Getting frustrated but I WON'T quit... advice appreciated

MrsK20141004

Hi,

Today is my 50th day in a row logging into MFP though I've been . I log everything. The good (yay!) and the bad (mmmm beer). In the last 30 days I've lost 2 maybe 3 pounds which is super frustrating. I'm eating my TDEE -20% (1866 TDEE and have been following the IPOARM post) and try and eat back my workout cals as much as possible. I like to hit the gym in the evening and try not to eat too much before bed...

Admittedly I'm not the cleanest eater (my diary is open) but I log and try and stay within my calories though I have had some BAD days but they're more few and far between than they used to be. I'm currently 181.5 lbs with GW between 130-140. At my heaviest I was 196. Before I was eating about 1400 cals per day (as set my MFP) until I read the In Place of a Road Map post and then started eating more (1555). I was losing more before, should I switch back?

I workout 4-5 times a week usually, 3 at the absolute least doing cardio and weights. I can see more muscle definition in my legs but the weight isn't coming down. I know that the scale isn't the only indicator that my body is improving but my measurements have stopped getting smaller as well (I've lost about 8 inches total since November, 4 of which were from my waist).

I know I have to keep with it, I'm not on a diet so there is nothing to quit. I will make my goal... eventually but I want out of this stall. Any advice or help is appreciated.

Thank you

Edit: I calculated TDEE with a sedantary activity level as I have a desk job and spend most of my day on my bum.

krithsai

Hi Ellen,
You are doing well already. Maybe try and switch up your workouts for a couple of weeks. Shocking your body like that works. The shock could be in the form of eating more calories too or something like going vegan for 2 weeks.
If you are seeing muscle definition, that means you are building muscle and that's why the weight loss won't show - muscle weighs the same as fat but takes up less room. As long as you are losing fat, you are doing well.
All the best!

rduhlir

With TDEE-20% you do not eat back your calories, that might be your problem. TDEE already has your exercise calculated in unless you have calculated for sedentary, in which case that is the only time you eat them back. But if you ahve it calculated for moderate activity (which from your number I think you might) then do not eat them back.

ami5000psu

Is your activity level factored in to your TDEE? If it is I don't think you're supposed to be eating back your workout calories.

now_or_never13

When you figured out your TDEE did you include exercise in it?

If you did and are properly following the IPOARM way, you should not be eating back your exercise calories unless your exercise would cause you to net lower than your BMR. Normally the TDEE calculation includes exercise.

AmyRhubarb

If you are doing TDEE method, with your exercise figured into your activity level, then you should not be eating back exercise cals. That may be the issue.


And I see rduhlir (and several other folks!) has just posted the same thing! :bigsmile:

chesves

I just want to applaud your effort at what you are already accomplishing! You might not see the results as fast as you'd like, but you are still having GREAT results. You didn't put the extra on overnight, and it's not going to come off overnight either. Two-three pounds is still a realistic, healty weigh-loss achievement which will help for lasting results!

If I were to offere advice it would be to:
~focus on all of the POSITIVE you ARE doing consistently-- the scales will take care of themselves if you continue doing what you're doing
~possible "change up" either your exercise routine or food routine -- try to add some variety and see if you have different results

MrsK20141004

When you figured out your TDEE did you include exercise in it?

If you did and are properly following the IPOARM way, you should not be eating back your exercise calories unless your exercise would cause you to net lower than your BMR. Normally the TDEE calculation includes exercise.

I have a desk job so I sit on my bum most of the day, so I put sedantary as my activity level.

lauren3101

TDEE is just a guideline and somewhere for you to start. You aren't at a plateau so I don't think you have much to worry about at the moment, however, you could try dropping your cals by 100 a day and then see where that takes you. It took me about 3 months of upping and dropping cals to find the level I could lose 1lb a week on and not feel hungry.

rduhlir

Okay, then yes you should eat them back if that is how you calculated it. I did it opposite and calculated in my exercises. But you might have to play with your numbers. Also, when you eat back your calories are you taking out BMR? Since that is also already calculated. For example, if your BMR is 1555 then you would subtract 64 calories from your burn total...so if you burned 250 calories then you would only eat back 186.

jonnythan

One thing that jumped out at me was your calorie estimation for exercise. I see 33 minutes on the elliptical set as over 400 calories. That number is probably very inflated - you would have to be working *incredibly* hard on the elliptical for all 33 of those minutes to get close to that number.

I see plenty of days you've gone hundreds of calories over your target, even after the possibly-inflated exercise figures.

I think that's your problem. Dial back the calories and make sure to hit your calorie goal.

