Do you think I'm over-estimating?

v6ikelind
v6ikelind Posts: 14
in Health and Weight Loss
I lost about 30 lbs or so before I decided to start incorporating exercises into my weight loss regimen, and I knew that my weight loss on the scale would probably stop as I'm gaining muscle. I've stayed at pretty much the same weight as I was 2 months ago when I started exercising and I've pretty much exercised at least 5-6 days per week since then. I know I've lost inches, and I know I've gained muscle, but when will I start to see the scale go down again?

I'm not sure how long I'm not supposed to see changes on the scale and I feel like it might be over-due. So that leads me to question whether I'm over-calculating the amount of kcals I'm eating in correlation with the amount I'm burning as I also switched calorie counting sites right when I first started exercising.

Replies

  • foleyshirley
    foleyshirley Posts: 1,043 Member
    It is hard to say, because I can't see what you are eating, and I don't know how much, or what types, of exercise you are doing. Sorry.
  • v6ikelind
    v6ikelind Posts: 14
    I do the 30 Day Shred video 6 days a week and I also have been doing the C25K app which is 3x per week. I do a lot of cycling, swimming, and playing random stuff like tennis or frisbee as well.

    As for what I eat, I have it set to 1,200 calories intake but I usually end up eating from 1,400 to 1,700 depending on my activity level (I just use this site to calculate the calories I've burned and then eat whatever I've "earned"). I'm 5'6'' 175-180lbs as well.

    Does this help, not sure what else to add..?
  • cherbapp
    cherbapp Posts: 322
    Exercise and a calorie deficit will lead to weight loss. Unless you are doing some major weight training, there will not be significant muscle gain in 2 months. I would say if you are estimating any caloric values of what you eat, you are underestimating for sure.

    Forgetting to count an Oreo or tablespoon of oil per day will result in NOT losing a pound In a month.

    So for instance not weighing and measuring potion sizes, adding a little butter and forgetting to count it, or just missing a snack could easily account for 400 calories in a day, which translates into almost 4 pounds! If your fitness pal is set to lose a pound a week, you could see no loss.

    I would closely monitor each calorie....weigh and measure everything for a month and see if that's the problem.
  • v6ikelind
    v6ikelind Posts: 14
    But see the thing is I measure out everything. I don't snack on junk food, and I never forget to add anything. I'm really good about that because I know how much it can effect weight loss. And I really have gained quite a lot of muscle in just 2 months. I can see the changes physically as well as feel the amount of strength I've gained.
  • cherbapp
    cherbapp Posts: 322
    I do the 30 Day Shred video 6 days a week and I also have been doing the C25K app which is 3x per week. I do a lot of cycling, swimming, and playing random stuff like tennis or frisbee as well.

    As for what I eat, I have it set to 1,200 calories intake but I usually end up eating from 1,400 to 1,700 depending on my activity level (I just use this site to calculate the calories I've burned and then eat whatever I've "earned"). I'm 5'6'' 175-180lbs as well.

    Does this help, not sure what else to add..?

    Well at 5'6" you have got to change your goal weight. 98 pounds is death. I doubt you should weigh less than 125.

    And being closer to a healthy weight it's going to be harder and slower to lose than at first. M
  • v6ikelind
    v6ikelind Posts: 14
    I know, I know. That's not really my goal weight. I just put it on there when I first made it and have been too lazy to change it because I never even see that as I've never even posted anything until today.
  • jmp1031
    jmp1031 Posts: 95 Member
    do you wear a heart rate monitor to determine what you've burned? sometimes this site can over estimate your burn and since you're eating back your exercise calories that can be a big problem.
  • cherbapp
    cherbapp Posts: 322
    But see the thing is I measure out everything. I don't snack on junk food, and I never forget to add anything. I'm really good about that because I know how much it can effect weight loss. And I really have gained quite a lot of muscle in just 2 months. I can see the changes physically as well as feel the amount of strength I've gained.

