DIET HELP. I have been stuck for months

shannondbarnum

I am getting so frustrated. I have lost 25lbs so far. Then I got stuck. At first I was eating 1200 calories a day and working out everyday and I was losing weight then it stopped. I read on here that I have to eat my exercise calories back so I started doing that. I am stuck and it is driving me crazy. I want to lose about 25 more lbs. My TDEE is 2435 and my BMR is 1421. I work out 6x a week for an hour a day. I also use fit bit. So when it comes over into my fitness pal it is not giving me all of calories I burned. Lets say I burn 600 calories working out it might give me 300 on mfp. Am I eating to little? Too much I am at a loss someone please help

WalkingAlong

Are you 'eating back' the 300 Fitbit adjustment, the 600 you estimate, or both? And what is your total intake level? How long since you've lost?

Francl27

Do you weigh all your food?

supermodelchic

Your diary is not open, so it is hard to give advice on that. If you log all your food, open it up so you can get advice on what to change ect...

shannondbarnum

i eat back the fitbit adjustment.

shannondbarnum

yes

diannethegeek

Are you 'eating back' the 300 Fitbit adjustment, the 600 you estimate, or both? And what is your total intake level? How long since you've lost?

^ repeating this since the second half of the question seems to have been missed

shannondbarnum

my intake level is 1200 calories. That is what mfp has me set at. it has been two months since I have lost weight. I stopped for a little while and didn't gain anything so I guess that is good. I picked it back up when I got my fit bit about 2months ago. I was using that to log but went back to mfp for logging food because I find it easier.

SLLRunner

You said you got your fit bit two months ago, which is about the same time you stopped losing. Your fit bit could be miscalculations calories burned. Does it have a chest strap for monitoring heart rate?

Also, it looks like you have not logged some days,in your diary (this last weekend) and maybe either missed a meal or misused logging on a few other days. Daily accurate logging is essential to make sure your calories are accurate.

shannondbarnum

I use a chest strap separately and log it into fitbit manually. I may not always enter what I eat into my phone or on my computer but I do always write it down and keep track that way. (I don't always have access to my phone or my computer so sometimes I forget to log) But I do always write it down. I hardly ever go over the 1200 calories if I do it is only by a little bit. I am trying to figure out if I am eating too few calories. I do notice my sugar is always over and have started watching that. But I should still be losing something. I try to burn 600-800 calories a day.

demhareis

One thing to consider is that you might have a mild insulin resistance. It happens more often than most people realise.

Last year I spent four months eating cleanly at 1200kcal/day, plus exercising 500kcal/day x5/week (not eating back my calories), and STILL not losing an ounce. Talk about frustrating!

When that sort of thing happens, it usually points to something medical. My blood work didn't indicate anything specific, though it might have been hinting at something (blood sugar normal, albeit the high end of normal, and elevated cholesterol), so my doctor sent me to a dietician (with a PhD).

She started treating me for Metabolic Syndrome, even thought I didn't clinically have it.

Essentially, she threw my calorie count out the window and told me to focus on balancing my carbs throughout the day. This is to ensure a more even, steady release of insulin, without getting insulin peaks. I have three main meals and three snacks, balanced about 2.5 hours apart. I was allowed 20g carbs per meal and 10-15g carbs per snack. It was the steadiness of carbs and the timing that was key to this success.

Only then did I start seeing something shift.

Perhaps something similar might be happening for you.

shannondbarnum

thank you

stacydawn75

My understanding is you shouldn't eat below your bmr. So at a minimum 1400+ each day. I was astounded when I got my HRM for Christmas how many calories the body uses just living, never mind the actual calories burned in exercise. Don't cheat your system the energy it needs to just keep running

mumblemagic

My understanding is you shouldn't eat below your bmr. So at a minimum 1400+ each day. I was astounded when I got my HRM for Christmas how many calories the body uses just living, never mind the actual calories burned in exercise. Don't cheat your system the energy it needs to just keep running

There's a lot of stuff bandied around on the forums about "never eat below your BRM" etc. From the sciency articles I've read, that's true for healthy weight people, but not necessarily bad for overweight and obese people. In fact, doctors have been known to prescribe 800 cal diets to morbidly obese people waiting for bariatric surgery. UK NHS advice for women losing weight offers a blanket number of 1400 calories for most women, and mentions nothing about BMR, TDEE etc, so I think we MFPers may have a tendancy to overcomplicate things!

