Too few calories = no weight loss?

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KPMP1992
KPMP1992 Posts: 66
in Health and Weight Loss
Last week, I kept my daily calories to around 1500 but netted around 1000 daily due to doing a lot of exercise each day (walking, hiking). When I got on the scale this morning, my weight was the exact same as last Tuesday! :(

All that work - and no change! Could it be that I wasn't actually eating enough calories? This is what my daughter (studying nursing) thinks...she says that my body may have thought it was going into starvation mode...

Very discouraging to watch everything I eat and exercise, with no results.

Replies

  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,867 Member
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    Keep in mind that healthy weight loss is 1-2 Lbs per week depending on how much you have to lose...the less you have to lose, the slower it'll need to be. You may not see anything in a single week...you have natural body weight fluctuations that can easily mask 1-2 Lbs of fat loss in a given week. My weight can fluctuate 2-5 Lbs day to day depending on sodium intake, water retention, whether I've had a really killer workout (weight goes up with water retention from a good workout), waste, food in/out, etc.

    You're really going to have to be patient and track trends. Weight loss isn't linear..you don't lose exactly X Lbs per week...sometimes it's none...sometimes it's a little...sometimes it's more...but when you average it out over a longer period of time, it should come pretty close to your intended goal.

    Also, you shouldn't really be netting below 1200....and even that is pretty low and completely unnecessary for most. You're not going to stall your metabolism out in a week, but you will eventually. Most people also don't get their proper nutrition with that low of calories...it's very difficult to get your essential protein and fat when calorie intake is that low.
  • 55in13
    55in13 Posts: 1,091 Member
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    Before the "eat more to lose" crowd gets here...

    There has been evidence in studies that metabolism drops when dieting. No study has ever found a cross over point where eating more would cause you to have a greater calorie deficit. It just gets to a point where eating 100 less might only cause the deficit to go up by 60. It is also easier to stick to a diet that isn't too restrictive.
  • Ed98043
    Ed98043 Posts: 1,333 Member
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    If your numbers are correct then you had a deficit of around 3500 calories last week - one pound. There are a few reasons why a small loss might not show on the scale - most likely fluid retention and/or whatever's in your bowels at any given moment. Although I've lost an average of about a pound a week in the past 4 months, it never shows on the scale in an orderly fashion. I'll go for 10 days with no change, then lose 2 overnight, then gain 1 the next day, then stay at that weight for a few days, then lose 1...my point is that you shouldn't worry about it after a week.
  • ValMartin79
    ValMartin79 Posts: 65 Member
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    I have the same problem. I have been exercising at the very least 3 times a week and burn over 500 calories. I watch what I eat to a certain extent too. I have my calorie goal at around 1500 and consume around 1000 I usually have 500 or more left over (the green number) I am losing around 3lbs a month. It will happen but it is a slow process, keep with it.
  • dewsmom78
    dewsmom78 Posts: 498 Member
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    One week is not long enough to show a permanent loss. As an OP said, you could be holding onto fluid, etc. Weight fluctuates constantly. I would continue to eat your TDEE - 20% for another week and check again. Remember to drink lots of water each day. That will help with any water you may be retaining.
  • ntdrive
    ntdrive Posts: 105 Member
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    Eat more :smile:
    At least eat back your exercise cal burned .. try it for a week and see what happens.
  • rosellasweet
    rosellasweet Posts: 163 Member
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    I'm glad someone asked this question! I've only been doing this 2 weeks and for the past week I've gained a pound a day, but the week before I lost 6. My clothes fit a little better though so I guess numbers aren't everything.

    I started an excercise regimen about three years ago and here's what happened: gained 5 pounds from my SW, stayed at that weight for two weeks, then my weight dipped below my SW. I did this for only a month and there were differences in my before and after photos. The numbers help, but they'll drive you crazy! It's frustrating because I have friends losing 3 pounds a week but they outweigh me by 80 pounds so I have less to lose.

    Hang in there!
  • H_Factor
    H_Factor Posts: 1,722 Member
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    1. Don't rely solely on the scale to tell you if you had a successful week. Ask yourself some of these questions instead: Do I feel better today than I did a week ago? Do my clothes feel any different? Is that (pick area of flab) starting to tighten up? Is it easier for me to make healthy food choices?

