1800 burned per day - are we sure?

hmg90
hmg90 Posts: 314 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Is fitnesspal, or anybody else for that matter, sure that one burns 1800 a day by doing nothing? Isn't it possible that by not being active one can burn much less and therefore need a lower intake to lose?

I'm 23 and female. I'm asking because I do 1300 calories a day. I have not lost anything in two weeks, but gained 1 lbs. I need to change something, but no idea what.

Replies

  • Ophidion
    Ophidion Posts: 2,065 Member
    If you at a calorie (true) deficit you will see a loss, if you have just joined you have to have a little patience when changing your calorie intake or exercise activity.

    I recommend reading these links and paying specific attention to setting up your cals/macros correctly and also the advice about weighing food as opposed to estimations.

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1080242-a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants

    http://evidencemag.com/why-calories-count/

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1069278-acronyms-and-terms-for-new-mfp-members-v-6

    Good luck.
  • SuperCrsa
    SuperCrsa Posts: 790 Member
    Its not just doing nothing, your body needs energy to function.

    Your BMR (Basal metabolic rate) is the energy needed for your body to lie in bed the whole day, my body needs 1750 cals approx for just this. So yes it is very possible.

    Do yourself a favor and check out: http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/
    This is one of the best calculators I have found.

    Once you know your BMR you will know the number you should not be eating less than.
    TDEE (Total Daily Energy Expenditure) is your calories the body needs including all your activity during the day. (This would be your maintenance)

    If you open your diary people will be able to give you a lot more advise on your eating habits. Remember to weigh and measure everything accurately.

    Edit to add, you know its a good thread when two people refer you to it :)
    Another FANTASTIC read:
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1080242-a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants?hl=guide+sexypants
  • hmg90
    hmg90 Posts: 314 Member
    I went to the site, and it said 1817 for maintenance and ca. 1363 for weight loss for me.

    But I've been under 1300 for two weeks, and I've gained...
  • UncertainAngel12
    UncertainAngel12 Posts: 30 Member
    Well the first things to consider are:

    *Are oyu keeping measurements. Sometimes as we convert fat to muscle we gain weight on the scale BUT we can see the change in our measurements. I take my measurements once a week.

    * Are you eating the right kidns of foods. It's no point cutting calories if you are still eating foods that are high in sugars and trans fats. Your body will not break them down properly and will convert them straight to fat storage. Also I have a mild gluten intolerance and that makes me retain water weight and bloat increasing weight on the scales before I cut wheat out of my diet, this might be something to look into?

    *are you weighing yourself first thing in the morning after you perform ablutions? This is the best time of day to weight yourself as your stomach is, presumably, empty.

    :-)
  • hmg90
    hmg90 Posts: 314 Member
    Well the first things to consider are:

    *Are oyu keeping measurements. Sometimes as we convert fat to muscle we gain weight on the scale BUT we can see the change in our measurements. I take my measurements once a week.

    * Are you eating the right kidns of foods. It's no point cutting calories if you are still eating foods that are high in sugars and trans fats. Your body will not break them down properly and will convert them straight to fat storage. Also I have a mild gluten intolerance and that makes me retain water weight and bloat increasing weight on the scales before I cut wheat out of my diet, this might be something to look into?

    *are you weighing yourself first thing in the morning after you perform ablutions? This is the best time of day to weight yourself as your stomach is, presumably, empty.

    :-)

    Hey and thanks for response.

    - I have kept measurements in the past, but not now. I don't feel skinnier and can tell I am not. Usually have a slight gap between my thighs, and now there is none. Since I am not working out right now, it's merely about losing fat, which the scale should be able to tell me.

    - I've been doing low carb which means I've eaten more fat. I've cut pasta, potatoes, grains, all alcohol. No trans fats, I've never eaten processed food a lot. I've remained under my calorie goal every day, and after browsing various threads on here, that should be what matters? Getting conflicting advice east and west.

