If calories in-calories out is immutable...
mandy318
Posts: 25 Member
...why such variation in resulting weight loss?
I am a very routine person and a logical thinker. I have needed to lose about 50lbs for about 4 years. I'm 37 & female, btw.
When I choose a diet plan, I seem to be able to shed 6-8 lbs...then nothing. I understand the things I may do to sabotage my diet...like not tracking accurately or "cheating". But what about when I do the same things, week after week, and one week I lose 2 lbs, then the next none.
It's so disheartening and it's usually the reason I fall off most diets after about 3 months.
I find it so hard to lose over 6-8 lbs, that I wonder if maybe something else is going on--insulin resistance or pcos?
I'd love some input and advice.
About three weeks ago I started alternate day fasting. I lost 6lbs in two weeks....now nothing. But this has happened with every diet I've tried.
I am a very routine person and a logical thinker. I have needed to lose about 50lbs for about 4 years. I'm 37 & female, btw.
When I choose a diet plan, I seem to be able to shed 6-8 lbs...then nothing. I understand the things I may do to sabotage my diet...like not tracking accurately or "cheating". But what about when I do the same things, week after week, and one week I lose 2 lbs, then the next none.
It's so disheartening and it's usually the reason I fall off most diets after about 3 months.
I find it so hard to lose over 6-8 lbs, that I wonder if maybe something else is going on--insulin resistance or pcos?
I'd love some input and advice.
About three weeks ago I started alternate day fasting. I lost 6lbs in two weeks....now nothing. But this has happened with every diet I've tried.
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Replies
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Because weight loss isn't linear
Calories in vs calories out is immutable but you forgot the over time part0 -
The human body is an amazing, amazingly complicated, and amazingly frustrating "machine." Trust the process & give it time.0
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Advice
Stop chopping and changing diets. Just stick to calories in vs calories out no matter what way of eating you're doing..so if iF or low carb works for you do it, if not just the overview of CICO works without any of that
Promise yourself you will do a rolling 6-8 weeks monitoring, so you average your loss over that time frame to get weekly loss rate
Use a trend tracker to help ...I like trendweight.com, there's also apps like happy scale or libra0 -
Calories in/calories out is immutable insofar as lean tissue and fat is concerned.
But there are other issues at play when looking at total body weight (primarily the amount of water retained by the body).
Most people, when they say "weight loss" are of course primarily referring to losing fat...but using a scale as the only metric isn't going to tell the whole story, because water weight fluctuations do not mean fat or tissue gain/loss0 -
Weight loss isn't linear. Normal body fluctuations. Inconsistency, most people give up trying to lose weight once they hit a little bump like not losing weight for a week.
With weight loss you have to be patient, you have to be consistent, you have to have realistic expectations. There will be weeks where you will not lose, that doesn't mean you give up.0 -
...why such variation in resulting weight loss?
I am a very routine person and a logical thinker. I have needed to lose about 50lbs for about 4 years. I'm 37 & female, btw.
When I choose a diet plan, I seem to be able to shed 6-8 lbs...then nothing. I understand the things I may do to sabotage my diet...like not tracking accurately or "cheating". But what about when I do the same things, week after week, and one week I lose 2 lbs, then the next none.
It's so disheartening and it's usually the reason I fall off most diets after about 3 months.
I find it so hard to lose over 6-8 lbs, that I wonder if maybe something else is going on--insulin resistance or pcos?
I'd love some input and advice.
About three weeks ago I started alternate day fasting. I lost 6lbs in two weeks....now nothing. But this has happened with every diet I've tried.
You aren't going to lose weight every week. Eating fewer calories than you need to maintain is the key but the fat is not burned off the instant you choose to forgo the calories. If you lose 6 pounds the first two weeks and then no more for 3 months, you're eating more than you can to lose weight. It doesn't matter if you are insulin resistance and/or have PCOS. You're eating too much to lose.0 -
Because weight loss isn't linear
Calories in vs calories out is immutable but you forgot the over time part
+1
Do you eat a high sodium diet? Do you account for water retention due to your monthly cycle? Do you tend to start a new workout program when you start a new diet?
All these things can cause your weight to fluctuate significantly from day to day, either masking weight loss or making you think you lost weight when you didn't.
