What gives?
Sjonathanw
Posts: 7
Trying to get in better shape I started eating better and exercising mid-January with the goal of losing weight.
I eat well-balanced (mostly lean proteins and produce), 5 or 6 small meals a day. I usually have 1 cheat meal a week. I do HIIT and/or bicycling 3-4X a week, and I usually come in just a little bit under my daily calorie goal.
For the first 4 weeks or so things were great; I lost about 2 pounds a week totaling 8 pounds. But for about a month now, I have been much, much slower. Since February 6th, I have only lost 2 pounds total. And truthfully, that's measuring my "lowest low" and most mornings the scale has said the EXACT same weight for 3 weeks now.
Why?
Is there anything I can do differently? Is this normal?
I eat well-balanced (mostly lean proteins and produce), 5 or 6 small meals a day. I usually have 1 cheat meal a week. I do HIIT and/or bicycling 3-4X a week, and I usually come in just a little bit under my daily calorie goal.
For the first 4 weeks or so things were great; I lost about 2 pounds a week totaling 8 pounds. But for about a month now, I have been much, much slower. Since February 6th, I have only lost 2 pounds total. And truthfully, that's measuring my "lowest low" and most mornings the scale has said the EXACT same weight for 3 weeks now.
Why?
Is there anything I can do differently? Is this normal?
0
Replies
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I think you need to tell us more about you. Starting weight, height, type of exercises, calories per day.....0
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Agree with the poster above plus opening your diary would be helpful. Higher loss in the first weeks is very common though, due to lower carb or sodium levels...
are you weighing all your food on a digital scale?0 -
Thanks guys. I'm 5'11", I started at 188, now I'm at 179 and stuck. I do have a food scale that I use, and I'm careful about measurements. I am a physician and my work days are fairly sedentary so MFP has me limited to 1,240 calories a day. For exercise I will do HIIT on a treadmill for 20 minutes or so, or if it's nice outside I will ride a bicycle for 45min to an hour (with varying hills, speeds, etc).
As an example, yesterday's diet was:
BREAKFAST: 1/2 cup low fat cottage cheese with blackberries and bran flakes. 184 calories
SNACK: Protein shake with protein powder, a frozen banana, and almond milk. 260 calories
LUNCH: a small portion of PF Changs, using their online nutrition information. I over-estimated at about 250 calories
SNACK: High fiber english muffin with butter. 200 calories
DINNER: A fish filet, steamed carrots, steamed snap peas, and steamed acorn squash. 411 calories.
TOTAL: 1305 - 150 (from a small workout) = 1,1550 -
Maybe you are close to your ideal weight and therefore the loss will be much slower? The nih.gov site for body mass index (BMI) calculation indicates that for 5'11" just 178 pounds is within normal range, whereas 179 is at the least overweight BMI, so you are on the cusp. Many people on the MFP website comment that 1200 calories are too few for maintenance, because that level comprises a starvation mode, therefore too low for loss as well. Possibly if you change your goal in your settings, to a rate of 1 lb loss per week rather than a 2 lb loss rate, you will be allocated more calories. Believe it or not, some people I have known claimed (credibly) that they lost when they increased their intake while keeping their activity level steady.0
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Any other takers?0
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You're a 5'11 male with 6 pounds to lose who is only netting 1100 calories a day?
My god, eat something! Then read this.
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1080242-a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants0 -
You're a 5'11 male with 6 pounds to lose who is only netting 1100 calories a day?
My god, eat something! Then read this.
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1080242-a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants
^^THIS.
You're a physician and don't know that already?
I am even more worried about the medical professionals now.0 -
I'm 5' 10" and was 178, and I dropped 24lbs in <6mos eating 1600-1700. I currently maintain on ~2500. Eat, dude!0
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5'11" and only eating 1240 calories? You have set your goals far too aggressively. Aim for 1/2 lb to 1 lb per week loss. Eat back a portion of your exercise calories. Or calculate your TDEE and set it for around a 15% loss for a 1/2-1 lb per week loss, and just eat that. You should be eating at least 1800 calories and probably at least over 2000 for your height, weight, and activity level.
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1080242-a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/819055-setting-your-calorie-and-macro-targets0 -
Eat some food otherwise you will lose Muscle. Your a physician so should know this. the fact you don't is a wee bit worrying0
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Drink more water.
WATER IS KEY!
A pint before each meal.. then a pint everytime you're hungry...0 -
A man should not be eating anything less than 1500 calories a day, and that is for someone who is absolutely sedentary - no exercise whatsoever. I would start by upping your calories to there, then eating back AT LEAST half the calories you burn via exercise - that or setting a daily goal of about 1800. Also, don't step on the scale for a little while. Your body is going to have to readjust to eating more food, and seeing a gain might be discouraging.
Your body will thank you - and remember - food is fuel. Don't run on empty.0 -
Drink more water.
WATER IS KEY!
A pint before each meal.. then a pint everytime you're hungry...
Or, you know, a little more food when you're hungry rather than these Cosmo weightloss tricks.0 -
Drink more water.
WATER IS KEY!
A pint before each meal.. then a pint everytime you're hungry...
