If I am at a deficit, why am I not losing weight?

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  • ShellF415
    ShellF415 Posts: 182 Member
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    Add strength training to your cardio workout.
  • acorsaut89
    acorsaut89 Posts: 1,147 Member
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    Ummm for real? Your diary is open, so I had a quick look and you ate at McDonalds, Dominos or KFC 8/10 days I looked at for dinner and two of those meals had 1500+ calories consumed.

    I am not perfect, and I am still working towards my goals but eating 3500 mg of Sodium at one sitting and this amount is food is seriously going to hinder your results. It's about quality of food almost as much as it's about quantity.

    You cannot, cannot, cannot out exercise a bad diet. And by diet, I mean what you consume in a day. You may be exercising - and that's fantastic - but eating like this won't give you the results I think you're ultimately looking for.

    Also, I noticed when you're at McDonalds, it's a Big Mac, a Quarter Pounder, Fries and a 6 pack of Chicken Nuggets . . . and KFC is nuggets, chips, potatoes and gravy and a fillet burger. I have cheat days - but because I control them I have to really think about and pick out what I want to eat - that's what makes them cheat days: you don't have that kind of food very often and really enjoy it (or not, maybe feel like crap after eating it) because you aren't eating it 8 out of 10 days.
  • acorsaut89
    acorsaut89 Posts: 1,147 Member
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    Also, you said you're doing at least an hour of exercise 3 times/week. What kind of exercise is it - cardio, weights, HIIT? etc

    The reason I ask is because sometimes you have 700+ calories earned by exercise and the only time I do that is when I spin because spinning is pretty intense, and even then I am just at 700 (plus MFP may over estimate how much I actually burn). So maybe you aren't burning as much as you think you are from this exercise?
  • 43mmmgoody21
    43mmmgoody21 Posts: 146 Member
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    If you aren't losing weight, you aren't in a deficit. Simple as that.

    Reasons why you aren't in a deficit:
    1) You are underestimating how much you eat. Solution: Weigh all solids, measure all liquids. OR
    2) You just have your calorie goal set too high in general for how active you are. Solution: Knock 100-200 cals off your daily goal for a week or two and see what happens with the scale.
    3) Both option 1) and 2)

    Yup!
  • bwogilvie
    bwogilvie Posts: 2,130 Member
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    Also, you said you're doing at least an hour of exercise 3 times/week. What kind of exercise is it - cardio, weights, HIIT? etc

    The reason I ask is because sometimes you have 700+ calories earned by exercise and the only time I do that is when I spin because spinning is pretty intense, and even then I am just at 700 (plus MFP may over estimate how much I actually burn). So maybe you aren't burning as much as you think you are from this exercise?

    I'd like to second 43mmmgoody21's suggestion. I can burn 14 calories a minute (840/hour) when running at an 8:00 pace (7.5 miles per hour), but most other exercise except fast cross-country skiing burns less. I'm lucky to burn 10 calories a minute (600/hour) when cycling, and that is going 18-20 mph on the flats or going up serious hills. I'm a 46-year-old, 160 lb. (72 kg) guy.

    Those figures come from my Garmin Edge 800 and ForeRunner 620 HRM/GPS computers, which use Firstbeat's advanced technology for measuring calorie expenditure. They are substantially lower than my old Sigma and Timex HRMs. Studies of HRMs suggest that they often overestimate energy expenditure. One study of the Polar F6 showed that, even calibrated with subjects' actual VO2max and HRmax, it overestimated energy expenditure by 27% (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21178923). An earlier study showed that the Polar S410 overestimated energy expenditure in women by 12% (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15292754). Another study found that the Polar S810i overestimated expenditure when exercising lightly but not moderately (http://www.jssm.org/vol9/n3/21/v9n3-21abst.php).
  • SezxyStef
    SezxyStef Posts: 15,268 Member
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    You can eat what you like as long as you stay in a deficit, you will lose, whether you live on Mars bars or lettuce, a deficit is a deficit but I'm afraid you are not in a deficit at all.

    Yup it's this simple

    Today you are 800+ over goal atm
    Shepards pie not weighed (unless you made it I suspect it's wrong in caloric content)
    Homemade mini quiche...unless you made I suspect it's wrong...
    Homemade shake see above
    Rice 1/2cup
    1 medium carrot
    Homemade meatballs etc..
    quick add calories (last time I thought about using quick adds I though eh let me confirm I was off by over 800)

    to be frank your logging is awful...there is blunt for you.

    Never mind what you eat...at least with fast food you can go to the nutrional site and know...along with the fact you are over goal by 2466 net calories in the last 9 days...
  • SherryTeach
    SherryTeach Posts: 2,836 Member
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    You aren't losing weight because you are going over your calories regularly. When you are really committed to this, you might consider giving up fast food. Not everyone needs to do this, but I did because I couldn't meet my nutritional needs, stay at my calorie goal and eat fast food at all.

