why am I losing so slow?
Replies
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"when i get a deficit of 2000 its on the days that i exercise hard and dont eat the calories back."
Perhaps MFP is over stating the calories burned while exercising.
Can you give us an example of one of your days with a -2000 deficit ?
i.e.
______ Calories consumed
- ______ Calories burned. _____ minutes. _______ Activity
= ( 2,000) Calorie deficit0 -
First of all, What are your macros? How many carbs, protein and fat are you getting?
A calorie from fat is not the same as it is from protein or carbs. Your body will handle these in different ways.
You need to eat more calories especially if you are doing a lot of exercise. But you need to get these calories from the right sources.
I suggest a high fat, medium protein and very low carb approach. Carbs especially grains, sugars or anything processed will cause your blood sugars to rise to high and can easily cause insulin spikes leading to fat storage even if you have a defecit.
Obtain your carbs only from non starchy vegetables and aim for 50-80g a day.
You should have about 130g protein especially if your looking to replace fat with lean muscle. And you should source all energy from fat. No trans fats, no hydrogenated fats.
I recommend butter, grass fed or organic animal meats, avacados, nuts/seeds, eggs, coconuts and olive oil/coconut oil.
Don't eat anything processed. Whatsoever. None of these protein bars or granolas.
^^ignore this. You will not store fat in an energy deficit. There is nothing inherently wrong with processed foods, as long as you get a balanced diet otherwise. Re fats - just avoid trans fats and get your fats from a variety of sources.
Your other advice was good. You're pretty wrong about this, though.0 -
Because I strongly believe that anyone who suddnenly starts hitting the gym "everyday", even with bad form and low calorie intake would gain muscle. I am well under my "recommended" calories as a male, yet I am seeing considerable muscle gains. The science of low calorie diets preventing muscle gain really does not match reality, just like this starvation mode malarchy everyone is throwing around on these forums.
Your credentials for stating that it is "malarchy" are...? Since it's apparently false, can you tell me how fast I will be losing weight netting 500 calories per day? Can I retain my muscle mass? Will I add to my muscle mass? Will I have any extra skin if I lose that fast?
You've been here just over a month. Do your research before you call people that have actually done theirs out.
P.S. You can have an opinion on gaining muscle. You are entitled to that. That doesn't mean you're right, though.0 -
the bottom line is this: having a massive calorie deficit will slow your metabolism down, which will make your body hang on to whatever it gets, bear in mind 1g of fat is 9kcal, so 1 kg of fat is 9000kcal, which should be your weekly calorie deficit to lose weight healthily. depending on what exercise you're doing, you should aim for 1.1-2g of protein per kg of body weight and work out what percentage of carbs and fats, which is a lot trickier to get right, personally 40% carbs,35% protein, 25% fat is what I ingest0
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Not sure if this has been mentioned... (sorry don't have time to read all of the replies) but when I am losing slowly I try not to think of it in terms of body weight lost. In order to try and stay positive and keep on keeping on, I try to think of the weight lost as blocks of butter, bags of sugar, bags of potatoes lost or coming off my body Funny, I know, but lift one of them up next time you go to the supermarket and you will be amazed that is the total amount coming off your body over time!
Also remember, we don't put on excess weight overnight, just like we can't lose it overnight. It takes time and commitment, which obviously you have! Keep on keeping on... it will happen. :-)0 -
I've never had a problem with my body 'hanging' onto fat.
well well...lucky you....0 -
First of all, What are your macros? How many carbs, protein and fat are you getting?
A calorie from fat is not the same as it is from protein or carbs. Your body will handle these in different ways.
You need to eat more calories especially if you are doing a lot of exercise. But you need to get these calories from the right sources.
I suggest a high fat, medium protein and very low carb approach. Carbs especially grains, sugars or anything processed will cause your blood sugars to rise to high and can easily cause insulin spikes leading to fat storage even if you have a defecit.
Obtain your carbs only from non starchy vegetables and aim for 50-80g a day.
You should have about 130g protein especially if your looking to replace fat with lean muscle. And you should source all energy from fat. No trans fats, no hydrogenated fats.
I recommend butter, grass fed or organic animal meats, avacados, nuts/seeds, eggs, coconuts and olive oil/coconut oil.
