What am I doing wrong...frustrating!
rorlie
Posts: 36 Member
Hi everyone, I am sure you have heard this before but I am new to Fitbit synched with MFP so wanted to ask. This week I worked out, did about 50 mins each day, logged 12k to 15k steps each day, ate clean and healthy all week but I only ate about 1300 to 1500 calories each day so not all the FB adjustment...I just thought eating 1800 or 1900 calories a day may be too much. I went to weigh myself this morning and I pretty much lost nothing! It is very disappointing for me when I thought I had such a good week. What am I doing wrong? Should I be eating more calories or less calories to actually see the scale go down the 1.5 lbs a week I set up on my MFP and FB. Any advice is greatly appreciated. Thanks and have a great weekend...Rose
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The questions everyone is going to ask are:
1) Do you have a good digital food scale that you use religiously?
If you don't, then you are eating more than you think you are. You can use cups for liquids, but I use my scale for virtually everything except spices. (I do this not just for accuracy - because I'm not that strict - but because I want to generate as few dirty dishes as possible.)
2) How much weight do you have to lose?
1.5 lbs per week is unrealistic if you don't have a lot to lose. I think the guideline I have seen is .5 lb per week for every 25 lbs you have to lose (I could be wrong because losing fast isn't my priority, so I may be misremembering). So, going by that, you should need to lose at least 75 lbs in order to expect to be able to lose that quickly. I'm not certain about that because I still have 40+ lbs to go to just get to "overweight" and I find .5 lb per week challenging. (I really, really, really hate being hungry, so my approach is to exercise enough to be able to eat. Plus, I only semi-religiously weigh my food.)
3) Open your diary, if it isn't open.
I didn't try to look at your diary, so I don't know if it is open. But, if you're going to ask "What am I doing wrong?" then people are going to expect to look at your diary. Even then, it is only valuable if it is accurate.
The calories you say you're eating seem pretty low, and your FitBit would show it if you weren't as active as you say you are, so my guess is that you're eating more than you think you are. It is really easy to do!
Another pitfall that gets me all the time is what I call "casual snacking" - the "it's only one small bite, I don't really need to log it" tendency that I have. I'm trying really hard to stop that because I'd stopped losing completely.0 -
The questions everyone is going to ask are:
1) Do you have a good digital food scale that you use religiously?
If you don't, then you are eating more than you think you are. You can use cups for liquids, but I use my scale for virtually everything except spices. (I do this not just for accuracy - because I'm not that strict - but because I want to generate as few dirty dishes as possible.)
2) How much weight do you have to lose?
1.5 lbs per week is unrealistic if you don't have a lot to lose. I think the guideline I have seen is .5 lb per week for every 25 lbs you have to lose (I could be wrong because losing fast isn't my priority, so I may be misremembering). So, going by that, you should need to lose at least 75 lbs in order to expect to be able to lose that quickly. I'm not certain about that because I still have 40+ lbs to go to just get to "overweight" and I find .5 lb per week challenging. (I really, really, really hate being hungry, so my approach is to exercise enough to be able to eat. Plus, I only semi-religiously weigh my food.)
3) Open your diary, if it isn't open.
I didn't try to look at your diary, so I don't know if it is open. But, if you're going to ask "What am I doing wrong?" then people are going to expect to look at your diary. Even then, it is only valuable if it is accurate.
The calories you say you're eating seem pretty low, and your FitBit would show it if you weren't as active as you say you are, so my guess is that you're eating more than you think you are. It is really easy to do!
Another pitfall that gets me all the time is what I call "casual snacking" - the "it's only one small bite, I don't really need to log it" tendency that I have. I'm trying really hard to stop that because I'd stopped losing completely.
- YES, I do have a scale and weigh everything I eat during the week....I do try to account for putting things in my mouth that I did not measure like tasting food while I am cooking, etc so this is why I always eat less that the calories given to me each day.
- I have 40 lbs to lose, I thought doing 1.5 per week made sense with that much weight but I guess it really isn't that much but to me it seems like too much! Maybe I will adjust it to 1 lb per week.
- My dairy is now open...any advice would be great!
- My FitBit tells me I am not eating as much as I should based on calories eaten and calories burned. I have it on all the time and just push the button when I am doing my daily workout....I just thought eating 1700 to 1900 calories a day is a lot but maybe with the calories burned at over 2400 I should be eating that much??
