4 year plateau after losing 93 lbs. Advice?
Replies
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okay, but there was a while where I was eating 900 calories and not losing... guess what? When I recalculated, I realized the TDEE I SHOULD have was around 2100, so I ate 1800, took a week or two of gaining slightly and then started losing again. So no, she shouldn't necessarily just cut 300 from what she IS eating (as aforementioned, I don't know what she is eating because her diary is private). She may be eating too little for all we know, so calm yo'self.
You're eating too much. Drop the calorie goal by 300 and hit it every single day.
*recalculate your TDEE and then subtract 300 calories or 20%
If she had been eating 900 calories for 4 years, she would have been losing weight.
Right. I guess I shouldn't be telling her to recalculate things, analyze things logically, just keep cutting back. Glad that trend is coming back. Works SO well.
Take a step back.
We have no idea how much the OP eats. Her diary is closed and she made no mention of how much she eats in the OP.
I understand that a lot of people have the "you're eating too little!" reaction a lot of the time, but reality is that the body can only lower metabolism so much to cope with caloric deficit. No normal-sized adult can eat 900 calories a day long term without losing weight. Period, end of story. No matter how much "dieting" they've done, that level of metabolic adaptation just isn't really possible. The best way in the world to calculate your BMR and TDEE is not by using a formula on a web page: it's by using long-term calorie intake and expenditure data and calculating it for yourself from your own data.
It's obvious to me that this woman is eating too much. If you're still overweight after 4 years of exercising and eating a certain number of calories, then you're just eating too many calories. Maybe she's not weighing her food and actually eating a lot more than she thinks. Maybe she's vastly overestimating calorie burns so she's eating back too many calories. Maybe her calorie goal is just too high to begin with. Maybe she has those "cheat" days a little too often. Maybe she logs for a couple of weeks then stops for a couple of weeks.
We know pretty much nothing about the OP. We have no idea what or how she is eating. She hasn't told us and her diary is closed. Yet somehow we're all arguing over whether she needs to eat more calories or fewer calories.
It's nonsensical. We're arguing over something none of us have any idea about. Let's see if the OP opens her diary.
I agree. I'm just saying that if she calculates her TDEE - 20% then it can't hurt. you're the one insisting that she doesn't need to, just to automatically subtract 300.0 -
I lost 36 lbs in 3 months in the past on a very low calorie and crazy cardio diet and maintained at 154 for 3 years,no matter what i ate.if i worked out or not.
I took a break for a month(same time of my wedding-so that helped)
Then I cut carbs,increased carbs,cut protein,increased protein and tried all sorts of silly stuff.
What seemed to work for me is increase calories.
I did a 3 month bulk(combined this with thanksgiving and christmas)-in which period i didn't do any cardio and just lifted and lifted.mind you i did gain a good 15 pounds during this period.
then i only cut 300 calories from my maintainance.I lost 6 pounds so far in cut and am steadily losing.My workouts include 2-3 hours of cardio per week and 2 sessions of Lifting per week.I make sure I dont abuse this balance,although i do get tempted to overdo sometimes.
I used scooby workout website to figure out my calories(my numbers are a 100 calories less than predicted on there).
What you did was reset your metabolic rate after destroying it on a VLCD. Be very happy you decided to bulk. The 4 months of gaining weight at a steady rate and then cutting back to below maintenance is a healthy approach to repairing past damage. Everyone is different. It often takes longer than 4 months.
No one can be sure if this is what the OP has done. If her health is as she states, then it is more likely that she has been eating at maintenance.0 -
okay, but there was a while where I was eating 900 calories and not losing... guess what? When I recalculated, I realized the TDEE I SHOULD have was around 2100, so I ate 1800, took a week or two of gaining slightly and then started losing again. So no, she shouldn't necessarily just cut 300 from what she IS eating (as aforementioned, I don't know what she is eating because her diary is private). She may be eating too little for all we know, so calm yo'self.
You're eating too much. Drop the calorie goal by 300 and hit it every single day.
*recalculate your TDEE and then subtract 300 calories or 20%
If she had been eating 900 calories for 4 years, she would have been losing weight.
