I can't see what I am doing wrong

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24

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  • cazwillis99
    cazwillis99 Posts: 238 Member
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    That is a very broad generalisation - that depends how tall they are,how old they are, how active they are and how much weight they have to lose.

    New to this - that quote was referring to the post that said anyone can lose on 1600 calls. :)

    I said "I" had not everyone :D

    LOL I know everyone is different :-) and what works for one person may not work for another
  • cazwillis99
    cazwillis99 Posts: 238 Member
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    I think patience is the answer
    Although you could be eating a little too far under your goal. All this last week you have been 300-500 under your goal everyday.

    Thanks - will try to eat closer to my calorie goal this week - but sometimes I'm just not hungry/full up and I can't eat for the sake of eating. I am patient but sometimes it's just completely beyond me how I don't lose even when I am being good.
  • sofielein
    sofielein Posts: 539 Member
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    Well if your TDEE is 1650 and you are eating 1550 that will take a loooong time to lose...

    What is your actualy deficit? And exercise can be tricky - some people add a 20 minute dog walk as a 300 kcal exercise which it is NOT... so that can set everything totally off.

    So my questions is, the TDEE you think you have was calculated how? Just based on your age, height and weight + "sedentary"/"lightly active" lifestyle, or did you add any type of activities that raised that TDEE? What are those?
  • cazwillis99
    cazwillis99 Posts: 238 Member
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    Well if your TDEE is 1650 and you are eating 1550 that will take a loooong time to lose...

    What is your actualy deficit? And exercise can be tricky - some people add a 20 minute dog walk as a 300 kcal exercise which it is NOT... so that can set everything totally off.

    So my questions is, the TDEE you think you have was calculated how? Just based on your age, height and weight + "sedentary"/"lightly active" lifestyle, or did you add any type of activities that raised that TDEE? What are those?

    My TDEE is worked out by my bathroom scales that are set up by my age, height and activity level. My exercise calories are worked out via a HRM or Endomondo when I walk ( and I have worn my HRM and used Endomondo at the same time to check the cals are accurate) I never use the MFP cals for any exercise. I do not log cleaning as exercise - exercise is when I have specifically done something that is over and above what I would normally do - so a quick walk to the shops does not count.
  • Jo2926
    Jo2926 Posts: 489 Member
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    I'm going to suggest something that probably goes against what everyone else here is saying.

    You are paying good money to see a nutritionalist. Why not trust them and try EXACTLY what they suggest. i.e. don't count calories. Give it four weeks (anything less does not give you body time to adjust in my opinion). What they are suggesting is already having positive results (such as the better sleep), so they cannot be talking complete rubbish!

    I assume you are seeing the nutritionalist regularly? So if weight loss does not happen seek their advice on why not. You are paying for help with weight loss and if you do as they say and don't lose they have a responsibility to help you get to the bottom of the problem.
  • letjog
    letjog Posts: 260 Member
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    Okay - I would personally not lose with 1600 without exercise (because I have a desk job and go by car everywhere and the rest of the time I am sitting on the couch).
    How is your lifestyle exactly, did you calculate your TDEE using "lightly active"?

    I have lost all mine at that exact amount with very very little exercise.......... calorie deficit is enough.

    Exactly - so if I have a deficit why don't I lose??????

    Because you are obviously NOT at a calorie deficit!
    YOur body keeps an accurate log regardless of what you write down.
  • sofielein
    sofielein Posts: 539 Member
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    My TDEE is worked out by my bathroom scales

    Oh. I suggest you the following:

    1. On this page, on top, click the Apps tab.
    then underneath, click BMR >> have it calculate your BMR - does it match your bathroom scale's value?

    2. Here:
    http://www.fitnessfrog.com/calculators/tdee-calculator.html
    calculate your TDEE - does it match your bathroom scale?
  • cazwillis99
    cazwillis99 Posts: 238 Member
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    My TDEE is worked out by my bathroom scales

    Oh. I suggest you the following:

    1. On this page, on top, click the Apps tab.
    then underneath, click BMR >> have it calculate your BMR - does it match your bathroom scale's value?

    2. Here:
    http://www.fitnessfrog.com/calculators/tdee-calculator.html
    calculate your TDEE - does it match your bathroom scale?

    Fitness frog TDEE is 1752 for little or no exercise and 2005 for exercise 1-3 times a week. My scales currently have my TDEE at 1680 so they are not a million miles off as they are set for not very active. My BMR is 1384 my scales don't have that reading on them

    So my body needs at least 1752 cals a day to function - is that correct? But that is also what BMR is so what is the difference between the two numbers???? Oh I am now very confused!!!!
  • cazwillis99
    cazwillis99 Posts: 238 Member
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    Because you are obviously NOT at a calorie deficit!
    YOur body keeps an accurate log regardless of what you write down.

    Recommended daily cal intake for women is 2000 cals - so I am already at a deficit based on that - I am at 1550 a day and as pointed out by another person I am actually not hitting that most days and missing by up to 300 cals so that takes me down to around 1200 a day - this has to be a deficit because eating less than 1200 a day isn't recommended.
  • Reneeisfat
    Reneeisfat Posts: 126 Member
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    You can't just eye ball your food. People greatly underestimate how many calories they consume and portion sizes. Count your calories.

    ^yup. This one.

    It's shocking how many calories are in seemingly harmless foods.
  • sofielein
    sofielein Posts: 539 Member
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    BMR - imagine you are lying in a hospital bed with coma. your body needs this much to keep up organ function.
    That you would be 1384 calories for you.
    They would pretty much tube feed you this much and you would not gain or lose.

