What to so when stats dont add up?

thedarkwombat
thedarkwombat Posts: 123 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I did some stats on two months
Beginning weight: 321
Ending weight: 318

Total calories consumed 138,765
Total calories average per day: 2,312

Why have a only lost 3 pounds? I have been at 318 for weeks now. I should be closer to 315 or 314.

With an average of 2312 I am at least 300 or 400 under the calories I need to maintain my weight.

What adjustments do I need to make? More water? Cause I rarely drink it. I also dont exercise. My daily calorie goal is 1800. Maybe I need to be more consistent?
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Replies

  • yopeeps025
    yopeeps025 Posts: 8,680 Member
    Look at your sodium levels throughout these two months? Rarely? How many oz a day you drink of water? Also weight loses is not a linear line.
  • AliceDark
    AliceDark Posts: 3,886 Member
    How are you tracking your intake? Do you use a food scale, cups/measuring spoons, eyeballing, etc.? At your weight, you should be losing weight even at 2300 calories, even if you're not exercising. I would bet money that there's some kind of logging error happening. Would you be comfortable opening your diary so we can see what may be happening?
  • Ready2Rock206
    Ready2Rock206 Posts: 9,487 Member
    AliceDark wrote: »
    How are you tracking your intake? Do you use a food scale, cups/measuring spoons, eyeballing, etc.? At your weight, you should be losing weight even at 2300 calories, even if you're not exercising. I would bet money that there's some kind of logging error happening. Would you be comfortable opening your diary so we can see what may be happening?

    This. I bet it is your logging. Also our bodies don't necessarily follow the rules exactly as we expect them to.
  • xcalygrl
    xcalygrl Posts: 1,897 Member
    Ready2Rock206 wrote: »
    AliceDark wrote: »
    How are you tracking your intake? Do you use a food scale, cups/measuring spoons, eyeballing, etc.? At your weight, you should be losing weight even at 2300 calories, even if you're not exercising. I would bet money that there's some kind of logging error happening. Would you be comfortable opening your diary so we can see what may be happening?

    This. I bet it is your logging. Also our bodies don't necessarily follow the rules exactly as we expect them to.

    Agreed to both of these things. If you aren't weighing and measuring your food, you may actually be overconsuming and underlogging food. Also, just because MFP and the numbers say we should lose 0.5-2 pounds a weeked doesn't mean our body agrees. It may lose faster or slower than MFP says we should because the numbers in MFP and from online calculators are just formulas for best guesses. It takes a lot of trial and error to figure out your true calorie needs.
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
    AliceDark wrote: »
    How are you tracking your intake? Do you use a food scale, cups/measuring spoons, eyeballing, etc.? At your weight, you should be losing weight even at 2300 calories, even if you're not exercising. I would bet money that there's some kind of logging error happening. Would you be comfortable opening your diary so we can see what may be happening?


    This.
  • thedarkwombat
    thedarkwombat Posts: 123 Member
    I actually almost overshoot my calories. My logging is correct. I think exercise and water might help. I do understand weight loss is not linear but a one month stall is odd.
  • yopeeps025
    yopeeps025 Posts: 8,680 Member
    thedarkwombat wrote: »
    I actually almost overshoot my calories. My logging is correct. I think exercise and water might help. I do understand weight loss is not linear but a one month stall is odd.

    Weight loss can be done with no exercise. Exercise and water "will help if you are still in calorie deficit."
  • parkscs
    parkscs Posts: 1,639 Member
    Ensure your calorie log is accurate and complete. If it is and you've been plateaued a significant period of time (at least 2 weeks) then drop your calories 10% and reassess a few weeks later.
  • thedarkwombat
    thedarkwombat Posts: 123 Member
    Maybe consistency is the key. My daily goal is 1800 calories.
    Out of 63 days I hit 1800 or less only 15 times (25%)
    I had 16 days that were over 2800 calories and 6 days where I topped 3000.
  • AliceDark
    AliceDark Posts: 3,886 Member
    If you're not losing after two months, you're not in a calorie deficit. We're asking questions to try to determine why you're not achieving a deficit. By far, the most likely explanation is inaccurate logging, especially if you're not using a scale. There are a ton of good tips and tricks that can help improve logging -- it's not nearly as intuitive as people think, and even people who have had a lot of practice with logging have areas where they can improve.

