. Old habits slipped back in. I started a pattern of binging and restricting. Yadda yadda .. here I am at 180. Note that this entire time, I have been and have stayed on Jenny Craig food. I go in once a week to weigh in. Even though I am on their 1200 cal plan with their prepared food, I obviously have eaten off the plan. Some days I'd be on. Some off. Too inconsistent.

Throughout all of this, I have never given up exercising. I do lots of cardio and strength. Though I can't run like I used to b/c of weight, I still try to walk at least 3-4 miles, 4-5 days a week. Okay, so now it's the morning of Day 7 on MFP -- which set me to 1200 cals to lose two pounds a week. I have tried to be careful eating back my exercise cals.... aiming for eating maybe 25-50% back. This has been the first week in a looooong time where I haven't gone off the rails and binged... well, okay, there was one day this week I had some snacking issues but it was NOT a full-out binge. Here are my daily calories consumed, my exercise calories burned, and my NET. I am very careful logging (and since on jenny Craig, it really is all accounted for, plus veggies and fruit). I got on the scale this morning ... AND .... NADA. Any ideas? Here are the numbers:

Day 1: Cals eaten: 1462 Cals burned:136 NET: 1326
Day 2: Cals eaten: 1391 Cals burned:476 NET: 915
Day 3: Cals eaten: 1878 Cals burned: 707 NET: 1171
Day 4: Cals eaten: 2240 Cals burned: 408 NET: 1832
Day 5: Cals eaten: 1382 Cals burned: 470 NET: 912
Day 6: Cals eaten: 1220 Cals burned: NONE (rest day) NET: 1220

All this and no weight loss. Is it because I need to be more consistent? Is it Day 3 and 4 where I ate a little more? Shouldn't it average out if this is a game of numbers? Maybe my body is just on delay mode, and I'll have this massive loss of 5 lbs next week? Garh. Just frustrated and feel old. It's like I can actually HEAR my metabolism grinding to a complete halt.

Any realistic thoughts/practical advice on what I should tweak moving into week 2 of this to get a fire going here and start some weight loss? Thanks!

prdavies1949

Just be patient, log every thing including vegies and fruit. If you eat at a deficit you will lose weight,

arrseegee

Your net calories are lower than your BMR, which is not recommended. I recommend you have a look at the group Eat More to Weigh Less (http://www.myfitnesspal.com/groups/home/3817-eat-more-to-weigh-less) and start increasing your calories.

I can't explain why you didn't see a loss in that week though, because with such low intake you should be losing. Perhaps, as you say, next week you'll see it. But I recommend you look at that group simply because when you were maintaining you had to eat such low calorie amounts - it is quite possible that you have altered your metabolism by eating at such a deficit for so long, and the posts in that group will show how you can 'reset' your metabolism by eating more yet still lose weight.

k8mcminn

I am in the same situation. I actually gained weight and am beyond frustrated. I am eating well, under target, not starving, exercising daily yet I am up 3 lbs.

Eleonora91

You definitely need more time... you can't expect to see results after a week. I mean, sometimes you do, but I wouldn't get discouraged.

LishieFruit89

It's been a week...
Be patient.
Weight loss isn't linear.
Some weeks you might lose 2 pounds, other 0.5 pounds, and others none.
And 1200 cals might not be the appropriate goal for you.

angelamangus1

Do you weigh/measure all your food?
When tracking exercise do you use the numbers provided from MFP?

These are 2 big questions you need to answer. First, if you are not calculating your intake accurately, you could be eat well over your calorie goal. Weighing / measuring all your foods helps you to really see what portions look like, it is pretty shocking with some foods! Secondly, for the majority of people on MFP, the calories burned tend to be high estimates. I usually burn 50 to 100 less then what is stated (sometimes more). With these 2 you could be actually eat more than you think.


Have you just started?
Are you close to your Time of the Month?

