My turn for diary/calorie help! :)

think48

Quick summary:

I'm 5'5", 135 pounds, trying to get to roughly 128, or lose 7-10 pounds of fat. BF% is 24.9 and I would like it to be around 21-22%.

I am training for a half marathon so I am running roughly 18-20 miles per week right now and also doing NROLFW two days a week, so I am lifting heavy. I've definitely seen change in muscles, but I'm not losing any of the flub over them. I run 4 days a week, lift heavy 2 days a week, and 1 full rest day.

On my hard training days I am eating b/w 1700-1950 calories and on my rest day(s) I'm eating b/w 1400-1500 calories. I eat 90% clean, except once or twice a week when I go out.

I haven't lost a thing in for.ever. Help? Too high calories, too low? Diary is open. Yes, I went over yesterday and another day this week, but only a total of 400 calories combined....

taylor5877

replied to wrong thread...nm

EatClean_WashUrNuts

A few questions...

How old are you?
How did you come up with 1500 Calories as your Calorie Goal?
Are your Calorie Gains through HMR or what MFP has in place?
How are your measurements? While you may not be losing weight, you may be losing inches/BF% with lifting.

There really is not enough information provided. If everything was in a perfect world...its simple, you are not on goal.

Angie__1MR

For fat loss, carbs are too high, protein is too low.

Edit: sugar is exceptionally high...when I'm in fat loss mode, I don't go over 15 g. per day.

SeaChele77

I agree w/ Angie - you need to lower the carbs and increase protein. Especially on your heavy lifting days. I would also reduce your fat intake.

Vansy

More protein, less fat/carbs. I'm seeing a lot of chicken strips (fried), ice cream, mac and cheese, etc. Try lowering those, eat more fruits, vegetables, lean meats -- less fried, cheesy, sugary foods.

Angie__1MR

More protein, less fat/carbs. I'm seeing a lot of chicken strips (fried), ice cream, mac and cheese, etc. Try lowering those, eat more fruits, vegetables, lean meats -- less fried, cheesy, sugary foods.

Disagree on the "less fat" your body needs fat to carry fat soluble vitamins, as well as many other functions. Your fats could be healthier though. 50 grams is the minimal amount you need.

iLose2Gain

You should think about becoming a member of the group Eat More 2 Weigh Less! They talk about all of your challenges!! I am learning but member: Anewlucia eats 150-200 grams of carbs a day but also eats 150-200 grams of protein a day. You should review her diary (it is open to the public). I am not an expert so I won't tell you what to do but I don't think your carbs are the problem!! Also I eat 50+ grams of sugar a day (A lot of fruit!!) and I've lost fat so.... It is trial & error. But if your weight has stalled you should change it up!

kristen6022

I'd back off the carbs a bit. I don't mean South Beach/Atkins back off the carbs, but reduce them to about 120/day for 2 weeks and see how you do. Switch to whole grains and ditch the white flour stuff. Also up your protein just a bit more each day. Maybe add in 1/2 serving more of chicken/lean meat a day. This is all a guessing game really, all of our bodies are different. You need to find what works for you.

EatClean_WashUrNuts

For fat loss, carbs are too high, protein is too low.

Edit: sugar is exceptionally high...when I'm in fat loss mode, I don't go over 15 g. per day.

This is not entirely true. If you have a basis for this as proven research, please provide.
There is more to this equation than this.

Natural RAW sugars are good, fat is good, Carbs are good....there needs to be more information from the OP

SeaChele77

More protein, less fat/carbs. I'm seeing a lot of chicken strips (fried), ice cream, mac and cheese, etc. Try lowering those, eat more fruits, vegetables, lean meats -- less fried, cheesy, sugary foods.

Disagree on the "less fat" your body needs fat to carry fat soluble vitamins, as well as many other functions. Your fats could be healthier though. 50 grams is the minimal amount you need.

1. For fat loss, fat intake should be on the lower end. Not saying eat all No Fat foods as we do need fat.
2. Fats should be obtained with healthy fats, not a lot processed food or junk
3. I looked at 1 week of her diary and almost every day fat exceeded 50g.

My suggestion is that she keeps fat to around 30g-40g while also lowerign carbs and increasing protein.

jshort152

If your not losing anything then I would suggest dropping them only about 200calories or so, and drink plenty of water as well to continue with the weight loss!

Angie__1MR

For fat loss, carbs are too high, protein is too low.

Edit: sugar is exceptionally high...when I'm in fat loss mode, I don't go over 15 g. per day.

This is not entirely true. If you have a basis for this as proven research, please provide.
There is more to this equation than this.

Natural RAW sugars are good, fat is good, Carbs are good....there needs to be more information from the OP

I believe she asked for opinions, and that is what I gave her, my opinion.

melaniecheeks

I disagree about the carbs, because she is running so much. Carbs are fuel.

dewgirl321

I agree with the EM2WL suggestion. I think your calories are too low for the amount of exercise you're getting and the amount you have left to lose. You're mostly working on body composition at this point. Increase your cals, and make sure protein is the biggest part of the increase. I would suggest 1900 cals per day based on your stats, although your age is unknown. Use the scooby calculator (it should be on a sticky in EM2WL) to come up with a calorie goal, but it looks to me like you're eating too little!

Edit to add: I saw some days where you only ate 83g protein - not enough when you're doing NROL.

Vansy

More protein, less fat/carbs. I'm seeing a lot of chicken strips (fried), ice cream, mac and cheese, etc. Try lowering those, eat more fruits, vegetables, lean meats -- less fried, cheesy, sugary foods.