Right. I guess I shouldn't be telling her to recalculate things, analyze things logically, just keep cutting back. Glad that trend is coming back. Works SO well.
Take a step back.
We have no idea how much the OP eats. Her diary is closed and she made no mention of how much she eats in the OP.
I understand that a lot of people have the "you're eating too little!" reaction a lot of the time, but reality is that the body can only lower metabolism so much to cope with caloric deficit. No normal-sized adult can eat 900 calories a day long term without losing weight. Period, end of story. No matter how much "dieting" they've done, that level of metabolic adaptation just isn't really possible. The best way in the world to calculate your BMR and TDEE is not by using a formula on a web page: it's by using long-term calorie intake and expenditure data and calculating it for yourself from your own data.
It's obvious to me that this woman is eating too much. If you're still overweight after 4 years of exercising and eating a certain number of calories, then you're just eating too many calories. Maybe she's not weighing her food and actually eating a lot more than she thinks. Maybe she's vastly overestimating calorie burns so she's eating back too many calories. Maybe her calorie goal is just too high to begin with. Maybe she has those "cheat" days a little too often. Maybe she logs for a couple of weeks then stops for a couple of weeks.
We know pretty much nothing about the OP. We have no idea what or how she is eating. She hasn't told us and her diary is closed. Yet somehow we're all arguing over whether she needs to eat more calories or fewer calories.
It's nonsensical. We're arguing over something none of us have any idea about. Let's see if the OP opens her diary.
I agree. I'm just saying that if she calculates her TDEE - 20% then it can't hurt. you're the one insisting that she doesn't need to, just to automatically subtract 300.
If you've been maintaining your weight for four years at a given calorie intake while exercising regularly, and you want to lose weight, the way forward is to eat less. There's really no way around that. I can't even begin to fathom a situation where that wouldn't be the case.
Of course, she needs to eat less than she's actually eating. What she's actually eating may or may not be represented in her diary, and what she's eating may or may not be meeting her set calorie goal.0 -
that's not a plateau, that's maintenance.
the answer is simple...
if your logging is accurate, then your calorie goal is too high.
if your logging is inaccurate, then log more accurately.
also, there is no such thing as a cheat day. if you deliberately choose not to log on those days, then you really aren't counting calories.
Thank you0 -
...aaaaaaaaaaaand calculating TDEE -20% would hurt that... how?
okay, but there was a while where I was eating 900 calories and not losing... guess what? When I recalculated, I realized the TDEE I SHOULD have was around 2100, so I ate 1800, took a week or two of gaining slightly and then started losing again. So no, she shouldn't necessarily just cut 300 from what she IS eating (as aforementioned, I don't know what she is eating because her diary is private). She may be eating too little for all we know, so calm yo'self.
You're eating too much. Drop the calorie goal by 300 and hit it every single day.
*recalculate your TDEE and then subtract 300 calories or 20%
If she had been eating 900 calories for 4 years, she would have been losing weight.
Right. I guess I shouldn't be telling her to recalculate things, analyze things logically, just keep cutting back. Glad that trend is coming back. Works SO well.
Take a step back.
We have no idea how much the OP eats. Her diary is closed and she made no mention of how much she eats in the OP.
I understand that a lot of people have the "you're eating too little!" reaction a lot of the time, but reality is that the body can only lower metabolism so much to cope with caloric deficit. No normal-sized adult can eat 900 calories a day long term without losing weight. Period, end of story. No matter how much "dieting" they've done, that level of metabolic adaptation just isn't really possible. The best way in the world to calculate your BMR and TDEE is not by using a formula on a web page: it's by using long-term calorie intake and expenditure data and calculating it for yourself from your own data.
It's obvious to me that this woman is eating too much. If you're still overweight after 4 years of exercising and eating a certain number of calories, then you're just eating too many calories. Maybe she's not weighing her food and actually eating a lot more than she thinks. Maybe she's vastly overestimating calorie burns so she's eating back too many calories. Maybe her calorie goal is just too high to begin with. Maybe she has those "cheat" days a little too often. Maybe she logs for a couple of weeks then stops for a couple of weeks.
