My net cals and stats for one week. Why no weight loss?

Options
2

Replies

  • diannethegeek
    diannethegeek Posts: 14,776 Member
    Options
    You have a lot of good information above and some bad advice. I hope that you're able to sort through it and find what works for you.

    I agree with the people who say you've only been at it consistently for a week and you might just need to wait it out. I agree that it's important to make sure you're logging your food and exercise accurately. If you aren't using a food scale yet it might be time to invest in one.

    I'm going to suggest increasing your calories (assuming you're logging accurately) not because you need to eat more to weigh less, but because you mention a binging cycle. For some people, restricting your diet too much (and too much depends on your stats, not an arbitrary line at 1200) can lead to binging to make up for the missing calories. If your current net is too little for you and if that is what's causing your binge eating, then eating a little more might help you to stay on track for longer.
  • CM9178
    CM9178 Posts: 1,265 Member
    Options
    Okay, today is day 7 on MFP. I am 41, female, 5'8", 180 lbs. Looking to get to 155. I've battled weight my whole life. Got to my goal of 140 several years ago. Maintained it by running a lot, and sticking to 1200-1500 cals a day. That's what I had to do to maintain. Old habits slipped back in. I started a pattern of binging and restricting. Yadda yadda .. here I am at 180. Note that this entire time, I have been and have stayed on Jenny Craig food. I go in once a week to weigh in. Even though I am on their 1200 cal plan with their prepared food, I obviously have eaten off the plan. Some days I'd be on. Some off. Too inconsistent.

    Throughout all of this, I have never given up exercising. I do lots of cardio and strength. Though I can't run like I used to b/c of weight, I still try to walk at least 3-4 miles, 4-5 days a week. Okay, so now it's the morning of Day 7 on MFP -- which set me to 1200 cals to lose two pounds a week. I have tried to be careful eating back my exercise cals.... aiming for eating maybe 25-50% back. This has been the first week in a looooong time where I haven't gone off the rails and binged... well, okay, there was one day this week I had some snacking issues but it was NOT a full-out binge. Here are my daily calories consumed, my exercise calories burned, and my NET. I am very careful logging (and since on jenny Craig, it really is all accounted for, plus veggies and fruit). I got on the scale this morning ... AND .... NADA. Any ideas? Here are the numbers:

    Day 1: Cals eaten: 1462 Cals burned:136 NET: 1326
    Day 2: Cals eaten: 1391 Cals burned:476 NET: 915
    Day 3: Cals eaten: 1878 Cals burned: 707 NET: 1171
    Day 4: Cals eaten: 2240 Cals burned: 408 NET: 1832
    Day 5: Cals eaten: 1382 Cals burned: 470 NET: 912
    Day 6: Cals eaten: 1220 Cals burned: NONE (rest day) NET: 1220

    All this and no weight loss. Is it because I need to be more consistent? Is it Day 3 and 4 where I ate a little more? Shouldn't it average out if this is a game of numbers? Maybe my body is just on delay mode, and I'll have this massive loss of 5 lbs next week? Garh. Just frustrated and feel old. It's like I can actually HEAR my metabolism grinding to a complete halt.

    Any realistic thoughts/practical advice on what I should tweak moving into week 2 of this to get a fire going here and start some weight loss? Thanks!
    You are not eating nearly enough.
    Even at 1200 calories per day, that should be a total of netting 8400 calories in 7 days (which I still think is way too low for most people).
    You only netted 7376 total for the week, which is like an average of 1050 per day - again, way too low.
    I'm guessing you should probably be netting closer to somewhere around 1500 per day (10,500 for the week). (the millions of calculators out there will give you a more accurate TDEG number).

