Months of Dieting and Nothing Has Changed
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Springfield1970 wrote: »OP its tough! Give it two whole weeks of logging perfectly then see what happens.
It took me 60 odd days for my body to let go of the 1 to 2 pounds of fat I was trying to lose. It's horribly frustrating but this game is only for the committed!
It gets easier, I promise, and the logging gets faster and more efficient.
I would maybe put down a few less calories burnt while exercising as well, just for a buffer.
personally, even though I train for triathlon, I actually find the whole fat loss thing easier just walking a bit, some weight training, yoga, low exercise burns and low calories (about 200 under TDEE) because my appetite is less like a raging beast!
Something about high intensity exercise makes me stupidly hungry and the whole shebang harder to control and track.
Saying that, I need to exercise an hour a day to have a remotely normal diet, with all the things I like and the volume I like, but this is more for maintenance.
Yeah I'm right there with you. For 1.5 year all I did was a few classes here and there and some walking. When I started running and ramping up the incline on my treadmill, the weight loss basically stopped, because I've been so hungry since. Now I spend up to 10 hours a week exercising to the point where my legs get so fatigued that I need total rest days, and I've just been maintaining for 2 years.
And it's a vicious cycle because I need at least one hour a day too if I want to be able to eat enough not to be hungry.
So incredibly frustrating.
OP, I still think you're eating too much though, or you would lose.0 -
farmergurl98 wrote: »Springfield1970 wrote: »OP its tough! Give it two whole weeks of logging perfectly then see what happens.
It took me 60 odd days for my body to let go of the 1 to 2 pounds of fat I was trying to lose. It's horribly frustrating but this game is only for the committed!
It gets easier, I promise, and the logging gets faster and more efficient.
I would maybe put down a few less calories burnt while exercising as well, just for a buffer.
personally, even though I train for triathlon, I actually find the whole fat loss thing easier just walking a bit, some weight training, yoga, low exercise burns and low calories (about 200 under TDEE) because my appetite is less like a raging beast!
Something about high intensity exercise makes me stupidly hungry and the whole shebang harder to control and track.
Saying that, I need to exercise an hour a day to have a remotely normal diet, with all the things I like and the volume I like, but this is more for maintenance.
Thanks for the feedback! I didn't realize that I needed to weigh rather than go by serving sizes and that certainly changes things. I will work towards logging everything. I haven't been logging the weekends because my mom told me to take those days off (obviously I don't go crazy I simply don't log). I've recently moved from a farm to the city so it's been a problem trying to find ways to make up the calorie burning I would normally get doing farm work. And as for those that think the workout calories are off, you may be right. I thought they were to high as well, but I looked it up on other sources and they matched. That being said it could still be off. Thanks for all your help guys, I really have no idea what I'm doing so I appreciate it
I eat more on the weekends so I exercise more. Sometimes I go over but I still log it because I want to know by how much I'm going over.
Lots of people consider the exercise burns to be inflated and suggest eating back only around 50% of the calories you've earned from exercise.
Please come back in a month and update us
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sunparakeet wrote: »Thanks for the feedback! I didn't realize that I needed to weigh rather than go by serving sizes and that certainly changes things. I will work towards logging everything. I haven't been logging the weekends because my mom told me to take those days off (obviously I don't go crazy I simply don't log).
Probably stop listening to your mom, for one. You would be shocked by how much those calories add up on days you don't log.
For example, I decided not to log on Sunday, but then I got curious and tried to add up everything I ate. I had a burrito for breakfast, I "skipped" lunch but I had a handful of peanuts, a cinnamon roll my niece made me and a granola bar, then for supper I had a kid's meal at sonic with a mini-sized shake.
Well, turns out that burrito was 600 calories, my "handful" of peanuts ended up being over 400 calories, the cinnamon roll was 550 (yikes, a Paula Deen recipe!), granola bar for 150, and even the "kid's meal" from Sonic was 1300 calories (the MINI size shake alone was 700 calories...THE SMALLEST SIZE).
So without even thinking, I ate 3,000 calories! My maintenance goal is 1700. So I ate practically DOUBLE yesterday, with the distinct feeling that I "didn't eat that much" because I "skipped lunch" (NEWSFLASH: just because you didn't sit down at the table and eat it with the family doesn't mean it was not a meal!) and had a "kid's meal" for dinner.
