HELP! IF & CALORIE DEFICIT?????????????
BeyandBeautiful
Posts: 8 Member
Hey everyone I need some help, I am IF, I love it and I'm sticking to it. The schedule the lifestyle all of it works for me however! I AM NOT LOOSING WEIGHT after the 1st few days. I lost almost 11lbs then put two back on and have not been able to loose them! I TRACK EVERYTHING/ I MEASURE EVERYTHING. 1 serving is 1 serving. If I eat one piece of something I track it because I know it's important to be accountable for myself. SO....My begging question to the community is does anybody have a true formula/ suggestion for the correct # of Calorie Deficit to do with IF? I am currently 217, 5'3 (Female) and lost........ When I pull up some calculators they say I should be eating 2100-2600. I've been eating 1200, no more than 1300 if I accidentally go over, PLEASE PLEASE HELP! TY!
7
Replies
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Using a food scale?13
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How long has it been since you lost?6
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If you were actually eating 1300, you would be losing.
You're not logging accurately. That's all. It has nothing to do with fasting or when you eat or what you eat. You're just eating more than you think you are.
You joined this site on 1/16/18.
Use accurate food entries, and log for a couple months, you'll lose.
Read this:
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10621050/how-to-use-the-usda-food-database-mfp-food-database-for-accurate-logging/p1
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Has it really only been a matter of days? Our weights naturally fluctuate day to day.7
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Plateaus can be super frustrating. Your diary is closed and we don't have many details to work with, but let's take a breath and see if we can work through what might be going on. These are pretty general, but maybe something here will help:
1. If it's been less than 3 weeks or so, don't sweat it! Normal fluctuations happen and unfortunately sometimes we stall for a week or two even when we're doing everything right. Give your body some time to catch up with the changes you're making.
2. If you aren't already, be sure that you're logging everything. Sometimes people forget about things like veggies, drinks, cooking oils, and condiments. For some people these can add up to enough to halt your weight loss progress.
3. Consider buying a food scale if you don't already have one. They're about $10-$20 dollars in the US and easily found at places like Amazon, Target, and Walmart. Measuring cups and spoons are great, but they do come with some degree of inaccuracy. A food scale will be more accurate, and for some people it makes a big difference.
4. Logging accurately also means choosing accurate entries in the database. There are a lot of user-entered entries that are off. Double-check that you're using good entries and/or using the recipe builder instead of someone else's homemade entries.
5. Recalculate your goals if you haven't lately. As you lose weight your body requires fewer calories to run. Be sure you update your goals every ten pounds or so.
6. If you're eating back your exercise calories and you're relying on gym machine readouts or MFP's estimates, it might be best to eat back just 50-75% of those. Certain activities tend to be overestimated. If you're using an HRM or activity tracker, it might be a good idea to look into their accuracy and be sure that yours is calibrated properly.
7. If you're taking any cheat days that go over your calorie limits, it might be best to cut them out for a few weeks and see what happens. Some people go way over their calorie needs without realizing it when they don't track.
8. If you weigh yourself frequently, consider using a program like trendweight to even out the fluctuations. You could be losing weight but just don't see it because of the daily ups and downs.
9. Some people just burn fewer calories than the calculators predict. If you continue to have problems after 4-6 weeks, then it might be worth a trip to the doctor or a registered dietitian who can give you more specific advice.12 -
A few days won’t count for much. I’ve gone 2 weeks without seeing a drop then lost 3lbs. IF isn’t a magic pill it’s just a strategy so if it works for you to limit your calories that’s great. I do a loose version of 14 hour one. Just be patient.6
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Remember that weight can fluctuate because of things like water retention, lack of sleep, medications, and stress. Also, I don't know if others have noticed this, but I often experience a several day lag in weight loss. It's like: lose a half lb, gain 2, then lose 1, then all of a sudden, I've lost 3. Give yourself time and listen to your body.4
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You need patience and a bit of a change in expectations.11
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The main issue here at the moment is unreasonable expectations. If it's really only been a few days, you need to give it more time. Patience will be your best friend during this process. You didn't gain it all.in a few days, and you won't lose it in a few days either.
Patience, grasshopper.3 -
gamerbabe14 wrote: »You need patience and a bit of a change in expectations.
