Need to help as what I'm doing is not really working

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JAT74
JAT74 Posts: 1,078 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I'm not making the progress I'd hoped to so need to change something. Started off with a calorie goal of 980 on 2nd Jan and everyone said it was too low and I got slated for it so increased it to 1200 and ate back most of my exercise calories when training so have been averaging around 1300-1350 most days.

I think it's not working for me as the scale is hovering up and down between 145-145.5 which is only 1.5-2 pounds less than when I started so have lowered the goal to 1150 now and will try not to eat back my exercise calories so I lose more.

I'm supposed to be on track to lose 1lb per week and ideally I'd like to lose 1.5lbs per week at least but in 2 weeks and a bit have only lost 2lb which is probably just water weight. What do you think I should do? Before joining the site my calorie intake was not far off 1300 anyway and I gained weight that way. I'm trying to eat more protein and lower my carbs but not sure if this is helping. Need to primarily lose body fat.

Last night I read Jillian Michaels book and did the calculations she had there which put my Active Metabolic Rate (when training daily and burning off around 250 calories at an estimate as it's only a 35 minute workout) at 1785 calories. I know that in order to lose 1lb per week I need to create a deficit of 3500 and for a pound and a half it is 5250 and if I multiply my total AMR by 7 that amounts to 12495. If I then subtract the amount I want to lose and divide the figure by 7 I get to my daily total which should be either 1035 (for 1.5lbs per week) or 1285 (for 1lb per week).

Realistically I think my metabolism is shot so at 1285 calories I am definitely NOT losing weight or body fat. I can manage 1035 calories per day but if I do so will have to stop trying to eat a high protein diet because a lot of high protein foods are also high calorie.

I think that the amount of 1150 is ok for me as it's not too low and I plan to have 1 day off per week when I'll increase my intake to around 1300-1400 to allow for a couple of alcoholic drinks but I'm really scared that I still won't lose weight and I'm not sure what to do about my ratios ie. protein, carbs and fat. I've currently got it set to 25% carbs, 35% protein and 40% fat and I'm scared to increase the carbs in case I start putting on weight again yet I'm finding it very hard to eat that much protein (at least 101grams per day) without increasing the calories in.
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Replies

  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
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    if you think your metabolism is shot you need to sort that our first... or do you want to just eat 1400 cals per day for the rest of your life?
  • JAT74
    JAT74 Posts: 1,078 Member
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    To be honest I feel stuffed at 1300. I was eating that much as I thought that 1000-1100 was too low but I feel physically sick if I eat 1300 of the right foods. I can happily eat more high calorie stodgy foods like carbs but even then the most I can ever eat is around 1400-1600, I feel really bloaded and full on that and it's uncomfortable.

    1400 calories for me isn't low.

    I am at a loss as to what to do and that's why I asked or help on here. I don't want to necessarily eat more as I don't feel at all hungry. The problem is I know I will definitely gain fat if I try and eat more than 1300 that's clear but not sure how to get all the protein abd fibre I need on just 1100-1200 calories that's all.

    Need some advice from someone who's been there. I'm doing Jillian Michaels Body Revolution right now (just started) and want to see it through but that's only 35-40 minutes of exercise per day and the rest of the day I sit down either at a desk in my home or on my sofa at home. I have a lot of stairs in my house but that hardly counts as being active so think that's half the problem. I have a dog too and walk him for a few minutes per day but the walks are quite short.

    As I can't increase my level of activity and the maths shows that in order to lose even a small amount of weight I can only eat 1000-1280 calories I need some advice to get things moving. Hopefully someone can help.
  • JAT74
    JAT74 Posts: 1,078 Member
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    Bump
  • jesz124
    jesz124 Posts: 1,004 Member
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    I might be wrong but it seems you just want someone to tell you that your right? You seem pretty sure of your calculations and set on the figure of a certain amount you need to lose weight. I've seen these threads too many times before. OP asks for advice. Doesn't agree with advice and it all gets nasty. *Heads to thread door.
  • Pilotgirl86
    Pilotgirl86 Posts: 30
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    Check out this blog, there is a great post from today about eating for weight loss. Sometimes it isn't just about calories, but what you're eating too and the exercise you are doing.

    http://healthyliciousbites.blogspot.ca/
  • SLLeask
    SLLeask Posts: 489 Member
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    Need some advice from someone who's been there. I'm doing Jillian Michaels Body Revolution right now (just started) and want to see it through but that's only 35-40 minutes of exercise per day and the rest of the day I sit down either at a desk in my home or on my sofa at home. I have a lot of stairs in my house but that hardly counts as being active so think that's half the problem. I have a dog too and walk him for a few minutes per day but the walks are quite short.