This! I easily eat 3,000 calories if left to my own devices on the weekend, and that's if I'm making some minimal effort not to gorge myself. It would probably be 4-5k if I wasn't concerned with quantity. My maintenance is around 2k, so two days (or let's be honest 3 because Fridays) is 3,000 EXTRA calories a week. If I am on track Mondays-Thursdays at around a 500 calorie deficit that will more than wipe that out.0 -
jandsstevenson887 wrote: »Is it possible that there is a medical issue? Yes but I'm not a doctor. It is probably more likely that something is off on your logging. If I ate 1500 calories a day I wouldn't lose any weight either. I'm 5'3", lightly active and MFP has me set at 1330. I usually end up less than that.
I eat exercise 4-5 times a week, eat easily between 1500 and 1900 a day...5'3, 46 years old...and I'm still losing. I'd say it's more a matter of logging incorrectly. If you burn more than you eat, you will lose weight.0 -
kshama2001 wrote: »farmergurl98 wrote: »
I was sick for about three years and dropped a lot if weight during that time but when I began improving, I began gaining weight and couldn't seem to get a handle on it. According to MyFitnessPal I should be eating 1,500 calories every day to lose 2 pounds a week and I have been doing that, I just don't always log in. Plus I burn 800-1000 calories doing high intensity workouts at least three times a week. I'm wondering if perhaps my metabolism is messed up from being sick for so long or something.jandsstevenson887 wrote: »Is it possible that there is a medical issue? Yes but I'm not a doctor. It is probably more likely that something is off on your logging. If I ate 1500 calories a day I wouldn't lose any weight either. I'm 5'3", lightly active and MFP has me set at 1330. I usually end up less than that.
It's far more likely that the error lies in your logging. Try weighing and logging everything for a month and see what happens. If nothing changes at that point, feel free to discuss your metabolism with your doctor.
Where are you getting the numbers for your exercise burns? Often these are inflated.
*************
Can someone post the video of the British woman who thought there was a problem with her metabolism?
I'd bet a million bux the bolded is the problem....loose/incorrect logging of calories in, and over inflated calorie burns lead to major disappointment.0 -
farmergurl98 wrote: »
I was sick for about three years and dropped a lot if weight during that time but when I began improving, I began gaining weight and couldn't seem to get a handle on it. According to MyFitnessPal I should be eating 1,500 calories every day to lose 2 pounds a week and I have been doing that, I just don't always log in. Plus I burn 800-1000 calories doing high intensity workouts at least three times a week. I'm wondering if perhaps my metabolism is messed up from being sick for so long or something.jandsstevenson887 wrote: »Is it possible that there is a medical issue? Yes but I'm not a doctor. It is probably more likely that something is off on your logging. If I ate 1500 calories a day I wouldn't lose any weight either. I'm 5'3", lightly active and MFP has me set at 1330. I usually end up less than that.
Where do you get that burn number from?0 -
OP, Invest in a heart rate monitor. Wear it while you workout. Your calories burned will be more accurate this way. And I'd definitley log like everyone is saying. When I first came on here and lost the weight I logged EVERY SINGLE DAY, not on here though, I had a food journal at home, sometimes I'd upload whatever I ate that day into my diary on MFP sometimes I wouldnt because I ate the same things everyday and knew exactly how many calories, fibers, proteins etc I was taking in but the fact still remains that I LOGGED EVERY SINGLE DAY in my food journal and the weight was practically falling off! I've recently started my journey again because I fell off the wagon....starting with tracking everyday, it was the first thing to go! When I did track I felt focused so Im getting back into the swing of tracking this week. So far Im consistently spotty lol but I dont stress, I know I can do it and you can too! There was someone earlier who mentioned pretracking food....THANK YOU for the idea!!! Will be trying that.0
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Springfield1970 wrote: »OP its tough! Give it two whole weeks of logging perfectly then see what happens.
It took me 60 odd days for my body to let go of the 1 to 2 pounds of fat I was trying to lose. It's horribly frustrating but this game is only for the committed!
It gets easier, I promise, and the logging gets faster and more efficient.
I would maybe put down a few less calories burnt while exercising as well, just for a buffer.
personally, even though I train for triathlon, I actually find the whole thing easier just walking a bit, some weight training, yoga, low exercise burns and low calories (about 200 under TDEE).
Something about high intensity exercise makes me stupidly hungry and the whole shebang harder to control and track.
Saying that, I need to exercise an hour a day to have a remotely normal diet, with all the things I like and the volume I like, but this is more for maintenance.
Interesting you posted the bolded as recently I have been unable to exercise due to injury and I found it was remarkable even though I had to eat 500-1000 less per day it was easier and thought about food less than when I was highly active.
That happens to me too. The first time I went to see the London Triathlon, me and my friend couldn't believe how many good endurance athletes were overweight, not just muscley but overfat. I completely understand how that can happen.
