Very Desperate dieter

kerrbear20
kerrbear20 Posts: 20 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
having lost 28 l Ive been on a plateau for nearly 2 years since i took up running yo yoing up and down by 7lbs.

I am 5' 4" and weigh 238 lb. i have a very sedatary job with little movement off my chair for 8 hours and spent another hour per day driving. Daily housework is apporx 2 -3 hours, but i train for on average 1 hour per day of vigirous activity 6 times per week.

Monday - spin class - 600 cals burnt
Tuesday - Running clun - 1 hour - approx 600 cals burnt
Wed - strenght and conditioning with some cardio - approx 300
Thursday - rest day
Friday - 1 hour running 600 cals
Saturday - spinning 600 cals and running 30 mins 300 cals total 900 cals
Sunday - 1.5 hours running - approx 1000 cals.

i have increased my cals from 1770 (my BMR) to 2000 cals however i have remained the same. Surely i cannot increase my daily calorie intake any higher to loose weight.

i have done the Math so many times but still can't seem to understand how i am still the same weight. Can someone please advise me on what my TDEE is and how many calories i should be consumming.

2013 has to be the year i shift weight !!!!

Thanks Kerrbear

Replies

  • BarackMeLikeAHurricane
    BarackMeLikeAHurricane Posts: 3,400 Member
    DYEL?
  • Greenrun99
    Greenrun99 Posts: 2,065 Member
    i have increased my cals from 1770 (my BMR) to 2000 cals however i have remained the same. Surely i cannot increase my daily calorie intake any higher to loose weight.

    You need to be serious with your activity level when doing the math(you are not lightly active).. you need to eat more.
  • CoachReddy
    CoachReddy Posts: 3,949 Member
    having lost 28 l Ive been on a plateau for nearly 2 years since i took up running yo yoing up and down by 7lbs.

    I am 5' 4" and weigh 238 lb. i have a very sedatary job with little movement off my chair for 8 hours and spent another hour per day driving. Daily housework is apporx 2 -3 hours, but i train for on average 1 hour per day of vigirous activity 6 times per week.

    Monday - spin class - 600 cals burnt
    Tuesday - Running clun - 1 hour - approx 600 cals burnt
    Wed - strenght and conditioning with some cardio - approx 300
    Thursday - rest day
    Friday - 1 hour running 600 cals
    Saturday - spinning 600 cals and running 30 mins 300 cals total 900 cals
    Sunday - 1.5 hours running - approx 1000 cals.

    i have increased my cals from 1770 (my BMR) to 2000 cals however i have remained the same. Surely i cannot increase my daily calorie intake any higher to loose weight.

    i have done the Math so many times but still can't seem to understand how i am still the same weight. Can someone please advise me on what my TDEE is and how many calories i should be consumming.

    2013 has to be the year i shift weight !!!!

    Thanks Kerrbear

    how long have you been on the increased cals? and what does your diet typically look like? is your diary open?
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
    when it comes to steady state cardio, the body gets very good at becoming efficient and burning the least calories possible. if you have been doing this workout schedule for a while you probably arent burning as many calories as you think.

    increase your stength training and include some HIIT.
  • SoDamnHungry
    SoDamnHungry Posts: 6,998 Member
    Are you sure you're entering the amount of calories correctly? Netting 1200 calories a day for two years probably wouldn't keep you at 240 pounds, even if starvation mode set in.

    Also, try getting some blood work done and see if you possibly have a medical issue for this.
  • lizziebeth1028
    lizziebeth1028 Posts: 3,602 Member
    Without your diary being open it's a guessing game. Do you log consistently? Measure your food? Have a HRM? Have you seen a doctor?
  • SRH7
    SRH7 Posts: 2,037 Member
    Out of interest, are you calculating the calorie burn using a HRM? The MFP calculations are just an estimation and I find my calorie burn is usually half of that in the database.
  • gerirojas
    gerirojas Posts: 101 Member
    Invest in a HRM you will be surprised at the amount of calories you think you burn as to what you actually burn
  • GoneKona
    GoneKona Posts: 87
    Have you been tested for hypothyroidism?
  • CoachReddy
    CoachReddy Posts: 3,949 Member
    Invest in a HRM you will be surprised at the amount of calories you think you burn as to what you actually burn

    good call (and the poster above you who said the same thing.)
  • FitBeto
    FitBeto Posts: 2,121 Member
    DYEL?

    +2
  • acappi62
    acappi62 Posts: 2
    OMG I know exactly what you are going thru. seems no matter what I do upping cal and increasing workout my scale does not move it actually goes up and very frustrating especially when my jeans are feeling looser i like to see it on the scale too but nope up it goes.. this is my week..

    Sat - conditioning class
    Sun - Personal Trainer
    Mon - cardio bootcamp
    Tues - zumba or rest day
    Wed - Cardio bootcamp
    Thur - Cardio Weights..
    Fri - rest day

    I"m not giving up i hope to figure it out some day lol
  • porkchop_13
    porkchop_13 Posts: 122
    you should prob spend a few bucks and purchase an HRM. Your estimates for calories burned seems a bit high. Also try varying your workout a bit; muscles get used to the same workout over and over again.
  • melsinct
    melsinct Posts: 3,512 Member
    If you open up your diary it would make this 100 times easier, as I bet the answer is right there.

