Please humor me with this

RunConquerCelebrate
RunConquerCelebrate Posts: 956 Member
edited September 2024 in Food and Nutrition
Ok so for the past couple of months I have been stuck at the same weight I go from 153 down to 152, 151 than go back up to 153.
I have been eating around 1600 calories a day total not NET. So my diary shows the following

1691
1621
1522
1441
These include some or most of my exercise calories . I had my calories set to 1340 I think just cannot remember. So on Thursday I stepped on the scale weigh in day and was at 152 ok no loss for the week. So I was bummed out, so last night I ate more than usual I ate a total of 1954 calories no exercise. Just for fun and thinking I was going to see a gain on the scale I was shocked to see 151.8.

So does that mean I am not eating enough and just increasing my calories one day made a difference. I have seen it here on the forums where it says eat more and loose weight but honestly I am afraid to eat more and gain back the 12lbs that I have worked so hard to loose. But from what I saw this morning maybe that is what I should do.
I am 5'3 and current weight 151.8 I am doing Insanity I did the numbers in the Insanity book and I came out to 1754 calories that is how much I should be eating when doing Insanity.

So I am just thinking out loud here:

So if I set MFP to 1754 calories
and lets say I burn 300 calories during my workout
that leaves me with 1454 for fuel right???? (or what they call here NET calories)

so if Insanity book says I should eat 1754 I would have to eat all of those exercise calories back in order for my NET to be 1754 correct???

am I missing something???

Replies

  • QueenofCups
    QueenofCups Posts: 365 Member
    I am having the same fluctuation in my weight and have not found the "magic bullet" that makes me go under 150lbs.
    I don't know about Insanity, but I know on here everyone has different viewpoints on the exercise calories. I just try to stay above 1200 NET calories. Regardless of what my sedentary calorie intake is. So if Insanity says to eat 1767, how many calories do you burn doing the Insanity workout? I would kinda split the difference if I were you, or just make sure you don't feel hungry or lethargic while doing the workout. Hopefully someone who has done Insanity can help more. Good luck!
  • LovelySnugs
    LovelySnugs Posts: 389
    no, your final conclusion is basically correct. try it for a few weeks and see what happens. if you go back over that 153, you'll know it doesn't work for you.

    another thing i seem to read about pretty often is, people do their workouts and watch their calories all week, and then have one off day where they go over their calories by like 500 or more - and 2 days later, they've lost like 1.5 lbs. this seems to happen to me, too. so you're definitely on to something.

    the important thing is to pay attention to your NET calories, which according to your post should be 1754. try to get within about 75 calories of that target (+or -), and see what's up. i think you've got it.

    and here's some more advice from one of my MFP friends who busted a plateau of her own: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/00trayn/view/how-to-bust-a-3-month-plateau-87677
  • sweet_lotus
    sweet_lotus Posts: 194 Member
    There's a theory in dietary science called "set point". Having read a lot of the posts about starvation mode, I think this might be what people are referring to. It's basically the weight your body thinks it should be. It can be different for everyone. If you try to go under your body gets more efficient at storing.

    More information about set point: http://medweb.mit.edu/pdf/set_point_theory.pdf

    It's only a theory, though.

    I'm not sure if this will help you, and it's totally anecdotal, but it helped me to take a little "breaks" while dieting when I hit plateaus. So, I'd lose 10-15 pounds, take a "break" and maintain for about 2 months (which means eating more calories than normal dieting), and then try again. Theoretically, this helps nudge the set point a little lower.

    Not sure about the NET calories, but when you're weighing yourself make sure that it's at the same time every day. Your weight will fluctuate +/- 2 pounds throughout the day.
  • RunConquerCelebrate
    RunConquerCelebrate Posts: 956 Member

    Not sure about the NET calories, but when you're weighing yourself make sure that it's at the same time every day. Your weight will fluctuate +/- 2 pounds throughout the day.

    I actually do weight myself at the same time every day which is right after I wake up, naked and before I jump in the shower.
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