25-30lbs.....What to do???

shelly650
shelly650 Posts: 319
edited September 29 in Health and Weight Loss
Well I joined MFP in March of this year and have lost roughly 13lbs since then! My weight seems to be VERY stubborn at times and then falls off other times for no apparent reason! When I first joined, I put my goal at losing 2lbs per week and was convinced that I would go from 175.4lbs to 135/140lbs by september 1st! Oh boy was I wrong!! This is where I'm confused.

I was eating between 1000 and 1200 calories a day when I first joined, then my weight stalled, so I upped it to 1300 cals! The weight began to move again in the right direction. Then It stalled again and I once again lowered it to 1200 and there was weight loss! Because Im struggling again, I eat between 1200 and 1400 calories a day! What I am wondering is how much weightloss should I be aiming for per week, if I have approx 27lbs to lose still?? At the moment I have it set at a 1lbs per week loss and my calorie goal is 1410 cals! I also keep a very close eye on my carbs as they seem to play a major role in my weight loss!!

Does anyone have any suggestions!!

Replies

  • ChantalGG
    ChantalGG Posts: 2,404 Member
    Yep stop eating back ALL of your calories from your workouts. What kinds of exercises are you doing?
  • shelly650
    shelly650 Posts: 319
    I dont always eat them back! I cycle quite a bit and also do the 30 day shred!!
  • sculley
    sculley Posts: 2,012 Member
    I only eat half my exercise calories back from the day. It seems to helps ....
  • Panda86
    Panda86 Posts: 873
    You need to check what your activity level is set to. Is it possible that you have it set to something like "lightly active" and then log things that would normally already be included in a "lightly active" or "active" lifestyle. Also try calorie-cycling. There are several sites that can set you up with a weekly plan based on how much you want to lose. That has worked well for me. Also, I eat my exercise calories. Usually not all of them, but I do eat them if I am hungry. And I've lost 30 lbs doing that. Hopefully that helps!
  • chevy88grl
    chevy88grl Posts: 3,937 Member
    If you don't normally eat back your calories - then I say try eating ALL of them back for awhile. Sometimes our bodies not losing weight isn't a sign of too many calories - but actually too FEW calories. You have to fuel your body for it to be comfortable losing weight. I learned this concept the hard way - by struggling to lose weight for months and months. Then I started to eat more and what do you know? Weight literally fell off me. Now, I know I have to eat 2200-2500 calories a day, have to eat back ALL my exercise calories AND I have to drink at least 80oz of water a day.

    It's all about learning what YOUR body wants.
  • shelly650
    shelly650 Posts: 319
    At the beginning I was eating ALL of my calories back, which was fine for a while, but then I started to gain, so I now only eat maybe half or sometimes none!!
  • 4lafz
    4lafz Posts: 1,078 Member
    I just took a quick glance at your diaries. Here are a couple of suggestions :

    1) WATER - drink at least 8 cups a day - I do more than that
    2) Up your protein and fiber - I always strive to go over the MFP numbers in these areas. Stay under in fats (good fats can be accounted for in the numbers MFP gives you).
    3) Exercise at least 30 mins everyday. More on your days off (assuming 2 days) Nothing against gardening but the 30 day shred and bike riding will do more for you :-)
    4) Eat all exercise calories but leave 300 calories in the green each day (without going under 1200 gross). I know, weird, but it will work for you :-)

    Good luck!
  • lisiejeanie
    lisiejeanie Posts: 1
    I hear your frustration. I deal with the same thing. Here are a couple of things that I've found to be really helpful. First, don't cut down your carbs too much. I keep to the lower end of the recommended amount, and I try to keep them whole grain. The easiest way to do this to look at the label and see if there is the wheat symbol. If it's there, then the food uses "whole wheat". The other thing I do is make sure I'm getting plenty of protein. I find that when I eat whole grains and lean protein the weight comes off and stays off.
    Hope that helps. You've done a great job already, so keep up the good work :)
  • kgalea
    kgalea Posts: 156 Member
    Do you do any strength training. I find that adding strength training kicks the weight loss into high gear... There is a total body class at our Y that lasts about 45 minutes. In addition, you will look more toned and find you can do more on your cardio exercises as you become stronger.
  • Angela_MA
    Angela_MA Posts: 260
    I have about 20lbs left to lose and the lower you get the harder it gets. My first 10lbs just fell off, but it has taken more work the lower I have become.:grumble: I recently hit a normal BMI and I have been told that it only gets harder once you reach normal. How true this is I do not know, but it is what it is and I am sure I will be experiencing it! :frown:
    Currently I have my settings at 1lb a week and I have 1320 as a goal for calories. However, I do switch it up every couple of weeks, upping it to 1460 (depends on my activity levels) I too do not eat all my exercise calories, but I do eat some of them back (it just depends on how hungry I am, I go with whether I am hungry). People will tell you to eat them or not to eat them, just do what is best foryor body. Your body will tell you when you need more! :wink:
    Now if you are noticing the weight is coming off then you are doing the right thing:smile:. Remember this does take time and if you stick with it and are diligant you will reach your goal! From my personal experience fat is stubborn and it wants to stick around! However stick with it and that fat will shrink!! :) I have seen posts where it takes MFP members a year to lose 30-40lbs while others it takes 3-4 months. Know that every one is different and try to learn what is best for you. I know we all want to rapidly lose the weight, but it takes a while for the weight to come on so it will take a while for it to come off. It sucks, but I hate that part of it, but that is life :wink:
    Also, if you want to kick start the loss perhaps try zig zagging (changing calorie intake daily) to confuse your metabolism or you can take a couple of days where you do not control your intake to help revamp your metabolism (do not go overboard, but do not stress about it either). These are seom ideas I have gotten from other posts on MFP. :happy:
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,426 MFP Moderator
    It's simple, the more calories you burn, the more you have to eat. So if you workout more, you need to eat more. Below is my perception on eating exercise calories.

