What an I doing wrong some real advice needed please
52fifi
Posts: 12 Member
Ok help me please! I am weighing 168lbs want to be 147 - 154 I'm 5'7 and 50 yrs old (I totally get that 50 is the new 30) last year thanks to MFP exercise and 5:2 diet I managed to get down to 154 lb for my holiday in september and kept it off until dec when after snapping my mcl in a ski accident and couldn't exercise put all the weigh back on. Now back exercising 4/6 times a week 30/45 mins each time either kayaking, cycling or swimming and keeping my calories to about 1200 a day can not loose anything I do spil myself weekends and have a bottle of wine; tried to cut that out 1 week and still didn't lose antything. I have tried to duplicate what I was doing last year but that didn't work (thanks to MFP can still see all my diaries from then) I have even been to the docs for blood tests and everything is normal an ok. So what can I do. If I don't find the answer soon was thing about trying pill not a pleasent thought but no other ideas.. Any ideas/help greatly received, should say been back exercising and diet since April and have yo-yoed up and down 3lb if that helps.
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Replies
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do you wiegh and measure everything you eat/drink?
do you eat your exercise calories?0 -
That's unusual. I guess the starting place would be to look at your diary and take it from there. If you truly are logging everything, then the next step would be to cut maybe 50 to 100 calories and see what happens. Its hard for me to understand because for me if I really follow the plan to the letter, I lose weight. If I cheat, I don't. its been as simple as that for me.0
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At your height & weight & age your BMR should should be about 1400, let alone your TDEE less activity level. Do you eat back any of your exercise calories? Given how active you seem it looks as though you're way under the calories you need for your body to function normally. You might want to have a look at your daily calories & macros and ensure that you're getting enough of everything you need, or you may be setting yourself up to yo-yo again.0
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I do weigh and measure everything that's what is so disheartening no hidden calories0
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What are macros ? I don't eat back my exercise should I ?0
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What are macros ? I don't eat back my exercise should I ?
macros are your protein fat and carbs
and yes, you shoul deat exercise cals back as MFP gives you a deficit before exercise. and there is such thing as eating too little!0 -
Macros are your fats, carbs & protein. You should be making sure that you have a healthy balance between all three. You should be making sure that your daily calorie goal either takes into account your activities through your TDEE adjustment or by logging your exercises each day. You should probably be eating back between half and all of the exercise calories, as your recommended calorie intake will already be adjusted for weight loss. It is possible that by eating as much under your recommended calorie level that you're stalling your metabolism rather than hitting healthy weight loss, although this is disputed by some.0
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Hi there, I've seen folk bring this up before, and it was suggested that if you increased your calorie intake to reset your metabolism then reduce it safely again to see if this helps
....
MFP does recommend you eat your calories back, but I don't always do this, when I did follow it by the book I maintained and never lost a thing.. However that doesn't mean I don't have a blow out once in a while....Hope this helps and Good Luck 0 -
The only thing I could think of is that your body has gotten used to what you are doing and you need to change it up a bit!
If you do the same sort of exercises all the time then start something new to push yourself harder. I.e. if you use the elliptical the start going for runs, if you strength train start doing some intense cardio or up your amounts of weights.
Incorporate different foods into your diet i.e. more veg and fruit instead of low cal snacks.
If you feel you are not sweating much in work outs then push your self further!0 -
Hi there, I've seen folk bring this up before, and it was suggested that if you increased your calorie intake to reset your metabolism then reduce it safely again to see if this helps....
MFP does recommend you eat your calories back, but I don't always do this, when I did follow it by the book I maintained and never lost a thing.. However that doesn't mean I don't have a blow out once in a while....Hope this helps and Good Luck
^^^^^
THIS
Essentially, if what you're doing now isn't working, switch it up. Be it rebooting your metabolism, IIFYM, lifting heavy, low carb, 30 day shred, there are a million options out there. Try one out, see if it works for you & if you like it. If not, try another. What you want is to find a new healthier lifestyle rather than some temporary quick fix, otherwise maintaining your ideal weight when you get it will always be a struggle.0 -
Stop "dieting"0
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If you are being meticulous and weighing/measuring everything (not thinking "Oh I won't count that banana because its healthy and I'm going for a walk in a minute) then:
1. Eat back your exercise calories
2. try different exercise, or do the same exercises but in a different order (like if you normally run Tuesday, do aerobics instead and run on Wednesday)
3. try upping your calories, or eating some different foods.
