3 months, ZERO PROGRESS
Replies
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Can someone explain this "eating back" business? It seems to me if you calculate your TDEE with the appropriate amount of exercise, your calorie goal for the day takes your exercise calorie burn into account. What am I missing?
And really, how easy is it to overestimate your exercise calories? "I worked out for an hour, bring on the pizza!"
MFP is a NEAT calculator, not a TDEE calculator. It calculates your daily needs NOT INCLUDING exercise. So when you do exercise, you need to add more fuel for that. A properly set MFP + exercise calorie goal should be about the same as a properly set TDEE - % goal.0 -
Nothing wrong with pizza now and again
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Hello
You seem very defensive about your eating and exercise. You have to try and not be on the defensive and offensive constantly when getting advice. Just absorb and reflect.
Ultimately you have to believe that your body is not a medical mystery even though it is unique and that if you truly eat right and exercise the weight will come off. If you are not getting the results you want then you have to be willing to change. Change something, change anything to effect change.
You have a "cheat" meal ....who are you cheating? Yourself? You admit to french fries..served with? dressed with? followed by?
Stopped eating "clean"...so what are you eating..."dirty"?
Eating a "ton of protein"....so what is a ton??? if you are OCD then a ton is a ton??? Do your eyeballs deceive you?
Congrats on working out! Make changes that you consider a lifestyle change and know that ultimately calories in/calories out is only accurate if the numbers are correct. Sometimes just adding more veg and fruit is what you need....sometimes.
Now as to hormones...yes they play a part...but your thyroid is ok...so are you just so stressed that the mind and body are in sleep mode?
Just a few thoughts really...but you have to make a change if you want change..
Best of luck0 -
Ok, then the general suggestion is that all of my counts are incorrect and I need to eat better/workout more. Assuming that my counts really ARE right, and I am NOT lying about anything (and really, why would I even want to), then what else? See a doctor?
SMDH.0 -
Ok, then the general suggestion is that all of my counts are incorrect and I need to eat better/workout more. Assuming that my counts really ARE right, and I am NOT lying about anything (and really, why would I even want to), then what else? See a doctor?
SMDH.
*eyeroll*0 -
Ok, then the general suggestion is that all of my counts are incorrect and I need to eat better/workout more. Assuming that my counts really ARE right, and I am NOT lying about anything (and really, why would I even want to), then what else? See a doctor?
Yes, I would see a doctor to rule out medical issues.
For what its worth, I don't think you are lying at all. I just think that somewhere, either in estimates of calories burned or estimates of calories eaten, there is a flaw in those estimates. My exercise today consisted of 20 minutes on the elliptical, 20 minutes of weights (using a pulley system at my gym) in the morning and a 2 mile jog/run this afternoon that took 24 minutes. According to my HRM I exercised for a total of 66 minutes and burned 425 calories. That's why your HRM numbers seem high, even accounting for the differences in our stats.
I know you're getting a lot of conflicting advice and it can get confusing. Its clear from your post that what you are currently doing isn't working for you. The first thing I would do is start logging that cheat meal and see how many calories you are really consuming in that one meal. If its un-doing your deficit then you know you've got one culprit right there.
Then I would pick one thing to change, stick with it for 4 to 6 weeks and see if you get any results. So for example, go back to religious logging, weighing and measuring food. Stick with it for 4 to 6 weeks. Or decide to only eat back half your exercise calories. Stick to it for 4 to 6 weeks.
Best of luck to you!0 -
Ok, then the general suggestion is that all of my counts are incorrect and I need to eat better/workout more. Assuming that my counts really ARE right, and I am NOT lying about anything (and really, why would I even want to), then what else? See a doctor?
First of all, stop being defensive. If you want help, take your medicine. If you just want sympathy, you've probably come to the wrong place. No one is accusing you of "lying". Stop beating that dead horse. You can either listen to good advice, and take it, or just dismiss us all as "mean" and stay at your current weight.
Your math is off somehow. Face it. You can either find the error in your math, and fix it, or you can continue to wonder why you're not losing weight. Get the math right, and the weight will come off at the appropriate rate. WHAT you eat might be important for other health reasons, but it's not nearly as important as your total calorie intake. Trying to exactly determine your specific exercise calorie burn isn't nearly as important as using an estimate that is factored into your TDEE. And if you overestimate how active you are in your TDEE calculation, well, expect slow, if any, progress.
