Using a Fitbit trying to lose weight but gaining! Help!!
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georginacullen
Posts: 21 Member
Hi there,
I started using MFP and a Fitbit Surge tracker 5 weeks ago. The first week I lost 5lbs, 2nd, 3rd and 4th week nothing... This week I've gained weight even after eating less and exercising more!!
Not sure what's happening and why. I wanted to add a photo of my weekly Fitbit report but the app won't let me so here's the details:
Steps: 128,184
Daily Average: 18,312
Best: 40,343
Total distance: 90.08km
Daily average: 12.87km
Best: 28.31km
Total floors climbed: 474
Daily average: 67
Best: 299
Total calories burned: 18,023
Daily average: 2575
Best: 3791
Calories in v out: -3101
Weekly total burned: 18,025
Weekly total eaten: 9674
Deficit plan: -5250
Weight change 0 st 0.1lb ^ (up)
Average Sleep: 8hr 18 mins
I'm vegetarian, don't drink alcohol, gave up smoking 9 months ago and gained 2 stone since then.
I'm eating really healthily and I try to eat 3 meals a day with lots of fresh fruit and I honestly don't hide anything from my food diary - even add the naughty things! On days I can't walk much I don't eat as much... But I don't starve myself!
I'm determined to lose weight for summer but I've found this last month totally disheartening. I was hoping to be slipping into at least one pair of skinny jeans by this week but I've actually put weight on and I'm no closer to getting that button closed!!
My exercise is walking a lot! Stationary bike and the occasional HIIT, but I have a dodgy knee. When I'm not walking I'm a plasterer/decorator but always walk 1-2 hours a day al least during the week. More at weekends.
Any advice would be great!!
G
I started using MFP and a Fitbit Surge tracker 5 weeks ago. The first week I lost 5lbs, 2nd, 3rd and 4th week nothing... This week I've gained weight even after eating less and exercising more!!
Not sure what's happening and why. I wanted to add a photo of my weekly Fitbit report but the app won't let me so here's the details:
Steps: 128,184
Daily Average: 18,312
Best: 40,343
Total distance: 90.08km
Daily average: 12.87km
Best: 28.31km
Total floors climbed: 474
Daily average: 67
Best: 299
Total calories burned: 18,023
Daily average: 2575
Best: 3791
Calories in v out: -3101
Weekly total burned: 18,025
Weekly total eaten: 9674
Deficit plan: -5250
Weight change 0 st 0.1lb ^ (up)
Average Sleep: 8hr 18 mins
I'm vegetarian, don't drink alcohol, gave up smoking 9 months ago and gained 2 stone since then.
I'm eating really healthily and I try to eat 3 meals a day with lots of fresh fruit and I honestly don't hide anything from my food diary - even add the naughty things! On days I can't walk much I don't eat as much... But I don't starve myself!
I'm determined to lose weight for summer but I've found this last month totally disheartening. I was hoping to be slipping into at least one pair of skinny jeans by this week but I've actually put weight on and I'm no closer to getting that button closed!!
My exercise is walking a lot! Stationary bike and the occasional HIIT, but I have a dodgy knee. When I'm not walking I'm a plasterer/decorator but always walk 1-2 hours a day al least during the week. More at weekends.
Any advice would be great!!
G
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Replies
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That's an insane amount of floors climbed. Mine doesn't track that though so maybe I just don't know what's normal for floors haha.0
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Do you weigh your food with a food scale? Could it be PMS/period/ovulating weight gain?0
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Do you use a food scale? HOw accurate is your food logging?
In general if you're burning ~2500 cals a day and eating ~1400 (took your #s and divided by 7) then you will lose weight. But it doesn't mean you will see a drop each week on the scale. Water weight can mask your true results. You could be retaining water from sodium, muscle repair due to a new or more intense workout routine, sleep schedule changes, stress, TOM/hormones.
If you didn't gain 5 pounds this week then you're overall down in the past 5 weeks, yes? So that is a good thing. If your food logging is accurate, then just keep at it. And the scale will show a downward trend over the course of time.
