Math Isn't Adding Up or Is It

solomon81
solomon81 Posts: 6 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Ok, I know I went way over one day last week. I ended the week 2315 Net Calories Under Weekly Goal. If 3500 Cals = 1lb, then in my mind 2315 should be a little over 1/2lb lost. I ended up with 1lb gain? If I had hair, I'd be pulling it out. I opened my diary up and welcome any suggestions. Thanks in advance.

Replies

  • SideSteel
    SideSteel Posts: 11,068 Member
    I haven't looked at your diary but either way:

    1) Fluid weight can mask fat loss.
    2) Calories in and out are both estimates. It is not going to add up perfectly.
    3) I'd wait a few weeks before drawing conclusions.
  • fougamou
    fougamou Posts: 200 Member
    I would love to hear anyone's answers to this. All my life, when I have been watching my weight, I have experienced this phenomenon. Weight gain/loss doesn't correlate to calories eaten/expended.

    Ultimately, though it always seems to self correct.
  • omma_to_3
    omma_to_3 Posts: 3,265 Member
    The math is tough - there could be lots of explanations. The easiest, and most likely, is that you are retaining some water that accounts for the gain. But, it could also be that you overestimated how many calories you burned exercising, or underestimated how many calories you ate. Or, you didn't move as much as you normally do, so your TDEE was lower than it typically is that week.

    Try not to obsess over weekly weigh ins - sometimes you will do everything right and gain, and sometimes you will do everything wrong and lose! Keep a weekly spreadsheet of your weigh ins, and plot them on a line chart. As long as you see an overall downward trend, you're doing great!

    Here's mine from the last 19 or 20 months.

    i-Mx4gDpZ-L.jpg
  • byeachmoment
    byeachmoment Posts: 67
    I took a look at your diary and it doesn't look like you are filling your calories with very beneficial items. Only 30-40 calories for breakfast is a bad idea. You should instead fill your breakfast with protein and vegetables. Also many meals that you have include fast food and very sugary items.

    If you drink a lot of water, eat more lean protein, vegetables, more healthy fats, less sugar. Also, try to have small meals every 2-3 hours instead of leading over 800 calories in one meal.
  • samcorvus
    samcorvus Posts: 112 Member
    Also the whole calorie in/calorie out dynamic is so flawed it's amazing that it's still being touted as the end all of weight loss. It utterly ignores the nutrient value and composition of the foods ingested. 3500 cals of sucrose will raise your weight far more than 3500 cals of protein. The sucrose will drive an insulin response which tells your system to shunt those excess calories into the fat cells. Protein, while insulinogenic, is mostly passed when in excess or stored in the muscle tissue.

    This is just one example of why what you eat is as important, if not more so, than how much you eat in a strict calorie sense. Also, SideSteel is correct, water masks weight loss. Carbs lead to water retention so if you went heavy on the carbs you could just be holding onto excess. It should pass fairly quickly.

    Hope this helps,

    S,
  • caitlyn30
    caitlyn30 Posts: 207 Member
    you've already lost 63 pounds, and you are wondering how you could have gained a pound? I have that problem all the time, how could you make it to 63 pounds and this is the first time you have to address this problem? :ohwell: could be anything, including sodium.
  • SideSteel
    SideSteel Posts: 11,068 Member
    Also the whole calorie in/calorie out dynamic is so flawed it's amazing that it's still being touted as the end all of weight loss. It utterly ignores the nutrient value and composition of the foods ingested. 3500 cals of sucrose will raise your weight far more than 3500 cals of protein. The sucrose will drive an insulin response which tells your system to shunt those excess calories into the fat cells. Protein, while insulinogenic, is mostly passed when in excess or stored in the muscle tissue.

    While protein is in excess it increases the oxidation of protein and blunts the oxidation of fat. So while protein may not be directly stored, you will still get fat in a calorie surplus through fat oxidation being blunted.

