Calorie deficit for bigger guys

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graemeward84
graemeward84 Posts: 16 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Hi,

Im 278lbs, 6ft6 in height and 31 years old.

I've had a fit bit charge HR for about 6 weeks now and loving it, spurring me on to lose weight and reach my weight loss targets.

Every single day I have had a 750-1000 calorie deficit to lose weight, whether it be on some days I burn 3600 cals and eat back 2600 or i do a bit more exercise a burn just over 4000 cals and eat just over 3000. (I do calorie count, these are just averages over the 6 week period!)

Anyway in 6 weeks I have 'only' lost 1lb, I kind of expected to lose a bit more to be honest. Should I be eating less (which would probably put me on around 1500 cals deficit a day) or just carry on and the weight should eventually shift?

Any advice, cheers

Replies

  • StaciMarie1974
    StaciMarie1974 Posts: 4,138 Member
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    Water weight due to sodium/new workout routines/stress/etc. could be masking some of your results.

    I assume when you say 'eat back 2600' you mean you're eating 2600 that day that Fitbit shows you burned a total of 3600. Not that you're eating 2600 in addition to what MFP told you to eat. :)

    Other than that, how accurate are you with your logging? Are you using a food scale, or estimating portions? With your stats you can probably afford to estimate - but if over time you don't see the results you expect, then improving accuracy can be one solution.
  • kimondo666
    kimondo666 Posts: 194 Member
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    Try weigh in yourself once a week. It could be water retention(gaingin more water after sodium intake). And what are you eating? Areyou eating cleanly?(more vegetables, fruits?) Or lot of fats, moderately junk food, lot of meat? If latter then you could overestimate your calories. Generally eat half of exercise calories. Not what mfp recommend.
  • graemeward84
    graemeward84 Posts: 16 Member
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    Hi guys, thanks for your quick replies, firstly StaciMarie hi, yes I am eating 2600 in total, my logging is spot on, barcodes get scanned, other food gets weighed. Kimondo hi, I've been eating alot more fruit / veg then i was and I do naturally eat a lot of meat but it is clean meat and not processed rubbish, i do eat about 170gs of protein per day.

    How do I combat the possibilty of fixing the water retention issue if that is the case as to why the scales aren't showing what I believe they should?
  • DebSozo
    DebSozo Posts: 2,578 Member
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    graemeward84 wrote: »
    Hi guys, thanks for your quick replies...
    How do I combat the possibilty of fixing the water retention issue if that is the case as to why the scales aren't showing what I believe they should?

    If you drink more water it will dilute sodium and release water weight. You will probably see a sudden "whoosh" in weight down within a few days of hydration. It sounds counter intuitive, but try it to see.
  • faidwen
    faidwen Posts: 131 Member
    edited July 2016
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    Also, sometimes it takes more time for the body to adjust to the changes. Each and every person is different.

    I would be very wary about the eating back all of the recorded exercise calories. Remember that calories are NOT exact, and typically exercise calories are averages / statistics / made-up based on what we hope are generalities.

    I would reduce those "exercise" calories by half, and see how much of a deficit you are in.

    Also, just give it some more time.

    Personally I run on 1500 mg of sodium, as I find the salt creates a MASSIVE water retention level in me, and the recommend (western civilization) of 2400 mg per day is EXCESSIVE!!!!!

    Good luck, holler!

    *** January 1st 2015 = 310 lbs. July 19th 2016 = 155 lbs.
  • schlesselman21
    schlesselman21 Posts: 1 Member
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    Water is the key, keep that fat soft so it will get out and keep ya fuller. I have to choke down 96 oz, dont like water that much. I agree, water will flush you out.
  • graemeward84
    graemeward84 Posts: 16 Member
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    Thanks for your help and support guys, will drink more water and hope for the best!
  • StaciMarie1974
    StaciMarie1974 Posts: 4,138 Member
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    Just wanted to comment - going by the Fitbit you don't really see 'exercise' calories like someone who would log each 'exercise' individually. But there is trial and error. If you believe your logging is accurate, then assume a 5-10% error rate on the Fitbit. So if Fitbit says you burned 3600 in a day, assume it may be more like 3200-3400 and leave a few hundred extra calories 'on the table' just in case. So if you want a 1000/day deficit and Fitbit says you burn 3600, eat 2200-2400 instead of 2600. While I am very much pro-Fitbit, I realize that no gadget can perfectly predict every person.