Are you logging your food and beverages consistently? Are you estimating serving sizes or using a food scale? It's possible that 6-8 lb loss was actually water weight every time, and you have simply been eating too many calories to lose the weight.
I always "thought" I was eating less and couldn't figure out why I wasn't losing. Then I started using a food scale and logging everything and was surprised by how many calories I was eating. Some months i would lose 2 or 3 lbs. Some months I would lose nothing. But over the long term I finally lost the weight I thought was just a result of life not being fair. Patience and good data will help. Good luck!0 -
I gain weight at ovulation and when I'm premenstrual. Assuming there is nothing wrong with your logging, your "none" weeks could be due to your menstrual cycle.0
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kshama2001 wrote: »I gain weight at ovulation and when I'm premenstrual. Your "none" weeks could be due to your menstrual cycle.
Me too ..worse at ovulation0 -
Weight loss is not a linear function. It is calories in/calories out, but the equation is far more simplistic than the way our body works in reality. When I was losing I was set to lose 1 Lb per week...I had weeks with 1.5 - 2 Lb losses and weeks with 1/2 Lb losses and weeks with no losses and even weeks with small gains...but over time, as a general average trend over 9 months or so, I lost right around 1 Lb per week...actually just slightly more.
The key is being consistent in the process rather than jumping on and off the wagon every time there's a natural weight fluctuation.0 -
The other obvious issue is that "Calories Out" is not a static, unchanging number day to day.
Even if (theoretically) you consume exactly 1500 calories each and every day - some day's you'll burn 1700; some days 2,000; some days 1495.281 and so on.0 -
Why the variation? Because the human body contains a mixture of fat, muscle, connective tissue, bone, glycogen, glucose, DNA, bacteria, gases,food in various stages of digestion and water. When we are reducing CI and/or increasing CO to create a calorie deficit, we can and want to decrease some of the bodies content of some of these. A moderate calorie deficit combined with strength training and adequate nutrition will cause the body to rely on mostly reducing fat and glycogen stores. Those same factors frequently result in a rapid depletion of water followed by a retaining of water. As we continue to create a healthy deficit we will decrease mostly fat, some connective tissue and muscle. While weight loss will not be linear, mostly because of fluctuations in water. While it may be tempting to curse the water weight, it is a valuable tool that our bodies use to keep us functioning properly. CI<CO + patience = weight loss. More important it equals fat loss!0
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Look, weight goes up and down even at maintenance...you're getting freaked by standard water weight fluctuations that might be masking a linear progression in weight loss
Ya, I go up and down but the overall trend is down. I weigh everyday and since I do not have a smart phone, chart it in Excel.
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...why such variation in resulting weight loss?
I am a very routine person and a logical thinker. I have needed to lose about 50lbs for about 4 years. I'm 37 & female, btw.
When I choose a diet plan, I seem to be able to shed 6-8 lbs...then nothing. I understand the things I may do to sabotage my diet...like not tracking accurately or "cheating". But what about when I do the same things, week after week, and one week I lose 2 lbs, then the next none.
It's so disheartening and it's usually the reason I fall off most diets after about 3 months.
I find it so hard to lose over 6-8 lbs, that I wonder if maybe something else is going on--insulin resistance or pcos?
I'd love some input and advice.
About three weeks ago I started alternate day fasting. I lost 6lbs in two weeks....now nothing. But this has happened with every diet I've tried.
@mandy318 CICO is only valid in a lab setting technically speaking.
Humans for example have about 50 hormones being produced and circulated at any given time. The levels of some of these will be a factor in weight gain/loss. What we eat and how much we eat often does have an emotional component.
Two people who weigh 200 pounds each could each eat 2000 calories daily yet still have a different weight gain/loss.
Because there are a ton of factors that determine our weight dieting can be hard to figure out. We are all different but in time we can learn what works for us.
Yes insulin resistance or pcos are two REAL factors that can impact weight loss.
It was only when I stopped dieting at the age of 63 (2014) and started to eat for better health did my fat start melting and my health markers start to moving in a positive direction.
CICO is a factor without question but it is one of many factors.
Just like all cars do not get the same miles per gallon when using the same fuel neither do we humans.