    - Yes I weigh first thing in the morning. It's two weeks since last time and today I was 1 lbs heavier.
  • Ophidion
    Ophidion Posts: 2,065 Member
    Well the first things to consider are:

    *Are oyu keeping measurements. Sometimes as we convert fat to muscle we gain weight on the scale BUT we can see the change in our measurements. I take my measurements once a week.

    * Are you eating the right kidns of foods. It's no point cutting calories if you are still eating foods that are high in sugars and trans fats. Your body will not break them down properly and will convert them straight to fat storage. Also I have a mild gluten intolerance and that makes me retain water weight and bloat increasing weight on the scales before I cut wheat out of my diet, this might be something to look into?

    *are you weighing yourself first thing in the morning after you perform ablutions? This is the best time of day to weight yourself as your stomach is, presumably, empty.

    :-)

    Hey and thanks for response.

    - I have kept measurements in the past, but not now. I don't feel skinnier and can tell I am not. Usually have a slight gap between my thighs, and now there is none. Since I am not working out right now, it's merely about losing fat, which the scale should be able to tell me.

    - I've been doing low carb which means I've eaten more fat. I've cut pasta, potatoes, grains, all alcohol. No trans fats, I've never eaten processed food a lot. I've remained under my calorie goal every day, and after browsing various threads on here, that should be what matters? Getting conflicting advice east and west.

    - Yes I weigh first thing in the morning. It's two weeks since last time and today I was 1 lbs heavier.
    Sorry but weight loss is the result of a calorie deficit...if you are eating at a TRUE deficit you will see losses.

    I would look at this link...

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/872212-you-re-probably-eating-more-than-you-think

    You are either underestimating your food portions or over estimating your exercise calories burnt.

    No matter what your dietary preference is you will lose weight barring medical conditions....

    http://evidencemag.com/why-calories-count/

    Water weight from lifting can give you gains (water in muscles etc) but these usually level out and you will not make any significant gains in muscle mass whilst in a true deficit.
  • hmg90
    hmg90 Posts: 314 Member
    I don't really see how I can measure inaccurately or be "missing" things as I don't use any butter or oil when cooking food, no sauce, or anything. Just plain, larger ingredients, like a turkey steak, two tomatoes and a cup of cauliflower.

    I suppose I'll go down to 1100 or so just to remain on the safe side. Meanwhile saving up to a vaser treatment or something, because I'll go depressed if I don't lose this weight soon.
  • stackhead
    stackhead Posts: 121 Member
    A couple of things:
    1. You don't have your diary open, so it's hard for us to assess and therefore help
    2. You said you usually have a small thigh gap? Which means you're probably already quite slim, which means the weight should be coming off really slowly
    3. If your using bigger ingredients then the margin for error gets larger, are you sure you know what you're logging?
    4. What about drinks? Do you drink your calories? Sugar in tea, milk, sugary drinks?
    5. Two weeks isn't a long time, I can gain solidly for two weeks and then have a loss in the third that offsets those gains. Weight loss isn't linear.
    6. I didn't note an exercise plan? Are you doing anything? Could your 'loss' be acheived through lifting and therefore changing your body composition rather than losing more weight?
    7. If you are exercising are you eating back the calories? Are these accurate?

    More than a couple of things, but worth considering before you lower your calories even more.
  • AnexRavensong
    AnexRavensong Posts: 262 Member
    1800 doesn't sound unreasonable. I am around 1900 and I sit on my butt all day at the computer aside from walking a couple of places and things like that (no intentional exercise for my own health reasons atm)

    My BMR (basal metabolic rate, what it takes to keep you alive if you stayed in bed all day) is like 1537 cals.. normally your BMR should be above 1300. So eating 1300 isn't going to encourage weighloss, it is going to encourage fat gain. Your body wants to survive and it will do that by holding on to fat stores (and making more).

    Fine your BMR here: http://www.bmi-calculator.net/bmr-calculator/

    You need to eat a deficit of your TDEE (Total Daily Energy Expenditure) and NOT under your BMR. Sure, people can actually starve to death (thus, lose weight) eating less than their BMR for extended periods of time. But you're basically at eating at under BMR but over what it takes to starve, so you're just going to stay stuck in a plateau state and probably start gaining fat (it happened to me).

