am i getting too few calories - reason for my stall???

aldrmctchr · August 2014

I started on May 7th of this year. At first I was not exercising much and now I am up to 3 times a week usually between 45 min to an hour. I am in a serious stall on the scale (but my pants are falling off lol). I have lost 46 pounds so far. The following is the scenario:

calories to lose 2 pounds a week = 13650; calories eaten 12702; exercise calories per fitbit 5686 - this means in addition to the deficit for calculation to lose 2 pounds a week I am getting an additional 6634 calories less which would almost be 4 pounds total weight loss per week or 1138 calories per day...me thinks me figured out reason for no loss at all

my body is saying feed me stupid - i did my homework and crunched the numbers - so do i exercise less or eat a little more? or what? that heffer of a scale needs to MOVE!

cwoyto123 · August 2014

"Guys am I eating too few calories"?

>diary locked
>not listing gender, height, and weight

Come on now.

aldrmctchr · August 2014

it shouldn't be...sorry and i know my age gender, etc are all in there - how do i change it? and please don't automatically be so judgy judgy - dang I am trying and i want real honest answers

one being i know my food choices still are not the greatest but i am working on everything one day at a time so cut me some slack please...that is all I ask...while waiting for a response i will check to see how to unlock diary

michikade · August 2014

If you're only averaging 1100ish calories a day, you're probably under eating and if you're not eating your calories back you're severely under eating.

You would probably benefit from eating a little more, but without stats it's a little difficult to say. I would say try eating an extra 100-200 calories a day for the next week and see if that gives your body the push it needs. The more you exercise, the more you need in fuel to keep your body happy while still burning fat.

aldrmctchr · August 2014

i think i have it unlocked now - did not really know about it being locked, unlocked, etc...so you should be able to see it now...

i do know i have worked my way up to 3-4 times a week of doing zumba and or walking where when i started i was doing none! I just do not want to get frustrated and want to give up.

grubb1019 · August 2014

Yes, I had the same problem when I increased my exercise but not my calorie intake. I started eating 200 to 300 more calories and the scale finally moved again.

aldrmctchr · August 2014

so hard to imagine having to eat more to lose when all my life it has been the volume of calories I ate that got me here in the first place - definitely going to take a different mindset I think

Supertact · August 2014

so hard to imagine having to eat more to losewhen all my life it has been the volume of calories I ate that got me here in the first place - definitely going to take a different mindset I think

That's because it is as stupid as it sounds.

CA_Underdog · August 2014

+ You averaged 1,830 calories/day this week. For reference, I'm a 6'4" guy and am allowed ~2,100 calories/day. Since you don't list your height or weight, it's difficult to say if that's reasonable for you.

+ You're regularly logging 1,000+ calorie burns. For me, that's a vigorous 90+ minute session.

+ You have already lost 47lbs. How long has this plateau lasted that you're worried about? Weight does funny things. Mine stalled for about two weeks and then dropped very quickly not long ago.

Sorry, more questions than answers, but these answers will help everybody.

amy8400 · August 2014

Thanks for opening your diary. Sorry I didn't have time to really look into it but three days' worth of logging shows you aren't eating a great volume of food but it's mostly all processed foods (fast food, hot dogs, frozen foods, etc.) Processed foods are usually loaded with sodium...not so good. Can you incorporate some salads, veggie sticks, fruit smoothies, into your diet? Also have you thought to boost your protein to support your workouts? Nuts, protein bars, cheese sticks, yogurt, meats, fish...all good sources.

When you exercise, eat back half of your calorie burn so you're not running a severe calorie deficit. I found that I needed to eat more food once my weight loss stalled for several weeks. I upped my calories 200 per day and within 10 days I started to see the scale go down. Also changed up my cardio to include interval training and started weight lifting. Since then I'm down another 5 pounds.

aldrmctchr · August 2014

CA - Answers - i am not sure why the age and stuff is not showing up - it is on there - but i will list it here...

i am 44 - female - 5'5" - current weight is 375, beginning weight was 422 - i do zumba for an hour to hour and 15 minutes or walk for an hour or so 3 times a week and now getting more like 4 times a week - (i think because i weigh so much i burn a lot more calories than a thin person)

i use the fitbit plus to determine the calories burned and i wonder if they are too high maybe...but even if i find an online calculator for zumba and put in all my stats it is still quite a few burned

stall has been for about 2 weeks and before that in 2 days it jumped up 9 pounds then dropped back 7?!!??

