So FRUSTRATED!
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cspong
Posts: 260 Member
I started on MFP two weeks ago and have been faithfully logging... With absolutely no results. The only difference on the scale is that I'm fluctuating 2lbs below my avg rather than 2lbs above....
I'm going crazy! And only a few people will give me any info about my questions...
MFP has it set so I'm eating about 500 cals below my BMR. I've been worried about this, but everyone else who's doing it is losing weight. I upped my calories so that I'm only eating about 200 less than my BMR and there was no gain, but there's still no loss!!
What am I doing wrong?! I'm really overweight, 257 on a good day (259 on a bad), and I'm hoping to get to 190, then eventually to 155-160ish...
Please help
(I also eat back my exercise cals which always brings me above my BMR)
I'm going crazy! And only a few people will give me any info about my questions...
MFP has it set so I'm eating about 500 cals below my BMR. I've been worried about this, but everyone else who's doing it is losing weight. I upped my calories so that I'm only eating about 200 less than my BMR and there was no gain, but there's still no loss!!
What am I doing wrong?! I'm really overweight, 257 on a good day (259 on a bad), and I'm hoping to get to 190, then eventually to 155-160ish...
Please help
(I also eat back my exercise cals which always brings me above my BMR)
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Replies
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i am DEFINETLY not qualified whatsoever to give you a good answer (i just started em2wl 2 weeks ago and ive yet to up it fully) but from what i understand, you have to give your body some time to adjust. I'm ready New Rules and he suggests giving it a full 4 weeks before reevaluating your intake. 4 weeks without a budge on the scale sounds really hard to stomach so i plan on just staying off the scale for at least a month once i actually dig in.
also, you might need to up your daily cals even more (i know i do) You should take it as a really good sign that even though you have upped your daily calories you still haven't gained anything - that should tell you something!0 -
I started on MFP two weeks ago and have been faithfully logging... With absolutely no results. The only difference on the scale is that I'm fluctuating 2lbs below my avg rather than 2lbs above....
I'm going crazy! And only a few people will give me any info about my questions...
MFP has it set so I'm eating about 500 cals below my BMR. I've been worried about this, but everyone else who's doing it is losing weight. I upped my calories so that I'm only eating about 200 less than my BMR and there was no gain, but there's still no loss!!
What am I doing wrong?! I'm really overweight, 257 on a good day (259 on a bad), and I'm hoping to get to 190, then eventually to 155-160ish...
Please help
(I also eat back my exercise cals which always brings me above my BMR)
Please take a moment to read the topic on TDEE and there is a video as well. Eating below your BMR slows your metabolism. We suggest calculating your TDEE and eat 15% less than that...which of course should be a bit above your BMR. Again the topics go into great detail about it.0 -
weight can definitely be dropped eating below BMR like that, but will it get you all the way to your goal and keep you there? not likely. so you're doing well to start off questioning that whole method and looking for a healthy option.
go here to figure out your TDEE according to your activity level
> http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/
take your TDEE and subtract 15% (or just multiply times 0.85). this number is your cut value - the number of cals you should eat per day in order to lose weight. eat those cals every day and do not subtract exercise calories since your TDEE factors in your activity level already. you do need to pay attention to that mfp net calorie number just to make sure that you are not dipping below your BMR. if you go below it, eat enough calories to get to your BMR. otherwise, just eat your cut value calories.
for example, my numbers are 1426 BMR, 2211 TDEE and 1879 cut value. i round my cut value up to 1900. i eat at least 1900 every day (honestly, i often eat more). if i were to do a zumba class and burn 700 calories, that would put me netting 1200 which is 226 below my BMR. in this case, i would eat an extra 226 on top of my 1900. but if i do 20 minutes on the elliptical and burn 200 calories, i do not eat those calories back because my net consumption of 1700 is still well above my BMR.
does that make sense? just plug in your own numbers there.
next step, you need to manually set your MFP goals to 40% carbs, 30% protein and 30% fat. some folks also set fiber to 30 grams. and you definitely need to keep an eye on your sodium intake. the ladies in charge here generally recommend 1 gram of protein per pound of body weight. your 30% protein goal in MFP may be a little below that, so just keep that in mind as you're tracking your intake.
