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Daily Exercise + Under Daily Calories = No Weight Loss!
Replies
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Thanks for all the great (and blunt) input!
Overall, I'm now certain it's a food intake issue. I simply MUST be consuming too much food...which kind of sucks because I feel just under "satisfied" most days. Too, I probably need to drink more water. FWIW: I know the difference between 1 "medium" tomato and 1 Roma or grape tomato. The point about "2 fried eggs" is a good one and I just recently noticed that nuance.
Many days I didn't log were those "aww! F*^k this Sh#t" days/times where I would eat a fruit salad/yogurt for breakfast and have a tuna+lettuce+tomato+HB egg salad for dinner and gain 2 lbs the next day after a grueling 60-minute HIIT workout... Never to lose the gained weight for at least 2 weeks.
Look, I GET that I'm not measuring as accurately as some of you anal-retentive types, but for me to actually GAIN (and retain) weight after several days of my 1800 -(300) days of calories -(activity) is infuriating. I would have to be miscalculating by a factor of 1.5 and that's not even CLOSE to possible.
E.g. "2 fried eggs" = 185 Calories
"2 eggs" + ".5 Tbs butter" = 190 Calories
Do you HONESTLY think those 5 Calories are the problem? 35 calories over a WEEK of 2100+ calorie workouts?
Consider: I buy a 6-pack of pork chops weighing 20 oz. I eat ONE and log a 3 oz pork chop. Sometimes I might go zany and log a 4 oz pork chop (!!) and I'd STILL be under my daily calorie count. I'd have to eat 3 tubs of yogurt, and 3-4 cups of fruit salad, a snickers bar and Oreos to blow my numbers out to the point of gaining 2 F%#€£g pounds and — sorry to burst anyone's bubble — that just isn't happening. I'm NOT trying to intentionally flame anyone ... Just please understand that I 100% know that I've gained weight after two weeks of intense workouts and clean, <1800 calorie days.
Now, is that muscle? I know I should care but I don't. I want to be a lean 187. And that stupid-*kitten* scale is tearing me UP! Good grief! I sound like a tantruming child. Sorry. As an avid writer,
I TRULY appreciate everyone's help and taking the time to respond.
Correct me if I'm wrong (as if that needs saying), but isn't the BMR that MFP gives skewed? E.g., if I indicate I'm moderately active (considering my exercise routine) BEFORE it spits out my BMR, doesn't it already somehow factor that into my target BMR? After that, I add in my exercise and *WOW!* look at all those "extra" calories as a deficit!
So I recalculated my BMR with "sedative" as my activity level. This gives me a few hundred calorie/day difference which ought to be very helpful moving forward.
Thanks, again for all the input. Still, though, no links to credible research RE: The Junkfood Diet... Anecdotal "evidence" isn't credible. If a calorie is a calorie, there ought to be piles of credible, "go-to" studies to prove it and you ought not to care from what foods you get your nutrition. But you (and I) obviously do. Satiety or not, you positively know there's a world of health difference between the nutrition in 1 Oreo and 1 apple, even if the calories are equal. I think my point is that — from a health perspective — 1 Oreo is NOT 1 apple, and weight loss ought to be a healthy endeavor.
Thanks again!-3 -
You're sounding a bit defensive there. People here are just trying to help.
Stop stressing yourself out. None of that stuff matters in the end. If you're eating what you're eating and not losing weight, eat less. It doesn't matter whether it's 1800 to 1600, or 2000 to 1800 or whatever. Just eat less.
BMR is irrelevant to weight loss. TDEE is the number you want to focus on, and that number is an *estimate* from every calculator and may or may not apply to you exactly. Plus, it will fluctuate daily.
Try this: Eat what you've been eating already, but strive for more consistency (i.e. log everything, resist the temptation to say "aw, f**k this *kitten*") and as much accuracy as you can reasonably muster. And then cut something out -- eat 10% less. If that doesn't work, try 15% less. Recognize that, even if you're underestimating, you're probably underestimating by the same amount each day, so just subtract from that.
You can do this. It doesn't have to be stressful.0 -
DanielNotDan wrote: »Thanks for all the great (and blunt) input!
