Calories In Versus Calories Out = CRAP!
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Okay so I know that a lot of people on here are very successful, but is it at all possible that it just doesn't work that way for everyone? I might get a lot of flack for this but I am feeling the same way as the OP. I have been doing this (watching my cals, exercising more, etc) since the end of August and I've only lost a total of 4 lbs. I know that my ticker says 7 lbs lost but that's not what the scale says and I can't bring myself to log the gain. Its just too disheartening.
That being said, I have had some off days, but I've had more good days then bad. At least I think so. Maybe I'm kidding myself. Any help (not BASHING) is greatly appreciated.
I have had my blood work done and no there are no thyroid issues. I CANNOT eat a lot of dairy and we CANNOT afford for me to eat copious amounts of meat either, so I am really struggling with meeting my protein goals. If you look at my diary over the past couple of days, my sodium is high because we've been eating out more lately as people have been taking me out for my B-day. I turn 33 tomorrow, and I DO NOT want to be overweight for my entire life. However, over the last couple of weeks with no loss, I am seriously beginning to think that its just my lot in life to be this way forever :sad:
I am attempting to be good with all of my levels perhaps I just don't have the right information? Eat back exercise cals, don't eat back the exercise cals? If you are under cals but over on some of the macros is that okay? I don't have a HRM but I am hoping to get one for Christmas this year. So all of my exercise cals are what MFP says when I log my time and activity.
HELP? Advice?
I don't know how tall you are, but using age 33 and 176.5 lbs and estimating 5'7", your bmr is 1583. If you estimate a TDEE using sedentary activity (honestly, most people are sedentary) your TDEE is 1898. It looks like you have your goal set at 1868, so you are on a deficit of 30 calories per day. That could be it, if my estimate is close.
Thanks so much for your response. I am 5'5.5" ( I have to mention that 1/2 inch, it means a lot to me LOL) I currently have my goal set to 1580. When I exercise and log it MFP puts my goal up but I honestly try never to eat that much. I try to eat close to my goal of 1580 BEFORE exercise. If I don't eat my exercise cals back MFP (depending on the day) says that I am under as my net is lower than 1200 at times. I guess this is where I am confused. I know that if I set MFP up the way I did in the beginning it said I was supposed to eat 1200 cals a day NET. But now that I changed it manually and have it set for my BMR, I don't know if I am supposed to eat back my exercise cals or not.
you may want to estimate your bmr using the katch mcardle equation and go with that for a while and see if it helps. it uses your lean body mass to determine your needs
Thanks, I will definitely look into it. Hopefully it helps and I can figure out what is best for my body to lose the extra poundage.0 -
some new research coming on this:
http://www.nature.com/news/treat-obesity-as-physiology-not-physics-1.12014
The energy in–energy out hypothesis is not set in stone, argues Gary Taubes. It is time to test hormonal theories about why we get fat.
*twitch*0 -
I've been saying that all along. it's NOT as simple as calories in vs calories out..... weight loss is NOT linear.
Feed/fuel your body properly. work out hard. that's what works. period.
Over the long term, yes it is. The thing that makes in non-linear is water weight.0 -
umm Wow! What a massive response in such a short time. Its obviously a hugely contraversial topic.Thank you to everyone who posted....even the self-righteous, narrow minded ones who had only criticism to offer
Ok, let me answer a couple of your questions first. Firstly, I am using a clinically endorsed fitness monitor called Bodymedia FIT that calculates my daily calorie burn so no estimates on my part there. I tells me that my bmr is around 2200 daily. Plus I have been exercising for between 400 and 800 calories per day so that brings me up to a max of 3000 calories per day on the big days. I have been eating between 1200 and 1600 calories per day roughly. I am happy to open up my food diary again for you guys to take a look. I closed it because I stopped recording about a week ago as I am just repeating the same daily food intake. But you are most welcome to take a look at my log history. All my foods were weighed on digital scales and I recorded every bite so I could get an honest accurate picture of my food intake. What I learned was that my regular diet (which does not vary a lot from this many days of the week) is not very high in calories. Some of my regular diet days, I would actually eat less than what I have recorded on my diet days, as I often would not eat breakfast etc. (Typical story of a fat girl).
So my complaint about weight loss not being a matter of calories in versus calories out does not really pertain to this one week. I was more referring to every time I have dieted and lost faith because I felt I was trying so hard and not seeing the results I had been taught to expect based on my calorie deficits. And this would usually be over about a two month period....not a week or two. Granted, even two months is not long enough but when you are doing everything right (or everything you are told to do in accordance with calories in versus calories out method) and not seeing the results, it is SO disheartening!
However, as I said in my post, I have never been active enough and this time, that is something that I am doing differently.
Despite the massive objection to my ideas that weight loss is about more than calories in versus calories out, I still maintain that I believe it is! For me, cutting the carbs results in better fat loss. Actually, cutting carbs is the only way I have been able to successfully lose a substantial amount of weight in the past (kept it off for 5 years but very gradually returned when I started eating carbs again). Of course, it is likely that this does not apply to everyone and maybe not even to the majority but I did see that some of you agree with me that carbs can limit weight loss despite a caloric deficit. That was my main point I guess.
