I've done some research, but still would like some advice.

jcramer1227

Ok, I'm just curious what kind of advice you guys have for my situation. I'll give a little info first:

Weight: about 265 currently
Height: 5'4"
Calorie goal w/o exercise: 1897 (I eat back my workout cals)

Every calculator I've used has put me at 1900+ for my BMR and 2700 (give or take) for my TDEE at light activity. So, based on that, I'm currently eating at TDEE -30%.

I workout about 6 days a week, typically cardio (planning to integrate strength soon, just haven't gotten there yet).

Here's the deal: My first full month (December 2012), I lost about 10 pounds. I knew it would be a lot at first and then slowly drop, but I really haven't seen much weight drop off since. I'm down about 13 pounds now, but I'm wondering what the hold-up is. I'm not looking lose a billion pounds a month, I'm all for the slow and steady. However, I would like to see it pick up just a little bit, you know?

I don't deny myself sweets or treats, I just use moderation. But I do feel like it could be my diet that's holding me back. Even though I'm eating at a deficit, perhaps I'm just taking in too many bad fats, carbs, and sugars and not getting enough protein, veggies, and fruits. My diary should be open if you want to look (I can't remember, I'll check after I post this). In your experience, would this be hindering my weight loss? I'm afraid to get TOO strict with my diet, but I think I'm far enough in my journey that I could handle some more changes. Just looking for ideas, tips, and tricks!

Oh, and beware...my sodium is usually really bad

Edit: Fixed it. Diary is public now.

BuffyEat2Live

I honestly can't think of anything. You are doing what I'm doing, basically... Hmmm.

Perhaps just play around with calories some more? Eat 200 less per day for a couple of weeks and see if that helps? I hesitate to ever advise to cut down on any specific nutrient, because I don't advise anything that I wouldn't do myself.

BUMPing so that maybe you will get more intelligent comments than mine... :bigsmile:

servilia

Honestly I think you can lower your cals a bit, say by 100-150 and see if that helps. I noticed you eat out a lot. For weight loss I don't think that matters much as long as you keep your deficit but I'm not sure that it's the greatest thing nutrient wise

jcramer1227

You are definitely right. This past week and few weeks ago were pretty restaurant-heavy. But I've cut way back since I began this journey of mine. Slowly but surely, fast food will be a thing of the past

jzammetti

Right off the top, you are netting less than your BMR and you are not lightly active - more like moderately active. So, eat more and weight less. Best of luck to you!

jcramer1227

You think so? I've heard the "eat more to lose weight," but mostly for people who are eating 1200 calories. My BMR seems so high. I guess I just figured since it's not an exact number that eating very close to it would be ok....perhaps I could be mistaken.

nczuczu

I would lower your calories, slightly. I went to fitwatch.com and used their calorie deficit calculator to figure out what your daily calorie needs are. You don't list your age, so I am just taking a guess based on the information you provided. If you are 25 your daily calorie needs are 2381, if you are 30, then 2353. Eat a deficit of this to lose weight (15 - 30% deficit). So, if you are 25, you should eat between 1647 - 2000 calories. If you are 30, then eat between 1667 and 2024 calories.

Here is the website I used http://www.fitwatch.com/qkcalc/caloriedeficitcalculator.php.

I did look at your food diary and you don't list many fruits or vegetables. You may want to eat more of those and also add more lean proteins and dairy. Nuts, greek yogurt, string cheese are all good sources of protein that are healthy.

Make sure you are drinking plenty of water. Water is very important as well.

Just a couple of suggestions.

jcramer1227

I'm 29, will be 30 by the end of the year, yikes! :P I'm usually ok with fruits (just ran out the other day...grocery store time). Veggies, however, are very rarely in my diary. I'll probably have to take a more active role in adding those damn veggies.

jzammetti

You think so? I've heard the "eat more to lose weight," but mostly for people who are eating 1200 calories. My BMR seems so high. I guess I just figured since it's not an exact number that eating very close to it would be ok....perhaps I could be mistaken.

You are right, it is not an exact number. But, we have to start somewhere and if the calculator you used says to start there, then do it. Or you can have your actual RMR tested by a doctor, I have read.

