Am I eating too much to lose weight?

acebanditcat
acebanditcat Posts: 28 Member
edited November 21 in Health and Weight Loss
Hi, I wonder if you could help with some advice

I have been doing MFP for three weeks.
I lost 11lb in the first week, 1/2lb in the second. I'm halfway through the 3rd week and after weighing myself it looks like I have stayed the same.
I had set myself 1,300 cals per day. I am generally below this so here is the last weeks calorie intake
THURS = 1088
FRI = 1,101
SAT = 1,431
SUN = 1,072
MON = 1,215
TUE = 1,270
WED = 1,088

Should I have it lower? I am currently 19ST 7LB (273LB OR 123.83KG) and I'm 5ft 4" tall

Replies

  • scarlett_k
    scarlett_k Posts: 812 Member
    Just keep doing what you are doing (although I would make sure I was eating all of those 1300 every day!)

    11.5 pounds in 3 weeks is super and it will continue dropping. Sometimes it might look like the scales stall for a week or even a few weeks because of normal water fluctuations bit if you are sticking to the calories MFP suggests then you will continue losing fat.
  • acebanditcat
    acebanditcat Posts: 28 Member
    I'm logging absolutely everything even with a couple of biscuits I shouldn't of had. Everything is weighed. This week I have done a lot of exercise.
    I dont't normally do much exercise if none at all. I normally do about 2,500 - 3,000 steps a day (work in an office) but I've increased my exercise this week with a two hour swimming session and walking everyday. So my steps are between 10,000 & 10,200. So maybe its because of that?.

    I'm also not sure what my target for carbs, protein etc should be set at as I could be eating too many carbs, although I have also cut them down and eating low carb vegetables and not very much fruit.
  • amtyrell
    amtyrell Posts: 1,447 Member
    Relax weight loss is not linear particular for women. Pick a healthy plan and stick with it for months not weeks.I for example lose all my weight right after time of month.
  • ruqayyahsmum
    ruqayyahsmum Posts: 1,513 Member
    Im lighter and shorter than you and my cals are 1700 BEFORE exercise

    You definitely need to be eating more than you are most days

    ( im down 150lb over all btw, you dont need to eat so little and some weeks i sts, it moves when it wants to)
  • NR81206
    NR81206 Posts: 54 Member
    Personally If I was you, I would increase your calories, you want to start higher cause as you lose weight, your calories drop too. I'm 5'1 171# and I eat 1360 (500 calorie deficit) Check what your TDEE is and go from there. Here is 2 good website you can use
    https://www.iifym.com/tdee-calculator/
    https://jenheward.com/macro-calculator/
  • rfrenkel77
    rfrenkel77 Posts: 103 Member
    Don't worry about weight not moving at a steady pace. As you are exercising and generating different hormones your body stores more/less water, starts/stops recomposing itself, especially if you exercise or have your period. Just make a habit weighing in daily and logging it in. The big graph will show your direction within a few months. Stick to your plan. Don't change anything. Once you see direction on the weight chart then you know how you are doing and at what pace. Then make deliberate changes if you want. Don't push cal intake too low, it's stress on the body and you will get to lethargic. Then you are forced to stop exercising. Good luck.
  • acebanditcat
    acebanditcat Posts: 28 Member
    I used the calculator it says BMR 1665 TDEE 2043. I don't understand what it means tho
  • tinkerbellang83
    tinkerbellang83 Posts: 9,140 Member
    edited September 2017
    BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate) is how much your body requires if you are doing nothing, i.e. if you were to lay in bed all day, no activity. This figure is used to calculate your TDEE or your NEAT.

    Your TDEE (Total Daily Energy Expenditure) is how much you burn approximately with all activity and exercise already accounted for. If you are using the TDEE method, you do not include exercise in your diary and you would normally manually amend your calorie allowance, for example your TDEE - 500 calories will put you at 1lb loss per week, you would manually adjust your calorie allowance to 1543 and log food but not exercise.

    MFP uses NEAT (Non Exercise Activity Thermogenesis) which is a calculation of your approximate burn without exercise taken into account. This is why exercise is added in seperately (explained in the pictogram I posted originally).

    As long as you eat below your TDEE you will lose weight. 1300 calories puts you at a 743 daily calorie deficit which will be almost 1.5lb per week average loss (3500 calories is approximately 1lb of fat, 743 calories x 7 days = 5201 weekly calorie deficit ).