But thank you all for the great advice. There are a couple of articles and books that you recommended that I am definitely going to check out. Thanks to those that offered supportive and constructive advice...I appreciate it. All this crap about snowflakes, well you know what you can do with your snow flake theory! LOL.
x0 -
So, one is narrow-minded because they disagree with you -- even when they have valid arguments backed by science? Nice.Thank you to everyone who posted....even the self-righteous, narrow minded ones who had only criticism to offer0 -
You lost because your overall calorie intake dropped. You would have had the same results if you dropped protein. Protein and carbs are both 4 calories per gram.Despite the massive objection to my ideas that weight loss is about more than calories in versus calories out, I still maintain that I believe it is! For me, cutting the carbs results in better fat loss. Actually, cutting carbs is the only way I have been able to successfully lose a substantial amount of weight in the past (kept it off for 5 years but very gradually returned when I started eating carbs again). Of course, it is likely that this does not apply to everyone and maybe not even to the majority but I did see that some of you agree with me that carbs can limit weight loss despite a caloric deficit. That was my main point I guess.
You're no different than any other human being on this planet. We all have to follow the same rules.0 -
So, one is narrow-minded because they disagree with you -- even when they have valid arguments backed by science? Nice.Thank you to everyone who posted....even the self-righteous, narrow minded ones who had only criticism to offer
no, not narrow minded because they disagree with me! Narrow minded meaning that they subscribe to only one view despite emerging scientific evidence to the contrary! Perhaps a dictionary would assist you in future.0 -
So, one is narrow-minded because they disagree with you -- even when they have valid arguments backed by science? Nice.Thank you to everyone who posted....even the self-righteous, narrow minded ones who had only criticism to offer
no, not narrow minded because they disagree with me! Narrow minded meaning that they subscribe to only one view despite emerging scientific evidence to the contrary! Perhaps a dictionary would assist you in future.
ig·no·rant
/ˈignərənt/
Adjective
Lacking knowledge or awareness in general; uneducated or unsophisticated.
Lacking knowledge, information, or awareness about something in particular: "ignorant of astronomy".0 -
You lost because your overall calorie intake dropped. You would have had the same results if you dropped protein. Protein and carbs are both 4 calories per gram.Despite the massive objection to my ideas that weight loss is about more than calories in versus calories out, I still maintain that I believe it is! For me, cutting the carbs results in better fat loss. Actually, cutting carbs is the only way I have been able to successfully lose a substantial amount of weight in the past (kept it off for 5 years but very gradually returned when I started eating carbs again). Of course, it is likely that this does not apply to everyone and maybe not even to the majority but I did see that some of you agree with me that carbs can limit weight loss despite a caloric deficit. That was my main point I guess.
You're no different than any other human being on this planet. We all have to follow the same rules.
Thanks for your replies..I appreciate the input. However I did NOT have the same results when I did cut calories using traditional dieting methods such as Weight Watchers, Jenny Craig etc. And I followed them all for several months before throwing in the towel. They honestly did not work for me. I have done low fat, low calorie, and low carb, and the only diet that has EVER worked for me was the low carb. Of course it also resulted in lower calories as well. But the lower calories on their own, eating wholegrain cereals and potatoes, pasta's, rice meals, etc, just did NOT work at all for me. I'm not saying that is the case for everyone. I'm just saying that for some people, the food dynamics are obviously different. I guess it could have to do with food intolerances, as someone suggested, I don't know. Its def not thyroid as i've had that tested. I'm not the only one to argue this point either. But what an interesting debate 0 -
Please explain that to the hundreds of bodybuilders who cut carbs a few weeks before a show to get more deffinition, then add carbs a day or two before the show to add some size if needed.Content of the calories can be more important than the absolute number.
If I have too many carbs but still at or below target, weight loss can slow to a crawl.
Upping fat and reducing carbs speeds things up again.
An uptick in salt can mess everything up.
Everything you said is wrong
Agreed!
ETA, I was talking to the person who said that it was wrong.
Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't realize the OP was a bodybuilder getting ready for her first show. I was under the impression that she was a regular person trying to lose weight for the long term, but apparently she's just cutting for a show this weekend.
Thanks for clearing that up.0 -
By that same token, one could call you "narrow-minded". Emerging evidence is not always accurate evidence. Prescribing only to that small amount of "emerging" information would be closer to a "narrow-minded" approach.
no, not narrow minded because they disagree with me! Narrow minded meaning that they subscribe to only one view despite emerging scientific evidence to the contrary! Perhaps a dictionary would assist you in future.
So, one is narrow-minded because they disagree with you -- even when they have valid arguments backed by science? Nice.Thank you to everyone who posted....even the self-righteous, narrow minded ones who had only criticism to offer0 -
this might be a stall. most stalls can last 1 - 6 weeks.
during this time I would measure yourself. During stalls inches can be lost.
it is also a good time to review your food and exercise plan.
make sure that your getting in at least 8 glasses of water a day - and eat 60 grams of protein.
