Slowed down? Plateau? Try Taso's way!! :)

kelika71 · March 2011

It's been a little over a year since I started on MFP. Like so many here, I was of the mindset that eating exercise calories was absurd. How in the world are you going to lose weight eating like that?! There were so many preaching this concept that I thought for sure they were just trying to get me to fail.

Well, that couldn't have been further from the truth!

Here's MY story and do with it as you will. I am up against a lot of health issues, so losing weight has been detrimental for me. The first 8 months here, I did what any normal person does. They eat what's allotted to them, exercise, go to bed and do it all over again. I never ate those so-called earned calories. I didn't need to, I convinced myself. The scale was moving. Sometimes, it was 3-4 lbs a week. Pffffffft I'll show all them, I thought!

8 months later, things started slowing down. I didn't think much of it until after the holidays when I hit that dreaded plateau. Ugh!!! As so many of us know, it's frustrating having to eat right, bust your butt and look at the scale to see no victory. I did it all: changing the way I was eating, calorie cycling, changing exercises...more and less. I was barely able to move the scale. "Try the tape measure," some would say. Yeah, yeah...I'm neurotic with numbers and I like the scale better.

Well, here's where success comes in!! Taso, a good friend who purchased a Body Media Fit gadget, did some testing, calculations and more and figured out that settings on MFP could be off for some of us. When he told me this, I'll admit, I laughed. Seriously, me?? Above sedentary?? I don't think so!!

He sent me some links and upon doing some of those calculations myself, I started wondering if there was some truth to this. So, I figured, what have I got to lose now?! The scale is barely budging. I took his advice and changed my setting above sedentary. I even added a few more calories due to what the calculations were in the links he had sent me. Then, I started eating more of my exercise calories.

The results: My official weigh-in isn't for another two days, on Friday. I'm already showing I'm down 2 lbs!!

Need help moving that scale? Try checking out what my friend posted! Also, to let you know, he reached his goal, as well!! This does have merit. Check it out and good luck!!

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/184243-fitness-profile-labels-are-wrong-misleading

kelika71 · March 2011

No one is on a plateau or has slowed down?!?!

HerBravado · March 2011

LOL. I have !!

I've been at a plateau since New Year's! I actually lost a lot of weight during the holidays, but right after it slowed to a stop. I'm very grateful for this post--I'm going to change things around & see if it works!

kelika71 · March 2011

I was skeptical of it working. My shock today on the scale proved to me that his work is spot on. This is the most I've lost in months. He figured out what others couldn't.

Good luck, HerBravado!!

KTNemo · March 2011

I am just now getting into the forums, and while I totally understand that I need to eat my exercise points (and I ofter eat most/all of them), I didn't understand that I wasn't getting enough calories to begin with!

I have only been using MFP for 15 days. My first week, I lost 6 lbs. Then, I didn't lose any. In fact, I gained a half pound this week. The problem is, I don't lead a sedintary life, and I work out more than 3 days/week for an hour. I was burning enough calories to lose a pound a week exercising alone. 1200 calories was not enough for me to function with the amount of exercise that I do. Not to mention the calories I burn taking care of my very active 2-year old all day. So I went into my settings today and changed both the exercise and activity level. I am hoping that this will jumpstart my weight loss again. Thanks for posting threads like this.

and, just for good measure:

http://shouldieatmyexercisecalories.com

kelika71 · March 2011

Most people will lose weight pretty fast and more than expected in the beginning due to changes and water retention. It's when it's "real" weight loss that it can be a struggle, especially if settings aren't right.

I'm only trying to help. Taso's the one that deserves the credit...which you did beautifully by posting his link!!! Love it and I'm sure he will, too! lol

Good luck, KTNemo!!

taso42_DELETED · March 2011

oh my, i think you made me blush :blushing:

KTNemo · March 2011

I just got done reading the thread "what is the point of exercising":

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/189647-what-s-the-point-of-exercising?page=3

So Taso's website was fresh in my head. I love it!

kelika71 · March 2011

oh my, i think you made me blush :blushing:

Oops! lol Well, you got the gadget and did the work . Only right that you get the credit.

