Cals in vs Cals out? WTF is the problem!!??
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If we trust the band to measure cal.s than the other variable is how accurate the food cal.s are being measured. Do you measure everything you eat and recorded it ? I hope this is not something you have over looked but it might be worth a re-examination.0
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If you want to open your diary you will get criticism to hell and back lol!
Your deficit looks great. All I can suggest is that you are not logging all (I mean everything you eat) I am saying this not knowing for sure??
My suggestion is that you try to add carb days every few days.
So here is what works for me eat really protein for 3 or 4 days, and low carb. still eating some carbs of course lol"
then have a day where you eat a lot more carbs and very low protein.
rinse and repeat lol!
I lose between 1/2 to 2lbs a week
My carbs daily are usually around 100-130, so I don't to low low carb, but I eat alot of fiber, so that usually puts my net below 100. And as for protein, I eat around 130-150 g a day. How would I alter this to work the way you said? Should I just lower my carbs really low for a few days or raise them even higher then the 100+?0 -
Wait, did I miss someone ask about measurements? Have your measurements changed at all? Have your clothes fit differently?
A plateau will be when your measurements don't budge, too. I also saw you JUST added strength training--generally when you start any new fitness program, especially weight training, your muscles will hold onto more water to repair, a.k.a, water retention.
Edit: According to your macros (without being able to see your diary), those sound fantastic. Low carb IS 50-150g. "Low, low carb" would lead to ketosis (or only be necessary right at the beginning of a low carb diet). You are actually eating low carb if your carbs tend to be around 130.0 -
Yes it does sound like you have hit a plateau. There is such a good article I read on it! I can send you the link if you want to read it. But i would just start changing everything up. You have been doing the same thing for a while now (which lost you 40 lbs). Not it's not working for your body anymore - your body got used to whatever it is that you have been doing. Start doing EVERYTHING differently. Like if you do stair master, for example, start doing it at different levels, different intensity, do high intensity interval training (HIIT), start going sideways and backwards on it. If you eat the same types of food every day, try something different. Stick to the healthy options like you have been doing, but change things up. Try doing weight training if you aren't doing it already, like the person before me has mentioned. it WILL work. Change is what will help you break your plateau.0
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You lost 42 pounds in 4 months?!?! That is FANTASTIC!! Congratulations!!
Everyone's body is different, so I can't really explain why you've hit this plateau. But it could be just as one poster above said...you may not be burning as many calories as your BFM reads to you. You may not be properly weighing/logging your food. Or your body may just be saying, "WHOA, slow down!!"
My weight loss gradually went from two pounds a week to less than a pound a week. it's definitely not linear...it goes up two one week, then down three the next, then stays the same for two weeks...ahhhh!! Yes it's frustrating, but I still feel stronger and healthier. It's not easy, but try to focus on the positive changes you're making. The weight will come off, just maybe not as quickly as you'd like. Best of luck!0 -
Depending on the exercise, you could be retaining water to support muscle repair.0
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If we trust the band to measure cal.s than the other variable is how accurate the food cal.s are being measured. Do you measure everything you eat and recorded it ? I hope this is not something you have over looked but it might be worth a re-examination.
I am very meticulous about logging, I log everything I put in my mouth, even the not so wonderful things lol i do have a food scale and measure. Even when I get recipes from places, I always calculate by what products I am using, not by what the recipe says the info is.0 -
Hey all, was wondering if you can help me out. I see all over the boards how this is what matters, but why does this not seem to be the case where I am concerned? I wear a body media fit so I have my calorie burn daily and I figure out my deficit daily and then for the week, and it always says I should lose X amount, and it isn't happening!! What gives!!?
*I do understand that the armband is only 95% effective, but way more effective then guessing*
If cals in vs cals out will guarantee weight loss, then can someone tell me what the problem is? I will clarify, as of now I have been stalled out for about 6 weeks or so, so I figured that may be why there is no progress at the moment, but I have been tracking my cals burned and deficit this way for a year (before MFP) and it has always been this way. In the past I had huge deficits a day, around 1000 to 1500, and I never had the losses like it said I should, but I found out here that there is such a thing as too BIG of a deficit. I did lose but not what it said I should be around, but I still had a loss so didn't think much of it. I have lowered my deficit amount to between 500-1000 (at most, usually no higher then 900) and still nothing.
I am in the 3rd week of upping my cals, am I expecting a loss when it hasn't been enough time? Went from 1600 and below to around 2000-2200 now. I weighed this morning (not my normal weigh in day) and I was still the same. I've tried not to let it bother me these last 3 weeks because I know I have to be patient when upping my cals, but this has been going on since before this. I also have PCOS, which I do follow more low carb, try to always get below 100g net, but still nothing. I eat a whole foods diet the majority of the time (by that I mean lots of veggies, meat and dairy, do not each much grains and fruit because of the sugar, will get low carb bread at times) and cook the majority of my meals.