Winner winner chicken dinner!!3 -
First I want to say TY & I appreciate the responses.........I do have a food scale, when I cook I weigh EVERY SINGLE THING and if I get anything from the cafe at work; it is also weighed ( .42 cent an ounce it better be lol) and as I divide those into prepared ready-to-go meals, I also weigh them before they make it into a container. Anything that goes into my mouth that is chewed or drank( other than water) is indeed tracked. I am tracking accurately; that i'm certain of, when I am dedicated to something I am dedicated. I've been on MFP for years, but decided to change email accounts which I have been posting in this profile since 01/09/2018. I will figure out how to make my diary public so those of you who are willing to help me see the future can see what I am using. I'm focusing today on some change in thought/ motivation processes so i'm not so hung up on routine; but I really need to know is am I eating enough.... is 1200 calories for a 8 hr window enough; should it be 1500 ( made an adjustment to goal) should it be 1800; what range is a good focus. I do not rely on calories burned (tracked) during a workout. All my exercises are either at work ( walking 2-2.5 miles/ running stairs (396 stairs) or HIIT/ cardio etc) 3x a week at this time. Between my work schedule and toddler, I can't make it to the gym. I workout at about 630 am in my fasted state or throughout the work day in my fasted state ( and I will push actually eating back 2 hours if I workout on my lunch @1pm so I wont eat til 3:30 pm). I am in bed by 10:30 pm ; asleep no later than 11 and on the days I don't workout I sleep til 7/7:30.
Thanks everyone.
My expectation isnt to loose 3.4.5 etc lbs a day or even a week; but if the average is 1 -2 a week, seeing nothing or .3oz then seeing it go right back up the next day isn't helping to stay motivational. It's been almost 2 weeks with the stall/ plateau. I only weigh in the morning before consuming water and after using the bathroom.
Thanks again5 -
My expectation isnt to loose 3.4.5 etc lbs a day or even a week; but if the average is 1 -2 a week, seeing nothing or .3oz then seeing it go right back up the next day isn't helping to stay motivational. It's been almost 2 weeks with the stall/ plateau
Thanks again4 -
BeyandBeautiful wrote: »My expectation isnt to loose 3.4.5 etc lbs a day or even a week; but if the average is 1 -2 a week, seeing nothing or .3oz then seeing it go right back up the next day isn't helping to stay motivational. It's been almost 2 weeks with the stall/ plateau
Thanks again
Consider using a weight trend app (I use Libra on Android). You log your daily weight and it creates a trend line for you, so you can see what's really happening over the long term... this can help take some of the focus/emotion out of short term fluctuations.6 -
BeyandBeautiful wrote: »My expectation isnt to loose 3.4.5 etc lbs a day or even a week; but if the average is 1 -2 a week, seeing nothing or .3oz then seeing it go right back up the next day isn't helping to stay motivational. It's been almost 2 weeks with the stall/ plateau
Thanks again
Two weeks isn't enough time to say something isn't working. You need to be more patient and trust the process. Also, to open your diary:
My Home --> Settings --> Diary Settings --> Scroll down to Diary Sharing and select Public.9 -
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Keep in mind that often people lose a big amount of water at the beginning of a change in diet. In a few days you say you lost 11 lbs. That was not all fat. Once your body realizes this is a new lifestyle some of the water comes back but you continue to lose fat. Sometimes the water gain outweighs the fat. Secondly your bowels can hold alot of weight depending on how much bulk you eat. Believe it or not that can affect your weight considerably. Third if you are still menstruating a water gain is not uncommon just before your period and can easily add 2 or 3 pounds, I'm sure you have experienced that before.
Relax, I understand your shock after such a big loss to see a gain when you are continuing to work at your program. It will go down again but depending on how much you have to lose you may see it slow down considerably.
IF does not make you lose any differently than eating three meals a day as long as the calories are the same. What it seems to do for some people is help them control cravings.4 -
BeyandBeautiful wrote: »My expectation isnt to loose 3.4.5 etc lbs a day or even a week; but if the average is 1 -2 a week, seeing nothing or .3oz then seeing it go right back up the next day isn't helping to stay motivational. It's been almost 2 weeks with the stall/ plateau
Thanks again
You've lost 9 pounds since you started. That is already phenomenal. You really are going to have to lower your expectations. 2 pounds a week is what you should be expecting. This isn't a sprint; it's a marathon. Calm down. Your weight WILL go up on some days, but that doesn't mean you should give up. Stick with it, trust the process.10 -
You have lost 9lbs since you started, that fantastic. Your expectations in regards to weight loss need a different mind set, use a trending weight app, keep doing what you're doing and in a months time see where your loss is then.4
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BeyandBeautiful wrote: »My expectation isnt to loose 3.4.5 etc lbs a day or even a week; but if the average is 1 -2 a week, seeing nothing or .3oz then seeing it go right back up the next day isn't helping to stay motivational. It's been almost 2 weeks with the stall/ plateau
Thanks again
But two weeks isn't a plateau. A plateau is aboit 4 or more weeks of no loss. It's very common to lose a large amount of weight in the first week or two, then see nothing for a cpuple of weeks.