    Without seeing what you are actually eating, we can just speculate on what the problem may be. If your calorie burn numbers are indeed accurate, you should be eating over 2,000 calories per day. Again, this is assuming your burn numbers are accurate (they do seem pretty high). You may not see it but your workouts are quite intense (if accurate). If you are going to push your body that hard, you need to fuel it properly. This is a likely reason why you have stalled for so long.

    I also used to undereat and couldn’t understand why I kept plateauing for months at a time. Increase your calories and give it 3 weeks (your weight may initially go up a little then level out/start to drop) and I bet you’ll see a difference.
  • acappi62
    acappi62 Posts: 2
    so can i ask if i am working out like i am and burning at least 1000 calories per class i have a HRM and my cal right now is 1800 should i up my cal intatke then
  • melsinct
    melsinct Posts: 3,512 Member
    so can i ask if i am working out like i am and burning at least 1000 calories per class i have a HRM and my cal right now is 1800 should i up my cal intatke then

    Eat more. If you input your info into MFP, it does the math for you, just eat what it says. Assuming calories burned are accurate, as 1,000 calories for one class seems HUGE though possible. You can't do huge calorie burns like that and not properly fuel your body. Just like your car will crap out on you if you run out of gas, your body will do the same thing. Feed it well, try and avoid over AND under-feeding.
  • phildawson75
    phildawson75 Posts: 205 Member
    when it comes to steady state cardio, the body gets very good at becoming efficient and burning the least calories possible. if you have been doing this workout schedule for a while you probably arent burning as many calories as you think.

    This doesn't make any sense and isn't how the body works. If this was true Olympic Athletes wouldn't need to have much intake based on that logic, whilst the opposite is actually the reality. The body doesn't adapt to be more efficient at burning cals, it just means someone who is leaner needs less calories to move their body than someone who's carrying excess fat. Think it like a truck needing a bigger engine and using more power to shift it along compared to a car.

    Anyway to the OP you seem to be going OTT with exercise. It isn't needed for losing weight and especially not everyday.

    Not that I'm necessarily advising it you could sit on a sofa all week and as long as you ate below your TDEE you would lose weight. If you intake less than your body expends then you start losing.

    Try a week or so finding your TDEE and go from there. Once you're happy with losing with exercise from your day to day cals burnt by moving about then add your additional exercise and monitor the difference. Losing weight comes predominatly from food eating all kinds of food but in moderation, exercise is just looking good naked.
  • CoachReddy
    CoachReddy Posts: 3,949 Member
    so can i ask if i am working out like i am and burning at least 1000 calories per class i have a HRM and my cal right now is 1800 should i up my cal intatke then

    yep.
  • 4_Lisa
    4_Lisa Posts: 362 Member
    I would say add in weights, your body will adjust to cardio faster and burn less calories, as you get fitter you need to continually up the bar. Get a HRM too, this will tell you exactly what you are burning not estimates. I recently found out that my HR recovers really fast, so I have to constently be doing cardio even in weight circuits to keep up the heart rate.
  • Indiglowsky
    Indiglowsky Posts: 3
    I completely understand your dilemma as I have been through this too. I am about the same size and have to reduce my calories to 1000 to get anywhere. However, I have some strategies I am starting to check out.
    First, make sure it is not medical....
    Get tested for hypothyroidism and PCOS.
    Make sure you are logging everything you eat....including sneaky calories from fluids, such as coffee creamers, etc...
    To get beyond a plateau, High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) is the way to go. Also, consider zig-zag calorie intake. When you confuse the body, the plateau is less likely to occur. I am in the process of breaking my plateau right now through trying this.

    Some of us are unfortunately blessed with very smart metabolisms that adjust quickly to reductions in calories and same work outs.
  • phildawson75
    phildawson75 Posts: 205 Member
    your body will adjust to cardio faster and burn less calories [..]
    This is like the new starvation mode, where is this info coming from? The human body does not adjust to cardio and burn less calories.
  • CoachReddy
    CoachReddy Posts: 3,949 Member
    I would say add in weights, your body will adjust to cardio faster and burn less calories, as you get fitter you need to continually up the bar. Get a HRM too, this will tell you exactly what you are burning not estimates. I recently found out that my HR recovers really fast, so I have to constently be doing cardio even in weight circuits to keep up the heart rate.

    this as well. resistance training has been proven to actually accelerate weight loss AND give you more of an "afterburn" effect (yes i know, also controversial)
  • CoachReddy
    CoachReddy Posts: 3,949 Member
    your body will adjust to cardio faster and burn less calories [..]
    This is like the new starvation mode, where is this info coming from? The human body does not adjust to cardio and burn less calories.

    yes it does. as your heart and lungs get stronger, they don't have to work as hard, thus they circulate blood to your stronger muscles better thus you don't have to burn as many calories to accomplish the same task.

    pretty clear to me.
  • dnish53
    dnish53 Posts: 162 Member
    Your body might be very used to the same routine. Try and change it up. Maybe cut back a little on the cardio and add strength training. Also, varying your calorie intake each day may jump start your body. Maybe one day eat 1300 calories and then 2000 calories the next day.
  • tarakizer
    tarakizer Posts: 52
    I am the same height as you and weigh about 100 pounds less. I burn about 600 calories in an hour of running (mine includes hills). I think you are way off on your calories burned estimates. I'm wearing a heart rate monitor. Are you?
  • BlackTimber
    BlackTimber Posts: 230 Member
    If you have been stuck for two years then you have to change something in order to get a change. The minutia of calculating the exact amount of calories expended during exercise will not make you lose the fat. I commend you on your ability to keep doing all those physical workouts even though you are not getting what you want out of it.