Don't make it more complicated than it has to be. Factor into your TDEE your REALISTIC exercise habits, subtract 20% of that total and use the number as your calorie limit for the day. EVERY day. And be excruciatingly exacting about recording your calorie intake. Eat that number of calories EVERY DAY.0 -
Hello
You seem very defensive about your eating and exercise. You have to try and not be on the defensive and offensive constantly when getting advice. Just absorb and reflect.
Ultimately you have to believe that your body is not a medical mystery even though it is unique and that if you truly eat right and exercise the weight will come off. If you are not getting the results you want then you have to be willing to change. Change something, change anything to effect change.
You have a "cheat" meal ....who are you cheating? Yourself? You admit to french fries..served with? dressed with? followed by?
Stopped eating "clean"...so what are you eating..."dirty"?
Eating a "ton of protein"....so what is a ton??? if you are OCD then a ton is a ton??? Do your eyeballs deceive you?
Congrats on working out! Make changes that you consider a lifestyle change and know that ultimately calories in/calories out is only accurate if the numbers are correct. Sometimes just adding more veg and fruit is what you need....sometimes.
Now as to hormones...yes they play a part...but your thyroid is ok...so are you just so stressed that the mind and body are in sleep mode?
Just a few thoughts really...but you have to make a change if you want change..
Best of luck
Well, I certainly hope my body is not a medical mystery!
I guess what happens is this - I watch as people around my go on Weight Watchers/cut their calories/walk a little bit and lose ten pounds in two weeks. This is not something I am making up or imagining, it actually happens. I assume this will happen for me. Three months of eating better and working out and I see literally nothing. It really isn't that surprising that I wonder if something is wrong. Everyone tells me the same stuff. "Eat better. Work out." Ok...well I was doing that. So I need to do MORE? THAT is what I needed to know. It isn't surprising that someone who has no given a hoot about her weight for 30 years is going to be confused by the process. I don't understand why it's surprising that I am defensive given that I was doing what I was thought I was told, I just didn't know I wasn't doing ENOUGH.0 -
Can someone explain this "eating back" business? It seems to me if you calculate your TDEE with the appropriate amount of exercise, your calorie goal for the day takes your exercise calorie burn into account. What am I missing?
And really, how easy is it to overestimate your exercise calories? "I worked out for an hour, bring on the pizza!"
MFP is a NEAT calculator, not a TDEE calculator. It calculates your daily needs NOT INCLUDING exercise. So when you do exercise, you need to add more fuel for that. A properly set MFP + exercise calorie goal should be about the same as a properly set TDEE - % goal.
I don't use the MFP calculator, I use the Fitness Frog one.0 -
Ok, then the general suggestion is that all of my counts are incorrect and I need to eat better/workout more. Assuming that my counts really ARE right, and I am NOT lying about anything (and really, why would I even want to), then what else? See a doctor?
SMDH.
*eyeroll*
Yeah, fail to realize that NOBODY here thinks you're lying. Human error is exactly that--an error. I don't even think ANYBODY said to work out more or eat better. The suggestions have been this: 1) Log food 2) Weigh food 3) Track exercise calories more accurately 4) Repeat. Seriously, I wouldn't waste a copay at the doctor before religiously following steps 1 through 4 for a good month.0 -
Ok, then the general suggestion is that all of my counts are incorrect and I need to eat better/workout more. Assuming that my counts really ARE right, and I am NOT lying about anything (and really, why would I even want to), then what else? See a doctor?
Yes, I would see a doctor to rule out medical issues.
For what its worth, I don't think you are lying at all. I just think that somewhere, either in estimates of calories burned or estimates of calories eaten, there is a flaw in those estimates. My exercise today consisted of 20 minutes on the elliptical, 20 minutes of weights (using a pulley system at my gym) in the morning and a 2 mile jog/run this afternoon that took 24 minutes. According to my HRM I exercised for a total of 66 minutes and burned 425 calories. That's why your HRM numbers seem high, even accounting for the differences in our stats.
I know you're getting a lot of conflicting advice and it can get confusing. Its clear from your post that what you are currently doing isn't working for you. The first thing I would do is start logging that cheat meal and see how many calories you are really consuming in that one meal. If its un-doing your deficit then you know you've got one culprit right there.
Then I would pick one thing to change, stick with it for 4 to 6 weeks and see if you get any results. So for example, go back to religious logging, weighing and measuring food. Stick with it for 4 to 6 weeks. Or decide to only eat back half your exercise calories. Stick to it for 4 to 6 weeks.
Best of luck to you!
And this helpful, and something I am happy to try. Thank you.0 -
If you are truly burning more calories than you are taking in, then you will see results. My guess is you arent as strict as you say, the scale doesnt lie.
