"Calorie Deficit" when I'm already at 1,300?

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  • eddiesmith1
    eddiesmith1 Posts: 1,550 Member
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    Yes, I would agree that the sodium is a major contributor. I just love SALT! :(((( Will really try to adjust that down.

    And the body tape measure - yes, did that too. No change there either! Except shrunk in BOOBS! :(

    I lost a lot of weight between October/November (down to 121/122) and kept it off until January when I had a work trip and rose back up to 127. To me, that's not fluctuation, that's gain :(
    to gain 5 pounds on that trip you would need to have consumed and additional 17500 calories over and above your TDEE number (Maintenance) - based on a 5 day trip that would be 5 days of 5306 calories - I'm a lot bigger than you and that would be a stretch for me if i was trying to eat at least moderately healthy (I could do it on Pasta and Pizza and Wine easily though)
    looking at the linked calculator has your TDEE @ 1806 with 1-3 hours light exercise (ie don't eat back your exercise) and a loss goal of 1444 - BMR is 1313
  • LeahFerri
    LeahFerri Posts: 186 Member
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    My two cents:

    Looking at your diary, it seems like you don't use a food scale. I don't either, but I've considered it. When you don't have a lot to lose, a little bit adds up here and there and knocks out a solid chunk of your deficit. If you go over on what you've measured and have inaccurate measuring on top of that, you can completely eliminate your deficit and even go into surplus.

    You also eat back all of your exercise calories. That might be part of the issue. You definitely need to eat some of them back, but a lot of burn estimates tend to be high. Heart rate monitors are supposed to offer the best estimates (I don't know if you use one). A lot of people who use the MFP estimates tend to eat back 1/2 to 2/3 of their estimated burn and see good results with that.

    This has been said by previous posters, but I thought I'd flesh it out.
  • Eric_DeCastro
    Eric_DeCastro Posts: 767 Member
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    I do 500 calorie burn min but m-f it's usually 1100 calorie burn per day. I don't eat any fruit (not allowed to right now) and I average a lose of 2lbs per week.
  • Eric_DeCastro
    Eric_DeCastro Posts: 767 Member
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    it also looks like you aren't drinking the amount of water you should. I drink tons of water and it flushes the salt out of your system and the salt will retain water. try drinking at least 2 qts or water a day.
  • SezxyStef
    SezxyStef Posts: 15,268 Member
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    Hi Garmel!

    It might be that you're simply not eating enough and putting your body into starvation mode. If you're exercising a lot, you'll need to eat more.

    I'm not an expert, but wonder if you're eating too little? I found when I ate 1200-1400 calories a day I didn't lose and sometimes even gained, but then I upped calories to 1700-1850 I lose regularly. It's odd!

    No and No

    There is no "starvation mode" and if she were truely eating 1400 calories how is increasing calories going to make her lose...

    To the OP you don't weigh your food how do you know how much you are eating?

    Chances are you are eating more than you thing.
  • lesteidel
    lesteidel Posts: 229 Member
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    You said you were eating that amount "net calories". Try reducing the amount of exercise calories you eat back until you start seeing. The scale move. I never had any luck eating back exercise calories except for those from my five mile runs, and then I would only eat back 150 to 200. When I was eating my exercise calories, I didn't lose anything at all.
  • Bernadette60614
    Bernadette60614 Posts: 707 Member
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    I found that I underestimated my portions and overestimated the amount burned from exercise. I was recording 1,300 calories, but actually eating more like 1,800, e.g.
  • dmenchac
    dmenchac Posts: 447 Member
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    If I hear one more person say anything about starvation mode.....


    STOP SPREADING MISINFORMATION
  • garmel
    garmel Posts: 17 Member
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    No and No

    There is no "starvation mode" and if she were truely eating 1400 calories how is increasing calories going to make her lose...

    To the OP you don't weigh your food how do you know how much you are eating?

    Chances are you are eating more than you thing.
    [/quote]

    I measure using standard measurements. Cup of this type of fruit, cup of these nuts, I don't have a scientific measurement for meats but if I buy a pound of chicken and eat 1/4 of it, I'm using 4oz as a measurement.

    I drink water all day. Close to a gallon. Aside from some coffee, I drink nothing but water. I don't bother adding it to MFP.

    I suppose it's possible that I am under counting my portion sizes.

    And I guess I will try to stop eating back all my burned calories.

    And I guess I'll be even MORE perpetually hungry than I already am. Cold world ;)
  • dmenchac
    dmenchac Posts: 447 Member
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    No and No

    There is no "starvation mode" and if she were truely eating 1400 calories how is increasing calories going to make her lose...

    To the OP you don't weigh your food how do you know how much you are eating?

    Chances are you are eating more than you thing.