- I do try to track everything, I don't snack unless it is planned.
Thanks for your input....any further advice would be great!
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Weight loss is not linear. Some weeks you do everything right but maintain—or even gain. Others you lose a whole lot in a "whoosh."
The less you have to lose, the more slowly it comes off. That's just the way the human body works. A good rule of thumb is .5 lb. per week for every 25 lbs. you're overweight.
Your Fitbit burn is your TDEE (total daily energy expenditure), aka your maintenance calories. If you eat at a reasonable deficit from that (see above), you will lose weight.0 -
It seems like you're doing most things right, so I'd go with what @editorgrrl said - weight loss is not linear. I weighed every day for a long time, got out of the habit and am trying to get back to it. It definitely fluctuates on a daily basis. When you weigh on a weekly basis you need to remember that weigh-in day might be a "good" day one week and then a "bad" day the next week - for no discernible reason - and the result is that you didn't show any loss on the scale despite being really diligent about your diet and exercise. For me, weighing every day allows me to shrug off the fluctuations better than less frequent weigh-ins. For others, it is the other way around.
I've seen the suggestion that you should look at your FitBit weekly report that they email to you to get your average daily TDEE. Then you can plan an appropriate daily deficit from that. So, if your average TDEE is 2400, according to FitBit and you want to lose 1lb per week, you should eat 1400 cals per day. If you want to lose 1.5 lbs per week, you'd have to stick to 900 cals per day and, IMO, that is way too low!0 -
Thanks again to both of you! It all seems to confusing...I don't get why it tells me I should eat 1700 to 1900 calories based on my calories burned and the deficit on FB and the adjustment given to MFP. Your calculations above make more sense @NancyN795 that I should eat 1400 calories per day. I know that the scale can be different from week to week, I just find it works better for me to weigh in weekly otherwise if I do it daily I get obsessed and end up feeling worse depending on results!
Tomorrow starts a new week so we will keep at it, and see how it goes. Thanks again0 -
Food is fuel. We should all be looking for the maximum number of calories at which we lose weight (or maintain)—never the minimum.
Set your goal to .5 lb. per week for every 25 lbs. you're overweight: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/account/change_goals_guided
Enable negative calorie adjustments: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/account/diary_settings
Do not log step-based activity. Log non-step activity (like swimming or biking) either in Fitbit (that's what I do) or in MFP—never both.
Follow your MFP calorie goal, eating back your adjustments. I've lost the weight & have maintained for 7 months by following these directions. You can, too.0 -
editorgrrl wrote: »Food is fuel. We should all be looking for the maximum number of calories at which we lose weight (or maintain)—never the minimum.
Set your goal to .5 lb. per week for every 25 lbs. you're overweight: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/account/change_goals_guided
Enable negative calorie adjustments: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/account/diary_settings
Do not log step-based activity. Log non-step activity (like swimming or biking) either in Fitbit (that's what I do) or in MFP—never both.
Follow your MFP calorie goal, eating back your adjustments. I've lost the weight & have maintained for 7 months by following these directions. You can, too.
Thanks! You have been very helpful...this all makes sense. I just have one last question...when you say do not track step-based activity in either FB or MFP does that mean that I should not push the button on my FitBit to start tracking an activity either? I should just let FB determine the steps, etc by itself even when doing a low impact aerobic workout? Thanks again!0 -
Okay, so I set my MFP and FB to lose 1 lb per week with sedentary and it now gives me 1410 calories per day WITHOUT the FB adjustment. Just today with the FB adjustment so far it is telling me to eat 1674 calories, that seems really high still! Do I really have to eat all those calories? Sorry for all the questions I am just confused with this whole thing and I know you both have tried explaining...guess I am dense lol! I guess it will have to be trial and error...will see how it goes this week and keep playing with it. Thanks again @editorgrrl and @NancyN795
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Okay, so I set my MFP and FB to lose 1 lb per week with sedentary and it now gives me 1410 calories per day WITHOUT the FB adjustment. Just today with the FB adjustment so far it is telling me to eat 1674 calories, that seems really high still! Do I really have to eat all those calories?
Yes. Undereating will not get you to your goal any more quickly. And after a while you'll probably end up bingeing.
