Food and exercise and weight loss question.

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scifiguy770
scifiguy770 Posts: 29 Member
in Food and Nutrition
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So I've lost 42 pounds over a 5 month period ..... Male 6'2 39 years old. Start weight 244 current weight 201.9
First 20 pounds I lost by calorie deficient only. I make all my own food and very little processed. Average 1300 calories a day. I always get in all my macros except deficient on carbs , protein and fat. I generally ate 50% carbs 20% fat 30% protein.
Then I hit a plateau.

Added exercise mainly walking 5 miles a day 15:00/mile average... While switching my carb intake to 30% and protein to 50%. My total calorie intake was still 1400 cals a day average. I lost anouther 20 pounds.

2 weeks ago Added heavy cardio 45 + min of stairs
5 days a week and lessened my walking to 3-4 miles 6 days a week.
Diet remained the same.
I have tons of energy to workout
I am just never hungry and force myself to eat.
My body fat is melting away yet weight loss has slowed.
I have a ton of muscle even though I haven't started strength training yet.

Fitbit says I burn 3500 calories a day average - 1400 calories eaten 2100 deficiency yet since I added heavy cardio I lose only 1 pound a week.

My thoughts are eat more but it's like my stomach shrunk..... It's 10:20 pm and I still have 2 eggs and 2 bacon to eat and I can't. Even if I ate them I would only be at 1750 cals for the day. I feel more then full I feel stuffed.

If anyone has suggestions I would really be appreciative.
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Replies

  • usmcmp
    usmcmp Posts: 21,220 Member
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    I'm willing to bet that your food diary is not accurate. Based on the few foods I can see in the screen shot you're off about 50 calories from the butter spray (yes, 0 calorie butter spray has calories 12.5 calories per 10 sprays). Might not sound like much, but if you're off other places and you have a cheat day/meal you'll easily wipe out your deficit.
  • usmcmp
    usmcmp Posts: 21,220 Member
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    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1234699/logging-accurately-step-by-step-guide/p1
  • sammyliftsandeats
    sammyliftsandeats Posts: 2,421 Member
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    1300 calories is also very low for a man, even if that is net. Are you sure you are getting adequate nutrition?
  • scifiguy770
    scifiguy770 Posts: 29 Member
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    I weigh everything and log everything
    My diary is public
    I'm sure there's a +\- discrepancy but no more then 100 calories.
    I know I eat to little but I've always eaten very little.
    The weight gain was over 3 year separation/divorce and was a mixture of less activity and dominoes and McDonald's.

    I was always under 200 pounds

    My diet does fill nutrition.

    I don't take cheat days and I don't splurge.

    My sugar is under 30g a day

    I cut out most drinking of booze as I know it messes up everything.

    I always added even booze calories.

    Should I lessen exercise?
    Or maybe try adding 100 cal a week.
  • usmcmp
    usmcmp Posts: 21,220 Member
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    Your food diary is private.
  • kimny72
    kimny72 Posts: 16,013 Member
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    OP, if you are truly eating 1300 calories and you feel full, you need to see a doctor. 1300 is not enough food for a sedentary woman, it is nowhere near enough for an active male. I can't see your diary, but I would have to assume you are eating more than you think.

    Having said that, you were losing weight at a pace of over two lbs per week, which is very fast. It was bound to slow down eventually. If you have less than 40 lbs left to lose, you should be aiming for more like 1 lb per week.

    And it's perfectly normal to go for a few weeks with no weight loss, even when you are doing everything right. That's not a plateau, it's just real life. Take a deep breath, take a little time to appreciate your success so far, and be patient. Best of luck
  • scifiguy770
    scifiguy770 Posts: 29 Member
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    Public now
    And I log everything
    If I make chicken and use honey mustard I log it all
  • kimny72
    kimny72 Posts: 16,013 Member
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    So looking at the last couple of days, you weighed these?

