I just dont get it...

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I am so frustrated. I do everything I am told to do. I log everything that goes into my mouth (on paper, I don't have internet access all day and the database drives me nuts) I stick at or under my macros, I workout 6 days a week lifting weights, running, doing HIIT videos and walking. I did the best ever last week and gained a pound...then somehow over the weekend I gained 2 pounds.

My macros are 300gcarbs/164gprotein/57gfat but I don't do all those carbs and usually eat more protein.

I just don't get it. Anyone got any ideas?

I know it will be tough since you cant see my log because I don't use it but I really am writing everything I eat down and staying good.
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Replies

  • theEffingPanda
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    Are you weighing your food? Sometimes, you end up eating more than you think when you estimate.
  • Ratrap
    Ratrap Posts: 153
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    Are you weighing your food? Sometimes, you end up eating more than you think when you estimate.

    Yea I weigh and measure everything
  • JoRocka
    JoRocka Posts: 17,525 Member
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    what's your TDEE/Mataince?

    How much of a deficit?

    How tall are you- how much do you weigh and how much are you expecting to lose?

    What are you work outs like/

    Have you seen a doctor?

    How's the sleep/stress at home?
  • Ratrap
    Ratrap Posts: 153
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    what's your TDEE/Mataince?

    How much of a deficit?

    How tall are you- how much do you weigh and how much are you expecting to lose?

    What are you work outs like/

    Have you seen a doctor?

    How's the sleep/stress at home?



    According to IIFYM.com TDEE is 2998 to maintain and 2398 to lose weight

    I am 5'9"
    I am 250lbs
    I want to lose another 50-60lbs. I have lost 100 so far and have been stuck here for 4 months now.

    I do weights 3 times a week and run after since I am traingin for a 5k mud race in October
    2 times a week I do fitnessblender.com videos
    and once a week I run

    I should go to the doctor...maybe there's a problem now?

    I sleep 6-7 hours a night and not very much stress at all. I don't get stressed easily.
  • Mr_Knight
    Mr_Knight Posts: 9,532 Member
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    According to IIFYM.com TDEE is 2998 to maintain and 2398 to lose weight

    I am 5'9"
    I am 250lbs
    I want to lose another 50-60lbs. I have lost 100 so far and have been stuck here for 4 months now.

    You're too heavy to use the generic TDEE calculator. Your TDEE is going to be somewhere around 2500, which means you're running virtually no deficit at all, based on the macros you posted.
  • JoRocka
    JoRocka Posts: 17,525 Member
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    and you've re-calculated your numbers off of your current weight now? At some point you lose enough weight your deficit is no longer you deficit but your maintenance numbers...

    Usually the answer is- wait at least a week or two (I wait 3-4 weeks to make sure I've stabilized) then reduce calories by 100-200.

    The doctor was only a thought, if you are really struggling and plateauing for real for real- sometimes the best answer is to rule out any outside medical conditions- wonky thyroid or diabeeeeetus being two that spring to mind. It never HURTS to rule that out so you can move on troubly shooting.

    Really the numbers are a guide- they aren't hard and fast points- so if what you are doing isn't working- change one thing- then wait- see what happens. Are you moving? are you going in the right direction- up or down- or you seeing loser fitting clothes but no scale movement.

    All things to think of- but there is no rush- rule out the medical stuff- and then change something and move forward. If nothing happens- change something else.

    It's very trial and error., just keep toying with the variables till you get the result you want!
  • ksolksol
    ksolksol Posts: 194 Member
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    Did you gain the weight just over the weekend? Or was that just when you checked it?

    The scale can easily fluctuate 2-3 pounds. I find that if I do a really hard workout, I always weigh a pound more the next day. Digestive... um... issues can also temporarily up your weight.

    If it was just over the weekend, I'm pretty sure you didn't run a caloric surplus of 3,500 calories a day. There may be another reason.
  • meshashesha2012
    meshashesha2012 Posts: 8,326 Member
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    are you losing inches? if so then you are losing and it might just take a while for the scale to show it.

