Eating 1500 a day.. I'm not losing any weight.. Help!

annamariecoldman
annamariecoldman Posts: 24
in Health and Weight Loss
I am eating 1500 a day, which I've been told is my BMR. I'm still not losing any weight. Anyone else similar to this or can anybody offer any help or advice?

Thanks :)
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Replies

  • Mr_Knight
    Mr_Knight Posts: 9,532 Member
    It would help if you opened your diary.
  • annamariecoldman
    annamariecoldman Posts: 24
    And how do I do that?
  • madhatter2013
    madhatter2013 Posts: 1,547 Member
    And how do I do that?

    You go into your settings for your diary and make it public. If you're eating 1500 and not loosing, try lowering to 1300 or even 1200 for a couple weeks and see where that gets you.
  • farfromthetree
    farfromthetree Posts: 982 Member
    It would help if you opened your diary.


    Yes...and as long as your thyroid/sugar levels and all of that check out okay, you may just be eating more calories than you think. Do you count alcohol calories?, because that is huge!! I find drinking lots of water helps...and I do not eat back excercise calories. Good Luck!
  • bizco
    bizco Posts: 1,949 Member
    Are you logging everything that goes into your mouth including all beverages and things used to cook with (butter, oil, marinade, etc.)?

    Are you using a digital food scale to accurately weigh everything in grams? Measuring cups/spoons are deceitful. Most people drastically underestimate the amount of calories they're consuming.
  • lizzyliz79
    lizzyliz79 Posts: 43 Member
    How long have you been eating like this for? Are you exercising? I am eating 1600 a day and have lost 20 lbs since the beginning of Jan. My diary is open, feel free to friend me and check it out :)
  • annamariecoldman
    annamariecoldman Posts: 24
    Thanks my diary is now public x
  • annamariecoldman
    annamariecoldman Posts: 24
    Thanks I added u x
  • diannethegeek
    diannethegeek Posts: 14,776 Member
    Are you keeping track of your food elsewhere? I ask because there are a lot of missed or half-logged days in your diary. I don't always fill mine out here, but when I don't I'm keeping track on paper at home.

    Without a complete diary it's hard to say what might be going on since we don't know what's happening on those missing days. If you're not tracking those days somewhere then you may be overeating without realizing it.
  • ChrysalisCove
    ChrysalisCove Posts: 975 Member
    I agree with the above posters. Start fully logging your intake, keep at it for a couple weeks, then re-evaluate. If you are still stalled, then you may actually need to eat *more* - see "Eat More to Weigh Less" If you are accurately logging your intake & are landing right at BMR net, then your body may be holding onto excess weight due to not receiving enough intake.

    What is your TDEE?
  • annamariecoldman
    annamariecoldman Posts: 24
    I had a bit of a setback so wasn't taking it seriously and didn't fill out my diary.. But I've been filing it out consistently for the last few days as I want to be serious about it. I don't know what TDEE is? I went to my local gym and had my BMR worked out so I know that is correct x
  • nicehormones
    nicehormones Posts: 503 Member
    I would highly recommend eating above your BMR to avoid having your body hold onto the body fat. Your BMR is the amount of calories you would consume if you were in a coma. So just living your normal day alone, not even considering exercise, it's not enough calories to fuel you through your day.

    I would recommend going to the following link- these guys know their stuff and can explain things a lot better than I. Their podcast was amazing and you can still download it, but they don't put out new episodes anymore. Their calorie goal for me helped me to drop 65 pounds and I never hit a plateau.

    http://www.fat2fittools.com/tools/bmr/
  • diannethegeek
    diannethegeek Posts: 14,776 Member
    I had a bit of a setback so wasn't taking it seriously and didn't fill out my diary.. But I've been filing it out consistently for the last few days as I want to be serious about it. I don't know what TDEE is? I went to my local gym and had my BMR worked out so I know that is correct x

    TDEE stands for Total Daily Energy Expenditure. It's the number of calories your body burns in a day including your BMR but also things like work and exercise and brushing your teeth. It's the number of calories you could eat to maintain your current weight.

    There are a lot of online calculators to get an estimate of your TDEE. Check out a site like iifym.com/tdee-calculator/
  • ladymiseryali
    ladymiseryali Posts: 2,555 Member
    You're not supposed to eat your BMR level. That's the amount of calories needed if you were in a coma. I assume you're not in a coma. You should be eating your TDEE, minus 25ish percent.
  • notnikkisixx
    notnikkisixx Posts: 375 Member
    I would invest in a food scale, you can get them pretty cheap! I found that when I was trying to estimate portions on food I was always wrong, so my scale has saved me!

    I agree with the other posters, make sure you are tracking every single little thing. If you cook with oil, make sure you are measuring it and not trying to freehand it.
  • Kenazwa
    Kenazwa Posts: 278 Member
    A few days of consistency isn't long enough to show weight loss. Keep at it for a month, then evaluate.
  • SLLRunner
    SLLRunner Posts: 12,942 Member
    You're not supposed to eat your BMR level. That's the amount of calories needed if you were in a coma. I assume you're not in a coma. You should be eating your TDEE, minus 25ish percent.
    This.

    Also, get those logging habits in order. Chances are you are eating more than you realize.
  • ChrysalisCove
    ChrysalisCove Posts: 975 Member
    I had a bit of a setback so wasn't taking it seriously and didn't fill out my diary.. But I've been filing it out consistently for the last few days as I want to be serious about it. I don't know what TDEE is? I went to my local gym and had my BMR worked out so I know that is correct x

    TDEE stands for Total Daily Energy Expenditure. It's the number of calories your body burns in a day including your BMR but also things like work and exercise and brushing your teeth. It's the number of calories you could eat to maintain your current weight.