OP: I'm a bit confused as to how you are entering in your exercise. Are you adding your HRM measurements, your fitbit measurements, and your own estimates together? Or do you use your fitbit for daily stuff and take it off and use your HRM for workouts? Sounds like a silly question but perhaps you are logging exercise twice?

SLLRunner

I use a chest strap separately and log it into fitbit manually. I may not always enter what I eat into my phone or on my computer but I do always write it down and keep track that way. (I don't always have access to my phone or my computer so sometimes I forget to log) But I do always write it down. I hardly ever go over the 1200 calories if I do it is only by a little bit. I am trying to figure out if I am eating too few calories. I do notice my sugar is always over and have started watching that. But I should still be losing something. I try to burn 600-800 calories a day.

The weight you've lost is incredible.

If your weight has stalled, chances are you are not eating too few calories unless you have a medical problem such as thyroid. Eating too much really can be from not weighing solid food and measuring liquid food, by forgetting to log something you ate, or by accidentally choosing the incorrect food item in MFP for our calorie estimations. It really is all about trial and error.

If you are writing things down, I really think there might be some overestimation of exercise calories burned. The fact that your weight starting stalling around the same time you go the heart rate monitor keeps sticking in my head too. Heart rate monitors can misestimate if they are not properly calibrated. It has also been my experience that they can also give wacky readings if you don't have the electrodes on the strap wet enough, or if it's placed improperly while wearing it.

If you truly feel that none of what I am saying is accurate, you might want to join the group Eat, Train, Progress and ask for some advice there. http://www.myfitnesspal.com/forums/show/10067-eat-train-progress-

SLLRunner

My understanding is you shouldn't eat below your bmr. So at a minimum 1400+ each day. I was astounded when I got my HRM for Christmas how many calories the body uses just living, never mind the actual calories burned in exercise. Don't cheat your system the energy it needs to just keep running

There's a lot of stuff bandied around on the forums about "never eat below your BRM" etc. From the sciency articles I've read, that's true for healthy weight people, but not necessarily bad for overweight and obese people. In fact, doctors have been known to prescribe 800 cal diets to morbidly obese people waiting for bariatric surgery. UK NHS advice for women losing weight offers a blanket number of 1400 calories for most women, and mentions nothing about BMR, TDEE etc, so I think we MFPers may have a tendancy to overcomplicate things!

From the OP's photo and her ticker, she is not obese, thus this does not apply to her. However, you are right-- sometimes the risk of keeping a lot of weight on outweighs the risk of losing weight quickly by eating under your BMR. Of course, such drastic measures should be under the supervision of a doctor.

ninerbuff

Try 2 things:

Eat at least your BMR

Change your exercise routine if you haven't yet.

Do this for a MONTH, then readjust again. Not all remedies work for everyone, which is why for some weight loss is experimental.

A.C.E. Certified Personal/Group FitnessTrainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

shannondbarnum

I use fitbit for everyday and my HRM for exercise. I then add the exercise info into the fit bit and that recalculates the info. So no the exercise doesn't get logged twice

shannondbarnum

Thank you I have boosted my self up to 1500 calorie diet. I have also started to add in weight lifting along with the cardio and I will see how that works out for me. I think since I am technically at a healthy range the 1200 cal diet was putting me in starvation mode if that makes any sense.

Phoenix_Warrior

Couple things...

1. You're not in starvation mode as it's commonly thrown around here. There's a thing called metabolic adaptation that can happen after prolonged low calorie intake, but I suspect that is not your issue.
2. You're not logging 100%. You didn't even log Saturday and Sunday. Those two un logged days could spell disaster for a deficit.
3. Quick add calories aren't good to do, especially when you're having issues with intake and figuring out your deficit
4. Food scale. I notice a lot of .88 cups of things. Like, solids. And a banana at 80 calories that is sure to be 100+ more often than not, if weighed. Peanut butter is recommended to be weighed as it's calorie dense. These little things do add up.

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/872212-you-re-probably-eating-more-than-you-think

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1080242-a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants

jonnythan

I am getting so frustrated. I have lost 25lbs so far. Then I got stuck. At first I was eating 1200 calories a day and working out everyday and I was losing weight then it stopped. I read on here that I have to eat my exercise calories back so I started doing that. I am stuck and it is driving me crazy. I want to lose about 25 more lbs. My TDEE is 2435 and my BMR is 1421. I work out 6x a week for an hour a day. I also use fit bit. So when it comes over into my fitness pal it is not giving me all of calories I burned. Lets say I burn 600 calories working out it might give me 300 on mfp. Am I eating to little? Too much I am at a loss someone please help

You've only been logging a couple of weeks, and your logging is inconsistent.