    3 slices of bread
    1 serving of tilapia (was this cooked with any oil?)
    1 Tbsp of peanut butter
    1 serving of tacos (is this an entry you created?)
    Generic chicken pot pie (is this an entry you created?)
    1 zucchini cake
  • scifiguy770
    scifiguy770 Posts: 29 Member
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    Yes I weigh everything
    I don't use oil
    Tacos are my recipe same ingredients same weights each time.

    Very rarely do I eat things others make the pot pie I got the ingredients and picked the entry closest to my calculations estimating higher rather then lower stats.
    Same with zucchini cake

    Generally I eat the same things daily
    I do take 40 mg ADDERRAL Xr daily
    Not sure if that matters but my total calories per day is definatly under 1500
  • scifiguy770
    scifiguy770 Posts: 29 Member
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    And thanks for the tip on the buttery spray updated new entry per manufacturer 5 spray = 4 cal and .2 fat
  • LPflaum
    LPflaum Posts: 174 Member
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    I'm not a medical professional, but I did some "experimenting" in my youth... 99% chance its the adderall. I abused it in college to study and managed to lose so much weight (by not eating) in my first month that my BMI fell into the "underweight" range (19lbs in 4 weeks... not a good look). That stuff will alter your appetite and the adderall compounded with a high protein diet (which is going to make you feel very full anyway) is probably why you feel like you're choking down food.

    It might be time to talk to your doctor about your new diet/exercise plan and the meds. I have a friend who uses ritalin for narcolepsy, she felt that the Adderall Xr was too strong and prefers the non Xr ritalin tabs since she can control the effects a little better.
  • kimny72
    kimny72 Posts: 16,013 Member
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    OP, if your diary is accurate, then I feel the other points in my original post are the only other things I can offer. Best of luck
  • scifiguy770
    scifiguy770 Posts: 29 Member
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    Thanks for all the help.
    Yeah ADDERRAL I take as prescribed , will look into others meds ......... Is it that bad to eat low cals but getting my nutrition in?
    I think it is my only fear is the amount of exercise. It's taken my norm BMR 1950 + activity level = 2350 - 1500 food ( 850 deficient )
    Adding exercise and added activity has brought my deficiency to 1850-2000 a day ...... With no change in appetite...... My body is definatly toning. Truth is my main concern is the future when I move to maintain mode ..... Start eating out again my quantity of food won't go up but a piece of my homemade pizza is 100 cals a piece of 7-11 pizza 300 cals.....not sure if I should integrate slowly less strict diet now.
  • sammyliftsandeats
    sammyliftsandeats Posts: 2,421 Member
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    I find it paradoxical that you are eating such low calories and getting all your nutrition in.

    In your original post, you start that you are getting your nutrition but in the same sentence, you state that you are deficient in your macros (carbs, fats, proteins)

    "I always get in all my macros except deficient on carbs , protein and fat"

    Maybe that was a mistype.

    Because your macros make up your calorie counts (4 calories per gram of carbs and protein, 9 calories per gram of fat). Because you are hitting the percentages on MFP, that doesn't necessarily mean you are getting adequate nutrition. That's why it might be more beneficial to look at the amounts as grams.

    You are a tall man who weighs 200 lbs - The DRI (Dietary Reference Intake) is 0.8 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight, or 0.36 grams per pound. This amounts to: 56 grams per day for the average sedentary man. 46 grams per day for the average sedentary woman.

    However, you are not sedentary as stated in your original post.

    My concern is that you are not fuelling your body for your activity level. If this activity is relatively new and you are stressing your body, it may be retaining some water to repair your muscles.

    I know nothing about adderral so I cannot give input on that.
  • LPflaum
    LPflaum Posts: 174 Member
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    scifiguy770 wrote: »
    Thanks for all the help.
    Yeah ADDERRAL I take as prescribed , will look into others meds ......... Is it that bad to eat low cals but getting my nutrition in?
    I think it is my only fear is the amount of exercise. It's taken my norm BMR 1950 + activity level = 2350 - 1500 food ( 850 deficient )
    Adding exercise and added activity has brought my deficiency to 1850-2000 a day ...... With no change in appetite...... My body is definatly toning. Truth is my main concern is the future when I move to maintain mode ..... Start eating out again my quantity of food won't go up but a piece of my homemade pizza is 100 cals a piece of 7-11 pizza 300 cals.....not sure if I should integrate slowly less strict diet now.