See how that works. I'm sure you will get back to what you want.
ETA its fine to spoil yourself - I'm always doing it
- but try to have the calories in hand to do so! For example I've got about 500 calories I've not eaten yet this week which I will use partly tonight and the rest over the weekend. So I won't be under my target for the next 2-3 days BUT for the week overall i will be on my calorie limit. The app has a view which shows you your intake each day Mon-Sun and the average intake at the end. It also says how many calories you have left for the week, and by Friday night even I can do the maths!:bigsmile: 0 -
^^^^^^Hi there, I've seen folk bring this up before, and it was suggested that if you increased your calorie intake to reset your metabolism then reduce it safely again to see if this helps....
MFP does recommend you eat your calories back, but I don't always do this, when I did follow it by the book I maintained and never lost a thing.. However that doesn't mean I don't have a blow out once in a while....Hope this helps and Good Luck
^^^^^
THIS
Essentially, if what you're doing now isn't working, switch it up. Be it rebooting your metabolism, IIFYM, lifting heavy, low carb, 30 day shred, there are a million options out there. Try one out, see if it works for you & if you like it. If not, try another. What you want is to find a new healthier lifestyle rather than some temporary quick fix, otherwise maintaining your ideal weight when you get it will always be a struggle.
AGREED!
Your body has gone into a "starvation" mode. It doesn't realize that the "famine" is voluntary and your metabolism has probably slowed down. It's a crazy concept, I know, but true. You have to eat to lose. You may gain a bit back because of the low metabolism, but stick with the extra calories and your weight loss will resume. Good luck and Great Job.0 -
Do you incorporate interval training into your exercise regime? Also what are you eating for your 1200 calories? Is it balanced over the five food groups? Are you getting enough protein for all that exercise.0
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I invite you to Google 'Metabolic damage' research this and you will run from the madness of the 'dieting' industry.
Good luck MFP0 -
We're the same height and about the same starting weight, I'm a bit older(!), and it looks like we do the about the same amount of exercise. I've been on 1300 to 1400 a day plus exercise calories eaten back for a few months now, and it's working well. Even if you have a small frame I don't believe 1200 is really enough for people our height.
So I agree with the others. If you've been yoyo dieting your body is probably holding on to everything it can and it isn't getting enough for your BMR at the moment. Try increasing the calories a bit (gradually). Also, may not apply to you, but metabolism can slow during menopause.0 -
For the record, I am no expert on the topic and can only comment on my own experiences, which may or may not be helpful!
In the past, I also found that if I restricted my calorie intake to your level during the week, when I treated myself at the weekends the weight loss would slow down or completely stop. It is incredibly frustrating. Perhaps the body is holding onto those additional calories as it knows you will revert to fairly severe restriction again during the week.
These days I try not to give my body any excuses. I work out 4-6 days per week (generally no more than an hour on each day), doing the 30 Day Shred / a 60 min Davina work out / 60 mins of breast stroke. My carb intake is really limited (maybe the odd bowl of bran flakes / yoghurt / piece of fruit), so no bread, rice, pasta, or sugary treats, and I try not to eat more than 1200 calories a day (or 800-1000 if I don't exercise) The weight is now coming off at a rate of 1-2lbs per week, which, in my teens and twenties would have felt ridiculously slow given the level of restriction, but I suppose is realistic for me now in my 30s. When I was younger I wouldn't even need to think about exercising to lose weight, it just fell off when I restricted calories, but now clearly my BMR has other ideas.
I don't believe that my calorie intake is too low in order to lose weight at a healthy rate, and once I reach my goal of 130-135 lbs (I'm at 146 at the moment and 5'5") I will up my calories to my BMR of 1700 in order to maintain, but also make sure to continue with the regular work-outs. I'm even contemplating doing the 5:2 diet to maintain, as I found that I didn't lose as much or as quickly as I would have liked to on this diet.
Typical day's diet for me:
Breakfast - nothing / a handful of nuts / bowl of bran flakes with skimmed milk / weekends I'll have 2 poached eggs (or fried with 1 cal spray) and chicken sausages (e.g. Herta Frankfurters), and maybe even the odd turkey rasher - love these!