    Here is my perception on the matter. I actually use this site just to track my calories. I use a different method to determine how many calories I should be eating and suggest it to many. According to this website, if you use their calculations, if you workout and burn 300 calories, than you should eat an extra 300 calories that day because the site has already built in a deficit for you. The more you have to lose the bigger an acceptable deficit is but the closer your goal is, the smaller your deficit should be. This is because the more muscle you have, the lower the body fat, the more fuel you body needs to sustains it's functions. Also, a deficit is should never been more than 1000 calories a day (which would allow for 2 lbs per week loss) but it more acceptable to do 1 lb a week or 500 calorie deficit. Additionally, a woman should eat not less than 1200 net calories. This is the amount of calories after you workout. So if you burn 500 calories, you need at least 1700 calories; men should be no less than 1500-1700 after workout calories from my research. Also, a large part of these calories should be driven by protein based sources. The ammino acids in the protein is what stimulates muscle growth. The more muscle your body has, the more calories you burn at rest.

    My approach looks at Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR); BMR is the amount of calories you would burn if you slept 24 hours, for me, my BMR is 2000 calories. I then mutliply it by my Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE); how many calories I should eat to make up for daily activities (walking, working out, etc) to get a total number of calories. Because I do a program like p90x, I multiply my 2000 calories by 1.725 which equals 3400 calories. This amount of calories is the amount I need to eat to maintain weight. I back off 500 caloires as my deficit and eat 3000 calories in a day. This is the website I use.


    http://www.cordianet.com/calculator.htm

    I then go into a custom setup under my goals and set my daily intake for 3000 calories (well I will starting sunday, right now it's 2800 because I haven't officially started p90x until sunday). Additionally, to follow the p90x food guide, I set up custom ratio's. I do 45% of carbs, 35% of protein and 20% for fats. As I progress, I will lower protein and increase carbs. This method has worked for me and others I have worked with on the site. MFP just makes it simple for anyone to come on and lose weight. I take more of a scientific approach to weight loss. When I started I was 210 & 18% body fat. Now I am 189 and 12% body fat and hoping to break single digits within 3 months.

    Cliff notes: if you go by the sites calculations, you absolutely should eat back your workout calories as they preload the deficit. If you go by the more scientific method, you don't have to worry about it, it's already figured in your number.

    Good luck everyone.
  • kaligrl1
    kaligrl1 Posts: 54
    Check your sodium intake as well, i was have struggled with water retention my whole like. I now drink about 3 liters of wanter a day.
  • fawnkay0ne
    fawnkay0ne Posts: 15
    When in doubt eat MORE, but make sure you are eating the right kinds of calories. Not all calories are created equal. I know women who eat 1200 - 1300 calories a day from fast food, pre packaged meals, etc. and they are overweight, Other women I know eat 2000 calories a day from fresh fruit, veggies, lean protein, whole grains, etc. and are very lean/thin. I know this sounds like common sense, but some people seem to think a calorie is a calorie, is a calorie. If I eat fast food and have a high calorie intake I will still make sure to eat some fresh fruit and veggies that day even if it pushes me over my calorie goal. That being said, if you are eating very healthy all of the time, sometimes a high fat meal, or cheat day is just what your body needs to get a kickstart.

    Ditto everyone else on the water. I drink between 96 and 120 ounces a day.

    As for eating back your exercise calories, when I don't eat back my exercise calories, I notice that I don't lose as much weight. Not only are you burning those calories while you are exercising, but your body is becoming more calorie efficient as well. It will take some time for you to figure out how your body processes food. Also, sometimes I will drink back some of my calories. This works for me, but I am drinking 1% milk or 100% fruit juice, not soda or beer/alcohol.
  • marianne_s
    marianne_s Posts: 983 Member
    Well I joined MFP in March of this year and have lost roughly 13lbs since then! My weight seems to be VERY stubborn at times and then falls off other times for no apparent reason! When I first joined, I put my goal at losing 2lbs per week and was convinced that I would go from 175.4lbs to 135/140lbs by september 1st! Oh boy was I wrong!! This is where I'm confused.


    Does anyone have any suggestions!!


    If you haven't already, change your loss goal to 1 lb a week....

    If nothing happens after 2 weeks, then change it to 0.5 lb a week


    This will increase your daily calorie allowance, which will give you more to eat.... and you should eat those calories.
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