Eating at a deficit but not losing fat or lbs.

Take photos & measurements, too. But according to your diary you're not weighing your food, which means you're underestimating your calories. Weigh everything.

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

Stress hormone for women can halt fat loss in its tracks just like it can for men, despite calories consumed. Skip breakfast decrease carbs and increase protein and see if that helps. Opt for eating your carbs at night, despite what many people will say otherwise, but I have been at this for a long time and have moved beyond the simpler concepts and broscience that gets spewed on here daily. Also opt for whole fats from animal sources as these are best.

It doesn't matter when you eat, as long as you stay within your calorie goal. It will take trial & error to find what works for you.

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

Thank you. I workout after breakfast. Would you still recommend skipping breakfast? I feel like those carbs are what fuel my workouts.

I need carbs first thing in the morning or I can't complete my workouts. Meal timing shouldn't matter except for adherence/performance issues. The overall calorie balance is what matters.

I'd start with weighing all your food. If that doesn't work then drop your calories a bit.

Stress hormone for women can halt fat loss in its tracks just like it can for men, despite calories consumed. Skip breakfast decrease carbs and increase protein and see if that helps. Opt for eating your carbs at night, despite what many people will say otherwise, but I have been at this for a long time and have moved beyond the simpler concepts and broscience that gets spewed on here daily. Also opt for whole fats from animal sources as these are best.

Let me make sure I understand this correctly: You're suggesting that she skip breakfast and eat her carbs at night and this is going to alter her hormones in such a manner as to cause fat loss despite not making any changes to energy intake?

You are probably eating more than you think is really all it comes down to. If you aren't weighing and measuring everything that goes into your mouth you can be grossly underestimating your calorie intake. I've learned that the past few weeks with being sick.

Also, do you count tasting food as you cook? And by count I mean log. Every little bite of anything that goes in your mouth HAS to be logged because a calorie is a calorie is a calorie no matter how small. Even Splenda has 2 calories and I never knew that before. So if you had 8 tsp of Splenda a day, which is the amount that is max, you'd be adding an extra ten calories that can really add up.

Also are you drinking plenty of water? I notice that as a woman my weight loss is greatly improved when I drink plenty of water. I aim for 48-64 ozs a day if I can.

Birth control won't stop you from losing weight, it will just make the process slower because depending on your birth control it's added hormones which makes weight loss more stubborn, but it doesn't stall it. It just is like little bumps in the road. I use the Nuva Ring personally and it is low on added hormones which means it doesn't influence my weight much.

Is it possible that the Bodymedia is calculating your burns too high? It sounds like you're doing some serious workouts, and it looks like you're about 10 years younger than me so you should still have a decent metabolism, but TDEE of 2700 sounds quite high, especially if you're not that overweight.

Yes, you're probably underestimating everything you eat.

People who eat breakfast lose and keep it off more often (statistically speaking) than people who don't. It gets your metabolism activated right off the bat. Eating carbs for energy before you work out is a good idea. Fruit and yogurt are good options - anything that is 20 grams of carb or more. Make it low fat and low fiber so you don't upset your stomach.

I suspect you are eating more than you think. I eat about 1650-1800 calories a day and weigh/measure and track everything but I am sure I am underestimating a bit. I work out 5-6 days a week, doing 5 days of heavy lifting (1 hour sessions) followed by 30 minutes of interval cardio. I am 46 years old. I lose 1 lb. per week doing this.

In addition, you may be overestimating what you are burning. If you are running at high speed for an hour, you probably burn 700 calories, but most of us aren't doing that, so better to underestimate what you are burning off.

Ok. So when you guys say weigh everything, does that also mean pre-packaged items that have a set value. For instance, a thinwich bun is 100 calories, or a can of tuna (which I actually did weigh once and my 5oz can was only 3.6 oz I felt totally jipped! Lol) Do I need to weigh things like that too? Or are we just talking fruits, veggies, oatmeal, etc? I imagine I'm actually overestimating on some of these (often putting in a large apple, when it's actually small or medium). And if I'm weighing a banana or an avocado, is that with or without peel?

I weigh everything but yogurt/pudding cups pretty much, because that would be too much of a pain. Avocado and bananas I weigh without peel, peaches etc... I'm still not sure what you're supposed to do, lol.

Also make sure to use the correct entries for raw vs cooked for meats, pasta etc.

Ok. So when you guys say weigh everything, does that also mean pre-packaged items that have a set value. For instance, a thinwich bun is 100 calories, or a can of tuna (which I actually did weigh once and my 5oz can was only 3.6 oz I felt totally jipped! Lol) Do I need to weigh things like that too? Or are we just talking fruits, veggies, oatmeal, etc? I imagine I'm actually overestimating on some of these (often putting in a large apple, when it's actually small or medium). And if I'm weighing a banana or an avocado, is that with or without peel?