    I measure using standard measurements. Cup of this type of fruit, cup of these nuts, I don't have a scientific measurement for meats but if I buy a pound of chicken and eat 1/4 of it, I'm using 4oz as a measurement.

    I drink water all day. Close to a gallon. Aside from some coffee, I drink nothing but water. I don't bother adding it to MFP.

    I suppose it's possible that I am under counting my portion sizes.

    And I guess I will try to stop eating back all my burned calories.

    And I guess I'll be even MORE perpetually hungry than I already am. Cold world ;)
    [/quote]

    You need to weigh, not measure. Not every piece of chicken is 1 lb even though it says it is.. And how do you know you ate exactly .25 of it?

    Take a look at bread... Says 2 slices are 100 calories, but if I go by weight, those two same slices are actually 120.


    WEIGH WEIGH WEIGH!!
  • SezxyStef
    SezxyStef Posts: 15,268 Member
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    No and No

    There is no "starvation mode" and if she were truely eating 1400 calories how is increasing calories going to make her lose...

    To the OP you don't weigh your food how do you know how much you are eating?

    Chances are you are eating more than you thing.

    I measure using standard measurements. Cup of this type of fruit, cup of these nuts, I don't have a scientific measurement for meats but if I buy a pound of chicken and eat 1/4 of it, I'm using 4oz as a measurement.

    I drink water all day. Close to a gallon. Aside from some coffee, I drink nothing but water. I don't bother adding it to MFP.

    I suppose it's possible that I am under counting my portion sizes.

    And I guess I will try to stop eating back all my burned calories.

    And I guess I'll be even MORE perpetually hungry than I already am. Cold world ;)

    Using a kitchen scale will help you a lot then. They are cheap...20$ at most places. Just make sure it is digital and measures in Grams and oz and if at all possible a zero/tare button when weighing out "dinner"...veggies, zero, meat, zero, startch,

    I actually on my first go around with my scale "guessed" before I measured...I was pretty good with mean but the starches and stuff was sooooooooooo off...

    I went from losing 1/2lb a week to 1lb a week boom.
  • lesteidel
    lesteidel Posts: 229 Member
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    No and No

    There is no "starvation mode" and if she were truely eating 1400 calories how is increasing calories going to make her lose...

    To the OP you don't weigh your food how do you know how much you are eating?

    Chances are you are eating more than you thing.

    I measure using standard measurements. Cup of this type of fruit, cup of these nuts, I don't have a scientific measurement for meats but if I buy a pound of chicken and eat 1/4 of it, I'm using 4oz as a measurement.

    I drink water all day. Close to a gallon. Aside from some coffee, I drink nothing but water. I don't bother adding it to MFP.

    I suppose it's possible that I am under counting my portion sizes.

    And I guess I will try to stop eating back all my burned calories.

    And I guess I'll be even MORE perpetually hungry than I already am. Cold world ;)
    [/quote]


    If you're perpetually hungry, you need to change something about your diet. I know a calorie is a calorie is a calorie, but not all calories are as filling as others. You can eat two cups of egg drop soup (without starch or foour) for 80 calories, or for the same amount of calories, you can have a third of a one serving size bag of m&ms.

    See my point? If you are already hungry all the time, it's time to change what you are eating, You CAN lose weight by just eating at a calorie deficit and not paying attention to what type of calories, but you will always be hungry that way..
  • smc864
    smc864 Posts: 570 Member
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    1. Starvation mode is BS

    2. Weigh all your food

    3. Your are eating more than you think you are. You would NOT be gaining weight while eating 1300-1400 calories unless you have a medical condition.

    4. You are over estimating your calorie burn while exercising.

    Good luck!
  • canadjineh
    canadjineh Posts: 5,396 Member
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    And I guess I'll be even MORE perpetually hungry than I already am. Cold world ;)
    If you're perpetually hungry, you need to change something about your diet. I know a calorie is a calorie is a calorie, but not all calories are as filling as others. You can eat two cups of egg drop soup (without starch or foour) for 80 calories, or for the same amount of calories, you can have a third of a one serving size bag of m&ms.

    See my point? If you are already hungry all the time, it's time to change what you are eating, You CAN lose weight by just eating at a calorie deficit and not paying attention to what type of calories, but you will always be hungry that way..

    True enough, it's not enough to lower your calorie dense foods to reduce, since that means less volume in your tummy...
    You need to eat high volume, nutrient (vit/mineral) dense, lower calorie foods so you feel like you've put something inside. Also watch the processed carbs... the 'instant' sugars will spike & crash your insulin causing hunger issues (I haven't looked at your diary so I'm not necessarily pointing a finger at you personally). Try to spread your carb & protein calories evenly throughout the day and eat like a diabetic.
  • eddiesmith1
    eddiesmith1 Posts: 1,550 Member
    Options
    No and No

    There is no "starvation mode" and if she were truely eating 1400 calories how is increasing calories going to make her lose...