    I HIGHLY suggest you check out IPOARM: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/974888-in-place-of-a-road-map-2k13
    and EM2WL: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/groups/home/3817-eat-more-to-weigh-less

    There's some good information in there. You will need to learn these abbreviations that get thrown around the site: BMR, TDEE as they are very important. There's some good spreadsheets that let you plug in your stats to help you determine how much you should be eating from the IPOARM group which is also used by a lot of EM2WL members (you can do both like me).

    Eating under BMR will get you temporary results and won't help you any at all. Please look into eating at a small deficit of TDEE instead.
  • hmg90
    hmg90 Posts: 314 Member
    A couple of things:
    1. You don't have your diary open, so it's hard for us to assess and therefore help
    2. You said you usually have a small thigh gap? Which means you're probably already quite slim, which means the weight should be coming off really slowly
    3. If your using bigger ingredients then the margin for error gets larger, are you sure you know what you're logging?
    4. What about drinks? Do you drink your calories? Sugar in tea, milk, sugary drinks?
    5. Two weeks isn't a long time, I can gain solidly for two weeks and then have a loss in the third that offsets those gains. Weight loss isn't linear.
    6. I didn't note an exercise plan? Are you doing anything? Could your 'loss' be acheived through lifting and therefore changing your body composition rather than losing more weight?
    7. If you are exercising are you eating back the calories? Are these accurate?

    More than a couple of things, but worth considering before you lower your calories even more.

    My diary should be open, at least I've put it to 'public'.

    All the things I drink are coffee in the morning, green tea with some coconut milk or water. I add the coconut milk, but not the green tea as it's set to zero. Don't use sugar or drink sugary drinks.

    I squeeze in exercise by going for long walks and trying to stay active throughout the day. I don't calculate this as exercise, so I don't eat it back. Don't have a gym membership as I don't have money for it now.
  • Ophidion
    Ophidion Posts: 2,065 Member
    I don't really see how I can measure inaccurately or be "missing" things as I don't use any butter or oil when cooking food, no sauce, or anything. Just plain, larger ingredients, like a turkey steak, two tomatoes and a cup of cauliflower.

    I suppose I'll go down to 1100 or so just to remain on the safe side. Meanwhile saving up to a vaser treatment or something, because I'll go depressed if I don't lose this weight soon.

    Because measuring cups can be quite inaccurate....look at the link I provided earlier.

    It doesn't matter what you are measuring it is how accurate your measurements are that count.

    This thread is starting to sound like someone with an unhealthy relationship with food.

    Check out the links provided as they are tried and tested.

    Good luck!
  • AnexRavensong
    AnexRavensong Posts: 262 Member
    If she is really eating at 1300 cals she isn't going to lose weight/fat. Stop trying to make her think she is over estimating her food.. it sounds like she barely eats as it is :(

    DO NOT go down to 1100 cals.
  • hmg90
    hmg90 Posts: 314 Member
    I've been eating a lot of sodium lately, so I will try to cut out all high sodium foods as I hear they keep water retention in your body. Maybe that will work, just trying anything right now.
  • hmg90
    hmg90 Posts: 314 Member
    A friend of mine said I could try "PSMF" as it guarantees weight loss. Anyone tried it?
  • Midori_i
    Midori_i Posts: 91 Member
    Exactly, don't start eating even less!!

    There are a bunch of reasons why you didn't lose anything yet even though you're eating very little. You could be withholding water (because you started working out and weren't used to it, or because you don't drink enough, eat too much sodium, medical conditions, etc...).

    Or you could be mistaking natural ups and downs on the scale for gains. E.g. if you drink two tall glasses of water and then step on the scale, you're already a pound heavier, even though you haven't "gained" anything.

    One pound difference after two weeks really isn't an indicator whether or not what you're doing is working. Keep doing it, don't eat even less, wait and see. If you keep eating little and gaining for another two weeks, THEN I'd start wondering what I need to change.
  • piratebear1
    piratebear1 Posts: 88 Member
    Could it be Time of the month retention? I get my retention 2 weeks before my period - so worth taking into account.