Here is an example, these are my numbers from last week -
Monday - - - 2563 cals burned - 1923 cals eaten = 640 deficit
Tuesday- - - 2479 cals burned - 1850 cals eaten = 629 deficit
Wed - - - - - - - 2801 cals burned - 2067 cals eaten = 734 deficit
Thursday - - - 2600 cals burned - 1623 cals eaten = 977 deficit
Friday - - - - 2723 cals burned - 2154 cals eaten = 569 deficit
Saturday - - 2926 cals burned - 2114 cals eaten = 812 deficit
Sunday - - 2840 cals burned - 2008 cals eaten = 832 deficit
Total Cals burned for week = 18,932
Total Cals eaten for week = 13,739
Total deficit - 5,193 which means I should have lost 1.4/1.5 pounds
My point in this post is what do I do when cals in vs cals out is not working properly!? I do take my inches and I was up 8 inches overall last week, which my wellness coach said could be from water weight, but within these six weeks there has not been really any weight or inch loss of significance. I don't know how to try and break a stall if I am consistently eating at a deficit and it still isn't enough! Has anyone else been stuck and found something that worked for them?
By NO MEANS am I giving up or going to eat myself into oblivion but I can't help but get frustrated by this. I follow the rules, do what I am supposed to and it still doesn't work, I am at a loss and don't know how to get my body moving on the scale again. I had a steady loss for 4 months, lost the 42 pounds shown below and haven't been able to lose a damn pound since.
Is there something else I need to tweak? Any suggestions on how to get things moving again? I don't want to say this 6 weeks has been wasted time, but I feel like it is such a setback and if I just continue doing what I have been, when am I supposed to know if its not enough? How do I break a plateau when I consistently have a deficit and it still isn't good enough? GRRRRRR frustrated beyond belief, please help if you can
How are you measuring your food eaten/drinks? Are you weighing everything?0 -
On paper, yes it does look like you should be experiencing some kind of loss with six weeks of that kind of eating/exercise schedule.
But I'm finding it really, really hard to believe you are regularly burning between 2500 and 3000 calories a day. I do realize that this is taken cumulatively from your body media fit, as TDEE, but I'm wondering what kind of activities you're doing to see this kind of calorie burn?
From your profile, you lost a significant amount of weight in August, and overall. I think it's possible you are overestimating your caloric needs, but it's hard to say exactly. After a 40lb loss, I'd expect your weight loss to plateau at some point, which it seems to have. Happens to almost everyone.
Edit: I don't think 1600 calories a day is unreasonable if you're not doing heavy lifting. You should theoretically be able to lose weight at that caloric intake. But you ask if three weeks is long enough to wait after making a change to your diet before you see results - Usually, it's not. I'd say wait 6 weeks before you decide it's not working
i think this is the right idea here. You also may have overestimated your calorie needs with relation to weight, if you loose weight you need less calories (your base calories). Check again your daily needs. You could throw a few 1200 deficits in there too, it won't be the end of the world (as long as it is mostly exercise deficits)0 -
Weight loss is not linear and stop weighing yourself weekly
It may not be linear, but there is no reason to stop weighing weekly?
Weighing weekly can lead to frustration, as seen in the OP.0 -
On paper, yes it does look like you should be experiencing some kind of loss with six weeks of that kind of eating/exercise schedule.
But I'm finding it really, really hard to believe you are regularly burning between 2500 and 3000 calories a day. I do realize that this is taken cumulatively from your body media fit, as TDEE, but I'm wondering what kind of activities you're doing to see this kind of calorie burn?
From your profile, you lost a significant amount of weight in August, and overall. I think it's possible you are overestimating your caloric needs, but it's hard to say exactly. After a 40lb loss, I'd expect your weight loss to plateau at some point, which it seems to have. Happens to almost everyone.
Edit: I don't think 1600 calories a day is unreasonable if you're not doing heavy lifting. You should theoretically be able to lose weight at that caloric intake. But you ask if three weeks is long enough to wait after making a change to your diet before you see results - Usually, it's not. I'd say wait 6 weeks before you decide it's not working
Thank you for the guideline with the six weeks, some people told me only a couple and I was like well wth then lol0 -
Patience is so important.
and THIS is unhelpful. she's been at it for 6weeks. we all want to see SOME change, some result of the hardwork we've put in.
She has lost 42 pounds in those six weeks. Therefore, I'll say it again, "Patience is so important."0 -
No scale is accurate enough to reliably show a 1.5 lbs. difference in actual weight, much less in body fat. A calorie deficit will reduce body fat over time. It's like gravity.
Also, double check to be sure your calorie count is accurate. It's very common to underestimate.0 -
Do a weigh in after a 12 hour fast and do it in the nude. Only weigh in once a week. If you are weighing yourself between meals and not a 12 hour fast then you aren't getting an accurate scale victory. I weigh every Monday and I stop eating/drinking at 7pm each night, that way by 7am the next day I can weigh myself and get an accurate reading of what I weigh since everything will be digested and I will have had all my "movements" necessary to expel the rest. Also, wait to drink water until after your weigh in as water can break a fasting too.