We know pretty much nothing about the OP. We have no idea what or how she is eating. She hasn't told us and her diary is closed. Yet somehow we're all arguing over whether she needs to eat more calories or fewer calories.
It's nonsensical. We're arguing over something none of us have any idea about. Let's see if the OP opens her diary.
I agree. I'm just saying that if she calculates her TDEE - 20% then it can't hurt. you're the one insisting that she doesn't need to, just to automatically subtract 300.
If you've been maintaining your weight for four years at a given calorie intake while exercising regularly, and you want to lose weight, the way forward is to eat less. There's really no way around that. I can't even begin to fathom a situation where that wouldn't be the case.
Of course, she needs to eat less than she's actually eating. What she's actually eating may or may not be represented in her diary, and what she's eating may or may not be meeting her set calorie goal.0 -
someone is cranky.0
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...aaaaaaaaaaaand calculating TDEE -20% would hurt that... how?
okay, but there was a while where I was eating 900 calories and not losing... guess what? When I recalculated, I realized the TDEE I SHOULD have was around 2100, so I ate 1800, took a week or two of gaining slightly and then started losing again. So no, she shouldn't necessarily just cut 300 from what she IS eating (as aforementioned, I don't know what she is eating because her diary is private). She may be eating too little for all we know, so calm yo'self.
You're eating too much. Drop the calorie goal by 300 and hit it every single day.
*recalculate your TDEE and then subtract 300 calories or 20%
If she had been eating 900 calories for 4 years, she would have been losing weight.
Right. I guess I shouldn't be telling her to recalculate things, analyze things logically, just keep cutting back. Glad that trend is coming back. Works SO well.
Take a step back.
We have no idea how much the OP eats. Her diary is closed and she made no mention of how much she eats in the OP.
I understand that a lot of people have the "you're eating too little!" reaction a lot of the time, but reality is that the body can only lower metabolism so much to cope with caloric deficit. No normal-sized adult can eat 900 calories a day long term without losing weight. Period, end of story. No matter how much "dieting" they've done, that level of metabolic adaptation just isn't really possible. The best way in the world to calculate your BMR and TDEE is not by using a formula on a web page: it's by using long-term calorie intake and expenditure data and calculating it for yourself from your own data.
It's obvious to me that this woman is eating too much. If you're still overweight after 4 years of exercising and eating a certain number of calories, then you're just eating too many calories. Maybe she's not weighing her food and actually eating a lot more than she thinks. Maybe she's vastly overestimating calorie burns so she's eating back too many calories. Maybe her calorie goal is just too high to begin with. Maybe she has those "cheat" days a little too often. Maybe she logs for a couple of weeks then stops for a couple of weeks.
We know pretty much nothing about the OP. We have no idea what or how she is eating. She hasn't told us and her diary is closed. Yet somehow we're all arguing over whether she needs to eat more calories or fewer calories.
It's nonsensical. We're arguing over something none of us have any idea about. Let's see if the OP opens her diary.
I agree. I'm just saying that if she calculates her TDEE - 20% then it can't hurt. you're the one insisting that she doesn't need to, just to automatically subtract 300.
If you've been maintaining your weight for four years at a given calorie intake while exercising regularly, and you want to lose weight, the way forward is to eat less. There's really no way around that. I can't even begin to fathom a situation where that wouldn't be the case.
Of course, she needs to eat less than she's actually eating. What she's actually eating may or may not be represented in her diary, and what she's eating may or may not be meeting her set calorie goal.
Calculating a TDEE from a formula is a very rough guess. It pales in comparison to four years of actual data, if that data is halfway decent.0 -
The true test to calculate maintenance is to record what you eat for a period of time and when weight is stable, that is maintenance. 4 yrs is enough time for that calculation.....she's consuming maintenance.
...aaaaaaaaaaaand calculating TDEE -20% would hurt that... how?
okay, but there was a while where I was eating 900 calories and not losing... guess what? When I recalculated, I realized the TDEE I SHOULD have was around 2100, so I ate 1800, took a week or two of gaining slightly and then started losing again. So no, she shouldn't necessarily just cut 300 from what she IS eating (as aforementioned, I don't know what she is eating because her diary is private). She may be eating too little for all we know, so calm yo'self.