    Water, in and of itself, isn't going to help with weight loss. (It will help if you're replacing a drink that has calories with plain water, but that's not due to the water. It's due to cutting those liquid calories out).
  • pplastics
    pplastics Posts: 135 Member
    Going over your calorie goal by 500 calories per day = 1 pound per week that you are not losing.

    Accuracy and consistency are key to losing weight. Find a way to eat your 1800 each and every day and you should see results.
  • thedarkwombat
    thedarkwombat Posts: 123 Member
    How do calorie deficits work over time though? When do you "punch in and punch out" regarding the results?

    In other words, can one bad Saturday night ruin a few days work? I assume yes, but one bad Saturday cant ruin two weeks worth of work right, because you created multiple deficits each day?
  • parkscs
    parkscs Posts: 1,639 Member
    thedarkwombat wrote: »
    Maybe consistency is the key. My daily goal is 1800 calories.
    Out of 63 days I hit 1800 or less only 15 times (25%)
    I had 16 days that were over 2800 calories and 6 days where I topped 3000.

    If you aren't accurate and consistent, you can't really draw any rational conclusions about how to alter your routine because you aren't closely following your current routine. As long as you're seeing results, you can get by with some imprecision, but if you're trying to figure out why you're stuck, then accuracy and consistency are paramount.
  • lorib642
    lorib642 Posts: 1,942 Member
    How much were you losing a month before? Have you done anything differently?
  • AliceDark
    AliceDark Posts: 3,886 Member
    What do you mean by "multiple deficits?"

    What matters is maintaining a deficit over time. If you're aiming to hit a 500-calorie deficit each day, and you go over by 3500 calories one bad Saturday, BOOM, there went your week.

    At the beginning, it's best to try to be as consistent as possible for a month or two to see how your body responds. You can't start adjusting your intake to achieve different results if you don't have a solid baseline for comparison -- that's just shooting in the dark.
  • wkwebby
    wkwebby Posts: 807 Member
    Invest in a food scale. They don't have to be fancy because it doesn't sound like you know for sure by how much you overshoot the 1800. I can understand your wanting to shoot for the number and going over it by a little, but your overshoot is way more than a little.

    You can lose weight even without exercising if you were accurate with your food logging and being at a proper 500 calorie/day deficit.
  • thedarkwombat
    thedarkwombat Posts: 123 Member
    Last December I got down to 310. I just looked at my logs for Oct, Nov and Dec of 2013 and they were more consistent. I never had any bad 3,200 calorie days, and I saw many times where I would be at 1,500 and 1,600 calories.
  • Mr_Knight
    Mr_Knight Posts: 9,532 Member
    edited October 2014
    thedarkwombat wrote: »
    I actually almost overshoot my calories. My logging is correct.

    Open your diary.

    Consistency has a negligible effect, long run averages are what matter.


  • malibu927
    malibu927 Posts: 17,562 Member
    It happens. I've lost five pound in the past two months because of a 3-week stall and a weekend with a major sodium intake and questionable logging (at a wedding). Take a closer look at your logging and make sure it's exactly what you say it is, and maybe cut down on those 2800-3000 calorie days
  • wkwebby
    wkwebby Posts: 807 Member
    thedarkwombat wrote: »
    Last December I got down to 310. I just looked at my logs for Oct, Nov and Dec of 2013 and they were more consistent. I never had any bad 3,200 calorie days, and I saw many times where I would be at 1,500 and 1,600 calories.