  • Rickster1967
    Rickster1967 Posts: 485 Member
    acebanditcat wrote: »
    Ah I see! I think I'm getting too hung up on the other stats (carbs, protein,fat, sugar etc) so as soon as I go over them I stop eating.
    So perhaps I should just ensure I hit the calorie total each time.

    I haven't been hungry in fact feel full most of the time.

    I was doing slimming world put switched to this as I didn't want my portion control to go out the window.
    I think that's why I had a massive weight loss in the first week.

    Thanks everyone for your advice

    I am on day 50 and am also more than 120lbs to go

    I also found I was not hungry for the first 40+ days. Now in the last week I am finding I get the signal from the tummy that it is 'time to eat'

    I got all my advice from a Professional Body Transformation / Personal Trainer guy and what he told me turned out to be true so I'll pass it on:

    1. Eat the same amount of calories every day.
    2. Eat at the same time every day
    3. Try to eat the same foods at each meal (for me that is eggs for brekky, chicken for lunch, venison for dinner,
    yoghurt for snacks)
    4. When you start to get hungry again, in about 6 weeks time, add greens to all your meals (I'm now having spinach with my scrambled eggs) to bulk up the quantity
    5. Weigh everything down to the gram and record it.
    6. Be very consistent
    7. Accept that your weight loss at 2lbs per week is going to take 30,40,50 weeks and settle in mentally.
    8. Do not be tempted to drop calories to try and force yourself to lose faster. It is counterproductive.
    9. Gradually increase activity whilst keeping calories steady

    I've been doing this 50 days and feel transformed. It does take effort though. Good luck
  • BrianAWeber
    BrianAWeber Posts: 82 Member
    I don't know the types of food that you are eating but just as an FYI, I would be leary of the nutritional facts on prepared ready-to-eat dietary foods. Some have been busted lying about calories contained in the product. I'd be wary of all R2E foods because you just can't be certain that there isn't more of an item in that product than they are telling you.
  • animatorswearbras
    animatorswearbras Posts: 1,001 Member
    You have lost 11.5 pounds during 3 weeks that's great progress, alot of that initial 11 pounds will have just been water weight as it's near impossible to lose that much fat in a week, what you have been seeing the following two weeks is your body retaining some of that lost water again but you will still have been losing fat. Give it time the scales will move again, loss isn't linear and water weight tends to mask and exaggerate loss (and sometimes even shows gains even if you're at a deficit and are losing fat) it's perfectly normal especially at the beginning. :)
  • acebanditcat
    acebanditcat Posts: 28 Member
    edited September 2017
    Hmmm I lost 1lb this week, calories weren't over 1,300, minimum 10,000 steps per day I've done exercise every day too
    Should I up the daily calories?
  • Redordeadhead
    Redordeadhead Posts: 1,188 Member
    rickinnercirclebet wrote: »
    acebanditcat wrote: »
    Ah I see! I think I'm getting too hung up on the other stats (carbs, protein,fat, sugar etc) so as soon as I go over them I stop eating.
    So perhaps I should just ensure I hit the calorie total each time.

    I haven't been hungry in fact feel full most of the time.

    I was doing slimming world put switched to this as I didn't want my portion control to go out the window.
    I think that's why I had a massive weight loss in the first week.

    Thanks everyone for your advice

    I am on day 50 and am also more than 120lbs to go

    I also found I was not hungry for the first 40+ days. Now in the last week I am finding I get the signal from the tummy that it is 'time to eat'

    I got all my advice from a Professional Body Transformation / Personal Trainer guy and what he told me turned out to be true so I'll pass it on:

    1. Eat the same amount of calories every day.
    2. Eat at the same time every day
    3. Try to eat the same foods at each meal (for me that is eggs for brekky, chicken for lunch, venison for dinner,
    yoghurt for snacks)
    4. When you start to get hungry again, in about 6 weeks time, add greens to all your meals (I'm now having spinach with my scrambled eggs) to bulk up the quantity
    5. Weigh everything down to the gram and record it.
    6. Be very consistent
    7. Accept that your weight loss at 2lbs per week is going to take 30,40,50 weeks and settle in mentally.
    8. Do not be tempted to drop calories to try and force yourself to lose faster. It is counterproductive.
    9. Gradually increase activity whilst keeping calories steady (if you like, but not necessary)

    I've been doing this 50 days and feel transformed. It does take effort though. Good luck

    This is more accurate advice.
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