Don't eat anything processed. Whatsoever. None of these protein bars or granolas.
^^ignore this. You will not store fat in an energy deficit. There is nothing inherently wrong with processed foods, as long as you get a balanced diet otherwise. Re fats - just avoid trans fats and get your fats from a variety of sources.
Your other advice was good. You're pretty wrong about this, though.
Care to say how?0 -
We dont get fat in a week and we dont get thin in a week..............patience Grasshopper!0
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then go away!0
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Slow and steady wins the race sometimes.0
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need to have a cheat day to offset the few calories - so that your body recognizes that it's not in starvation mode which is what's been happening
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Here's a better question: Why are you trying to lose so fast?
Photo shoot? Runway? Competing in a show?
If you're not getting paid for your physique why try to lose as much as possible as fast as possible and risk hating the whole process? Reassess your goals and why you're doing this in the first place.
hey, hey, hey now....just hold on a second with all that trying to make sense stuff...lets not inject logic into these threads...0 -
As noted above, it's not a sprint to the finish..... I feel the longer it takes me to lose the weight the right way, the longer I will keep it off. I used to do 1200, failed me miserably and had me looking like a skinnier marshmallow. Yuk.... so I figured out my TDEE and minused 20% and that's how much I eat a day (1933 as of right now). I'm much happier, noticing more long-term results, and I continue to do my thing slowly Be patient, nothing comes in a day. There is some wonderful advice on here, BTW, look at it all and pick what's best for you!! 0
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Make sure that your are not getting dehydrated from all that gym workout, if you are then you will be holding alot of water weight right now. I also suspect that with so much time being put into the gym you are making some real muscle gains. My advice is to keep going and ignore the people who keep waffling on about "starvation mode" and "crashed metabolism".. they really dont understand what they are talking about to be honest...
I highly recommend you switch from normal cardio to HIIT training and review your weight lifting program, as I see so many people, women especially, using the cardio machines wrong. For example 90% of people using the cross trainers bounce on their toes and that is completely wrong and inefficient. So looking into those kinds of things is my best advice.
Ummm I don't see how someone could be having 'muscle gains' when they are only netting 500 cals a day....care to explain?0 -
It would seem in order to hit my net calories I would go over some of my other stat's. Say I eat 1960 which is my Net, but go over sodium and etc is that a big deal.0
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Not really, no. You'll store more water so you might see a little rise temporarily in scale weight, but it's nothing to worry about. A couple of days eating less sodium and it will flush out.It would seem in order to hit my net calories I would go over some of my other stat's. Say I eat 1960 which is my Net, but go over sodium and etc is that a big deal.0 -
I've never had a problem with my body 'hanging' onto fat.
It doesn't mean you won't in the future though. At some point eating at that kind of deficit your fat loss will probably slow to a halt. Plus you are very likely to start eating into your muscle if you carry on doing what you are doing. This is not good. It will only get you into the pattern of yo yo weight gain/loss and eating VLCD for the rest of your life.
I don't want to be muscley, I've never yo yo'ed. I stopped dieting (by dieting I mean stopped watching what I ate) after doing a LCD and I gradually put on about 10lbs over 3 years. Hardly something to be concerned about. I ate a normal amount after being on a LCD for about 9 months so I'm not particularly worried.
And I didn't get any muscle loss.
I dont think muscley is a word....0 -
i havent been eating exercise cals back, It wouldnt hurt to try to eat before 6.
It can't hurt, but it won't hurt to eat after 6, either. The problem most people that don't eat breakfast have is that they get hungry, stay hungry, and binge eat before bed. Sometimes people deny or don't realize how many calories they have when they binge, but you gain weight by eating too many calories, not because you ate after six. ETA: if you find you're prone to binging at night, though, setting a time to be out of the kitchen by can help.
