weight loss impossible if body keeps stabilizing?

lakshva
lakshva Posts: 44 Member
edited September 2015 in Health and Weight Loss
From what I understand by reading on weight loss is 'eat on deficit to lose weight'.
So If I usually have 1600 calories, I should lose weight when i reduce that to 1300. But I have always experienced that after 1-2 weeks my weight lose stops. Bcz body stabilized by reducing your metabolism. Same applies if you increase your intake by 300 cal.
When I read through maintenance community here, this is what they all do. They slowing increase intake 100 cal and still not gain weight.
I'm all the more confused now. What should I do if I have to decrease my weight?
I'm 30 yrs old, 5'5", 68 kg, 43% body fat.
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Replies

  • yarwell
    yarwell Posts: 10,477 Member
    Your BMR according to the Katch-Mcardle formula is 1,200 calories so maintenance at sedentary activity would be 1440 cals.

    If you "usually have 1600" do you gain at that ?
  • Yi5hedr3
    Yi5hedr3 Posts: 2,696 Member
    First, your metabolism is NOT going to drop in one to two weeks! With your high percent of body fat, it is easy to see you are a sugar burner. You need to reduce your carbs. Keep them below100 and watch fat melt away!
  • lakshva
    lakshva Posts: 44 Member
    I tried 1200 calories for 1 month. I lost 1 kg in all and then I stopped losing weight. I actually went down to 1000 cal for last week. But have always heard anything below 1200 is unhealthy. What should I do in this situation?
  • Artemiris
    Artemiris Posts: 189 Member
    Isn't 43% body fat on a 68kg, 5'5" woman a bit too much? I thought it would be around 30%, maximum 35%.

  • lakshva
    lakshva Posts: 44 Member
    I am not sure how correct it is. My trainer got that on a hand helding device at my gym. And I don't look obese for my height. I wear medium size dress.
  • stevencloser
    stevencloser Posts: 8,911 Member
    Yi5hedr3 wrote: »
    First, your metabolism is NOT going to drop in one to two weeks! With your high percent of body fat, it is easy to see you are a sugar burner. You need to reduce your carbs. Keep them below100 and watch fat melt away!

    There is no such thing as a sugar burner. If you're in a deficit, you're burning fat.
  • LKArgh
    LKArgh Posts: 5,178 Member
    edited September 2015
    No, your metabolism does not get lower by losing a couple of kilos.
    lakshva wrote: »
    From what I understand by reading on weight loss is 'eat on deficit to lose weight'.
    So If I usually have 1600 calories, I should lose weight when i reduce that to 1300. But I have always experienced that after 1-2 weeks my weight lose stops. Bcz body stabilized by reducing your metabolism. Same applies if you increase your intake by 300 cal.
    When I read through maintenance community here, this is what they all do. They slowing increase intake 100 cal and still not gain weight.
    I'm all the more confused now. What should I do if I have to decrease my weight?
    I'm 30 yrs old, 5'5", 68 kg, 43% body fat.

    You misunderstood what you read. Maintenance means gradually increasing until you can find your maintenace calories, not so you trick your body into using more calories. Weight, age and activity level determine how much you should be eating to maintain or lose. There is no adjustement.
  • lakshva
    lakshva Posts: 44 Member
    aggelikik wrote: »
    No, your metabolism does not get lower by losing a couple of kilos.

    You misunderstood what you read. Maintenance means gradually increasing until you can find your maintenace calories, not so you trick your body into using more calories. Weight, age and activity level determine how much you should be eating to maintain or lose. There is no adjustement.

    Does that mean, I should find out the calories at which I will lose weight every week?
    It's too tough to reduce than what I am having now. I'm at 1000 cals now. How to go forward from here?
  • Merkavar
    Merkavar Posts: 3,082 Member
    I have eaten at a deficit for a while now, no stabilisation for me. I think you may have misread something.

    Also I dont think you can be 43% body fat at 68 kg. say you got down to 20% body fat you would be in the under weight range.