Lunch (usually a salad) - chicken / tinned tuna / tinned mackerel / mozzarella / smoked salmon / hard boiled eggs with salad and whatever dressing I fancy. Because my diet is so low in carbs, I don't procrastinate over creamier dressings such as Caesar dressing for example. I just won't have more than say 3 or so tablespoons.
Dinner - meat or fish with veg, e.g. chow mein without the noodles, or salmon and broccoli / meat or fish with legumes / meat or fish with salad / egg and sausage (my weekend breakfast). I cook everything with extra virgin olive oil or 1 cal spray if frying. Otherwise I grill or poach.
Snacks (I try not to but if I do I'll have one or two of the following) - handful of nuts (usually almonds) / one piece of fruit (usually grapefruit) / one small pot of low fat yoghurt / celery with cottage cheese or a tea spoon of peanut butter
Post work-out - protein shake (mixed with water and only half of the normal serving size). This isn't necessary, but I find that it helps a lot if I feel weak post work-out, plus it's important to feed your muscles so that (a) you don't lose them instead of fat, and (b) you keep up your BMR so that once you increase your calorie intake you don't put the weight back on.
No alcohol until I lose the weight (or no more than one glass of wine / prosecco / V&T for example as a treat at the weekend)
It's not fun and it's not easy, and if I never have to look at another salad again it'll be too soon, but it has worked for me and I used to be queen of the weight loss plateau!! The way I see it, you don't have a huge amount of weight to lose so it will always be tougher, but if you try to avoid the treats and perhaps limit your carb intake by avoiding bread, pasta and rice (if you haven't done so already), assuming you are not taking any medication that might affect weight loss, I'd be really surprised if the weight didn't start coming off again.
All the best of luck with it and let us know how you get on!0 -
For the record, I am no expert on the topic and can only comment on my own experiences, which may or may not be helpful!
In the past, I also found that if I restricted my calorie intake to your level during the week, when I treated myself at the weekends the weight loss would slow down or completely stop. It is incredibly frustrating. Perhaps the body is holding onto those additional calories as it knows you will revert to fairly severe restriction again during the week.
These days I try not to give my body any excuses. I work out 4-6 days per week (generally no more than an hour on each day), doing the 30 Day Shred / a 60 min Davina work out / 60 mins of breast stroke. My carb intake is really limited (maybe the odd bowl of bran flakes / yoghurt / piece of fruit), so no bread, rice, pasta, or sugary treats, and I try not to eat more than 1200 calories a day (or 800-1000 if I don't exercise) The weight is now coming off at a rate of 1-2lbs per week, which, in my teens and twenties would have felt ridiculously slow given the level of restriction, but I suppose is realistic for me now in my 30s. When I was younger I wouldn't even need to think about exercising to lose weight, it just fell off when I restricted calories, but now clearly my BMR has other ideas.
I don't believe that my calorie intake is too low in order to lose weight at a healthy rate, and once I reach my goal of 130-135 lbs (I'm at 146 at the moment and 5'5") I will up my calories to my BMR of 1700 in order to maintain, but also make sure to continue with the regular work-outs. I'm even contemplating doing the 5:2 diet to maintain, as I found that I didn't lose as much or as quickly as I would have liked to on this diet.
Typical day's diet for me:
Breakfast - nothing / a handful of nuts / bowl of bran flakes with skimmed milk / weekends I'll have 2 poached eggs (or fried with 1 cal spray) and chicken sausages (e.g. Herta Frankfurters), and maybe even the odd turkey rasher - love these!
Lunch (usually a salad) - chicken / tinned tuna / tinned mackerel / mozzarella / smoked salmon / hard boiled eggs with salad and whatever dressing I fancy. Because my diet is so low in carbs, I don't procrastinate over creamier dressings such as Caesar dressing for example. I just won't have more than say 3 or so tablespoons.
Dinner - meat or fish with veg, e.g. chow mein without the noodles, or salmon and broccoli / meat or fish with legumes / meat or fish with salad / egg and sausage (my weekend breakfast). I cook everything with extra virgin olive oil or 1 cal spray if frying. Otherwise I grill or poach.