    I think you're looking at macro balance (percentage) and not the number of grams you should be eating, there's no way you're getting enough nutrients for that level of activity.

    Yes, it's bad. You will wreck your metabolism if you starve your body and work out that much. Its called thermogenic adaptation, essentially, your body is going to start to slow your metabolism way down so that you can continue to survive (the adderall will counteract this somewhat). The downside is that if you slow your exercise or work your diet bakc up again (discussing this pizza phenomenon now), your body is going to try to pack on the lbs to get you back to a neutral/positive energy balance (may be why we see net positive balances in most animals). In layman's terms, if you undereat and your metabolism slows, then when you start eating normally (or exercise less) your body will continue to run at a sub-optimal metabolism, which sets the stage for further weight gain and yo-yoing.

    This is medically substantiated: http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/567126_3
  • scifiguy770
    scifiguy770 Posts: 29 Member
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  • scifiguy770
    scifiguy770 Posts: 29 Member
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    The point is this is where I'm at ...... I agree I should not be eating such low total calories..... I'm adding grapefruit and maybe 2 servings peanut butter a day + 250 calories but I am stuffed. I reached out not as much for advise on where I am at because I know I need to change it........ The advice I need is on changing it.
  • sammyliftsandeats
    sammyliftsandeats Posts: 2,421 Member
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    Those macronutrients in grams gives you an average of 1534 calories a day.

    That is the minimum for a man - most likely sedentary.

    You are doing a lot of activity.

    If you are having trouble meeting your needs because the volume of food is too hard on you, consider more calorie dense foods like peanut butter, nuts, cheese, and avocados to meet your needs.

    Use USDA entries to verify the correct nutritional information on produce.

    If you are still losing but at a slower rate - that can happen. It isn't going to always be a 2 lb/week loss every time, even if you have your deficit set to 2lbs/week. That's the way the cookie crumbles.

    Also, depending on how much weight you have left to lose, you may have to change your rate of loss.
  • scifiguy770
    scifiguy770 Posts: 29 Member
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    I log all my food that's the 7 day average yet MFP says I average 1300 a day.... Regardless let's say it's 1500 I eat tons of protein tons of vegetables ......this maybe what's filling me up...... I agree with adding dense calorie foods ( I can probably eat 800 cals of almonds no prob as a snack ) although I'll try to add a verity of dense calorie foods.

    I do lose weight really fast over 10 days then slowly over 20 days ..... So at least for me I reliZe its not a consiatant 2 pounds a week , obviously everyone's diffrent.

    I try to log accurately but there are dozens of incorrect entries apon search of any new food item ...... Cross referencing manufacturers websites is a pain ........ But it needs to be done.

    Thanks for all the help and info guys !
  • RoxieDawn
    RoxieDawn Posts: 15,488 Member
    edited July 2016
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    Plateauing at an average of 1300 calories a day no matter how you slice it does not equal plateau or stall. Actually this means you would be loosing quite aggressively. Not the other way around. The logging has to be off, eating back exercise calories (too many if you do) is off.

    And yes, I am gonna say, stop eating too little. I have to or that might mean I condone VLCD's (LOL :) ).. But the e diary entry in your OP says you ate 1700+ calories, not 1300 (I will have to peak at the diary in a moment). Edited to add that diary entry in your post is not allowing to meet the NET GOAL, so you still ate too little.

    Inaccurate entries are all over the food database, but accurate ones are in there as well. Just takes a few extra minutes to make sure the one you pick matches your food label or create your own. it does not have to be an entry you make public for the MFP mass food database.

    I find logging everything in grams works for me best. I search for the gram entries, they are usually always in there.

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