4 Months at it: 2kgs total lost: Help!

PopsGils
PopsGils Posts: 68 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
So if I look back in my diary I have at home - since Jan 10th I have lost a grand total of 2kgs - bouncing up and down between 64 and 62 kgs. Over this entire time I gave gone from anything between 1000 and 1400 calories on average per week. I weigh everything, there is nothing going in my diary or mouth that I am unaware of like cola or sugar or alcohol - uncounted. So we are pretty much talking a weigh loss of a poxy pound per month, don;t get me wrong this is still a loss but the most snail paced loss I have ever seen and I feel like I am really trying very hard. My RMR was tested at 1360 last year when I weighed 65kgs and my TDEE is 1612 - so I have been eating roughly a deficit of 500 cals a day which should produce a pound a week loss - but its a pound a month if i look back over the past few months. Clearly not doing something right here. I know I will be bombarded now saying eat more! So how much is the question and when will I start to actually lose after initially gaining (not looking forward to that!)
Appreciate any advice - any dietitian's out there?!

Thanks!

Replies

  • LeanneGoingThin
    LeanneGoingThin Posts: 215 Member
    I honestly have no idea why you're not losing weight. 62-64 doesn't sound heavy to me, maybe that's why. You could try strength training to boost your metabolism.
  • PopsGils
    PopsGils Posts: 68 Member
    It's not too heavy! But I do have quite a bit of visible fat that I just don;t need to be carrying around! I have done strength training for quite a few months last year and it made zero difference and I just didn;t have the energy for it!
  • ms_leanne
    ms_leanne Posts: 523 Member
    Have you done your measurements round your waist, thighs bust etc?
  • fairfatandfabulous
    fairfatandfabulous Posts: 28 Member
    Think of it this way at least in 4 month you didn't put on 2kgs. Maybe you have toned up. I wish I was 62 -64kgs. :bigsmile:
    Blame hormones that always works.
  • PopsGils
    PopsGils Posts: 68 Member
    I think I just did some metabolic damage from eating so little for so long, my body is extremely efficient in storing these poxy calories! My waist is 28 inches the same as it was in Jan, thighs 23, hips 38 - arms 11 - all the same! Think I must just grab the bull by the horns and go up to 1400 for a few weeks and then up another 200 for a few weeks. I am NOT gonna live my life on 1000 calories! It sucks! Thanks for replying you guys
  • neanderthin
    neanderthin Posts: 10,207 Member
    Even dietitians when they knew they were going to be tested for accuracy in calorie consumption were out over 200 calories a day and the control group that were non dietitians were out over 400 calories a day. Basically your probably eating more than you think you are regardless of how accurate you think you are and your NEAT calories are more than likely much less than when not dieting, from lack of energy. Have you had your thyroid checked, PCOS etc. If your diabetic weight loss is more difficult.
  • PopsGils
    PopsGils Posts: 68 Member
    It is quite difficult to be in-accurate if you are eating 100 grams of yoghurt in a pot - its 100 grams, period. Or weighing 100 grams of lettuce, tomatoes and chicken - i even add the 1tsp of oil, i normally over-estimate to be safe - I don't eat shop bought restaurant or processed foods, if i go out for steak, i ask how many grams it is and add that even if i do not eat it all. I am positive I am not eating/drinking more than I am tracking. It would be amazing if this was as simple as that!
  • Sarah_L_S
    Sarah_L_S Posts: 121
    I'm no dietician, but I started losing again when I upped my calories. Your plan to increase sounds good - if you start to gain, re-think it. Otherwise, no downside! Maybe try 200 cals extra a day. It's very little but may make a difference. Best of luck!
  • JDBLY11
    JDBLY11 Posts: 577 Member
    It's not too heavy! But I do have quite a bit of visible fat that I just don;t need to be carrying around! I have done strength training for quite a few months last year and it made zero difference and I just didn;t have the energy for it!

    Did you take pictures to see if there really was a difference in your body shape and fat distribution if not on the scale when you were doing strength training?
  • acpgee
    acpgee Posts: 7,944 Member
    I plan to ake a total diet break for a couple of weeks every three months or so, eating just under TDEE for a few weeks to try to boost metabolism. Has helped me break my last plateau, but I am only losing a kg a month too.
  • morkiemama
    morkiemama Posts: 894 Member
    How close are you to goal? My guess is you should be eating more.

    A 500 calorie deficit at your TDEE 1612 is a *very* steep cut at -31%. Generally, cuts are closer to -20%. If you are closer to goal, they can be -15% or even -10%!

    Read this thread if you have not already (I find it helpful in understanding all the crazy numbers):

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/974888-in-place-of-a-road-map-2k13

    Edited to Add: When you were strength training how many calories were you consuming? If you were not eating enough to fuel your body, you would not see the benefits from the workouts.

