Bought HRM, Cals Upped, WL Stalled - Help!

denitahawkins

Ok, prior to buying the Polar FT7, I was using a Scosche Rhythm HRM. It didn't have a chest strap, just attached to your forearm. Well, I got an "idea" of what I was burning using that and just logged exercise based on average of the HRM. Then, I upgraded to the supposed "Big Daddy" of HRMs, the Polar FT7 and found that the burns I was seeing on that were MUCH higher than I had originally been logging via MFP and the Scosche. So, as a result of what the Polar FT7 was saying, I decided I was drastically under eating and starting eating from appx 1200-1300 to 1400-1500 (and my diary is open for the critics).

Now that I've increased, however, I have found that the scale movement in the negative direction has stalled. I'm not losing or gaining. Just stuck at 198. I'm not mad, just confused. I know upping my cals meant it would slow my weight loss down, esp as I'm 55 lbs lighter than when I started 6 months ago and I know the lighter you are, the less you will need to maintain the level at which you were previously losing. I work out 5-6 days a week, try to log about 15-20 miles a week, and I've also started lifting more consistently, so maybe I'm losing weight and adding muscle. I dunno. Anywho, let me quit whining. Anyone have any HELPFUL insight as to what may be going on, or what I can do differently? I've got thick skin, I can take it, I'm not a troll, and I love ice cream. :flowerforyou:

Pirate_chick

I too have the FT 7. I have no complaints. If upping your calories is causing you to stall,1. how long have you been stalled? 2. if it's been over a month lower them until you start to lose again.

3dogsrunning

Your HRM is incorrect.
If you are gaining weight, you are overstimating calories burned or underestimating food. Since you recently bumped up your exercise calories, I'm going to go with that as the likely cause.

What workouts are you using your HRM for? The calories estimation formula is based on steady state cardio, outside of that, it becomes inaccuate. It is not accurate for weight lifting at all. Also, there are any number of factors that affect accuracy. Are you sure the data entered is correct?

A couple of posts that you may find helpful.
Includes helpful setup tips
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/Azdak/view/the-real-facts-about-hrms-and-calories-what-you-need-to-know-before-purchasing-an-hrm-or-using-one-21472
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1044313-this-is-why-hrms-have-limited-use-for-tracking-calories

How to test for accuracy
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/774337-how-to-test-hrm-for-how-accurate-calorie-burn-is

Things that may affect accuracy
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/773451-is-my-hrm-giving-me-incorrect-calorie-burn


TL;DR- HRMs are not infallible.

erickirb

I would start by asking how are you tracking calories consumed? Do you weigh solids and measure liquids? If not you are probably eating 10-50% more than you think you are. which means you were eating more than 1200-1300 before, and each more than 1400-1500 now, so you may have been eating what you should have been eating, and just missing some cals due to an error in measurement.

1princesswarrior

I took a peak at your diary. I think you may be eating more than you think. My advise would be to get a kitchen scale and weigh everything solid and log it accurately. You can pick one up at Walmart for around $20. Read this: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1234699-logging-accurately-step-by-step-guide and http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/872212-you-re-probably-eating-more-than-you-think

Also, why aren't you tracking protein? Especially since you are lifting more, the general rule of thumb is 0.8 g protein/lb of lean body mass.

StaciMarie1974

How long have you been 'stalled'? If under 3-4 weeks, too soon to determine if you really need to change anything.

Are you using the HRM for cardio, or all workouts? HRM is only reliable for steady state cardio, so if you're constantly starting & stopping movement, don't use it. Don't log extra calories for that sort of movement as its barely more than your usual activity level/BMR.

But if you're truly eating 1400-1500, there is no way you're eating 'too much'. Do you log everything, every day? Do you use a food scale?

