Weight loss has stalled, I think it's my caloric intake

v8maro
v8maro Posts: 13 Member
in Food and Nutrition
I've been pretty strict with my diet. Generally I'm eating around 1300 calories a day, which I'm finding out is probably to low for me. I'm 5'10", 246lbs, and work an office job. I run on my elliptical 7 days a week, and burn quite a few calories a day on it (the machine says about 800 cals for 40mins, 9:30min/mi pace). My MFP goal is 1630cal / day for food. I'm almost always under it, and by quite a bit. I usually eat on average 1300 calories of food. So 1630 + 800 workout (~2400) - 1300 food = 1130 net. I'm worried my current stall (12 days now @ 246) is due to me actually not eating enough. btw- I've changed my diet to be low carb, high protein, and cutting out almost all saturated fats and sugars.

Thoughts?

Replies

  • 3dogsrunning
    3dogsrunning Posts: 27,167 Member
    Will you open your diary?

    How do you measure your food?

    ETA - 12 days is not a stall.
    And eating too little will not stop weight loss.
  • diannethegeek
    diannethegeek Posts: 14,776 Member
    Elliptical machines are one of those pieces of gym equipment that's notorious for overestimating calories burned. If you're going to log your exercise, you probably want to cut that burn in half.

    12 days without a loss is well within the usual water weight fluctuations you're going to see while dieting and exercising. Any change to your routine (staring or increasing exercise, changing up your macros, cheat days, high sodium days, etc) can cause you to retain water for a week or two, masking any fat loss that's happening in the background. While eating enough to fuel your body and get proper nutrition is a good idea, it's probably not what's causing your weight to stall.
  • parkscs
    parkscs Posts: 1,639 Member
    Sounds like you're eating too little - unless you're eating those exercise calories back every day you workout? But that won't cause you to plateau given enough time (it may cause other problems though) and 12 days is not a plateau.
  • monicaP413
    monicaP413 Posts: 165
    The trick is to do something different. If we do the same thing all the time, we plateau. Do something different. Eat more one day, exercise more some days and less others. Change up your workout. Maybe try weights, kettlebells or a workout consisting of push ups, sit ups, squats, lunges and things that just use your own body weight. I find that if I eat a light dinner my weight starts dropping, so I am trying to eat the bulk of my calories in the morning and for lunch.

    Good luck! Just remember, regardless of what you do, don't give up. Even if you are at a plateau, if you keep working hard at it, you will eventually fall off that plateau. =)
  • stealthq
    stealthq Posts: 4,298 Member
    It isn't that you're eating too little. If you're correct in how much you are eating, it is most likely water fluctuations, despite the fact that you are almost certainly overestimating calorie burns on the elliptical (1300 cals would still be a deficit regardless). Keep on keeping on and it will come off.

    It may be that you're eating more than you think - do you weigh your food?
  • Ludka13
    Ludka13 Posts: 136 Member
    You're prolly not burning as many calories as you think, so don't eat back all your exercise calories. Eat back only half.

    How are you measuring your food? Do you have a food scale? I got one and found some places where I had been underestimating.
  • lovekohl
    lovekohl Posts: 111 Member
    1630 + 800 workout (~2400) - 1300 food = 1130 net.

    Am I just reading this wrong? I thought you said MFP's goal is 1630 calories a day, but you only eat 1300. I think you mean 1300 calories from food - 800 workout calories = 500 net calories unless I'm missing something.
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  • BigT555
    BigT555 Posts: 2,067 Member
    1630 + 800 workout (~2400) - 1300 food = 1130 net.

    Am I just reading this wrong? I thought you said MFP's goal is 1630 calories a day, but you only eat 1300. I think you mean 1300 calories from food - 800 workout calories = 500 net calories unless I'm missing something.
    yes you are right, they are netting 500

    net is food eaten minus exercise, 1130 would be their deficit
  • WalkingAlong
    WalkingAlong Posts: 4,926 Member
    You've lost 55 lbs? Sometimes a plateau is just a plateau. 12 days isn't bad at all. Annoying but typical.