Greenrun99

In the last 30 days I've lost 2 maybe 3 pounds which is super frustrating.

That is about a lb a week.. that's what you should be aiming for, what number are you trying to lose?

MrsK20141004

One thing that jumped out at me was your calorie estimation for exercise. I see 33 minutes on the elliptical set as over 400 calories. That number is probably very inflated - you would have to be working *incredibly* hard on the elliptical for all 33 of those minutes to get close to that number.

I see plenty of days you've gone hundreds of calories over your target, even after the possibly-inflated exercise figures.

I think that's your problem. Dial back the calories and make sure to hit your calorie goal.

Hi,

I was working incredibly hard. Those are the numbers from the machine I'm on, not the numbers from MFP estimation. Yes, there are days where I am over, which I am working on but as I have been far better than before the loss has still slowed... but yeah I'm thinking I might cut back down to 1400 calories and see where that gets me.

Thanks!

Edit: The elliptical I use is the Precori I think its called where its a stepper and you can "walk" and "run". So I do intervals between steps and running for 33 minutes

sarahcuddle

I would suggest getting a HRM so you know that your calorie burns are accurate. That way, you will not be overeating. Also I use the app on my phone which has weekly targets so I can average out any 'over' days with some 'under' days. I think sometimes it's good to eat a lot one day then much less on another day. More or different exercise may help but 2 or 3lb in a month isn't a bad rate of weight loss. Good luck

jonnythan

One thing that jumped out at me was your calorie estimation for exercise. I see 33 minutes on the elliptical set as over 400 calories. That number is probably very inflated - you would have to be working *incredibly* hard on the elliptical for all 33 of those minutes to get close to that number.

I see plenty of days you've gone hundreds of calories over your target, even after the possibly-inflated exercise figures.

I think that's your problem. Dial back the calories and make sure to hit your calorie goal.

Hi,

I was working incredibly hard. Those are the numbers from the machine I'm on, not the numbers from MFP estimation. Yes, there are days where I am over, which I am working on but as I have been far better than before the loss has still slowed... but yeah I'm thinking I might cut back down to 1400 calories and see where that gets me.

Thanks!

Edit: The elliptical I use is the Precori I think its called where its a stepper and you can "walk" and "run". So I do intervals between steps and running for 33 minutes

Those machines are notoriously bad at estimating calorie usage. I really don't see any way someone is going to burn 820 calories an hour doing interval training on an elliptical. If it were me, I'd take about 20% off those numbers.

Anyway, yeah, as pointed out your loss isn't that bad. You're losing a couple of pounds a month so you're not doing terrible. This means you only need to make small changes. I'd say dial back the calorie entry from elliptical usage and hit your goals - that will probably be enough to kick you up to 4-5 pounds a month.

MrsK20141004

I would suggest getting a HRM so you know that your calorie burns are accurate. That way, you will not be overeating. Also I use the app on my phone which has weekly targets so I can average out any 'over' days with some 'under' days. I think sometimes it's good to eat a lot one day then much less on another day. More or different exercise may help but 2 or 3lb in a month isn't a bad rate of weight loss. Good luck

Thanks! I have been thinking about that and heard it helps. Definitely a great idea - thanks for that

MrsK20141004

I've recalculated my BMR and TDEE. My BMR is 1605. At sedentary my TDEE is 1927, at lightly active it is 2208. If I were doing TDEE at lightly active -20%, I should be eating 1766 and not eating back exercise cals. Thoughts?

now_or_never13

When you figured out your TDEE did you include exercise in it?

If you did and are properly following the IPOARM way, you should not be eating back your exercise calories unless your exercise would cause you to net lower than your BMR. Normally the TDEE calculation includes exercise.

I have a desk job so I sit on my bum most of the day, so I put sedantary as my activity level.

With TDEE you should be factoring in your activity level daily along with exercise.

Only eat back your exercise calories if exercise would cause you to net lower than your BMR (eat back enough to reach your BMR as your net calories).

jonnythan

I've recalculated my BMR and TDEE. My BMR is 1605. At sedentary my TDEE is 1927, at lightly active it is 2208. If I were doing TDEE at lightly active -20%, I should be eating 1766 and not eating back exercise cals. Thoughts?

I've always preferred to go for sedentary TDEE - 500 and add the exercise calories, because my exercising is unpredictable and variable. That's actually one of the reasons I bought a Fitbit - it makes the quantification of TDEE much more straightforward. I just look at the app and it tells me.

If I were you, I would start at 1500 calories a day, then add back in exercise calories.