Learn to log everything you eat accurately & honestly. Your diary is not public, so we can't give you any feedback on that.0 -
Thanks, I will definitely log everything and follow the calories I am given and see how it goes. Sorry, thought I made it public....I think I fixed it now! Thanks for all the help.0
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I had a quick peak through your diary. Some items are being measured per serve or per cup. Try weighing everything to be more accurate with your calories. See if that makes a difference.0
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So with your Fibit, how many calories are you burning overall each day in total ? Also, I think your food diary is pretty good. I can see that you eat like a normal person which is great.0
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Okay, so I set my MFP and FB to lose 1 lb per week with sedentary and it now gives me 1410 calories per day WITHOUT the FB adjustment. Just today with the FB adjustment so far it is telling me to eat 1674 calories, that seems really high still! Do I really have to eat all those calories? Sorry for all the questions I am just confused with this whole thing and I know you both have tried explaining...guess I am dense lol! I guess it will have to be trial and error...will see how it goes this week and keep playing with it. Thanks again @editorgrrl and @NancyN795
I would say you should eat MOST of those calories, but not all. @editorgrrl is right that eating too little can lead to a binge (at least, it does for me). However, the FitBit is merely an estimate (although it should be a pretty good one) and food logging is also not exact, even with a good scale, so leaving a little extra is a good idea.0 -
myfatass78 wrote: »So with your Fibit, how many calories are you burning overall each day in total ? Also, I think your food diary is pretty good. I can see that you eat like a normal person which is great.
Thanks, I will try that just thought some things couldn't be weighed but I guess they all can And yes, I am really not restricting anything but trying to eat clean with no processed foods.
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Your Fitbit burn is your TDEE (total daily energy expenditure). If you follow my directions, you'll be eating TDEE minus your deficit.
I, too, was surprised by my Fitbit adjustments at first. But I ate them all back, lost the weight, and have maintained for seven months. Trust your Fitbit!0 -
Okay, so I set my MFP and FB to lose 1 lb per week with sedentary and it now gives me 1410 calories per day WITHOUT the FB adjustment. Just today with the FB adjustment so far it is telling me to eat 1674 calories, that seems really high still! Do I really have to eat all those calories? Sorry for all the questions I am just confused with this whole thing and I know you both have tried explaining...guess I am dense lol! I guess it will have to be trial and error...will see how it goes this week and keep playing with it. Thanks again @editorgrrl and @NancyN795
I would say you should eat MOST of those calories, but not all. @editorgrrl is right that eating too little can lead to a binge (at least, it does for me). However, the FitBit is merely an estimate (although it should be a pretty good one) and food logging is also not exact, even with a good scale, so leaving a little extra is a good idea.
Thanks again! This has been great...onto next week!
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Thanks again to both of you! It all seems to confusing...I don't get why it tells me I should eat 1700 to 1900 calories based on my calories burned and the deficit on FB and the adjustment given to MFP. Your calculations above make more sense @NancyN795 that I should eat 1400 calories per day. I know that the scale can be different from week to week, I just find it works better for me to weigh in weekly otherwise if I do it daily I get obsessed and end up feeling worse depending on results!
Tomorrow starts a new week so we will keep at it, and see how it goes. Thanks again
Some math was done wrong that you agreed to following, and no one pointed it out yet.
2400 - 500 for 1 lb weekly is 1900.
NOT 1400. That's 2 lbs weekly, and unreasonable with as much as you have to lose.
Eat your goal, you have no concept of calories really if you can't imagine that merely eating less than you burn is good enough.
Start from top down from what you are actually doing.
Don't start from bare minimum and try to build up. Wrong direction.0 -
This may or may not help you see what happens when you eat the calories you have 'earnt'. I started the new year weighing in at 15stone 2lbs and am (sadly) 5 ft 2 - i always thought i was 5ft 4!!. Since 5th Jan when I got my fitbit I have lost 14lbs. I am initially aiming at a goal of 11 stone but know I will still be overweight at the point - but will consider a revised goal as I get closer. I have a sedentary job as I'm sat down most of the 4 days a week I work. I have an aged dog I generally walk (short walks) 2 or 3 times a day. My lifestyle wasn't achieving the 10k steps fitbit defaults to as a goal but I am trying to exceed that most days - I have started walking to work once a week - it's 2.5miles - one day I even walked both ways!! I try to fit in a walk of 2-3 miles most days and have also started jogging again - not far but I am trying! I'm swimming at least once a week again as well - this is all in addition to my regular dog walking. I keep a spreadsheet of the calories I have 'earnt' and 'burnt' and can see I tend to eat anything between 1500 and 2000 and am burning from between 2000 to 2900 or sometimes even more. My deficits vary between 750 (for the goal of a 1.5lb a week loss) to on an odd day over 1000 and even sometimes to only around 250ish. If I'm not hungry I'm not going to eat for the sake of it. I still have a glass of wine (measured of course) and a chocolate treat (counted) on a Friday night. So I guess what I'm trying to say is trust fitbit and MFP between them to work out what you should be aiming to eat, and as others have said, be honest about what you are eating and weigh stuff accurately. I hope that helps.0
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Thanks again to both of you! It all seems to confusing...I don't get why it tells me I should eat 1700 to 1900 calories based on my calories burned and the deficit on FB and the adjustment given to MFP. Your calculations above make more sense @NancyN795 that I should eat 1400 calories per day. I know that the scale can be different from week to week, I just find it works better for me to weigh in weekly otherwise if I do it daily I get obsessed and end up feeling worse depending on results!