    Also, yeah- 20 calories a minute on an elliptical is kind of huge. See the chart at the end of this. Those are 60 min. burns. Running 8mph at 250lbs. is 20 calories a minute.

    http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-living/weight-loss/in-depth/exercise/art-20050999
  • allbarrett
    allbarrett Posts: 159 Member
    The elliptical is lying to you. Gym equipment is notorious for over-estimating calories burned. Continue weighing and measuring food, keep up the good work activity-wise (but take the numbers with a grain of salt) and give it a bit more time. Weight loss (or gain, for that matter) isn't linear.
  • v8maro
    v8maro Posts: 13 Member
    ok so just to address some questions:

    - I weigh and measure my food to the best I can. I'd say I'm 90% accurate.
    - I use the calories from my elliptical to just enter them in the app and check my performance. Very rarely do I go over my caloric food goal for the day, so I am NOT eating my exercise calories by any means.
    - Yes, I've lost 55lbs so far, and the reason I am posting is because since March the scale has been moving, just recently I've hit this bump.
    - I wasn't thinking and was typing fast for the calc, it should be 1650(goal) - 1300(food avg) + 800(exercise, yes over estimated) = 1,150 (350, under food goal)
    - Today I did not run, I did some general exercise to mix it up:
    10 push ups
    25 squats
    20 sit ups
    20 lunges (per leg)
    80 jumping jacks
    60 second wall sit
    repeat 3 times, short breaks in between if needed
  • brianpperkins
    brianpperkins Posts: 6,124 Member
    1300 consumed - 800 exercise = 500 net


    That explains your nearly 4 pound per week loss to date since you were on a crash, unhealthy diet. You're failing to provide your body with the requisite nutrition.
  • 1princesswarrior
    1princesswarrior Posts: 1,242 Member
    I've been pretty strict with my diet. Generally I'm eating around 1300 calories a day, which I'm finding out is probably to low for me. I'm 5'10", 246lbs, and work an office job. I run on my elliptical 7 days a week, and burn quite a few calories a day on it (the machine says about 800 cals for 40mins, 9:30min/mi pace). My MFP goal is 1630cal / day for food. I'm almost always under it, and by quite a bit. I usually eat on average 1300 calories of food. So 1630 + 800 workout (~2400) - 1300 food = 1130 net. I'm worried my current stall (12 days now @ 246) is due to me actually not eating enough. btw- I've changed my diet to be low carb, high protein, and cutting out almost all saturated fats and sugars.

    Thoughts?

    Thought 1: 1300 cal/day is too low for men...unless you are extremely short

    MFP is designed for you to eat their recommended goal plus any calories burned during exercise. So let's assume your elliptical is correct for calories burned. Then you should be eating 1630 + 800 = 2430 calories/day, or 1130 calories more than you are.

    MFP already builds in a caloric deficit when you set up your account and tell it what your activity level is and how much weight you want to lose per week. If you are like many people you chose sedentary and said you want to lose 2lbs/week. That is fine if you are actually sedentary and have a lot of weight to lose (i.e. more than 75lbs).

    Now, most gym machines overestimate calories burned during workouts and most people unless using a food scale and measuring cups/spoons underestimate calories eaten so get the double whammy and thus stall.

    So thought 2: Go buy a food scale, start weighing every solid food that you eat and measuring every liquid you eat, and logging it accurately

    Thought 3: Invest in a heart rate monitor with a chest strap to use while doing steady state cardio for tracking calorie burns

    Thought 4: Start lifting heavy objects because right now you are probably also losing a good amount of muscle mass and fat.

    Final thought: Read this link http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1080242-a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants
  • BigT555
    BigT555 Posts: 2,067 Member
    ok so just to address some questions:

    - I weigh and measure my food to the best I can. I'd say I'm 90% accurate.
    - I use the calories from my elliptical to just enter them in the app and check my performance. Very rarely do I go over my caloric food goal for the day, so I am NOT eating my exercise calories by any means.
    - Yes, I've lost 55lbs so far, and the reason I am posting is because since March the scale has been moving, just recently I've hit this bump.
    - I wasn't thinking and was typing fast for the calc, it should be 1650(goal) - 1300(food avg) + 800(exercise, yes over estimated) = 1,150 (350, under food goal)
    - Today I did not run, I did some general exercise to mix it up:
    10 push ups
    25 squats
    20 sit ups
    20 lunges (per leg)
    80 jumping jacks
    60 second wall sit
    repeat 3 times, short breaks in between if needed
    you're still not calculating net correctly
    its food eaten (1300) minus exercise (800) equals net (500)

    the 1150 you have calculated is the difference in your net and your goal. your goal is set relatively low as it is, you should be hitting AT LEAST 1650 without adding in any exercise. your daily deficit while eating 1300 calories is probably close to 2000
  • dieselbyte
    dieselbyte Posts: 733 Member
    1630 + 800 workout (~2400) - 1300 food = 1130 net.

