3 weeks no weight loss, help?

2lovemyself
2lovemyself Posts: 12 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I have been a member of My Fitness Pal for at least 3 years and have benefited from reading so many posts over that time. I am now hoping for some specific help.
I have been logging consistently again for the past 3 weeks and the scale hasn't budged. This is the first time I've tried to lose weight, while relying on a fitbit to give me an estimate for "calories burned".

I opened up my diary, because I would really appreciate input.
I am 5 7 1/2, weighing 142. I want to get back down to 135 (my personal ideal weight). I average 15000 steps a day and eat all of my exercise calories back, which is usually 60-120 minutes of walking a day plus chasing around my 1 year old.

My goal is set for 1200 calories, but I usually eat around 2000, with eating my exercise calories back.

I have certainly gone over on some days, but looking at the average I have maintained a solid deficit, and I would think I would have lost weight by now. Any thoughts?

Replies

  • Queenmunchy
    Queenmunchy Posts: 3,380 Member
    Try logging with a food scale and accurate entries. Typing in "USDA" before your item of choice usually gives a solid and reliable entry.
  • KassiesJourney
    KassiesJourney Posts: 306 Member
    Make sure you are using a food scale and only eat back about 1/2 of the exercise calories.
  • cwang125
    cwang125 Posts: 76 Member
    Fitness bands are not the most accurate devices. The deficit you think you're creating is not likely as big as you think it is if you're eating back all the exercise cals. The likelihood is that it is a combination of overestimating exercise burn and underestimating intake. You'll need to reverse both of these if you want to see some progress.

    The only way to be 100% sure is to accurately weigh and track your food.
  • ogtmama
    ogtmama Posts: 1,403 Member
    Ready2Rock206 wrote: »
    I can't see your diary, but you're eating almost double your calorie goal based on your post. I'd cut back on eating some of those exercise calories since they seem very high.

    I think she means that after exercise, she nets 1200.
  • ogtmama
    ogtmama Posts: 1,403 Member
    How are you measuring your food?
  • astrampe
    astrampe Posts: 2,169 Member
    Your height and weight and eating 2000 calories does not sound like weight loss, rather maintenance...I would not eat every calorie from walking back - rather set your day to moderately active and don't eat it back. Fitbit and others are never accurate and overestimate calories burn for walking easily....
  • ogtmama
    ogtmama Posts: 1,403 Member
    astrampe wrote: »
    Your height and weight and eating 2000 calories does not sound like weight loss, rather maintenance...I would not eat every calorie from walking back - rather set your day to moderately active and don't eat it back. Fitbit and others are never accurate and overestimate calories burn for walking easily....

    By setting it to moderately active, mfp will give you more calories so you will eat them back.
  • astrampe
    astrampe Posts: 2,169 Member
    True, but if would probably give you less than a fitbit would.....
  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
    astrampe wrote: »
    Your height and weight and eating 2000 calories does not sound like weight loss, rather maintenance...I would not eat every calorie from walking back - rather set your day to moderately active and don't eat it back. Fitbit and others are never accurate and overestimate calories burn for walking easily....

    I wouldn't say "never." There are multiple people here (including myself) who eat back their adjustments and have no issues. It's true that it does over-estimate for some people (and OP may be one or she may be measuring her calories in less accurately), but not all.
  • jemhh
    jemhh Posts: 14,261 Member
    From 6/20-7/3 you averaged 2004 calories per day. Your maintenance calories are probably in the 2100-2200 range (guessing based on your size and activity and type of activity.) So your daily deficit is in the 100-200 range. If it was on the high end, you've had an overall deficit of 2800 calories over a two week time period. Combine that deficit and normal weight fluctuations and it is easy to have no scale movement.

    I wouldn't change anything at this point. I'd keep eating as is, keep activity as is, and wait it out for another 3 weeks.
  • Ready2Rock206
    Ready2Rock206 Posts: 9,487 Member
    eveandqsmom wrote: »
    Ready2Rock206 wrote: »
    I can't see your diary, but you're eating almost double your calorie goal based on your post. I'd cut back on eating some of those exercise calories since they seem very high.

    I think she means that after exercise, she nets 1200.

    Well yes, but if you're over estimating your exercise and eating those back you aren't really netting 1200 and won't lose if you aren't at a deficit.
  • 2lovemyself
    2lovemyself Posts: 12 Member
    Thank you everyone for the responses so far. I really appreciate it! :smile:
    I measure my food with measuring cups and spoons, as I don't have a food scale. For the past 3 years, I've been able to lose and maintain really well with that method, but I stopped logging for a few months, gained some weight and now can't seem to get any of it off (I know it's only been 3 weeks but I'm impatient! :blush: ).

    I'm beginning to agree with responses that point to my exercise calories being overestimated... I use a fitbit tracker and it usually estimates that I'm burning between 2400 and 2600 calories a day. I do exercise 7 days a week for a couple hours at a time, but it is only walking so I may not be burning as much as I think (or as much as fitbit thinks).

    Maybe I just needed a kick in the pants to give up my 2000 calories a day and eat a little less :wink:
  • 2lovemyself
    2lovemyself Posts: 12 Member
    jemhh wrote: »
    From 6/20-7/3 you averaged 2004 calories per day. Your maintenance calories are probably in the 2100-2200 range (guessing based on your size and activity and type of activity.) So your daily deficit is in the 100-200 range. If it was on the high end, you've had an overall deficit of 2800 calories over a two week time period. Combine that deficit and normal weight fluctuations and it is easy to have no scale movement.

    I wouldn't change anything at this point. I'd keep eating as is, keep activity as is, and wait it out for another 3 weeks.

