Time for a deficit break?
Gapwedge01
Posts: 494
Ok....let me post my current data: age 60 (as of 1/24); M; weight 231-232; height 71 3/4"; bf% 25.3%. Scooby using K-McA my BMR is 2071. Using a tweener factor of 1.35 (between sedentary and lightly active) my TDEE is 2796. I still have 30 pounds to lose so with a 20% deficit my net calories are 2237.
I started MFP in July 2012. So from July 1 to Nov 26 I began MFP netting around 1600-1800 calories and lost 29 pounds. Then I stalled beginning 10/24. So after a month of that on 11/27 I found EM2WL and read all I could about BMR and TDEE. I increased my calories to 2200. As of today, 1/21, there has been no weight change since my stall or since I upped my calories on 11/27 (still 231-232) and only <1 % loss in BF from 26% to 25.3%. That is nearly 8 weeks with little to no change after upping my calories.
So my question- is it time to give my body a brief deficit break and eat at TDEE maintenance (2796) for a week or two? I have not eaten at maintenance since I began MFP July 1 and for the first 4 months I had eaten below my BMR.
At the same time I upped my calories in late November thru today I have begun a lifting program and my body composition has changed some for the better.....more delt definition, less man boob, and a slightly slimmer waist, etc. and my cardio has decreased (seasonal reasons since I am a cyclist). I cannot figure out why I am not losing and it is frustrating. As I have stated I still have 30 pounds to lose. Don't get me wrong my body composition change is great and I am getting stronger so I understand no weight loss, but I am not experiencing much of a BF% loss either. I tried for a week or so eating back down to 2100 just above my BMR, but still no weight change. I am just stuck. So, this week I may increase up to 2500 which is about 300 calories shy of my TDEE maintenance.
Any suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks! Gary
I started MFP in July 2012. So from July 1 to Nov 26 I began MFP netting around 1600-1800 calories and lost 29 pounds. Then I stalled beginning 10/24. So after a month of that on 11/27 I found EM2WL and read all I could about BMR and TDEE. I increased my calories to 2200. As of today, 1/21, there has been no weight change since my stall or since I upped my calories on 11/27 (still 231-232) and only <1 % loss in BF from 26% to 25.3%. That is nearly 8 weeks with little to no change after upping my calories.
So my question- is it time to give my body a brief deficit break and eat at TDEE maintenance (2796) for a week or two? I have not eaten at maintenance since I began MFP July 1 and for the first 4 months I had eaten below my BMR.
At the same time I upped my calories in late November thru today I have begun a lifting program and my body composition has changed some for the better.....more delt definition, less man boob, and a slightly slimmer waist, etc. and my cardio has decreased (seasonal reasons since I am a cyclist). I cannot figure out why I am not losing and it is frustrating. As I have stated I still have 30 pounds to lose. Don't get me wrong my body composition change is great and I am getting stronger so I understand no weight loss, but I am not experiencing much of a BF% loss either. I tried for a week or so eating back down to 2100 just above my BMR, but still no weight change. I am just stuck. So, this week I may increase up to 2500 which is about 300 calories shy of my TDEE maintenance.
Any suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks! Gary
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Replies
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Hi there
I'm looking over what you wrote and it looks like you have been on MFP since July and the maximum calories you have eaten daily is 2200 which is a 20% cut from your TDEE. That is correct, right? I think you may be on the right track upping your calories to 2800 for awhile. That stated you may want to consider sliding up to that range at a slower pace and hanging out for a little longer since the difference between where you are and TDEE is pretty big at 600 calories. I did that same size jump once and it was not pretty, but then again I'm speaking from personal experience so you may react better.
My body needed a more gentle approach since it was so strongly set at a lower caloric burn. If you think you might have a similar problem I'd recommend the following:
Bump up calories by 200 and hold for two weeks until stable. Repeat this twice more until you are up at 2800. Hang out there for two to four weeks then drop down. I'd also not drop back to a 20% again unless you really need it to get the weight moving. Start at a small deficit and increase if needed. Use the smallest dose possible so you won't need to take the time to work back up when the next stall happens.