Gadget meaning the Body Media Fit and work meaning calculations.
Had to edit...too many dirty minds around here lately. lol

EricJonrosh · March 2011

More confusion!

Just when I finally decide to eat 1/4 to 1/3 of my workout calories. It doesn't help that MFP estimates on leisure cycling is like 700 cals per half hour, which it can't be. When a stationary bike says 181 and MFP says 689 for the same thing, something is awry. I can barely eat the calories I'm allotted sometimes. Lately I've been eating when I'm hungry and keeping to my daily goal. None of this was around when I lost 70 pounds 20 years ago. I must have been doing everything wrong, haha. (in 6 months, btw)

anubis609 · March 2011

shouldieatmyexercisecalories.com
:devil: :laugh: :smokin: :drinker:

KTNemo · March 2011

More confusion!

It doesn't help that MFP estimates on leisure cycling is like 700 cals per half hour, which it can't be. When a stationary bike says 181 and MFP says 689 for the same thing, something is awry.

This has been been bugging me a lot lately. MFP says that Spinning for an hour only burns 568 calories, but walking at a brisk pace for 60 minutes burns 650. I know for a fact that Spinning burns more calories than walking by the way I sweat and by the absolute muscle failure I feel after each class. Every other exercise calculator says that it burns between 700 and 1000 calories, more if you are overweight. What is up with MFP's exercise calculator?

kelika71 · March 2011

MFP is far too generous with what it says you burn doing things. When I started out here, I think a half hour for riding a bike vigorously was like 700+ calories. I got a HRM and wow!! That was quite a shock.

After what I found out with Taso's experimenting, I'm strongly leaning towards getting a Body Media Fit or Body Bugg. HRM's are only good during a workout. The other 2 I mentioned are good for wearing all day.

kelika71 · March 2011

shouldieatmyexercisecalories.com
:devil: :laugh: :smokin: :drinker:

lol You are such a rebel!

EricJonrosh · March 2011

MFP is far too generous with what it says you burn doing things. When I started out here, I think a half hour for riding a bike vigorously was like 700+ calories. I got a HRM and wow!! That was quite a shock.

So what did the hrm say? I'm really curious what I'm burning. I mountain biked last weekend and it was vigorous, for 70 minutes. MFP said 1,300 cals, and for the first time, I agreed. But the same thing on flat land was close to the same calories. Grrrr!

ladyhawk00 · March 2011

Taso. A legend in his own mind... Wait, TIME, I mean a legend in his own TIME.

Kidding, of course. Taso is the bomb, and am so glad you're making progress again. Yay!

kelika71 · March 2011

MFP is far too generous with what it says you burn doing things. When I started out here, I think a half hour for riding a bike vigorously was like 700+ calories. I got a HRM and wow!! That was quite a shock.

So what did the hrm say? I'm really curious what I'm burning. I mountain biked last weekend and it was vigorous, for 70 minutes. MFP said 1,300 cals, and for the first time, I agreed. But the same thing on flat land was close to the same calories. Grrrr!

It was more like 200-300+...talk about grotesquely exaggerating!!

kelika71 · March 2011

Taso. A legend in his own mind... Wait, TIME, I mean a legend in his own TIME.

Kidding, of course. Taso is the bomb, and am so glad you're making progress again. Yay!

lmao His head might swell too much to ever leave this place.

Thank you.

Rockin23 · March 2011

Woohoo for Taso! And you too of course!

kelika71 · March 2011

Woohoo for Taso! And you too of course!

Thanks...but, it's really Taso that deserves the credit. He did the research and work.

gbmabley · March 2011

MFP is far too generous with what it says you burn doing things. When I started out here, I think a half hour for riding a bike vigorously was like 700+ calories. I got a HRM and wow!! That was quite a shock.