    Your BMI 25
    Your suggested healthy weight range 50 - 67 Kg
    Your category Healthy Weight

    Unless i misread something.
  • KateTii
    KateTii Posts: 886 Member
    How are you recording your calories? A lot of people start off great and see good results but by week 3 they are mindlessly snacking, not logging and see a stop in the weightloss and wonder why.
  • lakshva
    lakshva Posts: 44 Member
    My food is mostly a combo of rice/wheat , lentils and vegetables. I weigh them everyday when i cook my food including the oil/ sugar I use in the dish.
    But its true that I'm disappointed by 3rd week and think I'm doing something wrong and try to change diet again.
  • dhimaan
    dhimaan Posts: 774 Member
    You are stalling because you are not in a deficit. Find your TDEE, tighten up your logging and go from there.
  • DeguelloTex
    DeguelloTex Posts: 6,652 Member
    Yi5hedr3 wrote: »
    First, your metabolism is NOT going to drop in one to two weeks! With your high percent of body fat, it is easy to see you are a sugar burner. You need to reduce your carbs. Keep them below100 and watch fat melt away!
    This is silliness.

    Don't expect to lose weight every week. Weight loss is not linear.

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  • LKArgh
    LKArgh Posts: 5,178 Member
    edited September 2015
    lakshva wrote: »
    aggelikik wrote: »
    No, your metabolism does not get lower by losing a couple of kilos.

    You misunderstood what you read. Maintenance means gradually increasing until you can find your maintenace calories, not so you trick your body into using more calories. Weight, age and activity level determine how much you should be eating to maintain or lose. There is no adjustement.

    Does that mean, I should find out the calories at which I will lose weight every week?
    It's too tough to reduce than what I am having now. I'm at 1000 cals now. How to go forward from here?

    Go to MFP settings. Set your current weight and a realistic goal, depending on how much you need to lose. If it is you are aiming for e.g. 10 kilos loss, aim for about 1-2 kilos per month and no more. Let MFP figure your calories. Eat what MFP tells you. If you exercise, log it and eat half your calories back. If you are losing too fast, try eating all your exercise calories back. If you are not losing, check your logging, because you are probably eating more than you think. Reevaluate once or twice a month.
  • rileysowner
    rileysowner Posts: 8,321 Member
    edited September 2015
    lakshva wrote: »
    My food is mostly a combo of rice/wheat , lentils and vegetables. I weigh them everyday when i cook my food including the oil/ sugar I use in the dish.
    But its true that I'm disappointed by 3rd week and think I'm doing something wrong and try to change diet again.

    Here is your problem. You are thinking that your loss will be consistent every week. That is not the case. You need to stick with carefully measuring your intake and stick with a reasonable goal. Basically you are giving up too quickly. This has nothing to do with your metabolism changing, but with you giving up because of normal fluctuation in the speed of weight loss.

  • queenliz99
    queenliz99 Posts: 15,317 Member
    Yi5hedr3 wrote: »
    First, your metabolism is NOT going to drop in one to two weeks! With your high percent of body fat, it is easy to see you are a sugar burner. You need to reduce your carbs. Keep them below100 and watch fat melt away!

    Wow!! OP, disregard this bit of misinformation. Sugar burner, get real.
  • Azuriaz
    Azuriaz Posts: 785 Member
    From what I've read the body will try to adjust eventually (and as you lose you need less calories because there is less of you to carry around), but not that fast or sharply.

    Weigh and measure everything. Create a sensible deficit (I think MFP does a good job of that). Understand that weight fluctuates due to increased exercise or other exertion causing the body to hold onto water weight to repair muscle, time of month for females, and how much fiber and water and salt you consume one day as opposed to another.

    Even the time of morning you weigh in matters (I assume you wake up, use the toilet, then weigh yourself without clothing on the same scale positioned on the same hard surface every morning, if not, do so). I keep a separate journal where I put morning weigh in times, and it can vary by as much as a pound between my rise before dawn and my late morning sloth days.

    Since the scale is not always our friend measurements and before and after photos are good additional tools.
  • SLLRunner
    SLLRunner Posts: 12,942 Member
    edited September 2015
    dhimaan wrote: »
    You are stalling because you are not in a deficit. Find your TDEE, tighten up your logging and go from there.
    Yi5hedr3 wrote: »
    First, your metabolism is NOT going to drop in one to two weeks! With your high percent of body fat, it is easy to see you are a sugar burner. You need to reduce your carbs. Keep them below100 and watch fat melt away!
    This is silliness.

    Don't expect to lose weight every week. Weight loss is not linear.

    These two hit the nail on the head.