You're eating too much. Drop the calorie goal by 300 and hit it every single day.
*recalculate your TDEE and then subtract 300 calories or 20%
If she had been eating 900 calories for 4 years, she would have been losing weight.
Right. I guess I shouldn't be telling her to recalculate things, analyze things logically, just keep cutting back. Glad that trend is coming back. Works SO well.
Take a step back.
We have no idea how much the OP eats. Her diary is closed and she made no mention of how much she eats in the OP.
I understand that a lot of people have the "you're eating too little!" reaction a lot of the time, but reality is that the body can only lower metabolism so much to cope with caloric deficit. No normal-sized adult can eat 900 calories a day long term without losing weight. Period, end of story. No matter how much "dieting" they've done, that level of metabolic adaptation just isn't really possible. The best way in the world to calculate your BMR and TDEE is not by using a formula on a web page: it's by using long-term calorie intake and expenditure data and calculating it for yourself from your own data.
It's obvious to me that this woman is eating too much. If you're still overweight after 4 years of exercising and eating a certain number of calories, then you're just eating too many calories. Maybe she's not weighing her food and actually eating a lot more than she thinks. Maybe she's vastly overestimating calorie burns so she's eating back too many calories. Maybe her calorie goal is just too high to begin with. Maybe she has those "cheat" days a little too often. Maybe she logs for a couple of weeks then stops for a couple of weeks.
We know pretty much nothing about the OP. We have no idea what or how she is eating. She hasn't told us and her diary is closed. Yet somehow we're all arguing over whether she needs to eat more calories or fewer calories.
It's nonsensical. We're arguing over something none of us have any idea about. Let's see if the OP opens her diary.
I agree. I'm just saying that if she calculates her TDEE - 20% then it can't hurt. you're the one insisting that she doesn't need to, just to automatically subtract 300.
If you've been maintaining your weight for four years at a given calorie intake while exercising regularly, and you want to lose weight, the way forward is to eat less. There's really no way around that. I can't even begin to fathom a situation where that wouldn't be the case.
Of course, she needs to eat less than she's actually eating. What she's actually eating may or may not be represented in her diary, and what she's eating may or may not be meeting her set calorie goal.0 -
okay, but there was a while where I was eating 900 calories and not losing... guess what? When I recalculated, I realized the TDEE I SHOULD have was around 2100, so I ate 1800, took a week or two of gaining slightly and then started losing again. So no, she shouldn't necessarily just cut 300 from what she IS eating (as aforementioned, I don't know what she is eating because her diary is private). She may be eating too little for all we know, so calm yo'self.
You're eating too much. Drop the calorie goal by 300 and hit it every single day.
*recalculate your TDEE and then subtract 300 calories or 20%
If she had been eating 900 calories for 4 years, she would have been losing weight.
Right. I guess I shouldn't be telling her to recalculate things, analyze things logically, just keep cutting back. Glad that trend is coming back. Works SO well.
...anyhow, if her LBM is good and she looks good (she does in her photos) then I'm not sure its necessary to lose more, but if she feels it is, let her recalculate, if her deficit is already too big and that' the source of the issue, recalculating will fix it. If she recalculates and finds that she should be eating less than she already is, that will reaffirm what you're saying, but what's the harm in that? Oh no, she may have spent a few moments thinking about it rather than blindly accepting advice to continue cutting calories! the humanity!
i don't think you understand what TDEE means. if she's been eating at a certain calorie level for 4 years and her weight hasn't really changed, that is her TDEE. by definition.0 -
The true test to calculate maintenance is to record what you eat for a period of time and when weight is stable, that is maintenance. 4 yrs is enough time for that calculation.....she's consuming maintenance.
...aaaaaaaaaaaand calculating TDEE -20% would hurt that... how?
okay, but there was a while where I was eating 900 calories and not losing... guess what? When I recalculated, I realized the TDEE I SHOULD have was around 2100, so I ate 1800, took a week or two of gaining slightly and then started losing again. So no, she shouldn't necessarily just cut 300 from what she IS eating (as aforementioned, I don't know what she is eating because her diary is private). She may be eating too little for all we know, so calm yo'self.