So what did the hrm say? I'm really curious what I'm burning. I mountain biked last weekend and it was vigorous, for 70 minutes. MFP said 1,300 cals, and for the first time, I agreed. But the same thing on flat land was close to the same calories. Grrrr!

It was more like 200-300+...talk about grotesquely exaggerating!!

I would agree with MFP overshooting the calories burnt in exercise. Best way to know what YOU are burning is through a HRM. Everyone is different and may exercise at different intensity. Vigorous for some might be moderate for others.

Menene · March 2011

I am in the same situation you are. I have plateau and can not seem to get it going again. I Manage a lab so Iconsidered my status sedentary. I walk 2-4 miles almost every day and keep my heart rate up (accoridng to my cheap HRM but I do not eat my exercise calories. I am also looking for a better HRM, what kind do you have. Thanks for the advice I hope to get the scale going again soon. I love this site because without it I would still be at 300+.

jlzrdking · March 2011

Since everyone is discussing calories on a HRM vs what MFP shows I need a little help.

Last night at the gym I walked for 20mins at brisk pace 3.5 mph and then I did 20mins on a cardio/ski machine.

My HRM says I burned just under 800 calories and MFP says I burned 367.

I think what my HRM is telling me is too high on calories so I've been going with what MFP tells me i've burned.

Any suggestions? Maybe I need to read through my HRM book again and make sure I have it setup correctly.

I know the heart rate reading on my HRM is accurate because last night I would check it on the cardio machine and my HRM was dead on with the machine.

marianne_s · March 2011

Since everyone is discussing calories on a HRM vs what MFP shows I need a little help.

Last night at the gym I walked for 20mins at brisk pace 3.5 mph and then I did 20mins on a cardio/ski machine.

My HRM says I burned just under 800 calories and MFP says I burned 367.

I think what my HRM is telling me is too high on calories so I've been going with what MFP tells me i've burned.

Any suggestions? Maybe I need to read through my HRM book again and make sure I have it setup correctly.

I know the heart rate reading on my HRM is accurate because last night I would check it on the cardio machine and my HRM was dead on with the machine.

I'm interested in the answers to these questions....

kelika71 · March 2011

I use a Polar F6. That's just to monitor workouts. I'm starting to lean towards the Body Bugg or Body Media Fit. These monitor throughout the entire day. That's how my friend, Taso, found that his caloric intake wasn't enough. Based on his findings and links in his original post (see above for link), I re-calculated my intake and found it wasn't enough, either.

MFP is almost like a "one size fits all." It's not like that. In fact, my friend confirmed what I had been wondering all along. Yeah, I may sit at a computer a lot; however, doing all the workouts I have been doing for the past year or so has changed things. When you lose weight, MFP drops your calories. That worked for fine for awhile. Then, I just totally stalled on losing anything. After calculations and increasing calories, it jumpstarted my loss again.

I do think his post has merit, especially to those that have been doing everything and getting nowhere. Yeah, some are going to say these are estimates, too. Well, so are some of the ideas that others say: change up workouts, change the way you eat, etc. It's all estimating what works. If you take in the fact you're working out and increasing your body's ability, then extra calories probably need to be figured into the equation.

Good luck!!

cccathyyy · March 2011

great advice... bump for later!

speedyv · March 2011

I have gone from 28% body fat to 13. 1 % in 12 months using a heart rate monitor to gauge my calorie burn.
I found that most machines over estimate calories a LOT and the a 30 min walk will burn approximate 300 cals depending on what you weigh and if it is on an incline.
What I did find that was the basis of my cardio workouts was that if I did interval training, I carried on burning calories at a higher rate than normal for the hour or so afterwards( until I took my monitor off!)
I didn't burn a lot of calories when I did weights but building muscle is counterproductive as muscle creates heat and therefore has the capacity to burn off fat. That is why my body fat dropped- combining weights( heavy enough to ache the next day) and intervals.
Don't rely on the counts on machines, I would take off at least 100 cals off what it says! Sorry to disappoint !!!

fasttrack27 · March 2011

Since everyone is discussing calories on a HRM vs what MFP shows I need a little help.