    What to change? If I were you I would try a low carbohydrate diet first (somewhere between 50 and 100 grams a day). See how that goes. You may have some food sensitivities that you are not even aware of that might be getting in your way too.

    You might consider changing up your workout routine, as other have said. Try some heavy lifting (Squats, Dead-lifts, Overhead press, Bench Press and bent-over rows). A little bit of steady-state is probably great for everyone, but maybe you could try some sprinting or Tabata type workouts, just for fun.

    Good luck.
  • SRH7
    SRH7 Posts: 2,037 Member
    Invest in a HRM you will be surprised at the amount of calories you think you burn as to what you actually burn

    good call (and the poster above you who said the same thing.)

    Thank you!

    As well as an HRM invest in a cheap set of kitchen scales. I cook fresh food from scratch but my problem has always been portion control. Amazing how calories can creep in without you knowing. Now I even measure the milk I put in my tea as it soon adds up over the day.

    Of course if you are burning 600 calories a session and keeping your calories low then, as other posters have said, maybe it's time to increase your calories (this MFP group is popular and may help: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/groups/home/3817-eat-more-to-weigh-less)
  • phildawson75
    phildawson75 Posts: 205 Member
    your body will adjust to cardio faster and burn less calories [..]
    This is like the new starvation mode, where is this info coming from? The human body does not adjust to cardio and burn less calories.

    yes it does. as your heart and lungs get stronger, they don't have to work as hard, thus they circulate blood to your stronger muscles better thus you don't have to burn as many calories to accomplish the same task.

    pretty clear to me.

    The difference between the calories used between an avg person who has just started doing a cardio exercise and someone who has been doing it everyday for the last x mths/years is negligible. If you have a 150 lbs and a 300 lbs person and said walk as far as possible on 500 cals of energy then the 300 lbs person is still shifting 150 lbs more weight along. Doesn't matter if that's 300 lbs of muscle or fat. When people losing weight are talking about needing to do more to burn the same cals its really down to their weight change, not because their body has adapted to using less calories for the same cardio exercise.
  • CoachReddy
    CoachReddy Posts: 3,949 Member
    your body will adjust to cardio faster and burn less calories [..]
    This is like the new starvation mode, where is this info coming from? The human body does not adjust to cardio and burn less calories.

    yes it does. as your heart and lungs get stronger, they don't have to work as hard, thus they circulate blood to your stronger muscles better thus you don't have to burn as many calories to accomplish the same task.

    pretty clear to me.

    The difference between the calories used between an avg person who has just started doing a cardio exercise and someone who has been doing it everyday for the last x mths/years is negligible. If you have a 150 lbs and a 300 lbs person and said walk as far as possible on 500 cals of energy then the 300 lbs person is still shifting 150 lbs more weight along. Doesn't matter if that's 300 lbs of muscle or fat. When people losing weight are talking about needing to do more to burn the same cals its really down to their weight change, not because their body has adapted to using less calories for the same cardio exercise.

    ah. you think walking is cardio. that's the difference. i call that normal activity.
  • phildawson75
    phildawson75 Posts: 205 Member
    your body will adjust to cardio faster and burn less calories [..]
    This is like the new starvation mode, where is this info coming from? The human body does not adjust to cardio and burn less calories.

    yes it does. as your heart and lungs get stronger, they don't have to work as hard, thus they circulate blood to your stronger muscles better thus you don't have to burn as many calories to accomplish the same task.

    pretty clear to me.

    The difference between the calories used between an avg person who has just started doing a cardio exercise and someone who has been doing it everyday for the last x mths/years is negligible. If you have a 150 lbs and a 300 lbs person and said walk as far as possible on 500 cals of energy then the 300 lbs person is still shifting 150 lbs more weight along. Doesn't matter if that's 300 lbs of muscle or fat. When people losing weight are talking about needing to do more to burn the same cals its really down to their weight change, not because their body has adapted to using less calories for the same cardio exercise.

    ah. you think walking is cardio. that's the difference. i call that normal activity.

    At this point you're pretty much trollin but ill take the bait. Replace walk with any activity you wish. A heavier person is going to burn more calories than a smaller person doing the same thing. The same reason why the more you weigh the higher your TDEE.

    Again when people losing weight need to do more to burn the same it isn't because the body has now learnt or "adapted" to doing the same activity using less calories (this change in efficiency is negligible on calories burnt), its simply because they weigh less.

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