    Setting your weekly goal to 2 lbs per week is probably unrealistic for most people, unless you are obese and have A LOT to lose. You won't be eating enough calories at that number, and you will negatively effect your weight loss in the long run.
    That is why you so easily gained your weight back previously, and had to stick to 1200 to 1500 calories in order to maintain your weight loss.
  • nikigmoney
    nikigmoney Posts: 19
    Options
    No, cavemen did not eat every three hours, that is why our bodies know just what to to do when we are starving. That is slow down! People would get to the ripe old age of 30 and die. You can not compare our life style to a caveman. People did not live long enough to go through menopause or live in a world full of crappy food around every corner. I have seen way to many women in their late 30s who eat 900 cals a day and gain weight just thinking about a 1200 cal diet. These people need to start eating. They don't live in a cave, they have busy lives and they are tired,sick, and over weight. Once they start to eat the right foods more often the weight falls off and they never feel sluggish or hungry. The key is eating the right foods, and yes it is true that you will need to eat all day. I need to eat every 2 hours. I feel better then I ever have and I am finally at my goal weight without starving. It is like logs on a fire, my metabolism has finally recovered from years of dieting. I am also a nasm,and issa certified personal trainer and currently studying to be a nutritionist. Just trying to pass on some of what i have learned and has helped me and countless others. :happy:
  • kennyjames62
    kennyjames62 Posts: 18
    Options
    According to recent research, eating more often just makes you want to eat all day long. Your body never gets a rest and you never get to tap into those fat stores. Dr. Michael Mosley mentioned this in his research. You body needs downtime to do repairs and to rebuild. Think about our ancestors. Do you think cavemen ate every 3 hours? Nope. They may have gone for days and not eaten a thing. Our bodies were made to tap into those fat stores when there is no food available.

    Here are some links that may be helpful:

    Documentary from Michael Mosley
    http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xvdbtt_eat-fast-live-longer-hd_shortfilms#.UOOjXKz47XS


    Link to Mosley's Website
    http://thefastdiet.co.uk/


    The Fast Guide
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W9Aj6hRYg4A&desktop_uri=%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DW9Aj6hRYg4A&app=desktop


    http://www.shape.com/weight-loss/weight-loss-strategies/10-unbelievable-diet-rules-backed-science

    Bottom line, you have to find what works for you. Check with your doctor because everyone is different and one person's lifestyle may not be good for someone with health issues. Be safe.


    Maybe this is the reason homo erectus only lived to age 19....However we live to be over 100 now....Proper nutrition and eating habits is healthy. Also its best to keep the fire burning than to have it burn out and then rage with your next meal. This confuses your body to thinking it never knows when its next meal is coming. Thus storing food as fat.
  • nikigmoney
    nikigmoney Posts: 19
    Options
    preach it!:laugh: not to mention not eating for days sounds horrible!
  • nikigmoney
    nikigmoney Posts: 19
    Options
    Preach it! :laugh: Not to mention not eating for days sounds horrible!
  • stealthq
    stealthq Posts: 4,298 Member
    Options
    No, cavemen did not eat every three hours, that is why our bodies know just what to to do when we are starving. That is slow down! People would get to the ripe old age of 30 and die. You can not compare our life style to a caveman. People did not live long enough to go through menopause or live in a world full of crappy food around every corner. I have seen way to many women in their late 30s who eat 900 cals a day and gain weight just thinking about a 1200 cal diet. These people need to start eating. They don't live in a cave, they have busy lives and they are tired,sick, and over weight. Once they start to eat the right foods more often the weight falls off and they never feel sluggish or hungry. The key is eating the right foods, and yes it is true that you will need to eat all day. I need to eat every 2 hours. I feel better then I ever have and I am finally at my goal weight without starving. It is like logs on a fire, my metabolism has finally recovered from years of dieting. I am also a nasm,and issa certified personal trainer and currently studying to be a nutritionist. Just trying to pass on some of what i have learned and has helped me and countless others. :happy:

    Cavemen had an average life expectancy of 30 years (if that stat is even correct) because a high percentage died from accidents, disease, etc before they reached adulthood. Those that were smart and skilled enough to survive actually lived to a decent age - 50 and older - considering the hazards of slowing down due to age at that time.

    You don't slow down because you're not eating every couple of hours, or even every day. None of the cavemen would have made it in that case. You slow down when you're under your calorie requirements for a long period. And the 'slowing down' (adaptive thermogenesis) isn't all that significant even then, unless you have depleted your fat stores significantly. Yes, you fidget less and generally conserve movement. But it's not incapacitating. And it doesn't stop people from losing weight.