Last night at the gym I walked for 20mins at brisk pace 3.5 mph and then I did 20mins on a cardio/ski machine.

My HRM says I burned just under 800 calories and MFP says I burned 367.

I think what my HRM is telling me is too high on calories so I've been going with what MFP tells me i've burned.

Any suggestions? Maybe I need to read through my HRM book again and make sure I have it setup correctly.

I know the heart rate reading on my HRM is accurate because last night I would check it on the cardio machine and my HRM was dead on with the machine.

Don't know your size or fitness level, but 800 sounds VERY high for that 40 min workout. My Polar is usually 500-650 per 45 min spin class (which are pretty intense, sweat-drenched, workouts the whole 45 min). I'm usually in the 700-800 range for my 45 min kickboxing class. Both are way more intense than walking and a cardio machine, but then again i'm in pretty good shape so my counts may be lower than someone just starting out.

mogenfire · March 2011

bump

jlzrdking · March 2011

Since everyone is discussing calories on a HRM vs what MFP shows I need a little help.

Last night at the gym I walked for 20mins at brisk pace 3.5 mph and then I did 20mins on a cardio/ski machine.

My HRM says I burned just under 800 calories and MFP says I burned 367.

I think what my HRM is telling me is too high on calories so I've been going with what MFP tells me i've burned.

Any suggestions? Maybe I need to read through my HRM book again and make sure I have it setup correctly.

I know the heart rate reading on my HRM is accurate because last night I would check it on the cardio machine and my HRM was dead on with the machine.

Don't know your size or fitness level, but 800 sounds VERY high for that 40 min workout. My Polar is usually 500-650 per 45 min spin class (which are pretty intense, sweat-drenched, workouts the whole 45 min). I'm usually in the 700-800 range for my 45 min kickboxing class. Both are way more intense than walking and a cardio machine, but then again i'm in pretty good shape so my counts may be lower than someone just starting out.

Maybe that is the difference, I'm just 2 months into this and I have not dropped that much weight yet and I'm not in good shape.

When I signed up with MFP I was at 233lbs now I'm at 225lbs and working my way down to 200lbs. When I reach that goal I will decide what to do from there and set new goals but for now I want to make sure I'm doing the right exercises and actually burning calories to lose weight.

My biggest fear right now is I'll spend a lot of time going to the gym, watching what I eat and not lose and not reach my goal I have set. That is why I bought an HRM to make sure I was getting a good workout but I'm new to this and it's confusing getting all the different readings about calories burned.

speedyv · March 2011

Eating is about 80% of the weight loss equation with the other 20% being exercise.( some experts say 70/30 but I go with Jillian michaels)
I do 6 sessions of very strenuous weights and cardio program. I do one hour and sweat like mad- burning between 500/700 cals an hour depending on what I'm doing. As long as you get the nutrition right, then any exercise that makes you sweat for one hour should help. I wouldn' t worry about what the machines say. IF YOU ARE NOT SWEATING AND CAN HOLD a CONVERSATION YOU ARE NOT WORING HARD ENOUGH!!!!!! Get your iPod on and get into the Zone,no chatting and make sure you challenge yourself to go faster, longer or harder everyday. That is how you get fitter.
When you are exercising push yourself every time( which is had if you don't have the motivation). Because if you DON'T change you WON'T change. And remember it is ONLY for one hour, you still have another 23 house in the day to do other things.
As you can probably see I am a Jillian Michaels disciple!!!! She is fantastic and helped me train like an athlete.( from a former couch potato)

Slowed down? Plateau? Try Taso's way!! :)

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