The human body is so weird... Advice please : )

BrownEyedBetty
BrownEyedBetty Posts: 85 Member
edited November 10 in Health and Weight Loss
So I think I have hit a plateau... I have been the same weight for almost a month now and I bloody don't know why? I am working out and eating healthy... I even decreased my alcohol consumption. Any ideas on how I can jump start my weight loss again? I was thinking of doing a small detox ( like 3 days) to help reset my metabolism. Thoughts?
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Replies

  • girlviernes
    girlviernes Posts: 2,402 Member
    The best thing you can do is be 100% accurate in your logging. Are you getting every thing down? Are you weighing your foods? Are you careful about the entries (double checking that they are accurate)?

    Sometimes we can get away with being imprecise, but eventually as you are losing the deficit you can have is smaller and can easily be wiped out by incorrect logging.
  • shadowofender
    shadowofender Posts: 786 Member
    Your metabolism doens't need a reset and detoxes are a joke.

    If you've stalled, did you adjust your calories for a new lower weight?
    Are you being entirely accurate with logging food> As in, weighing everything and finding correct entries?
    When you log your workouts, are you logging the calorie burns from here (often too high), or changing them for yourself?
  • Mr_Knight
    Mr_Knight Posts: 9,532 Member
    The numbers you have for your exercise burns are...optimistic.
  • BrownEyedBetty
    BrownEyedBetty Posts: 85 Member
    Your metabolism doens't need a reset and detoxes are a joke.

    If you've stalled, did you adjust your calories for a new lower weight?
    Are you being entirely accurate with logging food> As in, weighing everything and finding correct entries?
    When you log your workouts, are you logging the calorie burns from here (often too high), or changing them for yourself?

    Yes I have changed my caloric intake for my new weight.

    Yes I accurately log..My food scale is awesome : )

    Yes I accurately log my workouts...I have a Fitbit
  • Daiako
    Daiako Posts: 12,545 Member
    Do you weigh your food and measure your liquids?
    Your calorie burns seem high (800, 900 calorie burns some day) how are you determining those numbers?
    Have you started a new workout routine? (Some people find their weight can stall for a few weeks after switching programs)
    Have you tries scaling back your calories? Start slowly, like 50 calories a day for 4 weeks, and report back.
  • usmcmp
    usmcmp Posts: 21,219 Member
    Mr_Knight wrote: »
    The numbers you have for your exercise burns are...optimistic.

    She's logging her calorie burn (which is from the treadmill and pretty high) as well as getting a fit bit adjustment. I don't have a fitbit, but it seems like she's getting double credit for a single workout.

    OP: Saturday, Sunday and Monday don't look accurate. You need to log accurately every day.
  • girlviernes
    girlviernes Posts: 2,402 Member
    edited January 2015
    Well... I am seeing a lot of entries that do not seem to be weighed. Weighed entries will generally be in grams and not perfect amounts. You should be weighing fruit, onions, etc. You also eat out a lot which will increase error in your logs.

    You do have a nice balance to your eating though :)
  • TimothyFish
    TimothyFish Posts: 4,925 Member
    You're eating about what I am, but you're exercising less. You just need to eat less and/or move more.
  • Daiako
    Daiako Posts: 12,545 Member
    edited January 2015
    usmcmp wrote: »
    Mr_Knight wrote: »
    The numbers you have for your exercise burns are...optimistic.

    She's logging her calorie burn (which is from the treadmill and pretty high) as well as getting a fit bit adjustment. I don't have a fitbit, but it seems like she's getting double credit for a single workout.

    OP: Saturday, Sunday and Monday don't look accurate. You need to log accurately every day.


    I do have a fitbit and I believe you've found the problem. Double credit.
  • aylajane
    aylajane Posts: 979 Member
    edited January 2015
    If you are using your fitbit for calories burned and letting it flow here, be sure that mfp is set up for your BMR only... If you have MFP set up to assume a certain amount of exercise (i.e. lightly active or higher) then it already includes SOME exercise, and you are double counting it.

    Set MFP to sedentary and your goal to maintain your weight. The idea is that at the end of the day, your goal on MFP with exercise should match your fitbit total calories burned. For example, yesterday MFP says your goal was 2,510 calories. What did your fitbit say? It should have said 2510 calories or very close (after midnight - end of day only). That is your maintenance, so just aim to eat 500+ under the goal every day. Dont use the built in mfp stuff, it just confuses things with the fitbit.