To be accurate in your food log: weigh solids, use measuring cups for liquids only. Don't use recipes in the database, enter your own. You don't know how your dish compares otherwise. Check the entries you use for accuracy. Much of what is in the database is user entered, so mistakes can happen.0 -
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I'm running in to the same problem girl :-/0
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That's an insane amount of floors climbed. Mine doesn't track that though so maybe I just don't know what's normal for floors haha.
Hahaha! I know, I must say most of it was done in one day. I did a huge 25km walk last Friday with a lot of massive hills and scrambles. I was very exhausted after!! That doesn't happen every week, but I do do about 20-30 a day climbing ladders.
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strong_curves wrote: »
That's ace!!! I must say I went to the docs first just in case. And I do have hormone issues!! But 4 weeks not loosing is pants... Trying not to be stressed but those jeans won't wear themselves!!!!
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Take what your fitbit says with a grain of salt (or any wrist-based HRM). They have been known it be inaccurate. While it is good for a ballpark estimate of your calories and heart-rate it's not completely correct. As big of a pain as some might think it is, the chest strap is much more accurate then the wrist mount HRM, especially if it's not worn correctly.
Also, it could be other reasons that you're not losing. Such as food, you may be eating more than you think.0 -
Take what your fitbit says with a grain of salt (or any wrist-based HRM). They have been known it be inaccurate. While it is good for a ballpark estimate of your calories and heart-rate it's not completely correct. As big of a pain as some might think it is, the chest strap is much more accurate then the wrist mount HRM, especially if it's not worn correctly.
Also, it could be other reasons that you're not losing. Such as food, you may be eating more than you think.
I hear you about the Fitbit - I'll try a chest HRM, as for eating too much I'm logging absolutely as accurately as I can, everything as possible !! If it's got a barcode I scan it and my snacks are fruit/raw veg. Plus I eat less calories than what I gain through exercise, apart from a couple of days when I my knee hurt then I ate less than the 1200, I don't eat rubbish or white bread.
I'm very active. I need to eat...
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georginacullen wrote: »Take what your fitbit says with a grain of salt (or any wrist-based HRM). They have been known it be inaccurate. While it is good for a ballpark estimate of your calories and heart-rate it's not completely correct. As big of a pain as some might think it is, the chest strap is much more accurate then the wrist mount HRM, especially if it's not worn correctly.
Also, it could be other reasons that you're not losing. Such as food, you may be eating more than you think.
I hear you about the Fitbit - I'll try a chest HRM, as for eating too much I'm logging absolutely as accurately as I can, everything as possible !! If it's got a barcode I scan it and my snacks are fruit/raw veg. Plus I eat less calories than what I gain through exercise, apart from a couple of days when I my knee hurt then I ate less than the 1200, I don't eat rubbish or white bread.
I'm very active. I need to eat...
You're probably under estimating how much you are eating. It doesn't matter how "healthy" you eat, if it's too many calories you won't lose. If you're just scanning barcodes, using cups and spoons to measure your food, or guessing on portions, you can't really be sure how many calories you're eating.
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For the fitbit, my calorie burns and the calories in and out would never equal exactly what the numbers say. I could even give a margin of error (example +15% or even 20%) to both logging and calories burned and it will never work out exactly.. The data is only as good as the data input.
I used fitbit, now I use garmin with the soft strap HR and much more accurate.
My food scale is now my third arm in the kitchen!
I def would check the food logging out first. The calories burned are not important as the food logging. I would take a percentage of calories burned (you choose the number) to eat back. I personally would make sure I was not retaining water due to muscle repair or even sodium overload. It takes me about 3 weeks or so to make things happen when making changes (everyone is different) so there are several things you can do and approach it according to what works for you in general.0 -
Fitbit pretty much sucks. It is essentially a glorified pedometer. Go buy yourself a Garmin device, it'll make all other devices look like the toys that they are.0
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Start with tightening up your logging. Chances are, you're eating more than you think you are.