    Cook some real food and stay at your calorie goal EVERY DAY. Isn't that what "lifestyle change" means?
  • Mr_Knight
    Mr_Knight Posts: 9,532 Member
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    MFP wisdom says ALWAYS eat above your BMR. Eating below it is dangerous to you health. You disagree?

    That's not "MFP Wisdom", that's "some people on MFP have convinced themselves that-dom".

    (PS It's not correct, there is nothing inherently wrong with eating below BMR.)
  • SezxyStef
    SezxyStef Posts: 15,268 Member
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    MFP wisdom says ALWAYS eat above your BMR. Eating below it is dangerous to you health. You disagree?

    That's not "MFP Wisdom", that's "some people on MFP have convinced themselves that-dom".

    (PS It's not correct, there is nothing inherently wrong with eating below BMR.)

    x2

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1058378-oh-noes-i-am-eating-below-my-bmr
  • bannedword
    bannedword Posts: 299 Member
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    because you aren't at a deficit.

    End scene.
  • mscleo1115
    mscleo1115 Posts: 42 Member
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    Wow...looked at your diary for the past week...*shaking my head*...definitely not eating at a deficit.
  • SilverQuill24854
    SilverQuill24854 Posts: 4 Member
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    According to your logs it appears that you are binging at the end of the day with convenience foods. Try to eat regularly scheduled (healthful) meals to spread out your calorie intake the day. I used to be stuck in a pattern of eating a very large dinner, going to directly to sleep, waking up - not hungry, skipping lunch due to my schedule and going right back into a large dinner which I "deserved because I barely ate anything all day." That cycle is easy to fall into and is counter productive. Best of luck with your goals,
  • Aaron_K123
    Aaron_K123 Posts: 7,122 Member
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    MFP wisdom says ALWAYS eat above your BMR. Eating below it is dangerous to you health. You disagree? Sorry, I did not read all your quoted sources before asking the question. Which one of these, if any, pertains to eating at or below you BMR?

    5af1800dbd18b30ced7a98fd63f0fe1f411091a0da880f6bf4dcdd967cce8270.jpg
  • 1974lynnette
    1974lynnette Posts: 27 Member
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    Oh my word!! I love junk food & I do go to McDonalds occasionally. I've been at this for 30 days & I've already learned that I really have to watch my sodium or the scale will go up between .5 - 1 lb. depending on what I ate. I keep an apple or banana in my purse most of the time. When I forget my snack, I stop at the convenience store for a protein bar & bottled water. It keeps me full until I can make a better decision. I went to McDonalds with my son on Saturday as a treat, not a regular meal.
  • taramaclaren
    taramaclaren Posts: 95 Member
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    If you aren't losing weight, you aren't in a deficit. Simple as that.

    Reasons why you aren't in a deficit:
    1) You are underestimating how much you eat. Solution: Weigh all solids, measure all liquids. OR
    2) You just have your calorie goal set too high in general for how active you are. Solution: Knock 100-200 cals off your daily goal for a week or two and see what happens with the scale.
    3) Both option 1) and 2)

    this.
  • MelisMusing
    MelisMusing Posts: 421 Member
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    In my VERY humble opinion, just being at a deficit on calories isn't all you need to do. You need to ensure the quality of calories you are getting is good - eliminate, or at the very least reduce the amount of sugar/sodium and simple carbs in your diet. Things like crumpets, and fries, fast food stuff.

    Other things that affect weight loss, in my experience: lack of good sleep, too much sodium, not enough exercise, overestimating calorie burn, and thus, eating too many calories, not drinking enough water. Maybe try tweaking a few things until you find what works for you.
  • taramaclaren
    taramaclaren Posts: 95 Member
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    References:

    http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMsa1208051

    http://ajpregu.physiology.org/content/292/1/R77

    http://www.nutritionandmetabolism.com/content/7/1/68

    http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/ad/ad347.pdf

    MFP wisdom says ALWAYS eat above your BMR. Eating below it is dangerous to you health. You disagree? Sorry, I did not read all your quoted sources before asking the question. Which one of these, if any, pertains to eating at or below you BMR?

    There's not a single study that has established danger to eating at or below your BMR I have ever seen. The only thing that can become dangerous about reducing total intake is reducing total nutrient intake; however, it's possible to eat more nutrition at or below your BMR than the average American gets in 3,000+ calories.

    The way that TDEE is estimated and how BMR fluctuates sometimes makes this a necessity for weight loss. So first off studies on BMR show that about 26% of all individual variance is unknown[1]. That's right folks unknown. They have measured multiple people with similar body composition that have had double the other's BMR. No explanation. It boggles me though this "unknown" isn't readily chalked up to diet because it's been observed over and over again BMR reactions to diet that aren't proportional to body composition changes [2]. The other thing you have to think about is that several BMR equations vary by several hundred calories and who's to say which one is more reflective of you? There's a long answer to how to pick which one you should use, but the short answer to it is you have to pick the one where the sample population to determine the equation was closest to your body composition. Unfortunately this also means that really lean and really obese people will tend to have the most erroneous results because they're furthest from the statistical mean.

