Too Large of a Calorie Deficit hindering progress?

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KerrieJay
KerrieJay Posts: 8 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I'm getting frustrated.

I work out 5 days a week for an hour or a touch more. I go in the early morning, and have an apple before I hit the gym so I'm not going on an empty stomach. I burn 600 or so calories in exercise. As well the odd day I will attend a hot yoga class for an hour on top of my morning exercise. I've been working out since October starting with 3 days a week and just recently increased my days at the gym to 5 mornings a week as of the 1st of January. In these 3 months I've ONLY see the scale go down by 6 pounds.

I am now consciously (most recently) trying to choose more healthy foods, eat consistently (prior to this I'd skip snacks, sometimes breakfast and lunch) and trying very hard to stay away from sweets but even when I eat the sweets and more caloric dense foods I am still under my calories for the day. I am also averaging 8-12 classes of water a day. I usually aim for 3 full water bottles from Costco. For calories I'm under on average of 360-400 calories each day. Some days when I attend hot yoga, I'm still under by 1000+ cals.

The beginning of January I finally saw a decent drop on the scale, but the following two weeks it has creeped back up again. I'm not trying to obsess over the number, and I've lost 12+ inches overall on my body but I just want to see that darn number on the scale go down finally and see progress there and start entering the lower digits in weight.

Prior to kids it didn't seem this hard!
Any advice???
I'm wondering if my body is trying to adjust to it being fed on a regular basis now and it's going to start levelling out soon but you can only be patient for so long before you get angered and frustrated.

Should I be eating all the calories MFP has alotted for me? Or should I be leaving a deficit and one as large as I have been leaving?
Is it true that MFP has already decreased my calories by 1000/day?
I took Hydroxycut faithfully before kids (when it worked), but wonder if that has screwed up my thyroid/adrenal glands?

Replies

  • sara1077
    sara1077 Posts: 87 Member
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    Under by 400 calories or more! I am assuming you have it to net 1200 calories too? I am just starting out, but it sounds like you are not eating enough ...
  • now_or_never13
    now_or_never13 Posts: 1,575 Member
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    Being under every now and again isn't a bad thing. Being under by a small amount semi-regularly is so so. Eat your exercise calories back (half to 3/4 if you are going off MFPs numbers and not a HRM). Having too large of a deficit can lead to muscle loss which in turn hurts fat loss since it can lower your metabolism.

    If adding in that much extra food is too much for you try lowering the amount of cardio you do. Or try switching out low calorie items with higher calories items (full fat dressings, full fat milk, full fat cheese, regular yogurt, etc) or add things to your daily diet that are high calorie for a low amount of food (nuts, oils, avocado, peanut butter/nut butter, etc). Or have a protein shake, add oils when you cook, use higher fat cuts of meat, add dip with your veggies, drink a glass of milk, have some peanut butter on apple slices/celery sticks, eat a protein bar, use regular eggs if you use egg whites for example... tons of ways to add extra calories without adding bulk to your meals.

    How much sodium are you consuming? Are you tracking it? It can add up really fast! Do you eat a lot of canned/frozen/processed foods? Those tend to have tons of sodium in them! Do you add salt to your meals? Do you drink enough water? Sodium will cause your body to retain water if you consume too much (and unfortunately sodium is in everything!). Are your muscles sore from your workouts? Do you use weights in your workouts? Muscle soreness means your body is retaining water to help repair your muscles. If you use weights your body will hold onto water to repair your muscles. Both excess sodium and muscle repair will cause the scale to read you higher than you are.
  • taso42
    taso42 Posts: 8,980 Member
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    Too big a deficit is very likely to hinder your progress.

    I would suggest figuring out your TDEE, and comparing it to your gross calorie intake. You should be within 20% or around 500 calories of it. If you're MUCH more than that, which it sounds like you might be, then that is a likely culprit to fix.

    See also
    http://www.fitnessfrog.com/calculators/tdee-calculator.html
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/819055-setting-your-calorie-and-macro-targets
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/654536-in-place-of-a-road-map-2-0-revised-7-2-12
  • KerrieJay
    KerrieJay Posts: 8 Member
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    Such great information.

    I have calculated my TDEE at moderate to be safe - and it says 2541. So do I subtract 20% from that number and input that as my daily calorie goal and stop worrying about inputting exercises and eating back those calories? So my new Calorie goal for the day should be - 2033? Be consistent and aim to eat that much each day?

    When I checked my gross calorie intake over the last few weeks and compared it against my TDEE, I'm ranging from a 800-1200 deficit each day.

    I don't each much sodium and I am drinking alot of water. I do various cardio (switch it up), participate in classes like spinning and circuit training, and do weight lifting. My muscles have been sore but are feeling good today. I try my best to stay away from processed foods, some days are better than others.

    Thanks.
  • KerrieJay
    KerrieJay Posts: 8 Member
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    Do you still eat 20% less of your TDEE on non-workout days?
  • Bumbeen
    Bumbeen Posts: 263 Member
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    The more you workout the more you need to eat.
  • Jaulen
    Jaulen Posts: 468 Member
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    Do you still eat 20% less of your TDEE on non-workout days?

    Yes.

    Since your body doesn't know what 24 hours is.


    And yes, if you are going with the TDEE-20% route, you calculate your TDEE based on activity level, subtract 20% and eat that many calories a day.
  • KerrieJay
    KerrieJay Posts: 8 Member
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    Ok that makes sense.
    Thanks!
  • wahmx3
    wahmx3 Posts: 646 Member
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    Too big a deficit is very likely to hinder your progress.

    I would suggest figuring out your TDEE, and comparing it to your gross calorie intake. You should be within 20% or around 500 calories of it. If you're MUCH more than that, which it sounds like you might be, then that is a likely culprit to fix.

    See also
    http://www.fitnessfrog.com/calculators/tdee-calculator.html
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/819055-setting-your-calorie-and-macro-targets
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/654536-in-place-of-a-road-map-2-0-revised-7-2-12

    Totally agree with this!
  • WannaDizzolve
    WannaDizzolve Posts: 270 Member
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    What they said. Also, if you're working out alot, muscle weighs more than fat. This is what's happening to me. My body is definitely changing, but the weight loss is SLOW. I've lost 2 inches in my waist and my thighs are smaller. Jeans fit better, too. Good luck!:smile:

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