    ETA: Looks like I set this up for a different reason. Everyone below is correct I am sure. I think I did this because I wanted to start with my BMR as a minimum or something... I didnt want any credit until I got to my BMR or something. Whatever - my weirdness - ignore this.
  • usmcmp
    usmcmp Posts: 21,219 Member
    I looked back through the last month. I do see a couple of days where you were over, but I see many days that don't look complete, unless you stopped eating at lunch and only had 500 calories those days.
  • Daiako
    Daiako Posts: 12,545 Member
    edited January 2015
    aylajane wrote: »
    If you are using your fitbit for calories burned and letting it flow here, be sure that mfp is set up for your BMR only... If you have MFP set up to assume a certain amount of exercise (i.e. lightly active or higher) then it already includes SOME exercise, and you are double counting it.

    Set MFP to sedentary and your goal to maintain your weight. The idea is that at the end of the day, your goal on MFP with exercise should match your fitbit total calories burned. For example, yesterday MFP says your goal was 2,510 calories. What did your fitbit say? It should have said 2510 calories or very close (after midnight - end of day only). That is your maintenance, so just aim to eat 500+ under the goal every day. Dont use the built in mfp stuff, it just confuses things with the fitbit.

    This isn't true. Fitbit adjusts up or down no matter what your activity level or calories are set at, until your 'daily burned' total matches its total. It basically ignores your MFP settings and plugs in whatever it wants.


    I'm set to lightly active (or something. I haven't checked lately) and MFP estimates that puts me at 2000 calories burned a day. I set it for some calorie amount (1500 maybe) fitbit then adjusts the amount burned number as it sees fit and the amount to eat moves along with it. If I swing up to 2200 my calorie count goes up to 1700, if I swing down to 1800 my calories drop to 1300.
  • williams969
    williams969 Posts: 2,528 Member
    usmcmp wrote: »
    Mr_Knight wrote: »
    The numbers you have for your exercise burns are...optimistic.

    She's logging her calorie burn (which is from the treadmill and pretty high) as well as getting a fit bit adjustment. I don't have a fitbit, but it seems like she's getting double credit for a single workout.

    OP: Saturday, Sunday and Monday don't look accurate. You need to log accurately every day.

    I agree that it looks like "double logging" calorie burns. OP, I have a Fitbit (make sure to check out the "Fitbit Owners Group" on here for good info), and to keep it accurate as possible, I log all exercise that is NOT step based into Fitbit, then let it adjust over to MFP during sync.

    That means no treadmill entries, let Fitbit count your steps, no need to enter that. For elliptical, strength, swimming, etc. add those via Fitbit (pro tip: Fitbit exercise estimates are MUCH more realistic, IME). That should take away any possibly of over-estimating exercise calories.

    Other than that, make a good effort to continue logging all your food, good bad & ugly, every day. Food choices look solid and balanced to me.
  • williams969
    williams969 Posts: 2,528 Member
    edited January 2015
    Daiako wrote: »
    aylajane wrote: »
    If you are using your fitbit for calories burned and letting it flow here, be sure that mfp is set up for your BMR only... If you have MFP set up to assume a certain amount of exercise (i.e. lightly active or higher) then it already includes SOME exercise, and you are double counting it.

    Set MFP to sedentary and your goal to maintain your weight. The idea is that at the end of the day, your goal on MFP with exercise should match your fitbit total calories burned. For example, yesterday MFP says your goal was 2,510 calories. What did your fitbit say? It should have said 2510 calories or very close (after midnight - end of day only). That is your maintenance, so just aim to eat 500+ under the goal every day. Dont use the built in mfp stuff, it just confuses things with the fitbit.

    This isn't true. Fitbit adjusts up or down no matter what your activity level or calories are set at, until your 'daily burned' total matches its total. It basically ignores your MFP settings and plugs in whatever it wants.

    ^^Yep. No difference. I have experimented myself with changing up the level. No difference--the result MFP ultimately tells me to eat is exactly the same.
  • Mr_Knight
    Mr_Knight Posts: 9,532 Member
    Daiako wrote: »
    usmcmp wrote: »
    Mr_Knight wrote: »
    The numbers you have for your exercise burns are...optimistic.

    She's logging her calorie burn (which is from the treadmill and pretty high) as well as getting a fit bit adjustment. I don't have a fitbit, but it seems like she's getting double credit for a single workout.