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Then you throw in that you can't rule out medical causes. The insulin resistance and PCOS people out there know what I'm talking about. The change in macros plays a HUGE part when it comes to how fast you lose the pounds. Even with those medical issues, the CICO rule still generally applies, but the way your body reacts to those calories will differ greatly from a healthy person.0
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What I always have to keep in mind is that on both sides of the equation are estimated numbers. The amount of calories consumed is always an estimate. Things like accurate weight on the food help but there are variables that may not be in our control. A peach in season is going to have slightly different calories than an out of season one. What you think of as a medium peach may be different then the person that listed it or the scientist that measured the calories. The calories out have even more room for error on the estimate. Two people who have identical stats could burn different amount of calories doing the same task due to different metabolic rates. It is a matter of trial and error & giving yourself enough time to really see a difference and identify your personal trends.
For me, the first time around on the weight loss trip i would loss weight but my measurements would hardly change. Then I would go through a couple of weeks where the scale didn't move but my body measurements changed almost daily.0 -
It's common to lose a bunch of water weight when you start and then seem to stall a bit as your fat loss catches up. If you start a new exercise program (as many do soon after starting out) it can cause water weight gain. Some people seem to lose in a whoosh pattern (nothing for a few weeks and then a big drop). And of course if you react to no loss by getting frustrated and eating more, then you blow the deficit.
Best to be really consistent for a month and then if no loss check on possible logging issues or hidden calories (were you counting oil for cooking, marinades, are there things hard to estimate, do you tend to slack off on weekends) or drop calories.
But of course we don't know what the goal is (harder if you are already lean) or the calories at issue.0 -
I can identify. Maybe this is a useful antidote. I'm a long time maintainer, and when I get to the top of my maintenance range, I track carefully for a small deficit to lose 5 lbs. I aim for .5lb/wk. I also weigh every day to track fluctuations & loss. Last time I went into a deficit to lose 5 lb, I was still sporadically seeing high weights (like my starting weight) on the scale as long as 5 weeks into deficit eating. It was really demoralizing and each time made me wonder why it wasn't working--has something changed, was I counting wrong, etc. But then when I looked at my weight trend (I plot a 7-day rolling average), it was really clear that the deficit WAS working just like the math predicted. Those high weights were just outlier data points that, even as a seasoned tracker, momentarily threw me off.
The point is looking at a single weight in isolation is misleading. You need several weeks of data to get an accurate picture. Also, take a look at this. A lot of folks, me included, hover at the same weight around 3 weeks then --whoosh--3 weeks worth of weight loss gone in 1-2 days. Stay the course and give it time. Best to you!0 -
It is the rule always, here is what just saying it doesn't take into account and I think gets often lost in translation. Just because a website tells you how many calories you need for your height and weight doesn't mean that it is spot on, it is an estimate of thousands of people. I have a scion XB, my Dad has a Honda sedan, they look the same size, but man my XB uses a lot less gas to do the exact same job. CICO will absolutely work, but there are reasons that you CI might be less than you think or have been told. Or that your CO is more efficient than the person next to you. Play with it, log accurately (yeah the whole scale thing is probably a good idea if you are not losing) and see if the estimates are right for you.0
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GaleHawkins wrote: »...why such variation in resulting weight loss?
I am a very routine person and a logical thinker. I have needed to lose about 50lbs for about 4 years. I'm 37 & female, btw.
When I choose a diet plan, I seem to be able to shed 6-8 lbs...then nothing. I understand the things I may do to sabotage my diet...like not tracking accurately or "cheating". But what about when I do the same things, week after week, and one week I lose 2 lbs, then the next none.
It's so disheartening and it's usually the reason I fall off most diets after about 3 months.
I find it so hard to lose over 6-8 lbs, that I wonder if maybe something else is going on--insulin resistance or pcos?
I'd love some input and advice.
About three weeks ago I started alternate day fasting. I lost 6lbs in two weeks....now nothing. But this has happened with every diet I've tried.
@mandy318 CICO is only valid in a lab setting technically speaking.
Humans for example have about 50 hormones being produced and circulated at any given time. The levels of some of these will be a factor in weight gain/loss. What we eat and how much we eat often does have an emotional component.
