I know it has been said more than a million times but.....

meonlybetterDUH
meonlybetterDUH Posts: 25 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Losing weight is frustrating!!! :D

Hubby & I quit smoking in June 2015. YEAH US! Before we quit I wanted to lose 15 pounds. That never happened due to the quit date was moved up by 4 months. I have since gained 10 pounds so I'd love to lose 25 pounds.

Started back in February. Lost 6 pounds by first part of March. Since then it's been lose 2 pounds, gain a pound. Lose one pound, gain one pound.

Per this website are the calories I need to live by and how many calories to lose 1 or 2 pounds a week:
http://www.calculator.net/weight-loss-calculator.html
You need 1,390 Calories/day to lose 1 lb per week.
1,390
You need 890 Calories/day to lose 2 lb per week.

I want to lose 2 pounds a week. I'm eating around 900ish calories a day which seems ridiculous but that is what the website says so I'm rolling with it.

Throughout the day at work I usually walk 4 miles a day (I work 4 days a week).
When I get home (4-6 nights a week) I lift hand weights, push ups, squats, resistant bands, some ab work, etc. I do not do many repetitions but I feel like I get in an OK workout.
I do have MS so I can't kill myself working out but I NEED to stay active.

I cannot get past the original 6 pounds I lost to begin with.
I do not eat fast food. In my opinion, I eat pretty healthy 24/7.
My food journal looks like I'm eating all day but it's good stuff.
Treats are Skinny Cow, Healthy Choice, fruit, yogurt, sugar free pudding, et.
I weigh, measure, live by serving size(s).
MFP tells me on a daily basis you are not eating enough.
I do not eat back any calories like I used to.

I keep on keeping on thinking, some day, it HAS to pay off! I won't quit. I'm just frustrated.




Any insights from the experts? :) And many thanks!!!

Replies

  • CasperNaegle
    CasperNaegle Posts: 936 Member
    It sounds like you are eating too little to me... you do need to feed your body even to lose weight. I would figure out what your TDEE is (include all your exercise) get yourself on a 20% deficit overall and stick with it for several weeks. The pounds will start to come off. You can adjust some, but I'd give it a good 4 weeks to start.

    The second thing is are you weighing all your food? You need to weigh and measure everything to really know how many calories you are doing. It's amazing how quickly things can get away from you without weighing stuff. This includes especially condiments, oil you cook with, etc.
  • meonlybetterDUH
    meonlybetterDUH Posts: 25 Member
    edited March 2016
    Can you please tell me what TDEE is?!! Very new to this and acronyms toss me off! And yes, I do weigh, measure, and go by servings when necessary.
    Forgot to mention... I drink tons of water every day, no juice and very little milk (skim).
    Thank you!!!
  • Shells918
    Shells918 Posts: 1,070 Member
    How tall are you? A 900 calorie diet is very low. You might want to eat a little bit of your exercise calories and find a happy medium between the 2 calorie amounts. Just because the website says you should eat a certain amount to lose weight doesn't mean it's foolproof. Sometimes we need to figure out what works just for us.
  • Machka9
    Machka9 Posts: 25,611 Member
    900 is really low.

    If you enter your information into MFP, MFP shouldn't give you anything lower than 1200.
  • kristen6350
    kristen6350 Posts: 1,094 Member
    With only 25lbs to lose you can't healthly lose 2lbs a week. 2lbs a week is REALLY aggressive. For people who have 75-100lbs to lose.

    Next, 1200 is the "safe" healthy mininum of what you should eat. I think the 1lb week calorie goal is a really good one. 1390 is something sustainable. Yes, it will take longer, but what's the rush? Trust me, maintainance isn't a picnic. I've been at it for 4 years and still struggle. There's no party when you lose those 25lbs. Your life doesn't automatically get better. You won't be a better person because of it. So take your time. Don't have a deal line and learn something along the way.

    Eat the 1390, weigh your portions, move more. Rinse. Repeat. And be PATIENT.
  • lml852014
    lml852014 Posts: 243 Member
    What they said ^
  • meonlybetterDUH
    meonlybetterDUH Posts: 25 Member
    900 seems ridiculous to me but I was going off of the calculation website. Not tracking my exercise in MFP so I wouldn't eat back calories from exercise.
    MFP will definitely track 900 calories. MFP keeps telling me you are not eating enough.

    I will start adding in my exercise and eating 1/2 of those calories and see what happens!