    Did you use the toilet before weighing - that can easily add a few pound. Food high in sodium retains lots of water - could be that, try drinking a ton of water a day - makes a difference.

    Dont give up!
  • hmg90
    hmg90 Posts: 314 Member
    Could it be Time of the month retention? I get my retention 2 weeks before my period - so worth taking into account.


    I have no idea. My period is over two weeks late, got PMS symptoms a lot, but no idea when it's coming.

    I do drink a lot of green tea, but I'll try upping my water as well. I went to the toilet before weighing today, didn't eat or drink anything before.
  • Ninkyou
    Ninkyou Posts: 6,666 Member
    First, you've only been at it two weeks. Be patient.

    The 1 lbs gain is most likely water retention. It'll go away.

    Second, weight loss is all about calories in calories out. If you are in a true deficit, you will lose weight, no matter what. If you're not losing weight, then you're not in a deficit.

    Read the link about eating more than you think. If you are not weighing your food portions, I recommend you do it. You could be eating the healthiest foods in the world and not be losing weight because you're simply eating too many calories of it. Weighing your food (not measuring cups or eyeballing) will give you an accurate calorie count. You'd be surprised about things we can easily overestimate. I looked at your diary and I can EASILY see things that you're most likely overestimating on. Cheese slices, fruit, vegetables, meat, chips, etc. Even if things come prepackaged, they can still contain more than 1 serving (or however many is listed on the package).

    So yeah, in my opinion, you're eating more than you think. Consider buying a food scale.
  • Phrick
    Phrick Posts: 2,765 Member
    Could it be Time of the month retention? I get my retention 2 weeks before my period - so worth taking into account.


    I have no idea. My period is over two weeks late, got PMS symptoms a lot, but no idea when it's coming.

    I do drink a lot of green tea, but I'll try upping my water as well. I went to the toilet before weighing today, didn't eat or drink anything before.

    My guess is it'll arrive in about 8.5 months!! Well OK I'm only partly serious but really, have you taken a test (or twelve) yet? I sure would have by now!
  • hmg90
    hmg90 Posts: 314 Member
    I looked at your diary and I can EASILY see things that you're most likely overestimating on. Cheese slices, fruit, vegetables, meat, chips, etc. Even if things come prepackaged, they can still contain more than 1 serving (or however many is listed on the package).

    So yeah, in my opinion, you're eating more than you think. Consider buying a food scale.

    Thanks, can you give me some examples?
    For meat, they come as a steak or as a burger, so I search it up on the database. Same for one egg, one tomato or five cherry tomatoes. The cheese slices come pre-sliced. I always double check with what it says on the package in case the database is wrong. I also look up one banana, one orange etc.
  • flab2fit_30
    flab2fit_30 Posts: 66
    ok, what are your stats? height weight age?

    your definitely not eating enough, but your stats will help us tell you what you should be eating.
  • erickirb
    erickirb Posts: 12,294 Member
    I went to the site, and it said 1817 for maintenance and ca. 1363 for weight loss for me.

    But I've been under 1300 for two weeks, and I've gained...

    have you been weighing all solid foods and measuring liquids?

    If not you are probably eating 10-50% more than you think you are of some items
  • ell_v131
    ell_v131 Posts: 349 Member
    I looked at your diary and I can EASILY see things that you're most likely overestimating on. Cheese slices, fruit, vegetables, meat, chips, etc. Even if things come prepackaged, they can still contain more than 1 serving (or however many is listed on the package).

    So yeah, in my opinion, you're eating more than you think. Consider buying a food scale.

    Thanks, can you give me some examples?
    For meat, they come as a steak or as a burger, so I search it up on the database. Same for one egg, one tomato or five cherry tomatoes. The cheese slices come pre-sliced. I always double check with what it says on the package in case the database is wrong. I also look up one banana, one orange etc.