Just please understand that I 100% know that I've gained weight after two weeks of intense workouts and clean, <1800 calorie days.
Haha, welcome to MFP. Truly wish I had the silver bullet to help, but I can only comment on my own experience. We're about the same age/height and I easily lose weight at 1850 calories with minimal exercise. I kept increasing my calories up to 2250 and still loss a pound a week. Been eating 2650 for the last year and still managed to lose about 1 pound per month (I started lifting consistently 2-3x per week in June/July 2014). I do weigh my food but am not retentive about it, I know I have a few nibbles extra here and there.
Just throwing this out there for the MFP community to comment on, what if OP ate at "maintenance" for a few weeks and dialed back on the intense workouts? Might that help?
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The end result is all that matters. It doesn't matter how many calories you are consuming, just eat less or move more. At some point, you will find a level at which you are losing weight.0
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Let me summarize:
OP: Help me!!
Posters: It sounds like you're not accurately tracking your intake. You can't know if there's a problem until you tighten up your accuracy.
OP: I'm the awesome king of awesomeness. I don't need your stinking advice. Who asked you anyway, you anal-retentive food trackers?
Seriously OP. Lighten up. People are just trying to help you. No reason to be so defensive about it.
We see it over and over and over again. When people aren't losing weight, it's 99%* of the time that they aren't tracking accurately. When they start tracking accurately, they start losing. The other 1%* are at the wrong calorie goal. Start by being accurate. Give it a few weeks and then reassess.
*statistic totally made up based on my gut feeling about post percentages.0 -
SingRunTing wrote: »Let me summarize:
OP: Help me!! I'm the awesome king of awesomeness. I don't need your stinking advice. Who asked you anyway, you anal-retentive food trackers?
Seriously OP. Lighten up. People are just trying to help you. No reason to be so defensive about it.
Also: segacs:
Why do *i* have to lighten up. Why don't YOU lighten up? I'm not being defensive. YOU'RE being defensive. (Nathan Thurm/Martin Short skit...look it up)
Thanks, SaySumThing. Never said I was awesome. Made it clear I was not flaming and that I was behaving like a tantruming child over this...which I am. Also made it clear that I know food quantity is the issue. The point about ****-retention went over your head so let me summarize:
• ****-retention is essential (and laudable) for many, but it isn't always necessary as
"1 medium tomato" does NOT have to be weighed...but do it if YOU want.
• "You can't eat enough celery or lettuce in a day (week, month, etc.) to cause weight gain"
• "I need to quantify a 'handful' because I've (apparently) inherited the 'hand' of my Silverback ancestors"
Thanks to ALL (Mariachicat & TimothyFish, too!) for your help and apologies to anyone whom I've unintentionally offended.
Loulamb7 (et.al.): thx for "seeing through" my (SOMEwhat) mock frustrations and mentioning that "silver bullet" which is, of course, what I hoped to discover after consistently exercising and eating (if not faithfully tracking) my healthy food intake. You say you're close to my age/height & lose weight @1850/day with minimal exercise? I now officially hate you. Sorry, Kemosabe.
I'm on the road to being King of Awesomeness, now, trying a new exercise routine & food schedule. Yes, YES, YES! I'll track/measure more consistently. or not. :-/
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DanielNotDan wrote: »Also: segacs:
Why do *i* have to lighten up. Why don't YOU lighten up? I'm not being defensive. YOU'RE being defensive. (Nathan Thurm/Martin Short skit...look it up)
Is this the one-minute argument or the ten-minute argument? (Monty Python sketch... look it up.)0 -
No, you are in fact completely wrong and blowing stuff out of context. What many members of MFP will promote is that you can have a diet that can occasionally incorporate donuts as long as the overall context of your diet is goal. In fact, I don't understand why you are consistently perpetuating this thought process. The total diet context is what matters.. not xx food vs yy food. You cannot compare foods in isolation.prettykitty1515 wrote: »
Your on the wrong site. MFP is not for you. Despite all the mounting evidence in the last five years, 98% of the people here think 2000 calories of donuts = 2000 calories of veggies when it comes to weight loss. Let them believe it. You don't have to.