    if you arent then you aren't eating at a deficit
  • BusyRaeNOTBusty
    BusyRaeNOTBusty Posts: 7,166 Member
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    I'd adjust your calories a little lower. Those TDEE calculators are just estimates. Additionally you mention you've already lost 100lbs. Some one who has lost 100lbs and weighs 250 will have a lower TDEE than someone who has always been 250. Those calculators can't tell that. I'd shoot for 2000 or so for 6 weeks and see how that works.
  • jasmang
    jasmang Posts: 48 Member
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    I think this is the problem - everyone's body is different, but it seems like your caloric intake is way too high to expect to be losing weight. I find this site helpful: http://www.calorieking.com/interactive-tools/how-many-calories-should-you-eat/?ref=nav
  • Lizzy622
    Lizzy622 Posts: 3,705 Member
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    Your stats are very close to mine when I started and I started at about 1850 calories to lose 1 pound a week using the MFP method. I get to eat back exercise calories. The TDEE method would be higher but I agree with others it still seems a bit high.
  • Ratrap
    Ratrap Posts: 153
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    According to IIFYM.com TDEE is 2998 to maintain and 2398 to lose weight

    I am 5'9"
    I am 250lbs
    I want to lose another 50-60lbs. I have lost 100 so far and have been stuck here for 4 months now.

    You're too heavy to use the generic TDEE calculator. Your TDEE is going to be somewhere around 2500, which means you're running virtually no deficit at all, based on the macros you posted.

    OK, so how would I go about getting the correct amount and macro count? Cause I find it easier to do macros rather than just counting calories.
  • AliceDark
    AliceDark Posts: 3,886 Member
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    According to IIFYM.com TDEE is 2998 to maintain and 2398 to lose weight

    I am 5'9"
    I am 250lbs
    I want to lose another 50-60lbs. I have lost 100 so far and have been stuck here for 4 months now.

    You're too heavy to use the generic TDEE calculator. Your TDEE is going to be somewhere around 2500, which means you're running virtually no deficit at all, based on the macros you posted.

    OK, so how would I go about getting the correct amount and macro count? Cause I find it easier to do macros rather than just counting calories.
    Based on the macros you gave us, here's how your current diet breaks down:

    Total calories = 2369
    Carbs: 300g = 1200 calories = 50%
    Protein: 164g = 656 cal = 28%
    Fat: 57g = 513 cal = 22%

    If you wanted to keep your same macro breakdown but drop down to 2000 calories/day, just as an example, your breakdown would look like this:

    Carbs: 50% = 1000 calories = 250g
    Protein: 28% = 560 cal = 140g
    Fat: 22% = 440 cal = 48g
  • sayhitostephz
    sayhitostephz Posts: 124 Member
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    I would say your estimated TDEE is definitely off. I'm around the same height and weight as you and was stuck on a plateau for months until I got my BMR tested at a local medical center. Turns out my TDEE is only 2200 (accounting for the 3 days of pretty intense exercise I do) so I had no deficit at all. Now I eat about 1600-1800 and can lose pretty consistently on that. If you've been dieting a while, your metabolism may have slowed down slower than the normal estimates take into account. I have since lost another 35 lbs after dropping from 2000 cals to 1600 cals (I always end up a little over my daily cals so I shoot a little lower than the actual number).
  • parkscs
    parkscs Posts: 1,639 Member
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    TDEE calculators are only useful for giving you a starting point. If you aren't losing weight at your current calories, reduce your calories by 10% and see how things progress. If you're still losing too slowly or not at all over a sufficiently lengthy period of time, reduce by 10% again. If you're losing too fast or losing at a reasonable rate but your athletic performance is really starting to suffer, you can increase by 10%. Don't put too much stock in a calculator. The best way to determine how many calories you should be eating is by tracking everything and weighing yourself regularly, and then adjusting your caloric intake accordingly.
  • Ratrap
    Ratrap Posts: 153
    Options
    According to IIFYM.com TDEE is 2998 to maintain and 2398 to lose weight

    I am 5'9"
    I am 250lbs
    I want to lose another 50-60lbs. I have lost 100 so far and have been stuck here for 4 months now.

    You're too heavy to use the generic TDEE calculator. Your TDEE is going to be somewhere around 2500, which means you're running virtually no deficit at all, based on the macros you posted.

    OK, so how would I go about getting the correct amount and macro count? Cause I find it easier to do macros rather than just counting calories.
    Based on the macros you gave us, here's how your current diet breaks down:

    Total calories = 2369
    Carbs: 300g = 1200 calories = 50%
    Protein: 164g = 656 cal = 28%
    Fat: 57g = 513 cal = 22%

    If you wanted to keep your same macro breakdown but drop down to 2000 calories/day, just as an example, your breakdown would look like this:

    Carbs: 50% = 1000 calories = 250g
    Protein: 28% = 560 cal = 140g
    Fat: 22% = 440 cal = 48g

    Hey thanks! That's very helpful. So how do I do the math if I wanted to make the Carbs lower and the protein higher because I am technically doing that anyway? (I am terrible at math.)
  • AliceDark
    AliceDark Posts: 3,886 Member
    Options
    According to IIFYM.com TDEE is 2998 to maintain and 2398 to lose weight

    I am 5'9"
    I am 250lbs
    I want to lose another 50-60lbs. I have lost 100 so far and have been stuck here for 4 months now.

