Losing faster than calculations say I should?

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MrsCZM138
MrsCZM138 Posts: 116
in Health and Weight Loss
I promise I'm not complaining about losing weight.. ok, I am a little, but only because I'm afraid I'm losing all my LBM.

My TDEE is about 1950 calories a day. I have MFP set at 1300/day but, for honesty sake, usually end up at 1250. There's very few days I drop below 1200 but I definitely have days over 1300 as well- eh, it all evens out. But, I digress..

Anyway, that's about a 700 calorie deficit per day x 7 days = 4,900 calories a week = 1.4 lbs a week

I liked that rate and thought it should be maintainable. For the first 7 weeks or so I lost that 1-2lbs a week averaging 1.4 a week. But for the last few months, I've been losing 2-3lbs a week steadily. This week I lost 2.4lbs (my ticker will update at official weigh in tomorrow). How are my numbers not lining up for so long? My actual loss is greater than my deficit? Don't get me wrong, I'm excited to be losing and not stalling but I want this to be done right and lose the fat and leave my muscle alone. Am I destroying my lean muscle with this kind of loss? I'm smart enough to know I could add calories to slow this progress down but if I'm not hurting myself in the mean time then I'll take the extra boost while it lasts, ykwim?

Stats:

Age: 28
SW 221
CW 191
LBM based on calculators with body measurements and my scale which is probably inaccurate: ~ 135-140lbs
I only exercise 1-2 days a week right now (I know, bad girl)
And yes, I eat a lot of "bad" foods for me but, lets be honest, this is how my life will always be so I should not cut these things out if I'm going to add them back in at maintenance.
I'm really not very active. I retired from floor nursing but do some private nursing a few hours a day and that doesn't require much in terms of heavy lifting.

Any advice on why things aren't matching up? Or advice other than eat more and exercise more? Or am I answering my own questions here? LOL.

Replies

  • Yanicka1
    Yanicka1 Posts: 4,564 Member
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    Eat more lol
    Calculators are just an average might be too low for you.
    Add 100-200 calories for a few weeks......see what the scale does.

    Good luck
  • summergirl212
    summergirl212 Posts: 91 Member
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    It could be that your body is burning more or you are underestimating the calories that you are consuming. You can try eating a little bit more each day to see if it slows down or just enjoy the ride, it's better than having the problem the other way around. :]
  • geekyjock76
    geekyjock76 Posts: 2,720 Member
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    Relative preservation of lean mass during a deficit can only happen if all of the following conditions are met: 1) engage in progress resistance training; 2) consume adequate protein; and 3) adhere to a calorie deficit appropriate for the amount of fat mass you have.

    A 2 lb per week loss, or greater, should only be pursued by those with 80+ lbs of fat to lose. The less fat mass, the lower the weekly fat loss goals should be.
  • Siansonea
    Siansonea Posts: 917 Member
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    So, if you lose "LBM", is it gone forever or something? People act like you're going to turn into a snack-sized Jabba the Hutt if you lost LBM (while also losing Fat Body Mass, but whatever). And why does a tinier, trimmer body need the same amount or more LBM as an overweight body? If you're carrying less of a load, why do you need more horsepower? :huh:
  • steve0820
    steve0820 Posts: 510 Member
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    A 700 cal deficit does seem like a bit much, you can lose 1-1.5lbs/week with just 250-500lbs deficit, throw in exercise and depending if you are just starting out or haven't worked out in a long time, you should also see "noob" results! So with that said, it makes sense. I would increase your cal intake for sure, more carbs and protein, slowly, and see how you feel from there. Nutrition is all a game of a little give and take depending on your goals.
  • Springfield1970
    Springfield1970 Posts: 1,945 Member
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    Losing LBM isn't a great idea if you want to have a good shape after dieting. You're going to lose some anyway, but like mentioned before, the body can only metabolise fat at a certain speed, after that it eats it's own muscle and organs to find energy. That's not something I want to ever do again. Particularly as it took me 6 weeks, loads of expensive protein and at least 18 hours of heavy lifting to gain 1.5lb of muscle.

    That's 1.5lb of muscle. It's worth it's weight in gold, possibly even saffron.

    If you've got less than 80lb of fat it's worth not going more than 15-20% into tdee deficit.

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