Best solution for those who find it hard to lose weight?
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Sorry VeryKatie but what you are saying contradicts what the moderators of the official/approved 5:2 facebook groups tell people to do, including the person who co-wrote the 5:2 book. Of course some people who lose weight easily when doing 5:2 don't even need to count calories, but for those do, it's advisable to eat either at TDEE (sedentary) or between TDEE & BMR if weight loss doesn't come easily.
In addition, we are all different, no two people are identical.
I have tried eating more in the past, and I have gained weight at a very fast rate and 1830 is way too much for me as a person on a daily basis.
I have had medical tests and nothing is medically wrong with me, just that I have a slow metabolism in a similar way that my mum does. She was told by her doctor that she can only lose weight by eating 800-900 calories per day maximum.0 -
From what I was saying on the fasting, because I don't remember anything about 1250 on fast days:
1500 cals to maintain at sedentary activity for 5'4" at 40 years and 130 lbs, using 5:2 method
Sunday - 500 calories
Monday - 1500 calories
Tuesday -1500 calories
Wednesday - 500 calories
Thursday -1500 calories
Friday -1500 calories
Saturday -1500 calories
If you ate like this in a 5:2 fasting method, you should lose 0.6 lbs per week with no working out, calories being very accurate and estimate on TDEE for 1500 being accurate.
Sunday - 500 calories
Monday - 1500 calories - workout day
Tuesday -1500 calories
Wednesday - 500 calories
Thursday -1500 calories - workout day
Friday -1500 calories
Saturday -1500 calories - workout day
If you ate like this above in a 5:2 fasting method and worked out but didn't count the calories in your diary you would lose closer to 0.75 lbs per week estimating that you only burn 200 calories per workout 3x a week. If you actually truly burn more than 200, you would lose more, and if you burn less, you would lose closer to 0.6 lbs per week again.
SO, you can see how if you actually are not accurate in the way you log food in your diary that you can wipe out a 5:2 fasting deficit pretty quickly. If your 500 cal days are actually 700 cal days and your non-fasting days are mostly in surplus due to incorrect exercise logging AND food logging - let's say another 200 cals per day extra there (that's underestimating), that 0.6 lb loss can drop quickly to a 0.3 lb loss per week or less, which I think is what you're experiencing. And, if you choose to eat in surplus on the weekend, you'll have to adjust how much you're eating again during the weekdays to still see a loss.
If I were you and wanting to do 5:2, I would play around with my calories and schedule of workouts to see what I would be able to stick with and what the math turns out to be at the end of the week. Then be extremely strict with calorie counting and diary entries so that the only big variable is the workout calories. Keep doing the same thing for a couple weeks and based on results, adjust if needed.
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Thank you. I did not mention 1250 calories on fast days, I was talking about switching to eating this on non-fast days (normal days).
The only weeks when I have done 5:2 and lost 1lb, is when I have eaten 1300 calories or less AND exercised.
Just for the record, I do some form of exercise 6-7 days a week (ie. either cardio in the gym, a walk of 40-60 minutes, a HIIT workout for 35 minutes etc.) I also aim for 10,000 steps per day on top of this.0 -
My TDEE is 1600 when I don't exercise, so I try to exercise to 2000-2200 calories a day.
And yes, really, I have unparalleled butt-sitting skills, apparently.0 -
Thank you. I did not mention 1250 calories on fast days, I was talking about switching to eating this on non-fast days (normal days).
The only weeks when I have done 5:2 and lost 1lb, is when I have eaten 1300 calories or less AND exercised.
Just for the record, I do some form of exercise 6-7 days a week (ie. either cardio in the gym, a walk of 40-60 minutes, a HIIT workout for 35 minutes etc.) I also aim for 10,000 steps per day on top of this.
Yes, that would make sense that if you ate lower than your maintenance on non fasting days plus exercise that you would lose about 1 lb per week. Your're replying as if your 100% accurate with counting. If you do that much activity you must be blowing your cals out of the water somewhere. If you can't be accurate, then you have to lower your cals in your diary artificially so that you don't go over in what your body gets from how much you actually eat...because your body knows and doesn't lie. So if 1300 does it for you, then go back to that, but you can't say you are actually 100% eating that low for sure.0 -
What is TDEE?0
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Total daily energy expenditure (basically the calories you need to eat to maintain your current weight).