also, a lot of folks recommend tossing your scale for a bit while starting this process because gains at the beginning are common. it's mostly bloating and water gain while your body is adjusting to finally getting all the fuel it needs. the best thing to do is to get a tape measure and track your measurements. if you are weighing, it is very common to see your weight going up while your measurements go down. some people up their calories gradually while others jump right up to their cut value. i upped mine from 1300 to 1900 from one day to the next. a lot of folks who took it slower wish they had just jumped right in, but it is all about what you are comfortable with.
ok, that's all i can think of right now. i really need to do soma actual work at my work computer instead of MFPing all day
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weight can definitely be dropped eating below BMR like that, but will it get you all the way to your goal and keep you there? not likely. so you're doing well to start off questioning that whole method and looking for a healthy option.
go here to figure out your TDEE according to your activity level
> http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/
take your TDEE and subtract 15% (or just multiply times 0.85). this number is your cut value - the number of cals you should eat per day in order to lose weight. eat those cals every day and do not subtract exercise calories since your TDEE factors in your activity level already. you do need to pay attention to that mfp net calorie number just to make sure that you are not dipping below your BMR. if you go below it, eat enough calories to get to your BMR. otherwise, just eat your cut value calories.
for example, my numbers are 1426 BMR, 2211 TDEE and 1879 cut value. i round my cut value up to 1900. i eat at least 1900 every day (honestly, i often eat more). if i were to do a zumba class and burn 700 calories, that would put me netting 1200 which is 226 below my BMR. in this case, i would eat an extra 226 on top of my 1900. but if i do 20 minutes on the elliptical and burn 200 calories, i do not eat those calories back because my net consumption of 1700 is still well above my BMR.
does that make sense? just plug in your own numbers there.
next step, you need to manually set your MFP goals to 40% carbs, 30% protein and 30% fat. some folks also set fiber to 30 grams. and you definitely need to keep an eye on your sodium intake. the ladies in charge here generally recommend 1 gram of protein per pound of body weight. your 30% protein goal in MFP may be a little below that, so just keep that in mind as you're tracking your intake.
also, a lot of folks recommend tossing your scale for a bit while starting this process because gains at the beginning are common. it's mostly bloating and water gain while your body is adjusting to finally getting all the fuel it needs. the best thing to do is to get a tape measure and track your measurements. if you are weighing, it is very common to see your weight going up while your measurements go down. some people up their calories gradually while others jump right up to their cut value. i upped mine from 1300 to 1900 from one day to the next. a lot of folks who took it slower wish they had just jumped right in, but it is all about what you are comfortable with.
ok, that's all i can think of right now. i really need to do soma actual work at my work computer instead of MFPing all day
I couldn't have explained it any better! :flowerforyou:0 -
Very helpful Rebeka! This is the best explanation I have come across!0
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Okay, since I can't delete this, I'll share what I've learned through research, lol.
So, to my understanding, I was right feeling uncomfortable eating less than my BMR. So, in eating less than my BMR, I would lose weight, but I would also lose muscle tissue and would eventually stagnate because my metabolism would be shot, and the only way for me to lose weight would be to lower my calorie intake even more at a great detriment to myself or just accept my size and keep eating that menial amount of calories (or gain the weight back when I raise the amount).
In order to make this a lifestyle change and one that I can fairly comfortably do, I need to figure out my TDEE which is essentially my BMR + my average daily activity. This makes it so if I workout I will not have to track my workouts and will only have to eat back my calories if I work out enough to dip below my BMR.
I used this calculator here which made it really simple (and helped me understand all this): http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/
And followed the instructions in this post: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/541567-once-you-have-your-tdee-and-bmr-next-step
And then used this post to refresh my understanding and to prepare my mind for this huge change in thinking about weightloss: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/521728-upping-cals-what-to-expect-why-you-need-patience
So, I think I'm prepared to give this a good shot. If Im wrong on anything let me know! Thanks you guys! This group is amazing!0 -
ok, that's all i can think of right now. i really need to do soma actual work at my work computer instead of MFPing all day
Hahaha...^^^ this is totally me.
I really should do some actual "work" at work :yawn:0
