Is it really about eating at a calorie deficit?
Replies
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christinev297 wrote: »how many calories a day have you been eating over this 136 day period?
do you use a food scale?
as you want to lose the last eight pounds, then you are really going to need to tighten up logging and pay more attention to macro/micros….
@ndj1979 can you explain why we have to pay more attention to macros/micros?
yes, because macro/micro adherence is important for body composition goals. So as you want to get leaner, i.e. lose the last "five pounds" get to x body fat, etc, you need to pay more attention to what percent of your calories is coming from.
that is the basic explanation ….
uhhh ...
(Paraphrased) "can you explain why we have to pay more attention? ".. "Sure! Its *important* because you have pay more attention.. because as you get closer you have to pay more attention...
"Right! K-thx-bye!"
What an utterly vacuous (non) explanation.
<boggle>
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cruzmom123 wrote: »FoxyLifter wrote: »You need to adjust your calorie goal every 5-10 lbs lost. The less you weigh, the less calories you need to survive/function. An overweight person could lose weight eating 2000 calories net per day, but I would either gain or maintain on that same amount.
I started off with a 1,730 calorie goal, lost 10 pounds, it went down to 1,610. My co-worker suggested I increase my daily calories since I haven't lost weight in a month. She is a workout fanatic. She eats really clean and is training for a body building competition so I trust her advice.
If you trust her advice, why are you asking here?
Yes, it is all about the calorie deficit. I am now down to my last 3 pounds, and it is the same now as it was 36 pounds ago, the only difference is I have less calories to play with, so a smaller margin for error.
If you're not weighing all of your food, you really don't know how many calories you are eating.0 -
SergeantSausage wrote: »christinev297 wrote: »how many calories a day have you been eating over this 136 day period?
do you use a food scale?
as you want to lose the last eight pounds, then you are really going to need to tighten up logging and pay more attention to macro/micros….
@ndj1979 can you explain why we have to pay more attention to macros/micros?
yes, because macro/micro adherence is important for body composition goals. So as you want to get leaner, i.e. lose the last "five pounds" get to x body fat, etc, you need to pay more attention to what percent of your calories is coming from.
that is the basic explanation ….
uhhh ...
(Paraphrased) "can you explain why we have to pay more attention? ".. "Sure! Its *important* because you have pay more attention.. because as you get closer you have to pay more attention...
"Right! K-thx-bye!"
What an utterly vacuous (non) explanation.
<boggle>
feel free to provide your explanation ….0 -
I agree that I need to workout more, however, I have a 1-year-old son who takes up a lot of my time! Plus I have a full-time job!"cruzmom123 wrote: »At first, I was doing 10 minute workouts burning around 87 calories each time. Now, I am doing 22 minute workouts -- which allows me to burn more calories (169).
Is that all you're doing ... 3 days a week ... for a workout?
Might be time to do a bit more.
Perhaps start walking 30 min a day, 6 days a week in addition to that.
Or add a couple 1-hour bicycle rides so that you're doing something 5 days a week.
What can happen is that our bodies get used to a certain exercise and certain fitness level, and become more efficient at that level, and it seems like we don't burn as many calories as we did when we started. So we need to shake it up a bit.
Your bodybuilder friend probably works out 5-6 days a week for at least an hour each day.
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cruzmom123 wrote: »I started off with a 1,730 calorie goal, lost 10 pounds, it went down to 1,610. My co-worker suggested I increase my daily calories since I haven't lost weight in a month. She is a workout fanatic. She eats really clean and is training for a body building competition so I trust her advice.
1600 calories seems like quite a bit to me (depends on your size, I suppose) but you might actually try dropping to 1400 calories for a couple weeks to see if that helps.
And track things more closely ... I started using a scale when I started here, and it is actually rather surprising (and a little bit disappointing) how small a "serving" is.
And try to be more active just about every day.
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SergeantSausage wrote: »christinev297 wrote: »how many calories a day have you been eating over this 136 day period?
do you use a food scale?
as you want to lose the last eight pounds, then you are really going to need to tighten up logging and pay more attention to macro/micros….