    1 tomato can weigh 50 grams or 110 grams. Banana can weigh 80 grams or 210 grams. These are not too calorific but make the mistake with something more calorie dense (nuts, meat, avocado, anything of substance) and you are off by hundreds of calories per day.

    So yes, buy a $20 food scale on amazon and start weighing. Try using the entries in the diary that have USDA in the title, I find them more reliable, as a lot of the calories is user input.

    Please take a pregnancy test, too, if you are 2 weeks late.

    Before changing your calories, make sure you are tracking as accurate as possible.
  • erickirb
    erickirb Posts: 12,294 Member
    I looked at your diary and I can EASILY see things that you're most likely overestimating on. Cheese slices, fruit, vegetables, meat, chips, etc. Even if things come prepackaged, they can still contain more than 1 serving (or however many is listed on the package).

    So yeah, in my opinion, you're eating more than you think. Consider buying a food scale.

    Thanks, can you give me some examples?
    For meat, they come as a steak or as a burger, so I search it up on the database. Same for one egg, one tomato or five cherry tomatoes. The cheese slices come pre-sliced. I always double check with what it says on the package in case the database is wrong. I also look up one banana, one orange etc.

    weigh it
  • hmg90
    hmg90 Posts: 314 Member
    ok, what are your stats? height weight age?

    your definitely not eating enough, but your stats will help us tell you what you should be eating.

    5"9, 150 lbs, 23 yrs. Normal weight before Christmas 132 lbs so not looking to lose that much.
  • Ninkyou
    Ninkyou Posts: 6,666 Member
    Thanks, can you give me some examples?
    For meat, they come as a steak or as a burger, so I search it up on the database. Same for one egg, one tomato or five cherry tomatoes. The cheese slices come pre-sliced. I always double check with what it says on the package in case the database is wrong. I also look up one banana, one orange etc.

    All fruit varies greatly in size. You can say a clementine is small or a banana is large, but it means squat. A small clementine can weigh more than it looks. You think it's small so it can't be alot of calories, but that 35 calories can easily be 50 or 60. Same with a banana. This morning the banana I had with breakfast was 125g, so 111 calories. A couple weeks ago I had bananas that were closer to 99g, so they were less calories... but I can't actually tell the difference in size between them. They looked exactly the same.

    Cheese does come presliced, but no slice is exactly the same. One slice can be 5g more than another, who knows. Cheese is more caloric dense, so those grams can easily add up. 28g of cheese can be around 100-110 calories (depending on the kind). So say you have 2 slices of cheese, and one weighs 5g more than the serving size listed on the package... that means instead of 110 calories, you're eating almost 20 calories more than you thought.

    Meat is also a big one. For example, ham steaks. Those ham steaks, although packaged as a single steak can easily have 3 servings. I have some in my fridge where a serving size is like 3 oz. There's actually about 2.5 servings from that ONE single steak. So that 110 calories turns into 275 calories.

    Same thing for everything else listed. It's all about the weight/grams per serving. They add up.
  • QuietBloom
    QuietBloom Posts: 5,413 Member
    Buy a food scale and weigh everything.
  • flab2fit_30
    flab2fit_30 Posts: 66
    ok, what are your stats? height weight age?

    your definitely not eating enough, but your stats will help us tell you what you should be eating.

    5"9, 150 lbs, 23 yrs. Normal weight before Christmas 132 lbs so not looking to lose that much.

    ok so even at a sedentary lifestyle (no exercise at all) you should be eating at least 1500 calories. so thats first.

    secondly, you definitely need to purchase a food scale- looking at your food diary, im almost positive you are eating way more than you think you are- even well over 1500... and your sodium is really high. when eat too much sodium on top of drinking very little water (you dont have it logged so i dont know what you really drink) your body holds the water weight that sodium causes... thus you are gaining weight.

    hope this help.
  • hmg90
    hmg90 Posts: 314 Member
    I will get a food scale... in the meantime (for today) I'll put everything in slightly higher, i.e. small tomato as a medium, medium banana as a large, to remain safe.

    I drink quite a bit of water, it's just a hassle noting it down all the time since I drink many times during the day.

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