If you just started you need to be patient. I know we all want results immediately, but for some it takes time. As a woman you need to be aware of your TOM. For me a week our 2 weeks before I begin to retain water, thus the losses are not significant or not there. After I tend to have a loss.

You show a deficit, so overall you should be losing weight. Therefore, your concerns would lean towards one of the above questions. If not you should talk with your doctor.

Good luck on your journey!

piratebear1

It could be as simple as the time of day you weighed yourself (Im sure you know all of this, and not meaning to teach you to suck eggs).

If you had an extra drink .. or not been to the loo before weigh in could all add up to a few pounds - which could have been your loss.

Do you feel any different?

I too am on a 1200 a day. First 8 weeks were OK - But boy have I found this week hard :-( Im down 26lb - and Im sure most is due to the time of day I weigh - and also I try not to go below my 1200 - even if I am not hugry I will try to make sure I eat 1200. I will still stay in the green with maybe a bit more exercise, but I just figure they tell us not to go below for a reason, and I dont wanna piss my bad metabolism off any more :-)

Good luck xxx

graysmom2005

If you are weighing everything, make sure you aren't over sodium....I can imagine Jenny Craig could be high in sodium since it's all packaged? If not..drinking water etc...then give it a bit more time. Many times when I start to lose weight it take a moment for my body to catch up. Keep it up!!!:flowerforyou:

angie007az

I have a question for the people who say to "eat more to weigh less". Why didn't that work for Ellen Degeneres's friend Portia de Rossi. I read the book she wrote. She ate next to nothing and was so skinny it almost killed her.

Just wondering because at one point, the logic just falls apart.

Pandora_King

Your net calories are lower than your BMR, which is not recommended. I recommend you have a look at the group Eat More to Weigh Less (http://www.myfitnesspal.com/groups/home/3817-eat-more-to-weigh-less) and start increasing your calories.

I can't explain why you didn't see a loss in that week though, because with such low intake you should be losing. Perhaps, as you say, next week you'll see it. But I recommend you look at that group simply because when you were maintaining you had to eat such low calorie amounts - it is quite possible that you have altered your metabolism by eating at such a deficit for so long, and the posts in that group will show how you can 'reset' your metabolism by eating more yet still lose weight.

DON'T LISTEN TO THIS!! That's what they told me when I asked. I also didn't see a loss in the first week and was disappointed. So I took this advice and started "eating more to lose more". Well I started gaining a pound a week. Really set me off! Eat at least a net of 1200 - 1500 a day, exercise at least 300+ calories off a day and time will show you a loss. It took me three weeks and then the pounds started falling off.

Pandora_King

I have a question for the people who say to "eat more to weigh less". Why didn't that work for Ellen Degeneres's friend Portia de Rossi. I read the book she wrote. She ate next to nothing and was so skinny it almost killed her.

Just wondering because at one point, the logic just falls apart.

It is one of the stupidest things I've ever heard and it really set me back when I followed that advice. Funny, it's something I usually hear from lifters.

angie007az

I have a question for the people who say to "eat more to weigh less". Why didn't that work for Ellen Degeneres's friend Portia de Rossi. I read the book she wrote. She ate next to nothing and was so skinny it almost killed her.

Just wondering because at one point, the logic just falls apart.

It is one of the stupidest things I've ever heard and it really set me back when I followed that advice. Funny, it's something I usually hear from lifters.

I understand the logic of calories in, calories out. That's logical. But eating more to weigh less, not so much. Now if you are eating lettuce and spinach, that's one thing. But upping the calories and expecting the weight to fall off, no I will not be doing that either.

I_Will_End_You

It is one of the stupidest things I've ever heard and it really set me back when I followed that advice. Funny, it's something I usually hear from lifters.

Then you were obviously doing it wrong. Eat More to Weigh Less is just a more sustainable method of weight loss. You still eat at a calorie deficit, just a more modest one that is easier to stick with, that will fuel your workouts. It results in a slower loss, but you aren't starving yourself or cutting out foods you love. If you gained, that's your own fault for eating over your TDEE, not weighing your food, over estimating your calorie burns, etc.