    As for the water weight, you can make an effort to cut back on sodium And/Or increase your water intake. Keep in mind sometimes it is just temporary and you need to wait it out though. Like if your muscles are sore from a new routine or from increasing intensity in your workouts, they're retaining water for repair. Something like that would fade away in a few days.

    One other thought is to consider that sometimes your body goes thru a cycle of 'what in the world are you doing' when you first make changes. Now that you're 6 weeks in you should be past that phase. So going forward if you weigh in weekly/biweekly you're more likely to see the downward trend that you expect. Your first 6 weeks may have just been an adjustment period. I'm not disputing CICO but still referring back to water weight: stress is a source. And change creates stress on the body. Keep going, and your body should adjust - which will help water weight to balance out.
  • eandasher
    eandasher Posts: 25 Member
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    Yo big bro! I'm at 298lbs 6'4 30years old male. from the research I've done basically 3.2lbs (Average) is the most you can get off in a week and be in the range of healthy. It's just a marathon :blush: i'll lose between 1-3lbs a week. I drink about 1-1.5 gallons of water a day (roughly 8lbs of water) Also not trying to be lewd but consider what you wear on the scale my clothes weigh between 8-12lbs so much fabric! To get an accurate 'weight' they suggest weighing yourself 3 times a day and taking the average (morning, mid-day, night) I think the most I've EVER lost in a week is 7lbs, this was after having an 'up week' of gaining 2.4lbs (most likely water weight as others have pointed out to you) again though, there will be ups and downs, you just gotta keep the faith and keep the trend going in the right direction. Most my weekly recordings are like -0.1lbs, -2.0lbs, -4lbs, +0.1lbs, -2.0, +2.0lbs... as a rough sampling your results may vary. My little brother big guy like us just way better at losing weight, always has been, but right now he's bigger than me pushing 6'5 400lbs+. He started off weighing less than what we weigh now, but it's been I've kept with it over the last 3 years that has helped me lose weight (I've put some back on, and lost it again) The heaviest I was ever at that I actually recorded was 399lbs. Stop thinking short term keep on logging in your workouts, and weight. EVERYTHING you do today you'll see the results for in 3-4 months IF you keep with it. Took us 30 years to put on the weight its not going to shred off in a couple weeks. Think a couple of years at least 2-3. This has to be a lifestyle commitment you make for yourself, don't believe the hype or some gimmick. I'm just talking real world, and my experiences. I try to hit between 1800-2500 calories eaten a day, and TRY to get 30min-120mins of light cardio like walking, swimming, or elliptical machine. I never eat back any calories, instead focus on eating good calories and staying in my range of 1800-2500. I do my best to stay away from processed sugars, and I add a splash of apple cider vinegar to my OJ. I've reduced my weight lifting days to just 1 day a week. Congrats on the 1lbs lost man! keep up the good work remember 52 weeks in a year those 1lbs add up fast if you keep faith in yourself and your positive actions! Good luck.
  • graemeward84
    graemeward84 Posts: 16 Member
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    Cheers eandaesher, enjoyed reading your post, very inspiring and funny and you were saying what was in my head anyway! From what i've learnt from all your helpful suggestions is to drink more water and maybe cut my cals a bit to about 2300 a day and see what happens.

    Thanks to you all, hope you all have a good evening! tomorrow is a new day LETS DO THIS !!
  • middlehaitch
    middlehaitch Posts: 8,487 Member
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    Just a little thing that may help.
    In your 2nd post you said you went off bar codes and weighed everything else.
    Weigh the food you are using the bar codes for too. Very few prepackaged items are spot on with the weight and though this can be only a few grams per serving over a day it could add up to a couple of hundred calories.

    Don't forget to add liquids, especially oils and dressings.

    Cheers, h.
  • Mixedcoffees
    Mixedcoffees Posts: 20 Member
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    graemeward84 wrote: »
    Hi,

    Im 278lbs, 6ft6 in height and 31 years old.

    I've had a fit bit charge HR for about 6 weeks now and loving it, spurring me on to lose weight and reach my weight loss targets.

    Every single day I have had a 750-1000 calorie deficit to lose weight, whether it be on some days I burn 3600 cals and eat back 2600 or i do a bit more exercise a burn just over 4000 cals and eat just over 3000. (I do calorie count, these are just averages over the 6 week period!)

    Anyway in 6 weeks I have 'only' lost 1lb, I kind of expected to lose a bit more to be honest. Should I be eating less (which would probably put me on around 1500 cals deficit a day) or just carry on and the weight should eventually shift?

    Any advice, cheers

    Below is a link to a weight loss calculator.

    https://caloriecount.com/tools/calories-goal

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