No weight loss - not hitting net calories?

Options
Lola2248
Lola2248 Posts: 126 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Hi
I have been losing about 1/2 lb a week. Considering I have cut my calories, weigh my food, and am more active, I thought I would have lost more than I have ( according to my scales 4lbs, my gyms, 2lbs over 45 days).

I have looked at my reports on here and it shows more often than not I am below my net calories. I understand I don't HAVE to eat back my exercise calories, but could this be why I am not losing more weight?

Its hard doing everything you can and not seeing any results :-(

Replies

  • yirara
    yirara Posts: 9,554 Member
    Options
    1/2lb per week is good, depending on how much you have to lose. Mind giving us some more information like current weight, goal, age and size? Do you really put everything you eat or drink that has calories on a food scale and do you make sure you chose the right entries? Maybe any medical conditions? A new workout routine through which you might be retaining water due to muscle healing? Do you eat a lot of salt? Menstruation coming up?
  • malibu927
    malibu927 Posts: 17,565 Member
    Options
    If you're in a calorie deficit, you'll lose weight. Make sure you're weighing and logging everything. Also, different scales will show different numbers, so I would pick one of the two and stick to it.
  • Sued0nim
    Sued0nim Posts: 17,456 Member
    Options
    I think you might have logging issues which is really easily done

    there are quite a few general and 'serving' items logged in your diary - you need to take great care in selecting from the database .. never use general / homemade, build your own recipes, double check against pack sizes

    also your exercise logging looks a little over-optimistic to me .. and weight training should probably be logged as 1 calorie rather than over 280

    read through the stickies relating to calorie logging
  • Lola2248
    Lola2248 Posts: 126 Member
    Options
    yirara wrote: »
    1/2lb per week is good, depending on how much you have to lose. Mind giving us some more information like current weight, goal, age and size? Do you really put everything you eat or drink that has calories on a food scale and do you make sure you chose the right entries? Maybe any medical conditions? A new workout routine through which you might be retaining water due to muscle healing? Do you eat a lot of salt? Menstruation coming up?

    Not at all, I am 15 stone, 5'6 and 35. Goal weight, bing optimistic, is 12 stone.
    I put everything I eat and drink on here, although I do forget to log my water sometimes.

    I am not certain with some items, if there are no calories on something, say in a restaurant, and then I search for something generic.


  • Lola2248
    Lola2248 Posts: 126 Member
    Options
    rabbitjb wrote: »
    also your exercise logging looks a little over-optimistic to me .. and weight training should probably be logged as 1 calorie rather than over 280

    read through the stickies relating to calorie logging

    My calorie count is calculated with my Fitbit.... I thought this was accurate? And the weight training is actually my PT session. We do a mix of TRX, Push ups, core work, squats, lunges, weight training etc. Is this not the most accurate? I log it as 280 as the sweat dripping off me at the end, I feel the need to log something.... Is it really more realistic to log it as 1 :o

    I will defo look at the stickies, thank you :-)

  • Sued0nim
    Sued0nim Posts: 17,456 Member
    edited June 2015
    Options
    Lola2248 wrote: »
    rabbitjb wrote: »
    also your exercise logging looks a little over-optimistic to me .. and weight training should probably be logged as 1 calorie rather than over 280

    read through the stickies relating to calorie logging

    My calorie count is calculated with my Fitbit.... I thought this was accurate? And the weight training is actually my PT session. We do a mix of TRX, Push ups, core work, squats, lunges, weight training etc. Is this not the most accurate? I log it as 280 as the sweat dripping off me at the end, I feel the need to log something.... Is it really more realistic to log it as 1 :o

    I will defo look at the stickies, thank you :-)

    I think the point I'm trying to make is if, over 45 days, you aren't averaging your expected weight loss goal then there is something is awry in the calculations which might be due to logging or might be due to this is how your body works / what your TDEE actually is - most likely it's a little of both

    Fitbit link for me has proved accurate .. have you synched the apps, set them both up properly and enabled negative adjustments?

