Anyone find they need to net low calories or go low carb in order to lose?
Replies
-
So instead of taking the advice many people gave you, you went and lowered your calories to 800, without even bothering to have a little patience?
You are focusing on the wrong things, yes your calorie burns are questionable, but the most important thing right now is that it's been 4 days and you saw a slight gain after losing for 2 weeks and that would be normal, and something that needs to be waited out.0 -
Janeyjane it is really frustrating I have to say. I want to lose 30lb in total so it's a fairly big number and makes you lose motivation when you don't see a loss one week or you see the scale number go up.
I have decided to log less calories for my workouts from now on (reduce burns recorded by a third) and I am going to be more conscious of eating anything over 1200 from now on too, even if I have a day when I burn off a lot of calories.
The same thing happened to me a couple of years ago when I joined MFP and it took me 7 months to lose 12 kbs which was slower than I had wanted it to be. I think it was mainly for similar reasons ie. I read a lot on the forums about not eating enough and I tried upping my calories but I just ended up stalling my weight loss or gaining.
I finally lost the weight in the end by dropping my calories back down to the 1100-1200 mark, regardless of the exercise I do and I think this might have to be my approach again now if I want to see results. I am also going to be more careful about eating carbs and stick to under 100g per day if I can.0 -
Janeyjane it is really frustrating I have to say. I want to lose 30lb in total so it's a fairly big number and makes you lose motivation when you don't see a loss one week or you see the scale number go up.
I have decided to log less calories for my workouts from now on (reduce burns recorded by a third) and I am going to be more conscious of eating anything over 1200 from now on too, even if I have a day when I burn off a lot of calories.
The same thing happened to me a couple of years ago when I joined MFP and it took me 7 months to lose 12 kbs which was slower than I had wanted it to be. I think it was mainly for similar reasons ie. I read a lot on the forums about not eating enough and I tried upping my calories but I just ended up stalling my weight loss or gaining.
I finally lost the weight in the end by dropping my calories back down to the 1100-1200 mark, regardless of the exercise I do and I think this might have to be my approach again now if I want to see results. I am also going to be more careful about eating carbs and stick to under 100g per day if I can.
So your plan is to continue yo yo dieting?
You didn't stall your weight loss, weight loss is not a linear process, you also didn't read what everyone put here. But you made your mind up when you made this thread you just wanted people to tell you it was a good idea, it's not.0 -
GiveMeCoffee wrote: »So in 3 weeks you've lost 5.5 lbs? And you're not happy?
Weight will fluctuate up and down, you went out to eat it could be some water retention from sodium, it happens.
Also your exercise looks over estimated, 30 minute workout you're logging as 400+ burned, logging your cleaning as exercise?
You don't have to cut carbs, you don't need to lower intake. You are losing, have some patience, and just watch the over estimating on exercise burns. Also you only trying to lose 30 lbs you shouldn't be trying to lose 2 lbs per week. Have patience
BAM!0 -
Not at all, I was asking other people in my position who have found they don't lose weight when eating above 1200 calories to share their experiences, nothing else. I didn't ask to hear from those NOT in that position. I was curious to find out if the people who have experienced problems losing like me were around my current weight and my height and if it's to do with being smaller, or whether or not there were other factors affecting weight loss.
As for the poster GiveMeCoffee, you obviously haven't read anything I've said because I HAVE NOT lost 5.5lbs so far. I appeared to have lost this amound but now the scales are saying that my weight has gone up again, hence the reason for this post.0 -
Not at all, I was asking other people in my position who have found they don't lose weight when eating above 1200 calories to share their experiences, nothing else. I didn't ask to hear from those NOT in that position. I was curious to find out if the people who have experienced problems losing like me were around my current weight and my height and if it's to do with being smaller, or whether or not there were other factors affecting weight loss.
As for the poster GiveMeCoffee, you obviously haven't read anything I've said because I HAVE NOT lost 5.5lbs so far. I appeared to have lost this amound but now the scales are saying that my weight has gone up again, hence the reason for this post.
Actually OP you should reread what people are telling you. You don't need to drop your calories, you need to make sure your burns are correct and that you are weighing your solid foods and measure liquids correctly.
