Cant determine how many claories needed for weight loss. Havent lost weight in 3 days.
toddnunez5
Posts: 11 Member
Hey everyone. First time poster here. I'm having a little trouble determining the calories I need to consume for me to lose weight. According to MFP, I need to consume 2,390 calories based on my weight and daily activity. I'm currently 290.8 pounds, and my daily activity consist of walking at least 3 miles a day and sometimes swimming laps. I originally started at 2200 calories, but then lowered it down to 1900, and now I'm at 1600 calories a day. Ive been at 1600 for about two weeks now, and since I started back in the beginning of July, ive lost a total of 30 pounds. That's about a month and a half. However, for the past 2-3 days, ive stayed the same weight; I swam laps vigorously, as well as starting doing the beach body Insanity program. I have no clue whats going on, and I'm beginning to think it has to do with me eating to many calories, or possibly eating too few calories. What are my options to know how many calories I need to consume to lose weight?
I understand its not realistic to lose 1 pound a day, but something doesn't seem right because I know that bigger people, especially males, tend to lose weight faster.
I understand its not realistic to lose 1 pound a day, but something doesn't seem right because I know that bigger people, especially males, tend to lose weight faster.
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Replies
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weight loss isn't linear...you aren't going to necessarily drop weight every day.4
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3 days is nothing, it is not normal to see actual weight loss in 3 days.
You're being far too impatient.3 -
cwolfman13 wrote: »weight loss isn't linear...you aren't going to necessarily drop weight every day.
In addition to this, people also retain water when starting a new exercise program. My scale shot up 7 pounds when I started weight lifting again last fall. Took a few weeks to come back off.
@toddnunez5 you've lost 30 pounds in 6 weeks? You've been losing 5 pounds per week? Dude, eat more and slow your weight loss down. You'll be losing more muscle than you want to otherwise.5 -
SophieSmall95 wrote: »3 days is nothing, it is not normal to see actual weight loss in 3 days.
You're being far too impatient.
This.
You didn't gain the weight in a day, and you won't lose it in a day. Have a little more patience in the process and relax.
it'll happen. 0 -
Just curious. Kind of irritating when working out and nothing shows on the scales. But aside from not losing weight, which I'm finding out is not such a big deal, how many calories should I be consuming? Is 1600 too low for me?0
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toddnunez5 wrote: »Just curious. Kind of irritating when working out and nothing shows on the scales. But aside from not losing weight, which I'm finding out is not such a big deal, how many calories should I be consuming? Is 1600 too low for me?
What's your goal weight, height, and age?1 -
I'm 22, and 6'4". Honestly, my goal weight is 185. I don't know if that sounds unrealistic, but that's my goal. I understand it will take at least 2 years or so to beat that goal.kshama2001 wrote: »toddnunez5 wrote: »Just curious. Kind of irritating when working out and nothing shows on the scales. But aside from not losing weight, which I'm finding out is not such a big deal, how many calories should I be consuming? Is 1600 too low for me?
What's your goal weight, height, and age?
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@toddnunez5 1600 is way too low. I used http://scoobysworkshop.com/accurate-calorie-calculator/. It says that without exercise at all you can lose 60lbs in a year by eating at 2322 calories. @kshama2001 is right. You are likely losing muscle with fat. Eat more to avoid that.0
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toddnunez5 wrote: »
I'm 22, and 6'4". Honestly, my goal weight is 185. I don't know if that sounds unrealistic, but that's my goal. I understand it will take at least 2 years or so to beat that goal.kshama2001 wrote: »toddnunez5 wrote: »Just curious. Kind of irritating when working out and nothing shows on the scales. But aside from not losing weight, which I'm finding out is not such a big deal, how many calories should I be consuming? Is 1600 too low for me?
What's your goal weight, height, and age?
So you have @ 100 lbs more to lose, right? Are you under a doctor's care? If your doctor told you that you need to lose the weight that quickly and you are seeing them regularly, that's one thing. Otherwise, you need to eat a little more. Generally, the most aggressive rate of loss you should be aiming for is 1% of your current weight per week, or for you just under 3 lbs. Otherwise you risk losing muscle mass, your body can only burn so much fat at one time.
Having said all that, weight loss doesn't happen at a regular pace every day. Your weight is made up of more than just fat - water, muscle and bone, undigested food, etc etc. Even if you are perfect, you will have weeks that you don't lose anything (or even gain a little). You are looking for a trend over time, not day to day. So be patient, take good care of yourself, and good luck!1 -
Make sure you are doing some good strength training (aside from your cardio) to keep your muscle mass. My weight-loss NP told me "if you don't use it, you lose it" about the muscle.
Try only weighing yourself once a week, that way you'll see the loss from the whole week and hopefully feel less frustrated. 0 -
You won't lose weight each and every day. Its simply not possible, even with having a deficit every day. Our bodies are simply not that efficient. Weighing daily has the benefit of helping you to see, over time, how your body reacts to things. Sodium/stress/sleep disruption/muscle fatigue and a number of other things lead to water weight, which is temporary. Water weight will mask how your body is changing in terms of fat loss.