    OP, the evidence shows you are eating at maintenance. Your numbers could also be off too. Your trainer's assessment sounds off.

    This is a great calculator, and you can calculate by body fat (no, at your height and weight, yours is not 40 anything, it's probably about 25 or so). Give it a try, you might be surprised.
  • lakshva
    lakshva Posts: 44 Member
    Question on metabolism stabilizing came up when I read about eating one cookie of 100 cal extra everyday on internet. It said that after some time body will stabilize itself.
    I am relieved to know that a deficit is working for many here. yeah my patience need more work.

    But then how is it that many women here can have 2000 cal a day and still not gain weight with sedentary lifestyle. What am I doing wrong that I had to go below 1200 to lose weight or in other words how can I reach that level?
  • yarwell
    yarwell Posts: 10,477 Member
    lakshva wrote: »
    But then how is it that many women here can have 2000 cal a day and still not gain weight with sedentary lifestyle. What am I doing wrong that I had to go below 1200 to lose weight or in other words how can I reach that level?

    Short term - become more active, increasing your oxidation of fat. Longer term - build more muscle so you use more energy even at rest.
  • stevencloser
    stevencloser Posts: 8,911 Member
    edited September 2015
    lakshva wrote: »
    Question on metabolism stabilizing came up when I read about eating one cookie of 100 cal extra everyday on internet. It said that after some time body will stabilize itself.
    I am relieved to know that a deficit is working for many here. yeah my patience need more work.

    But then how is it that many women here can have 2000 cal a day and still not gain weight with sedentary lifestyle. What am I doing wrong that I had to go below 1200 to lose weight or in other words how can I reach that level?

    Very small deficits and surplusses can get counteracted by your body, yes. The usual 500 kcal deficit for 1 pound weight loss per week is too much for your body to just nullify though.
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
    yarwell wrote: »
    Your BMR according to the Katch-Mcardle formula is 1,200 calories so maintenance at sedentary activity would be 1440 cals.

    If you "usually have 1600" do you gain at that ?

    Your date is wrong.

    OP, weight loss isn't linear. Stalls of even 4 weeks are not unusual, especially for women. Also, whatever decide gyms use to calculate body fat are wrong. I don't even think it would be possible to have 43% body fat at your weight.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    the problem is that you have unrealistic expectations that you are going to lose weight in a linear fashion...your body isn't going to adapt down after a mere two weeks...if that were the case, I'd have never lost 40 Lbs. you just have to be consistent and disciplined and let the process happen...it takes time...you are going to have weeks where you lose more, lose less, lose none, etc...but over time if you are being consistent your trend will be lost weight...but it takes time and PATIENCE.
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  • yarwell
    yarwell Posts: 10,477 Member
    Francl27 wrote: »

    Your date is wrong.

    Date ? Mine ?
  • kommodevaran
    kommodevaran Posts: 17,890 Member
    lakshva wrote: »
    Question on metabolism stabilizing came up when I read about eating one cookie of 100 cal extra everyday on internet. It said that after some time body will stabilize itself.

    I'm not sure what that is supposed to mean, or if the person who wrote that, knows what they are talking about. (At least they did a lousy job explaining it.) (Do you have a link to the article, could be interesting to have a look?)
    I am relieved to know that a deficit is working for many here.

    A deficit works for everybody. A calorie deficit means that you are eating less than you burn. That means that you will lose weight.
  • kommodevaran
    kommodevaran Posts: 17,890 Member
    I tried, but I had to give up. That article may have some merit somewhere in the wall of text, but it has no practical importance. Weight management is a simple process and those who succeed tens to keep it simple. Thanks for sharing, anyway!
  • jdleanna
    jdleanna Posts: 141 Member
    edited September 2015
    lakshva wrote: »

    You've misunderstood the article somewhat. The author was noting, I think, that eating an extra 100 calories a day will not lead to an increase of 10 pounds in a year because as you gain weight your body uses more energy - i.e., as you gain weight your maintenance calories increase so eating a cookie won't be "extra" calories after a while. As you gain weight and as you lose weight your calorie needs change.

    ETA: so that has nothing to do with you lowering your calories and getting impatient after 3 weeks! :-) After you have lost some weight you will need to either lower your calories again or accept a slower rate of loss, because lower body weight = lower calorie need.