Snacks (I try not to but if I do I'll have one or two of the following) - handful of nuts (usually almonds) / one piece of fruit (usually grapefruit) / one small pot of low fat yoghurt / celery with cottage cheese or a tea spoon of peanut butter
Post work-out - protein shake (mixed with water and only half of the normal serving size). This isn't necessary, but I find that it helps a lot if I feel weak post work-out, plus it's important to feed your muscles so that (a) you don't lose them instead of fat, and (b) you keep up your BMR so that once you increase your calorie intake you don't put the weight back on.
No alcohol until I lose the weight (or no more than one glass of wine / prosecco / V&T for example as a treat at the weekend)
It's not fun and it's not easy, and if I never have to look at another salad again it'll be too soon, but it has worked for me and I used to be queen of the weight loss plateau!! The way I see it, you don't have a huge amount of weight to lose so it will always be tougher, but if you try to avoid the treats and perhaps limit your carb intake by avoiding bread, pasta and rice (if you haven't done so already), assuming you are not taking any medication that might affect weight loss, I'd be really surprised if the weight didn't start coming off again.
All the best of luck with it and let us know how you get on!
there really is no need to eat so little to lose weight....0 -
Perhaps, but I'm finally losing weight again and I suppose I'm too scared to up the calories...0
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Perhaps, but I'm finally losing weight again and I suppose I'm too scared to up the calories...
thats fair enough, after all, not everyone wants nice shiny hair, long nails, good skin or muscle!0 -
If you'd like specific feedback, open your food diary.
Are you doing any strength training?0 -
Perhaps, but I'm finally losing weight again and I suppose I'm too scared to up the calories...
thats fair enough, after all, not everyone wants nice shiny hair, long nails, good skin or muscle!
That's a tad unfair - I'm not restricting my calories for more than a few months to get down to my goal weight. Plus I eat plenty of fish and nuts etc and take a daily multi vitamin. I can hardly see myself wasting away any time soon. And for the record, my skin is clear and my hair shiny, thank you.0 -
Perhaps, but I'm finally losing weight again and I suppose I'm too scared to up the calories...
thats fair enough, after all, not everyone wants nice shiny hair, long nails, good skin or muscle!
That's a tad unfair - I'm not restricting my calories for more than a few months to get down to my goal weight. Plus I eat plenty of fish and nuts etc and take a daily multi vitamin. I can hardly see myself wasting away any time soon. And for the record, my skin is clear and my hair shiny, thank you.
Question: so what happens when you want to eat normally again?0 -
Perhaps, but I'm finally losing weight again and I suppose I'm too scared to up the calories...
thats fair enough, after all, not everyone wants nice shiny hair, long nails, good skin or muscle!
That's a tad unfair - I'm not restricting my calories for more than a few months to get down to my goal weight. Plus I eat plenty of fish and nuts etc and take a daily multi vitamin. I can hardly see myself wasting away any time soon. And for the record, my skin is clear and my hair shiny, thank you.
Question: so what happens when you want to eat normally again?
As I mentioned in my OP, I will up my calories to my BMR and continue with the regular work outs to maintain. As I'm currently losing 1-2 lbs per week, if I up my calories gradually, I cannot see myself gaining weight by upping them by an additional 500 per day.0 -
Perhaps, but I'm finally losing weight again and I suppose I'm too scared to up the calories...
thats fair enough, after all, not everyone wants nice shiny hair, long nails, good skin or muscle!
That's a tad unfair - I'm not restricting my calories for more than a few months to get down to my goal weight. Plus I eat plenty of fish and nuts etc and take a daily multi vitamin. I can hardly see myself wasting away any time soon. And for the record, my skin is clear and my hair shiny, thank you.
you may well be fine now, and for a good few weeks to come, but the longer you eat so few calories the more chance of doing yourself real harm, lowering your metabolism and losing muscle.0 -
Perhaps, but I'm finally losing weight again and I suppose I'm too scared to up the calories...
thats fair enough, after all, not everyone wants nice shiny hair, long nails, good skin or muscle!
That's a tad unfair - I'm not restricting my calories for more than a few months to get down to my goal weight. Plus I eat plenty of fish and nuts etc and take a daily multi vitamin. I can hardly see myself wasting away any time soon. And for the record, my skin is clear and my hair shiny, thank you.
you may well be fine now, and for a good few weeks to come, but the longer you eat so few calories the more chance of doing yourself real harm, lowering your metabolism and losing muscle.