I hope this helps :flowerforyou:0 -
Hi there
I'm looking over what you wrote and it looks like you have been on MFP since July and the maximum calories you have eaten daily is 2200 which is a 20% cut from your TDEE. That is correct, right? I think you may be on the right track upping your calories to 2800 for awhile. That stated you may want to consider sliding up to that range at a slower pace and hanging out for a little longer since the difference between where you are and TDEE is pretty big at 600 calories. I did that same size jump once and it was not pretty, but then again I'm speaking from personal experience so you may react better.
My body needed a more gentle approach since it was so strongly set at a lower caloric burn. If you think you might have a similar problem I'd recommend the following:
Bump up calories by 200 and hold for two weeks until stable. Repeat this twice more until you are up at 2800. Hang out there for two to four weeks then drop down. I'd also not drop back to a 20% again unless you really need it to get the weight moving. Start at a small deficit and increase if needed. Use the smallest dose possible so you won't need to take the time to work back up when the next stall happens.
I hope this helps :flowerforyou:
That pretty well sums up what I had in mind. This is my first plateau. I will try 2400 for a couple of weeks....then go from there. I have not seen a gain going from 1800 to 2200. My body has not seen TDEE or greater in 7 months. So maybe it is time to inch up. Thanks.0 -
I totally agree with the advice already given - ramp up the calories and get to TDEE either fast or slow, your preference, stabilize then cut from there!
Dontcha hate plateaus!!?0 -
I totally agree with the advice already given - ramp up the calories and get to TDEE either fast or slow, your preference, stabilize then cut from there!
Dontcha hate plateaus!!?
Hi, Amanda. Yes I do hate plateaus, but understand that is part of the process per se. I am going to jump up 300 this week from 2200 to 2500. Then next week from 2500 to 2800 (my TDEE). I will begin my deficit again sometime in February.0 -
OK...I am getting close to finishing week 1 going from 2200 to 2500 with basically no weight gain yet. I will remain at 2500 for a couple of weeks before I decide to test my TDEE of 2800. This is making me nervous. I will keep my weight training going so I can continue to build LBM along the way. Knowing when to begin cutting again is the question. (read my previous post here to see my data and calorie intake history.)0
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OK...I am getting close to finishing week 1 going from 2200 to 2500 with basically no weight gain yet. I will remain at 2500 for a couple of weeks before I decide to test my TDEE of 2800. This is making me nervous. I will keep my weight training going so I can continue to build LBM along the way. Knowing when to begin cutting again is the question. (read my previous post here to see my data and calorie intake history.)
Wow, you may have more LBM than you thought and were still suppressing it. Appears you have a great range there.0 -
Update: I am slowly working my way up to TDEE maintenance to begin my reset. I have gone from 2200 to 2700 over the past 2 weeks and will stop when I hit 2800. In these 2 weeks my weight has remained at 232 ( no gain) and bf% has dropped 0.5% from 25.5 to 25%.0
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That move in the fat % is great! Congratulations!0
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Another update:
Well, now that I am beginning week 3 of my reset ( I have gradually raised my calories from 2100 to 2700 during that time). My calculated TDEE is 2800 but I have not made the move to that level yet, because when I weighed this morning (Monday) I saw an increase of 6 pounds from 232 to 238!!!! Up until now during the reset process my weight had been no change at 232. And during the same time my BF% has dropped 0.5% from 25.5 to 25%. I had a good lift day on Saturday then on Sunday walked 8 miles at 4.1 mph average as part of my half marathon walk training. I netted at or close to 2700 during the later part of the week up from 2600. Then BAM!!! the scales jump 6 pounds.