    To lose weight, stay under your TDEE (not the calculated estimate, your actual real life TDEE). Period. Accept that if you're not keeping accurate records, you don't know for sure if you're accomplishing this. Also accept that you may need to adjust the calculated TDEE estimate some - it's reliable for most, but may be a bit over or under for you. Your weight loss results will tell you if that's the case. Eat whenever you like. Eat enough of the foods you like so you aren't tempted to binge! If the scale doesn't move for a month or so, make sure this isn't the problem FIRST. Also accept that things like water retention can mask your weight loss (common), as can lean body mass gains (not common in a deficit) and that the weight is not going to consistently drop off in neat increments every day/week/month. Oh. And settle in for the long haul. 'Cause the closer you get to goal, the slower it'll go.
  • nikigmoney
    nikigmoney Posts: 19
    Options
    I don't think that anyone is suggesting that someone eat over their calorie goals to lose weight. All I am saying is that our needs today are very different from cavemen that had to hunt and gather, no TV, no McDonalds............If someones goal is to become as thin as possible despite health or longevity of weight loss then fasting might be the answer for that person. Personally my clients have all had great results from eating six small meals a day, and not whatever they want. Healthy foods that fill them up. When you starve your body breaks down muscle as well as fat. If you start at 200lbs with a lean body mass of 150lbs leaving 50lbs of fat and go on a extreme calorie restricted diet without weight training and lose 50lbs your lean body mass will go down as well, so when you get sick of starving and eat normal you will gain the weight back. Only this time your lean body mass is 120lbs and you are left with 80lbs of fat. This makes it even harder to lose the weight again, feeling hopeless cutting more calories. Believe it or don't, but i have seen it over and over. You will not find a respected fitness professional that will tell you to do repeated fasting.
  • focuseddiva
    focuseddiva Posts: 174 Member
    Options
    Thanks for all the responses. So simple and yet so complicated. Eat less, move more. Simple. Too few cals, not eating often enough, eat back half what you burned, eat back none of what you burned. Man oh man. Well, here is what I can say definitively: When I really stuck to Jenny Craig (yes, prepackaged food akin to a Lean Cuisine), I ate 1200 cals a day. 950 of those were Jenny Craig meals. The rest was fruit, salad, veggies. I exercised as I am doing now. And I lost weight -- about 1.5-2 lbs a week, on average. When I hit 153 lbs, the weight loss stopped. It took me 6 months to peel off the last 13 pounds, and then I had to become OCD about food and exercising to stay there.

    Still.

    1200 cals with moderate, frequent exercise worked for me once upon a time. And I didn't eat back my exercise burned calories. I'm just not sure it will work for me now, as I am 6 years older with a metabolism that used to hum along b/c I ran 35 miles a week and now it sort of limps along b/c I walk 15-20 miles a week. Hopefully there is still enough coal in the ol' furnace to make weight loss feasible. I'm trying to be smarter -- not aiming for 140 lbs this time (I'm 5'8") -- more like 155. I was happy that size, too. I was probably a size 8. Should be doable. That's 25 lbs I have to lose, and I'm not in a rush. Still, I just want to see SOME results. Anything. Anything to let me know that, hey, yes tracking my cals and all that is actually working and that my body responds to the laws of science the way it should. Otherwise, I'm guessing I'm just a freak who will survive any famine that hits. I'll be the last one standing when everyone else is a skeleton. I'll still be sitting there, logging no calories, and not losing weight!
  • nikigmoney
    nikigmoney Posts: 19
    Options
    Ha,ha! Stay motivated, and you will do great. Eat healthy and exercise,it always works, it will work for you:smile: You got this!
  • TeaBea
    TeaBea Posts: 14,517 Member
    Options
    I am in the same situation. I actually gained weight and am beyond frustrated. I am eating well, under target, not starving, exercising daily yet I am up 3 lbs.

    Is this one weigh in?........the scale lies.

    If you had a high sodium day.........you will weigh more. If it's that time of the month.........you will weigh more. I like to weigh for 3 straight days........does the scale still reflect the higher weight? Then you have a problem.

    Weight loss will not be linear. I can weigh the same for 2-3 weeks & then drop 2 pounds the next. 2 pounds is great....for 3 weeks time.
  • melaniecheeks
    melaniecheeks Posts: 6,349 Member
    Options
    Focuseddiva, I'd be a little concerned about your mindset.