Indeed, hence this is only a temporary measure to get to my goal weight and I have made sure to incorporate regular exercise and up my protein intake. Any calorie controlled diet must involve a significant calorie deficit to the BMR or TDEE in order to be effective. My TDEE, if I work out, is between 1500-1700 calories per day, and in order for me to lose weight at a healthy rate of 1-2lbs per week, I have to have a 3500-7000 calorie deficit to the TDEE per week, which is more or less what I am doing.0 -
Perhaps, but I'm finally losing weight again and I suppose I'm too scared to up the calories...
thats fair enough, after all, not everyone wants nice shiny hair, long nails, good skin or muscle!
That's a tad unfair - I'm not restricting my calories for more than a few months to get down to my goal weight. Plus I eat plenty of fish and nuts etc and take a daily multi vitamin. I can hardly see myself wasting away any time soon. And for the record, my skin is clear and my hair shiny, thank you.
you may well be fine now, and for a good few weeks to come, but the longer you eat so few calories the more chance of doing yourself real harm, lowering your metabolism and losing muscle.
Indeed, hence this is only a temporary measure to get to my goal weight and I have made sure to incorporate regular exercise and up my protein intake. Any calorie controlled diet must involve a significant calorie deficit to the BMR or TDEE in order to be effective. My TDEE, if I work out, is between 1500-1700 calories per day, and in order for me to lose weight at a healthy rate of 1-2lbs per week, I have to have a 3500-7000 calorie deficit to the TDEE per week, which is more or less what I am doing.
You're 5ft5, 140odd pounds, and you work out 4-6 times a week for an hour and your TDEE is 1500-1700 cals? i dont believe that for a start, but you're going to do what you're going to do! good luck!?0 -
Perhaps, but I'm finally losing weight again and I suppose I'm too scared to up the calories...
thats fair enough, after all, not everyone wants nice shiny hair, long nails, good skin or muscle!
That's a tad unfair - I'm not restricting my calories for more than a few months to get down to my goal weight. Plus I eat plenty of fish and nuts etc and take a daily multi vitamin. I can hardly see myself wasting away any time soon. And for the record, my skin is clear and my hair shiny, thank you.
you may well be fine now, and for a good few weeks to come, but the longer you eat so few calories the more chance of doing yourself real harm, lowering your metabolism and losing muscle.
Indeed, hence this is only a temporary measure to get to my goal weight and I have made sure to incorporate regular exercise and up my protein intake. Any calorie controlled diet must involve a significant calorie deficit to the BMR or TDEE in order to be effective. My TDEE, if I work out, is between 1500-1700 calories per day, and in order for me to lose weight at a healthy rate of 1-2lbs per week, I have to have a 3500-7000 calorie deficit to the TDEE per week, which is more or less what I am doing.
You're 5ft5, 140odd pounds, and you work out 4-6 times a week for an hour and your TDEE is 1500-1700 cals? i dont believe that for a start, but you're going to do what you're going to do! good luck!?
Apologies - I meant 1700 without working out, not with. If I work out it's around 2200 per day, and if I want to lose 2 lbs a week I shouldn't eat more than 1200 calories per day.0 -
Apologies - I meant 1700 without working out, not with. If I work out it's around 2200 per day, and if I want to lose 2 lbs a week I shouldn't eat more than 1200 calories per day.
but with only around 15lb to lose you shouldnt be aiming for 2lb a week anyway! 0.5 to 1lb is the recommended rate to keep LBM.0 -
Apologies - I meant 1700 without working out, not with. If I work out it's around 2200 per day, and if I want to lose 2 lbs a week I shouldn't eat more than 1200 calories per day.
but with only around 15lb to lose you shouldnt be aiming for 2lb a week anyway! 0.5 to 1lb is the recommended rate to keep LBM.
But the question is will it kill me / seriously damage my health if I lose at a rate of 2 lbs per week, restricting calorie intake for a total of just a couple of months? If not, then why 'shouldn't' I? And I thought 2lbs per week was the maximum amount recommended to avoid loss of lbm??0
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