There is a slowly building wave in the medical and nutrition communities against refined sugar and junk carbs. And it will continue to get bigger and bigger.
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prettykitty1515 wrote: »...98% of the people here think 2000 calories of donuts = 2000 calories of veggies when it comes to weight loss.
That's a flat out falsehood.0 -
DanielNotDan wrote: »Hi, folks.
...ok. I'm completely flummoxed and frustrated. I don't know WHAT to do.
I'm feeling SO demoralized! I've never worked so hard but realized so little progress on the scale. And I can't figure this out!!...
...Can anyone help me understand what the hell is going on? Thanks!
I just read a couple write-up’s entitled: “Help! Why Does My Workout Cause Weight Gain?” and “Why Am I Gaining Weight On a Diet and Exercise Program?” I’m fairly certain, if you Google you’ll find them. Just passing them along FYI – Only
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You don't log on Fridays and Saturdays, do you eat differently on those days?0
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prettykitty1515 wrote: »DanielNotDan wrote: »Can you open up your diary? Are you using a food scale/measuring cups?
Also, when it comes to weight loss, 1000 calories of Doritos WOULD do the same as 1000 calories of more nutrient-rich food. As long as you're in a deficit, it doesn't matter what you eat.
Thanks for your input on my ongoing saga. I'll share my diary to see if others can make sense of it. I'm exercising enough; it HAS to be my food/intake.
I rarely "need" to measure as i usually have, say, "2 eggs," "1 tomato," "1/2 avocado," etc. Some foods I never measure, like lettuce or cucumbers — you couldn't eat enough of those to gain weight if you HAD to.
I'll measure my "handful of nuts" to see how big my hand actually is
RE: calorie deficit: I disagree. If 1000 calories of Doritos/Oreos were equal to 1000 calories of chicken/broccoli we'd see nutritionists, body builders, and "fitness" gurus touting the "Doritos and Oreos Diet" — I mean, a calorie is a calorie, right? Instead, we scientifically know that these foods affect our bodies differently. Otherwise, we could consume our daily calorie quota of Coca-Cola and eat french fries and lose weight. Is that what you're saying would happen? I don't think so, but I would be happy to review credible research that indicates otherwise.
Thanks, again, for your input!
Your on the wrong site. MFP is not for you. Despite all the mounting evidence in the last five years, 98% of the people here think 2000 calories of donuts = 2000 calories of veggies when it comes to weight loss. Let them believe it. You don't have to.
There is a slowly building wave in the medical and nutrition communities against refined sugar and junk carbs. And it will continue to get bigger and bigger.
Start with the book Pure, White and Deadly, by John Yudkin.
Just stop............. Smh!0 -
You don't log on Fridays and Saturdays, do you eat differently on those days?
No, maidentl. I don't. I know it may look like I'm going "off the reservation" on no-log days (and I get that those may throw a red flag) but I'm OBSESSED with dropping my weight via healthy diet & exercise, so (FWIW) I'm staying w/in (or below) my target cals....definitely-no-way-in-hell above 2000 MAX on ANY day, and often a few hundred below.
See, that's the thing: I'm working REAL hard, 30-min Cardio + heavy bag (I'm a martial artist) +/- weights — almost every damn day. And I'm eating (so I calculate) roughly 1700 calories/day on average.
Now, according to practically everything I've read, I THINK I should be melting away. That's me being as honest with my food intake as I know how to be (STILL, to others' points, I need to log more accurately... And I will). In any case, I'm DEFINITELY-NO-WAY-IN-HELL overeating enough from day to day to warrant gaining a GD pound or more!
(...he writes, having gained 1lb from yesterday)
What I REALLY fear is having to drop to, like, 1200/ day to see 1-2 lb losses/week.
That would TOTALLY bum me out..., considering I'm consistently exercising (strenuously). But I think I'm approaching that quickly.0 -
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Thanks, Pretty.prettykitty1515 wrote: »
You're on the wrong site. MFP is not for you. Despite all the mounting evidence in the last five years, 98% of the people here think 2000 calories of donuts = 2000 calories of veggies when it comes to weight loss. Let them believe it. You don't have to.