    The thermodynamic model is not perfect, it's a big estimation, but in terms of energy input a calorie is a calorie. Macronutrients are utilized differently and have a different thermic effect, but that doesn't negate thermodynamics.
  • TheVimFuego
    TheVimFuego Posts: 2,412 Member
    The math is tough - there could be lots of explanations. The easiest, and most likely, is that you are retaining some water that accounts for the gain. But, it could also be that you overestimated how many calories you burned exercising, or underestimated how many calories you ate. Or, you didn't move as much as you normally do, so your TDEE was lower than it typically is that week.

    Try not to obsess over weekly weigh ins - sometimes you will do everything right and gain, and sometimes you will do everything wrong and lose! Keep a weekly spreadsheet of your weigh ins, and plot them on a line chart. As long as you see an overall downward trend, you're doing great!

    Here's mine from the last 19 or 20 months.

    i-Mx4gDpZ-L.jpg

    Absolutely, and I just wanted to say that yours is great, steady, progress :)
  • BarackMeLikeAHurricane
    BarackMeLikeAHurricane Posts: 3,400 Member
    I took a look at your diary and it doesn't look like you are filling your calories with very beneficial items. Only 30-40 calories for breakfast is a bad idea. You should instead fill your breakfast with protein and vegetables. Also many meals that you have include fast food and very sugary items.

    If you drink a lot of water, eat more lean protein, vegetables, more healthy fats, less sugar. Also, try to have small meals every 2-3 hours instead of leading over 800 calories in one meal.

    What possible benefit do several small meal have (other than purely psychological effects)?
  • Firefox7275
    Firefox7275 Posts: 2,040 Member
    Your diary shows almost nothing in the way of real nutritious wholefoods, where is the fruit and veg, oily fish, mineral and fibre rich foods? You are also significantly undereating some days which is high risk for losing muscle mass and reducing your metabolism. Try spreading your calories and macros out better through the day and please start feeding your body - refined/ processed/ sugary/ junk should be no more than 10% daily calories.
  • myofibril
    myofibril Posts: 4,500 Member
    3,500 calories equates to the energy yield of a 1lb of fat not to a 1lb loss on the scale.

    Sounds like they should be the same thing but they're not. Just because you are not seeing movement on the scale does not mean that your fat loss has stopped.

    Keep going.
  • denezy
    denezy Posts: 573 Member
    You are DEFINITELY having issues from what you ate on Saturday. Relax for a few days, let your body deal with that abuse of taco bell and beer.
  • SideSteel
    SideSteel Posts: 11,068 Member
    You are DEFINITELY having issues from what you ate on Saturday. Relax for a few days, let your body deal with that a̶b̶u̶s̶e̶ treat of taco bell and beer.

    fixed. =)
  • 3foldchord
    3foldchord Posts: 2,918 Member

    What possible benefit do several small meal have (other than purely psychological effects)?

    For me, it keep my hypoglycemia under control... But I know not everyone has those issues...LOL


    But barring medical reasons, I don't see what it matters when you (or they) eat the calories...
    BUT if "Plan A" isn't working, try to "Plan B".

    Isn't there a quote about insanity being doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results?

    What's wrong with switching to frequent small meals if one is not getting the results they want with one big meal?
  • WendyTerry420
    WendyTerry420 Posts: 13,274 Member
    I took a look at your diary and it doesn't look like you are filling your calories with very beneficial items. Only 30-40 calories for breakfast is a bad idea. You should instead fill your breakfast with protein and vegetables. Also many meals that you have include fast food and very sugary items.

    If you drink a lot of water, eat more lean protein, vegetables, more healthy fats, less sugar. Also, try to have small meals every 2-3 hours instead of leading over 800 calories in one meal.

    What possible benefit do several small meal have (other than purely psychological effects)?

    I don't know how people can do that. Less than 300 calories is a snack for me. I can't snack all day, or I feel like I never ate at all. I like big meals! :bigsmile:
  • icimani
    icimani Posts: 1,454 Member
    I took a look at your diary and it doesn't look like you are filling your calories with very beneficial items. Only 30-40 calories for breakfast is a bad idea. You should instead fill your breakfast with protein and vegetables. Also many meals that you have include fast food and very sugary items.

    If you drink a lot of water, eat more lean protein, vegetables, more healthy fats, less sugar. Also, try to have small meals every 2-3 hours instead of leading over 800 calories in one meal.