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Good for you mamabird. I work from home so have no journey to work and most days I don't go out at all. I try and walk a little every day and I have a lot of stairs in my house. I also try and exercise 4-5 times a week plus longer walks 2-3 times a week too. Whatever I do, I can't bring my TDEE up to 2200, as many have said here, if that was the case I'd be losing loads of weight. The most I can hope to bring it up to is probably around 1700 ish. If I can do that and I can eat 1300 plus my fast days I can lose what I am aiming for ie. 1lb per week.
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blankiefinder, obviously you didn't read my first post. If you had you would have noticed I said:
'I was wondering if there were others out there who have similar problems and if so how do you manage? Some people tell me it's easier if you eat low carb, eat 'clean' or if you reduce calories on the other 5 days a week too to around 1200 per day in order to lose a bit faster.
I would like to hear from others in my position as I'd like to find a way of eating that will allow me to lose a bit quicker/more consistently and is sustainable at least until I reach my goal weight and then I know I will be able to eat a little bit more.'
Nothing there asking for help with logging, asking about how many calories I burn through exercise, about asking for help or advice from people who are NOT in my position etc. If that had been the case, I would have simply asked a different question and posted a different message initially.
Well I posted to you way back in the beginning, but now that this has kind of blown up, I wanted to add something. As I stated, I am eating @ 1500 cals and losing @ 1 lb per month. Because I am short, a reasonably healthy weight, and old
, I don't have much margin for error.
I am fine with this very slow pace, but if it stopped, which it probably will sooner rather than later, the way I would manage would be to tighten up my logging. I don't always weigh everything, my dirty little secret. Sometimes i do, sometimes I don't. But if the weight loss stopped, the first thing I would do to deal with it is start weighing everything and being extra careful about the entries I was using.
When your TDEE is on the lower end, your deficit is most likely 250 calories. 250 cals is really easy to erase with a couple of eyeballed serving sizes, an incorrect user-generated database entry, or an inaccurate exercise burn. Heck, that's probably why I'm only losing 1 lb per month! I think all folks are trying to tell you is that if you tightened up your logging, it wouldn't be as difficult for you to lose. At the very least, try to use better database entries, since there are some you are using that are obviously wrong. The better the info you record, the easier it will be to see where you might be able to change your results.
Sorry you aren't getting the responses you were looking for, I do hope you find a way to make this work for you...0 -
Sorry VeryKatie but what you are saying contradicts what the moderators of the official/approved 5:2 facebook groups tell people to do, including the person who co-wrote the 5:2 book. Of course some people who lose weight easily when doing 5:2 don't even need to count calories, but for those do, it's advisable to eat either at TDEE (sedentary) or between TDEE & BMR if weight loss doesn't come easily.
In addition, we are all different, no two people are identical.
I have tried eating more in the past, and I have gained weight at a very fast rate and 1830 is way too much for me as a person on a daily basis.
I have had medical tests and nothing is medically wrong with me, just that I have a slow metabolism in a similar way that my mum does. She was told by her doctor that she can only lose weight by eating 800-900 calories per day maximum.
Direct from the 5:2 website:
"Calculation of the TDEE (total daily energy expenditure)
TDEE is the number of calories burnt in a day scaling BMR to level of activity. This is the number of calories you need daily to maintain your current weight and is about the amount you should eat on the days you’re not fasting. It depends on how active you are. Regular exercise burns up calories and is good for you. Do it!
People have a tendency to overestimate the exercise they do, so if in doubt, choose the lower activity level."