You need to exercise more control over your calorie intake.

joeysfacts

I never ate back any of my workout calories while losing weight. That is the point of burning the calories off in the first place. To burn the calories, not put them back in. I ate a 1200 cal diet, ate very clean, worked out 6 days a week, lost 20 pounds in less than 2 months, uped my calorie intake to 1530 to maintain (I'm a petite woman),and still work out 6 days a week. Its now been almost a year and I have stayed at my current weight. Whatever calorie intake works for you, make sure you account for every little thing that goes in your mouth. You may think that bite of a chocolate bar or a handful of chips don't count, but it all adds up, and they do. I am also a firm believer that it is the quality of food you are consuming, not just the quantity. Maybe try eating clean for a while. Cut out your white sugars and crappy carbs. Up your lean proteins. Different things work for different people, so my suggestions may help and they may not. Good luck

Phoenix_Warrior

I never ate back any of my workout calories while losing weight. That is the point of burning the calories off in the first place. To burn the calories, not put them back in. I ate a 1200 cal diet, ate very clean, worked out 6 days a week, lost 20 pounds in less than 2 months, uped my calorie intake to 1530 to maintain (I'm a petite woman),and still work out 6 days a week. Its now been almost a year and I have stayed at my current weight. Whatever calorie intake works for you, make sure you account for every little thing that goes in your mouth. You may think that bite of a chocolate bar or a handful of chips don't count, but it all adds up, and they do. I am also a firm believer that it is the quality of food you are consuming, not just the quantity. Maybe try eating clean for a while. Cut out your white sugars and crappy carbs. Up your lean proteins. Different things work for different people, so my suggestions may help and they may not. Good luck

Whoa. No. MFP is already designed with a deficit, so 1200 is already aggressive without exercise. The point of exercise is for fitness. Weight loss is all diet. Eating back exercise to net calories is to ensure your deficit doesn't become too aggressive. How petite are you? I'm 5'3.5" and lose 1 lb a week at 1650. OP just needs to weigh and measure her food and log consistently, not worry about trivial non sense of "clean" food. While I think it's important to get proper nutrients, there's nothing wrong with any food. It's function in your diet is what determines whether or not it is healthy or not.

RllyGudTweetr

I never ate back any of my workout calories while losing weight. That is the point of burning the calories off in the first place. To burn the calories, not put them back in. I ate a 1200 cal diet, ate very clean, worked out 6 days a week, lost 20 pounds in less than 2 months, uped my calorie intake to 1530 to maintain (I'm a petite woman),and still work out 6 days a week. Its now been almost a year and I have stayed at my current weight. Whatever calorie intake works for you, make sure you account for every little thing that goes in your mouth. You may think that bite of a chocolate bar or a handful of chips don't count, but it all adds up, and they do. I am also a firm believer that it is the quality of food you are consuming, not just the quantity. Maybe try eating clean for a while. Cut out your white sugars and crappy carbs. Up your lean proteins. Different things work for different people, so my suggestions may help and they may not. Good luck

Whoa. No. MFP is already designed with a deficit, so 1200 is already aggressive without exercise. The point of exercise is for fitness. Weight loss is all diet. Eating back exercise to net calories is to ensure your deficit doesn't become too aggressive. How petite are you? I'm 5'3.5" and lose 1 lb a week at 1650. OP just needs to weigh and measure her food and log consistently, not worry about trivial non sense of "clean" food. While I think it's important to get proper nutrients, there's nothing wrong with any food. It's function in your diet is what determines whether or not it is healthy or not.

We have a winner.

shannondbarnum

I will be more strict about measuring and weighing everything out.
I will be more strict about logging in everyday. I think I will do 1500 cal
of healthy eating. the heart rate monitor is not the problem I lost my first
25lbs with that monitor. Only the fitbit is new. I work out 6x a week. Honestly
my Dr. says I am at a healthy weight. But if I gained 10lbs I would be over
weight again. So I want to lose about 25 more pounds that should put me
around 120lbs at 5'4". So I am thinking all the things that were working for
me before are not working for me now. The weight flew off. I will be more
strict and revisit the situation in 30days. Wish me luck and thank you everyone
for your help and honest answers:) my goal is a life style change along
with getting skinny. It's a learning process right