The thing about weight loss is that it isn't linear. There will be some weeks where you might see weight loss, and some you won't. It's highly unlikely that you will see a drop every week like clockwork. The 1-2 lbs per week is really just, as you said, an average. Weight fluctuations are especially true for women...water retention from salty meals, new exercise routines, time of the month...all of those things can affect the scale and have nothing to do with gaining fat.
The advice to get a trending app is good so that you can see the trends, rather than get caught up in the daily fluctuations.
It also helps to set non scale goals for yourself, so that your entire focus isn't on the scale.3 -
I recommend only weighing yourself once a week. I know that is hard and easier said than done, but it will make you less frustrated as you will not see the daily fluctuations.5
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A great read that bumps up on the boards from time to time:
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10084670/it-is-unlikely-that-you-will-lose-weight-consistently-i-e-weight-loss-is-not-linear/p13 -
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Again ty ALL for the feedback. There are several other things you could've been doing with your precious time and you all have stopped and taken some time out your day to answer or respond to me and that is really appreciated.
My true question here and maybe I wasn't extremely clear in the original post is WHAT is the range of calories I should be eating because I felt like some of my stall while working really hard we're becoming or GOING to potentially become a problem because 1200 calories even though recommended by MFP seemed really off/low. In other words I feel like I was doing everything right and working very hard; better, stronger, harder than when I initially started and I would not see a portion of a oz on the scale move. Not that I was looking for pounds, but just some sort of indication that I was still on the right path. This is all very new for me so please understand that; as we all have been beginners once before. I've been consistent and although I might vent; even if the weight loss will slow down; the mental clarity and just how I feel about life, myself in general etc have all improved; so despite venting; I do plan to make this MY LIFESTYLE change and i'm happy with it. With that being said; I just want to make sure I am sticking to the right guns. Disclosure; I DO HAVE PCOS/ I am not currently on my cycle but I am well aware of how that pesky mother nature affects a woman's hormones over multiple aspects. I weigh an extra 4lbs every time I do periodically get my cycle since it is inconsistent. I didn't just jump onto the band wagon or join a trend or walk in blind sided; I have been doing research on this topic( IF) for days, weeks, months hours endlessly before I was able to commit to this. The answer that is always hard finding however is CALORIE CONSUMPTION RECOMMENDATION. I am working towards 1500 now and then GRADUALLY INTO 1800 IF NEED BE. WHAT I DO NOT WANT TO DO; is just jump into 1500 + calories and start eating things to make up the difference AND SCREW UP ALL THE HARD WORK I'VE DONE THUSFAR. I meal plan and meal prep. analyze things before I make them etc. I'm still human and I am a picky eater so this is again a new adjustment for me. Once i get more experienced with this **new lifestyle** then I will be better at getting the picture together quicker. I admit I feel like when I focus on something I have OCD/ I like to be an achiever and I try to avoid f'ups so long story short, its a work in progress to not over-obsess on things as I usually do because I can cause myself stress= cortisol and lead me in the opposite direction. I'm taking it slow because that's what works for me. Again guys, thanks so much for the wonderful feedback!!!!!!!!!!
I am going to make my food diary public, my notes/ comments are for myself to go back and reflect on how I did/ felt for the day so many of the things if you choose to read them will not have anything to do with IF its just for me.
I am going to check out the app you guys recommended. I have been tracking weight in MFP and it does draw a chart of how progress is coming along but I am assuming not as awesome as the other app. I will download it today and give it a go!
I wish I had the will power to just throw the scale out, right now I feel married to it HOWEVER I am planning to not check so much (not everyday) maybe twice a week can suffice if I put it in the garage in a non easily accessible place or stick it on a shelf because im super short and need a stepping stool to get things down THEN I can overcome checking everyday because out of sight/ out of mind. I've also started using KETO strips; although I KNOW they are not 1000% reliable, I am finding my "what works". I use the brand SMACK FAT.