Disagree on the "less fat" your body needs fat to carry fat soluble vitamins, as well as many other functions. Your fats could be healthier though. 50 grams is the minimal amount you need.

I know you need fat. I was just saying less of the fat they're intaking -- or maybe I should have said BETTER fat (i.e., avocado, nuts, etc.). I was just seeing a lot of ice cream, fried chicken, hamburger, cheese, etc. --> all saturated fats.

kyoung_home

What do you consider too high?

think48

Thank you everyone for all of the suggestions. I am 33 years old, female. Forgot to mention those 2 things.

I do eat clean - no white flours, potatoes, rice, no added sugars, etc. All those things in my diary are homemade, and input into my recipes section (minus the chicken fingers at a pool party on Sunday - those were restaurant style...oops). But reality, it is all clean and homemade from scratch.

I initally had my protein goals higher and carbs lower but then increased carbs because of my running. The high sugars are all natural sugars.....I guess I need to figure out a way to decrease them. The coconut ice cream is all natural, homemade (coconut milk, shredded coconut, almonds, vanilla). The coconut milk has a lot of sugar in it which threw off my numbers, I know. But I just want to clarify that it is all natural, not from store-bought Edy's or anything.

I will try to increase protein, I do think that needs to be done.

To the poster who asked about how I calculated my calories - I calculated my TDEE and decreased by 20% which gave me 1497 so I went with 1500 as the goal. But I am so HUNGRY on my workout days at 1500 that I decided to eat back some of exercise calories. Wondering if I need even more than 1500-1900?? That just seems crazy to me.

Thank you for all of your comments. I love this place and I always get such good advice!

EatClean_WashUrNuts

Your BMR based on Height, weight, age is 1393. TDEE is only effective on calculating every day. at 1500 calories alone, you are over-eating for a lifestyle based on caloric focus, alone.

I suggest taking the 1393 - 20% (279) as your goal for weight loss. Ensure that you are wearing an HRM with your workouts to get an accurate burn to get your DAILY TDEE. Run with that for a couple of weeks, if you still see no movement, adjust your diet from there. Carbs are good for you, especially if you are lifting. Carbs are FUEL for the body. Do increase your protein and if you are still hungry, increase your carbs.

Also, "Clean Eating", in my opinion is a farce. Just because you make it homemade, doesnt mean all the ingredients are 100% all natural. Eat in moderation, hit your macros, and you'll be money.

thomassd1969

Are you tracking the water you drink? I didnt see it.

think48

Are you tracking the water you drink? I didnt see it.

No, I admit, i'm lazy on tracking the water, but I drink about 68-76 oz plain water daily. Definitely more on my longer running days. I probably need to be drinking more on average though. I DO drink it, just don't track it.

think48

Your BMR based on Height, weight, age is 1393. TDEE is only effective on calculating every day. at 1500 calories alone, you are over-eating for a lifestyle based on caloric focus, alone.

I suggest taking the 1393 - 20% (279) as your goal for weight loss. Ensure that you are wearing an HRM with your workouts to get an accurate burn to get your DAILY TDEE. Run with that for a couple of weeks, if you still see no movement, adjust your diet from there. Carbs are good for you, especially if you are lifting. Carbs are FUEL for the body. Do increase your protein and if you are still hungry, increase your carbs.

Also, "Clean Eating", in my opinion is a farce. Just because you make it homemade, doesnt mean all the ingredients are 100% all natural. Eat in moderation, hit your macros, and you'll be money.

Wow, really? That's scary. I think I'd crumble over in hunger. Makes me rethink my desire to lose some of this fat. I have a hard enough time keeping it down to 1400. I thought it was dangerous to go under my BMR of 1393? Especially if I'm exercising 6 days a week.

You see why this has me so very confused in the first place.

And okay, maybe I'm not perfect on eating all natural and whole foods, but I do pretty darn well. I'm sorry if I'm mixing up my lingo on homemade and clean and whole, but I don't eat boxed/pre-processed foods for the most part. All my food comes straight from the ground or straight from the animal, I guess is what I'm trying to get at.

braga1992

BMR is how many calories you need at minimum just to maintain your weight if you were to be bed ridden all day every day. Because we arent bed ridden, we are up on our feet, walking around throughout the day, exercising, etc. So the BMR isnt sufficent for someone who is active. Get your TDEE here - http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/ Select your goal 15-20% and it will display your cut value (third row under TDEE value). Because your activity level is included into the TDEE, theres no need to eat your exercise calories. What I am currently in the making of doing is Subtracting 250 from my TDEE for week 1. If i see no fat loss, subtract another 250 from the total for Week 2. If im not making progress, subtract another 250 calories from my total for week 3. Then once i see some losses, ill slowly cut it back 50 calories a week. Every body is different and we all have different metabolisms and numbers which work for us and only us. If you find out the correct number that works for your body, youll know its sweet spot. Give it a try.

braga1992

And in my opinion on eating clean, unless your eating tons of sugar and spiking your insulin levels, I dont exactly see a point in "eating clean". The only real difference it has is your energy level. If you eat like crap, your gonna feel like crap and not have the energy and boost you would have in the gym if you ate clean. That ive experienced. Also, if you eat clean, you usually 9 times out of 10 can eat a whole lot more than someone who eats dirty. Other than that, this processed nd prepackaged foods and preservatives, wont stop me from eating them. If theyre easy to make and cheap to buy, im all for it.