    As I can't increase my level of activity and the maths shows that in order to lose even a small amount of weight I can only eat 1000-1280 calories I need some advice to get things moving. Hopefully someone can help.

    I'm no expert here, at all, but you say you sit either at your desk or on the sofa, and that you can't increase your level of activity, is there a reason for that? Personally I would stop worrying about the food and instead of sitting on the sofa I would take the dog out for a lovely long walk, maybe building up to a jog, then a run... the dog will love it and maybe that will help your metabolism sort itself out too? Also, stairs ARE active, run up and down them a few times and you'll soon find out, haha! You'll have buns of steel! Good luck and keep at it, give yourself a bit more time, you have only really just started a couple of weeks ago, results don't always happen so quickly.
  • girlinahat
    girlinahat Posts: 2,956 Member
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    what's your BMR? To lose sensibly you should be eating somewhere above your BMR and below your TDEE. Check our the Road Map (search for the link here) which will help with calculations.

    1035 calories is almost certainly way below your BMR. You don't say on your profile how tall you are or your current weight (is Gripper Stebson bullying you?) but from your photo it doesn't look like you have a lot to lose. You also ought to try tracking sodium - there's a few things in your diary that are high sodium.

    the eating 1200 thing is about getting enough nutrients to have a healthy body. It is almost impossible to get all the good stuff se need on a diet that is less than 1200, and you already think your metabolism is shot. Work on resetting that - look at the info on the group Eat More to Weigh Less for help as well. It's less about not being hungry and more about getting what you need to fuel the body. On 1035 calories a day, you could be doing serious long term damage.

    ETA - oh, and why only take the dog for a few minutes walk at a time? Take it out for longer, take it to the common or woods nearby - it will thank you for it, and it will do you the world of good.
  • Penny501
    Penny501 Posts: 12
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    1. Sometimes we put weight on when exercising as muscle weighs more than fat, but if that is happening, you should see inch loss. So measuring is probably more important than weighing. It's hard to get your head around switching to inches as the main measure as the whole calorie/weight relationship is so logical, but I'd take an inch loss over the scales any day!
    2. Plus a mood log - if you're logging a run of days saying you're feeling better, that's also a great result.
    3. If you have inch loss, that's great as the extra muscle will start burning more cals.
    4. Also there's a time lag before weight loss kicks in - can take 2 weeks.
    5. Drinking more water will ironically stop the body holding on to water, so that may help the results on the scales too.
    6.If your metabolism is sluggish, the 5 2 Diet featured on the BBC has good science behind it kick-starting metabolism - see http://m.bbc.co.uk/news/health-19112549 . It only involves dieting for 2 days a week.
    7. Explore HIIT - High Intensity Interval Training - to make time spent on exercise more effective, but not on a day when severely reducing cals.
  • JAT74
    JAT74 Posts: 1,078 Member
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    Thanks for the replies. It's not that I'm not willing to change what I'm doing, the opposite is true. It's just that I've been here before and I need to help to be able to make a change and shift this weight as what I'm doing isn't working that well.

    You ask about my BMR, it's 1407. My TDEE is 1680. I'm 5 foot 4. I have a thin face and small bones so my weight is deceiving as it's also evenly distributed so a lot of people think I don't have a lot to lose but really my body fat is very high at around 35% and my current weight 145. I need to realistically lose at least 28lbs and more like 35 to be lean although I'd be happy to be a bit heavier than that if I gained muscle. I've been 122lbs before and still had nearly 30% fat so my lean weight would be closer 110lbs.

    I can't eat more than my BMR as I'll put on weight. According to MFP food tracker and also Jillian Michaels in order to lose any weight ie. at least 1lb per week I need to eat approximately 1250 calories per day.

    I'd like to increase my activity more but it's very very difficult. I always run and and down my stairs at home and take my dog for a long walk at the weekends quite often when I have more time. During the week it's impossible to do more than I'm doing as by the time I've done my workout and made something to eat and had a bit of time to relax it's time to go to bed. I can't do more exercise in the morning either as I only usually get 6 hours sleep as it is and I can't get up earlier otherwise I'd have even less sleep. Throughout the day I am up and down stairs during my breaks from work to make drinks and have snacks etc.