    Thank you experts!
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
    My insight is that it's not healthy to lose that little, and you're setting yourself for failure. And are probably losing a bunch of muscle too.
  • ForeverSunshine09
    ForeverSunshine09 Posts: 966 Member
    2 lbs a week is too aggressive. Almost everyone should eat at least 1200 cals. I am a 5'4 girl with a disability and I eat 1370 for half a lb a week. Just because you want to lose 2 lbs a week doesn't mean you should. How tall and how much do you weigh? Only wanting to lose 25 lbs you should sit your goal to 1-.5 lbs a week and eat a portion of your exercise cals back.
  • StaciMarie1974
    StaciMarie1974 Posts: 4,138 Member
    Your body does not use enough energy in a day to make a 2 pound per week weight loss goal reasonable.

    But beyond that, you are NOT going to lose weight each & every week. While your body can steadily lose fat if you eat at a reasonable deficit, our scale weight is influenced by water weight. TOM, sodium, stress, sleep, muscle fatique, etc. all factor into water weight. But its temporary, and the goal should be to work on long term results: weight loss and improved health/fitness.
  • Lounmoun
    Lounmoun Posts: 8,423 Member
    If you only have 25 lbs to lose setting your goal to more than 1 lb a week is not very sensible or sustainable.
    You should not be eating less than 1200 calories. That is the minimum. You should be eating at least some of your calories earned from exercise to properly fuel your body. You seem to care about your health. Eating less than 1200 and not eating any of your exercise calories over time will have a negative impact on your health.
    You should log everything you consume as accurately as you can. Weigh and measure and choose accurate entries. If you are not losing any weight and eating only 900 calories check your logging.
    You should also weigh yourself on the same scale at the same time of day under the same conditions every time.
    Weight fluctuations are normal due to water retention, time of day, hormones, etc and weight loss is not linear. Be patient.
    If you have ruled out everything then go to the doctor.
  • meonlybetterDUH
    meonlybetterDUH Posts: 25 Member
    Thanks everyone... I will bump up the daily calorie intake to 1200 and put my exercise in MFP and eat back 1/2 of the exercise calories and see what happens.
    I'm 55
    5'2"
    148 (would like to get down to 125/lose 23 pounds)
    I am as active as I can be with having MS.
    Thanks ya' all!
  • wizzybeth
    wizzybeth Posts: 3,578 Member
    I really wish MFP would make it more clear that the 2lbs a week goal is for people with a lot more weight to lose than just 25 lbs...the 2lbs a week is meant, as stated above, for people with a much higher amount of weight to lose (not to say 25 lbs is "nothing" - lol - but I started out having to lose 100+. I still have about 80 lbs to go... That is a big difference....2lbs a week is do-able when you have that much to lose.

    It sets people up for frustration - because yeah, who *wouldn't* want to lose 2lbs if you had the choice to lose .5, 1, or 2lbs?
  • dragon_girl26
    dragon_girl26 Posts: 2,187 Member
    TDEE = Total Daily Energy Expenditure. It's the amount of calories thar the body burns in one day, based on your activity level.

    It sounds like you had your initial drop of water weight (the 6 lbs you mentioned), and for the last couple of weeks your body has been recalibrating. Weight loss is not linear, so some weeks you might see several lbs lost, others none at all. The 2 lbs a week is just an average.
    I agree, though, that 900 calories is way too low. With the amount of weight you have to lose, 2 lbs is way too aggressive on your body. There are other factors to consider other than weight loss, like proper nutrition. Losing too fast and undereating might cause you to lose more muscle mass (as well as hair, nails, energy, etc..) than you'd like, so slow and steady is the way to go. You didn't put it on in a day, and it won't come off in a day.
    It might help to weigh only once a week so you aren't as caught up with daily weight fluctuations. Body weight changes throughout the day based on food/ water intake, etc...
    The 1320 cals/1 lb a week is a much more reasonable, sustainable rate of loss. I'd give that a shot and see what happens. Good luck! :)
  • meonlybetterDUH
    meonlybetterDUH Posts: 25 Member
    Thanks everyone and it seems like the weight goes on in one day but takes forever to take it back off!!!
  • murp4069
    murp4069 Posts: 494 Member
    Ditto what everyone else said. And yeah, some weeks you may gain, or lose and relose the same pound or two. It happens to everyone. As long as you are accurately logging, including weighing your food, eventually it will come off. Good luck!

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