BEST weight loss advice!!!!! Simple & easy

It's not always so simple.

I had successfully lost 91 lbs by eating at a calorie deficit (1200 cal a day). I faithfully logged everything I ate and drank into a desktop program similar to MFP. Suddenly I stopped losing. I kept adhering to the diet, even trying various approaches such as calorie staggering, lowering carbs, etc., and logging in everything I ate, but I didn't lose one ounce in an entire year. Due to being disabled, I was unable to increase my exercise.

At that point, after researching, I decided to switch to a vegan diet. I lost 35 more pounds for a total of 126 lbs. I was able to eat 1300 to 1400 calories a day on the vegan diet and still lose. The diet was so restrictive, that I couldn't stay on it beyond the 6 month period, though. So, I went back to the original diet plan's maintenance program and kept off the weight for a few years until I had a two year period of steady illness and injuries, and I put the weight back on.

This time when resuming my diet, I spoke to a diet doctor who advised me that the reason I stopped losing before was that my calorie deficit was too low, which caused my metabolism to slow down, which in turn caused me to stop losing weight. He said switching to a vegan diet reset my metabolism and caused weight loss to start again. So, the doctor told me that this time, I must eat 1500 calories a day. He said as my weight lowers, my ideal calorie deficit amount will lower and at those intervals, we can drop my calorie intake accordingly.

The body is very complex, and weight loss can be just as complex.

SailorKnightW -- Yes.

There are some people who have medical issues or are on meds that mess with their ability to lose weight... However, I think most people don't lose because they are underestimating the number of calories they consume. It's easy to do!

Actually, I've always wondered about the meds thing. It seems that people say "LAW says: calories in vs. calories out, no exception" UNTIL there's talk of certain birth control pills or oral steroids, etc. So, what happens with those drugs--do they just cause the people to eat more without them knowing it, or does it make them sit on the couch more without them noticing? (Serious question; no snark)

You started lifting heavy things while still eating at a deficit and stopped losing weight? Forever? Really?

You started lifting heavy things while still eating at a deficit and stopped losing weight? Forever? Really?

Well gosh, it's only been about a month since I started, but even after a month one might start to wonder why the calories in/out thing has "stopped" working. That equation didn't mention anything about plateaus, did it?

So, maybe it isn't just as simple as the OPs equations. There are more ifs, ands, or buts (butts hurt apparently) to the equation.

I am not saying the basic equation is wrong. But there is more to know than just that.

Would you not agree?

You started lifting heavy things while still eating at a deficit and stopped losing weight? Forever? Really?

Well gosh, it's only been about a month since I started, but even after a month one might start to wonder why the calories in/out thing has "stopped" working. That equation didn't mention anything about plateaus, did it?

So, maybe it isn't just as simple as the OPs equations. There are more ifs, ands, or buts (butts hurt apparently) to the equation.

I am not saying the basic equation is wrong. But there is more to know than just that.

Would you not agree?

I agree that the formula is simple, but I think it can be complicated for each individual to figure out his or her own weight loss "sweet spot" because the calculations are estimates. Just because scooby says you should lose weight on 1700 calories per day doesn't mean that you will.

There are some people who have medical issues or are on meds that mess with their ability to lose weight... However, I think most people don't lose because they are underestimating the number of calories they consume. It's easy to do!

Actually, I've always wondered about the meds thing. It seems that people say "LAW says: calories in vs. calories out, no exception" UNTIL there's talk of certain birth control pills or oral steroids, etc. So, what happens with those drugs--do they just cause the people to eat more without them knowing it, or does it make them sit on the couch more without them noticing? (Serious question; no snark)

Calories out > calories in - it's not that simple.

Steroids and birth control pills are actually made of hormones which cause the body to store fat. Some medications also cause the body to retain water, salt and fat, all of which will cause weight gain, or at least an inability to lose.

I haven't noticed anyone mentioning age, either. I don't care what the commercials say, as we age our metabolism slows. We can combat it to some extent with exercise - but ask any gerontologist - it isn't a perfect solution. As we age our ability to taste food changes as well, which is why a 40 y/o will typically want more spiciness than a 20 y/o (of course, the taste buds may crave it but it doesn't mean the stomach will tolerate it - lol.) Really elderly people usually eat very little because food does not taste good to them anymore. Because of the metabolism slowdown, though, they have increased body fat.