    You're too heavy to use the generic TDEE calculator. Your TDEE is going to be somewhere around 2500, which means you're running virtually no deficit at all, based on the macros you posted.

    OK, so how would I go about getting the correct amount and macro count? Cause I find it easier to do macros rather than just counting calories.
    Based on the macros you gave us, here's how your current diet breaks down:

    Total calories = 2369
    Carbs: 300g = 1200 calories = 50%
    Protein: 164g = 656 cal = 28%
    Fat: 57g = 513 cal = 22%

    If you wanted to keep your same macro breakdown but drop down to 2000 calories/day, just as an example, your breakdown would look like this:

    Carbs: 50% = 1000 calories = 250g
    Protein: 28% = 560 cal = 140g
    Fat: 22% = 440 cal = 48g

    Hey thanks! That's very helpful. So how do I do the math if I wanted to make the Carbs lower and the protein higher because I am technically doing that anyway? (I am terrible at math.)
    Carbohydrates have 4 calories per gram, protein has 4 calories per gram, and fat has 9 calories per gram. Using the same example, if your target is 2000 calories and dropping the carbs to 45% (I upped the fat just a little bit as well, just to make the math prettier, but you can play around with the numbers some more):

    Carbs: 45% = 900 calories (2000*.45) = 225g (900/4)
    Protein: 30% = 600 calories (2000*.30) = 150g (600/4)
    Fat: 25% = 500 calories (2000*.25) = 55g (500/9, rounded down a little because it doesn't work out perfectly)
  • Ratrap
    Ratrap Posts: 153
    Options
    I would say your estimated TDEE is definitely off. I'm around the same height and weight as you and was stuck on a plateau for months until I got my BMR tested at a local medical center. Turns out my TDEE is only 2200 (accounting for the 3 days of pretty intense exercise I do) so I had no deficit at all. Now I eat about 1600-1800 and can lose pretty consistently on that. If you've been dieting a while, your metabolism may have slowed down slower than the normal estimates take into account. I have since lost another 35 lbs after dropping from 2000 cals to 1600 cals (I always end up a little over my daily cals so I shoot a little lower than the actual number).

    Yea that sounds about right. I will adjust them and see what happens.
  • Ratrap
    Ratrap Posts: 153
    Options
    According to IIFYM.com TDEE is 2998 to maintain and 2398 to lose weight

    I am 5'9"
    I am 250lbs
    I want to lose another 50-60lbs. I have lost 100 so far and have been stuck here for 4 months now.

    You're too heavy to use the generic TDEE calculator. Your TDEE is going to be somewhere around 2500, which means you're running virtually no deficit at all, based on the macros you posted.

    OK, so how would I go about getting the correct amount and macro count? Cause I find it easier to do macros rather than just counting calories.
    Based on the macros you gave us, here's how your current diet breaks down:

    Total calories = 2369
    Carbs: 300g = 1200 calories = 50%
    Protein: 164g = 656 cal = 28%
    Fat: 57g = 513 cal = 22%

    If you wanted to keep your same macro breakdown but drop down to 2000 calories/day, just as an example, your breakdown would look like this:

    Carbs: 50% = 1000 calories = 250g
    Protein: 28% = 560 cal = 140g
    Fat: 22% = 440 cal = 48g

    Hey thanks! That's very helpful. So how do I do the math if I wanted to make the Carbs lower and the protein higher because I am technically doing that anyway? (I am terrible at math.)
    Carbohydrates have 4 calories per gram, protein has 4 calories per gram, and fat has 9 calories per gram. Using the same example, if your target is 2000 calories and dropping the carbs to 45% (I upped the fat just a little bit as well, just to make the math prettier, but you can play around with the numbers some more):

    Carbs: 45% = 900 calories (2000*.45) = 225g (900/4)
    Protein: 30% = 600 calories (2000*.30) = 150g (600/4)
    Fat: 25% = 500 calories (2000*.25) = 55g (500/9, rounded down a little because it doesn't work out perfectly)

    Oh wow. Thanks for the help I really appreciate it.