Also, I appreciate that you actually seem to be absorbing peoples' advice here, not just asking for it and saying they're wrong like a lot of people do. It's refreshing. :flowerforyou:0 -
need to have a cheat day to offset the few calories - so that your body recognizes that it's not in starvation mode which is what's been happening
wrong again - can't be in starvation mode if you are netting calories every day....starvation mode occurs when you eat nothing, zilch, nada, absolutely nothing, for three days ...do we understand now?0 -
took 2.5 years to drop my weight. slow and steady. you can do this. good luck!!0
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1 pound a week of weight loss seems reasonable to me. It take a very long time to change your eating habits and the slower you lose weight the more you are conscious of your eating habits. Also, exercise is tricky. I can't loose weight on myfitnesspal when I add my exercise as part of my caloric intake. I try not to use my exercise for additional food points because I don't loose weight. Staying within the caloric intake recommendations has been the most sure fire way to loose for me. i view exercise as a must for healthy living but not as part of weight loss.
My recommendations: Eat your allowed caloric intake
Don't add your work out at the gym as part of your caloric intake.
Pat yourself on the back for loosing 1 pound a week.0 -
Beautifully stated - Thanks for the comforting words.0
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THIS!!!!! ^^^^You're not eating nearly enough. You got to eat more if you are netting that low. You're lucky to be losing a pound a week as very soon your body will stop shedding weight because it'll be hanging on to every calorie you eat.
Eat more.0 -
Good advice. Sometimes sodium increase water retention. I need to look at my stats, too.0
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Personally I think 1lb a week is great. If you want it to drop off faster I would say that I am suspicious you might be a snacker or are overestimating your portions if not weighing. Some of the numbers you have cited do not make sense to me. I don't mean that to be rude, but this fat loss thing really is not that complex unless you have some sort of a medical condition. We all lose at different rates, different places, and respond better to some food groups than others. It is your job to experiment to determine what works best for your lifestyle. Malnourished Africans are skin and bone because they eat squat. All this eat more, hold on to....blah, blah, blah, seems a little fishy. I am not suggesting that as a nutrition plan, but I too was once annoyed about the speed of my fat loss. Once I got serious I did figure out the problem.
Keep on trucking and be happy with the progress.0 -
I noticed from your profile that you are doing Jenny Craig. I think you will find if you talk to your JC Consultant that you should be at least on the 1500 calorie diet plan not the 1200 diet plan since you are exercising so much. You can easily achieve this by just adding some nuts and an extra serving of fruit or an extra serving of dairy.
About 7 or so years ago, I lost about 50 pounds on Jenny Craig so I know the program can work but they don't seem to be used to people who are exercising alot and therefore, you need to make sure you are getting enough calories. Calculate your calories from your JC meals into MFP and eat back your exercise calories by adding a serving of nuts, dairy or protein.
Again, make sure you tell your JC Consultant how much you are exercising. Do keep in mind that the majority of your diet is coming from processed foods (the JC meals) so adding your extra exercise calories from healthy whole food sources is a good way to go (that is what I did when I was on the program).
Congratulations on your weight loss so far...I shoot for a pound a week so I think you are doing an awesome job!!0 -
I've never had a problem with my body 'hanging' onto fat.
It doesn't mean you won't in the future though. At some point eating at that kind of deficit your fat loss will probably slow to a halt. Plus you are very likely to start eating into your muscle if you carry on doing what you are doing. This is not good. It will only get you into the pattern of yo yo weight gain/loss and eating VLCD for the rest of your life.
This is true, I didn't have a problem a few times. I found that the less I ate the slower weight dropped, I mostly noticed this when, well I didn't pay to careful attention on the calories in going out to eat a lot and oddly I broke past a plateau doing that.
Currently I'm kinda ping ponging between 220 and 216 which other factors like I increased my resistance training so while I'm becoming leaner I'm not exactly seeing a numbers drop which I'm fine with. I also tend to have an issue with being TOO careful as in the back of my head, as silly as it is, I have this haunting feeling if I so much as peak over my deficit..BAM 300lb again.
I do find it hard to eat back my calories though, I physically cannot eat that much. My issue has never beed how much I ate just what I ate and how much exercise I DIDN'T do..
how much of that has anything to do with anything..I dunno..0 -
Everything you are doing is wrong. Please take a long look at my food diary, look in the mirror, review my food diary. God Bless.0
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Everything you are doing is wrong. Please take a long look at my food diary, look in the mirror, review my food diary. God Bless.
...he says, 1500 calories over for the day.0
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