To the OP......why would you not log your fruits and veggies if you're logging everything else? They have calories, if you're counting calories you need to log them.

_jayciemarie_

Just because we WANT the weight to drop off every week doesn't mean it will happen every week--but it WILL happen. Last week (according to my scale) I gained weight--like .4 or .8 of a pound, even though I ate at a deficit. Thanksgiving happened and I ate drank too much, but the days after I was pretty good. This week I lost 4lbs. Do I believe I ate a deficit of 14, 000 calories this week? Absolutely not!!!!! Especially considering I weigh myself every Thursday so the 4lb weightloss happened during Thanksgiving. Sometimes our bodies take some time to process what we are doing. This is the hardest thing for me to follow, but BE PATIENT.

ccshopsalot

I'm 5' 9" & 40.. I'll be honest, when I first started REALLY watching everything, it took weeks for my body to figure it out. It was like it was waiting for me to fall right back into my old habits, but once I kept my consistency (averaging 1400 cals a day) and keeping my carbs/protein and fat in check i really started to feel a difference. Water was a key factor, i drink approx 90 ounces a day, more if I have something w/ a lot of sodium or am running. Don't look for the immediate results, you will set yourself up for disappointment, the weight didn't pile on overnight, it's not going to go away overnight. Keep logging, don't eat less than 1200 cals a day, drink your water and keep moving. Stop focusing on that scale for a bit and focus on small changes daily.. I also measured, lost 10 inches before I noticed a pound. You can do this!

melaniecheeks

"Eat more to weigh less" is just a catchy shorthand for a particualr way of calculating intake. It also reflects that consistently eating below your BMR over a long period will cause your metabolism problems. It should not be interpreted as "eat as much as you like and still lose weight".

OP, a week is a really short time frame - your body needs longer than that to make a change. And expecting a 5 pound loss in a week is probabaly unrealistic too. Set yourself longer term goals.

Greenrun99

1 week...

nikigmoney

Start eating more often. Every two hours you should eat something. Also up your protein for the day. Make sure your sugar and sodium are low. If you are lifting weights you should be consuming at least 100grams of protein a day..........that being said your calories look good, but eating more protein and eating often will kick your metabolism into high gear. Running is great, but don't neglect lifting. Muscle helps to create a fat burning machine. Don't be afraid of heavy weights, you won't become bulky because you don,t eat enough.......2500 excess cals = 1lb of muscle. 3500 cals = 1 lb of fat. If you eat between 1300 and 1600 cals a day and try to burn 3500 cals a week with exercise you should lose at least a lb a week. Also, going back and forth eating 1300 cals on easy workout days and 1600 on hard days you will build lean body mass and lose only fat. Hope this helps, eating this way changed my life.

nikigmoney

A lot of times when people say eat more, what they are really saying is eat more often. If I eat every 2 hours, I can still keep my cals low and fire up my metabolism eating high protein,healthy carbs and low healthy fat. When you are young, you gain a few lbs and you eat less and lose the weight. Over time your metabolism slows from age, and diets and this stops working. Of course people who starve themselves lose weight, but it is unsustainable. First 1200 cals works, then you have to lower it to keep losing. The question is if you want to look rock hard and healthy, or so skinny you might die..........

angie007az

According to recent research, eating more often just makes you want to eat all day long. Your body never gets a rest and you never get to tap into those fat stores. Dr. Michael Mosley mentioned this in his research. You body needs downtime to do repairs and to rebuild. Think about our ancestors. Do you think cavemen ate every 3 hours? Nope. They may have gone for days and not eaten a thing. Our bodies were made to tap into those fat stores when there is no food available.

