Am I not eating enough calories to lose weight?

jadorecouture
jadorecouture Posts: 19 Member
edited September 24 in Food and Nutrition
Example: March 8th, I ate 1,360 calories and burned an "earned" 719 calories from working out. I have been on this "diet and exercise" kick for over a month now and I weighed myself today and I only lost 7 pounds. Every calorie calculator says at minimum I need to eat between 2,300 - 2,800 a day (depending on the calculator). I burn between 300 and 700 calories a day 6 days out of the week. I will do a minimum of 1 mile to a max of 3 miles on the elliptical for those 6 days and 4 days I will do light lifts (arms and legs). I make healthy choices when it comes to food. On MFP it usually says I have a little more than 1,000 calories remaining at the end of the day. I am 340lbs and 5'8. Do I need to consume more food for weight loss? What am I doing wrong?

Last year I was on another diet and exercise kick for only 1 week and lost 10 pounds, with a less than strict diet and when I worked out (30 minutes - 4-5 days in that week) I hardly broke a sweat. I also did not work out on any machines.

Replies

  • jmo325
    jmo325 Posts: 57
    When you exercise, you gotta eat those too... or at least some. I usually eat half to 2/3 of them. Otherwise, you're starving yourself and your body will hold onto everything you're eating and in turn, drastically slow your weight loss.
  • JenaePavlak
    JenaePavlak Posts: 350 Member
    You're probably building a lot more muscle this time around.. Don't pay attention to the scale.. measure different parts of your body (waist, hips, arms, legs, etc) with a tape measure and compare a week later..
  • jamie1888
    jamie1888 Posts: 1,704 Member
    7lbs in one month is GREAT!!!
  • erickirb
    erickirb Posts: 12,294 Member
    Yes you need to eat more. If your MFP goal is 1360 and you burn 700, you should eat 2060 (1360+700) in order to meet your weekly weight loss goal.

    The amount MFP gives you assumes you will not be working out, once you workout you need more calories.
  • erickirb
    erickirb Posts: 12,294 Member
    You're probably building a lot more muscle this time around.. Don't pay attention to the scale.. measure different parts of your body (waist, hips, arms, legs, etc) with a tape measure and compare a week later..

    She is most likely not building muscle. It is very difficult (next to impossible) to build muscle on a caloric deficit diet.
  • amaried621
    amaried621 Posts: 260 Member
    The best way to lose weight is slow and steady. Losing 7lbs in one month is great! The last time you dieted and lost 10lbs that is likely to have been mostly water weight. A lot of people see a significant loss at first and that is usually why. Don't get discouraged, just keep doing what your doing. You may want to exercise less and give your body time to rest and heal. I believe the slower you lose weight, the more likely you are to keep it off.
  • LindsayHein
    LindsayHein Posts: 73 Member
    I had been on a workout/diet for over 6 weeks before I started seeing any results. I found out that my body make up needed less carbs (particularly starches) and more proteins, which is exactly opposite of what I was eating. I also had a resting metabolic rate test done. Your RMR is how many calories your body burns just to function. Calculators always put my at 2100 to 2200 calories. My body was only burning 1750. Once I made these changes I started to see a difference. Everyone is different. If you aren't seeing results try watching things like your carb to protein ratio, or sugar and fat intake. I hope this helps.:wink:
  • pkgirrl
    pkgirrl Posts: 587
    Yeah, I'd definitely say you need to eat more. Especially if you're strength training. At 340lbs you could probably get away with eating at least 2000 a day with all of the exercise you do.

    Good for you for being so dedicated though! If I had a week like that I think I'd honestly felt like I had earned something (probably a huge cheat meal that would put me back to square one lol) Just be a little easier on your body. You didn't gain that weight in a couple of weeks, and it's not going to go away that fast either. If you don't think you could eat and exercise the way you are right now for the rest of the year, it's probably too much, especially if your just getting back in the game.