I know it has to be water retention, but dang.......I feel so bloated. It really makes you want to knee jerk react and immediately begin cutting calories again, but I am not. I am going to stay at 2700 for the rest of this week and maybe lift a couple of days, but no cardio and see if the water retention will release.0 -
Definitely don't do the knee-jerk calorie cutting thing - also remember 6 lbs. on a person your size is nothing as far as fluctuations go. If you weigh everyday you'd see the rhythm of up and down - but that once a week number can be a slap in the face! Hang in there. You're doing what you need to do!0
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Definitely don't do the knee-jerk calorie cutting thing - also remember 6 lbs. on a person your size is nothing as far as fluctuations go. If you weigh everyday you'd see the rhythm of up and down - but that once a week number can be a slap in the face! Hang in there. You're doing what you need to do!
I know. Just frustrating.0 -
Definitely don't do the knee-jerk calorie cutting thing - also remember 6 lbs. on a person your size is nothing as far as fluctuations go. If you weigh everyday you'd see the rhythm of up and down - but that once a week number can be a slap in the face! Hang in there. You're doing what you need to do!
I know. Just frustrating.
Especially on the bike on the hills!
Good job holding steady.0 -
bump0
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Another update:
Well, now that I am beginning week 3 of my reset ( I have gradually raised my calories from 2100 to 2700 during that time). My calculated TDEE is 2800 but I have not made the move to that level yet, because when I weighed this morning (Monday) I saw an increase of 6 pounds from 232 to 238!!!! Up until now during the reset process my weight had been no change at 232. And during the same time my BF% has dropped 0.5% from 25.5 to 25%. I had a good lift day on Saturday then on Sunday walked 8 miles at 4.1 mph average as part of my half marathon walk training. I netted at or close to 2700 during the later part of the week up from 2600. Then BAM!!! the scales jump 6 pounds.
I know it has to be water retention, but dang.......I feel so bloated. It really makes you want to knee jerk react and immediately begin cutting calories again, but I am not. I am going to stay at 2700 for the rest of this week and maybe lift a couple of days, but no cardio and see if the water retention will release.
Update 2/2/13
After 2 weeks at 2700 I decided to cut back to 2200. Remember I was at 2500 for 2 weeks before that so you could say I was at or near TDEE maintenance for 4 weeks. Monday will be 1 week on the new cut and not only have I lost the 6 pounds I gained during my TDEE reset, but I have lost 1 extra pound. I was at 232 on my 90 day plateau now I am down to 231. One more pound lost will move my ticker from 29 to 30 pounds lost to officially say goodbye to the plateau.
One thing I discovered during my stall. I was not logging EVERYTHING I ate including condiments, eyeballing amount of almonds, cuts of cheese and not measuring such things at peanut butter. This past week I have logged much better and have ordered a digital food scales. Basically, I was eating more calories than I was logging. A food scale will help.
I will monitor my loss and if I lose more than a pound a week I may raise my 2200 up some. Also I plan to incorporate a deficit break once every 4 weeks. I am getting closer to finding my TDEE and what works for me.
As far as exercise this past I lifted 3 times with no cardio. Just thought I would share.0 -
Great job! It is all about patience and listening to your body.0
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Congratulations on the scale movement!
It is wonderful to read about the success people are having with this way of eating.
And kudos on the food scale. I have one, an ancient Weight Watchers scale from the mid-1980s. I rely on it every day, but I've got my eye on a digital scale.
After you've used your scale for awhile, post back and let us know what kind you got, what you like about it, what you don't, etc.0 -
Congratulations on the scale movement!
It is wonderful to read about the success people are having with this way of eating.
And kudos on the food scale. I have one, an ancient Weight Watchers scale from the mid-1980s. I rely on it every day, but I've got my eye on a digital scale.
After you've used your scale for awhile, post back and let us know what kind you got, what you like about it, what you don't, etc.
I am getting an Eatsmart Precision Elite. I will post a review. Should be here Wednesday.0 -
Congrats on finding the sticky point.