Weigh everything means everything. The label of that bun will say 100 calories for one bun, then (probably in parentheses) it will specify a weight in grams. Weigh that bun. If it's more than specified, it's more than 100 calories.

Learn to read labels. That can of tuna probably specifies a serving as x number of grams, drained. Weigh everything. For produce (and probably meat), look for USDA entries. They often specify whether it's peeled or not.

Nobody thinks they're underestimating their food, but you're going to be shocked when you start weighing your food.

Is it possible that the Bodymedia is calculating your burns too high? It sounds like you're doing some serious workouts, and it looks like you're about 10 years younger than me so you should still have a decent metabolism, but TDEE of 2700 sounds quite high, especially if you're not that overweight.

I was thinking the same. I'm also a SAHM, I'm on my feet most of the day, & and even on my Insanity workout days (I alternate Insanity w/ running 3-4 miles), I only burn 2300 calories at best. On a lazy day, I burn about 1600. I'm 38 & at 30% body fat, so not far off from you. Make sure you are weighing/measuring all your food/beverages & drinking plenty of water. Dehydration slows your metabolism.

No I am simply saying that using the existing hormones to your advantage for fat loss just makes sense. 4 years of personal experimentation shows that it works. It is the main principle behind diets like carb backloading and the warrior diet which both work very well for muscle preservation while shedding fat. I initially set out to prove these wrong as I was once a calories in calories out advocate but when I tried them they worked very well. That led to the use of a cyclic ketogenic diet which works extremely well for fat loss and muscle retention and there is very little caloric cutting needed to make it work well. I have been at 158 lbs and 10% bodyfat however any weight I was losing at that point was nearly a 50/50 ratio of fat to muscle mass. I have also been 165 and 175 lbs and 10% bodyfat at what point was I healthier? At my heaviest was my best blood work. My doctor warned me that using a cyclic ketogenic diet was going to cause more damage so we took blood work, measurements and did a bodyfat analysis I was 167 lbs and about 12 % bodyfat at the time. Blood pressure was high normal, cholesterol was slightly high. Waistline was 33" at the time. Now fast forward 4 months into a cyclic ketogenic diet all health markers had improved dramatically, blood pressure was normal, cholesterol was excellent, waistline was 31" (first movement in that one in over a year or just caloric cutting) and I was down to 163lbs and 10% bodyfat. I am not saying take my word for it, try it yourself, however I can say with 100% conviction that 1 calorie of protein or fat is not equal to 1 calorie for carbs. Carbs are not the enemy but when it comes to fat loss timing, and how they are used can make a world of difference. Anyone who has eaten at a deficit and has not seen bodyfat changes will know this to be true. Weight without context means squat to your health, you can just become a smaller less healthy you or you can learn how to manipulate macros and use them to your advantage.

No I am simply saying that using the existing hormones to your advantage for fat loss just makes sense. 4 years of personal experimentation shows that it works. It is the main principle behind diets like carb backloading and the warrior diet which both work very well for muscle preservation while shedding fat. I initially set out to prove these wrong as I was once a calories in calories out advocate but when I tried them they worked very well. That led to the use of a cyclic ketogenic diet which works extremely well for fat loss and muscle retention and there is very little caloric cutting needed to make it work well. I have been at 158 lbs and 10% bodyfat however any weight I was losing at that point was nearly a 50/50 ratio of fat to muscle mass. I have also been 165 and 175 lbs and 10% bodyfat at what point was I healthier? At my heaviest was my best blood work. My doctor warned me that using a cyclic ketogenic diet was going to cause more damage so we took blood work, measurements and did a bodyfat analysis I was 167 lbs and about 12 % bodyfat at the time. Blood pressure was high normal, cholesterol was slightly high. Waistline was 33" at the time. Now fast forward 4 months into a cyclic ketogenic diet all health markers had improved dramatically, blood pressure was normal, cholesterol was excellent, waistline was 31" (first movement in that one in over a year or just caloric cutting) and I was down to 163lbs and 10% bodyfat. I am not saying take my word for it, try it yourself, however I can say with 100% conviction that 1 calorie of protein or fat is not equal to 1 calorie for carbs. Carbs are not the enemy but when it comes to fat loss timing, and how they are used can make a world of difference. Anyone who has eaten at a deficit and has not seen bodyfat changes will know this to be true. Weight without context means squat to your health, you can just become a smaller less healthy you or you can learn how to manipulate macros and use them to your advantage.