    You can do this! I know it seems counter intuitive eating more, but your body is a pretty picky and complex machine. If you don't give it what it needs, there's no way it's gonna do what you want.
  • dwithd
    dwithd Posts: 7
    I have a feeling you might be over training, usually our bodies tend to retain water when we overtrain but also for your weight you can a little more. Try increasing your food to 1600 calorie intake and see how that works. You may also want to take some rest days from training so your body can recover, I sometimes do 2on, 2off. Good luck!! on the other hand 7lbs in a month is good, be patient.
    P.S. for you to get the correct calorie burn on machines at the gym, you must manually enter your stats. :smile:
    D
  • SeasideOasis
    SeasideOasis Posts: 1,057 Member
    How much 'over a month' is over a month? Usually...5 pounds in one month is normal/healthy/great when it comes to weight loss, so if you've loss 7, you're on the right track.
  • JenaePavlak
    JenaePavlak Posts: 350 Member
    I didn't realize she said she only ate 1300 something.. But at a much higher weight, a bigger deficit isn't as hard on the body as a smaller person, but I agree, you should be eating more of your exercise calories to keep a healthier and steadier weight loss so you don't just gain the weight back once it's lost..
  • CallejaFairey
    CallejaFairey Posts: 391 Member
    what amount did you set yourself up to lose each week? as well, what is your activity level set at?
    i am also 5'8, just over 300lb, activity level sedentary and weight loss of 2lb/week and my daily cal goal before any exercise is 1680. so just wondering what your diary actually says you should be eating before exercise. and actually, before i lost the 13lbs i have lost so far, my daily cal limit was 1770. so it sounds like either a-you have your loss level set too high, or b-you aren't eating enough. just my 2 cents :)
  • time2runnn
    time2runnn Posts: 252 Member
    First off CONGRATS on losing 7lbs!! That is still plenty awesome!

    Now for your question, assuming you aren't thinking you may be holding onto to water weight or gaining muscles, I would say that you ought to try eating more calories since you are definitely able to. I'm no expert and everybody is different... But if it helps any- I started around 287, eat on average 1500 calories, sometimes as much as 1950 on days I workout if I feel I need to. I've had high burning calories days but my average is about 350-450 5 times a week doing mostly walking and dancing for fun. In the last 30 days I have lost 11lbs and that doesn't usually happen for me. I am actually shocked that I've managed to lose those that without a crazy fad diet or feeling deprived as I've sadly done in the past.:blushing: But I finally got it into myself that I wasn't looking for a quick fix and whatever I did had to be sustainable because I'm in this for the long haul.

    So my thought is don't be afraid to eat more of the calories you are "allowed to". Maybe your body needs that extra nourishment for all the hard work you are putting it through. Why not try it for a couple weeks and see if you don't see a difference.
  • audjrey
    audjrey Posts: 360 Member
    7 lbs is no easy feat. You should be very proud of yourself because you're doing great. But be careful you don't put the horse in front of the cart.

    Scales can be useful tools, but in your case (because of the diet 'kicks') I'd say hide them for the first six months. Instead, track your progress through a measuring tape. Measure your neck, bicep, waist, and one thigh and then re-measure every 3 weeks.

    Commit to your program first - physically, mentally, emotionally and financially - and intend/attend to make this a lifestyle change instead of a 'kick'. Wherever your intention/attention goes, action follows. It sounds to me like you need to first work on long-term commitment first.

    Oftentimes diet kicks turn into yo-yo dieting that ultimately slows the metabolism. And no, unless you are lifting really heavy (body-building), and even then, you are not gaining muscle. You are simply charging them much like you would a battery that hasn't been used in a long time. It takes, on average, at least three months to develop muscle size.

    Without being able to see your food diary, I doubt any of us can help streamline your diet by suggesting healthier choices and alternatives. Something to consider.

    Love your interest and desire to want to lose weight. But would really love to see a strong life-long commitment. You're the one who benefits the most if you do.
  • Yaiyai12
    Yaiyai12 Posts: 2
    i know this is an old thred but i am going through this and it has been most helpful
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