I am 5'2, so I am short, 45 years old, I lost weight by eating between 1600-1900 calories depending on exercises. I used to do the 1200 or less calories had the same problems, when I decided or should I say I listen to the good people here on the MFP forums, to become more accurate with my diary, weighing/measuring, and upped my calories I lost more weight doing that then the 1200 cals and less. Listen to the folks who are trying to help you, they been there done that, they helped me, they will help you if you allow them to help you, but if you keep making excuses, you will yo-yo diet until you get it.
ETA: GetMeCoffee has lost more then 120 pounds and I have lost 121 pounds, so we might just know little bit of what we are talking about.0 -
Not at all, I was asking other people in my position who have found they don't lose weight when eating above 1200 calories to share their experiences, nothing else. I didn't ask to hear from those NOT in that position. I was curious to find out if the people who have experienced problems losing like me were around my current weight and my height and if it's to do with being smaller, or whether or not there were other factors affecting weight loss.
As for the poster GiveMeCoffee, you obviously haven't read anything I've said because I HAVE NOT lost 5.5lbs so far. I appeared to have lost this amound but now the scales are saying that my weight has gone up again, hence the reason for this post.
I've read everything you posted and you are focusing on the wrong information. But, because you aren't being told to cut your calories to 800 calories and go low carb you don't want to listen. You need to have patience, you need to work on improving your accuracy for calorie burns, but above all else have patience.0 -
As I have said repeatedly:
1) YES I have been weighing and measuring everything
2) I don't think my calorie burns are particular inaccurate, but in case I'm wrong I am prepared to reduce the calorie burns a little to account for any inaccuracies
3) I had already factored in a deficit of 750 calories so this should allow for 1.5lbs of weight loss per week. This means that even if I have mis-calculated some calorie burns and I was buring less, I should still be losing 1lb per week as a minimum, not gaining as the scales appear to show.
In your case maybe you thought you were eating 1200 but weren't weighing and measuring properly or keeping an accurate diary but I am and have been since 5th January.
In the past I tried eating more - in the region of 1600 - but I gained weight. My TDEE is around 1550 or going by some calculators 1650, therefore I maintain at that amount, not lose. Even if I factor in calorie burns and work on average burns of 250 per day I would not lose if I ate 1900 calories, and if I ate 1600 I would not be creating a large enough deficit.
No offence but if yourself and Get Me Coffee how lost so much weight, you probably ate a lot more to start with. As someone who has/had 120 lbs to lose you must have eaten a lot of calories in the first place.
My starting point is much lower. I have (at most) 30lbs to lose and that's because I want to end up at the low end of my BMI and at a low weight and body fat % (117lbs and ideally around 18% body fat).
Added to the fact that I was gaining by eating 1400-1500 and doing exercise an everage of 2-3 times a week I know I have to cut calories quite a bit and exercise a lot more to see any kind of change.0 -
Three weeks is when you see most of the changes you are doing start to work. If you are eating out some take into effect a lot of sodium is added to your food. I think you may be retaining water.
Also, try to eat regular meals that = your calories for the day in stead of going up one day and back down the next. Of course eat back some of your exercise on exercise days especially if you need to.
I do not eat back my exercise calories as I think it is counter productive to burn all of those calories just to put them back into my body.
I eat 900 + 1000 calories a day and notice when I up my calories for 2 - 3 days I does hurt the bottom line at the end of week on how much I should have lost.
Have you tried http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/ this one most accurate for me and I was able to play around with settings that would go under 1000 calories to meet my goals.
I am low sodium and I eat around 100 carbs sometimes a little more or a little less. I am a short person and my BMR is 1275 on non exercise days.
I hope this helps some.
Gia,
You do realize that your BMR is irrelevant when it comes to how much to eat for weight loss? It's your TDEE (total daily energy expenditure) that is important. You eating under 1,000 calories, working out, and putting it across as if it's the right thing to do, is dangerous advice.
You need to eat more, and I'd advise you to eat back a portion of your exercise calories too.0 -
I will say it again...
YOU NEED TO HAVE PATIENCE.
So you lost for 2 weeks and then you "gained" this week. That's because weight loss isn't linear (meaning it's not all downhill, it's a bumpy road with ups and downs). The most likely cause for your "gain" is water retention, which I already addressed the causes of... but since you seem to have ignored it, I'll post again...