You're eating too much. Drop the calorie goal by 300 and hit it every single day.
*recalculate your TDEE and then subtract 300 calories or 20%
If she had been eating 900 calories for 4 years, she would have been losing weight.
Right. I guess I shouldn't be telling her to recalculate things, analyze things logically, just keep cutting back. Glad that trend is coming back. Works SO well.
Take a step back.
We have no idea how much the OP eats. Her diary is closed and she made no mention of how much she eats in the OP.
I understand that a lot of people have the "you're eating too little!" reaction a lot of the time, but reality is that the body can only lower metabolism so much to cope with caloric deficit. No normal-sized adult can eat 900 calories a day long term without losing weight. Period, end of story. No matter how much "dieting" they've done, that level of metabolic adaptation just isn't really possible. The best way in the world to calculate your BMR and TDEE is not by using a formula on a web page: it's by using long-term calorie intake and expenditure data and calculating it for yourself from your own data.
It's obvious to me that this woman is eating too much. If you're still overweight after 4 years of exercising and eating a certain number of calories, then you're just eating too many calories. Maybe she's not weighing her food and actually eating a lot more than she thinks. Maybe she's vastly overestimating calorie burns so she's eating back too many calories. Maybe her calorie goal is just too high to begin with. Maybe she has those "cheat" days a little too often. Maybe she logs for a couple of weeks then stops for a couple of weeks.
We know pretty much nothing about the OP. We have no idea what or how she is eating. She hasn't told us and her diary is closed. Yet somehow we're all arguing over whether she needs to eat more calories or fewer calories.
It's nonsensical. We're arguing over something none of us have any idea about. Let's see if the OP opens her diary.
I agree. I'm just saying that if she calculates her TDEE - 20% then it can't hurt. you're the one insisting that she doesn't need to, just to automatically subtract 300.
If you've been maintaining your weight for four years at a given calorie intake while exercising regularly, and you want to lose weight, the way forward is to eat less. There's really no way around that. I can't even begin to fathom a situation where that wouldn't be the case.
Of course, she needs to eat less than she's actually eating. What she's actually eating may or may not be represented in her diary, and what she's eating may or may not be meeting her set calorie goal.
sooooo... for Chrissakes, how can ONCE AGAIN calculating TDEE (even if it proves to be EXACTLY what she is currently eating) - 20% going to be detrimental? I think OP has even given up on this because its so asinine at this point. I'm saying she should check her TDEE and subtract 20%. You're saying what she has been eating IS her TDEE and she should subtract 20%. The only thing we are disagreeing about is that I think its important to have an awareness of what your TDEE is for your height/weight/BF ratio and you think that no matter what that is you should cut 20%. Screw it, I have better things to do than argue with someone who is 98% agreeing with me on the internet.0 -
The true test to calculate maintenance is to record what you eat for a period of time and when weight is stable, that is maintenance. 4 yrs is enough time for that calculation.....she's consuming maintenance.
...aaaaaaaaaaaand calculating TDEE -20% would hurt that... how?
okay, but there was a while where I was eating 900 calories and not losing... guess what? When I recalculated, I realized the TDEE I SHOULD have was around 2100, so I ate 1800, took a week or two of gaining slightly and then started losing again. So no, she shouldn't necessarily just cut 300 from what she IS eating (as aforementioned, I don't know what she is eating because her diary is private). She may be eating too little for all we know, so calm yo'self.
You're eating too much. Drop the calorie goal by 300 and hit it every single day.
*recalculate your TDEE and then subtract 300 calories or 20%
If she had been eating 900 calories for 4 years, she would have been losing weight.
Right. I guess I shouldn't be telling her to recalculate things, analyze things logically, just keep cutting back. Glad that trend is coming back. Works SO well.
Take a step back.
We have no idea how much the OP eats. Her diary is closed and she made no mention of how much she eats in the OP.