THANKS AGAIN!!!!!!!!!!! 2 -
I just don;t understand the lack of calories with people - 1200 is not enough calories to workout and feel healthy- its not enough to sustain yourself. You should be at 1800/day with most of those coming from protein and fats ALSO 3bambi3 is 100% correct don;t expect visual results in 2 weeks - muscle takes months to start seeing results - water weight is tricky - when you are just dieting water is primarily all you are losing initially - with exercise you may actually retain water due to the damage you are causing to muscle and joints(swelling - not Swole - but swelling of damaged tissue)
Stay on track actually consume more health calories and throw away the scale - a scale is rarely a judge of fitness - you can have 2 woman at 5'7" 120 and 5'7" 145 - on paper the 5'7" 120 maybe sound healthier she is skinny fat but the 5'7" 145 is actually a fitness model with muscle and in a smaller size that the 120...... find a mirror and a good pair of jeans you wanna fit into that should be your measurement
working out in a fasted state can be detrimental to muscle mass building unless you are on a "supplement"
that prevents a catabolic state from occurring. put cardio at the end of your weight routine if possible
the numbers - if you are eating only 1200 day and consuming 300/day in exercise that leaves with 900/day for living - you can't build muscle under those conditions and muscle is what burns calories
1. 1 pound a week = 3500/7 = 500 deficit/day
2. You need at least 2000 to live and maintain - 300(exercise) = 1700/day
at the 2000/day level you will need to "burn" off 500 calories daily to achieve a 1 pound loss per week
the key here is finding how many calories you are really consuming per day an dhow many calories your body need since everyone's is different to some extent
Me - I consume 4500 per day - the average man my age should only consume 2600/day - but I do more - have more muscle mass etc.....
Bottom line you need to put muscle on to burn those calories and you will not achieve the results you want without putting that muscle on - you need more not less calories to do that. You WILL gain weight due to increase muscle mass BUT your size will drop cause muscle in more dense that fat.
eat more(healthier) workout 500 cal/day deficit and you will see the results you want it really is a math game
What? How much muscle do you think she is going to put on while eating at a deficit with no progressive lifting program?
Also, a pound of muscle burns, what, 6 more calories per pound per day than fat? I don't really think suggesting that she focus on muscle growth is going to help her current situation. Proper, accurate logging, eating at a deficit consistently, continuing with her exercise and learning patience is all that is needed.8 -
A pound of muscle burns about 6 calories per day. A pound of fat burns about 2 calories per day. So if you were to gain 10 pounds of muscle (which is a very significant amount and will take a considerable amount of time) and lose 10 pounds of fat, you'd be burning 40 more calories per day (60 calories burned by extra muscle, -20 calories due to loss of fat).What? How much muscle do you think she is going to put on while eating at a deficit with no progressive lifting program?
Also, a pound of muscle burns, what, 6 more calories per pound per day than fat? I don't really think suggesting that she focus on muscle growth is going to help her current situation...
40 calories a day is not significant.
Agreed. I'd only qualify it by saing "eating at a reasonable deficit consistently" - OP should let MFP calculate her deficit rather than arbitrarily selecting 1200 calories (as many do), then have patience, trust the process and make adjustments as necessary....Proper, accurate logging, eating at a deficit consistently, continuing with her exercise and learning patience is all that is needed.6 -
julie19892013 wrote: »Use the Loseit app! That helped me ate about 800-900calories a day
LoseIt does exactly the same thing MFP does...and you should not be eating that little.6 -
I weigh daily. And today I was up 1.2 lbs. for me when I lose a large number the scale goes back up briefly, I stay the same for a few days, then it starts dropping again. I think of it like, when I drop a lot of weight at once my body has to catch up. It’s nice having a daily weigh in for this. And actually expected the weight gain today and wasn’t upset in the slightest.0
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A pound of muscle burns about 6 calories per day. A pound of fat burns about 2 calories per day. So if you were to gain 10 pounds of muscle (which is a very significant amount and will take a considerable amount of time) and lose 10 pounds of fat, you'd be burning 40 more calories per day (60 calories burned by extra muscle, -20 calories due to loss of fat).What? How much muscle do you think she is going to put on while eating at a deficit with no progressive lifting program?
Also, a pound of muscle burns, what, 6 more calories per pound per day than fat? I don't really think suggesting that she focus on muscle growth is going to help her current situation...
40 calories a day is not significant.
Agreed. I'd only qualify it by saing "eating at a reasonable deficit consistently" - OP should let MFP calculate her deficit rather than arbitrarily selecting 1200 calories (as many do), then have patience, trust the process and make adjustments as necessary....Proper, accurate logging, eating at a deficit consistently, continuing with her exercise and learning patience is all that is needed.