I have a theory that there are more anorexics and authorexics in the professional sports world than we would like to admit.
I've read quite a bit about it.
That's why I am so very grateful for this app, so I can fuel myself properly and have no guilt or worry about overeating or under eating the latter being worse for me, as I initially lose muscle, and then start bingeing and gaining fat.
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Glad you checked back in. It's hard but take a deep breath & figure backwards: if your weight doesn't change over a matter of months you're at maintenance. That's not the worst thing that could happen, right? You've got a fun workout routine in place. Now you just need to fine tune a deficit for consistent loss.
Have you considered something like a Fitbit HR? I get really accurate cardio burns from mine. I just count step based calories (I don't record my yoga or my weight lifting) and its worry free. No more generic burns. (I've just come off a low grade knee injury and tonight was the first time I've burned over 400 calories in Zumba because I can finally do the jumps again... )
I don't take any days off from logging but I do take days off from dieting by eating at maintenance a few days. If I didn't log on the weekends I personally could get into a lot of calorie mischief and kill my weekly deficit.
You can do this. It takes some adjusting to find your own personal sweet spot. I have a TDEE of around 2400 calories most days but I know I could consistently out strip that with free eating. I was 'fit fat' all through my 40s because of it!0 -
Something about high intensity exercise makes me stupidly hungry and the whole shebang harder to control and track.
Just wanted to comment on this. I think you are hungry because of the Excess Post-Exercise Oxygen (EPOC) Effect that a good HIIT exercise causes. Read this study: http://www.jarcet.com/articles/Vol11Iss2/Petrofsky1.pdf
Basically, a short hit session on its own burns a few calories, but the 'afterburn' effect lasts up to 24 hours after the exercise and can even burn more calories than the exercise session itself. This added calorieburn might make you hungry.0 -
Hawtcookies wrote: »Something about high intensity exercise makes me stupidly hungry and the whole shebang harder to control and track.
Just wanted to comment on this. I think you are hungry because of the Excess Post-Exercise Oxygen (EPOC) Effect that a good HIIT exercise causes. Read this study: http://www.jarcet.com/articles/Vol11Iss2/Petrofsky1.pdf
Basically, a short hit session on its own burns a few calories, but the 'afterburn' effect lasts up to 24 hours after the exercise and can even burn more calories than the exercise session itself. This added calorieburn might make you hungry.
Thank you. Good report which explains how much better at losing weight I am (when cutting)when doing high intensity as my Tdee overall increases (usually during spring summer).
But it still doesn't explain that even eating at maintenance we still feel hungrier than normal. I compensate for the extra calories yet it's difficult to be satiated and very difficult to stop eating a meal, even eaten slowly and at the right calories to compensate for extra burn.
I know this because my weight will be at maintenance throughout.0 -
I checked your diary. First thing I do is check fridays and saturdays. Going back through March, I don't see one of those days completed.
If i had to guess you are likely doing the following. Staying on track Sunday through Thursday, weekend comes, and you erase your deficit with weekend eating out, drinks, etc.
It is stupid easy to do this. I went out to a fish fry and ate 4500 calories that day and I was showing restraint. The first thing you need to do is actually log everything so you can get an idea of what your actual calorie intake is.
Are you sure it wasn't my diary you were looking at?
I am guilty of this.
OP - My advice to you is the same advice I give to myself. Get on track with consistent logging especially on the weekends.0 -
When you log accurately, i.e., weighing your food, etc. Don't forget to log condiments, they add sneaky calories, such as ketchup.0
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First of all, congrats on trying to stick to the grind. It takes dedication.
I think it can be helpful to break down the math when I get stuck at a standstill. Hope you don’t take offense to the following, my intention is to be informative, not critical
Ok, so here is what you stated:
Calories burned: 1000 cals x 3 days a week
Calories consumed: 1500 cals x5 days a week, weekends not logged
You said that MFP gave you 1,500 cals per day to lose 2 pounds a week. A pound equates to approximately 3,500 calories. 2 pounds would equal 7000 cals. Therefore, if the MPF calculation is accurate, (and assuming you selected “sedentary” or “lightly active” and are logging exercise) you would need to be eating 2,500 calories a day to maintain, without considering exercise. If you are in fact burning 1000 cals 3 days a week, you would need to eat 2,929 cals a day to maintain. The first thing to look at is what info you gave MFP in regards to activity level. If you selected sedentary or lightly active, it would not be taking those calorie burns from your workouts into effect, so you can eat back those calories. If you selected a higher level of activity, MFP is already figuring in your calorie burns, so you should NOT be eating those calories back.