Let's assume your BMR is correct. BMR is Basal Metabolic Rate - the MINIMUM number of calories you need to support healthy organ function. It is what you would be fed if in a coma at the hospital. I ate at or below my BMR for a long time - had great losses, but turned out my body fat percentage was going up because I was losing lean muscle mass (and therefore reducing my metabolism) due to not enough calories. Eventually I stalled for 4 months until I upped my calories to 300 more than my BMR. Then I started losing again almost immediately. But, then i stalled again for a few months. this time I stalled because I was incorrectly estimating my activity level at lightly active when i was really more like moderately active. So, I upped them again and am back on the weght loss train. I net 1850-1900 a day and am 5'2" tall, 122 pounds, moderately active with three weight training workouts a week (approx 90 minutes each time). This caloric amount is a very very small deficit as I am not trying to lose weight anymore, but I do want to drop body fat. My current estimated TDEE is a little over 2000 a day.

JessHealthKick

You need to fix what you're eating. Quality is important. My diary today is a perfect example of what it should look like for someone really trying (which I have been) to have a healthy, sustainable lifestyle dw, I have my pizza days.. but they are few and far between.

Try watching some of supersize vs super skinny. It's a British show and available to see on youtube. They show all the things in these processed foods that are so bad... certainly helps put you off takeaway for a long time!

cwolfman13

Usually when I see this problem, it is a matter of underestimating consumption and/or overestimating burn. Particularly if you're eating out at restaurants, you could be eating a lot more than you think you are. Restaurant calories are notorious for being off from what they're websites, etc say...sometimes way off. IMHO, this isn't to try to fool you or anything...it's that you have some kid in the back slappin' together your sammich without a scale or anything. If you eat out 3 times a day, it would be entirely plausible to consume upwards of 500 calories more than you think you are with a little extra mayo here...little more cheese there, etc.

This can also be a problem at home if you do not weight and measure your foods...particularly calorie dense foods like cooking oils, nuts, nut butters, etc. Just a little bit over can add up to a lot of calories over. When you consider that 1 lb per week weight loss equates to roughly 500 calories per day deficit, there's really not a whole lot of wiggle room for error...500 calories is easily a couple handfuls of nuts, an extra tablespoon of peanut butter, and an extra ounce of cheese due to not measuring...calorie creep is easy.

I'd say get very vigilant in weighing and measuring and logging...my guess is that'll solve the problem.

Fredducharme

You need to cut back on the sodium and increase the protein. Cut out your sweets...try these items for a week and see what happens.
Freddie-ray

kerriberry74

Hi. I skimmed through back into March and first of all, the big thing I would say is to do more actual cooking. While it's nice not to have to cook, at a restaurant you have no control over things like preparation, how it's cooked- ie. at home if you have a burger & fries, you can throw the fries in the oven rather than deep frying- and the amount of sodium.

The other down parts were the lack of veggies (which you acknowledge) and the amount of creamer in your coffee (abt. 240 cal on one day). You're getting very little out of the amount of cals that get used up. On the up side things like fruit and oatmeal, tuna sandwiches are definitely much healthier than eating out.

There are plenty of recipe sites that you can check out... you can search out healthier alternatives to the restaurant foods you like and maybe try out some new things. The one I use the most is food.com. There are loads of criteria you can use to search for recipes ie. healthy, Mediterranean, by individual ingredients, ect

Since you have pizza in your diary, i'll give you my version (not too scary). There's an endless variety of toppings (i've made it with spinach and feta), but this works as a kind of base. I use naan (flat) bread, sometimes i'll throw a thin layer of pesto on it. Slice a tomato thin & lay it on a paper towel to dry it off a bit. Sprinkle a small amount of mozz. cheese on the bread and put the tomatoes in a layer. At this point, i'll sprinkle a little seasoning on the tomatoes ie. italian, garlic. If it's just cheese and tomato, i'll add a bit more cheese on the tomatoes, otherwise add any other ingredients on top of the tomato then the rest of the cheese. I'll usually bake it at 425 for 13 min., but ovens can differ. This way, you can use fresh ingredients and you have control over how much there is topping wise. Hmmm... I think I know what i'm having for lunch now! Hope I was of help and Good Luck!

hamasehfallah

You are probably eating too much. The BMR/TDEE calculators online are just not accurate, sorry. I mean they can give you SOMEWHAT of an idea, but they usually WAY overestimate. Also, you need to stop eating back all of your workout calories - or at least only eat back maybe 1/2 of them. No, you won't go into "starvation mode". At your height and weight eating 1800-1900 calories a day and working out (without eating back the calories) is totally fine. A few more tips...