Or, you know, a little more food when you're hungry rather than these Cosmo weightloss tricks.
wait, you mean a glass of water before I eat isn't how to please my man? Damn you, Cosmo.
Also, I'm a 5'9 female and maintain on 2400 a day when not exercising heavily. Eat. Food is good.0 -
Sedentary does not mean doing HIIT 3 or 4 times a week. I'd suggest changing your setting. You are not eating enough.
Just for giggles......are you a medical doctor? Isn't there someone in your profession you can speak with?0 -
Glad to hear I'm not crazy. When MFP suggested I barely eat over 1,200 calories a day I thought that was nuts. Has this happened to others? I put in my height, weight, activity level, fitness goals, etc. and that's what it computed.
Other than that, my days ARE very sedentary except for the times I exercise.
I will adjust and see what happens.0 -
I am simply absolutely flabbergasted that a physician would not have realised that such a calorie intake was far too little for a man...heck, it is too little for 99% of females as well. I mean...speechless, almost.0
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To be frank, it had me on 1,540 calories at first (which I still thought seemed a bit low), but with nothing changing for a while I changed my answer to the question about daily activity level (career, etc.) to the lowest one about 4-5 days ago.0
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Just because someone has a medical background does not mean they have a strong background in nutrition. In fact, nutrition education is commonly desperately lacking from medical curricula. Regardless, no member here should be criticized for a lack of understanding or lack of the confidence to follow their gut "knowledge" when faced w/ a tool telling them otherwise.
ETA: As for your question, OP, I agree with PPS that for your height & weight your goal is probably too aggressive & your selected activity level is too low. Healthy weight loss is NOT a race. You may also find that you feel better in your body even at the same weight if you increase strength training & toning exercises.0 -
(And thanks for those using kindness to help)0
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Just because someone has a medical background does not mean they have a strong background in nutrition. In fact, nutrition education is commonly desperately lacking from medical curricula. Regardless, no member here should be criticized for a lack of understanding or lack of the confidence to follow their gut "knowledge" when faced w/ a tool telling them otherwise.
ETA: As for your question, OP, I agree with PPS that for your height & weight your goal is probably too aggressive & your selected activity level is too low. Healthy weight loss is NOT a race. You may also find that you feel better in your body even at the same weight if you increase strength training & toning exercises.
^^^^this0 -
Yes, I think this was more of a MFP website confusion thing, when I changed my lifestyle to "sedentary" I thought that question addressed primarily my normal day-to-day activities EXCLUDING any exercise. It didn't seem quite right to me either, so again, I thank everyone for their kind remarks.0
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When you entered all your info did you set your loss goal to 2lbs a week? Guaranteed to get a low calorie goal every time.
If you did, change it to 1 lb a week.
I'm a 45 year old stay at home mom and I lose on 1800-2000 cals a day. You definitely need to eat more.0 -
This.Drink more water.
WATER IS KEY!
A pint before each meal.. then a pint everytime you're hungry...
Or, you know, a little more food when you're hungry rather than these Cosmo weightloss tricks.
Water is not key to weight loss, but it sure is key to hydration.
What is key to weight loss is eating at a calorie deficit and eating enough to fuel your body.
OP, you sure you're not miscalculating some of those calories in? In other words, you might not be estimating correctly, thus you could be eating more than you think.
If you open your diary we can probably give you more specific feedback.0 -
Thanks guys. I'm 5'11", I started at 188, now I'm at 179 and stuck. I do have a food scale that I use, and I'm careful about measurements. I am a physician and my work days are fairly sedentary so MFP has me limited to 1,240 calories a day. For exercise I will do HIIT on a treadmill for 20 minutes or so, or if it's nice outside I will ride a bicycle for 45min to an hour (with varying hills, speeds, etc).
As an example, yesterday's diet was:
BREAKFAST: 1/2 cup low fat cottage cheese with blackberries and bran flakes. 184 calories
SNACK: Protein shake with protein powder, a frozen banana, and almond milk. 260 calories
LUNCH: a small portion of PF Changs, using their online nutrition information. I over-estimated at about 250 calories
SNACK: High fiber english muffin with butter. 200 calories
DINNER: A fish filet, steamed carrots, steamed snap peas, and steamed acorn squash. 411 calories.
TOTAL: 1305 - 150 (from a small workout) = 1,155
you're eating very little. I guess you put in a very high goal of losing 2lbs per week, which is not achievable long term unless you are very obese. You should aim to lose about 1lb a week. Otherwise MFP has you at 1000 deficit, which is too much for someone who is not that overweight in the first place.
calculate your TDEE and deduct 500, you will see your body adjust in a few weeks and you will start losing again.
I'd also say get rid of measurements. Even though you are careful, the measuring cups are wildly inaccurate in a lot of cases. Just test it yourself and measure out and then weigh something, like peanut butter, ice cream, oil, anything really.0 -
OMG this.You're a 5'11 male with 6 pounds to lose who is only netting 1100 calories a day?
My god, eat something! Then read this.
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1080242-a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants
^^THIS.
You're a physician and don't know that already?
I am even more worried about the medical professionals now.0
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