    OP: Saturday, Sunday and Monday don't look accurate. You need to log accurately every day.

    I do have a fitbit and I believe you've found the problem. Double credit.

    Quite possibly. Plus the individual entries are very high in and of themselves, unless OP is very, very fit.
  • sizzle74
    sizzle74 Posts: 858 Member
    edited January 2015
    I wouldn't sync your fitbit to MFP. Use MFP for food/exercise/calorie logging and FitBit for steps. FitBit gives way too many "exercise calories burned". I strictly log only true exercise calories as a burn. Hope that makes sense.
  • Daiako
    Daiako Posts: 12,545 Member
    Mr_Knight wrote: »
    Daiako wrote: »
    usmcmp wrote: »
    Mr_Knight wrote: »
    The numbers you have for your exercise burns are...optimistic.

    She's logging her calorie burn (which is from the treadmill and pretty high) as well as getting a fit bit adjustment. I don't have a fitbit, but it seems like she's getting double credit for a single workout.

    OP: Saturday, Sunday and Monday don't look accurate. You need to log accurately every day.

    I do have a fitbit and I believe you've found the problem. Double credit.

    Quite possibly. Plus the individual entries are very high in and of themselves, unless OP is very, very fit.


    Yeah. I've done a Tough Mudder with my fitbit on and not ended up with burns as high as the OP's (I think I got 800 calories for the day.) So I'm...skeptical of 500 calorie treadmill+400 calories from fitbit.
  • Daiako
    Daiako Posts: 12,545 Member
    I wouldn't sync your fitbit to MFP. Use MFP for food/exercise/calorie logging and FitBit for steps. FitBit gives way too many "exercise calories burned". I strictly log only true exercise calories as a burn. Hope that makes sense.

    Lots of people have had success connectingb fitbit and MFP however the tracker (and the websites) are just tools that only work as well as the person using them allows them to work.

  • sizzle74
    sizzle74 Posts: 858 Member
    Daiako wrote: »
    I wouldn't sync your fitbit to MFP. Use MFP for food/exercise/calorie logging and FitBit for steps. FitBit gives way too many "exercise calories burned". I strictly log only true exercise calories as a burn. Hope that makes sense.

    Lots of people have had success connectingb fitbit and MFP however the tracker (and the websites) are just tools that only work as well as the person using them allows them to work.

    I would think then, that the successful users are deleting the fitbit "exercise burns'' from their MFP diaries.
  • williams969
    williams969 Posts: 2,528 Member
    edited January 2015
    Daiako wrote: »
    I wouldn't sync your fitbit to MFP. Use MFP for food/exercise/calorie logging and FitBit for steps. FitBit gives way too many "exercise calories burned". I strictly log only true exercise calories as a burn. Hope that makes sense.

    Lots of people have had success connectingb fitbit and MFP however the tracker (and the websites) are just tools that only work as well as the person using them allows them to work.

    I would think then, that the successful users are deleting the fitbit "exercise burns'' from their MFP diaries.

    Then you think wrong. I lost all my weight and am keeping it off by eating every single Fitbit calorie. And I'm not alone.
  • Sued0nim
    Sued0nim Posts: 17,456 Member
    Daiako wrote: »
    I wouldn't sync your fitbit to MFP. Use MFP for food/exercise/calorie logging and FitBit for steps. FitBit gives way too many "exercise calories burned". I strictly log only true exercise calories as a burn. Hope that makes sense.

    Lots of people have had success connectingb fitbit and MFP however the tracker (and the websites) are just tools that only work as well as the person using them allows them to work.

    I would think then, that the successful users are deleting the fitbit "exercise burns'' from their MFP diaries.

    Nope

    Exercise logged on MFP overwrites fitbit steps during that time period ....at least it does when you set the time zones the same ...I log my HRM reads for workouts and am still losing regularly at a low cut so it must be close to accurate
  • Daiako
    Daiako Posts: 12,545 Member
    edited January 2015
    Daiako wrote: »
    I wouldn't sync your fitbit to MFP. Use MFP for food/exercise/calorie logging and FitBit for steps. FitBit gives way too many "exercise calories burned". I strictly log only true exercise calories as a burn. Hope that makes sense.

    Lots of people have had success connectingb fitbit and MFP however the tracker (and the websites) are just tools that only work as well as the person using them allows them to work.