    So this means that you had good deficits in Oct, Nov, and Dec = lost weight.

    The system worked for you, but you aren't sure now? What changed (stopped logging all foods and drinks or stopped weighing)? If you weigh all your foods and log accurately and you still come to 1500 or 1600 per day, then you need to know what your minimum caloric needs for the day are.

    In your situation, where you aren't building muscles, you need to be very diligent about your base calories, then adjust your daily caloric to lose the weight. Try also eating nutrient dense foods (i.e. lots of veggies and lean proteins) to keep you full longer so you won't have the urge to binge and overshoot your calories for the day.
  • likitisplit
    likitisplit Posts: 9,420 Member
    If you aren't losing weight over time (and yes, water retention/other stuff can hide fat loss), then you aren't in a deficit.

    1- are you logging accurately (with a food scale)?
    2- are you tracking exercise accurately?
    3- is this a random variation (have you been at the same weight or higher for over 6 weeks)?

  • thedarkwombat
    thedarkwombat Posts: 123 Member
    not gonna use a food scale, ever.
  • parkscs
    parkscs Posts: 1,639 Member
    thedarkwombat wrote: »
    not gonna use a food scale, ever.

    Then just keep reducing your guestimate calories until you lose weight. But in general, life is a lot easier with a food scale.
  • malibu927
    malibu927 Posts: 17,562 Member
    thedarkwombat wrote: »
    not gonna use a food scale, ever.

    Then you're eating more than you think
  • pplastics
    pplastics Posts: 135 Member
    thedarkwombat wrote: »
    How do calorie deficits work over time though? When do you "punch in and punch out" regarding the results?

    In other words, can one bad Saturday night ruin a few days work? I assume yes, but one bad Saturday cant ruin two weeks worth of work right, because you created multiple deficits each day?

    I have gone under my calorie goals a few days during a week in order to plan ahead for a party/dinner out, and I have stayed consistent in my weight loss. Keep in mind that on my "over" day, I still try to stay below what my calorie level to maintain my current weight would be. For example, I currently try to eat around 1500 a day. To maintain my current weight I would eat no more than 2000 a day. I might take 4 days and eat only 1400, and use those extra 400 on my "over" day.

    It seems to me that you are having too many over days that go too far over.


  • AliceDark
    AliceDark Posts: 3,886 Member
    edited October 2014
    If you don't want to use a food scale, (and that's fine, btw, it's just a tool, albeit a MUCH more effective one), how are you measuring your food? Are you at least using measuring cups and spoons?

    Edit: Also, are you being sure to use only the most accurate database entries (ones without an asterisk whenever possible, only items confirmed by other users if you need to use a user-created entry, nothing marked "Generic" or "Homemade," etc.)? Are you using the recipe builder tool for anything you make yourself?
  • thedarkwombat
    thedarkwombat Posts: 123 Member
    i measure and go by packaging and labels.
  • SWEETMAY84
    SWEETMAY84 Posts: 66 Member
    Answering your questions, Stats don't add up because there has being a lack of consistency, to the question what to do? commit again to consistent logs and keep going! we all have set backs, its normal!
  • levitateme
    levitateme Posts: 999 Member
    Food is packaged by weight, so if you aren't weighing what you eat, you probably don't know how much you are actually eating. 3/4 cup of granola is a lot more granola than 50 g (in my experience) and the same goes for a serving of mayo, peanut butter, pasta, rice.
  • Ninkyou
    Ninkyou Posts: 6,666 Member
    thedarkwombat wrote: »
    not gonna use a food scale, ever.

    There's your answer. Your logging isn't as accurate as you'd like to believe. Since you are not weighing your food you don't actually know how many calories you're consuming. But you do know you're not losing weight. So if you are determined to lose weight without weighing your food, then you're going to have to eat portions smaller than what you think is a serving size.

    Also, packaging and labels can be off by as much as 20%.



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