    Honestly for a mixed calisthenics / weights session I don't think it's that far out of left field (although I would say that sweat is not a predictor of calorie burn)

    but 0.5lb a week will still get you where you want to be and I lost most of mine at that level
  • professionalHobbyist
    professionalHobbyist Posts: 1,316 Member
    Options
    Exercise credit on MFP is a bit generous.

    What has worked for me is not logging exercise at all. I reduced my activity level to moderate. The only calorie burn off I do is steps from my iPhone

    With exercise you can hold water when sore. Right now I am up over 4 pounds from three days ago. Two days of hard lifting and sore all over....

    In three days all that water and a half pound of fat will be gone.

    I would say to be super careful with calorie logging. Even the cooking oil you use . Don't log exercise if you have your activity as "active". It already gives you credit for being active

    It is just a program of averages. It does not know your exact metabolic rate.

    You can goto muscle fitness and do the body type online quiz and get a report of what exercises typically work best. It may give you insight as to how to best work and feed your machine.

    I am one of those that gain full round muscles easily. And I get fat easy! So I have to work cardio hard and lift much less. It drives my lifting friends crazy. But I have to watch every calorie and of what food group it comes from.

    Play the cards your are genetically dealt the best you can.

  • TimothyFish
    TimothyFish Posts: 4,925 Member
    Options
    If you are overestimating the calories burned during exercise, you could easily be below the net calories goal and still be eating too much. Generally, you can multiply the number of calories burned given to you by the usual tools by 0.5 to get the calories you are burning more than your BMR. Use that number when you log your exercise, stay below the net goal, and you'll probably see weight loss at the rate you are expecting.
  • editorgrrl
    editorgrrl Posts: 7,060 Member
    Options
    A healthy, sustainable loss is .5 lb. per week for every 25 lbs. you're overweight. Eating at a more aggressive deficit will not get you to goal any more quickly.

    Your Fitbit burn is TDEE—way more accurate than any online calculator. But you still have to log everything you eat & drink accurately & honestly. Your diary is private, so no one can give you feedback on your logging.

    You can learn more about how to use Fitbit + MFP in the Fitbit Users group: http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/group/1290-fitbit-users
  • Lola2248
    Lola2248 Posts: 126 Member
    Options
    TimothyFish wrote: »
    If you are overestimating the calories burned during exercise, you could easily be below the net calories goal and still be eating too much. Generally, you can multiply the number of calories burned given to you by the usual tools by 0.5 to get the calories you are burning more than your BMR. Use that number when you log your exercise, stay below the net goal, and you'll probably see weight loss at the rate you are expecting.

    I shall try that.... but I tend to use my Fitbit. But on the days I don't, and rely on MFP, I will try this. Thanks for advice :+1:
  • TaurianDoll
    TaurianDoll Posts: 111 Member
    Options
    professionalHobbyist wrote: »
    Exercise credit on MFP is a bit generous.

    What has worked for me is not logging exercise at all. I reduced my activity level to moderate. The only calorie burn off I do is steps from my iPhone

    With exercise you can hold water when sore. Right now I am up over 4 pounds from three days ago. Two days of hard lifting and sore all over....

    In three days all that water and a half pound of fat will be gone.

    I would say to be super careful with calorie logging. Even the cooking oil you use . Don't log exercise if you have your activity as "active". It already gives you credit for being active

    It is just a program of averages. It does not know your exact metabolic rate.

    You can goto muscle fitness and do the body type online quiz and get a report of what exercises typically work best. It may give you insight as to how to best work and feed your machine.

    I am one of those that gain full round muscles easily. And I get fat easy! So I have to work cardio hard and lift much less. It drives my lifting friends crazy. But I have to watch every calorie and of what food group it comes from.

    Play the cards your are genetically dealt the best you can.
    You brought up some good points and information here. I also like how you know what works for you. Some of the things I read on here won't work for me but it takes time to learn what works for you and to know what your realistic expectations should be.

Categories