1) Your food measurements are probably off. 1/2 cup of oatmeal (using a measuring cup) is actually way more than the serving size listed on the box. Buy a good scale, and start weighing your food by the grams or ounces. This will give you the most accurate results. You might THINK you're eating 1800 cals a day, but really you could be easily eating 2,200. If you buy a food scale and actually measure everything you will be shocked at how inaccruate most measuring cups are.

2) You said you will incorporate strength training later and are just doing cardio now......why are you waiting until later? I'm just going to assume you don't have any major health problems. If you're able to do cardio you should be able to do some strength training. If you're new to weight lifting, go to bodybuilding.com. They have great workouts on there. Weight training AND cardio will give you the best results. Chronic cardio gets you nowhere.

3) Buy a heart rate monitor. What the cardio machines tell you you are burning - and what you are actually burning - are two totally different things. I own one and the machines usually tell me i've burned 100-200 more calories than what i actually have. "Polar" is the best brand of heart rate monitor, and make sure you buy one that comes with a chest strap - to get the most accurate reading. Once you have heart rate monitor you can REALLY see how much calories you are burning.

4) I think you answered your own question about the fruits/veggies thing. Cut out as much processed foods as possible. If it didn't grow from the ground or isn't meat/eggs....try not to eat it. Yeah someone eating a caloric deficit on cheetos and "diet" bars or "healthy" protein bars will still lose weight. But they will be more hungry doing it (fake food has fake chemicals that just make you hungrier) and they will look different than someone who has lost weight eating whole, REAL foods.

hamasehfallah

I just looked at your food diary. You are eating WAY too much processed foods and processed sugars! I know its hard to give it up (your body is literally addicted to these) But seriously...if you want to see REAL weight loss cut that stuff out! like, now! Whole foods, whole foods, whole foods! Cannot stress it enough.

askeates

I did look at your food diary and you don't list many fruits or vegetables. You may want to eat more of those and also add more lean proteins and dairy. Nuts, greek yogurt, string cheese are all good sources of protein that are healthy.

Make sure you are drinking plenty of water. Water is very important as well.

Just a couple of suggestions.

this is right on the money from what I saw... cutting the calories is very important, and you don't want to deny yourself some treats, but you really need to change what you eat as well. Protein and good fats are VERY important. if you add nuts, and good dairy products that will really help a ton.

And as much as I cannot stand water (issues that are crazy) you NEED to stay hydrated and flush the fat that is coming out of your body, and water is the best for both. Good luck and keep up the great work!

hamasehfallah

Also looked more closely at your daily calorie intake. You are definitely eating too much. I'd suggest eating 2,000 calories a day, and working out. Don't eat back your workout calories. If you eat 2,000 calories of the foods you HAVE been eating, you are going to feel extremely hungry ALL the time. Because the food you have been eating is very calorically dense - but not filling.

If you eat 2,000 calories of WHOLE , REAL foods, you will be very full. If you have any questions please email or message me i would love to help you. Ive been working out for years, i read about nutrition and health and working out every day, i have many friends who are body builders/personal trainers and i myself am studying nutrition/personal training.

jcramer1227

Just to answer your question on the strength training: it's simply because I haven't done full blown research yet. I do have a free session with a personal trainer at my gym, though. I want to use that to get some insight on which machines will be best for me to start and then actually learn to use them properly! I could research all day, but I'm one of those that learns by doing I better make that appointment!

And to all the other replies: These are awesome things to think about! With my limited funds, I do have to wait for an HRM (constantly checking prices online), but as for the rest, I'm excited to change things up a bit. I don't even know what to try first!

jcramer1227

Jessica, I have seen Supersize vs. Superskinny It's definitely an interesting show!! It's so crazy how it feels like I have changed so much about my lifestyle since I started in late November 2012...but I have so much more to learn.