    The point I'm making and the reson I'm frustrated is that although I started on a very low calorie intake of under 1000 I soon took advice and increased it to 1200 and also ate back most of my exercise calories. That's resulted in my weight stalling so I now don't know what to do. This is what I was told to do and thought I would start to see more results but it just isn't happening. I'm also being very careful about what I'm eating and have cut out almost all processed foods and am eating natural food cooked from scratch. I don't know what to do next and especially with my protein intake. I tried increasing it to over 100grams per day with a carb intake of less than 70 (50-60 most days) but it's hard and I don't know if it's working.

    Someone must have some advice that will kick start things again.
  • JAT74
    JAT74 Posts: 1,078 Member
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    Hi Penny

    Firstly I'm not obsessed with scale weight, I just know that for my height and build I should be A LOT lighter with or without muscle. I would love to see inch loss but so far it's not happening although I know it's not been long. I am also drinking more water so hopefully I'll start to lose more fluid if that's what's part of my high body fat reading. We will see.

    I generally follow a 5:2 type diet anyway as I eat lower calories during the week ie. around 1100-1300 and at the weekends I have a couple of drinks and allow myself other treats like something sweet or a little more carbs so it's normally higher at around 1400. With the Jillian Michaels training I'm doing it is pretty much HIIT anyway (short and intensive mixed with rest periods).

    I don't think there's a lot more I can do than what I'm already doing so I'll try and stick with it and hopefully the results will come. I think my sticking point so to speak is my ratios of carbs/protein and fat. Maybe that's what's holding me up. I am only guessing at what's right for my body so I've increased my protein and dropped my carb intake to around 50-60 grams per day. I can manage that but I don't know if it's for the best. In my mind carbs are what make me gain wait but maybe it's more the fat that carbs trigger cravings and I eat more than I know my body can tolerate. I do find that protein keeps me feeling fuller and I even struggle to eat at times as I start to feel sick and feel stuffed on protein. I also know that protein is good for building muscle and losing fat so that's the theory I'm working on but I guess what works for some doesn't always work for others.
  • hippie162
    hippie162 Posts: 19
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    Personally I think your idea of your ideal weight sounds a little extreme! 110lbs is just over 7.5st and, although I see your only 5"4 I have seen people of your height get down to that weight and they look extremely gaunt and unhealthy..

    It sounds like you know alot more about the science and calculations than me! I managed to lose just over 4st eating around 1400 cals per day but was extremely active at that time as i worked in retail.. now that I'm promoted to a desk job I have fit workouts in to keep my weight under control and lower my cals to about 12 - 1300 so i understand your frustration as my weight has evened out to about 10lbs heavier than at my lightest (136lbs)..

    Have you thought about food intolerances? Alot of people struggle to reach their ideal weight due to this.. wheat/gluten is usually the culprit but dairy is also prominent.. For instance I notice if I eat bread I am always heavier the next day.. my body struggles to digest it effectively. I'm no expert of-course I have just learnt over time to avoid certain things by paying attention to my body..

    Also do you log all drinks in your diary too? Fruit juices/squash sugary tea etc. all pile on the calories without us realising.. just a thought.

    I would reccomend a detox juice fast.. a two day cleansing fast (you can google it there's lots out there) then after try to elminate certain foods for a few days at a time to see what makes a difference to any bloating/excess weight you carry.. I did this last year and lost 6lbs in a week.. it's amazing how your body responds to cleansing out intolerances!

    Don't beat yourself up though.. I think yuo look great!
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
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    You ask about my BMR, it's 1407. My TDEE is 1680.

    if your TDEE is 1680 then you can eat (net) 1680 cals per day without gaining or losing weight.

    try this for a week, and then cut down to 1430 (250cals below TDEE) and eat back all your exercise calories (as i presume that TDEE is based on a sedentary lifestyle?)

    aim for macros of 40/30/30 carbs/protein/fat with lean meat and plenty of fruit and veg.
  • ILiftHeavyAcrylics
    ILiftHeavyAcrylics Posts: 27,732 Member
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    Don't do a detox or juice fast, seriously. You don't need to detox anything.

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/821828-detoxes-and-cleanses


    You don't have enough to lose to set yourself on 1.5 lbs per week. What's your goal weight?
  • jesz124
    jesz124 Posts: 1,004 Member
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    I'm the same height as you. I weigh 147lbs. I don't really understand why you can't lose. My only thought I'd that either like you say your metabolism has gone on strike through abuse or your just plain eating too low. I honestly eat between 1700-2000 a day. My scale weight doesn't move really but I'm losing body fat slowly but surely. Have you thought about totally over hauling what your doing fitness and diet wise? That's what I had to do to get things moving. I used to do purely cardio on about 1400 cals net a day. It didn't work for long. I stalled. So I read, listened and researched. I decided to start weigh lifting and clean my diet up. Changed my diet to include around 140g protein daily. It seems to be working. It's a slow process but who cares? I'm not racing anyone.
  • ILiftHeavyAcrylics
    ILiftHeavyAcrylics Posts: 27,732 Member
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    You ask about my BMR, it's 1407. My TDEE is 1680.