In general, if you weigh less today than you did 30 days ago, you're on the right track.2 -
toddnunez5 wrote: »Just curious. Kind of irritating when working out and nothing shows on the scales. But aside from not losing weight, which I'm finding out is not such a big deal, how many calories should I be consuming? Is 1600 too low for me?
I would say that's too low for you given that I'm a 5'4", 217-lb woman who is losing 1-1.5 lbs per week while eating more than that. And I'm fairly sedentary.2 -
Weight loss isn't linear. You won't lose weight every day. Slow down, be patient and commit to being in this for the long haul. You don't state how tall you are, but it sounds like you sound definitely be eating more calories (assuming you are weighing all your food on a food scale, and not eyeballing your portions). By fueling your body correctly, you will be able to sustain this for life, not just for a few months while you quickly lose weight.
ETA: This took forever to post. I see now you are 6'4". Eat more calories! I'm a 5'9", 180 lb, 41-year-old woman and I lose consistently on 1960 calories per day.2 -
3 days?! You're kidding??2
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toddnunez5 wrote: »Just curious. Kind of irritating when working out and nothing shows on the scales. But aside from not losing weight, which I'm finding out is not such a big deal, how many calories should I be consuming? Is 1600 too low for me?
Far too low, what was wrong with staying at the 2200? MFP will lower your calorie allowance as you up date your weight.
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You all need to chill about the 3 days. I was only asking because I know bigger people tend to lose weight faster when first starting out.
Anyways, I will raise my calories to about 2000, which is 400 more than I've been eating.2 -
Todd, I agree with everyone that weight loss is not linear at all. I weigh every day in the morning after I pee to be as consistent as I can be. Some days I go up, some down, some stay the same. What helps me the most is I do a running 7 day average of my weight which smooths things out a lot and lets you see the trend.
I would also agree that you seem to be eating far too few calories. Glad to see you are going up to 2000 at least. Be sure you also weigh and measure all your food. It is very easy to consume way more calories than you think you are. I am not saying you are doing that just something to watch for. Losing 30 pounds in a month and a half is amazing. Just keep chugging along and you will get there.0 -
toddnunez5 wrote: »You all need to chill about the 3 days. I was only asking because I know bigger people tend to lose weight faster when first starting out.
Anyways, I will raise my calories to about 2000, which is 400 more than I've been eating.
I started at 320 over a year ago, 190 now, and there have been times where I've gone more than a week or two without setting a new low. Weight loss isn't linear. You are losing fast (probably too fast). Even fast weight loss isn't linear.0 -
My favorite quote:
"Do what you know is right and the numbers of the scale will eventually follow."
Key word - eventually. Sometimes it's frustrating, but we get "stuck." My weight loss pattern is:
HOLD-HOLD-HOLD-HOLD-HOLD-UP-HOLD-HOLD-HOLD-FINALLY A LOSS!
I am nearing goal with not much left to lose, so I have to focus on what I'm doing and not on what the scale says. It can be two weeks between "drops" for me at this point.0 -
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That beginning whoosh is generally 2-3 weeks tops. You've been at this for twice as long. You increased your exercise in recent days, which will contribute to the lack of weight loss as your muscles hold on to water to recover.0
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cwolfman13 wrote: »weight loss isn't linear...you aren't going to necessarily drop weight every day.
Agree0 -
toddnunez5 wrote: »Hey everyone. First time poster here. I'm having a little trouble determining the calories I need to consume for me to lose weight. According to MFP, I need to consume 2,390 calories based on my weight and daily activity. I'm currently 290.8 pounds, and my daily activity consist of walking at least 3 miles a day and sometimes swimming laps. I originally started at 2200 calories, but then lowered it down to 1900, and now I'm at 1600 calories a day. Ive been at 1600 for about two weeks now, and since I started back in the beginning of July, ive lost a total of 30 pounds. That's about a month and a half. However, for the past 2-3 days, ive stayed the same weight; I swam laps vigorously, as well as starting doing the beach body Insanity program. I have no clue whats going on, and I'm beginning to think it has to do with me eating to many calories, or possibly eating too few calories. What are my options to know how many calories I need to consume to lose weight?
I understand its not realistic to lose 1 pound a day, but something doesn't seem right because I know that bigger people, especially males, tend to lose weight faster.
Congratulations with weight loss. Do you just calorie count or do you carb count? Thank you0 -
Well as of now, I just calorie count. The only thing that I really go over in is the sodium. That's what worries me.
Also, I would just like to add in that I weighed 355 two years ago. But then I dropped 35 pounds and then for about a year, I stayed around 310-320. When I started in the beginning of July, I was 320, and now I'm at 290. So overall, I lost 65 pounds.
But anyways, I was just making this post because I wanted to know if I was eating too many or too few calories. When I first put my weight in, it said I needed to eat like 2500 calories a day. I thought to myself, "that's too much!" But since I'm at 1600 now, I'm going to bump it up to 2000 and see what happens.1
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