frustration to the point of tears.. help!

TinaBean007

I did a lot of reading and researched the TDEE / BMR numbers, etc. as I had been eating the recommended 1200 cals for months. I did really well at first and lost 7 lbs pretty quickly. then nada.... I couldn't figure out why since I was only eating between 800 - 1200 cals per day net. Doesn't a large deficit equal large weight loss? Not for me...

After spending a lot of time on different websites, and doing different calculators, here is what has worked for me:

http://scoobysworkshop.com/accurate-calorie-calculator/

I didn't want to base my numbers on exercise that I MIGHT do, even though I'm consistent, so I factored in my TDEE at the Sedentary rate - 15% (I don't have much to lose).

I am 5'5" and currently 136 lbs. My BF is 22.7 % and am 40 years old. I went to the Scooby Workshop website to calculate my calorie needs for the day and use those numbers. If you know your bodyfat % then a more accurate calculation is using the Katch-McArdle formula according to them. These stats give me:

BMR - 1405
TDEE - 1686 (at Sedentary)
Calorie Requirements to lose 0.5 lb per week - 1433 (this is at a 15% deficit)

Sooooo, what I did after that is reset my MFP daily goals at 1450 cals per day NET! I eat back ALL of my exercise calories.

The second thing I did was purchase a HRM to accurately guage what I was burning during my workouts. You would be surprised at the discrepancies between estimates! I do an intense bootcamp class 3 x per week and run on my off days. Either a few miles or sprint intervals, depending on how I feel that day. Depending on what we are doing in bootcamp, my burn could be anywhere from 240 cals to 350 cals....WAY under what I thought!!! If I was to eat back what I GUESSED I was burning, then I would be eliminating any deficit I had for the day. Keep in mind that the muscle you're building will burn more calories at rest, and you get a great 'afterburn' from weights that will last for hours after, so even though you're not burning as large of an amount during your workout, the after effects far outweigh doing just straight cardio!!! Heavy lifting is the best thing you can do for your body!! I used to do both on the same day, but have stopped doing that. A little bit of something 6-7 days per week is better than a huge amount of exercise 3-4 days per week. (for me anyway).

The last thing I do is stop stressing and trust the process. I eat whatever I want and try to make sure that it fits into my calories for the WEEK. I've been eating Halloween chocolate like it's going out of style (yesterday that's all I had for lunch), and I was down a half lb this morning. I was way over my calories on Sunday, and was under Monday and yesterday. The little weekly graph on MFP shows me at an average of 1453 cals per day for the week so far.

I weigh myself every morning, but only log the progress if it's less than the last entry. sometimes there will be 2 weeks of no change, but then all of a sudden there's a 1 lb loss showing on my graph. If I take the total loss and divide it by the amount of weeks, then I AVERAGE a 0.5 lb loss per week. This way I can see the trend with water retention, etc. I don't stress if it's up.

This method has been easily sustainable for me....slow and steady with zero deprivation!!

Hope this helps, and good luck to you!!

A lot of good info here! I even saved this post for myself! I would also have to second the HRM and food scale posts. I was way off on many of my estimates on both fronts. Always over estimated calories burned and under estimated portion sizes. While calories burned is still not exact, it's much closer now. Don't give up! I sent you a friend request!!

rml_16

Are you on birth control?

ironanimal

I suspect you're building muscle.

I suspect Badgers and Stoats are the root of all evil in America.

mareeee1234

Sorry to hear this!

..have you noticed any non-scale changes?? Like, slimmer hips, firmer legs?
People have gone down in sizes without necessarily losing much "weight" on the scale !!

mercymarque

Either ur building muscle, have to much sodium intake or it's water gain. U can also try drinking more water. Just suggestions. Hope it works out for you.

JBMSTEIN

My sister is having the same problem... Read the labels of your food! Corn syrup is in everything! Buy plain no fat yogurt - put fresh fruit in it or frozen berries with out sugar. Do not buy low fat anything, full of sugar & salt to make up for loss of flavor. Weigh & measure your food, I know it takes time but it is worth it! Just do cardio for awhile & some core strengthening excercises - lay off the weights. Good Luck!

wilmnoca

There's no way you've built 5-6 lbs of muscle in 6 weeks doing tae bo. Just wanted to dispell that "advice".

wilmnoca

This thread is making me want to seriously bang my head into a wall.

YOU

CANNOT

BUILD

MUSCLE

ON A

CALORIE

DEFICIT

You can't build something out of nothing.

haha...a truer statement has never been told. I actually gained true weight when I first started trying to lose weight. I was eating like 900 calories a day and I working out like a crazy person 7 days a week. I should have had my head banged against a wall. After two months of this insanity and frustration, I finally got smart and researched everything and found out that I actually needed to eat...smart and sensible, of course, but eat!

YES!! THIS!!

NickiRae04

First of all you need to figure out your BMR and TDEE. Then once you have those numbers you can decide how many calories you should be eating.

www.fat2fitradio.com for your BMR
www.thefitgirls.com for your TDEE (Under tools)

1100-1300 is a little low especially if you are working out. That would mean your "NETTING" under 1000 calories and that is NOT healthy.