Lets look at this another way. Lets assume you are burning 1000 calories, 3 days a week, and eating 1500 calories Monday-Friday. You would need to eat 6500 calories a day on Saturday and Sunday to cancel the deficit and bring you back to maintenance. Keep in mind, that’s assuming the 1500 cal a day consumption and 1000 cal burns 3 days a week are spot on, but you have already acknowledged those figures may be a bit off.
So lets say you are underestimating each meal by 100 cals, so you end up consuming 1800 cals a day. Lets also assume you are only getting 800 calorie burns from your workouts. Still assuming you are eating 1800 cals a day for 5 weeks, not logging weekends, and burning 800 cals 3 days a week, you would need to eat 5,450 calories each day on Saturday and Sunday.
I agree with others that are advocating the use of a food scale. The measurements between a food scale and measuring cups and spoon can vary so widely, especially as measuring cups and spoons are not standardized, its up to the manufacturer to maintain accuracy.
Get a scale, take a look at your MPF activity level settings, log everything for a month, and go from there. Best of luck!
Feel free to check my math, people, its Saturday, brain is off for the weekend
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I once dropped a full size and did not lose a single pound so you shouldn't worry if you are not seeing the number on the scale. With that in mind, here are my suggestions for getting better results and keeping yourself from getting discouraged:
(1) get measured once a month... waist, thighs, hips, chest, arms
(2) set goals you have more control over than your weight... e.g., how long or how far you can run, number of push-ups or squats in a minute, etc. Focusing on the process instead of the result actually leads to better results. Also your weight can be impacted by so many thing you have NO control over, including water and hormones.
(3) make sure your exercise is challenging... your body gets accustomed to exercise if you do the same thing all the time, so even if you are working out the same hour you did six weeks ago, you aren't getting the same calorie burn... try doing interval training, or changing the intensity of your entire exercise routine, or doing different types of exercises (e.g., maybe group exercise classes)
(4) a few tips/questions/suggestions that might help you identify some areas where you *might* not be accurately capturing your calorie intake...
-- be sure to add all calories from beverages (e.g., the teaspoon of sugar or "dash of cream" in your coffee add up)...
-- remember the small piece of candy from a co-worker's desk b/c it can be 50+ calories even though its gone in 5 seconds...
-- consider if you are accurately weighing/estimating the toppings on the sandwich you buy at lunch (e.g., mayonnaise, honey mustard)...
-- how is the meat on your sandwich or lunch that you purchased cooked (e.g., there is a big difference in calories between plain lean ham or chicken and honey baked ham or chicken (
-- do you include all the calories from your salad dressing and/or the "little bit" of cheese?
Those kinds of questions will help you pickup on places where you might be eating more calories than you think you are.
good luck
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I also just noticed that you said you are eating 1500 daily but burning a ton of calories with rollerblading and kickboxing. Remember that if you eat too *few* calories that also prevents you from losing weight.0
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It seems like you have also set your activity level too high. Do you have a physically demanding job? 1500 calories to lose 2 pounds is usually what MFP gives women who are around 300 pounds.0
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Sorry, I hit "Post Reply" before I meant to. Do you have a sport watch (e.g., a Polar heartrate monitor with chest strap)? If not, I would suggest that you get one because it will allow you to more accurately calculate your calorie burn. The MFP website doesn't necessarily give you the most accurate calorie burn information. A watch that allows you to enter your weight, height, gender, VO2 max, and other metrics will give you a more accurate count of your calorie burn so you can better determine how much you should be eating0
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farmergurl98 wrote: »I've been trying to shed some weight for over six months now with almost no results! I do high intensity workouts at least three times a week and I have been eating about 1,500 calories everyday. I have also cut back to only 100 carbs a day and still nothing. I understand that I could simply be gaining muscle, but I feel like I should at least be seeing some results. Is it possible that there is some kind of hormonal imbalance holding me back? I was going to do some detox' sand cleanses over the next month, Amy thoughts or tips for me?
What are you measuring? You say there has been no change. Are you only weighing yourself?
There is something wrong with your measurements somewhere....do you use a food scale and weigh in grams, are you accurately/consistently tracking your calorie burns?
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OUCH!If you aren't losing weight it's usually for a couple of reasons:
Inaccurate logging
Inaccurate calculation of calories burned
Start there being honest with yourself.
This was my sin early in my journey.
20 Minutes Walking The Dog = 1200 Calories Burned
Chinese Buffet = 600 Calories
HELP!
Why is this MFP thing not working?
And of course, I had no medical issues, so please, if you think you might need to be evaluated by a Doc, do so at once!0
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