    This is good point! Thank you for looking at it as a whole; I didn't think to do that! That is actually encouraging. I'm a numbers girl, and it frustrates me if I think the numbers aren't adding up, but it looks like they are! Thank you!
  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
    2lovemyself wrote: »
    Thank you everyone for the responses so far. I really appreciate it! :smile:
    I measure my food with measuring cups and spoons, as I don't have a food scale. For the past 3 years, I've been able to lose and maintain really well with that method, but I stopped logging for a few months, gained some weight and now can't seem to get any of it off (I know it's only been 3 weeks but I'm impatient! :blush: ).

    I'm beginning to agree with responses that point to my exercise calories being overestimated... I use a fitbit tracker and it usually estimates that I'm burning between 2400 and 2600 calories a day. I do exercise 7 days a week for a couple hours at a time, but it is only walking so I may not be burning as much as I think (or as much as fitbit thinks).

    Maybe I just needed a kick in the pants to give up my 2000 calories a day and eat a little less :wink:

    Cups and spoons are notoriously inaccurate. Your Fitbit may be wrong or it may be right, but I think it might be more useful to get a handle on your calories in. I don't know if it's possible for you right now, but you can probably get a food scale for under $20.
  • SingRunTing
    SingRunTing Posts: 2,604 Member
    I can't lose consistently if I eat everything my fitbit tells me to. I try to leave 100-200 calories on the table from my fitbit adjustment to lose at the right rate.

    Fitbit is still an estimator. It's a better estimation than most other methods, but it's not going to be 100% accurate for everyone.
  • Maxematics
    Maxematics Posts: 2,287 Member
    janejellyroll wrote: »
    2lovemyself wrote: »
    Thank you everyone for the responses so far. I really appreciate it! :smile:
    I measure my food with measuring cups and spoons, as I don't have a food scale. For the past 3 years, I've been able to lose and maintain really well with that method, but I stopped logging for a few months, gained some weight and now can't seem to get any of it off (I know it's only been 3 weeks but I'm impatient! :blush: ).

    I'm beginning to agree with responses that point to my exercise calories being overestimated... I use a fitbit tracker and it usually estimates that I'm burning between 2400 and 2600 calories a day. I do exercise 7 days a week for a couple hours at a time, but it is only walking so I may not be burning as much as I think (or as much as fitbit thinks).

    Maybe I just needed a kick in the pants to give up my 2000 calories a day and eat a little less :wink:

    Cups and spoons are notoriously inaccurate. Your Fitbit may be wrong or it may be right, but I think it might be more useful to get a handle on your calories in. I don't know if it's possible for you right now, but you can probably get a food scale for under $20.

    I agree. There are so many people here saying at 5'7.5"and 142 pounds, while walking 15K+ steps per day, OP's maintenance calories are probably 2000. I'm 5'3" and 109 pounds; with exercise and 15K+ steps per day my maintenance is a bit over 2000. The only difference is that I weigh everything I eat to the gram and when I can't, I overestimate. Your options are to get a food scale and verify your calories in, or eat back less exercise calories if you don't want to get a food scale in order to balance out any logging discrepancies.
  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
    synacious wrote: »
    janejellyroll wrote: »
    2lovemyself wrote: »
    Thank you everyone for the responses so far. I really appreciate it! :smile:
    I measure my food with measuring cups and spoons, as I don't have a food scale. For the past 3 years, I've been able to lose and maintain really well with that method, but I stopped logging for a few months, gained some weight and now can't seem to get any of it off (I know it's only been 3 weeks but I'm impatient! :blush: ).

    I'm beginning to agree with responses that point to my exercise calories being overestimated... I use a fitbit tracker and it usually estimates that I'm burning between 2400 and 2600 calories a day. I do exercise 7 days a week for a couple hours at a time, but it is only walking so I may not be burning as much as I think (or as much as fitbit thinks).

    Maybe I just needed a kick in the pants to give up my 2000 calories a day and eat a little less :wink:

    Cups and spoons are notoriously inaccurate. Your Fitbit may be wrong or it may be right, but I think it might be more useful to get a handle on your calories in. I don't know if it's possible for you right now, but you can probably get a food scale for under $20.

    I agree. There are so many people here saying at 5'7.5"and 142 pounds, while walking 15K+ steps per day, OP's maintenance calories are probably 2000. I'm 5'3" and 109 pounds; with exercise and 15K+ steps per day my maintenance is a bit over 2000. The only difference is that I weigh everything I eat to the gram and when I can't, I overestimate. Your options are to get a food scale and verify your calories in, or eat back less exercise calories if you don't want to get a food scale in order to balance out any logging discrepancies.

    Yep, I've got similar stats for body and activity and I maintain at about 2,000 (and I'm currently training for a marathon so it's more like 2,200). If a food scale truly is impossible, I think OP should eat back fewer exercise calories. But not because the Fitbit is probably wrong -- because it's just so hard to know what you're eating when you measure with cups and spoons and the exercise calories can serve as more of a buffer.
  • Christine_72
    Christine_72 Posts: 16,049 Member
    I have similar stats to you op, and my fitbit gives me pretty much the same numbers you posted for the same number of steps.
    Fitbit says my TDEE is 2600, (i average 20,000-25,000 steps a day.) If this were true i would have been at my goal weight eons ago! I would start by eating back 50% of your exercise calories and reassess in 4 weeks.
  • Christine_72
    Christine_72 Posts: 16,049 Member
    Just for comparison.. I've done 16,480 steps so far today and have earned an extra 737 calories in mfp. I'm set at sedentary.

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