I understand that a lot of people have the "you're eating too little!" reaction a lot of the time, but reality is that the body can only lower metabolism so much to cope with caloric deficit. No normal-sized adult can eat 900 calories a day long term without losing weight. Period, end of story. No matter how much "dieting" they've done, that level of metabolic adaptation just isn't really possible. The best way in the world to calculate your BMR and TDEE is not by using a formula on a web page: it's by using long-term calorie intake and expenditure data and calculating it for yourself from your own data.
It's obvious to me that this woman is eating too much. If you're still overweight after 4 years of exercising and eating a certain number of calories, then you're just eating too many calories. Maybe she's not weighing her food and actually eating a lot more than she thinks. Maybe she's vastly overestimating calorie burns so she's eating back too many calories. Maybe her calorie goal is just too high to begin with. Maybe she has those "cheat" days a little too often. Maybe she logs for a couple of weeks then stops for a couple of weeks.
We know pretty much nothing about the OP. We have no idea what or how she is eating. She hasn't told us and her diary is closed. Yet somehow we're all arguing over whether she needs to eat more calories or fewer calories.
It's nonsensical. We're arguing over something none of us have any idea about. Let's see if the OP opens her diary.
I agree. I'm just saying that if she calculates her TDEE - 20% then it can't hurt. you're the one insisting that she doesn't need to, just to automatically subtract 300.
If you've been maintaining your weight for four years at a given calorie intake while exercising regularly, and you want to lose weight, the way forward is to eat less. There's really no way around that. I can't even begin to fathom a situation where that wouldn't be the case.
Of course, she needs to eat less than she's actually eating. What she's actually eating may or may not be represented in her diary, and what she's eating may or may not be meeting her set calorie goal.
sooooo... for Chrissakes, how can ONCE AGAIN calculating TDEE (even if it proves to be EXACTLY what she is currently eating) - 20% going to be detrimental? I think OP has even given up on this because its so asinine at this point. I'm saying she should check her TDEE and subtract 20%. You're saying what she has been eating IS her TDEE and she should subtract 20%. The only thing we are disagreeing about is that I think its important to have an awareness of what your TDEE is for your height/weight/BF ratio and you think that no matter what that is you should cut 20%. Screw it, I have better things to do than argue with someone who is 98% agreeing with me on the internet.
You are the one that brought up 20%..no-one else did actually.0 -
I think its important to have an awareness of what your TDEE is for your height/weight/BF ratio and you think that no matter what that is you should cut 20%. Screw it, I have better things to do than argue with someone who is 98% agreeing with me on the internet.
Her TDEE is equal to the calories she has been eating.
We're disagreeing with you because, in my opinion, your suggestion belies a fundamental misunderstanding of these numbers and where they come from.
How about we wait to see if the OP opens her diary or tells us more about her eating habits.0 -
[insert cat fight gif]
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[insert cat fight gif]
Is it weird that I could imagine Sara being all cute like that black and white kitty?0 -
Definitely agree with this. Do you weigh and measure your food?? We often fool ourselves into thinking a serving is larger than it really should be. Eat less, move more would be my advice.that's not a plateau, that's maintenance.
the answer is simple...
if your logging is accurate, then your calorie goal is too high.
if your logging is inaccurate, then log more accurately.
also, there is no such thing as a cheat day. if you deliberately choose not to log on those days, then you really aren't counting calories.0 -
maybe if we could see your diary?0
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What do you eat? Do you do the same workout routine for 5 years? I have to change mine every 2 months because my body knows the routine. I have to change what I eat and how I workout every couple months tricking my body. Losing the weight I try to workout hard to get a calorie deficit more so than lowering my calories. I wish you all the best
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sooooo... for Chrissakes, how can ONCE AGAIN calculating TDEE (even if it proves to be EXACTLY what she is currently eating) - 20% going to be detrimental?
What's the point? Using online calculators is a rough estimate. Her 4 years of actual practice is an accurate number. Sure, it's only going to take a moment to calculate, but if it doesn't match what she's been eating the last 4 years, she might consider over or undereating b/c the calculator said so.