Two people who weigh 200 pounds each could each eat 2000 calories daily yet still have a different weight gain/loss.
Because there are a ton of factors that determine our weight dieting can be hard to figure out. We are all different but in time we can learn what works for us.
Yes insulin resistance or pcos are two REAL factors that can impact weight loss.
It was only when I stopped dieting at the age of 63 (2014) and started to eat for better health did my fat start melting and my health markers start to moving in a positive direction.
CICO is a factor without question but it is one of many factors.
Just like all cars do not get the same miles per gallon when using the same fuel neither do we humans.
CICO is true. Yes, people can have different results, but that is because CI, CO, and fat mass are imprecisely measured or estimated. Two people of the same weight do not have the same CO, so obviously they get different results even with the same CI.
To the OP - fat loss at a constant deficit is fairly linear, but weight loss is not, because weight includes many things besides fat.0 -
I know what you mean - it can be frustrating. In my personal experience, I found that over-thinking everything is a killer. Also, fasting was terrible and MY body did not adapt well. Outside of assuming everything else that has been mentioned here, I eat six times a day. It works for me. Consistency worked and a bit of good old fashioned detachment. It all works out in the end if consistency is the trademark of your program. I have tried WW, JC, SL, intermittent fasting, South Beach, and so on... the only lifestyle that consistently works for me is exercise and a protein/carb six times a day sticking with 1200 - 1500 calories.
One more note... in 2014, I was working out, eating right, and gained 30 lbs in out two months. I found out I had hypothyroidism. It took about 18 months to get my meds in check and now back to good old consistency and six meals a day.
SW: 196
Age: 41
H: 62"
CW: 166
GW: 150
Started getting serious about this: 10/10/2015. I have lost 30 lbs in 13 weeks.0 -
I was consistently following a lower carb and sodium, higher protein and fiber diet last April to July. As a post menopausal obese woman, I consistently lost 2 pounds every 7 days. When I began strength training and was lower on the obesity scale that consistency changed. I began to lose in a more erratic fashion, but I lost weight equal to my deficit over time. The portion of my diet that is composed of carbs, my sodium intake and increases in the intensity of my work outs cause daily variations in pounds. But over the coarse of 9 months my expected weight loss as predicted by CICO is over 95% accurate or off by less than one pound.0
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1st the less you weigh, the less calories you need; I readjust my calories monthly & 2nd are you factoring water weight gain, from menstruating? I gain 5 pounds. Focus on monthly progress, not weekly. If you aren't seeing a difference after a month, then readjust; until you do. I had also gained an additional 4 pounds of water weight in 2 days, from taking an antibiotic. So I couldn't even entirely rely, on my monthly results.0
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The scale will really mess with you. Try taking your measurements on your weigh-in day.
Keep in mind that diets that include fasting, or days under 1000 calories can set off your body's insulin/sugar balance. It's better to keep consistent nutrition instead of seesawing.0 -
Thanks so much for all the info. Lots of people here think like I do!
My current weight is 192. Goal: 172 (to begin with, I'd love to lose this by March, for a trip I'm going on)
I'm eating 500 cal on "fast" days and freely on off days. So far, fasting is working well for me. I recently started a new job and found myself eating alot less by default due to a change in my daily schedule. It has actually been easy to incorporate the fasting. I feel like fasting functions as a behavior modification for me...just in 3 weeks I've noticed that I'm not as reactive to the feeling of hunger--which enables me to make a dispassionate food choice.
For me, eating 6x a day means 6x I have to make the right decision about what to eat. Meal planning is not my strong point. If I can not have to rely on it, I'm better off.
I'll stick with this for 3 more weeks and if I don't see a change over time, I'll make a drs appt and push to see if there is some other challenge.
Thank you all!!0 -
...why such variation in resulting weight loss?
When I choose a diet plan, I seem to be able to shed 6-8 lbs...then nothing. I understand the things I may do to sabotage my diet...like not tracking accurately or "cheating". But what about when I do the same things, week after week, and one week I lose 2 lbs, then the next none.
I'd love some input and advice.
Does your car get the same gas mileage every single mile, uphill and downhill, city traffic and highway traffic? Why would you expect your body (a much messier machine) to get the same calorie mileage all the time?0 -
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