Sometimes when I eat....I don't crap it out for > 12 hours.0 -
Do a weigh in after a 12 hour fast and do it in the nude. Only weigh in once a week. If you are weighing yourself between meals and not a 12 hour fast then you aren't getting an accurate scale victory. I weigh every Monday and I stop eating/drinking at 7pm each night, that way by 7am the next day I can weigh myself and get an accurate reading of what I weigh since everything will be digested and I will have had all my "movements" necessary to expel the rest. Also, wait to drink water until after your weigh in as water can break a fasting too.
Sometimes when I eat....I don't crap it out for > 12 hours.
Fiber is the key. If increasing your fiber doesn't help, you might see a dietitian.0 -
If you lost 42lbs in 4 months that means you have been losing at a rate at over 2lbs per week. That just won't stay forever. I've only lost 28lbs in 4 months and have been logging meticulously , eating 95% clean and doing cardio and weights. There's just no perfect science to weight loss and you've hit a plateau and just have to keep going.
Go take your measurements now. When the scale doesn't move and you're doing everything right, the measuring tape WILL move.0 -
Are you drinking plenty of water? Fat is is broken down by hydrolysis which requires plenty of water for the reactions to take place. Also, if you're not drinking enough water you could be holding a significant amount of water weight. You should be drinking 32 oz of water for every 700 mg of sodium you consume AT LEAST
I drink over 150 ounces of water a day, don't think that is my problem lol I honestly think my body is stuck, but I just don't know what to do to jump start it back, I have been trying everything I can think of, not sure what else I can do!! I do not want to go back to the lower cals, I am hoping that others are right in saying it may take up to 6 weeks for my body to adjust cuz if not I just don't know! lol
You are going to have to do different things in order to break free of that plateau. I just went through the same thing so I understand.
Try these:
*Change up the foods you eat
*Change up the AMOUNT of foods you eat
*Change up your exercise routine: if you work out for 60 minutes, switch it to 45 one day, 90 the next, and so on.
*Increase your cardio and then change it up
*Increase your resistance and then change it up
*Eat high calories one day and low the next; same thing with carbs
The key is to trick the body and confuse it. The only way to do this is to change things up so it can start working again because you're doing things differently. You have to TELL it to get to work because you are doing different things that it's not used to. Also, start taking measurements. Those are so much more important than the scale. Your body fat % is way too high and you need to focus more on getting that down. Losing inches will help achieve this more so than the scale numbers going down. (jmo)0 -
Do you exercise? I walk briskly 1.5 to 2.5 miles per day. Sometimes I jog short distances just to get my heart rate up. I maintain a 500 calorie deficit per day and add my exercise calories into my diet so that I can eat them. I'm always finding ways to keep active such as mowing the lawn, doing the dishes, shopping for groceries or anything that will keep my feet moving. I dread the day when I hit my plateau and it's cool that you lost 40+ lbs.
My advice is to increase activity. Don't spend a lot of money to go to a gym and treadmill for 3 hours. Just find ways to keep your feet moving. Buy a pedometer and shoot for 10,000 steps/day.0 -
Well, I know how you feel. I have been in a platue for about 4 months now. However, I know WHY I am in this platue and I am OK with it. I continue to loose inches and that is really what is important.
Lifting heavy and a change-up in my lifting routine has caused the scale to not only stop going down, it has gone up, all the while my clothing keeps fitting and keeps getting looser.
Lifting is a great thing to do, but while you are lifting you may want to stop stepping on the scale. Instead, get something that is tight and does not fit, try that on every couple of weeks. Take Pictures to document how you look, and notice the change from month to month. Take your measurements and watch the decrease (and increase in certain areas).
You also want to make sure to get your water in. This is REALLY important. What you are doing is more important than what number is showing on the scale.
On a purely technical point, are you making sure to measure and weigh your food. Our judgement of how much we are eating does change if we are not weighing and measuring the food.
IF you are really driven by the scale, then I would trully recomend that you back off on some of your exercise (I know sounds really backwards, but exercise does cause muscle increase and water retention).0 -
I did NOT read all of what you wrote. I read the first few lines and will comment on that. The statement Calories In and Calories Out IS NOT TRUE. It is about the QUALITY of your Intake and how what you have chosen to eat is Metabolized in the Body. All food is NOT metabolized in the Body the same way because some will cause the release/excess release of INSULIN and cause the Rapid rise of Blood Sugar. To keep it as simple as possible: THIS causes the "holding on" of calories and turning into Fat; and some foods have Negative qualities, meaning for the Body to burn them uses MORE energy than the calories taken in by that food.
EXAMPLE: So THESE 600 Calories are NOT Equal: 2 DoNuts # 7 oz Salmon # Grapes/Veggie Salad//4 oz Salmon0
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