    if your TDEE is 1680 then you can eat (net) 1680 cals per day without gaining or losing weight.

    try this for a week, and then cut down to 1430 (250cals below TDEE) and eat back all your exercise calories (as i presume that TDEE is based on a sedentary lifestyle?)

    aim for macros of 40/30/30 carbs/protein/fat with lean meat and plenty of fruit and veg.

    ^^ Good advice
  • lambertj
    lambertj Posts: 675 Member
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    You ask about my BMR, it's 1407. My TDEE is 1680.

    if your TDEE is 1680 then you can eat (net) 1680 cals per day without gaining or losing weight.

    try this for a week, and then cut down to 1430 (250cals below TDEE) and eat back all your exercise calories (as i presume that TDEE is based on a sedentary lifestyle?)

    aim for macros of 40/30/30 carbs/protein/fat with lean meat and plenty of fruit and veg.

    ^^ Good advice

    Agree, this advice is spot on and please be patient. It shows you only joined in Dec 2012. I didn't start shifting weight for over a full month.
  • mazdauk
    mazdauk Posts: 1,380 Member
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    I use a workout video which is broken into 7 "daily" workouts of about 20 mins each - I try to do one before Breakfast and one when I get in from work. I also walk to and from work (only 15 mins) and try to get out for 15-20 mins brisk walking at lunchtime (unless its raining). I eat back all my exercise calories and so far have lost 6lb in 2 weeks - but I expect that to stabilise at 1lb per week. I try to eat just under my calories (but bear in mind by eating back exercise calories I'm actually eating more anyway) and one day a week I go over for the sake of a nice roast dinner:blushing:
  • JAT74
    JAT74 Posts: 1,078 Member
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    Believe me I've tried it all! My TDEE is including exercise calories of approx 250 per day so take that off and I can only eat just over 1400 without doing anything. In order to lower that to lose weight I'd therefore have to eat around 1000 calories in order to lose weight or 1250 if I exercise. That's the maths.

    Maybe I do have a food intolerance to wheat. I do feel very bloated with wheat and I never lose weight if I eat bread. I've now cut it out except for a few times a week more or less for breakfast although I have had some wholewheats a little more often but my carbs are low in general. I don't drink high sugar drinks at all, no sugar in tea or coffee and no fruit juice or other drinks containing sugar or very rarely at least. I generally eat low sugar except for at weekends.

    I don't think I'm unrealistic with a goal weight of 118lbs as at 122lbs I had a body fat % of almost 30%. If I acn change that figure to no more than 15% and my weight is higher I don't care, I just want to look good, have a low body fat so that things fit me well and I have no wobbly bits! I do think that 110-115lbs for someone my height with a small build isn't too low if I am strong and fit but I've never been there so who knows.

    I am changing my training now too with the Body Revolution programme. Before I mainly did cardio 5 days a week and very occassionally I'd do some weights. This new workout programme is 6 days training with 4 days weights and 2 days cardio so hopefully that will help.

    I've done very detox and other diet going so now I just want to eat sensibly and get to where I want to be. I lost 14 lbs in 10 days on the maple syrup diet a few years ago which was around 400 calories per day and nearly fainted while in an aerobics class. I won't do anything that stupid again!
  • hippie162
    hippie162 Posts: 19
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    I use a workout video which is broken into 7 "daily" workouts of about 20 mins each - I try to do one before Breakfast and one when I get in from work. I also walk to and from work (only 15 mins) and try to get out for 15-20 mins brisk walking at lunchtime (unless its raining). I eat back all my exercise calories and so far have lost 6lb in 2 weeks - but I expect that to stabilise at 1lb per week. I try to eat just under my calories (but bear in mind by eating back exercise calories I'm actually eating more anyway) and one day a week I go over for the sake of a nice roast dinner:blushing:

    I'll second that! Roast dinners are a must :-) I'm similar with my workouts too and eat back my calories..

    The detox was just an idea incase there was a food intolerence underlying.. I suffer from that so only juiced for 1 weekend to eliminate possible intolerances before investigating by elimination... like people have done for over 2000 years!
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
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    My TDEE is including exercise calories of approx 250 per day

    how did you calculate your TDEE? as 1600 when you're 5ft4 is very low to include exercise as well.

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