Sodium intake, period, ovulation, exercise (for muscle repair), injury, sunburn and more.
Again, you need to give it more time. The answer is not to drop your calories. It's to wait. WAIT. HAVE SOME PATIENCE. There's no instant gratification in weight loss.0 -
I will say it again...
YOU NEED TO HAVE PATIENCE.
So you lost for 2 weeks and then you "gained" this week. That's because weight loss isn't linear (meaning it's not all downhill, it's a bumpy road with ups and downs). The most likely cause for your "gain" is water retention, which I already addressed the causes of... but since you seem to have ignored it, I'll post again...
Sodium intake, period, ovulation, exercise (for muscle repair), injury, sunburn and more.
Again, you need to give it more time. The answer is not to drop your calories. It's to wait. WAIT. HAVE SOME PATIENCE. There's no instant gratification in weight loss.
0 -
I have been logging religiously for over 3 weeks now and up until last Tuesday things looked as if they were going well. I was set to lose 1.5 lbs per week and I averaged 2lbs per week until then, but now I seem to be gaining and I'm not sure why/what to do.
I initially lost 5.5 lbs which I'd hoped was fat, but realise could have been water. Almost a week ago last Tuesday I noticed that the scales started to show an increase in weight (so far I'm up 2.5 lbs of the 5.5 previously lost).
I started off with manual goals set to net 800 calories but most days I burned off 450 calories or more so I ate back most of my exercise calories making most days total intake around 1200, sometimes a little less. That seemed to be working, or maybe it's because it was the first 2 weeks but I was definitely losing weight and it was noticeable on almost a daily basis.
The problems started last week when I had a couple of meals out with friends and I knew I would eat a little more and also have a glass or two of wine. I did more gym time on the day of each meal and made sure I had much higher calorie burns on those days so I had more calories available for my meals out but I stuck to what I'd planned to eat. I also very carefully calculated the calories in the food I ate and even asked for sauce on the side instead of on top of my meat etc. so I think my calorie log was quite accurate. The first meal out was in the evening so I ate the majority of my calories at dinner, instead of my normal routing of eating most of them at lunch.
I am starting to think that my body won't accept being given more than 1250 calories per day, as when I've eaten more (in the region of 1400-1450) I have gained weight and this is also how I got to be 30 lbs over my goal weight. I've never been a huge eater and I really don't think my maintenance level is really as high as the calculators tell me. I am extremely sedentary outside of workouts and MFP puts me at a maintenance level of 1650 whereas other calculators say 1550. Personally from past experience I think it's more like 1450 as that's when I seem to start gaining and looking at my daily intake before logging on MFP that's what I probably ate, though I was exercising less. I also think my BMR is massively overestimated and it's probably lower than the 1350 given to me by the online calculators.
Another thing I was doing before the weight gain started was keeping my carbs to around 75-100g per day maximum but I had 2-3 days last week when I ate anything up to 150g so maybe this has also affected my weight, I don't know.
Any others in a similar position and if so what do you recommend? I know That weight loss doesn't happen evenly but seeing the scale go up must mean I'm doing something wrong for my body. Shall I consider capping my maximum calorie intake at 1250 regardless of calorie burns, shall I cut carbs or is there another way to re-start my weight loss?
0 -
Ok I realise I need to have patience but there is no obvious reason for water retention if that's preventing my weight from going down. I definitely have no sunburn as it's 14 degrees maximum here during the day, neither am I ovulating (I'm on the pill) and I also don't have a period right now. My sodium intake is on the low side and even taking into account the odd meal out it was not be pushed up so high (unlikely).
I will stick with it and hopefully I'll start to see a change. One thing I've noticed on my lower fibre days in that I can get a little constipated so maybe that affects my results a bit too.
I try and drink plenty of water every day and give my muscles a rest between workouts so hopefully everything's working properly.