MFP caculated 1200 calories. My thing with the plateau is >>>> Is 1200 calories enough? Ive been maintaining it however is it going to be the best thing for someone in my shoes. IMO the more and more i thought about it; I felt like the 1200 cal wasn't enough combined w/ 1200 cal. Now like I say; i've been doing the 1200 and I've been fine combined w/ 16:8 IF but as I get into additional weight loss; say im 215/216 right now, when I get to 185 MFP IS STILL going to say 1200 cal for a regular deficit(They don't go below 1200) . When I use other algorithms they tell me 1800-2200 is what I should be eating a day. Now because I track and monitor everything I eat now; I can't imagine how to eat 2200 Cal, I ate close to 600 or so at lunch and I still have food left over and im full right now. I DO NOT want to start stuffing myself either just to meet a calorie minimum BUT I also feel like maybe I should be setting my goals at 1500 or something close and just stay within that range. A pound of fat is 3500 cal. well if I should be eating about 2400 a day to maintain and I cut out 1200 a day=1200 deficit and 1200 to eat ='s a 8400 per week calorie deficit. My true question and original reason for posting was to get some insight on my stall and if it had been or would be an issue as time goes on. Thanks for the help guys really appreciate yall!1 -
Additional info:
MFP caculated 1200 calories. My thing with the plateau is >>>> Is 1200 calories enough? Ive been maintaining it however is it going to be the best thing for someone in my shoes. IMO the more and more i thought about it; I felt like the 1200 cal wasn't enough combined w/ 1200 cal. Now like I say; i've been doing the 1200 and I've been fine combined w/ 16:8 IF but as I get into additional weight loss; say im 215/216 right now, when I get to 185 MFP IS STILL going to say 1200 cal for a regular deficit(They don't go below 1200) . When I use other algorithms they tell me 1800-2200 is what I should be eating a day. Now because I track and monitor everything I eat now; I can't imagine how to eat 2200 Cal, I ate close to 600 or so at lunch and I still have food left over and im full right now. I DO NOT want to start stuffing myself either just to meet a calorie minimum BUT I also feel like maybe I should be setting my goals at 1500 or something close and just stay within that range. A pound of fat is 3500 cal. well if I should be eating about 2400 a day to maintain and I cut out 1200 a day=1200 deficit and 1200 to eat ='s a 8400 per week calorie deficit. My true question and original reason for posting was to get some insight on my stall and if it had been or would be an issue as time goes on. Thanks for the help guys really appreciate yall!
I have PCOS/ Insulin Resistance1 -
I just don;t understand the lack of calories with people - 1200 is not enough calories to workout and feel healthy- its not enough to sustain yourself. You should be at 1800/day with most of those coming from protein and fats ALSO 3bambi3 is 100% correct don;t expect visual results in 2 weeks - muscle takes months to start seeing results - water weight is tricky - when you are just dieting water is primarily all you are losing initially - with exercise you may actually retain water due to the damage you are causing to muscle and joints(swelling - not Swole - but swelling of damaged tissue)
Stay on track actually consume more health calories and throw away the scale - a scale is rarely a judge of fitness - you can have 2 woman at 5'7" 120 and 5'7" 145 - on paper the 5'7" 120 maybe sound healthier she is skinny fat but the 5'7" 145 is actually a fitness model with muscle and in a smaller size that the 120...... find a mirror and a good pair of jeans you wanna fit into that should be your measurement
working out in a fasted state can be detrimental to muscle mass building unless you are on a "supplement"
that prevents a catabolic state from occurring. put cardio at the end of your weight routine if possible
the numbers - if you are eating only 1200 day and consuming 300/day in exercise that leaves with 900/day for living - you can't build muscle under those conditions and muscle is what burns calories
1. 1 pound a week = 3500/7 = 500 deficit/day
2. You need at least 2000 to live and maintain - 300(exercise) = 1700/day
at the 2000/day level you will need to "burn" off 500 calories daily to achieve a 1 pound loss per week
the key here is finding how many calories you are really consuming per day an dhow many calories your body need since everyone's is different to some extent
Me - I consume 4500 per day - the average man my age should only consume 2600/day - but I do more - have more muscle mass etc.....
Bottom line you need to put muscle on to burn those calories and you will not achieve the results you want without putting that muscle on - you need more not less calories to do that. You WILL gain weight due to increase muscle mass BUT your size will drop cause muscle in more dense that fat.
eat more(healthier) workout 500 cal/day deficit and you will see the results you want it really is a math game
Mate, finally stop posting this crap! Your calorie recommendations might be right for very overweight ladies and for some men who don't have a lot to lose. But many women will gain of this.
Also, most women will find it difficult to burn more than 200-400kcal from workout without burning themselves out.
So just stop!12
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