@ndj1979 can you explain why we have to pay more attention to macros/micros?
yes, because macro/micro adherence is important for body composition goals. So as you want to get leaner, i.e. lose the last "five pounds" get to x body fat, etc, you need to pay more attention to what percent of your calories is coming from.
that is the basic explanation ….
uhhh ...
(Paraphrased) "can you explain why we have to pay more attention? ".. "Sure! Its *important* because you have pay more attention.. because as you get closer you have to pay more attention...
"Right! K-thx-bye!"
What an utterly vacuous (non) explanation.
<boggle>
feel free to provide your explanation ….
please do
I'm always keen to learn more 
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cruzmom123 wrote: »shadow2soul wrote: »Some questions:
- Do you weigh your food?
- Are there any days in the week where you skip logging?
- Are you using homemade or generic entries from the database?
- In terms of exercise calories, are you eating them back? If so, how much?
- What has your sodium intake looked like for the past month?
- Have there been any changes to your exercise routine this month?
All that said, according to your ticker you have 8lbs left. The last 8 lbs will probably be the hardest part and I wouldn't be surprised if you only lose half a pound a week at this point. I've also had points in my weight loss, where my weight stayed the same for about a month and then suddenly I dropped a lot all at once.
* No, I do not own a food scale. I need to invest in one.
* I have logged every since day for 136 days
* I use homemade entries from the database when I cook (fry) my food. I only list generic when the name brand of the food is not in the database
* I never eat back my exercise calories
* I will admit -- whenever I list "meats" at food -- whether it's turkey or chicken, it seems to have a lot of sodium.
* At first, I was doing 10 minute workouts burning around 87 calories each time. Now, I am doing 22 minute workouts -- which allows me to burn more calories (169).
* Food scales are pretty cheap ($10-$20) so my advice is to order one asap.
* using "homemade" and generic entries for meals can be quite inaccurate. Try the recipe feature, if possible.
* Eating back exercise calories (or at least a portion of them) will help to fuel your next workout (but you're likely eating more than you think so buy the scale first, then eat back half of your estimate exercise calories)
* Sodium affects water retention, not fat. Water retention can mask a loss of fat.
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cruzmom123 wrote: »I agree that I need to workout more, however, I have a 1-year-old son who takes up a lot of my time! Plus I have a full-time job!
We're all busy. I also work full-time and am attending university.
Can you walk on the way to and from work?
Can you walk at lunch?
Can you load your son into a stroller and go for a brisk walk together in the evening?
What about hiring a treadmill or rowing machine or something which you could use after he goes to bed?
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At the end of the day, weight loss is from a calorie deficit, fitness is from exercise. Get a food scale and log accurately.0
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SergeantSausage wrote: »christinev297 wrote: »how many calories a day have you been eating over this 136 day period?
do you use a food scale?
as you want to lose the last eight pounds, then you are really going to need to tighten up logging and pay more attention to macro/micros….
@ndj1979 can you explain why we have to pay more attention to macros/micros?
yes, because macro/micro adherence is important for body composition goals. So as you want to get leaner, i.e. lose the last "five pounds" get to x body fat, etc, you need to pay more attention to what percent of your calories is coming from.
that is the basic explanation ….
uhhh ...
(Paraphrased) "can you explain why we have to pay more attention? ".. "Sure! Its *important* because you have pay more attention.. because as you get closer you have to pay more attention...
"Right! K-thx-bye!"
What an utterly vacuous (non) explanation.
<boggle>
feel free to provide your explanation ….
HINT: Absurdities need no explanation.
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This content has been removed.
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cruzmom123 wrote: »
I agree that I need to workout more, however, I have a 1-year-old son who takes up a lot of my time! Plus I have a full-time job!"cruzmom123 wrote: »At first, I was doing 10 minute workouts burning around 87 calories each time. Now, I am doing 22 minute workouts -- which allows me to burn more calories (169).