JessHealthKick

Jessica, I have seen Supersize vs. Superskinny It's definitely an interesting show!! It's so crazy how it feels like I have changed so much about my lifestyle since I started in late November 2012...but I have so much more to learn.

ah, it's so good right? I still indulge sometimes, but after seeing really what is in all these processed foods, I definitely make them sometimes foods only.

There is a lot to learn, keep it up! Once you start eating vegetables/fruits regularly you will come to realise how much better you feel, and how much you crave them when you don't get them!

Good luck

zhvah18

Maybe I misread, but if you're doing the TDEE - %, you're TDEE should already have your activity (workouts) figured in so you shouldn't be eating back your exercise calories.

holothuroidea

It's very hard to judge the accuracy of your calorie counts because you eat out so often. Try to stick more and more to things you can measure out yourself.

Also, you're eating back your exercise calories. Good job! I think you should keep doing that. However, you need to make sure that your calories burned are accurate. More often than not they are overestimated. I don't go by MFP's database anymore because it has proven to be extremely inaccurate. If you don't have a fitbit/bodymedia or HRM, at least make sure you get your calorie estimates from websites that take your weight into account.

As far as weight loss is concerned, it's possible to lose weight on your current diet as long as you keep your calorie counts accurate and eat a deficit. However, I think you'll find that you have an easier time if you eat less processed/prepared foods and more whole foods. Those micronutrients are important for your energy, and the less sugar and more fiber you have the more satisfied you will feel.

cleback

Maybe I misread, but if you're doing the TDEE - %, you're TDEE should already have your activity (workouts) figured in so you shouldn't be eating back your exercise calories.

Quite simply, this.

holothuroidea

Maybe I misread, but if you're doing the TDEE - %, you're TDEE should already have your activity (workouts) figured in so you shouldn't be eating back your exercise calories.

Quite simply, this.

Not always. I calculated my TDEE for light activity, which would be a day without exercise, and I eat back my exercise calories. I know it's not technically a true "TDEE" but it works for me.

It looks like the OP did this as well.

mombieocalypse

I am about the same as you. 260lbs 5'4" tall. My calories are set to about 1300 and I eat back my workout calories for the most part. I am on the beginning of my weight loss journey so I am unsure of how it will work out, but I lost 4 lbs last week.

Querian

I also think the quality of the food you are eating could be easily improved. I know that learning to cook might seem daunting on top of everything else but seriously, I think you could really benefit.

As you can't learn to cook everything instantly while you are learning try to make things that are easy to make at home and much easier to weight and measure accurately. Sandwiches and salads, fruit and veggies, things that are easy to throw together and are grab and go type foods at first to get you eating at home more often. Peanut butter and jelly sandwich with an apple is better than pizza. A turkey sandwich with some carrots and hummus. Simple things that are easy to make with simple ingredients.

Look at the recipe thread here on MFP and see what other people are cooking and eating and start trying more complex things as time and energy permits. Make extras so you have leftovers and can eat those for lunch the next day or stick them in the freezer for another time.

I agree with the poster who suggested eating about 2000 calories and NOT eating back the exercise calories. Do that combined with trying to clean up your diet and getting off the fast food track for a few weeks and see how that goes. Plus try to drink more water.

You got this. The fact that you have been doing this for 4 or 5 months shows that you really are committed. The process can be slow and at times it seems like there is no progress but we are all still learning more every day and that counts, even if the scale doesn't realize that yet.

I know you said you are saving up for a heart rate monitor and that sounds great. I don't have one but I did recently get a FitBit and I really like how it tells you how many calories to eat each day and tracks your activity levels so it is very motivating and I think it is very accurate calorie-wise for me so maybe you can ask for that or the HRM for a gift on your next birthday or other occasion.

Good luck! :flowerforyou:

zhvah18

Maybe I misread, but if you're doing the TDEE - %, you're TDEE should already have your activity (workouts) figured in so you shouldn't be eating back your exercise calories.

Quite simply, this.

Not always. I calculated my TDEE for light activity, which would be a day without exercise, and I eat back my exercise calories. I know it's not technically a true "TDEE" but it works for me.

It looks like the OP did this as well.

Yes, but taking a quick glance through her diary from the past few weeks, after she's ate back her exercise calories she's ate pretty darn near her TDEE. That would be maintenance. If OP is truly "lightly active". My suggestion would be to first try not eating the exercise calories back, and yes, as many others have said, change the quality of the food.

holothuroidea

Maybe I misread, but if you're doing the TDEE - %, you're TDEE should already have your activity (workouts) figured in so you shouldn't be eating back your exercise calories.