    There are a lot of online calculators to get an estimate of your TDEE. Check out a site like iifym.com/tdee-calculator/

    ^ This ^

    Once you have your TDEE, subtract 15% (moderate) 20% (aggressive) or 25% (very aggressive). That is your calorie goal. Note that TDEE-25% is a very large deficit & should probably not be attempted unless you have a LOT to lose. As far as exercise, take the difference between the two (TDEE-BMR). Any workout that burns MORE calories than that you need to eat back the calories for.
  • ell_v131
    ell_v131 Posts: 349 Member
    It seems that you are weighing a lot of food, which is a great step. There are still some potential inaccuracies in your entries. i.e. you state that you always use exactly the same amount of margerine - 10 grams. I'm sure that is not the case. Weigh the bread before and after you put the spread on it, then work out how much you used.

    Try to use as little of non-weighed entries as possible.

    I am not sure what setback you suffered, but you can't expect results if you have been inconsistent with logging. It's great that you are comitted now and keep doing what you are doing. evaluate after 3-4 weeks whether you have seen positive changes.

    Yes, every mouthful should be weighed and logged.

    Also your protein is quite low, which in long term will cause you to lose lean mass along with the fat, and you will end up a smaller version of your current body. To preserve your lean mass you should try to eat more protein (0.8g/lb of bodyweight since you are not obese, unless you know your lean body mass, then about 1g/lb) and take up some form of resistance training to make these muscles essential to your body.

    I think you are not seeing results because of past inconsistency and with your commitment, you will soon be on your way
  • annamariecoldman
    annamariecoldman Posts: 24
    Thanks everyone for such great feedback! I'm going to research TDEE and hopefully start to see results! will update soon :) xx
  • I_Will_End_You
    I_Will_End_You Posts: 4,397 Member
    I had a bit of a setback so wasn't taking it seriously and didn't fill out my diary.. But I've been filing it out consistently for the last few days as I want to be serious about it.

    There you go. It's only been a few days since you've been logging consistently, so just give it more time. It's going to take more than a few days to see results.
  • annamariecoldman
    annamariecoldman Posts: 24
    Ok so I just looked up TDEE and for my lifestyle (currently sedentary) it says to eat 1670 a day. Someone said to then take 25% off that? Is that correct and why do I need to x
  • claudie08
    claudie08 Posts: 154 Member
    I'm stuck too. I haven't lost a thing in over a month. In fact, I gained weight last month and can't seem to make any progress. I was told to increase my calories and I've increased my activity as well. I hope to see SOMETHING positive by end of week.
  • annamariecoldman
    annamariecoldman Posts: 24
    I'm stuck too. I haven't lost a thing in over a month. In fact, I gained weight last month and can't seem to make any progress. I was told to increase my calories and I've increased my activity as well. I hope to see SOMETHING positive by end of week.


    U can do it!! Keep going good luck xxx
  • hill8570
    hill8570 Posts: 1,466 Member
    You talk about a gym. Are you working out? Have you starting working out harder since you starting logging in earnest? Are you pretty sore? If so, it's water weight -- sore muscles = retained water. Once the soreness goes away (roughly four days), you'll suddenly drop a bunch of weight at once.
  • I_Will_End_You
    I_Will_End_You Posts: 4,397 Member
    Ok so I just looked up TDEE and for my lifestyle (currently sedentary) it says to eat 1670 a day. Someone said to then take 25% off that? Is that correct and why do I need to x


    Do you lay in bed all day, watch TV and do nothing? If not, you aren't sedentary. Most people are at least lightly active.
  • annamariecoldman
    annamariecoldman Posts: 24
    Ok so I just looked up TDEE and for my lifestyle (currently sedentary) it says to eat 1670 a day. Someone said to then take 25% off that? Is that correct and why do I need to x


    Do you lay in bed all day, watch TV and do nothing? If not, you aren't sedentary. Most people are at least lightly active.

    Ahh I get it now! Sorry I'm very new to this whole thing I kinda need spoon feeding! So If I work it out again at a lightly active level then that should be more accurate. I aim to do 3 x 30 minute workouts at home a week as getting to a gym is hard for me as my schedule is very busy
  • annamariecoldman
    annamariecoldman Posts: 24
    You talk about a gym. Are you working out? Have you starting working out harder since you starting logging in earnest? Are you pretty sore? If so, it's water weight -- sore muscles = retained water. Once the soreness goes away (roughly four days), you'll suddenly drop a bunch of weight at once.

    Not currently working out but aiming to do 3 x 30 minute workouts a week at home. This does explain why I was struggling before though!
  • I_Will_End_You
    I_Will_End_You Posts: 4,397 Member
    Ahh I get it now! Sorry I'm very new to this whole thing I kinda need spoon feeding! So If I work it out again at a lightly active level then that should be more accurate. I aim to do 3 x 30 minute workouts at home a week as getting to a gym is hard for me as my schedule is very busy

    Yes, if you have a busy schedule and workout 3 times a week, you aren't sedentary. I think if you stick with consistent logging for longer, you'll start seeing results.
  • annamariecoldman
    annamariecoldman Posts: 24
    Worked it out 1626!! Day 1 tomorrow going to log everything and see how it goes :) thanks everyone xx

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