    What possible benefit do several small meal have (other than purely psychological effects)?


    I would also suggest spreading out your meals/cals a bit. Yes, it's a calories in/calories out per day or week that matters, but if you're under 50 cals for breakfast then chances are you're really hungry for lunch and will reach for the calorie-dense foods that are less healthy for you.

    And this \/ \/

    521475_10151636449745200_1133158168_n.jpg

    Your weight is going to fluctuate from day to day - it's the overall trend that matters.
  • SideSteel
    SideSteel Posts: 11,068 Member
    What's wrong with switching to frequent small meals if one is not getting the results they want with one big meal?

    Nothing is inherently wrong with it but the suggestion was made as though that method will carry some sort of arbitrary advantage. Additionally, it's commonplace (and false) to suggest that frequent meals leads to greater thermic effect, which is just poor advice.
  • 3foldchord
    3foldchord Posts: 2,918 Member
    Ok, I know I went way over one day last week. I ended the week 2315 Net Calories Under Weekly Goal. If 3500 Cals = 1lb, then in my mind 2315 should be a little over 1/2lb lost. I ended up with 1lb gain? If I had hair, I'd be pulling it out. I opened my diary up and welcome any suggestions. Thanks in advance.

    How are you setting your calorie goal? If you are just using MFP calorie goal, then the deficit is already built in to the goal, so you don't need to be eating under the MFP calorie goal to lose weight.
  • 714rah714
    714rah714 Posts: 759 Member
    Be careful with the quick added calories, and you should also under-estimate your calories burned during exercise.
  • 3foldchord
    3foldchord Posts: 2,918 Member
    What's wrong with switching to frequent small meals if one is not getting the results they want with one big meal?

    Nothing is inherently wrong with it but the suggestion was made as though that method will carry some sort of arbitrary advantage. Additionally, it's commonplace (and false) to suggest that frequent meals leads to greater thermic effect, which is just poor advice.

    The suggestion made ( that was responded to was; ", try to have small meals every 2-3 hours instead of leading over 800 calories in one meal. ".. Nothing was said about it having a better effect on boosting metabolism or the roc effects. It was just a suggestion.
  • SideSteel
    SideSteel Posts: 11,068 Member
    What's wrong with switching to frequent small meals if one is not getting the results they want with one big meal?

    Nothing is inherently wrong with it but the suggestion was made as though that method will carry some sort of arbitrary advantage. Additionally, it's commonplace (and false) to suggest that frequent meals leads to greater thermic effect, which is just poor advice.

    The suggestion made ( that was responded to was; ", try to have small meals every 2-3 hours instead of leading over 800 calories in one meal. ".. Nothing was said about it having a better effect on boosting metabolism or the roc effects. It was just a suggestion.

    I understand, and without clarifying why it was suggested, I find it random since it doesn't significantly change total intake.
  • GauchoMark
    GauchoMark Posts: 1,804 Member
    if you REALLY want to be able to mathematically analyze your calories in vs calories out in terms of fat loss, you need to be looking at larger chunks of time and significantly more data points. Because of all the error involved (weighing, tracking food, etc) you need a lot of data points for the analysis to be statistically valid - like daily.

    You can "cheat" the error a little bit by just doing monthly measurements, but you aren't making the analysis any more statistically valid because of your sample size (2 datapoints vs 30 datapoints in a month's time). It just makes it easier to do a hip-shot and make an educated guess of whether or not you are on the right track.

    Without spending a lot of time going into details, here is a pretty good method you can use: http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator-calibration/

    I do something pretty similar, but it is ongoing and in my own spreadsheet. Basically, you need several measurements over a larger period of time and do a regression on the data. Once you get the regression equation, you can use it to "see through" the error.
  • MinnieInMaine
    MinnieInMaine Posts: 6,400 Member
    Ok, I know I went way over one day last week. I ended the week 2315 Net Calories Under Weekly Goal. If 3500 Cals = 1lb, then in my mind 2315 should be a little over 1/2lb lost. I ended up with 1lb gain? If I had hair, I'd be pulling it out. I opened my diary up and welcome any suggestions. Thanks in advance.