My surgeon and PCP tells me to make sure that I eat more calories on the days that I exercise not to throw the body into starvation mode.
we are not meant to eat processed foods and all of these breads.
I do believe in insulin resistance and being "sensitive" to these types of foods.0 -
So, one is narrow-minded because they disagree with you -- even when they have valid arguments backed by science? Nice.Thank you to everyone who posted....even the self-righteous, narrow minded ones who had only criticism to offer
no, not narrow minded because they disagree with me! Narrow minded meaning that they subscribe to only one view despite emerging scientific evidence to the contrary! Perhaps a dictionary would assist you in future.
ig·no·rant
/ˈignərənt/
Adjective
Lacking knowledge or awareness in general; uneducated or unsophisticated.
Lacking knowledge, information, or awareness about something in particular: "ignorant of astronomy".
QFT just in case you missed it.0 -
I looked at your diet and exercise only for Wednesday. Food looked a little too low cal IMO (for what it's worth). I was curious what the calorie adjustment was on your exercise page. Is that from a HRM or something? Care to educate me? I'm not questioning your calorie burn, just ignorant of how you calculated it. I've only ben on here three months so there's lots for me to learn.0
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It's quite simple. Carbs are the easiest to manipulate. Those same bodybuilder who cut carbs, have HORRIBLE gym performance during that period. At very low body fat levels you need protein to spare as much lean body mass as possible. Carbs are reduced to reduce over all calorie intake. You're not losing weight because of carbs, per say. The weight is being lost due to reduction of calories.
Please explain that to the hundreds of bodybuilders who cut carbs a few weeks before a show to get more deffinition, then add carbs a day or two before the show to add some size if needed.Content of the calories can be more important than the absolute number.
If I have too many carbs but still at or below target, weight loss can slow to a crawl.
Upping fat and reducing carbs speeds things up again.
An uptick in salt can mess everything up.
Everything you said is wrong
Agreed!
ETA, I was talking to the person who said that it was wrong.
Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't realize the OP was a bodybuilder getting ready for her first show. I was under the impression that she was a regular person trying to lose weight for the long term, but apparently she's just cutting for a show this weekend.
Thanks for clearing that up.
The body HAS to go to a source of energy, so if glycogen is not present it will use other means (stored fat). They add carbs back in before a show, because the body is depleted of glycogen. The carb load prior to the show fills up glycogen levels and the body swells up.0 -
You can't pick and choose what sources you can be insulin resistant and "sensitive" to.this might be a stall. most stalls can last 1 - 6 weeks.
during this time I would measure yourself. During stalls inches can be lost.
it is also a good time to review your food and exercise plan.
make sure that your getting in at least 8 glasses of water a day - and eat 60 grams of protein.
My surgeon and PCP tells me to make sure that I eat more calories on the days that I exercise not to throw the body into starvation mode.
we are not meant to eat processed foods and all of these breads.
I do believe in insulin resistance and being "sensitive" to these types of foods.0 -
oh gee, I feel I have to defend myself from an onslaught of attacks. Why can't everybody just be nice. lol. We all have different opinions and that's ok. I appreciate the people that were trying to help me by pointing out something I may not have been aware of but forcing your views on others without showing any respect for theirs is not the way to go. You know there is a chance that current scientific knowledge about food and body weight could be wrong. I mean Australia and the United States do have the fattest populations in the world you know! Not to mention the fattest children! I think we should be taking that into account. Could this be because our current food pyramid is faulty? I'm not telling you what you should believe, but I do think that given the seriousness of the obesity problem, people should be questioning our current state of knowledge on the problem.
Also, please do not have a go at me because my opinion might differ to yours. It is just rude and not called for.0 -
*twitch*some new research coming on this:
http://www.nature.com/news/treat-obesity-as-physiology-not-physics-1.12014
The energy in–energy out hypothesis is not set in stone, argues Gary Taubes. It is time to test hormonal theories about why we get fat.
*twitch*
*twitch*
*shudder*
I call it the Taubes. It's a thing.0 -
I did not have a loss this week despite the fact that I have been eating at a calorie deficit of between 800 and 1800 per day for the entire week. I haven't worked out as much but I have still worked out moderately 3 times this week. This is what I hate about traditional weight loss advice. It is simply not a matter of calories in versus calories out! Well it sure isn't for me! I have never had any real success with WW, Jenny Craig, Gloria Marshall and even dieticians for this reason. With the dieticians advice to eat more wholegrains like brown rice and whole wheat bread, I have been twice, and both times I gained weight!! It is very disheartening.
I guess it just means I have to work a lot harder than what I have been. Which is something I have never really done. So here goes to working harder and seeing what the results bring. I just thought I would post this for others who might be in the same boat.
Two things:
Are you on any kind of birth control and have you had your thyroid checked?0 -
If my opinion was that the earth is flat, and you tried to explain to me that actually it's round, that would not actually be you "having a go at me".0
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