Is that all you're doing ... 3 days a week ... for a workout?
Might be time to do a bit more.
Perhaps start walking 30 min a day, 6 days a week in addition to that.
Or add a couple 1-hour bicycle rides so that you're doing something 5 days a week.
What can happen is that our bodies get used to a certain exercise and certain fitness level, and become more efficient at that level, and it seems like we don't burn as many calories as we did when we started. So we need to shake it up a bit.
Your bodybuilder friend probably works out 5-6 days a week for at least an hour each day.
So with a kid like that and the activity that comes with it - did you select sedentary activity level?
And you've always eaten as if you aren't doing any exercise?
Your workouts may be rather weak too then, compared to how they could be. That's more toward body composition - but the more you burn, the more you should eat, and it sounds like you've never done that.
The body will adapt.0 -
cruzmom123 wrote: »FoxyLifter wrote: »You need to adjust your calorie goal every 5-10 lbs lost. The less you weigh, the less calories you need to survive/function. An overweight person could lose weight eating 2000 calories net per day, but I would either gain or maintain on that same amount.
I started off with a 1,730 calorie goal, lost 10 pounds, it went down to 1,610. My co-worker suggested I increase my daily calories since I haven't lost weight in a month. She is a workout fanatic. She eats really clean and is training for a body building competition so I trust her advice.
So why ask here, if you trust her advice?
You eat more than you think
Your first weight loss is explainable because you started to eat less and probably more healthy and less salt ( this is a guess but good chance is that this is why you lost your first weight)
But logging all your food by weighing all solid food and measuring is important to know exactly how much calories you consume.
Here a short video with example what a difference cup sizes and really weighing your food can be.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JVjWPclrWVY
But for sure you eat ( much) more calories than you think
So up to you believe your co-worker and even go and eat more.
Or buy a food scale and start really weighing ALL your solid food to see how many calories you eat.
For your info. You can guess how many calories you eat, but your body dont let it self been fooled. It is the perfect calorie counter for every single bite you take.
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TheOwlhouseDesigns wrote: »cruzmom123 wrote: »FoxyLifter wrote: »You need to adjust your calorie goal every 5-10 lbs lost. The less you weigh, the less calories you need to survive/function. An overweight person could lose weight eating 2000 calories net per day, but I would either gain or maintain on that same amount.
I started off with a 1,730 calorie goal, lost 10 pounds, it went down to 1,610. My co-worker suggested I increase my daily calories since I haven't lost weight in a month. She is a workout fanatic. She eats really clean and is training for a body building competition so I trust her advice.
So why ask here, if you trust her advice?
You eat more than you think
Your first weight loss is explainable because you started to eat less and probably more healthy and less salt ( this is a guess but good chance is that this is why you lost your first weight)
But logging all your food by weighing all solid food and measuring is important to know exactly how much calories you consume.
Here a short video with example what a difference cup sizes and really weighing your food can be.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JVjWPclrWVY
But for sure you eat ( much) more calories than you think
So up to you believe your co-worker and even go and eat more.
Or buy a food scale and start really weighing ALL your solid food to see how many calories you eat.
For your info. You can guess how many calories you eat, but your body dont let it self been fooled. It is the perfect calorie counter for every single bite you take.
OP please listen to OwlHouse. She's spot on!
As for your co-worker how and why would she recommended you eat more when she has no idea how much you're eating in the first place ??
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christinev297 wrote: »TheOwlhouseDesigns wrote: »cruzmom123 wrote: »FoxyLifter wrote: »You need to adjust your calorie goal every 5-10 lbs lost. The less you weigh, the less calories you need to survive/function. An overweight person could lose weight eating 2000 calories net per day, but I would either gain or maintain on that same amount.
I started off with a 1,730 calorie goal, lost 10 pounds, it went down to 1,610. My co-worker suggested I increase my daily calories since I haven't lost weight in a month. She is a workout fanatic. She eats really clean and is training for a body building competition so I trust her advice.