Here are some links that may be helpful:

Documentary from Michael Mosley
http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xvdbtt_eat-fast-live-longer-hd_shortfilms#.UOOjXKz47XS


Link to Mosley's Website
http://thefastdiet.co.uk/


The Fast Guide
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W9Aj6hRYg4A&desktop_uri=%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DW9Aj6hRYg4A&app=desktop


http://www.shape.com/weight-loss/weight-loss-strategies/10-unbelievable-diet-rules-backed-science

Bottom line, you have to find what works for you. Check with your doctor because everyone is different and one person's lifestyle may not be good for someone with health issues. Be safe.

diannethegeek

You have a lot of good information above and some bad advice. I hope that you're able to sort through it and find what works for you.

I agree with the people who say you've only been at it consistently for a week and you might just need to wait it out. I agree that it's important to make sure you're logging your food and exercise accurately. If you aren't using a food scale yet it might be time to invest in one.

I'm going to suggest increasing your calories (assuming you're logging accurately) not because you need to eat more to weigh less, but because you mention a binging cycle. For some people, restricting your diet too much (and too much depends on your stats, not an arbitrary line at 1200) can lead to binging to make up for the missing calories. If your current net is too little for you and if that is what's causing your binge eating, then eating a little more might help you to stay on track for longer.

CM9178

Okay, today is day 7 on MFP. I am 41, female, 5'8", 180 lbs. Looking to get to 155. I've battled weight my whole life. Got to my goal of 140 several years ago. Maintained it by running a lot, and sticking to 1200-1500 cals a day. That's what I had to do to maintain. Old habits slipped back in. I started a pattern of binging and restricting. Yadda yadda .. here I am at 180. Note that this entire time, I have been and have stayed on Jenny Craig food. I go in once a week to weigh in. Even though I am on their 1200 cal plan with their prepared food, I obviously have eaten off the plan. Some days I'd be on. Some off. Too inconsistent.

Throughout all of this, I have never given up exercising. I do lots of cardio and strength. Though I can't run like I used to b/c of weight, I still try to walk at least 3-4 miles, 4-5 days a week. Okay, so now it's the morning of Day 7 on MFP -- which set me to 1200 cals to lose two pounds a week. I have tried to be careful eating back my exercise cals.... aiming for eating maybe 25-50% back. This has been the first week in a looooong time where I haven't gone off the rails and binged... well, okay, there was one day this week I had some snacking issues but it was NOT a full-out binge. Here are my daily calories consumed, my exercise calories burned, and my NET. I am very careful logging (and since on jenny Craig, it really is all accounted for, plus veggies and fruit). I got on the scale this morning ... AND .... NADA. Any ideas? Here are the numbers:

Day 1: Cals eaten: 1462 Cals burned:136 NET: 1326
Day 2: Cals eaten: 1391 Cals burned:476 NET: 915
Day 3: Cals eaten: 1878 Cals burned: 707 NET: 1171
Day 4: Cals eaten: 2240 Cals burned: 408 NET: 1832
Day 5: Cals eaten: 1382 Cals burned: 470 NET: 912
Day 6: Cals eaten: 1220 Cals burned: NONE (rest day) NET: 1220

All this and no weight loss. Is it because I need to be more consistent? Is it Day 3 and 4 where I ate a little more? Shouldn't it average out if this is a game of numbers? Maybe my body is just on delay mode, and I'll have this massive loss of 5 lbs next week? Garh. Just frustrated and feel old. It's like I can actually HEAR my metabolism grinding to a complete halt.

Any realistic thoughts/practical advice on what I should tweak moving into week 2 of this to get a fire going here and start some weight loss? Thanks!

You are not eating nearly enough.
Even at 1200 calories per day, that should be a total of netting 8400 calories in 7 days (which I still think is way too low for most people).
You only netted 7376 total for the week, which is like an average of 1050 per day - again, way too low.
I'm guessing you should probably be netting closer to somewhere around 1500 per day (10,500 for the week). (the millions of calculators out there will give you a more accurate TDEG number).