Perhaps you have some underlying issues ( thyroid) that could actually be preventing you to lose weight. Also have you tried adjusting your calories even lower. I currently am allowed 1300 calories a day and walk 3-5 days a week. ive lost 5lbs in 5 weeks and i am not a heavy person to begin with. But im extremely precise with my calories ( measuring cups, scales, ect) Its easy to estimate and be wrong ( ive done it over and under).
I would go to your doctor and just request a yearly physical with bloodwork. if there are any issues it should be able to be discovered in that work up, and other concerns you can talk to them about it.0 -
If you are truly burning more calories than you are taking in, then you will see results. My guess is you arent as strict as you say, the scale doesnt lie.
Perhaps you have some underlying issues ( thyroid) that could actually be preventing you to lose weight. Also have you tried adjusting your calories even lower. I currently am allowed 1300 calories a day and walk 3-5 days a week. ive lost 5lbs in 5 weeks and i am not a heavy person to begin with. But im extremely precise with my calories ( measuring cups, scales, ect) Its easy to estimate and be wrong ( ive done it over and under).
I would go to your doctor and just request a yearly physical with bloodwork. if there are any issues it should be able to be discovered in that work up, and other concerns you can talk to them about it.
I need my annual exam anyway, so I can kill two birds with one stone. It won't hurt to get some medical advice.0 -
Can someone explain this "eating back" business? It seems to me if you calculate your TDEE with the appropriate amount of exercise, your calorie goal for the day takes your exercise calorie burn into account. What am I missing?
And really, how easy is it to overestimate your exercise calories? "I worked out for an hour, bring on the pizza!"
MFP is a NEAT calculator, not a TDEE calculator. It calculates your daily needs NOT INCLUDING exercise. So when you do exercise, you need to add more fuel for that. A properly set MFP + exercise calorie goal should be about the same as a properly set TDEE - % goal.
I don't use the MFP calculator, I use the Fitness Frog one.
That's cool. you just asked what the terms were about and it was explained.0 -
Can someone explain this "eating back" business? It seems to me if you calculate your TDEE with the appropriate amount of exercise, your calorie goal for the day takes your exercise calorie burn into account. What am I missing?
And really, how easy is it to overestimate your exercise calories? "I worked out for an hour, bring on the pizza!"
MFP is a NEAT calculator, not a TDEE calculator. It calculates your daily needs NOT INCLUDING exercise. So when you do exercise, you need to add more fuel for that. A properly set MFP + exercise calorie goal should be about the same as a properly set TDEE - % goal.
I don't use the MFP calculator, I use the Fitness Frog one.
That's cool. you just asked what the terms were about and it was explained.
Yeah, I know, I wasn't trying to come off biznatchy. :bigsmile:0 -
I wish there was one formula for us all.
There is.
1) Log every day, carefully, nay compulsively.
2) Don't trust yourself to eyeball--weigh everything with a food scale
3) Factor in everything, including cheat meals, and limit yourself to NEAT + Exercise - 500 kcal (in other words, follow the MFP formula)
4) Repeat
People who do those things consistently will lose weight.
People who don't, well, don't.
You don't. People have been telling you to do those things, but instead you explain why it doesn't apply to your situation.
I've seen this a hundred times already, and I've only been on MFP since April. It's an old story. Next step is your "People are Mean" thread. I'd guess this evening around 8pm...0 -
Wow, I can't believe how long this thread has gone on. You have all of the good advice you need. Now just get off the computer and follow it. Good luck.0
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It never hurt when I was consuming 1000's of calories a day when I did not have to see them or be accountable. I was surpised at how fast the calories added up, even when eating clean and healthy.0
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best thing my dr ever did for me...
SHE LAUGHED AT ME...
i told her i needed "drugs" to help me lose weight, that i was doing everything right, and still not losing... i told her "fatness" runs in my family, that maybe i have a slow metabolism...
SHE LAUGHED AT ME!
she said, fatness does not run in your family, maybe fat people, who over eat and under exercise do... but not fatness. she told me that nothings wrong with my metabolism, that im just merely eating too much, and not moving enough...
well, well, well... to my surprise, im not a victim of nature, only nurture...
controlled my food, started kicking my own *kitten* at the gym, and lost 95 pounds in less than 11 months...
sure, you could have an underlying medical condition keeping you from losing, but, without other symptoms, i would put money on the fact that your simply over eating, and under exercising!0 -
Ok, then the general suggestion is that all of my counts are incorrect and I need to eat better/workout more. Assuming that my counts really ARE right, and I am NOT lying about anything (and really, why would I even want to), then what else? See a doctor?