Reply to Amy - and yes, i know i eat too many processed foods, especially lately - it is hard to change 44 years of bad habits in a couple of months but i do eat better than i did which is all progress - i am taking it one day at a time and making changes as quickly as i can without getting discouraged, etc. i am not a big fruit eater either and a bonified carb addict iam sure

aldrmctchr · August 2014

oh and on my fitness pal i am allowed 1940 calories in order to lose 2 pounds per week

CA_Underdog · August 2014

In that case, your calorie intake is reasonable, so long as you feel satisfied. You should even be able to get away with eating more if you feel hungry at the end of the day. I wouldn't stress over a two-week plateau. Like I said, I just went through one, and then the next two weeks the pounds melted off doubly fast! Fluctuations can be caused by water retention (due to high sodium or exercise) or dehydration (alcohol or not drinking eniugh). You've come a long way so you must be doing some things right!

aldrmctchr · August 2014

thanks for the productive and encouraging feedback!!! I have been tracking bmi, inches, etc... I have lost over 20 inches and my bmi has dropped 7 points, and a 1 size in clothing! exercise when trying to lose weight was never even in the equation so the fluctuations based on that is so new lol - i am hoping that this is the final time and that exercise is the key for me...i am actually beginning to like it

stephe1987 · August 2014

Common mistakes:

-How long have you been stalled? If it's just a week or two, it could be water weight, time of the month, etc. If it's longer, then it's time to see what the problem is.

-Are you accurately measuring your food or just guessing? Some people "estimate" that they're eating one portion but are actually eating 2-3 portions.

-Are you logging all your drinks? Drinks have calories, especially alcoholic beverages and also drinks with sugar such as juice or soda.

-How about exercise: are you accurately measuring your burn? Some people think they're burning a lot more than they actually are. And eating more than they think. Combine these two things and that's why they're at a plateau, especially people who eat back all of their exercise calories (which means they're eating back more than they burned). On the other hand, if you exercised and you're still hungry and you have room for the calories (accurately measured), you should eat some of them back. I usually say not more than half to make up for the difference from underestimating food and overestimating burns.

In most cases I've heard about, people are eating more than they thought and that's the problem. They're breaking even on calories and that's why they're maintaining their weight. In a smaller number of cases, their body is storing "water weight" and taking some time to eat at maintenance or a few days off from exercising will do the trick. That's why most people have 1-2 recovery days rather than exercise 7 days/week. It gives the muscles a chance to rest and rebuild and so any extra water weight can be released rather than stored. This can also happen during certain times of a woman's monthly cycle.

aldrmctchr · August 2014

stalled 2 weeks or so - but rt before in 2 days gained 9 then lost 7 within a few days - then the 2 week stall

i measure everything with a food scale or if eating out from their menu or myfitness pal (drives people crazy that i know - they think i am nuts but oh well) - i know for a fact i will definitely eat more if i do not measure in a cup or weigh etc.

i do not drink anything with sugar, with the exception of trop 50 oj - and yes i always track that too, and track water as well

i have no cycles typically

and calorie burn is tracked with fitbit plus, that is why it shows no activity logged - it stays on me all day and it automatically uploads and syncs with myfitness apl - it determines the amount of exertion i think by the steps in a certain timeframe etc. - not as accurate as hrm, but supposed to be pretty good and it has worked up until recently to lose so

i was exercising 2 days, then 3, now sometimes 4 - all cardio though, no weights, etc. which i need to start and like this week i did it on sunday, monday, tuesday, thursday..

aldrmctchr · August 2014

Yay - it finally budged!!!! Lost 2 pounds this week! That makes 49 now - and I just found out I made the top 25 in a local city-wide fitness and weight loss competition!!

MelodyandBarbells · August 2014

Congrats!

amy8400 · August 2014

Good for you!! You're doing a lot of things right. Keep it going one step at a time and enjoy the ride :drinker:

LadyRN76 · August 2014

Yay - it finally budged!!!! Lost 2 pounds this week! That makes 49 now - and I just found out I made the top 25 in a local city-wide fitness and weight loss competition!!

Great job!!!

am i getting too few calories - reason for my stall???

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