Setting your weekly goal to 2 lbs per week is probably unrealistic for most people, unless you are obese and have A LOT to lose. You won't be eating enough calories at that number, and you will negatively effect your weight loss in the long run.
That is why you so easily gained your weight back previously, and had to stick to 1200 to 1500 calories in order to maintain your weight loss.

nikigmoney

No, cavemen did not eat every three hours, that is why our bodies know just what to to do when we are starving. That is slow down! People would get to the ripe old age of 30 and die. You can not compare our life style to a caveman. People did not live long enough to go through menopause or live in a world full of crappy food around every corner. I have seen way to many women in their late 30s who eat 900 cals a day and gain weight just thinking about a 1200 cal diet. These people need to start eating. They don't live in a cave, they have busy lives and they are tired,sick, and over weight. Once they start to eat the right foods more often the weight falls off and they never feel sluggish or hungry. The key is eating the right foods, and yes it is true that you will need to eat all day. I need to eat every 2 hours. I feel better then I ever have and I am finally at my goal weight without starving. It is like logs on a fire, my metabolism has finally recovered from years of dieting. I am also a nasm,and issa certified personal trainer and currently studying to be a nutritionist. Just trying to pass on some of what i have learned and has helped me and countless others. :happy:

kennyjames62

According to recent research, eating more often just makes you want to eat all day long. Your body never gets a rest and you never get to tap into those fat stores. Dr. Michael Mosley mentioned this in his research. You body needs downtime to do repairs and to rebuild. Think about our ancestors. Do you think cavemen ate every 3 hours? Nope. They may have gone for days and not eaten a thing. Our bodies were made to tap into those fat stores when there is no food available.

Here are some links that may be helpful:

Documentary from Michael Mosley
http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xvdbtt_eat-fast-live-longer-hd_shortfilms#.UOOjXKz47XS


Link to Mosley's Website
http://thefastdiet.co.uk/


The Fast Guide
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W9Aj6hRYg4A&desktop_uri=%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DW9Aj6hRYg4A&app=desktop


http://www.shape.com/weight-loss/weight-loss-strategies/10-unbelievable-diet-rules-backed-science

Bottom line, you have to find what works for you. Check with your doctor because everyone is different and one person's lifestyle may not be good for someone with health issues. Be safe.

Maybe this is the reason homo erectus only lived to age 19....However we live to be over 100 now....Proper nutrition and eating habits is healthy. Also its best to keep the fire burning than to have it burn out and then rage with your next meal. This confuses your body to thinking it never knows when its next meal is coming. Thus storing food as fat.

nikigmoney

preach it!:laugh: not to mention not eating for days sounds horrible!

nikigmoney

Preach it! :laugh: Not to mention not eating for days sounds horrible!

stealthq

No, cavemen did not eat every three hours, that is why our bodies know just what to to do when we are starving. That is slow down! People would get to the ripe old age of 30 and die. You can not compare our life style to a caveman. People did not live long enough to go through menopause or live in a world full of crappy food around every corner. I have seen way to many women in their late 30s who eat 900 cals a day and gain weight just thinking about a 1200 cal diet. These people need to start eating. They don't live in a cave, they have busy lives and they are tired,sick, and over weight. Once they start to eat the right foods more often the weight falls off and they never feel sluggish or hungry. The key is eating the right foods, and yes it is true that you will need to eat all day. I need to eat every 2 hours. I feel better then I ever have and I am finally at my goal weight without starving. It is like logs on a fire, my metabolism has finally recovered from years of dieting. I am also a nasm,and issa certified personal trainer and currently studying to be a nutritionist. Just trying to pass on some of what i have learned and has helped me and countless others. :happy:

Cavemen had an average life expectancy of 30 years (if that stat is even correct) because a high percentage died from accidents, disease, etc before they reached adulthood. Those that were smart and skilled enough to survive actually lived to a decent age - 50 and older - considering the hazards of slowing down due to age at that time.