    I'm sorry in my other response I assumed you really had 80 pounds to go. Being closer to a healthy weight, it probably is just muscle and don't worry if you are losing inches. You're doing good!
  • thriftycupl
    thriftycupl Posts: 310 Member
    Have you tried upping your calories even by 100 and seeing what that does? With that amount of exercise, I wonder if you need some additional nutrition to fuel your burn?
  • pstaceyca
    pstaceyca Posts: 306 Member
    Maybe you are not eating enough for the calories you are burning...seem like you are quite active???
  • v6ikelind
    v6ikelind Posts: 14
    No I don't own a monitor unfortunately. I was looking at them today but they are so expensive. I definitely can't afford one right now which is why I was hoping I could solve this without one. I mean, I could start under-estimating everything but I don't want to do it too much so that I'm not eating enough and therein lies the problem...
  • briyowes
    briyowes Posts: 757 Member
    I do the 30 Day Shred video 6 days a week and I also have been doing the C25K app which is 3x per week. I do a lot of cycling, swimming, and playing random stuff like tennis or frisbee as well.

    As for what I eat, I have it set to 1,200 calories intake but I usually end up eating from 1,400 to 1,700 depending on my activity level (I just use this site to calculate the calories I've burned and then eat whatever I've "earned"). I'm 5'6'' 175-180lbs as well.

    Does this help, not sure what else to add..?

    Are you eating back all the calories you've "earned"? Unless you are wearing a heart rate monitor, the numbers given by MFP are just an estimate of calories burned. I recently bought a heart rate monitor (a Polar FT4 on clearance at Target for $28) and have found that the MFP estimate is way over what I burn according to my HRM. So, if you are eating back all the cals as shown on this site, then you are over-estimating and eating more cals than you are really burning. I would suggest to eat back no more than half of what your cals burned are on MFP.
  • mamasmaltz3
    mamasmaltz3 Posts: 1,111 Member
    I have an HRM and I burn about 230 calories doing 30ds. I weigh about 209 right now so, theoretically I should be burning more than you since I weigh more. Everyone is different. I think you are just going to have to experiment to figure out what you need to do to get the scale moving. I plateaued over the summer and I upped my calorie goal from 1420 to 1610 and my weight started going down again. Good luck figuring it out. :smile:
  • cwilli36
    cwilli36 Posts: 45 Member
    Depending on what you are eating, you may need to add more lean protein and less sugar and salt. You can try adding a protein (low calorie kind) shake to get more. Make sure you eat something small after exercise. My trainer always says yogurt or something like that after a workout is good.
  • v6ikelind
    v6ikelind Posts: 14
    I'm pretty sure I'm eating enough calories as I eat a lot of healthy foods that are dense in calories like olive oil and fresh avocado, but I also eat about 6 meals per day and when I don't eat enough I immediately get very light-headed. That's why I was more thinking it was simply the site over-estimating the amount of calories I've burned and me eating what I've not really earned. Maybe I'll just try playing around with the numbers a bit and seeing if it has any effect on how much I weigh every week or so.

    I'm just a little worried about eating too little but then again.. like I said, I immediately feel the effects of that so I should know the difference hopefully.
  • JLD81
    JLD81 Posts: 133 Member
    Look at hrms on amazon. They r a lot cheaper. The polar ft4 is what I have. They are extremely worth it when u can afford it. If u r losing size forget what the scale says. I have only lost somewhere around 12 lbs but have put on a lot of muscle. Avoid too much sodium. U can drink tea with cranberry and lemon juice as a flush to see if it's water retention
  • Hezzietiger1
    Hezzietiger1 Posts: 1,256 Member
    Try eating about 1600 - 1800 daily. If you are as active as you say you are, you need more calories. I know it seems crazy, but that's how it works. Forget the "eat back" stuff and just go for 1600-1800.
  • JewelsinBigD
    JewelsinBigD Posts: 661 Member
    i had a similar problem - then I stopped eating back my exercise calories (well most of the time) and I saw change....i think i just need to avoid eating them back if I possibly can!
  • DebbieLyn63
    DebbieLyn63 Posts: 2,654 Member
    i had a similar problem - then I stopped eating back my exercise calories (well most of the time) and I saw change....i think i just need to avoid eating them back if I possibly can!

