Something doesn't seem right....
ripzone13
Posts: 83 Member
I have been eating at TDEE -20% (approx 2200 calories), lifting 3 days a week (New Rules for Women) and doing cardio 3-5 days a week (30-50 at a time). My macros aren't perfect everyday, but my protein is pretty close (between 20-30%). I am not losing weight. I can see suttle changes in my body, but nothing drastic. I have been working out and watching my food intake for a little over 3 months. I'm 5'3 and 225 so I know I need to literally drop weight. I know i'm not just gaining muscle and losing fat at the exact same rate! Any suggestions? please help... I'm of course happy with any positive changes, but I feel like I'm doing something wrong or could be doing something better...
33yrs old
Female
5'3
225
33yrs old
Female
5'3
225
0
Replies
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Just cut your calories with 100per day for a few weeks and see how that goes....It's a fine balance between maintaining and losing - I am 5'8 and 46, so a lot older than you, and at 180lbs I would either maintain or gain at 2200....I do the same amount of exercise as you... I lose at between 1600/1800....0
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3 months?
Sounds like you are eating at maintenance, if you are losing inches, but weight is not dropping.
Your body would not be willing to make improvements that are causing gains while fat was dropping if you were eating too low.
In fact, outside eating in surplus, eating at maintenance is next best place for changes.
But agree, at some point weight is a more unhealthy factor and does need to be lost, you need to eat in a deficit and actually lose fat and weight.
You may have gotten the TDEE estimated wrong.
I know everyone that has ever checked in this case with having a lot to lose, is eating at maintenance because of using not best BMR estimate.
If the BMR used as basis for math is inflated 200-400 over reality, then the TDEE is inflated 300-600 over reality, and that results in a deficit taken from inflated figure not really being a deficit at all.
Did you start with Katch BMR based on bodyfat %, or the Mifflin or worse Harris BMR?
Do you have a BF% based on several measurements or calculations - like skinfold, measurements, scale or handheld? Those are all upwards of 5% accurate (or worse) but several averaged together is better than nothing.0 -
Yep for about 3 months (hitting the cardio hard). Added weights and increased calories from 1200ish gradually up to about 2000/2200 a day about 6 wks ago. At first I lost significant inches 14.5 from waste, hips, and chest. 7.5 inches from waste. I have not seen much change in my body in the last few weeks (i have had to reduce my cardio some because of recovery time from lifting). I figured my TDEE and BMR from the online sites. Scooby and Fit2Fat.0
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Yep for about 3 months (hitting the cardio hard). Added weights and increased calories from 1200ish gradually up to about 2000/2200 a day about 6 wks ago. At first I lost significant inches 14.5 from waste, hips, and chest. 7.5 inches from waste. I have not seen much change in my body in the last few weeks (i have had to reduce my cardio some because of recovery time from lifting). I figured my TDEE and BMR from the online sites. Scooby and Fit2Fat.
Missed my main question above which probably holds the key.
And did you estimate a new TDEE for new workout routine?0 -
I think you are eating too much.0
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My TDEE is based on my current workout, and I'm not sure which question I didn't answer I guess.... I figured my BMR both with scooby calculator and fat2fit. Maybe this is what I missed- I have not calculated my BF%...unless that's the same as BMI. Here to learn!0
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My TDEE is based on my current workout, and I'm not sure which question I didn't answer I guess.... I figured my BMR both with scooby calculator and fat2fit. Maybe this is what I missed- I have not calculated my BF%...unless that's the same as BMI. Here to learn!
Well, you did answer it right there.
Did you start with Katch BMR based on bodyfat %, or the Mifflin or worse Harris BMR?
Fat2fit uses Harris, the most inflated when overweight.
Scooby uses Mifflin, not as bad, but still can be.
Scooby has a Most Accurate link that allows selecting which BMR to calculate, Katch BMR uses BF% - which you don't know therefore couldn't have used.
So there are different BMR calculators, some newer and considered better than others. Since TDEE is merely muliplying a number times your BMR, if that is wrong, TDEE is wrong, the amount you are eating is wrong.
