Calorie Defecit and Plateu?

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Replies

  • StaciMarie1974
    StaciMarie1974 Posts: 4,138 Member
    One other thought: think back to Nov-Feb. Were you more active and/or eating differently then?
  • bribucks
    bribucks Posts: 431 Member
    Do you have your level set to "active" and are also logging your exercise calories? If so, you may actually be doubling your calories burnt. Personally I find it more accurate to go with the lower activity level so "lightly active" for you and then manually log my exercise calories burned.

    Lots of MFP users recommend only eating back about 50% of exercise calories. The reasoning behind this is that gym machines have a tendency to over estimate how many calories you actually burn. So if you only came for eating back 50%, you won't accidentally go over.

    Also, I just discovered the app happy scale which smooths out tiny fluctuations in your weight and tracks the trend of it instead.
  • Psychgrrl
    Psychgrrl Posts: 3,177 Member
    LizzieGirl2015 wrote: »
    Thank you for all the information! I will try this coming week to not add my exercise into my daily log and see what happens. I do know that on certain days when I go over I workout and am back in the green, but I suppose if my physical activity is already factored in then I'm still going over (whoops!) Thank you!

    Your MFP activity level takes into account your day which focuses on how active you are outside of exercise. Some folks have desk jobs, like me, we're sedentary. Some folks, like a teacher, might be lightly active. A construction worker would probably be highly active. Then you can add in your intentional exercise.

    Your settings might be more accurate if it reflects what your day looks like outside of intentional exercise.

    You'll get there! Keep going and learning! :smiley:
  • CharlieBeansmomTracey
    CharlieBeansmomTracey Posts: 7,682 Member
    the green check marked entries can be wrong too. I have had so many be off its not even funny so I report that its incorrect
  • allyphoe
    allyphoe Posts: 618 Member
    LizzieGirl2015 wrote: »
    Well I will try then. It was just very disconcerting to be losing 10 lbs a month for 4 months and then suddenly... "Oh look I'm 185!" Next week "Damnit I'm 187!" Next week "Omg I'm 180!" And most recently "Crap I'm 180.4!" (I weigh myself every Sunday)

    Wait, that means you've lost 4.6 pounds in 4 weeks, right? That's not a plateau.
  • craigo3154
    craigo3154 Posts: 2,572 Member
    edited June 2017
    LizzieGirl2015 wrote: »
    Well I will try then. It was just very disconcerting to be losing 10 lbs a month for 4 months and then suddenly... "Oh look I'm 185!" Next week "Damnit I'm 187!" Next week "Omg I'm 180!" And most recently "Crap I'm 180.4!" (I weigh myself every Sunday)

    @LizzieGirl2015. You are 50 lbs down from 230 lbs. Amazing work. This would really show.

    Oddly enough, weight fluctuates every day. If you weigh once a week, you can hit high and low points on this fluctuation. (Takes time for fat used replaced by water to release the water and show as true loss. Extra sodium intake or high % carb intake than normal will often change the water/fat/muscle balance in the body).

    If you are disciplined enough to only take the number as a "data point" and not a "self worth evaluation exercise", then weighing every morning at the same time will show the fluctuations and you can track a weekly average. Only when the weekly average does not move in the right direction in 3 weeks, then start looking for why. (YES 3 WEEKS).

    Body measurement is FAR more reliable indication of what is really happening. Sometimes weight can go up even though measurements go down.

    Also don't double dip on exercise calories. The TDEE (BMR) calculation is inclusive of exercise calories you DO NOT track. If you state you are "active" because you do 3 workouts a week, then you cannot count the calories in the workouts as part of your eating budget (as they are already in your calculated TDEE).

    Lastly, when losing weight, 1% per week should be the upper limit of the goal (more is possible, but often long term unsustainable). It's MUCH easier to lose 10 lbs in a month from 230 lbs (4.3% - very hard work) than 10 lbs from from 180 lbs in a month (5.5% - borderline self-starvation). The 10 lbs from 180 should take about 6 weeks (if you plan to keep it off).

    Your family should see an amazing change in you between Halloween and July. You are already 50 lbs lighter. You may have more to go before you are finished, but heck, YOU ARE 50 lbs LIGHTER. If anyone gives you grief over your size ask them when they last shed 1/5th of their body weight.
  • mhoward685
    mhoward685 Posts: 129 Member
    Plateaus happen. I'm not going to read all the posts here so sorry if I'm repeating or coming at this from a completely different angle. When losing for several months and suddenly weight loss stops it is very frustrating. Been there done that too many times. Realize that your body is going through all kinds of changes and the number on the scale is not the only factor to look at. Have you considered cycling calories for a little while? Go to maintenance calories, keep exercising the way you plan to as a lifestyle choice and give your mind & body a weight loss break for 2-4 weeks? Have a planned date to start on weight loss for a set amount of time - say 2-4 weeks again and just cycle back and forth. I tend to believe that our bodies tend to try and take care of us and if it thinks we are starving will hold onto calories for self preservation. Also, our minds our very powerful. If you are stressing because the scale is not moving the way that you think it should there is a chemical reaction in your body to that stress. I'm willing to bet you visually look your goal because of the weight loss and exercise that you have been doing. You are doing this for you and not your family. Don't put their reaction as a goal to meet because what happens if they don't react as anticipated? I'm saying these things as much for myself as for you. We are more than a number on the scale. Enjoy the weight loss you have achieved and protect it so that you don't sabotage yourself.

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