    You can ask for advice on a web forum, but those pearls of wisdom will have a dubious value.

    You've lost weight before, you've been at a very low bmi before. So why are you so reactive to comments from strangers?
  • TeaBea
    TeaBea Posts: 14,517 Member
    Options

    It is one of the stupidest things I've ever heard and it really set me back when I followed that advice. Funny, it's something I usually hear from lifters.

    Then you were obviously doing it wrong. Eat More to Weigh Less is just a more sustainable method of weight loss. You still eat at a calorie deficit, just a more modest one that is easier to stick with, that will fuel your workouts. It results in a slower loss, but you aren't starving yourself or cutting out foods you love. If you gained, that's your own fault for eating over your TDEE, not weighing your food, over estimating your calorie burns, etc.


    To the OP......why would you not log your fruits and veggies if you're logging everything else? They have calories, if you're counting calories you need to log them.

    This!^

    SUSTAINABLE weight loss......that's what "eat more, weigh less" is all about. Yes, I can knock myself out by eating below my BMR.....but the weight loss will come in fits and starts. Finding the right ZONE is efficient weight loss.

    Eating below your BMR will help you lose "weight." Large calorie deficits will have you losing fat+muscle. Don't bother to strength train either....because you won't maintain muscle mass anyway. Personally, because I am older (52) and have been inactive for years.....I know I can't afford any more muscle loss. Slow weight loss is for me.
  • beckizzle
    beckizzle Posts: 118 Member
    Options
    Stop being so impatient...
  • beckizzle
    beckizzle Posts: 118 Member
    Options
    I work in a health food store and people are setting their NY resolutions, etc...
    they ask me for advice on weight loss, they tell me they want to buy lots of green tea/green coffee bean/raspberry ketones to help them lose weight on their strict low cal diet.... I want to just shake them.... it frustrates me and i just have to bite my tongue and meet my sales targets...
    education is key! get with it people...
  • csuhar
    csuhar Posts: 779 Member
    Options
    I have a question for the people who say to "eat more to weigh less". Why didn't that work for Ellen Degeneres's friend Portia de Rossi. I read the book she wrote. She ate next to nothing and was so skinny it almost killed her.

    Just wondering because at one point, the logic just falls apart.

    It is one of the stupidest things I've ever heard and it really set me back when I followed that advice. Funny, it's something I usually hear from lifters.

    I understand the logic of calories in, calories out. That's logical. But eating more to weigh less, not so much. Now if you are eating lettuce and spinach, that's one thing. But upping the calories and expecting the weight to fall off, no I will not be doing that either.

    I think a lot of it comes from the idea that there are some people who eat FAR to little. Many seem to embrace the over-simplification of "eat as few calories as you can stand so you will loose weight", the result being that their calories in is too low or it's otherwise unsustainable over a long time.

    But you're right, simply eating more does not necessarily help. The calories in versus calories out math still has to be there. It's just a matter of being open to the idea that you could be eating more than you currently are and lose weight in a more sustainable fashion.
  • Karenk1010
    Karenk1010 Posts: 6 Member
    Options
    Background first..... I'm 56 and trying to lose weight that has refused to do anything but go up since menopause a few years back. Nothing worked, not even weight watchers (which I believe in). About 6 weeks ago I got sick from an allergic reaction to a medication and couldn't eat. Lost some weight and got excited about. Decided to keep it going. Also decided that since the 1200-1400 calories (or more) that weight watchers thot I should eat didn't work for me, that I would *pretend* I had had gastric bypass and eat more low cal like they do, along with lotsa vitamin supplements. I aim for 1000 cals a day, but sometimes a little under and sometimes a little over (max has been about 1200). I started working out 30 minutes/once a week with a trainer and that made me feel better, so then I expanded. Now I usually (not always) go 4-5 days a week for 30-40 minutes of cardio; sometimes I trade cardio for a class that combines low impact aerobics and light weights. On Saturday mornings I do weight training for an hour with a trainer. I try to mix it up at least one day during the week, to keep my body from getting used to a rutt.

