Frustratingly slow weight loss

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douglerner
douglerner Posts: 237 Member
in Motivation and Support
My weight has still been frustratingly going up and down, again this week. I was really really really hoping to get under 100 kg by the end of the year. And the other day I was tantalizingly close at 100.4 kg. But then my weight over the last few days went up to 100.6, then 100.8 and this morning it's 101.0. So I don't think it's possible.

I'm pretty sure I could force my weight to go under 100 for a day by either (1) drinking a lot of green tea or (2) taking an alcoholic drink, both which seem to cause sudden drastic dehydration for some reason. But the effect would only be for 1 day, and I would feel "shaky" afterwards.

Since the middle of November I've really only lost 1.2 kg if you count today's weight. I don't know what's wrong. I'm really eating not that many calories (certainly less than 1500 a day, and most days around 1300) and I'm doing at least 30 minutes of indoor cycling every day, which is about 300 calories of exercise. Sort of frustrating.

Eating more calories, as some have suggested, doesn't help. But I'm not anywhere near "starvation mode" which doesn't kick in until real deprivation levels, like around 1000 calories.

Oh well, I hope I pick up speed again. I still have a long ways to go, even though I've lost about 62 lb so far.

doug
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Replies

  • douglerner
    douglerner Posts: 237 Member
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    ... and I ended up gaining 0.6 kg (1.3 lb) for the week. I don't know why at all. Sigh.

    doug
  • jzammetti
    jzammetti Posts: 1,956 Member
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    So, without looking at your diary, I think it is reasonable to believe the gain is just a natural body fluctuation - water weight, etc.

    How often do you weigh?
    You said more calories doesn't work, but you are a male (I assume from your photo) and I am a small female and eat more than your 1500 calories a day to lose weight. Have you calculated your BMR? If you are consistently and for a significant period of time eating below it, that would explain the stall.
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,695 Member
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    Increase the intensity of your exercise. Doing the same program for more than 2 months allows the body to adapt to it.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 28+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
  • taso42
    taso42 Posts: 8,980 Member
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    I remember you from a thread you posted weeks ago. We were trying to warn you that undereating would slow down your efforts.

    Told ya so?

    I would like to see you start eating a reasonable deficit of around 20% off your TDEE, and I would like to see your next thread stating how good you feel, how your exercise performance has increased, and how much looser your pants are feeling.
  • MoreBean13
    MoreBean13 Posts: 8,701 Member
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    I remember you from a thread you posted weeks ago. We were trying to warn you that undereating would slow down your efforts.

    Told ya so?

    I would like to see you start eating a reasonable deficit of around 20% off your TDEE, and I would like to see your next thread stating how good you feel, how your exercise performance has increased, and how much looser your pants are feeling.

    Seconded. Good luck.
  • Barbellerella
    Barbellerella Posts: 1,838 Member
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    I remember you from a thread you posted weeks ago. We were trying to warn you that undereating would slow down your efforts.

    Told ya so?

    I would like to see you start eating a reasonable deficit of around 20% off your TDEE, and I would like to see your next thread stating how good you feel, how your exercise performance has increased, and how much looser your pants are feeling.

    Seconded. Good luck.
    Agreed. And why would you dehydrate yourself to see a lower number on the scale? It wouldn't be fat loss so whats the point?Sounds like an unhealthy relationship to me.
  • Barbellerella
    Barbellerella Posts: 1,838 Member
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    Oh and by the way, I am a 5 foot tall little thing, and I eat more than you and i still lose fat.
  • Lone_Wolf70
    Lone_Wolf70 Posts: 2,820 Member
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    id like to help, but i dont know the metric system. Eat more...or eat less.
  • douglerner
    douglerner Posts: 237 Member
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    I HAVE increased my calorie intake. So the "I told you so" messages are not particularly helpful.

    My BMR is 1679 calories/day. My TDEE is 2919 calories/day.

    A deficit of 20% off of 2919 calories/day is 2335 calories/day.

    That is (1) Way over my doctor prescribed limit of 1800 calories/day and (2) I know from years and years and years of eating that much per day that I will regain a lot of the weight I've already lost if I eat that much.

    It's also WAY more than MyFitnessPal calculates for a weight loss of just 1 lb/week. Here the tools say I should lose a moderate 1 lb/week if I limit my calories to 1800 calories a day. If I increase it to 2300 calories/day I will not lose weight.

    Thanks anyway.

