"WTH?!" meets "What now?"

jessc4343

My weight fluctuates a bit - I've finally come to terms with that and now mostly use "the tape" to keep track but it's doing some crazy ****, too. I'm doing something wrong. Unless I'm just awful at measuring stuff...

My diary is open, maybe there's an obvious issue there - but I've been living by "calories in / calories out" theory and I want to make my weight loss work with that simple theorem. *side note: I don't log water, but assure you I uuusually drink a standard 64 oh'zees.

I work a sedentary desk job and workout 20-30 minutes a day, 6 days/wk: 30 Day Shred 4x/wk, c25k 2x/wk + 1 rest day.

My BMR is 1574, TDEE is 2430 based on the "moderate exercise" choice: "Moderate exercise (ex: exercising 3-5 days/week"). Question regarding this: what length of time/day is considered "moderate"? Is my 20 minutes a day enough to use this option?

Using MFP's calculator my junk is set at: Sedentary, 5 workouts - 20min/ea., & to lose 1lb/wk = 1450 cal/day.



So, now I have these three snazzy numbers and I haven't the foggiest which to use or how to apply it in particular. Please help. Please?

love4fitnesslove4food_wechange

If you count yourself as sedentary you should still be adding in your 20 minute workouts each day and eating back those calories--so likely ~1600 calories total each day (at the very least).

stephanie1133

What time frame are we lookin' at here? I glanced at a few days of your diary, and as long as you are honest in your tracking, it looks good.

I get crazy measurements sometimes too. Sometimes I think it's just inaccuracy, sometimes water weight, and it also depends on how often you measure. If you are measuring one week in mid-cycle it will vary if you measure during TOM. For me I try and measure once a month at the same point in my cycle, in the morning, before any food or drink.

At first glance everything looks good, maybe you just need to give it more time.

kellicci

The activity levels on MFP are for what you do normally. So if you work a desk job and never worked out before this, then sedentary is the right selection. Then you log each workout and eat back the exercise calories (or not some poeple don't but I like to eat most of mine.)

jessc4343

If you count yourself as sedentary you should still be adding in your 20 minute workouts each day and eating back those calories--so likely ~1600 calories total each day (at the very least).

My caloric intake usually ends up at 1600 once I add in my exercise - and I've been eating back my exercise calories. I kept my activity level at sedentary because I'm not sure if the length of time that I'me exercising each day constitutes the next level up, Lightly Active. Opinion?

love4fitnesslove4food_wechange

If you count yourself as sedentary you should still be adding in your 20 minute workouts each day and eating back those calories--so likely ~1600 calories total each day (at the very least).

My caloric intake usually ends up at 1600 once I add in my exercise - and I've been eating back my exercise calories. I kept my activity level at sedentary because I'm not sure if the length of time that I'me exercising each day constitutes the next level up, Lightly Active. Opinion?

It sounds fine to me. Right where I'd have guessed. Just be patient.

jessc4343

What time frame are we lookin' at here? I glanced at a few days of your diary, and as long as you are honest in your tracking, it looks good.

...

Time frame is sketch; I've been on the MFP wagon for 50ish days straight. I've been running 2-3x/wk since June, I think & I started the 30 Day Shred Sept 10 and haven't really lost any measure.

At one point I did realize I was getting crazy amounts of sodium so I've been uber careful the past few weeks about that. Also, as you said - TOM is probably a factor. Well played, Mother Nature.

melsmith612

Could it just be your body adjusting to the increased activity? If you're building muscle and losing fat it may all be balancing out on the scale and with measurements at first but I'd think you'd have seen a change after 50 days...

I know this is going to sound crackpottish but I have found before that my weight loss slows when the weather gets colder. Not sure if it's that my body is automatically holding on to weight in preparation for winter or what. Could be something similar I guess... but I thought I was the only one blaming my plateau on the seasons. :laugh:

cassiegal724

Question: What was your activity level like before you started this?

If it was absolutely nothing, then maybe you truly are not eating enough and your body is going into starvation mode. Try upping your cal by a bit, maybe 100, and see what that does.

jessc4343

Question: What was your activity level like before you started this?

If it was absolutely nothing, then maybe you truly are not eating enough and your body is going into starvation mode. Try upping your cal by a bit, maybe 100, and see what that does.

Activity level before I started tracking was moderate to, well, none. More on the none side.

I'm going to try this "patience" thing, too.