Sounds like you had a good recovery too. Makes you wonder what you were really eating then when not gaining weight.0 -
Another update:
Well, now that I am beginning week 3 of my reset ( I have gradually raised my calories from 2100 to 2700 during that time). My calculated TDEE is 2800 but I have not made the move to that level yet, because when I weighed this morning (Monday) I saw an increase of 6 pounds from 232 to 238!!!! Up until now during the reset process my weight had been no change at 232. And during the same time my BF% has dropped 0.5% from 25.5 to 25%. I had a good lift day on Saturday then on Sunday walked 8 miles at 4.1 mph average as part of my half marathon walk training. I netted at or close to 2700 during the later part of the week up from 2600. Then BAM!!! the scales jump 6 pounds.
I know it has to be water retention, but dang.......I feel so bloated. It really makes you want to knee jerk react and immediately begin cutting calories again, but I am not. I am going to stay at 2700 for the rest of this week and maybe lift a couple of days, but no cardio and see if the water retention will release.
Update 2/2/13
After 2 weeks at 2700 I decided to cut back to 2200. Remember I was at 2500 for 2 weeks before that so you could say I was at or near TDEE maintenance for 4 weeks. Monday will be 1 week on the new cut and not only have I lost the 6 pounds I gained during my TDEE reset, but I have lost 1 extra pound. I was at 232 on my 90 day plateau now I am down to 231. One more pound lost will move my ticker from 29 to 30 pounds lost to officially say goodbye to the plateau.
One thing I discovered during my stall. I was not logging EVERYTHING I ate including condiments, eyeballing amount of almonds, cuts of cheese and not measuring such things at peanut butter. This past week I have logged much better and have ordered a digital food scales. Basically, I was eating more calories than I was logging. A food scale will help.
I will monitor my loss and if I lose more than a pound a week I may raise my 2200 up some. Also I plan to incorporate a deficit break once every 4 weeks. I am getting closer to finding my TDEE and what works for me.
As far as exercise this past I lifted 3 times with no cardio. Just thought I would share.
Update 2/6/13
My food scales was delivered yesterday. My review later in the post, but first some breaking news. I have lost 2 pounds!!! Yes, 2 pounds. The reset has done its job. From 10/24/12 to 2/5/13 no weight loss after losing 29 pounds. I steadily increased my calories to 2700 at which point I began to notice a weight gain so I didn't go any higher as my calculated TDEE was 2800. Maybe I would have stopped gaining and could have progressed up to 2800, but I felt I was ready to cut. I cut back to 2200 rather than a 10% cut since I still have so much to lose. I lost whatever I gained during the reset process and now have dropped 2 below my stall weight.
Now, for the food scale. Best purchase I have made since beginning this journey 7/1/12. Read the reviews on Amazon and you will read what I would write here. Almonds so far have been my biggest shock so far as to how calorie dense they are. Measuring chicken breasts, etc has also been helpful. I am looking forward to my dose of peanut butter next. This is going to be an invaluable tool for me.0 -
Update 2/6/13
My food scales was delivered yesterday. My review later in the post, but first some breaking news. I have lost 2 pounds!!! Yes, 2 pounds. The reset has done its job. From 10/24/12 to 2/5/13 no weight loss after losing 29 pounds. I steadily increased my calories to 2700 at which point I began to notice a weight gain so I didn't go any higher as my calculated TDEE was 2800. Maybe I would have stopped gaining and could have progressed up to 2800, but I felt I was ready to cut. I cut back to 2200 rather than a 10% cut since I still have so much to lose. I lost whatever I gained during the reset process and now have dropped 2 below my stall weight.
Now, for the food scale. Best purchase I have made since beginning this journey 7/1/12. Read the reviews on Amazon and you will read what I would write here. Almonds so far have been my biggest shock so far as to how calorie dense they are. Measuring chicken breasts, etc has also been helpful. I am looking forward to my dose of peanut butter next. This is going to be an invaluable tool for me.
Agree, you can take more than 10% cut.
And since a lot of your TDEE is huge part fat burning with the walking, don't need to replenish that anyway.