    SO..... at first I was ecstatic. I lost 17 pounds pretty quickly (remember tho - part of that was the week I was very sick). Then several weeks ago BOOM! Nothing. I kept up the calorie counting, portion control, and workouts and for almost 3 weeks lost about half a pound per week at most. VERY disappointing considering I have 150 lbs total to lose. WHY, I thot, doesn't my body work right? I should be losing a TON with my eating and working plan.

    But guess what? Today I got on the scale and in the past FIVE days I have lost almost SEVEN pounds! If you average all the weeks I've been working, that's about 4 pounds a week. Nothing to cry about.

    I dont buy the - you eat too little - concept. Every body is different. Some need less calories. Some need more. I'm thinking mine was so overwhelmed by the initial weight loss in 3.5 weeks that it grabbed hold of every water molecule it could until today. THEN I could see what I have really been losing these past few weeks (cuz you KNOW I didn't really lose 7 lbs in 5 days).

    Point is... be patient. Keep following the plan. If you work out, dont eat those calories back. Say goodbye to them. And be sure you are truthfully logging/tracking everything you eat so you can analyze any differences on the weeks things do slow down.

    Dont worry.... even tho I may need reminding of this again in the future, fact is, if you eat less than you burn, you will eventually get smaller. It just doesn't always work at the rate we would like. (Or the places... my HANDS are skinnier so the skin is wrinkly, but my arms and my butt? ugh). LOL

    Cheer up girlfriend!!!
  • tigersword
    tigersword Posts: 8,059 Member
    Options
    A lot of times when people say eat more, what they are really saying is eat more often. If I eat every 2 hours, I can still keep my cals low and fire up my metabolism eating high protein,healthy carbs and low healthy fat. When you are young, you gain a few lbs and you eat less and lose the weight. Over time your metabolism slows from age, and diets and this stops working. Of course people who starve themselves lose weight, but it is unsustainable. First 1200 cals works, then you have to lower it to keep losing. The question is if you want to look rock hard and healthy, or so skinny you might die..........
    NO. Eating more often has no effect on your metabolism. Your total calories consumed affects your metabolism, whether it's one meal or 18 meals.
  • SailorKnightWing
    SailorKnightWing Posts: 875 Member
    Options
    Your weight loss may be masked by the natural weight fluctuations due to water we all incur every day. You may be "making up" for eating over maintenance last week. There are lots of reasons you're not seeing the scale move, it's been one week.

    Unrelated, when people say "eat more to weigh less," literally no one means to eat more than your TDEE to lose weight. That's a straw man argument by people who, for some reason, are offended by this concept. It means you can eat a lot more than you think and still lose weight at approximately the same rate (there's a 500 calorie wiggle room there). It means eating below your BMR for a long period of time will cause you body to resist using your energy stores and slow (but not stop or reverse) your loss. It means using the water in food to help with the bloating that was holding that extra water for you and not showing your real progress (and by you I mean me in this sentence).
  • tigersword
    tigersword Posts: 8,059 Member
    Options
    I don't think that anyone is suggesting that someone eat over their calorie goals to lose weight. All I am saying is that our needs today are very different from cavemen that had to hunt and gather, no TV, no McDonalds............If someones goal is to become as thin as possible despite health or longevity of weight loss then fasting might be the answer for that person. Personally my clients have all had great results from eating six small meals a day, and not whatever they want. Healthy foods that fill them up. When you starve your body breaks down muscle as well as fat. If you start at 200lbs with a lean body mass of 150lbs leaving 50lbs of fat and go on a extreme calorie restricted diet without weight training and lose 50lbs your lean body mass will go down as well, so when you get sick of starving and eat normal you will gain the weight back. Only this time your lean body mass is 120lbs and you are left with 80lbs of fat. This makes it even harder to lose the weight again, feeling hopeless cutting more calories. Believe it or don't, but i have seen it over and over. You will not find a respected fitness professional that will tell you to do repeated fasting.
    Ugh, please stop with the myths, you're losing all your credibility. Eating 6 times a day makes no difference. Fasting makes no difference, as long as you get your total calories in for the day.

    It takes almost 4 days of complete fasting to have any negative metabolic effects. Fasting for 18-24 hours does not have any negative effects.

    I feel badly for your clients, since you're obviously lacking the basic scientific knowledge to help them. Go read some actual studies.

Categories