Also, lay off the coffee or something. No need to get so worked up. Everyone here was calm and rational and you were spazzing out. :huh:0 -
I don't have any advice for you. I just wanted to congratulate you on maintaining your weight loss. I know you want to lose more, but a huge battle is keeping off what you have already lost, so good job!0
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Listen to Jonnythan.0
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sooooo... for Chrissakes, how can ONCE AGAIN calculating TDEE (even if it proves to be EXACTLY what she is currently eating) - 20% going to be detrimental?
What's the point? Using online calculators is a rough estimate. Her 4 years of actual practice is an accurate number. Sure, it's only going to take a moment to calculate, but if it doesn't match what she's been eating the last 4 years, she might consider over or undereating b/c the calculator said so.
Also, lay off the coffee or something. No need to get so worked up. Everyone here was calm and rational and you were spazzing out. :huh:
No one's spazzing out.
You know how people get sick of others asking the same questions over and over? Its not inconceivable that someone whose been on say... a three month plateau will read this and say "OH that guy who knows everything says that I should cut 300 calories, so that's what I'll do". It's telling people the LOGIC behind it, rather than just a thing to do. It's why MFP is better than weight watchers, because its TEACHING people how, rather than just telling them what to do.
Jeez.0 -
I am no expert but I think that your free day probably counteracts the rest of the week. Try cutting those out.
Hmm, maybe you're right. I don't have free days every week. You're right though, I need to avoid it altogether (unless it fits my macros/calorie goal for that particular day). It would help a little at least. I usually have it in my head that I'm "not allowed" already, but I have my moments of weakness. Usually it's random or on impulse, so I need to work on that. Luckily it's not a frequent/weekly thing. It takes a 3500 caloric surplus to gain a pound of fat, so I don't gain.. but maybe could explain maintenance. I just didn't think it was enough to undo all of my deficits from my 5 days a week working out + calorie deficit.
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I am no expert but I think that your free day probably counteracts the rest of the week. Try cutting those out.
Hmm, maybe you're right. I don't have free days every week. You're right though, I need to avoid it altogether (unless it fits my macros/calorie goal for that particular day). It would help a little at least. I usually have it in my head that I'm "not allowed" already, but I have my moments of weakness. Usually it's random or on impulse, so I need to work on that. Luckily it's not a frequent/weekly thing. It takes a 3500 caloric surplus to gain a pound of fat, so I don't gain.. but maybe could explain maintenance. I just didn't think it was enough to undo all of my deficits from my 5 days a week working out + calorie deficit.
Would you be willing to open your diary? It will make it much easier to give you actionable advice.0 -
Your diary is closed so it is hard to see what you are doing.
I am not an expert and have definitely struggled myself. I have been working this for the past 5 yrs. was down about another 20 lbs a year ago, but then hurt my neck and am trying to get back into the mental mind frame. So here is my 2-cents...take it or leave it
1- as a previous posted stated.. Maybe your " cheat day" is really undoing your hard work. My sister noticed this especially if it included alcohol
2- are you weighing/measuring what you eat. Sometimes our guestimations can be way off. You may be eating more than you think.
3- are you eating a variety of foods- fruits veggies, complex carbs, lean proteins. Or spending your cals on junk.
4- are you eating back your exercise cals...and how do you figure them (I've noticed the numbers that mfp uses seem to be high)
I'm not sure if any of that helped but I tried. Send me a friend request if you want. Sometimes it is hard to fight this weight loss battle when it takes so long. And then you read about people who make these amazing transformations in 6 months. I want to cry
haha, thanks for all the points you considered.. they're good ones. Here's my answers:
1) I don't have a weekly cheat day, but it's typically only once (unplanned) every couple weeks, and is usually not over-the-top, causing a huge caloric surplus, and no alcohol. Like I mentioned to the previous poster, I should still cut this out because it'll help for sure, even if just a little bit.
2) Yes, I weigh/measure EVERYTHING haha. I have a digital scale in my kitchen, and use measuring spoons/cups for almost everything. I absolutely always weigh or measure calorie dense foods like peanut butter, seeds, nuts, etc.. and even measure out my veggies. I'm all about accuracy.. haha.