As for my calorie intake, I'll just try and be a bit more careful depending on my burns for that particular day.0 -
I agree with the one that said 800 calories isn't enough, I have lost 30lbs last year within a 3 month period, and toned up I ate 1200-1500 calories I went to workout, run, different aerobic classes at least 1 hour a day for 5 days a week. I work with a personal trainer now and tricks are keep ur body fueled, eat something every 3 hours at least, it doesn't matter if its a piece of fruit, weigh in the morning when you wake up before you drink your morning coffee, tea, water etc and before you eat. after food and water intake of course your body will weigh more, Don't get discouraged! I weigh myself once every 2 weeks and once a month I will be measured and weighed by my personal trainer to see my progress. I am back on the diet I was on last year and I eat great, and I always feel full, I search for new things to try to keep my diet mixed up, and I try new exercises weekly to keep my body working different things so its always in lose mode! Well wish you luck I have about 40-45lbs to lose, but never give up it is possible to lose the weight!
0 -
No, not unless you're the shape and size of an elementary school child, you're not small enough to need to go to 800 calories. I'm 5'4", 125 pounds, and the lowest I had to go on my last cut was 1500 calories. I didn't have to go anywhere near 1200, even though I'm on the small side. Weigh your food and be patient.Not at all, I was asking other people in my position who have found they don't lose weight when eating above 1200 calories to share their experiences, nothing else. I didn't ask to hear from those NOT in that position. I was curious to find out if the people who have experienced problems losing like me were around my current weight and my height and if it's to do with being smaller, or whether or not there were other factors affecting weight loss.
0 -
JAT74 I went to very low carbs (<50 grams daily) because of how some research shows sugar is bad for autoimmune type diseases. The Low Carb High Fat (LCHF) eating lifestyle has help my arthritis pain drop from 7-8 to 2-3 on a 1-10 scale over (which is like no pain to me).
After 40 years of yo yo dieting I realized if I am trying to lose weight and I am hungry all of the time that I will regain 100%+ of any loss in the future.
I am losing about pound a week after the hellish first two weeks of going off carbs cold turkey because the cravings faded and I do not go hungry any longer.
Any diet that means I get hungry, weak, shaking with mental fog is going to make me fatter in the end I now understand but I am 63 and was an aggressive Carb abuser for 40 years.
A LCHF diet will not work for most perhaps based on my personal experience because one will not/can not break their sugar addiction for two weeks straight. Until a few months ago I actually thought Carbs were required to stay alive.
If one can go two weeks without eating more than 50 grams of carbs daily eating 75% Fat, 20% Protein and 5% Carbs then the LCHF diet is an option because by that time they should already be in a state of Nutritional Ketosis.
Keep in mind people die from dieting so do not go off half cocked. People who are overweight typically have of some type of health issue that lead them to overeat. By learning the nature of the health related issues and addressing them may automatically address the overweight issue.
In my personal case I realized from studying if I was going around hungry when dieting that something was very wrong in my approach.0 -
Ok I realise I need to have patience but there is no obvious reason for water retention if that's preventing my weight from going down.
You said in your very first post that you had several meals out last week. That is a reason for water retention.
I posted yesterday an anecdotal comment that after a weekend of high sodium meals and wine consumption - the scale was up 4 lbs. Today it was back down 3. Tomorrow it will likely be back to where it should be. I didn't do anything differently yesterday than my normal routine. As everyone has posted, there are natural fluctuations with weight loss. You should not be having knee jerk reactions to seeing things level off or go back up, thinking you need to cut calories or carbs drastically.
With regards to your comments to GiveMeCoffee and Serah87, that because they have lost so much weight (120 lbs or more) they must have been able to do it differently than you... I only had about 30 lbs to lose (like you) and did it NETTING 1500 - 1700 cals/day. I eat more like 1800-2000 cals and I lose 0.5 lb/week when I do this. The difference is that I understand that this process takes time and weight loss is not linear.0
This discussion has been closed.
Categories
- All Categories
- 1.4M Health, Wellness and Goals
- 393.3K Introduce Yourself
- 43.8K Getting Started
- 260.2K Health and Weight Loss
- 175.9K Food and Nutrition
- 47.4K Recipes
- 232.5K Fitness and Exercise
- 424 Sleep, Mindfulness and Overall Wellness
- 6.5K Goal: Maintaining Weight
- 8.5K Goal: Gaining Weight and Body Building
- 153K Motivation and Support
- 8K Challenges
- 1.3K Debate Club
- 96.3K Chit-Chat
- 2.5K Fun and Games
- 3.7K MyFitnessPal Information
- 24 News and Announcements
- 1.1K Feature Suggestions and Ideas
- 2.6K MyFitnessPal Tech Support Questions