    How are you setting your calorie goal? If you are just using MFP calorie goal, then the deficit is already built in to the goal, so you don't need to be eating under the MFP calorie goal to lose weight.

    This! The Net Calorie is your goal, you shouldn't be aiming to be UNDER that number... If you are that far under on a regular basis, you're depriving your body of valuable nutrients and it'll likely hold on to that fat rather than let it go. As others suggested, aim to eat healthier meals to support your workouts and muscle retention.

    Also, with 30 pounds left to lose 1/2 a pound per week is a much more realistic goal.
  • solomon81
    solomon81 Posts: 6 Member
    I use MFP. If you take a look at yesterday, I hit 1200 of the 1300 suggested. I couldn't eat anymore. I don't eat back calories burned. Maybe thats what I'm doing wrong, because I ended up with 14xx available. In your opinion was yesterday a good or bad day?
  • ILiftHeavyAcrylics
    ILiftHeavyAcrylics Posts: 27,732 Member
    I use MFP. If you take a look at yesterday, I hit 1200 of the 1300 suggested. I couldn't eat anymore. I don't eat back calories burned. Maybe thats what I'm doing wrong, because I ended up with 14xx available. In your opinion was yesterday a good or bad day?

    How are you calculating your burns? That's a serious amount of calories. And yes, assuming it's an accurate count, you need to be eating them back.
  • solomon81
    solomon81 Posts: 6 Member
    I use the Digifit app along with Schoshe HRM when using the treadmill or bike. I usually use the cals on MFP for weight lifting and other stuff that can cause spikes in HR.
  • beccarockslife
    beccarockslife Posts: 816 Member
    Where are the veggies?
  • byeachmoment
    byeachmoment Posts: 67
    What's wrong with switching to frequent small meals if one is not getting the results they want with one big meal?

    Nothing is inherently wrong with it but the suggestion was made as though that method will carry some sort of arbitrary advantage. Additionally, it's commonplace (and false) to suggest that frequent meals leads to greater thermic effect, which is just poor advice.

    The suggestion made ( that was responded to was; ", try to have small meals every 2-3 hours instead of leading over 800 calories in one meal. ".. Nothing was said about it having a better effect on boosting metabolism or the roc effects. It was just a suggestion.

    I understand, and without clarifying why it was suggested, I find it random since it doesn't significantly change total intake.

    Really it was just a suggestion ... no need to get nasty. I have read and heard from others that eating every 2-3 hours helps speed up your metabolism while eating very large meals infrequently does the opposite. Eating more frequently has helped me and many of my friends so was just trying to give advice.
  • SideSteel
    SideSteel Posts: 11,068 Member
    What's wrong with switching to frequent small meals if one is not getting the results they want with one big meal?

    Nothing is inherently wrong with it but the suggestion was made as though that method will carry some sort of arbitrary advantage. Additionally, it's commonplace (and false) to suggest that frequent meals leads to greater thermic effect, which is just poor advice.

    The suggestion made ( that was responded to was; ", try to have small meals every 2-3 hours instead of leading over 800 calories in one meal. ".. Nothing was said about it having a better effect on boosting metabolism or the roc effects. It was just a suggestion.

    I understand, and without clarifying why it was suggested, I find it random since it doesn't significantly change total intake.

    Really it was just a suggestion ... no need to get nasty. I have read and heard from others that eating every 2-3 hours helps speed up your metabolism while eating very large meals infrequently does the opposite. Eating more frequently has helped me and many of my friends so was just trying to give advice.

    I wasn't getting nasty. If you can find where I am being nasty, please point it out to me so I can not be nasty.
    I was trying to clarify because meal frequency does not speed up metabolism and this has been established.

    I'm also not being nasty with this message. Here is some reading for you that may help, and you have yourself a great day:
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/820577-meal-frequency-rev-up-that-furnace-lol

    Within the above link I have attached both external links to reputable resources and peer reviewed research such as this:
    http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9155494


    Lastly, I'm glad you found something that worked for you. Meal frequency is entirely preferential but it doesn't effect metabolism and that's why I wanted to clarify.

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