SMDH.
*eyeroll*
Roll your eyes all you want. You asked for explanations of why you aren't losing weight. People are giving you excellent advice. Ignore it if you want to, but you are getting exactly what your asked for. Sorry we're not sugarcoating it enough for you, but you're a random internet stranger and we don't have time to find unicorn and starburst gifs to pretty up the info.0 -
Eat back your exercise calories???? say what????
1200 cal is the minimum intake to avoid starvation mode regardless of how many calories you burn. If you eat back all your exercise calories you will not lose weight. Net calories are the caloric intake minus execise calories I operate at an average calorie intake of 1500-1600 per day minus about 800-900 cal that i burn curing cardio and weight training each day therefore my net calories are 600 and 700 per day I am losing around 2-3 lb per week because of this deficit.(My BMR is 1880 cal). I have lost 30 lb since the beginning of September.
That would never happen if I ate back by exercise calories... you are giving bad advice... please stop.
this is the best response.... OP if you want to lose muscle follow the advice above.. if you want to lose fat you might want to make sure your eating enough which the above advice is not doing...0 -
Well, I certainly hope my body is not a medical mystery!
I guess what happens is this - I watch as people around my go on Weight Watchers/cut their calories/walk a little bit and lose ten pounds in two weeks. This is not something I am making up or imagining, it actually happens. I assume this will happen for me. Three months of eating better and working out and I see literally nothing. It really isn't that surprising that I wonder if something is wrong. Everyone tells me the same stuff. "Eat better. Work out." Ok...well I was doing that. So I need to do MORE? THAT is what I needed to know. It isn't surprising that someone who has no given a hoot about her weight for 30 years is going to be confused by the process. I don't understand why it's surprising that I am defensive given that I was doing what I was thought I was told, I just didn't know I wasn't doing ENOUGH.
It's not "eat better and work out". I tried that. I ate unprocessed foods, lots of good fats, watched the processed carbs. But I didn't lose weight, because I was still eating TOO MUCH.
Think more along the lines of "Eat accurately. Work out." You don't have to do MORE. Just do what you've been doing, BETTER. Make sense? 0 -
The only help I can offer is that your numbers are off somewhere. Whenever I am having a rough patch I can usually go back and see what's been going on. For example, if I spent the weekend out and didn't have exact measurements or caloric values, I will often see a lack of progress. Reading through this thread, it seems that you have decided that you are doing it right already and that there isn't an answer that can help you. So, my question would be this... If you are 100% certain that you are doing EVERYTHING right, then have you seen a doctor about a possibly deeper problem? Maybe thyroid or other glandular issue? Weight loss really does boil down to calories in and calories out so, if there is no medical issue, then your numbers have got to be off. My advice would be to re *kitten* your counts and tracking and keep trying... 46 pounds in and it's been a very long (sometimes slow and frustrating) but ultimately rewarding journey. Good luck and don't give up. You deserve good health.0
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Ok. Doctor appointment made, and now to look for a dietician. A personal trainer is in my future. Thank you.
Good work! Best of luck!0 -
I guess what happens is this - I watch as people around my go on Weight Watchers/cut their calories/walk a little bit and lose ten pounds in two weeks. This is not something I am making up or imagining, it actually happens. I assume this will happen for me. Three months of eating better and working out and I see literally nothing. It really isn't that surprising that I wonder if something is wrong. Everyone tells me the same stuff. "Eat better. Work out." Ok...well I was doing that. So I need to do MORE? THAT is what I needed to know. It isn't surprising that someone who has no given a hoot about her weight for 30 years is going to be confused by the process. I don't understand why it's surprising that I am defensive given that I was doing what I was thought I was told, I just didn't know I wasn't doing ENOUGH.
Yeah, my friend and I did WW years ago when I was in high school. My friend cheated like crazy and lost 5 pounds while I followed everything to the letter and gained weight. It was a huge motivation killer. Over the years I have tried all kinds of things and, for me, this is the first one to work.
It can be discouraging while trying to figure out what works for you. The only thing I can suggest is what many other people have -
1 - Log everything you eat (I was shocked at how many calories were in a kids size waffle fries at Chick-fil-A, and then I was using a ton of ketchup as well)
2 - If you are using the MFP method where you eat back your calories, try only eating back half of them
3 - See a doctor and get your blood work done to make sure that everything is working right
Good luck and keep trying, I am sure you will find what works best for you.0 -
Overestimating cals burned and eating crap such as special k.
Clean your food up and ditch 80% of the processed crap until your cheat meal.
