4 Month Slump

klkateri
klkateri Posts: 432 Member
edited November 16 in Health and Weight Loss
Over Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years up till about February I stopped logging and working out and packed on 15 pounds. Then, I got back to logging and working out and have managed to lose all of 7 pounds in those 3 months. By now, I was hoping to be back down to my pre-Holiday weight of 232 and be back to "real" losing but no such luck.

Science Stats:
-CW: 238-240 (BMI 39.9); GW: 130-150 as that would put me at a BMI of 21.6-25.0 for my 5.5 frame
-Calories set to 1900 but MFP set me at 1940. I think on here I am set at lightly active for my activity level as I am a pretty frigidity person.
-I do workout, about 4-6 times a week (I do workout challenges and am on a 4 day on, 1 day off routine)
-I have a fitbit and that's set at 10k steps and I consistently met goal and often exceed
-TDEE is 2443 and BMR is 1777. -15% puts me at 2077 and -20% puts me at 1950 (I calculated my numbers for here at sedentary)
-Diary is open. I know I eat kinda crappy but I also make it fit. I was eating a Keto type diet for several months with my SO but saw no great change in weight so now I just try to keep my carbs down. I do eat sweets but I log them into my day. I don't drink regular soda and do drink water and tea and whatnot through the day. Unless I ate milk or sweetener to my coffee or other drinks, I don't log them
-I generally come in under my calories
-I try to not eat back too many workout calories in case they are off or too high
-I measure my foods, but not consistently and I do know that I have to change that
-I have a messed up Thyroid but am not taking medication as my doctor cannot get a good read on my levels. We are looking into a better test for my to take to get a better idea of it's function or lack there of.
-Last year I lost approximately 40 pounds and over 20 off my body overall. I am more toned and fitting into smaller clothes still despite the fluctuating numbers. I should have lost more but mid-summer I had a medical emergency and had to take off a couple months to get myself healthy again.
-I was hoping to lose another 40 ponds this year to put my total weight loss at 80 pounds
-I had a total knee replacement in 2013 so this can, and does effect workouts

Any and all help or idea's would be GREATLY appreciated!!


Replies

  • malibu927
    malibu927 Posts: 17,562 Member
    Your diary isn't open, but most likely since you say you aren't regularly measuring your foods, that's going to be the issue. You'll probably want to look into purchasing a food scale if you don't have one.
  • Liftng4Lis
    Liftng4Lis Posts: 15,151 Member
    Start weighing and measuring your food.
  • girlviernes
    girlviernes Posts: 2,402 Member
    So the numbers you get from MFP and the online calculator are just a starting point. You are losing weight, which is great, but it sounds like it's a lot slower than you would expect. Your true TDEE is therefore lower than what the calculators came up with (which isn't surprising giving that you have thyroid difficulties). This means that to lose weight more quickly you'll need to cut down more or exercise more to have a bigger deficit. I'd say start by reducing an additional 250 kcals/day and see how that goes. That should help you to lose an additional half pound per week. If that goes well you could cut down a bit further.
  • girlviernes
    girlviernes Posts: 2,402 Member
    Oh and with your medical challenges you really need to measure and log everything. You'll need to be very tight on everything to be successful.
  • weavernv
    weavernv Posts: 1,555 Member
    I really hate it when people immediately jump on the lack of measuring. I lost 60lbs (I've been losing since before I joined MFP if you decide to look at my diary) without consistently measuring. She's mentioned her messed up Thyroid. I could NOT lose until the doctor fixed the issue with my thyroid. My sister measures every single piece of food that goes in her mouth, exercises more than you can even imagine and has lost 10lbs in the amount of time that I have lost 60. Her Thyroid is messed up and they believe she may be insulin resistant. Medical issues can cause problems that measuring every piece of food doesn't deal with.

    My advice would be to continue working on the exercise. Get the medical issues dealt with, yes, measure your food and show this to the doctors (that's what my sister has done, because it helps them to understand where the food/dietary issues are) When you straighten out the dietary issues they can understand you are trying. It's very frustrating. I wouldn't go overboard with trying to go to far under calories, but it does help to watch them.

    You are getting somewhere be, so take stock in the fact that you are in smaller clothes and and more fit than you were before.
  • auntstephie321
    auntstephie321 Posts: 3,586 Member
    Definitely talk to your doctor more about your thyroid (i see you live in the same area i do) and it is a very common issue here. have you been to an endocrinologist, or just your primary? if you need a recommendation for a good endo feel free to message me.

    Get a food scale and make sure you measure everything then you will know for sure that your logging is as accurate as it can be.

    Try to open your diary it was still locked when I checked, it will be helpful for others, sometimes the info in MFP for certain foods is not accurate and could really affect things.

  • Camo_xxx
    Camo_xxx Posts: 1,082 Member
    edited April 2015
    The common adage of " you are eating to much". Still holds true even with a thyroid issue.
    A high or low thyroid issue doesn't change the 3500 calories per pound fat. It changes your BMR

    The diffrence is the determining what to much is or where your actual BMR is so you can control your calorie deficit.

    I would suggest you put pencil to paper and do your own calculations but here is a quick observation.

    You say that your TDEE is 2400 and BMR is 1800
    -20% = 1950
    You set your goal to 1900.

    So, assuming you accurately ate to goal of 1900. That is a 500 calorie daiily deficit or 1 pound per week, 4 pounds per month
    3 months x 4 = 12 pounds

    You actually lost 7 pounds. For a total diffrence 5 pounds of fat that you didn't lose

    5 pounds is 3500 calories x 5 = 17,500 calories or 194 calories per day

    So, either you ate 194 calories more then you think or you need to lower your Goal by 194 calories to compensate for your lower BMR due to low thyroid.

    * do the math on your own to verify, I did this in my head on the fly.
  • klkateri
    klkateri Posts: 432 Member
    Ok, diary is opened now. I had it opened to friends only... thought it was totally public.

    I do measure my food but I'm not consistent with weighing but my scale is pretty cheapy so I think an upgrade to a digital is in order. I completely agree with that.

    As for the BMR and TDEE numbers I have, they are not from MFP but from some Mayo Clinic website that I use to get my BMI number. I do think my actual TDEE is propably lower than what I am getting and I like the idea of cutting back just a bit more so try to compensate. I did drop my calorie goal on here to 1900 and am going to cut back a bit more now over the next two weeks.

    Also, I need to get my annual physical and am going to discuss this all with my doctor along with getting something done with the Thyroid be in through him or a specialist.

    Thanks for the math help too... I have a feeling that is where my issue lies... and with the junky food scale!!
  • aussie_girl_del_runner_5
    aussie_girl_del_runner_5 Posts: 303 Member
    Camo_xxx wrote: »
    * do the math on your own to verify, I did this in my head on the fly.

    Impressive, I would definitely need a calculator for that lol
  • callsitlikeiseeit
    callsitlikeiseeit Posts: 8,626 Member
    klkateri wrote: »
    but I'm not consistent with weighing


    THAT is the problem
  • Camo_xxx
    Camo_xxx Posts: 1,082 Member
    klkateri wrote: »
    .

    Thanks for the math help too... I have a feeling that is where my issue lies... and with the junky food scale!!

    You are welcome. Until you accurately and consistently weigh and log your food you will not know for sure. But either way you ate 200 calories per day more food then needed to lose your goal weight.
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