    Now, obviously as you are not in a coma (thank goodness), you get up every day and do your chores so your body needs more energy than 1384 to function.
    Like you brush your teeth and probably go shopping, etc etc so you burn more.
    Add up everything you do: here comes your TDEE.

    So if your TDEE is around 1700 calories, that means if you ate 1700 every day your weight would not move. Because that is exactly how much you need a day normally.

    You see the conclusion now? If you are eating "aroundish" 1600 calories and your TDEE is "aroundish" 1700 it is not really going to get you anywhere - or maybe on a very long run (and you should not go over 1600 at all).


    My opinion: you up the exercise (>> raises you TDEE) or you down the calories. Either way, the deficit would change from 100-150 that you have now to 200-400. Now 200-400 would bring visible changes faster.


    (you decide how you do it. generally it is agreed that more exercise and more calories are better. unless you hate to exercise or have injuries or that sort.)
  • dsjohndrow
    dsjohndrow Posts: 1,820 Member
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    First thing I would do is get a food scale and a measuring cup. It's tooooooo easy to miscalculate. Do that for a week and I bet you'll figure it out. Once you get the portions securely figured out, then I would work on what you do for exercise. I would limit your exercise number to 250-300 per half hour. Estimates and even HRMs can be wildly different.

    All these recommended daily intakes are also estimates. I find them too high on MFP, others find them too low. What matters is that you pick a number, watch your portions carefully, and be regular about your cardio/strength.

    I didn't quit caffeine, but I do limit it two 2 cups a day for other reasons. I doubt that ti the problem.
  • sofielein
    sofielein Posts: 539 Member
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    I agree with the caffeine thing - I drink like 6 espressos a day and I am losing. (But no milk and sugar goes in my coffee though!)
  • dsjohndrow
    dsjohndrow Posts: 1,820 Member
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    I'm going to suggest something that probably goes against what everyone else here is saying.

    You are paying good money to see a nutritionalist. Why not trust them and try EXACTLY what they suggest. i.e. don't count calories. Give it four weeks (anything less does not give you body time to adjust in my opinion). What they are suggesting is already having positive results (such as the better sleep), so they cannot be talking complete rubbish!

    I assume you are seeing the nutritionalist regularly? So if weight loss does not happen seek their advice on why not. You are paying for help with weight loss and if you do as they say and don't lose they have a responsibility to help you get to the bottom of the problem.

    Because it is not an exact science. A nutritionist can help you choose better foods, work on portion control, make suggestions which there are counter arguments for.

    Not arguing - the point is to be consistent for long enough to see if it is working.
  • Lifting_Knitter
    Lifting_Knitter Posts: 1,025
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    Are you weighing your food? I was going by measuring cups for a while and the measurements are so much more accurate when you weight. For some things I wasn't eating enough and others too much. Messed with my calories.
  • LoveMyLife_NYC
    LoveMyLife_NYC Posts: 230 Member
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    You don't have much of a deficit, so it's going to take a long time for the weight to come off. Plus, your body doesn't lose weight the way your math says it should. You might stay the same weight for weeks, then suddenly drop a few pounds, or it might come off steadily for weeks and then stall for a bit before picking up again.

    I would take the advice of an above poster who said to up your exercise. And if you're looking for faster results, make sure that exercise is intense. Get your heart rate up a bit and start sweating. When you put a little stress on your body, you'll start to see changes.
  • ladypenel
    ladypenel Posts: 88 Member
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    I was in exactly the same position as you this time last year - told to eat this and that and cut back on this and that. My daughter introduced me to MFP in July having followed the 'expert' advice til then. As you can see I am losing nicely and feeling fab! Never lost anything for the previous 7 months via expert!

    It's not rocket science, weigh EVERYTHING never GUESS, up your exercise to 3/4 sessions ( I only do 20mins high impact) and eat more veg than ever before! Ladies of a certain age have hormone or lack of issues to cope with too Weight training too will really help and not just tone you but make you feel much better too

    God luck, its early days, be patient it will happen if you follow all the advice the other posters have given you. :)
  • cazwillis99
    cazwillis99 Posts: 238 Member
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    I cannot say enough as this does seem to be being missed a lot - I weigh and measure everything I eat and drink - my nutritionist said not to count calories but i can't do that - it was her recommendation that I have chosen not to follow. I am not guessing my food intake what I log is exactly what I eat therefore I know the cals going in are correct. What seems to be the problems is exactly how many cals should be going in
  • ApexLeader
    ApexLeader Posts: 580 Member
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    You can't just eye ball your food. People greatly underestimate how many calories they consume and portion sizes. Count your calories.

    a study showed that the average non-nutritionist underreported their consumed calories by 450 (on average) while people who were nutritionists or had a history of counting calories STILL UNDERREPORTED by 250 calories.

    pretty damning evidence for most people.

    i'd say weigh and measure everything and then still add 100-200 calories at the end of the day to adjust for human error.
  • Jo2926
    Jo2926 Posts: 489 Member
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    Ok. So then experiment. Eat more for a week or two. If that does;t work eat less for a week or two.

    Mix things up - eat different foods

    Drink more water

    Once you get back into your exercise routine try and do something different or push yourself harder.

    One tip I was once given was to change your meals around - have breakfast at tea time, or lunch at breakfast time. Weird at first but now I love porridge for supper!

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