    Eating below BMR is covered indirectly in the myths in [3] but I'm purposely not including many studies that support this via VLED due to MFP policy. Although as a note eating at or slightly below BMR is usually much higher than a VLED.

    New References:

    1. http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/82/5/941.full#F1

    2. http://www.nutritionandmetabolism.com/content/7/1/68

    3. http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMsa1208051

    I like your style.
  • tycho_mx
    tycho_mx Posts: 426 Member
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    In my VERY humble opinion, just being at a deficit on calories isn't all you need to do. You need to ensure the quality of calories you are getting is good - eliminate, or at the very least reduce the amount of sugar/sodium and simple carbs in your diet. Things like crumpets, and fries, fast food stuff.

    Other things that affect weight loss, in my experience: lack of good sleep, too much sodium, not enough exercise, overestimating calorie burn, and thus, eating too many calories, not drinking enough water. Maybe try tweaking a few things until you find what works for you.

    Nah, not really. See the twinkie diet experiment. I think I'd be miserable doing that, but you'd still lose weight.

    http://www.cnn.com/2010/HEALTH/11/08/twinkie.diet.professor/index.html

    Also anecdotally, the super size me movie by Spurlock. He interviewed lots of guys, some fat, some downright obese. And one skinny dude that ate one big mac every day. Key word being "one". Another teacher did something similar eating nothing but McD, but eating low-calorie foods most of the time like their salads, egg whites, etc. Only dinner was a burger.
  • GypsieFlower94
    GypsieFlower94 Posts: 71
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    There has been a lot of replies so I will try reply to everything.

    Basically, the last week I had a miscarriage, so I kinda didn't really care what I ate. I am also severely stressed constantly which I think could affect weight as well from what I have read.

    If you check the weeks previously, I am usually pretty good, and I log EVERYTHING. Like anything I put in my mouth, I log. Even last week when I had a pretty bad week, that is still everything I ate, I left nothing out.
    Cheat days are also logged, as you can see from last week when I had like 4 of them. I was feeling pretty lousy and I really didn't care about anything other than not feeling so sad all the time due to what happened.

    Also, I almost never have coke, or anything other than water or fresh juice from boost. I think in the last 2 months, if you checked , there has been 5 times or so, including once last week. Its not even hard for me since I don't like soft drinks, the fizz is too much for me.

    I forget to log water, but usually it is around a litre day, sometimes 2 if I really try.

    I think I may be over estimating when I don't have accurate measurement tools, but I do try pick the highest calorie option out of the list.

    I also feel getting nutrition right is better than exercising it off, and I do my best not to eat back any burned calories, or go over my calories for the day just because I will be working out that night.

    I have been logging for over 2 months, and I weighed myself yesterday and it turns out I had lost weight, which is great.

    Also my exercise routine used to consist of weights and cardio, mostly weights, not it seems I get really worn out so I try stick to cardio mostly and a bit of weights, need to start lifting again. I don't ever plan my routine, so it actually usually is broken up and not a routine as such since I do whatever I feel like one the day, and some days are harder than others.

    I also underestimate all the calories I burn.

    I suppose it isn't so much I am not losing, as I am not losing as much as I would like? especially after over 2 months.

    Also I should add, with my work load, I have almost no time for breakfast and lunch besides the weekends, which is why most days there is only dinner. This "dinner" is usually spread out over 3 hours or so, so even if I have had a lot calorie wise, I didn't eat it all at once.
    I am not trying to skip meals, but I don't feel hungry, and I am too busy, therefore I don't eat. I also have researched it, and the frequency of eating doesn't affect much else besides how hungry you are later. I could fast all day and still be fine for dinner.

    With my bmr at around 1500, and a tdee of around 2000, I think 1400 should be a good goal for me, that I usually am able to stick to as well. I got these figures from a few different sources, not just MFP.


    I suppose with all the crash diets, I am not sure what an accurate, healthy weight loss time line looks like. I feel like 2 kg in 2 months isn't enough.

    Also, regardless of what kind of food I eat, if I am at a deficit, I will lose weight. I could eat twinkies, as mentioned above.

    I also try to keep my cheat days below about 2000, so at leats I am not exceeding my tdee.

    I am not gaining any, and I have lost weight, but my question was kind of why I wasn't losing as much as is estimated for me by mfp and anything else I have looked up.

    I am glad so many of you have taken the time to answer and it is really helpful.

    I know I need to be stricter, and that will probably help me lose more weight, but I guess when it doesn't come off fast enough I feel like I cant be bothered anymore.

    Also I am 5'7(170cm) and I weigh 74.4 (about 163 pounds?) and I look pretty fit, so I am what you would call skinny fat I guess?

    I really want to tone up and get my body to a place I am happy with it.

    I think I have unrealistic goals of how soon the weight should come off, and that is what discourages me and makes me want to give up when it doesn't happen as soon as it should have.

    I was also pregnant without knowing it for a month, so that probably added to why I wasn't "losing" any.

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