Great to see the reset helped. Think about the improvements your body got during those weeks too with increased lifting.
Don't expect those fast of improvements to continue with the deficit though.
And sorry you'll probably be hungry now. So easy to get used to eating more, huh?0 -
Update 2/6/13
My food scales was delivered yesterday. My review later in the post, but first some breaking news. I have lost 2 pounds!!! Yes, 2 pounds. The reset has done its job. From 10/24/12 to 2/5/13 no weight loss after losing 29 pounds. I steadily increased my calories to 2700 at which point I began to notice a weight gain so I didn't go any higher as my calculated TDEE was 2800. Maybe I would have stopped gaining and could have progressed up to 2800, but I felt I was ready to cut. I cut back to 2200 rather than a 10% cut since I still have so much to lose. I lost whatever I gained during the reset process and now have dropped 2 below my stall weight.
Now, for the food scale. Best purchase I have made since beginning this journey 7/1/12. Read the reviews on Amazon and you will read what I would write here. Almonds so far have been my biggest shock so far as to how calorie dense they are. Measuring chicken breasts, etc has also been helpful. I am looking forward to my dose of peanut butter next. This is going to be an invaluable tool for me.
Agree, you can take more than 10% cut.
And since a lot of your TDEE is huge part fat burning with the walking, don't need to replenish that anyway.
Great to see the reset helped. Think about the improvements your body got during those weeks too with increased lifting.
Don't expect those fast of improvements to continue with the deficit though.
And sorry you'll probably be hungry now. So easy to get used to eating more, huh?
LOL, yes the first week at deficit the hungries appeared for sure but I stuck to my 2200. And to answer your other question I have definitely seen a body composition improvement since my lifting began in earnest in early December. I can live with a smaller % weight loss now that I know I am eating properly. If my body comp continues to improve all the better. Thanks Heybales.:drinker:0 -
Thanks for telling your story on here, it's really helpful to see EM2WL working.0
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Thanks for telling your story on here, it's really helpful to see EM2WL working.
You are welcome. I mentally struggled with this method in the beginning until I educated myself.0 -
Update 2/8
I have dropped another 3 pounds or a total of 5 since my 90 day plateau and subsequent reset. Now, obviously most of this early loss is water loss and I expect the losses to slow down. I am eating at a 500 calorie deficit. TDEE 2800-2300= 500. My BMR is around 2000. I was at 2200 for the first few days after reset, but bumped it up to 2300. The better news is I have dropped 2% BF since reset.
Exercise wise I have temporarily stopped any cardio during this time, but have stayed with my lifting every other day routine. My body composition today is showing a lot more definition (5 pounds and 2% BF loss will do that).
I do plan to re-start my cardio, but will be keeping my strength training year round. Before when my active cycling season begins I dropped my winter lifting. Not this year. My 1 year anniversary here on MFP is 7/1/13.0 -
Excellent news. So that 2% fat loss, is more than lbs loss isn't it, so gaining LBM while losing more fat?0
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I'm truly happy for you - good that you stuck it out, the smart way! Are your clothes fitting much more loosely?0
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I'm truly happy for you - good that you stuck it out, the smart way! Are your clothes fitting much more loosely?
They are. And since I am apple shaped, my belly where it has been most evident I was over weight is starting to flatten.0 -
Excellent news. So that 2% fat loss, is more than lbs loss isn't it, so gaining LBM while losing more fat?
Yes, the lifting has been key to my change I think.0 -
2/14/13. Update
Lost another pound. From 243 stall weight down to 237. Upped my calories up to 2300 from 2200. No hard cardio during these 2 weeks just lifting 3-4 times/ week.0 -
2/14/13. Update
Lost another pound. From 243 stall weight down to 237. Upped my calories up to 2300 from 2200. No hard cardio during these 2 weeks just lifting 3-4 times/ week.
Great on the loss, but.....
Bummer, you are going to be too bulky riding the bike.
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