    Wow, that makes sense! Less calories = weight loss! I'd try that first before eating even more and possibly gaining.
  • v6ikelind
    v6ikelind Posts: 14
    Now I'm not sure which way to go.. I know I'm active but everything tells me to eat less calories to lose weight as opposed to more. But at the same time, I'm supposedly eating the right amount yet I'm not seeing any scale changes (although I am probably still losing inches/gaining muscle even after 2 months) unless MFP calories burned is off which seems likely since it has been quite a while and you'd think I'd see scale changes again by now..

    I feel like my only option is to try a couple weeks eating more and if there isn't a change, try eating less, and if there still isn't a change then I assume I'm still just losing inches and gaining muscle..? I hate assuming.
  • melonclarinet
    melonclarinet Posts: 163 Member
    You're probably overestimating the amount of calories you burn. I got both a HRM and a FitBit and have found that I burn A LOT less calories than MFP says I would and even less than the cardio machines tell me. For instance, my workout today MFP would have said I burned 1200 calories or so but my FitBit and HRM said I burned 700 and 800 prospectively. You can see that would be a HUGE difference in calorie burn and in weight if I was eating them all back. That's a 1 pound difference a week.

    I agree with others here; find a way to get a HRM (one with a chest strap) or a FitBit if possible. I like the FitBit because it tells me how active I am throughout the day but the HRM is supposed to be more accurate.

    Good luck, keep working at it and if nothing else, you are getting healthier!
  • v6ikelind
    v6ikelind Posts: 14
    Thank you to everyone who commented by the by! You were more help than you know, or maybe you do :))
  • heybales
    heybales Posts: 18,842 Member
    You'll start losing weight again when the load being put on your body by the exercise no longer needs improvement that is causing weight gain.

    So adding glucose stores can add about 3 lbs max, so fat drop while that is added for this cardio stuff is a balance.

    Muscles actually added while on a steep deficit about impossible since you aren't lifting heavy. That's them getting stronger, not more of them. And filled with glucose/water for what you are doing to them, which is great.

    Keep at it, know the tape is the thing now, not the scale. As soon as the workouts seem easy, the weight can drop.
  • heybales
    heybales Posts: 18,842 Member
    Oh, to the calorie count thing. You can do some tests that will show you really well what you are burning, and even better than HRM estimate.

    Walking level between 2-4 mph has calculated calorie burn that is more accurate than a HRM can give.
    It literally takes so much energy to move so much mass so fast. Unless you have a club foot or such and your efficiency at walking is way off.
    So the difference in HR at that level is merely reflecting how fit you are and if you are burning more fat (low HR) or more carbs (high HR). But the amount of energy expended moving you doesn't change.

    Even the treadmill calcs at incline are more accurate, as long as you don't go above walking 4mph. Jogging has changes associated with personal efficiency and calcs will start losing accuracy.

    So here's what you do before your next class for 15 min. 5 min warmup, 10 min test.
    Treadmill set to 4mph, and in first 5 min, keep increasing the incline until you feel the same level of effort as you do during the class. Same breathing, same beating heart, ect.
    Do that for 10 min adjusting as needed.
    When finished, note the incline you had it at.

    Now take your stats here, and see how many calories you burned for that 10 min at whatever incline. Divide calories by 10, there's your cal/min burn rate. To be applied to classes that feel the same way. Use the NET value for how much to eat back. Gross is like what a HRM or MFP would report back.

    http://www.exrx.net/Calculators/WalkRunMETs.html

Categories