    I would think then, that the successful users are deleting the fitbit "exercise burns'' from their MFP diaries.

    Nope. Lost my weight without editing/deleting a single activity tracker calorie.

    If I didn't trust it to do its job I wouldn't use it.
  • SergeantSausage
    SergeantSausage Posts: 1,673 Member
    So I think I have hit a plateau... I have been the same weight for almost a month now and I bloody don't know why? I am working out and eating healthy... I even decreased my alcohol consumption. Any ideas on how I can jump start my weight loss again? I was thinking of doing a small detox ( like 3 days) to help reset my metabolism. Thoughts?

    So. Much. Wrong. Here.
    <boggle>

  • Gr8ChangesAhead
    Gr8ChangesAhead Posts: 836 Member
    I disconnected my fitbit - the burns were so inaccurate I ended up slowly gaining weight. Fitbit is a tool-a glorified pedometer I would just manually log your steps accomplished in your exercise notes not eat back those calories
  • brianpperkins
    brianpperkins Posts: 6,124 Member
    Your metabolism doens't need a reset and detoxes are a joke.

    If you've stalled, did you adjust your calories for a new lower weight?
    Are you being entirely accurate with logging food> As in, weighing everything and finding correct entries?
    When you log your workouts, are you logging the calorie burns from here (often too high), or changing them for yourself?



    Yes I accurately log my workouts...I have a Fitbit

    You've double entered step based activities and your treadmill burns look high. The strength totals look high as well.

    If you want to waste time, money, and effort on a detox ... that's up to you, but they do nothing productive. I'd recommend double checking your burns and going from there.

  • BrownEyedBetty
    BrownEyedBetty Posts: 85 Member
    aylajane wrote: »
    If you are using your fitbit for calories burned and letting it flow here, be sure that mfp is set up for your BMR only... If you have MFP set up to assume a certain amount of exercise (i.e. lightly active or higher) then it already includes SOME exercise, and you are double counting it.

    Set MFP to sedentary and your goal to maintain your weight. The idea is that at the end of the day, your goal on MFP with exercise should match your fitbit total calories burned. For example, yesterday MFP says your goal was 2,510 calories. What did your fitbit say? It should have said 2510 calories or very close (after midnight - end of day only). That is your maintenance, so just aim to eat 500+ under the goal every day. Dont use the built in mfp stuff, it just confuses things with the fitbit.

    ETA: Looks like I set this up for a different reason. Everyone below is correct I am sure. I think I did this because I wanted to start with my BMR as a minimum or something... I didnt want any credit until I got to my BMR or something. Whatever - my weirdness - ignore this.

    Thank you for your help. ☺️☺️
  • BrownEyedBetty
    BrownEyedBetty Posts: 85 Member
    So I think I have hit a plateau... I have been the same weight for almost a month now and I bloody don't know why? I am working out and eating healthy... I even decreased my alcohol consumption. Any ideas on how I can jump start my weight loss again? I was thinking of doing a small detox ( like 3 days) to help reset my metabolism. Thoughts?

    So. Much. Wrong. Here.
    <boggle>

    That doesn't help me... I need advice, that's why I made this post.
  • BrownEyedBetty
    BrownEyedBetty Posts: 85 Member
    Your metabolism doens't need a reset and detoxes are a joke.

    If you've stalled, did you adjust your calories for a new lower weight?
    Are you being entirely accurate with logging food> As in, weighing everything and finding correct entries?
    When you log your workouts, are you logging the calorie burns from here (often too high), or changing them for yourself?



    Yes I accurately log my workouts...I have a Fitbit

    You've double entered step based activities and your treadmill burns look high. The strength totals look high as well.

    If you want to waste time, money, and effort on a detox ... that's up to you, but they do nothing productive. I'd recommend double checking your burns and going from there.
    Thank you, will do.
  • BrownEyedBetty
    BrownEyedBetty Posts: 85 Member
    I disconnected my fitbit - the burns were so inaccurate I ended up slowly gaining weight. Fitbit is a tool-a glorified pedometer I would just manually log your steps accomplished in your exercise notes not eat back those calories

    Thank you. I'm going to try that because before my Fitbit it was much easier.
  • 47Jacqueline
    47Jacqueline Posts: 6,993 Member
    Activity trackers are almost as optimistic as MFP in logging your workouts. The best way to track a workout is with ah HRM.
This discussion has been closed.