3) I eat a very wide variety of foods (at least it seems to me) and I eat a plant-based diet. I aim for whole foods as much as possible- lots of fruit & veggies (green smoothies with spinach, chard, collards, kale, etc!), wholegrains such as quinoa, rolled oats, brown rice, and try to eat mainly organic sprouted grain bread/tortillas (Ezekiel), nuts, seeds, plant-based protein powder, tofu, beans, etc. I try my best to stay under 1500mg sodium per day. I tend to avoid pre-packaged/processed foods but do allow myself to have these things in small amounts.. just not regularly. I haven't always eaten a plant-based diet. It has only been about 1 year.. and I've had this maintenance issue for the past 4 years, even when I still ate eggs, dairy, lean meats.
4) I've tried this two different ways. For a while I was doing TDEE -15%, so I didn't eat back exercise calories. It was already worked into my TDEE amount. Then I switched to the MFP way, and was eating calories for 1 lb per weeks loss, plus eating back exercise calories. Still should have been 1 lb per week lost. I never use the MFP activities because they're inaccurate. I wear a heart rate monitor during my workouts and log my calories burned from that, and would try not to eat them all back, unless I was extra hungry. (Sometimes I burn 800-900 calories, so wouldn't eat them all).
Your post was definitely a good one, and good things to be mindful of. I feel like the only thing out of all those options could be the occasional cheat days. It seems like the most possible cause of the problem.0 -
If you have not lost weight for 5 years - you are at your maintenance calories.
Yeah. This is a situation that proves all the online formulas for TDEE, BMR, etc are too generalized and over estimated for everyone to be able to follow. I've always assumed lower BMR than it showed me, but is obviously not low enough. According to multiple sites and calculations, the calories I'm currently consuming should have me losing 1 lb per week.0 -
Might have to get a little more clean with diet. The smaller you get, the more those bites count.
But, try some HIIT training to mix things up. Pretty easy to accomplish on a treadmill.
You're right. I eat clean 80% of the time, but the occasional cheat day is definitely not helping the situation. Everything counts. I have done HIIT in the past and enjoy it. Maybe I should start doing this when I'm running on the treadmill. Can't hurt. 0 -
If you have not lost weight for 5 years - you are at your maintenance calories.
Yeah. This is a situation that proves all the online formulas for TDEE, BMR, etc are too generalized and over estimated for everyone to be able to follow. I've always assumed lower BMR than it showed me, but is obviously not low enough. According to multiple sites and calculations, the calories I'm currently consuming should have me losing 1 lb per week.
What's your average daily calorie intake, averaged over time?0 -
1) How many calories are you eating? What are your macros? How many carbs, etc?
2) Maybe change some of your workouts, especially the type of cardio you do.
3) I would suggest getting an accurate estimate of your TDEE, then eating that for a while. I did this for 8 weeks and now I'm cutting at 300 calories more than I maintained my weight on for the past 2 years. AND if you are indeed maintaining your weight on lower calories, you can only decrease your cals so much. So maybe your body is stressed from being in caloric deficit for 5 years. It would be nice to bring your RMR up some.
I'm in a similar boat. Lost 60 pounds one year, then bounced between 161 and 175 for the past two years. Good luck to you.0 -
You're eating too much. Drop the calorie goal by 300 and hit it every single day.
*recalculate your TDEE and then subtract 300 calories or 20%
I've done this. Thanks. I will say, I did have success with TDEE -15%. I lost 6 of the 10 lbs I gained after my wedding with this method.. which actually had me eating MORE than before. I lost 6 lbs, then decided to "cut back" calories again.. ate less, worked out more.. and actually stalled. So I'll do this again. 0 -
I would suggest going eating TDEE for two weeks to give yourself a break, then rotate doing a 10-15% cut for 4 weeks and then eat TDEE for a week and keep cycling. As you get closer to goal make your cut smaller. You want to lose fat not the precious muscle you have built. Small deficit with breaks will allow your metabolism to keep burning and once you get close to goal you can eat at maintenance without the fear of regaining.0
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