Weekly Goals - Advice/Criticism needed (Open Diary)

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I'll keep things short. I'd like to lose as much weight as I can on a weekly basis (who wouldn't, right?). I'm using MFP's setup to potentially lose 2lbs each week. The thing is, the last several weeks I've been losing between 1-1.5 lbs instead. I understand that weight fluctuates in regards to using a scale and that I should also take measurements (which I do!), but my measurements seem to have halted where they are at for the last month now as well.

So I'm wondering if it's my food choices or maybe I'm not active enough? Is MFP's goal calculator flawed and should I expect this variation of .5-1 lb even though I try to net as close to 0 as possible? I'd like to add that I've been using TDEE-20% for a few months beforehand, and it was going okay for a while, but the same issue came up. This is why I've been trying MFP's goal system lately.

So, any advice is welcomed.

Stats:
31 years old
5'10"
256 lbs

Querian

It sounds like you are doing good to me! I think MFP gives guidelines but the practice takes a bit of tweaking.

Do you lift? If not incorporating that might help transform you body measurements more quickly. Keep eating the same (and I assume you are exercising too) and focus on strength training for a few weeks and see what happens. I know guys often see good results with this approach.

Kelley528

I only went back a few days in your diary but you dont seem to be eating back your exercise calories. I suggest eating back at least half of them. If you are following MFP guidelines to lose 2lbs a week then I know MFP says to eat back the calories.

I was set to lose 2lbs a week and usually lost 1-1.5lbs, too. The weeks when I did lose 2 lbs ( and there were several of them) was when I ate back my exercise calories. Seems strange. My sister asked whats the point of exercising to lose weight if you actually have to eat more? I told her the exercise is to burn off the excess calories but you still need to meet your daily calorie intake and working out burns the calories so you need to eat more.

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I only went back a few days in your diary but you dont seem to be eating back your exercise calories. I suggest eating back at least half of them. If you are following MFP guidelines to lose 2lbs a week then I know MFP says to eat back the calories.

I was set to lose 2lbs a week and usually lost 1-1.5lbs, too. The weeks when I did lose 2 lbs ( and there were several of them) was when I ate back my exercise calories. Seems strange. My sister asked whats the point of exercising to lose weight if you actually have to eat more? I told her the exercise is to burn off the excess calories but you still need to meet your daily calorie intake and working out burns the calories so you need to eat more.

I usually have eaten back my exercise calories. I haven't been this past week to see if there's any change for the weigh in. I'm still kinda stumped because my results aren't matching what is projected in the goal calculator either way.

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Bump.

kwilliams386

you are not going to lose weight quickly by netting 0 calories. Period. Eat.. dude.. it is ok.. I don't know about you, because I don't know you, but I lose a lb a week netting 1200 - I eat about 1600-1800 a day. I don't want to lose much more than that because I am also strength training and my body is gaining more shape so the LB's are not concerning me at the moment.

How much do you want to lose? You don't look like you need to lose much. You wont see so much lost in inches if all you are doing is not eating. What kind of workouts do you do?

CristinaL1983

I only went back a few days in your diary but you dont seem to be eating back your exercise calories. I suggest eating back at least half of them. If you are following MFP guidelines to lose 2lbs a week then I know MFP says to eat back the calories.

I was set to lose 2lbs a week and usually lost 1-1.5lbs, too. The weeks when I did lose 2 lbs ( and there were several of them) was when I ate back my exercise calories. Seems strange. My sister asked whats the point of exercising to lose weight if you actually have to eat more? I told her the exercise is to burn off the excess calories but you still need to meet your daily calorie intake and working out burns the calories so you need to eat more.

I usually have eaten back my exercise calories. I haven't been this past week to see if there's any change for the weigh in. I'm still kinda stumped because my results aren't matching what is projected in the goal calculator either way.

I don't know anything about the truth of it but I have heard that BMR calculations are more off when you have more weight to lose. Since that's what MFP uses they could be off too. If you cut an additional 250 cal off your recommendation, you might see 2 lbs per week. I don't know that that is the case but since you are doing that anyway this week maybe try it for a couple weeks and see what is going on then.

I have been consistently losing 2 lbs per week.

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you are not going to lose weight quickly by netting 0 calories. Period. Eat.. dude.. it is ok.. I don't know about you, because I don't know you, but I lose a lb a week netting 1200 - I eat about 1600-1800 a day. I don't want to lose much more than that because I am also strength training and my body is gaining more shape so the LB's are not concerning me at the moment.

How much do you want to lose? You don't look like you need to lose much. You wont see so much lost in inches if all you are doing is not eating. What kind of workouts do you do?

I didn't type my thoughts out clearly in the first post (can't edit either). What I meant to say was, that I eat as close to what I should be netting each day (currently 1870 cals based on MFP calculator) and be as close to 0 cals remaining +/-. And trust me, I do eat.

concordancia

Weight loss just isn't linear - you will lose more some weeks, less other weeks and none at all on other weeks still.

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Weight loss just isn't linear - you will lose more some weeks, less other weeks and none at all on other weeks still.

I'm okay with non-linear results, I'm just curious if a 1lb variation consistently below the projection is normal.