where do i go from here...up or down?

twostepsforward

Hi all, I started this at new year so am three weeks in. I haven't done a reset as I have no been eating really low calories (quite the opposite). After three weeks I have lost, wait for it....1lb. No doubt just a water weight fluctuation. I am not seeing a gradual downward trend, its just floating around the same three pounds all the time. So should I reduce my intake? And by how much? I have kept an eye on my calories and over this period I have had an average of 1700 a day (which is where I was aiming).
Should I lower it to say 1600 or 1500 cals a day and hope for some downward movement?

5ft 3in, 174lbs, work desk job 2 days a week, other 5 at home, doing usual jobs and school run. As for exercise, I have been doing bodyweight strength training, 20 mins 3x a week and I am waiting for a hiit dvd, that will be 20 mins 3x.

Gapwedge01

Hi all, I started this at new year so am three weeks in. I haven't done a reset as I have no been eating really low calories (quite the opposite). After three weeks I have lost, wait for it....1lb. No doubt just a water weight fluctuation. I am not seeing a gradual downward trend, its just floating around the same three pounds all the time. So should I reduce my intake? And by how much? I have kept an eye on my calories and over this period I have had an average of 1700 a day (which is where I was aiming).
Should I lower it to say 1600 or 1500 cals a day and hope for some downward movement?

5ft 3in, 174lbs, work desk job 2 days a week, other 5 at home, doing usual jobs and school run. As for exercise, I have been doing bodyweight strength training, 20 mins 3x a week and I am waiting for a hiit dvd, that will be 20 mins 3x.

You didn't give your age. Have you gone to this site to run your numbers for BMR and TDEE?http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/

I would not suggest eating below your BMR. You sound at least lightly active for calculating your TDEE. I am guessing 1500-1600 would be below your BMR. Choose between your TDEE and BMR with maybe a 15-20% deficit from your TDEE.

twostepsforward

Hi, yes I have used scoobys, it all depends on how active you consider yourself to be. I am 32, and bmr is currently 1555. Sedentary tdee is about 1800 and light active tdee is around 2100. I tend to think I am somewhere between the two, at least near to lightly active anyway, I def don't sit down all day every day but I wouldn't call myself a blue arsed fly either! The hardest part is not sticking to a daily number, its deciding what that number should be in the first place!
Is it worth dropping down to 1600 a day to see if it helps? It's above my bmr at least.

Greenrun99

3 weeks is still a pretty short period of time for your body to adjust.. and I think you are lightly active, so you say you average 1700 a day, maybe shoot for 1800 if your lightly active tdee is 2100.. Also what you eat, and macros have to do sometimes with change in body, should focus more on cooking your meals then microwaving them, lowering sodium etc..

Also at the start, you shouldn't get too creative meaning fasting and cheat meals and all that stuff.. you are trying to get an idea of how you lose so keep things constant and simple.. so if your eating 1300 calories and then on the last day you have a huge cheat meal to average 1700 daily.. just aim for 1 number a day.