    Edited #2: Also, what was your strength training routine like?
  • PopsGils
    PopsGils Posts: 68 Member
    I did indeed take pics but did not weigh at that point as I didn't want to see a gain and it freak me out - all my clothes were still just as tight as before if not tighter. I was measured in the gym too and there was no difference but obviously I should have stuck it out for longer for sure. But i Should be able to lose without exercise, its like 80% about diet anyway and that I (on paper) have down to a t so its a tricky one :(
  • Mokey41
    Mokey41 Posts: 5,769 Member
    Losing weight won't solve your problem. You'll just lose muscle mass and still have the fat. It's called skinny fat and is solved by building muscle and gaining lean muscle. You probably don't have the energy for exercise because of how little you eat. I'm about the same size as you, 55 yrs old and eat an average of 1500 to 1600 calories a day.
  • morkiemama
    morkiemama Posts: 894 Member
    I'm no dietician, but I started losing again when I upped my calories. Your plan to increase sounds good - if you start to gain, re-think it. Otherwise, no downside! Maybe try 200 cals extra a day. It's very little but may make a difference. Best of luck!

    I wanted to note that if you do up your cals, do NOT panic if you see an initial gain. Your body needs time to adjust to the new level of eating and you can put on a bit when it is doing that. I would recommend eating at the new, higher level for 6-8 weeks before determining it isn't working and making slight adjustments. :)
  • morkiemama
    morkiemama Posts: 894 Member
    Losing weight won't solve your problem. You'll just lose muscle mass and still have the fat. It's called skinny fat and is solved by building muscle and gaining lean muscle. You probably don't have the energy for exercise because of how little you eat. I'm about the same size as you, 55 yrs old and eat an average of 1500 to 1600 calories a day.

    This is a good point and why I asked what your consumption was when strength training. My guess is that you want body recomposition (e.g. lower body fat %, etc.) rather than just weight loss.
  • kavanaghev
    kavanaghev Posts: 75 Member
    I don't know how tall you are, but I am 5'4.5" and weigh the same and have similar measurements. I eat 2200-2500 cals per day on maintenance and right around 2000 to lose weight. If I eat less than that, I do not have the energy for workouts.

    I have a lot of lean body mass and a low BF% and that's what allows me to eat as much as I do, but I USED to eat a very tiny amount and was always unhappy with my body. I really think you should shift focus to body re-composition and increase your calories so that you don't have to eat so little for the rest of your life. It's made me much happier and I have the easy room in my diet for treats and normal life.
  • __Di__
    __Di__ Posts: 1,658 Member
    So if I look back in my diary I have at home - since Jan 10th I have lost a grand total of 2kgs - bouncing up and down between 64 and 62 kgs. Over this entire time I gave gone from anything between 1000 and 1400 calories on average per week. I weigh everything, there is nothing going in my diary or mouth that I am unaware of like cola or sugar or alcohol - uncounted. So we are pretty much talking a weigh loss of a poxy pound per month, don;t get me wrong this is still a loss but the most snail paced loss I have ever seen and I feel like I am really trying very hard. My RMR was tested at 1360 last year when I weighed 65kgs and my TDEE is 1612 - so I have been eating roughly a deficit of 500 cals a day which should produce a pound a week loss - but its a pound a month if i look back over the past few months. Clearly not doing something right here. I know I will be bombarded now saying eat more! So how much is the question and when will I start to actually lose after initially gaining (not looking forward to that!)
    Appreciate any advice - any dietitian's out there?!

    Thanks!

    You have your diary set to private, it is hard for anybody to make good suggestions without seeing your diary to be honest.
  • PopsGils
    PopsGils Posts: 68 Member
    Woops sorry I have opened my diary now again, dont judge it on this week so far - had a terrible week at home. The rest is more accurate to what I normally have.. thanks!
  • bio01979
    bio01979 Posts: 313
    I am by no means an expert but just browsing the diary for a few weeks, and just looking at the totals I saw many days of much less than 1000 calories (500-800) so part of the issue could be eating too little. This would also explain the lack of energy for working out.

    I also saw that the sugar intake was always in the red, I found that just cutting down on sugar has made a huge difference for me. I haven't eliminated it completely but cut it down a lot (like switching my flavored creamer in my coffee for half and half and some xylitol. I never ate a ton of sugar (didn't eat a lot of sweets, and I don't drink soda often (maybe once every few months)) But some of the things I was eating like a fruit leather had a ton of sugar, so I have switched those snacks for something with no sugar or 1 or 2 grams of sugar instead of 10g lol and it has made a big difference

    You said you have just a little extra fat to lose - I think strength training may give you the results you are looking for. Adding lean muscle would likely give you what you want. Which would mean strength training and eating more (and more protein as your totals show you have room to add quite a bit of protein)
  • PopsGils
    PopsGils Posts: 68 Member
    SO! Just thought I would write an update, I upped my calories from between 1000-1400 a month ago, when i weighed 138 pounds, I am now on an average of 1700-1800 day and in total have gained 4 pounds in a month. My RMR is 1360 and my BMR is 1700. I have been up to 142 pounds and have been bouncing up and down between 142.4 pounds and 140.2 pounds for the last week or so trying to reset my metabolism.
    How long do you think I should keep at my BMR before I can go back down and start slowly losing?! Thanks peeps!

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