Go for a 1 hour walk every day upon waking fasted if possible, Go lift some weights 3 times a week in a gym or at home or anywhere. If it can be lifted then lift it. Get more active is my point.
Eating clean is not expensive. A good butchers will sell you 10kg Chicken breast with a good discount on, Eggs as well can be cheap if you source them correctly.
broccoli here in the UK is like £1 a bag frozen I chuck around 200g frozen in 2-3 meals a day, Cooked it weighs around 150g and is only 47 cals. 150g broccoli is a lot but look how cheap it is, slap it with chicken breast simple meal add 10z almond nuts for some good fats with your meal.
All other fat should come as a by-product of your carbohydrate and protein intake.
I agree with most of this. I really don't want to be eating the exact same meal every single day, and I live in the desert - everything I get will have to be frozen or cost an arm and a leg.
I understand not wanting to eat same foods everyday, but this game of losing weight and maintaining is about LEARNING.
By this I mean you could follow the same meal plan daily for a month, in that time you can find out how your body ticks, what foods in the diet fill you up, what you enjoy about the diet. You take ideas and transform them.
I followed a strict keto diet before I joined here, Same meals daily for 3 months at the end of the 2nd week it never felt like a chore mainly down to how I cooked my eggs or what spices I stuck on my chicken to what protein shake flavour I had that day. What I found out was in 2 weeks alone
The difference between hunger and being thirsty
When I'm full up and don't need to eat any more.
Over time I've stuck to the main principles of the keto diet with a weekly cheat but I've changed it around, I've added carbs in daily then switched back. I've added no end of different foods. I've found out shed loads of broccoli as next to no cals to even worry about so it's with most meals and I don't get bored.
You find a platform then progress on it finding what works for you and what don't. It's a lifestyle change first and foremost so finding something you can build on is important imo.
So you could do something for a few months to get used to it then mix it up. What's a few months of your life worth to you for changing your future and living a better healthier life? I don't think I can put a price on it.0 -
NOBODY here thinks you're lying. ...
Me. I totally do. I mean it in a "lying to yourself, fudging the numbers here and there" sort of way, and in a way that is truly only hurting herself, but still, the posts are contradictory... Observe:
She started off saying "I intake 1500 calories currently" and "I have a calorie tracker similar to the Polar watches that lets me know I am burning at least 300 calories in a half hour."
Then said "I am OCD about my caloric intake. I DO measure, I DO count everything that goes in my mouth. "
Then said "My account here and the one I use on my phone are not the same so opening it up won't give you anything"
Then said "I don't weigh anymore, I've gotten pretty good at knowing by looking since I was weighing at the beginning."
Then said " Do you log every single day, without fail? No. I used to, but fell off that bandwagon. Since my days are pretty much identical during the work week, they are close enough. Mostly I discovered that being OCD about it was making me feel worse. "
Then said "Circuit training - 183 (this was pretty darn close to my chest strap, which showed 180) "
Then said "I try to go with things that are already measured or are easy to measure (a measuring cup is my friend), but maybe I am missing something. I am ok with going back to measuring. " (that one has a contradiction in the same quote....)0 -
If you are already only eating 1500 calories that is most likely already a deficit for your body. You should never be below 1250 at the end of the day when everything is factored in and even that is a little low.0
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Well, I certainly hope my body is not a medical mystery!
I guess what happens is this - I watch as people around my go on Weight Watchers/cut their calories/walk a little bit and lose ten pounds in two weeks. This is not something I am making up or imagining, it actually happens. I assume this will happen for me. Three months of eating better and working out and I see literally nothing. It really isn't that surprising that I wonder if something is wrong. Everyone tells me the same stuff. "Eat better. Work out." Ok...well I was doing that. So I need to do MORE? THAT is what I needed to know. It isn't surprising that someone who has no given a hoot about her weight for 30 years is going to be confused by the process. I don't understand why it's surprising that I am defensive given that I was doing what I was thought I was told, I just didn't know I wasn't doing ENOUGH.
It's not "eat better and work out". I tried that. I ate unprocessed foods, lots of good fats, watched the processed carbs. But I didn't lose weight, because I was still eating TOO MUCH.
Think more along the lines of "Eat accurately. Work out." You don't have to do MORE. Just do what you've been doing, BETTER. Make sense?
Not literally nothing 6lbs according to your profile ticker. And 10lbs in 2 weeks is water weight.
And I agree with Emirror...lying to oneself is worse then lying to the public...lying to oneself is self destructive...it does nothing to us.0 -
Nothing wrong with pizza now and again
You are correct! You can eat one slice and a nice salad to fill up on.0
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