So why ask here, if you trust her advice?
You eat more than you think
Your first weight loss is explainable because you started to eat less and probably more healthy and less salt ( this is a guess but good chance is that this is why you lost your first weight)
But logging all your food by weighing all solid food and measuring is important to know exactly how much calories you consume.
Here a short video with example what a difference cup sizes and really weighing your food can be.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JVjWPclrWVY
But for sure you eat ( much) more calories than you think
So up to you believe your co-worker and even go and eat more.
Or buy a food scale and start really weighing ALL your solid food to see how many calories you eat.
For your info. You can guess how many calories you eat, but your body dont let it self been fooled. It is the perfect calorie counter for every single bite you take.
OP please listen to OwlHouse. She's spot on!
As for your co-worker how and why would she recommended you eat more when she has no idea how much you're eating in the first place ??
What's the bet the answer has something to do with 'starvation mode'?0 -
christinev297 wrote: »As for your co-worker how and why would she recommended you eat more when she has no idea how much you're eating in the first place ??
Her coworker is a body builder ... training for competitions. If she were doing as much exercise as her coworker, she might need to eat more.
But she's sedentary.
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Nony_Mouse wrote: »christinev297 wrote: »TheOwlhouseDesigns wrote: »cruzmom123 wrote: »FoxyLifter wrote: »You need to adjust your calorie goal every 5-10 lbs lost. The less you weigh, the less calories you need to survive/function. An overweight person could lose weight eating 2000 calories net per day, but I would either gain or maintain on that same amount.
I started off with a 1,730 calorie goal, lost 10 pounds, it went down to 1,610. My co-worker suggested I increase my daily calories since I haven't lost weight in a month. She is a workout fanatic. She eats really clean and is training for a body building competition so I trust her advice.
So why ask here, if you trust her advice?
You eat more than you think
Your first weight loss is explainable because you started to eat less and probably more healthy and less salt ( this is a guess but good chance is that this is why you lost your first weight)
But logging all your food by weighing all solid food and measuring is important to know exactly how much calories you consume.
Here a short video with example what a difference cup sizes and really weighing your food can be.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JVjWPclrWVY
But for sure you eat ( much) more calories than you think
So up to you believe your co-worker and even go and eat more.
Or buy a food scale and start really weighing ALL your solid food to see how many calories you eat.
For your info. You can guess how many calories you eat, but your body dont let it self been fooled. It is the perfect calorie counter for every single bite you take.
OP please listen to OwlHouse. She's spot on!
As for your co-worker how and why would she recommended you eat more when she has no idea how much you're eating in the first place ??
What's the bet the answer has something to do with 'starvation mode'?
oh Lordy, I sure hope not!christinev297 wrote: »As for your co-worker how and why would she recommended you eat more when she has no idea how much you're eating in the first place ??
Her coworker is a body builder ... training for competitions. If she were doing as much exercise as her coworker, she might need to eat more.
But she's sedentary.
Well yeah. 2 completely different people and lifestyles.
I've heard some rip snorter advice come from "fitness professionals".....
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sounds like you might be eating a lot of fried foods? maybe you are underestimating how many calories that packs on.0
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cruzmom123 wrote: »
I agree that I need to workout more, however, I have a 1-year-old son who takes up a lot of my time! Plus I have a full-time job!"cruzmom123 wrote: »At first, I was doing 10 minute workouts burning around 87 calories each time. Now, I am doing 22 minute workouts -- which allows me to burn more calories (169).
Is that all you're doing ... 3 days a week ... for a workout?
Might be time to do a bit more.
Perhaps start walking 30 min a day, 6 days a week in addition to that.
Or add a couple 1-hour bicycle rides so that you're doing something 5 days a week.
What can happen is that our bodies get used to a certain exercise and certain fitness level, and become more efficient at that level, and it seems like we don't burn as many calories as we did when we started. So we need to shake it up a bit.
Your bodybuilder friend probably works out 5-6 days a week for at least an hour each day.