You don't slow down because you're not eating every couple of hours, or even every day. None of the cavemen would have made it in that case. You slow down when you're under your calorie requirements for a long period. And the 'slowing down' (adaptive thermogenesis) isn't all that significant even then, unless you have depleted your fat stores significantly. Yes, you fidget less and generally conserve movement. But it's not incapacitating. And it doesn't stop people from losing weight.

To lose weight, stay under your TDEE (not the calculated estimate, your actual real life TDEE). Period. Accept that if you're not keeping accurate records, you don't know for sure if you're accomplishing this. Also accept that you may need to adjust the calculated TDEE estimate some - it's reliable for most, but may be a bit over or under for you. Your weight loss results will tell you if that's the case. Eat whenever you like. Eat enough of the foods you like so you aren't tempted to binge! If the scale doesn't move for a month or so, make sure this isn't the problem FIRST. Also accept that things like water retention can mask your weight loss (common), as can lean body mass gains (not common in a deficit) and that the weight is not going to consistently drop off in neat increments every day/week/month. Oh. And settle in for the long haul. 'Cause the closer you get to goal, the slower it'll go.

nikigmoney

I don't think that anyone is suggesting that someone eat over their calorie goals to lose weight. All I am saying is that our needs today are very different from cavemen that had to hunt and gather, no TV, no McDonalds............If someones goal is to become as thin as possible despite health or longevity of weight loss then fasting might be the answer for that person. Personally my clients have all had great results from eating six small meals a day, and not whatever they want. Healthy foods that fill them up. When you starve your body breaks down muscle as well as fat. If you start at 200lbs with a lean body mass of 150lbs leaving 50lbs of fat and go on a extreme calorie restricted diet without weight training and lose 50lbs your lean body mass will go down as well, so when you get sick of starving and eat normal you will gain the weight back. Only this time your lean body mass is 120lbs and you are left with 80lbs of fat. This makes it even harder to lose the weight again, feeling hopeless cutting more calories. Believe it or don't, but i have seen it over and over. You will not find a respected fitness professional that will tell you to do repeated fasting.

focuseddiva

Thanks for all the responses. So simple and yet so complicated. Eat less, move more. Simple. Too few cals, not eating often enough, eat back half what you burned, eat back none of what you burned. Man oh man. Well, here is what I can say definitively: When I really stuck to Jenny Craig (yes, prepackaged food akin to a Lean Cuisine), I ate 1200 cals a day. 950 of those were Jenny Craig meals. The rest was fruit, salad, veggies. I exercised as I am doing now. And I lost weight -- about 1.5-2 lbs a week, on average. When I hit 153 lbs, the weight loss stopped. It took me 6 months to peel off the last 13 pounds, and then I had to become OCD about food and exercising to stay there.

Still.

1200 cals with moderate, frequent exercise worked for me once upon a time. And I didn't eat back my exercise burned calories. I'm just not sure it will work for me now, as I am 6 years older with a metabolism that used to hum along b/c I ran 35 miles a week and now it sort of limps along b/c I walk 15-20 miles a week. Hopefully there is still enough coal in the ol' furnace to make weight loss feasible. I'm trying to be smarter -- not aiming for 140 lbs this time (I'm 5'8") -- more like 155. I was happy that size, too. I was probably a size 8. Should be doable. That's 25 lbs I have to lose, and I'm not in a rush. Still, I just want to see SOME results. Anything. Anything to let me know that, hey, yes tracking my cals and all that is actually working and that my body responds to the laws of science the way it should. Otherwise, I'm guessing I'm just a freak who will survive any famine that hits. I'll be the last one standing when everyone else is a skeleton. I'll still be sitting there, logging no calories, and not losing weight!

nikigmoney

Ha,ha! Stay motivated, and you will do great. Eat healthy and exercise,it always works, it will work for you You got this!