Women, regardless of age, typically have a more difficult time losing weight than men, because female hormones are made to hold on to fat. This prepares the body for childbearing. For some reason, the female body goes into fat accumulating/muscle wasting/bone squandering overdrive when women go into menopause.

Type 2 diabetics, because of the insulin resistance, also have a harder time losing weight regardless of calorie intake - output. Insulin is a hormone.

BTW, I'm a registered nurse an have been almost 20 years now, and a former diabetes educator.

All of the above only affects the numbers in the formula, not the formula itself.

When you start lifting your muscles store water within the muscle tissue to aid repair of the tissue which causes the scale to stop moving. It's not a true plateau, it's just water weight masking losses. It usually takes 4-6 weeks to resolve for people who are doing a serious heavy lifting program. Your situation should resolve soon.

The scale doesn't just show fat loss, but it includes water weight changes which vary based on sodium intake and retention for muscle repair. As much as you want to complicate it, and get frustrated at the scale (everyone does at some point), the formula works. Just stick with it.

Hey Guys,

I am aware of this, because I do a lot of reading (and I do use the search function). I am not worried about the number on the scale. But for someone who doesn't, you can see how that equation might be a bit simplified.

I definitely would not say it is incorrect, but can you all not see that it is too oversimplified for people who obviously don't "get it"?

Weight loss is dependent on calories in/out, BUT there might be times of plateau when you need to readjust AND there might be reasons that the scale doesn't show a loss, and IF you have a medical condition you may get different results from the scale than you might be able to normally expect.

There was an ex-marine lady who posted a blanket info thread not to long ago. Can't remember her name but she has awesome abs. That thread had SO much helpful info and really broke things down to the basics, and somehow she managed not to call anyone stupid or minimize the difficulty people have with losing weight.

When you start lifting your muscles store water within the muscle tissue to aid repair of the tissue which causes the scale to stop moving. It's not a true plateau, it's just water weight masking losses. It usually takes 4-6 weeks to resolve for people who are doing a serious heavy lifting program. Your situation should resolve soon.

The scale doesn't just show fat loss, but it includes water weight changes which vary based on sodium intake and retention for muscle repair. As much as you want to complicate it, and get frustrated at the scale (everyone does at some point), the formula works. Just stick with it.

Hey Guys,

I am aware of this, because I do a lot of reading (and I do use the search function). I am not worried about the number on the scale. But for someone who doesn't, you can see how that equation might be a bit simplified.

I definitely would not say it is incorrect, but can you all not see that it is too oversimplified for people who obviously don't "get it"?

Weight loss is dependent on calories in/out, BUT there might be times of plateau when you need to readjust AND there might be reasons that the scale doesn't show a loss, and IF you have a medical condition you may get different results from the scale than you might be able to normally expect.

There was an ex-marine lady who posted a blanket info thread not too long ago. Can't remember her name but she has awesome abs. That thread had SO much helpful info and really broke things down to the basics, and somehow she managed not to call anyone stupid or minimize the difficulty people have with losing weight.

The issue is that most people think that they can just use the same numbers the whole way through and it's going to work, without considering that the factors used to determine the deficit have changed.

For example, as you lose weight, your BMR lowers. You also burn fewer calories during exercise because there's less mass to move around, and your body has adapted to the routine and become more efficient. You also have to decrease your deficit as you lose weight, because you can only have so much of a deficit before you risk screwing up your metabolism.

Then we end up with a huge special snowflake argument because the person wants to say the formula is wrong instead of looking at the data to pinpoint the problem.

The best analogy to describe the oversimplification of this OP is that it's like the laws of physics. You go to college, sit down in your freshman lecture, and are given these simple, immutable laws on the first day. They explain everything and nothing at the same time. If being given the law was enough, that would be the end of the physics courses...but instead you spend 2 or 3 semesters figuring out how these simple laws actually apply to everything.