I personally love my Fitbit, I have the Charge HR so it has a HRM, but I also realize that it's not going to be 100% accurate. What I've done is set MFP and Fitbit to what my calorie goal is so they're the same, turned OFF negative adjustments, enter food ONLY on MFP and exercise ONLY on Fitbit, and set my Fitbit to dominant, but wear it on my non-dominate wrist. I've found that's the most accurate way for me, even if it's not 100%. This way, if I don't get a lot of exercise, I don't have to worry about the calories adjusting, and any extra I do over the course of the day gets added and I can have extra calories. This may not work for you, but if you're looking for something to try, might be helpful.0 -
I_Will_End_You wrote: »georginacullen wrote: »Take what your fitbit says with a grain of salt (or any wrist-based HRM). They have been known it be inaccurate. While it is good for a ballpark estimate of your calories and heart-rate it's not completely correct. As big of a pain as some might think it is, the chest strap is much more accurate then the wrist mount HRM, especially if it's not worn correctly.
Also, it could be other reasons that you're not losing. Such as food, you may be eating more than you think.
I hear you about the Fitbit - I'll try a chest HRM, as for eating too much I'm logging absolutely as accurately as I can, everything as possible !! If it's got a barcode I scan it and my snacks are fruit/raw veg. Plus I eat less calories than what I gain through exercise, apart from a couple of days when I my knee hurt then I ate less than the 1200, I don't eat rubbish or white bread.
I'm very active. I need to eat...
You're probably under estimating how much you are eating. It doesn't matter how "healthy" you eat, if it's too many calories you won't lose. If you're just scanning barcodes, using cups and spoons to measure your food, or guessing on portions, you can't really be sure how many calories you're eating.
Just to be clear I'm not eating too much. I have a VERY physical job - I'm a UK traditional plasterer and decorator - I'm by no means sedentary. I have a boarder collie X and power walk at least two hours a day on top of my job, and go hill walking at the weekends. I am meticulous with my diary to the point of distraction! I find the food I eat isn't enough to satisfy me esp when working. If I didn't eat my fruit / veg nutty snacks i'd feel faint and I can't have that up ladders.
I eat a rawish plant based vegetarian/vegan diet. No cakes, no processed sugars, very little dairy... (Eggs!) I'd definitely say I was very 'healthy'. Unless you're saying I should be weighing every banana/Apple/blueberry I eat?
I can honestly say last week hasn't been as active as I might have been as I'm on holiday... But hey still pretty chuffed with how many km I did!
I've still got 600k left to eat... Apparently... Maybe I'll leave them there for tonight.
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Chain_Ring wrote: »Fitbit pretty much sucks. It is essentially a glorified pedometer. Go buy yourself a Garmin device, it'll make all other devices look like the toys that they are.
That's funny, I love my Fitbit. To each their own.
I would do as gia07 says above. If you're not using a food scale, you can't really say your logging is as accurate as it can be. I wouldn't rely on packages and barcodes. I thought I was on the money with my guestimates until after three or four meals, I was SHOCKED at the difference in what I thought a serving was, and what a serving truly should be. And you should def be weighing your veggies and raw fruit, as they add up really fast. And give it time. I go many weeks in a row before seeing a number change, all the time. I rarely see a change every week..You can do this, be patient, log and weigh everything, including your beverages and condiments. Then watch your trends and adjust accordingly...you can do this 0 -
georginacullen wrote: »I_Will_End_You wrote: »georginacullen wrote: »Take what your fitbit says with a grain of salt (or any wrist-based HRM). They have been known it be inaccurate. While it is good for a ballpark estimate of your calories and heart-rate it's not completely correct. As big of a pain as some might think it is, the chest strap is much more accurate then the wrist mount HRM, especially if it's not worn correctly.
Also, it could be other reasons that you're not losing. Such as food, you may be eating more than you think.
I hear you about the Fitbit - I'll try a chest HRM, as for eating too much I'm logging absolutely as accurately as I can, everything as possible !! If it's got a barcode I scan it and my snacks are fruit/raw veg. Plus I eat less calories than what I gain through exercise, apart from a couple of days when I my knee hurt then I ate less than the 1200, I don't eat rubbish or white bread.
I'm very active. I need to eat...
You're probably under estimating how much you are eating. It doesn't matter how "healthy" you eat, if it's too many calories you won't lose. If you're just scanning barcodes, using cups and spoons to measure your food, or guessing on portions, you can't really be sure how many calories you're eating.
