Weight Loss Phenomenon

ethancarlson

Good Morning everyone!

I am having an issue when it comes to losing weight that I cannot seem to understand and wondering if anyone else is going through it or might know the cause?

I do great with eating and exercising all week long (about 2000 calories for a 6 foot man currently at 250 lbs. - walking 3.5 mph for 60 minutes and 30 minutes on the elliptical on level 10 resistance) - yet I lose no weight during the week at all. On the weekend I pretty much eat whatever I want and don't exercise (I use these as my "break" days) - however, I lose ALL the weight on the weekend (about 2-3 lbs per week) and nothing during the week (sometimes I even manage to gain weight somehow!?)

What is going on?!?

katedevall

It could be you have water weight that comes off over the weekend from exercising. Or possibly you eat more on weekends.

Everyone on here says the more you the more you lose, maybe they're right

ChetThaker

Sounds to me like you're not eating enough calories for what your body needs during the week and so your body is keeping hold of the fat and slowing down your metabolism. At the weekend you're eating more and probably around what your body needs but still at a calorie deficit so you're losing weight as a result.

Use this calculator to work out what your calorie intake should be and see how you get on:

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

ethancarlson

So basically during the week I am trying too hard and I could benefit from going home instead of going to the gym (all else equal) or eat more and continue my daily exercise?

I guess it's hard to get my brain wrapped around the fact I'm not eating enough to lose weight because usually it's the ol' "don't eat a lot and exercise a lot" to lose weight that keeps getting pushed into your brain all the time from outside sources...

TavistockToad

what is your weekly net?

as long as you are not loads under during the week, then whats the problem? i generally eat a lot more on friday & saturday, but as long as the weekly net balances i am happy.

have you thought about adding some strength training to your routine?

ChetThaker

So basically during the week I am trying too hard and I could benefit from going home instead of going to the gym (all else equal) or eat more and continue my daily exercise?

I guess it's hard to get my brain wrapped around the fact I'm not eating enough to lose weight because usually it's the ol' "don't eat a lot and exercise a lot" to lose weight that keeps getting pushed into your brain all the time from outside sources...

Read this post - it helps explain all of this and understanding BMR and TDEE is important to ensure you're eating enough based on what your own body needs. The figures are different for each of us based on male/female, age, current weight etc.

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/654536-in-place-of-a-road-map-2-0-revised-7-2-12

ethancarlson

"what is your weekly net?

as long as you are not loads under during the week, then whats the problem? i generally eat a lot more on friday & saturday, but as long as the weekly net balances i am happy.

have you thought about adding some strength training to your routine?"

With all the exercise I do during the week, I burn about 900 calories a day and take in about 2000 (both figures from MFP) - I was doing strength training, but I was advised to not do strength training until I've lost fat because it will build fat-infused (fatty) muscle, which is not a good idea from what I hear?

tricksee

Your weekend eating habits/binges have a week long effect on your body which happens to correct itself at the same time you start/finish your next weekend 'binge'

ethancarlson

My "binge" on the weekend is just barely meeting my MFP set goal (to lose 2 lbs/week) and no excercise - so it's technically not a "binge"

auddii

Well, you should be eating back your exercise calories. Sounds like you don't workout on the weekends, so those are really the only days you are meeting your daily calorie goals. Also, if you "let go" on the weekend and eat a lot of food that you don't normally do and they have a lot of salt, then you could be retaining water and losing the weight slowly over the week and then on the weekends the salt is out of your system, and the water is no longer masking the weight loss. Not sure the types of food you're eating, so I don't know if that's true or not.

TavistockToad

it will build fat-infused (fatty) muscle

WFT?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!

MrsSWW

With all the exercise I do during the week, I burn about 900 calories a day and take in about 2000 (both figures from MFP) - I was doing strength training, but I was advised to not do strength training until I've lost fat because it will build fat-infused (fatty) muscle, which is not a good idea from what I hear?

1. Ignore whoever told you to not do strength training. Work smarter, not harder. You're spending a lot of time on cardio, reduce that, start doing some strength.
2. Work out what your BMR and TDEE are, and try eating between those numbers, but ideally an average of TDEE-15% - if you find that your lifestyle means you eat more at the weekend that's okay as long as you are willing to counteract it with more cautious eating during the week. Just add up your daily total and divide by 7 to get your weekly average, that's what I do!

If you do these two simple things you will lose weight AND tone up. In my humble opinion you are eating too little at 2k/day, I am 5'2" and last week ate an average of 2250 per day... and this morning recorded the lowest weigh in I've ever had on MFP.

BurtHuttz

With all the exercise I do during the week, I burn about 900 calories a day and take in about 2000 (both figures from MFP) - I was doing strength training, but I was advised to not do strength training until I've lost fat because it will build fat-infused (fatty) muscle, which is not a good idea from what I hear?

1. Ignore whoever told you to not do strength training. Work smarter, not harder. You're spending a lot of time on cardio, reduce that, start doing some strength.
2. Work out what your BMR and TDEE are, and try eating between those numbers, but ideally an average of TDEE-15% - if you find that your lifestyle means you eat more at the weekend that's okay as long as you are willing to counteract it with more cautious eating during the week. Just add up your daily total and divide by 7 to get your weekly average, that's what I do!

If you do these two simple things you will lose weight AND tone up. In my humble opinion you are eating too little at 2k/day, I am 5'2" and last week ate an average of 2250 per day... and this morning recorded the lowest weigh in I've ever had on MFP.

^This. And this v:

ethancarlson

That and what? I got a big, red X for your additional comment

BurtHuttz

Picture of a well-marbled steak!

The most common problem on MFP is undereating, believe it or not. You may well benefit from eating more.

But at the end of the day, that's irrelevant if you're feeling well physically, and losing, as you say, about two or three pounds a week. Weight loss isn't strictly linear.

MrsSWW

Picture of a well-marbled steak!

Please try to re-post, I love a well marbled steak