    To the OP you don't weigh your food how do you know how much you are eating?

    Chances are you are eating more than you thing.

    I measure using standard measurements. Cup of this type of fruit, cup of these nuts, I don't have a scientific measurement for meats but if I buy a pound of chicken and eat 1/4 of it, I'm using 4oz as a measurement.

    I drink water all day. Close to a gallon. Aside from some coffee, I drink nothing but water. I don't bother adding it to MFP.

    I suppose it's possible that I am under counting my portion sizes.

    And I guess I will try to stop eating back all my burned calories.

    And I guess I'll be even MORE perpetually hungry than I already am. Cold world ;)
    [/quote]

    (/quote}

    Weigh don't measure- it's amazing how far off some things are, and a 10%-15% error can add up to a lot quickly
    Also eat more protein if you want to control hunger
    I am 5'10 and 196 and eat about the same calories as you and am rarely hungry
    Some things are great for this like lean protein, but also items like cauliflower where 100 grams is a lot.
    Personally I'd give up on the shake idea and eat food i prepared myself
    as an example you have 190 calorie shake for breakfast which does little to fill you up, For 225 or so you could have 30 grams granola with 50 grams (about 10) blackberries, 50 Grams (about 4 diced) Strawberries and 1/2 cup 2% yogurt (125grams)
    I eat this almost daily at 6 am and next time i eat is noon and i',m not starving.
    You could also have a pretty large bowl of oatmeal (30 grams before water and cooking) with a tablespoon of maple syrup and 121 grams of unsweetened apple sauce for the same range
    The Herbalife ois no different than anything else it helps you lose by creating a deficit, you can do the same for far less money and be happier and fuller in my experience, No point making the person at the top of a Pyramid rich
  • bajoyba
    bajoyba Posts: 1,153 Member
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    I agree that you should get a food scale. They're cheap, and they're a great investment. If you really want to be precise when logging your food, you have to weigh it. I especially make sure to weigh calorie dense foods like nut butters and cheese. 1/4 cup of shredded cheese does not necessarily equal a serving of cheese by weight.

    You also can't trust that prepackaged foods are 100% correct in their portion sizes. To give you an example, I bought a variety pack of chocolate donuts a couple of days ago so that I could have one for dessert. On the label, it says a serving is one donut and should weigh 55g. But when I weighed it, it was actually almost 10g heavier than it should have been, so I had my hubs take a bite out of it for me. If I had just eaten it and assumed the label was right, I would have consumed more calories of donut than I had accounted for.

    Weighing foods vs. measuring them can really make a difference. :smile:
  • ywalchle
    ywalchle Posts: 101 Member
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    Yes, I would agree that the sodium is a major contributor. I just love SALT! :(((( Will really try to adjust that down.

    And the body tape measure - yes, did that too. No change there either! Except shrunk in BOOBS! :(

    I lost a lot of weight between October/November (down to 121/122) and kept it off until January when I had a work trip and rose back up to 127. To me, that's not fluctuation, that's gain :(

    A good friend of mine said her weight can fluctuate daily up too 10lbs due to water weight alone. She's on the fairly thin side and eats mostly clean. She drinks tea and hardly ever any soda.
  • tinglecm16
    tinglecm16 Posts: 6 Member
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    I'm about an inch shorter than you, with similar goals and I was having the same problem. I cut my calories more. The hard part about not being very tall is hard to create a very big deficit, so if you screw up just a little you've lost all the progress you've made. If you create a bigger deficit, than if you decide to go out to dinner, have a glass of wine, whatever, it doesn't completely negate your hard work for the week. Just keep making moderate cuts to your calories until you reach the point where you are losing weight, let your body gradually adjust. Make sure to eat plenty of veggies, eating more volume will keep you from feeling hungry, drink plenty of water, refine your diet so you're getting adequate nutrition.

    The closer you get to your goal weight, the harder it is to lose weight. You'll have to continually refine you're diet and exercise to get to your stretch goal but you can do it!

    Here's another site that has a good explanation to why starvation mode is a myth...
    http://www.nowloss.com/starvation-mode-myth.htm

    If I remember right that site also had some good tips for breaking through a plateau.
  • Ideabaker
    Ideabaker Posts: 517 Member
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    Here's another site that has a good explanation to why starvation mode is a myth...
    http://www.nowloss.com/starvation-mode-myth.htm

    If I remember right that site also had some good tips for breaking through a plateau.

    Thank you for the link... off to check out this article now!

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