Unless you're saying I should be weighing every banana/Apple/blueberry I eat?
Yes weigh everything. You might find that fruit is larger than you think.
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JustMissTracy wrote: »Chain_Ring wrote: »Fitbit pretty much sucks. It is essentially a glorified pedometer. Go buy yourself a Garmin device, it'll make all other devices look like the toys that they are.
That's funny, I love my Fitbit. To each their own.
I would do as gia07 says above. If you're not using a food scale, you can't really say your logging is as accurate as it can be. I wouldn't rely on packages and barcodes. I thought I was on the money with my guestimates until after three or four meals, I was SHOCKED at the difference in what I thought a serving was, and what a serving truly should be. And you should def be weighing your veggies and raw fruit, as they add up really fast. And give it time. I go many weeks in a row before seeing a number change, all the time. I rarely see a change every week..You can do this, be patient, log and weigh everything, including your beverages and condiments. Then watch your trends and adjust accordingly...you can do this
That's really helpful. Thank you. So I should be weighing every gr of Apple/bananas? I'm not sure people understand how inconvenient this can be in a dusty/painty room I just count the pieces I eat. It is pretty unenjoyable weighing salad!! TBH I only drink coffee and water no sugar or fizzy drinks.
Hope I get there.
I'll give it a go.
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georginacullen wrote: »JustMissTracy wrote: »Chain_Ring wrote: »Fitbit pretty much sucks. It is essentially a glorified pedometer. Go buy yourself a Garmin device, it'll make all other devices look like the toys that they are.
That's funny, I love my Fitbit. To each their own.
I would do as gia07 says above. If you're not using a food scale, you can't really say your logging is as accurate as it can be. I wouldn't rely on packages and barcodes. I thought I was on the money with my guestimates until after three or four meals, I was SHOCKED at the difference in what I thought a serving was, and what a serving truly should be. And you should def be weighing your veggies and raw fruit, as they add up really fast. And give it time. I go many weeks in a row before seeing a number change, all the time. I rarely see a change every week..You can do this, be patient, log and weigh everything, including your beverages and condiments. Then watch your trends and adjust accordingly...you can do this
That's really helpful. Thank you. So I should be weighing every gr of Apple/bananas? I'm not sure people understand how inconvenient this can be in a dusty/painty room I just count the pieces I eat. It is pretty unenjoyable weighing salad!! TBH I only drink coffee and water no sugar or fizzy drinks.
Hope I get there.
I'll give it a go.
Is this a packed lunch/food? If so, weigh it all in the morning before you pack your lunch bag. I carry my breakfast & lunch with me to work, every morning before putting in my lunch bag I weigh and log it all. It literally takes me 5 minutes.
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Yes weigh everything. You might find that fruit is larger than you think.
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So that banana might not be 6 inches?
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georginacullen wrote: »JustMissTracy wrote: »Chain_Ring wrote: »Fitbit pretty much sucks. It is essentially a glorified pedometer. Go buy yourself a Garmin device, it'll make all other devices look like the toys that they are.
That's funny, I love my Fitbit. To each their own.
I would do as gia07 says above. If you're not using a food scale, you can't really say your logging is as accurate as it can be. I wouldn't rely on packages and barcodes. I thought I was on the money with my guestimates until after three or four meals, I was SHOCKED at the difference in what I thought a serving was, and what a serving truly should be. And you should def be weighing your veggies and raw fruit, as they add up really fast. And give it time. I go many weeks in a row before seeing a number change, all the time. I rarely see a change every week..You can do this, be patient, log and weigh everything, including your beverages and condiments. Then watch your trends and adjust accordingly...you can do this
That's really helpful. Thank you. So I should be weighing every gr of Apple/bananas? I'm not sure people understand how inconvenient this can be in a dusty/painty room I just count the pieces I eat. It is pretty unenjoyable weighing salad!! TBH I only drink coffee and water no sugar or fizzy drinks.
Hope I get there.
I'll give it a go.
I weigh out a portion of fruit and put it in a separate container the night before I pack my lunch (I also pre-log the day before usually). Then, I just eat that serving of fruit.0
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