My BMR is 1480 and My TDEE with no exercise is 1780
I eat 1500-2100 calories a day and I NET 1300-1600

Check out my site www.nickisfitnessjourney.blogspot.com

I have lost 16 pounds so far and over 18 inches.

Also you need to be patient 2 days of eating more will not give you the "results" your looking for give it a month. You have time. This is a journey - perfection does not happen over night. Be Patient play with your numbers and see what happens. Also make sure that your macros are set correctly. Like your Carbs, Proteins and Fats Mine is 40/30/30.

40% of my calories comes from carbs, 30% from proteins and 30% from fat...

Don't get frustrated, just breath and take your time. Its not a race!

Friend Me if you would like.

tkcasta

Are you using a food scale? Are you counting absolutely everything you are eating? You may be underestimating your calories. Just a thought.

You are not gaining muscle. You may be retaining water - but that's a long time for that to happen. So I would go to the food. You're working out and that seems fine. Invest in a food scale if you don't already have one..

Randyamc

I suspect you're building muscle.

Lol, my thoughts exactly.

Haha, love that! It's been said but don't get discouraged. A tape measure can be a better friend than the scale at times. Either way you are getting healthier; because you are exercising and eating right (I have to assume that last part).

Jennifer_Lynn_1982

I did a lot of reading and researched the TDEE / BMR numbers, etc. as I had been eating the recommended 1200 cals for months. I did really well at first and lost 7 lbs pretty quickly. then nada.... I couldn't figure out why since I was only eating between 800 - 1200 cals per day net. Doesn't a large deficit equal large weight loss? Not for me...

After spending a lot of time on different websites, and doing different calculators, here is what has worked for me:

http://scoobysworkshop.com/accurate-calorie-calculator/

I didn't want to base my numbers on exercise that I MIGHT do, even though I'm consistent, so I factored in my TDEE at the Sedentary rate - 15% (I don't have much to lose).

I am 5'5" and currently 136 lbs. My BF is 22.7 % and am 40 years old. I went to the Scooby Workshop website to calculate my calorie needs for the day and use those numbers. If you know your bodyfat % then a more accurate calculation is using the Katch-McArdle formula according to them. These stats give me:

BMR - 1405
TDEE - 1686 (at Sedentary)
Calorie Requirements to lose 0.5 lb per week - 1433 (this is at a 15% deficit)

Sooooo, what I did after that is reset my MFP daily goals at 1450 cals per day NET! I eat back ALL of my exercise calories.

The second thing I did was purchase a HRM to accurately guage what I was burning during my workouts. You would be surprised at the discrepancies between estimates! I do an intense bootcamp class 3 x per week and run on my off days. Either a few miles or sprint intervals, depending on how I feel that day. Depending on what we are doing in bootcamp, my burn could be anywhere from 240 cals to 350 cals....WAY under what I thought!!! If I was to eat back what I GUESSED I was burning, then I would be eliminating any deficit I had for the day. Keep in mind that the muscle you're building will burn more calories at rest, and you get a great 'afterburn' from weights that will last for hours after, so even though you're not burning as large of an amount during your workout, the after effects far outweigh doing just straight cardio!!! Heavy lifting is the best thing you can do for your body!! I used to do both on the same day, but have stopped doing that. A little bit of something 6-7 days per week is better than a huge amount of exercise 3-4 days per week. (for me anyway).

The last thing I do is stop stressing and trust the process. I eat whatever I want and try to make sure that it fits into my calories for the WEEK. I've been eating Halloween chocolate like it's going out of style (yesterday that's all I had for lunch), and I was down a half lb this morning. I was way over my calories on Sunday, and was under Monday and yesterday. The little weekly graph on MFP shows me at an average of 1453 cals per day for the week so far.

I weigh myself every morning, but only log the progress if it's less than the last entry. sometimes there will be 2 weeks of no change, but then all of a sudden there's a 1 lb loss showing on my graph. If I take the total loss and divide it by the amount of weeks, then I AVERAGE a 0.5 lb loss per week. This way I can see the trend with water retention, etc. I don't stress if it's up.

This method has been easily sustainable for me....slow and steady with zero deprivation!!

Hope this helps, and good luck to you!!

This...great post and pretty much the same thing that I'm doing now too!!

ptreimann

I have been I personal training for 5 years now and there's a few general tips I can make here. Yes you are eating too few calories the question is where those calories are coming from. More protein less carbs. Carbs in the morning transition to fats at night. Protein in every meals. Small meals every 3-4 hours. Eliminate most sugars.

genetlj

you have to do cardio... go for a run or take your bike, aerobics, zumba... but i'm sure you can be gaining muscle, don't go up on the scale yet... drink loats of water!

emtjmac

Open your diary.

ironanimal

you have to do cardio... go for a run or take your bike, aerobics, zumba... but i'm sure you can be gaining muscle, don't go up on the scale yet... drink loats of water!

No. Just no.