There is a slowly building wave in the medical and nutrition communities against refined sugar and junk carbs. And it will continue to get bigger and bigger.
Start with the book Pure, White and Deadly, by John Yudkin.
I (almost completely) avoid refined sugars and junk carbs. No soda, no (well...very, very few "chips/crisps" — although I'll eat — and log — a serving or two of Garden of Eatin blue corn chips occasionally). Close to zero pasta or other noodles.
I know how evil that stuff is and am painfully aware and dubious of Big Food. (have you read, "Salt, Sugar, Fat"?http://www.amazon.com/Salt-Sugar-Fat-Giants-Hooked/dp/0812982193). Creepy. Makes my blood boil.
Thanks!0 -
We're living self experiments, honestly I would try going low low carb. Or at least cutting out all wheat and avoid bpa plastics. All wheat nowadays is gmo and void of nutrition. Just google what's wrong with gmo wheat. Keep everything the same just change your macros and avoid wheat in gerneral.0
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prettykitty1515 wrote: »DanielNotDan wrote: »
Thanks, Pretty.prettykitty1515 wrote: »
You're on the wrong site. MFP is not for you. Despite all the mounting evidence in the last five years, 98% of the people here think 2000 calories of donuts = 2000 calories of veggies when it comes to weight loss. Let them believe it. You don't have to.
There is a slowly building wave in the medical and nutrition communities against refined sugar and junk carbs. And it will continue to get bigger and bigger.
Start with the book Pure, White and Deadly, by John Yudkin.
I (almost completely) avoid refined sugars and junk carbs. No soda, no (well...very, very few "chips/crisps" — although I'll eat — and log — a serving or two of Garden of Eatin blue corn chips occasionally). Close to zero pasta or other noodles.
I know how evil that stuff is and am painfully aware and dubious of Big Food. (have you read, "Salt, Sugar, Fat"?http://www.amazon.com/Salt-Sugar-Fat-Giants-Hooked/dp/0812982193). Creepy. Makes my blood boil.
Thanks!
How did I miss that book? Thanks.
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Sounds like you have plenty of advice. I would go with the TDEE and subtract 500 cals/day. And drink t least 8 glasses of water. Anyhoo...Just wanted to wish you all the best!!0
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I buy it. OP's TDEE should be around 2400 + exercise. Even if he is grossly underestimating, there should still be some loss. I consumed fewer than 2000 calories per day with net calories even lower (about 1500 or so) this month and gained 11 pounds. Maybe OP should talk to a doctor to see if a low calorie diet (e.g. 1200 or so calories short term) is right for him if that's what it takes. It won't help him in the long run, but it would be a start if the tried and true MFP lifestyle is failing him.0
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You're frustrated enough that I'd throw money at the problem. Skip going out to eat a few times if you have to to afford it. Get some fitness testing done. The particular one in mind is the one where you breath into a mask for 10 min and they literally calculate your BMR from that based on what you're exhaling and go from there deciding what your intake should be.
Tip # 2 is that I would also start weighing things if they are going to swing more than 50 calories. Do I weigh lettuce? not really. But I can eat 100 cals of celery at once so yeah I do weigh that. Same with an avocado - half of one is 100-200 calories. You're not weighing your nuts? Wow that is easily a 150 cal swing there depending on how big your hand is. Trust me, 1 oz of nuts isn't that much. 6 oz of yogurt isn't either. See how this can add up?
If you care this much, then instead of throwing a tantrum about how you are not going to weigh things *kitten* that, even knowing that your intake is the problem, then why don't you just do it? If you care this much, you should do anything you can to meet your goal. Get an EatSmart scale from Amazon (I've tried both cheaper models, they are really nice) and just do it for a month. Prove to yourself that it doesn't matter instead of assuming it doesn't. I keep mine out on my counter and tare it out with the plate/cup right on it. It's so easy to do. It's easier than stupid measuring spoons and what not. I do not understand people who will pitch a fit about weighing their food. It literally takes 5 seconds.
Do it for a month. I usually go for a month and then lose 3-4 lbs in 3-4 days and then plateau for a month. Does it suck? Yes. Oh well. It's just how it is for me, and maybe you too.0
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