    Am I just reading this wrong? I thought you said MFP's goal is 1630 calories a day, but you only eat 1300. I think you mean 1300 calories from food - 800 workout calories = 500 net calories unless I'm missing something.
    yes you are right, they are netting 500

    net is food eaten minus exercise, 1130 would be their deficit

    I think the question was - is the OP calculating food intake and deficit correctly? OP states his intake is 1300 cals, yet from his example he states he nets 1130?? If OP is only eating 1300 food calories, his net, if we assume caloric burn of 800 (which we know is too high given the elliptical always over-estimating) is 500? Diary is closed, so please correct me if I'm wrong.

    At any rate, two things to consider. 55lbs is a damn good job, keep it up! Secondly, 12 days isn't a plateau, and weight loss isn't linear. Depending on how long you've been in a deficit and how fast you created the deficit can be one issue. However, don't discount changes in training, sodium intake, water intake, time of weighing etc - there could be a number of reasons why scale weight isn't dropping, yet fat is still being lost.

    OP, if you can elaborate (and open your diary) it would be helpful. Eating more may give you the energy to move more, thereby burn more calories, but if you aren't tracking properly, creating more of a deficit may be in order.

    Edit for -
    I weigh and measure my food to the best I can. I'd say I'm 90% accurate.
    - I use the calories from my elliptical to just enter them in the app and check my performance. Very rarely do I go over my caloric food goal for the day, so I am NOT eating my exercise calories by any means.
    - Yes, I've lost 55lbs so far, and the reason I am posting is because since March the scale has been moving, just recently I've hit this bump.
    - I wasn't thinking and was typing fast for the calc, it should be 1650(goal) - 1300(food avg) + 800(exercise, yes over estimated) = 1,150 (350, under food goal)

    You are netting 500 calories. If your goal is 1650, but you are only eating 1300, and you factor 800 for exercise 1300 - 800 = 500 calories Even with the over estimate, you aren't taking in enough calories. As a poster above said, it seems you were on a crash diet that isn't healthy and definitely won't be healthy in the long run.

    Also, if you "weigh and measure" your food as best you can, you leave significant room for under estimating intake. Some individuals state they eat 1300 calories, when in fact are closer to 3000.

    Weigh and log your food. Eat at a healthy deficit. Reassess.
  • brianpperkins
    brianpperkins Posts: 6,124 Member
    ok so just to address some questions:

    - I weigh and measure my food to the best I can. I'd say I'm 90% accurate.
    - I use the calories from my elliptical to just enter them in the app and check my performance. Very rarely do I go over my caloric food goal for the day, so I am NOT eating my exercise calories by any means.
    - Yes, I've lost 55lbs so far, and the reason I am posting is because since March the scale has been moving, just recently I've hit this bump.
    - I wasn't thinking and was typing fast for the calc, it should be 1650(goal) - 1300(food avg) + 800(exercise, yes over estimated) = 1,150 (350, under food goal)
    - Today I did not run, I did some general exercise to mix it up:
    10 push ups
    25 squats
    20 sit ups
    20 lunges (per leg)
    80 jumping jacks
    60 second wall sit
    repeat 3 times, short breaks in between if needed

    Basic math .... you ate 1300 calories, you exercised 800 ... 1300-800 = 500 net calories.

    Eat more.
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
    Eat more but don't 'measure' your food. Weigh it. Or you'll probably eat too much.

    That stall is probably totally normal though.
  • zman1313
    zman1313 Posts: 70 Member
    ok so just to address some questions:

    - I weigh and measure my food to the best I can. I'd say I'm 90% accurate.
    - I use the calories from my elliptical to just enter them in the app and check my performance. Very rarely do I go over my caloric food goal for the day, so I am NOT eating my exercise calories by any means.
    - Yes, I've lost 55lbs so far, and the reason I am posting is because since March the scale has been moving, just recently I've hit this bump.
    - I wasn't thinking and was typing fast for the calc, it should be 1650(goal) - 1300(food avg) + 800(exercise, yes over estimated) = 1,150 (350, under food goal)
    - Today I did not run, I did some general exercise to mix it up:
    10 push ups
    25 squats
    20 sit ups
    20 lunges (per leg)
    80 jumping jacks
    60 second wall sit
    repeat 3 times, short breaks in between if needed

    I was in a similar situation as you. When I first started in March I was eating ~400 below my calorie goal NOT INCLUDING exercise (was doing 45-60 minutes of cardio/day.) The weight was literally falling off for the first 2 months or so and then I stalled. That's when I started reading this board and found out that depriving your body of too much for too long can mess thigs up. I started eating more (tried to meet my calorie goal, I still don't eat back exercise calories) and it's been relatively smooth sailing since then. Good luck!

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