    2. If you want to rely on the scale, you can't read too much into what happened over one week. As some folks indicated already, weight loss isn't linear. Just because doing X for one week led to a 2 pound loss does not mean doing X the next week will result in any loss. This is why you should focus on the questions concerning your overall health, rather than a number on a machine. Trust me, the number does not tell you how healthy you are.

    3. While I wouldn't worry about it right now, you probably should be netting at least 1200 calories. I think its way too early to say your body is in starvation mode and I don't think that's the answer. Frankly, if you feel satisfied on what you're eating, I wouldn't change too much right now.

    4. You may be exercising too frequently and not allowing your body to recover. When you exercise, your muscles store water for recovery. If you do not take days off to recover, your body doesn't have a chance to recover and dump the retained water. If you're exercising more than 5 times a week, you might have a water retention issue....AND you're really not maximizing the benefit of exercise as you're not allowing your body to heal. Really, you only need 3 or 4 good workouts a week. You can do some basic walking or other exercises that put less stress on your body the other days if you want...though you don't need to.
  • cnelson240
    cnelson240 Posts: 4
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    I figured the same thing out about my self. Water retention can mask weight loss. Another thing that was not talked about is your salt intake. I had to drop my sodium intake to 1800 milligrams a day(everyone is different). This gave my body the ability to remove excess fluid from my body. Another thing I do is to resist the urge to drink your water fast or chug it. even after my exercise I drink water slowly and wait a little than if I'm still thirsty drink a little more. I try to keep my hydration lvl at 51 percent for a man you can go as high as 55 percent nothing higher at that point you are over hydrated. long story short I had to low my sodium intake and that fixed my issue with yo-yo weight during dieting. in nature I use water melons and other fruits that help keep even a good water lvl in my body and kidneys flowing well. I also went gun hoe for exercise and found that I benefited from less exercise. (cardio) . I would walk 12 miles a day and not really lose much., but I did gain muscle mass. now I walk only 6.2 a day and the weight is coming off again.
  • SteelySunshine
    SteelySunshine Posts: 1,092 Member
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    Your muscles will retain water if you start using them more. So, it's entirely possible for your muscles to fill with water while you lose fat, but then the scale doesn't budge. Then one day as if by magic you drop 5 pounds. What didn't happen is that you did not stall at all, it's just the scale isn't going to tell you fat from water, but you really did lose some weight. And you didn't really lose 5 pounds of fat overnight either. But, you did lose 5 lbs of fat, it's just it was over a month or so and you didn't see it on the scale until you shed that water your muscles were holding onto like a miser holds onto a penny.
  • KPMP1992
    KPMP1992 Posts: 66
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    All very helpful info and advice. Thank you!!
  • runfreddyrun
    runfreddyrun Posts: 137 Member
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    Before the "eat more to lose" crowd gets here...

    hahahaha
  • herblackwings39
    herblackwings39 Posts: 3,930 Member
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    MFP has your weight loss deficit set in when it gave you 1500 calories to eat. So if you picked lose 1 lb a week you have 500 calories removed per day to get you to 1 lb. So during the week you should eat 10,500 calories overall. By exercising and not eating those calories back you only had 7000 calories a week. 10,500 already had your deficit in it. So you made the deficit much larger. I'd suggest at least netting your 1500 calories a day.
  • HereCOMESErika
    HereCOMESErika Posts: 16 Member
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    I agree!!!!!!!
  • ummmhiii
    ummmhiii Posts: 1
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    first, your hiking and walking which can make your calves stronger and have more muscles, your muscles weight a few too so it doesn't matter how much you weigh, just about how you look and if your happy with how your body looks. second it hasnt been that long and everyones bodies are different, your body may take longer to lose weight and some other people can loose weight faster.
  • malibu927
    malibu927 Posts: 17,565 Member
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    first, your hiking and walking which can make your calves stronger and have more muscles, your muscles weight a few too so it doesn't matter how much you weigh, just about how you look and if your happy with how your body looks. second it hasnt been that long and everyones bodies are different, your body may take longer to lose weight and some other people can loose weight faster.

    This post is over a year old...? And even so, the OP no longer has the account so they won't see it.

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