Put your 1 year old in a buggy and walk to a park that is at least 2 miles away
No need to make excuses to yourself ...we are all busy, we just prioritise
You've got this0 -
cruzmom123 wrote: »Since joining MFP 136 days ago, I have lost 24 pounds. However, I have not lost any weight for about a month now. I continue to eat under my daily calorie goal and I workout at 3 times a week. I will admit, I've indulged in a couple of fried food dishes as well as Coke Zero. But should that matter? I thought it was more important to eat at a calorie deficit and exercise.
lower carbs (amount depends on you) when you stop losing weight. Its that simple.
1g carb = 4 calories.
50g carbs = 200 calories, etc.
~ be sure to keep protein and fat intake norm tho.
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cruzmom123 wrote: »Since joining MFP 136 days ago, I have lost 24 pounds. However, I have not lost any weight for about a month now. I continue to eat under my daily calorie goal and I workout at 3 times a week. I will admit, I've indulged in a couple of fried food dishes as well as Coke Zero. But should that matter? I thought it was more important to eat at a calorie deficit and exercise.
lower carbs (amount depends on you) when you stop losing weight. Its that simple.
1g carb = 4 calories.
50g carbs = 200 calories, etc.
~ be sure to keep protein and fat intake norm tho.
bollox!0 -
cruzmom123 wrote: »Since joining MFP 136 days ago, I have lost 24 pounds. However, I have not lost any weight for about a month now. I continue to eat under my daily calorie goal and I workout at 3 times a week. I will admit, I've indulged in a couple of fried food dishes as well as Coke Zero. But should that matter? I thought it was more important to eat at a calorie deficit and exercise.
lower carbs (amount depends on you) when you stop losing weight. Its that simple.
1g carb = 4 calories.
50g carbs = 200 calories, etc.
~ be sure to keep protein and fat intake norm tho.
Um, no. Unless you have a medical condition that requires it lowering carbs is not necessary to lose weight. Eat at a deficit. That's it. As someone who does have a medical condition, it was a pain in the butt having to lower my carbs, and I didn't even need to lower them that far.0 -
cruzmom123 wrote: »I agree that I need to workout more, however, I have a 1-year-old son who takes up a lot of my time! Plus I have a full-time job!
We're all busy. I also work full-time and am attending university.
Can you walk on the way to and from work?
Can you walk at lunch?
Can you load your son into a stroller and go for a brisk walk together in the evening?
What about hiring a treadmill or rowing machine or something which you could use after he goes to bed?
Yes, now that it's getting darker later I can talk my son for a walk in the stroller.0 -
cruzmom123 wrote: »
Yes, now that it's getting darker later I can talk my son for a walk in the stroller.
Excellent! This along with a food scale and you're golden.0 -
cruzmom123 wrote: »cruzmom123 wrote: »I agree that I need to workout more, however, I have a 1-year-old son who takes up a lot of my time! Plus I have a full-time job!
We're all busy. I also work full-time and am attending university.
Can you walk on the way to and from work?
Can you walk at lunch?
Can you load your son into a stroller and go for a brisk walk together in the evening?
What about hiring a treadmill or rowing machine or something which you could use after he goes to bed?
Yes, now that it's getting darker later I can talk my son for a walk in the stroller.
He'll love it too. Or he'll fall asleep.
And as he gets older and starts getting about more, walk to a park to run and play with him.
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With only 8 pounds to go I'm surprised your allowed calories are that high (mine are 1200 based on MFP calculations, I have more weight to lose and my weight loss is still slow).
When I worked full-time with little ones I still managed quite a lot of exercise activity. Everyone gets breaks at work - walk on breaks, walk on lunch, take the stairs up and down. If you work in a multi-story bldg, take stairs to another floor to use the bathroom. Park at the farthest space in the lot when you go to the store. As others have suggested, take baby in a stroller and walk all over the neighborhood. Dance around the house with your baby. Enjoy the experience! You can do this!!
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