Now it's just an estimate, you can eventually change your eating based on results. But why not start with best estimate if it's available?
So you might reread my description of why you are eating at maintenance right now.
The solution, even if you don't get best estimate BMR, is cut calories until you lose.
The spreadsheet on my profile page has the 2 best measurement BF calcs that can help get that figure, and then uses the Katch BMR based on that, and activity calculator based on your actual activity and time doing it. Progress tab to log your measurements. Might take a peek, might help understand how the numbers are used.
Once you have a best estimate TDEE, you can decide if you've been eating at maintenance so far, or so far under TDEE that your deficit is too big.0 -
Thank you for the solid information. I'm going to cut calories a bit and see how that works out. Thank you!0
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Hi!
It seems weird, but you're not experiencing anything abnormal
We've all been there, wondering if we're doing things right, lol.
If you were already hitting cardio hard, AND you added weights, it sounds like your activity level would have increased. I would still veer to say that you are not eating ENOUGH (especially already being maxed out at a 20% deficit! whoa!).
I know that sounds crazy, but it's probably true. If you start dropping your cals again now, you'll hit that slippery slope of not knowing when to stop.
It's perfectly normal not to lose weight when you were undereating before. Your body adapts to the lower level, and the lower level *does* technically become maintenance. That's the entire basis of EM2WL.
But the basis of EM2WL is to not continue to lower (as the traditional dieting motto would have you do). I'm the same height as you, around 138ish, and MY maintenance is 2100-2200...yours should be higher, since your weight is higher.
Here are a few articles from EatMore2WeighLess.com that may make more sense:
http://eatmore2weighless.com/matt-stone-diets-metabolism/
http://eatmore2weighless.com/scale-wont-move/
http://eatmore2weighless.com/why-eating-less-and-exercising-more-can-backfire/
I hope that helps!!
Feel free to add me as a friend if you need support.
Or any of the other ladies from Team EM2WL (listed as admin on the group homepage): http://www.myfitnesspal.com/groups/home/3817-eat-more-to-weigh-less
We're all willing to help in any way that we can!
~Kiki0 -
Thanks a ton for all the help and links. The information is great and re-assuring!0
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Hi!
It seems weird, but you're not experiencing anything abnormal We've all been there, wondering if we're doing things right, lol.
If you were already hitting cardio hard, AND you added weights, it sounds like your activity level would have increased. I would still veer to say that you are not eating ENOUGH (especially already being maxed out at a 20% deficit! whoa!).
I know that sounds crazy, but it's probably true. If you start dropping your cals again now, you'll hit that slippery slope of not knowing when to stop.
It's perfectly normal not to lose weight when you were undereating before. Your body adapts to the lower level, and the lower level *does* technically become maintenance. That's the entire basis of EM2WL.
But the basis of EM2WL is to not continue to lower (as the traditional dieting motto would have you do). I'm the same height as you, around 138ish, and MY maintenance is 2100-2200...yours should be higher, since your weight is higher.
Here are a few articles from EatMore2WeighLess.com that may make more sense:
http://eatmore2weighless.com/matt-stone-diets-metabolism/
http://eatmore2weighless.com/scale-wont-move/
http://eatmore2weighless.com/why-eating-less-and-exercising-more-can-backfire/
I hope that helps!!
Feel free to add me as a friend if you need support. Or any of the other ladies from Team EM2WL (listed as admin on the group homepage): http://www.myfitnesspal.com/groups/home/3817-eat-more-to-weigh-less
We're all willing to help in any way that we can!
~Kiki
With all due respect - what is right for you might not be right for others...I worked out my TDEE on Scooby, ate that - 20%, lifted heavy and did HIIT cardio - and did not lose an ounce for months...Went for a DXA scan, and got the "wonderful" news that my BMR is about 300 calories per day lower than what Scooby's site told me....
Started eating 300 calories less per day, and voila - lost some weight....
It is not always the solution to eat more - and eating 2200 calories per day would be maintenance for a lot of women......0