Tomorrow starts a new week so we will keep at it, and see how it goes. Thanks again
Some math was done wrong that you agreed to following, and no one pointed it out yet.
2400 - 500 for 1 lb weekly is 1900.
NOT 1400. That's 2 lbs weekly, and unreasonable with as much as you have to lose.
Eat your goal, you have no concept of calories really if you can't imagine that merely eating less than you burn is good enough.
Start from top down from what you are actually doing.
Don't start from bare minimum and try to build up. Wrong direction.
Thanks, this is all new to me so advice is helpful from all. I will eat what MFP tells me based on my calories burned on FB and the adjustment given to MFP even if I think it is high right now but will see how it goes. I am burning about 2400 each day so yes I guess I should be eating at least 1800 calories! Thanks again0 -
This may or may not help you see what happens when you eat the calories you have 'earnt'. I started the new year weighing in at 15stone 2lbs and am (sadly) 5 ft 2 - i always thought i was 5ft 4!!. Since 5th Jan when I got my fitbit I have lost 14lbs. I am initially aiming at a goal of 11 stone but know I will still be overweight at the point - but will consider a revised goal as I get closer. I have a sedentary job as I'm sat down most of the 4 days a week I work. I have an aged dog I generally walk (short walks) 2 or 3 times a day. My lifestyle wasn't achieving the 10k steps fitbit defaults to as a goal but I am trying to exceed that most days - I have started walking to work once a week - it's 2.5miles - one day I even walked both ways!! I try to fit in a walk of 2-3 miles most days and have also started jogging again - not far but I am trying! I'm swimming at least once a week again as well - this is all in addition to my regular dog walking. I keep a spreadsheet of the calories I have 'earnt' and 'burnt' and can see I tend to eat anything between 1500 and 2000 and am burning from between 2000 to 2900 or sometimes even more. My deficits vary between 750 (for the goal of a 1.5lb a week loss) to on an odd day over 1000 and even sometimes to only around 250ish. If I'm not hungry I'm not going to eat for the sake of it. I still have a glass of wine (measured of course) and a chocolate treat (counted) on a Friday night. So I guess what I'm trying to say is trust fitbit and MFP between them to work out what you should be aiming to eat, and as others have said, be honest about what you are eating and weigh stuff accurately. I hope that helps.
Thanks, this is helpful. This is a new week and I learned a lot over the weekend. I will follow all the good advice and hopefully the results will be better next week. Thanks again to you all and good luck on all your journeys!0 -
Thanks again to both of you! It all seems to confusing...I don't get why it tells me I should eat 1700 to 1900 calories based on my calories burned and the deficit on FB and the adjustment given to MFP. Your calculations above make more sense @NancyN795 that I should eat 1400 calories per day. I know that the scale can be different from week to week, I just find it works better for me to weigh in weekly otherwise if I do it daily I get obsessed and end up feeling worse depending on results!
Tomorrow starts a new week so we will keep at it, and see how it goes. Thanks again
Some math was done wrong that you agreed to following, and no one pointed it out yet.
2400 - 500 for 1 lb weekly is 1900.
NOT 1400. That's 2 lbs weekly, and unreasonable with as much as you have to lose.
Eat your goal, you have no concept of calories really if you can't imagine that merely eating less than you burn is good enough.
Start from top down from what you are actually doing.
Don't start from bare minimum and try to build up. Wrong direction.
Oops. My face is red. I don't know what I was thinking - I know the numbers and the math.0