That means eat TDEE. Not between TDEE and BMR. The listed reason to choose a lower activity level than yours is because you know you're over estimating calories. Which means a person knows they are wrong and that's why they set it lower.0 -
A question for someone who knows about these things as I don't use a FitBit... I noticed that in the OP's exercise diary there is a daily FitBit adjustment, and then on top of that there are days that she records additional workouts. Is this double counting? Assuming you are wearing the FitBit at all times, including during your workout, wouldn't the FitBit adjustment already take that workout into account?0
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A question for someone who knows about these things as I don't use a FitBit... I noticed that in the OP's exercise diary there is a daily FitBit adjustment, and then on top of that there are days that she records additional workouts. Is this double counting? Assuming you are wearing the FitBit at all times, including during your workout, wouldn't the FitBit adjustment already take that workout into account?
If you have set up MFP and fitbit correctly ...same goals, same time zones etc and you log your workouts on MFP by time started and length then it overwrites the fitbit steps during that time period
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@JAT74 - you're at a healthy weight and you said that your issue is with your body fat and you've (somehow) estimated you need to lose 15-20lbs to lower your body fat... I read through all 3 pages and I don't understand why nobody is addressing that this isn't a weight loss issue but a body recomposition issue.
you're not enjoying restrictive dieting anyway, so why not try eating at your TDEE - which everyone else has calculated around 1600 to 1800cals - every day and lift heavy weights which will lower your body fat percentage over time? and I stress that it does take time but fasting and eating 950cals etc to lose another 20lbs isn't going to help because you'll still have a higher body fat percentage than you'd like and your TDEE will be even lower.0 -
@ferretpal -lifting weights to change composition was mentioned on page 1 a couple posts down. Currently eating at maintenance cals would probably make her gain weight since logging isn't accurate at this point, and it seems that cardio is the preference.0
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Fitbit calorie estimations get taken off any additional exercise calories logged. Advice given about eating between BMR and TDEE is not on the website, but given by moderators of official 5:2 groups.0
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It seems like you're at an appropriate weight for your height. It is slow going to lose those last few pounds. Is it the scale weight that bothers you, or the way your body looks? If it's the latter, I would suggest a progressive lifting program.
@ASKyle Every time we comment on the same posts, I just wanna quote whatever you've said because it's always exactly what I'm thinking.
OP, I agree that your weight sounds really good, and you likely just have some areas you'd like to look tighter, as you mentioned with feeling your body fat percentage is too high. If a personal trainer is something you can afford, it might be a good idea. When I was in that position, I had a good friend who knew a lot about weight training come into the gym with me a couple times and get me used to the right exercises for my goals and the proper form. He put together a list of things to do, also. Beyond that, there's so much information on here and online (including bad information, but mostly helpful). I'd say get a weight training regimen and you'll see that the same weight can look really different. I could never get to my "goal" weight no matter how hard I dieted. I started weight training three times a week, and stayed the same weight but looked a lot better.0 -
Notice
I've had a cleanup of this thread, I do generally think that a great number of the replies were posted with the best intentions at heart. As such, I've decided to simply remove the replies and not issue any warnings..
If I have to come back and re-clean this thread in the near future however, I will start issuing warnings for guideline breaches.. One argument induced headache is enough for one night!
Come on guys and gals, enough is enough.. We can't all agree on everything but if there is a thread that you know you won't be able to have any positive input into, be that because of a disagreement with the OP or just something that annoys you (it happens, we're all human!!), please just scroll on passed it and find a thread that holds more interest to you!
Wishing everybody the best with all their goals!
With respect,
Adam, MyFitnessPal Moderator0 -
Thank you Adam. I didn't expect everyone to agree with me but I posted with the best intentions and was hoping to hear from others in my position. I agree that if you someone doesn't have positive input which will be helpful to me as the OP then they didn't need to post! I left the thread feeling quite upset and that I wasn't being listened to and before posting I was feeling that posting was going to bring up some helpful suggestions and feel that I was having a similar experience to others.0
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Getting down to 20% bodyfat is a full time job.I'll be happy at whatever weight I am at around 20% body fat.
Hi, it can be tough for some people in healthy weight ranges to decrease body fat without building muscle. And building muscle can be tough for women. Especially if you're eating at a deficit. I'm sure you'd like to lose at least a bit more weight on the scale, but like some others have suggested, have you read any threads on "body recomposition"?0
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