StaciMarie1974

Use a food scale. I also suspect you do not, as your sweet potato, banana, etc. is always the same (.6 of one large : how do you know what that is based on? How large is large.) Find entries where the food, even fruits and veggies, is based on weight. I bake sweet potatoes, and I weigh them before & after to see how much I consume. Typically what I would call a small to medium SP is 125-175 calories.

kemval74

In looking at your mucle pic I would venture to say that you might be gaining muscle. Take a look at Anowa Adja (the Nigerian powerhouse) she is SOLID muscle and not afraid to say that she weighs over 200#. I would never have believed until i saw her step on the scales. You should be able to google her; she has fitness DVDs and is a personal trainer. It doesn't mean that you won't lose, I am just saying that you can't rely simply on the scales as a measure of weight loss. I would however, expect some weight loss at <1500 calories and agree that it might benefit you for accuracy sake to measure everything for 3-5 days (i eat the same things repetitively so that is how long it took me to measure mine) just to see if you are indeed consuming that calorie range. Good luck! :happy:

denitahawkins

Thanks guys for the insight! So to answer a few questions, I do use a food scale (but it's not digital) for meats, and I do use measuring cups/ count serving sizes out (i.e. if chocolate chips say 30 are in a serving, I'm sitting at the counter counting 30). I will admit for sweet potatoes, bananas,fruits & veggies I don't weigh it and I go based on prev weights and averages and pictures to determine what I use for logging purposes. But - hey - maybe it's time to take it to the next level in terms of food accountability!

In terms of "the stall", I don't weight myself often. Maybe once a week, once every two weeks. I used to be a daily weigher, but it was starting to affect my mood and realize that the scale held too much weight (did you see where I was going with that?!). I guess it's just that in those times when I DO weigh, it's not changing like I'd imagine. Le stall has only been for about a week and a half, Needless to say, I'm still in Scales Anonymous.

To be honest, after I posted this and I looked through my diary more - esp since I bought the HR - I see I've been eating A LOT more sweets/treats - esp at night - and Snack 3 is 300 - 500 calories. I think that I've used the HRM as a crutch to allow myself to eat more crap. Thanks for the accountability, y'all! :drinker:

omma_to_3

Honestly, eating crap won't affect your weight loss unless the crap you're eating isn't known calories and your estimation is off. I would highly suspect that (assuming the settings for age/gender/weight on your HRM are correct) you aren't logging your food accurately and the reason you were losing before is because your target was lower (so you had more room to be wrong on your food estimates and still be in a deficit).

Based on your statement, you're not really being accurate. Those chocolate chips should say something like serving size = 30 chips (20 grams) (totally made up those numbers). So, instead of counting out 30 chips, just weigh it in grams. Much more accurate. And sweet potatoes and bananas are pretty calorie laden so if you're not weighing those, you could easily be 50 to 100 calories off there too. Lower calorie veggies I personally don't worry about, but those two are pretty high calorie for a fruit/veggie.

Ninkyou

You should really invest in the food scale. Judging pictures and guessing, using measuring cups, etc is going to get you nowhere fast.

It doesn't matter if you're eating more sweets. If they're weighed and logged accurately, fit within your calorie budget, it will have no impact on your weight loss.

angiebmore

Do you still do Anowa Adjah DVD's? Im new to her workouts and I just love her?

letearc

I still do all 3 of her videos as well as her challenges. She's amazing. I also incorporated Jillian Michaels

sijomial

denitahawkins wrote: »

Then, I upgraded to the supposed "Big Daddy" of HRMs, the Polar FT7

No idea where you get that idea! The FT7 is a very basic HRM that can't easily be calibrated to an individual.
Do remember that HRMs are heartbeat counters - they are not calorie counters.

What exercise are you using it for?

AnvilHead

sijomial wrote: »

denitahawkins wrote: »

Then, I upgraded to the supposed "Big Daddy" of HRMs, the Polar FT7

No idea where you get that idea! The FT7 is a very basic HRM that can't easily be calibrated to an individual.
Do remember that HRMs are heartbeat counters - they are not calorie counters.

What exercise are you using it for?

Keep in mind that the post you're responding to is about three and a half years old (and just got randomly brought back from the dead today). HRM technology has come a long way since the FT7 was released in 2013.

Regardless, I still agree with the point that HRMs are not calorie counters.

sijomial

@AnvilHead
Haha, thanks - possibly being used for The Zombie Run then!

AnvilHead

sijomial wrote: »

@AnvilHead
Haha, thanks - possibly being used for The Zombie Run then!

I still have an even older one (Polar FT4) lying around in a drawer somewhere. It was the bee's knees in 2010, but compared to my Garmin 935 (or just about any modern HRM wearable) it's almost as primitive as counting my heart rate with an abacus!

It's also worth mentioning that the older HRMs weren't designed/intended to be daily activity trackers and were virtually useless for that purpose.

Francl27

Necro thread!