Quite simply, this.

Not always. I calculated my TDEE for light activity, which would be a day without exercise, and I eat back my exercise calories. I know it's not technically a true "TDEE" but it works for me.

It looks like the OP did this as well.

Yes, but taking a quick glance through her diary from the past few weeks, after she's ate back her exercise calories she's ate pretty darn near her TDEE. That would be maintenance. If OP is truly "lightly active". My suggestion would be to first try not eating the exercise calories back, and yes, as many others have said, change the quality of the food.

She calculated her TDEE for lightly active, she said that in the OP. A person who works out 6 days a week is not lightly active, that puts you up to moderate activity at least.

If eating back her exercise calories puts her at TDEE for light activity, she's still eating a deficit because her true activity level is much higher than that.

zhvah18

nvm

Mock_Turtle

Maybe I misread, but if you're doing the TDEE - %, you're TDEE should already have your activity (workouts) figured in so you shouldn't be eating back your exercise calories.

Quite simply, this.

Not always. I calculated my TDEE for light activity, which would be a day without exercise, and I eat back my exercise calories. I know it's not technically a true "TDEE" but it works for me.

It looks like the OP did this as well.

Yes, but taking a quick glance through her diary from the past few weeks, after she's ate back her exercise calories she's ate pretty darn near her TDEE. That would be maintenance. If OP is truly "lightly active". My suggestion would be to first try not eating the exercise calories back, and yes, as many others have said, change the quality of the food.

She calculated her TDEE for lightly active, she said that in the OP. A person who works out 6 days a week is not lightly active, that puts you up to moderate activity at least.

If eating back her exercise calories puts her at TDEE for light activity, she's still eating a deficit because her true activity level is much higher than that.

And this is where the coefficients really introduce uncertainty. If you put it down as moderately active that is going to apply a scale factor of 1.55. Per the OP, her BMR is ~ 1900. So she needs to be generating 1000 calories a day above the BMR to match the coefficient.

If she works a sedentary office job then she needs to be burning upwards of 700 calories per day working out. OP didn't specify what she does cardio wise, but we're talking about doing something like 50-60 minutes on on the treadmill at 5 mph for 5 times per week.

Is that realitically where OP is at? We need to know what the cardio is - how long and how intense

watfordjc

So after the first 4 weeks it looks like you've lost about 1 lb/week? Math mode...

(TDEE*30%)*7/3,500 = (810)*7/3,500 = 1.62 lb/week.

Your sodium intake looks (from the couple of weeks I looked at) to fluctuate but after ~12 weeks the only way that would be factor is if you have been increasing your sodium intake week-by-week. The weeks you had less sodium you should have seen a bigger dip and the weeks you had more you should have seen a smaller dip (or gain) but that should be noticeable in a weight loss graph by now.

I have lost almost 60 pounds and *only two* of the meals I have eaten in the last 5 months have been home cooked (Christmas dinner at the parents, Haggis and mash at a friend's).

So no, what you eat should not be having an impact unless you are sensitive to certain foods/macronutrients/micronutrients.

6 days a week sounds like borderline active and very active (a TDEE multiplier of 1.6-1.725), however, it depends on what your cardio consists of and what your rest/lazy days are like. My TDEE was calculated at the end of January as 4,237.2 calories/day (from Bod Pod results, includes exercise, excludes the 16.5 lb lost since then). Thursday I burned ~4,487 calories, Wednesday I burned ~2,468. TDEE-x% is not reliable for me as my activity level is not consistent (flip between sedentary and very active).

Since most of your eating out is from (what I looked at) chains, those calorie counts are probably correct (give or take the variation allowed by law). Assuming you have logged all food in the last couple of weeks, I would rule out underestimating consumption.

The tricky question is whether to increase or decrease your calories. You'd probably already know or suspect an adrenal/thyroid/metabolic issue from symptoms other than slow weight loss. It might be not eating enough and your body has compensated, or your TDEE combined with exercise calories might not be as high as calculated.

What do you do during the day, what does cardio consist of, and has intensity/duration of cardio increased with fitness level?