    Sigh.


    doug
  • amdahwd
    amdahwd Posts: 237 Member
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    Sometimes our bodies just react differently than we want them to. I have no advice to offer except that you should stop relying on the scales to make you feel good. If you are eating properly and exercising your body, then you are already winning the game!
  • taso42
    taso42 Posts: 8,980 Member
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    Ok. I guess you must just be different then. Well good luck. I can imagine the frustration of knowing with such certainty that you're doing everything right, yet not getting the results you want. It's like the time I spent over an hour trying to reinstall a motorcycle wheel the wrong way, because I couldn't possibly have had it backwards.
  • sarahstrezo
    sarahstrezo Posts: 568 Member
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    So....if MFP is telling you to eat 1800 cals per day to lose 1lb per week....why are you netting 1000?
    Maybe you should try to NET 1800 cals each day for a few weeks.
  • lovinlandl
    lovinlandl Posts: 99 Member
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    1300 is way under the 1800 even your Dr. recommended.

    Agree with the comment on switching up the routine...might help.
  • paijing
    paijing Posts: 184 Member
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    I just wanted to post and say that I feel you! Weight loss is not easy, and it often feels like one step forward, two steps back.

    If only we all worked like well-oiled machines...
  • a_certain_shade_of_green
    a_certain_shade_of_green Posts: 134 Member
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    yep - why dehydrate yourself to get a false reading on the scale? i just cant understand why you would want to do that to yourself...

    but im not you, and i cant say what you should or shouldnt do.


    i guess if you want some advice from me it would be to not be so obsessed with the weight. i know its why most of us are here, but there are other ways of judging "success". maybe you should give yourself a break because it sounds like it's affecting your mood and health-based decisions.

    good luck though!
  • deksgrl
    deksgrl Posts: 7,237 Member
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    Your TDEE is 2900.

    To lose 2 pounds per week you would subtract 1,000 for a daily goal of 1900. So why are you eating 1300?
  • jzammetti
    jzammetti Posts: 1,956 Member
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    I HAVE increased my calorie intake. So the "I told you so" messages are not particularly helpful.

    My BMR is 1679 calories/day. My TDEE is 2919 calories/day.

    A deficit of 20% off of 2919 calories/day is 2335 calories/day.

    That is (1) Way over my doctor prescribed limit of 1800 calories/day and (2) I know from years and years and years of eating that much per day that I will regain a lot of the weight I've already lost if I eat that much.

    It's also WAY more than MyFitnessPal calculates for a weight loss of just 1 lb/week. Here the tools say I should lose a moderate 1 lb/week if I limit my calories to 1800 calories a day. If I increase it to 2300 calories/day I will not lose weight.

    Thanks anyway.

    Sigh.


    doug

    Ok - so if your BMR is 1679 (Did the doc test you for BMR?) then 1800 -2000 sounds good for pretty rapid weight loss based on the TDEe number you gave (which honestly seems pretty high to me, unless you are very active). I don't know how long you tested a higher caloric intake, but in case you only did it for a little while, I suggest committing to it for 4-6 weeks and avoid the scale the entire time giving your body time to adjust. You reportedly eat less than your BMR which is why you need to give your body time to adjust.
  • douglerner
    douglerner Posts: 237 Member
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    A couple of replies before I run off off for some errands. Today is the last day banks are open for a week here in Japan! The big New Year's holiday season is revving up.

    First, thanks again to the people who have replied. I appreciate it. I'm just feeling a bit down because I really wanted to get under 100 kg before the end of the year.

    To the people who have commented about dehydration: I am *not* trying to dehydrate myself. I wrote that while I *could* do that I don't want to do that because it is meaningless, temporary and makes me feel shaky. I think it's unhealthy.

    As for total calories, some people were saying I should strive for higher eaten calories and others for higher net calories. To clarify a bit, the suggested intake for 1 lb/week weight loss here is 1800. I thought that includes that 300/day in cycling I've been doing.

    I could try eating still more. But the result of eating more this past week was to gain weight.

    OK. Tell you what. I will go for a NET calorie intake of about 1800 calories for a few weeks and see what happens. Will that satisfy the "I told you so-ers"? :)

    doug@I'll be back
  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 34,108 Member
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    Open your Food Diary.

    Are you eating back those Exercise Calories. If not, you're doing it wrong. Just like last time.
  • douglerner
    douglerner Posts: 237 Member
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    Oh, and I calculated the TDEE number myself at a site I looked up where I had to account for every minute of the day. 7 hours sleep, 30 minutes of cardio exercise, 15 minutes of lighter exercise, 60 minutes of light housework and the rest of the day sitting like a lump in front of my computer. So I'm really very sedentary.

    doug

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