HELP! IF & CALORIE DEFICIT?????????????

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.

BeyandBeautiful wrote: »

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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 again

A plateau is generally considered to be something like 4-6+ weeks without any movement on the scale and while making no changes to your routine. What you're describing here (2 weeks while bouncing up and down) isn't a plateau. It's very normal. You don't have one true weight. Your body exists within a weight range and this is true whether you're maintaining, gaining, or losing. You will have high days and low days even when you're doing everything right.

The important thing is that with only two weeks in a stall, there may not be any reason to make any changes whatsoever. Most of us are advising that you wait and see before changing things because this is so very normal and generally sticking to your current plan will show results soon.

Generally speaking, raising calories is not usually the right move when you're stalled unless you have other symptoms like fatigue, lethargy, extreme hunger, hair loss, etc. that would indicate you need to eat more.

I don't know which other calculators you're using or what info you're plugging into them, but MFP works a little differently than other calorie calculators because other calculators usually include your exercise calories up front while MFP gives you a lower goal and expects you to log the exercise and then adds calories back in once you earn them. The other calculators may also be giving you a higher goal because they're expecting you to lose more slowly than whatever goal you set MFP for.

I didn't spot your age anywhere, but you gave us your height and weight so I plugged your stats into a TDEE calculator, assuming an age of 25 so it'll likely be a little off. It spits out an average TDEE between 2,335 (lightly active) or 2633 (moderately active). Again remember that this includes your exercise up front where MFP does not.

Based on these numbers, if you set MFP to sedentary (which you likely are not) and told it you wanted to lose 2 pounds per week, then I'm not surprised it spat out a goal of 1200 calories. If you don't like that goal, you can go in and adjust your settings to more accurately reflect your lifestyle and it will likely raise it. You should also be eating back at least some of your earned exercise calories, which again would raise your goal.

The most important thing to remember is that all of these goals are estimates. No one fits the calculators' estimates 100%. Pick a method, either MFP or using one of the other calculators. Stick to it for a period of time (4-6 weeks preferably before you make any changes since changes almost always come with some water weight that will mask fat loss). And adjust your goals up or down depending on your real world results.

I don't have PCOS but my understanding is that a lower calorie goal and a lower carb diet may be helpful.

This whole thread feels a little like a mountain made out of a molehill. If you don't like 1200 calories as a goal then change it. Try a different goal. Stick to it for a while. See how you feel. Adjust.

Best of luck to you - a lot of women with PCOS have good results on lower carb diets. You don't have to go full keto to see benefits, just keeping an eye on your macros can help a lot with insulin resistance. That's off the topic of your plateau, however.

It hasn't really been that long, you are probably just seeing a temporary fluctuation in weight due to water. If you lost a bunch of water weight starting out, some of that will come back on, and then you will have to lose back down to that level. All kinds of things can cause water retention - lack of sleep, new exercise, stress. Until it's been more than a month with no loss at all you can't judge. I know it's very hard to stay motivated without seeing results, but you have to be patient.

As far as the number of calories, how do you feel on your current number? I tried 1200 (plus exercise calories) and it was too low for me - my workouts were bad and my hair was thinning. I lost most of my weight eating 1500 net with an additional 400 - 500 calories from exercise daily.

There's a big misconception when it comes to a caloric deficit. It's not anybody's fault. It's just that people haven't really been taught. So, here's a rather simple explanation:

The body uses food for absolutely everything it needs to function, most importantly, recovery. Progress is always made through recovery, but if one is not eating decent amounts of food, their recovery is slowed, thus their progress is slowed. Then just how does one ensure progress on low calorie diets? Well, you exercise to create the deficit! Not eat to stay within the deficit. For example, Michael Phelps used to eat a 10,000 calorie diet, and would train excessively, but still remain with enough caloric intake at the end of the day to spark progress. If you consider doing this, here's an example: Imagine someone with a 2,000 calorie diet. Their goal is to, at the end of the day, have eaten 1,500 calories. To do this, they train enough to burn 500 calories. BUT, to make this easier, you could subtract 100 calories from the original 2,000 calories, leaving you with 1,900, and only have to train enough to burn 400 calories. That way, you're results from training can be kept, whilst slimming you down, and leave you with enough calories at the end of the day to recover.

It is often a mistake of people's to ignore this because they want to get results faster, but there are a variety of reasons this method of reasoning can be rather ignorant at times: 1.) It is popular to reduce carbohydrates because it seems to be the quickest way to lose weight; while that seems correct, the truth is carboHYDRATES help with keeping the muscles and body hydrated, meaning, when one lessens the consumption of this macronutrient, the body holds on to less water. The truth is you can see results with a low-whatever-macronutrient diet as long as you practice good eating habits, and are training properly and with intent--it just won't be as apparent within the first few weeks. 2.) When the body is not getting enough food, it begins to store energy in the form of fat to compensate for what you're not allowing it to get. This is why people in developing countries with not enough to eat can often be seen with distended tummies, or why overweight people who jump right into eating exponentially less without prior research never seem to lose weight and give up. 3.) Progress is made through recovery! This isn't so hard to understand, it's just one of those things that's hard to accept when you're desperate about making progress. To make progress, you need to recover, to recover, you need food, but not just any food. You need food the body can use to help it with it's everyday functions. If this confuses you as you're new to this, I think Jujimufu said it best, "Just eat foods no one argues the health benefits to." If you're only eating less of what hasn't helped you in the past, don't expect to see the results you want.

Another thing is water. Water is life, literally, and is so much more than a form of cleansing and hydration. The body uses water to carry nutrients and oxygen to the cells, helps the body absorb said nutrients and oxygen, it cushions the joints, moistens oxygen for breathing, protects and cushions vital organs, helps convert food into energy, regulates body temperature, composes 75% of the brain, makes up 83% of all blood, removes waste, and accounts for 22% of bones, and so much more!!! You're doing yourself a disservice if you're not making it a habit to drink water as consistently as possible. A good way to begin developing this habit is to drink two cups of water in the morning first thing upon waking up. That is when the body is most dehydrated after having slept without sustenance for so long.

Also, sleep. Sleep is the ultimate recovery.

A popular way to lose weight and burn fat amongst many bodybuilders is a thing called carb cycling. It can be as simple as this, please don't over think it: eat less carbs one day, more carbs the next. Frank Zane, considered to be the most aesthetic man ever, would eat less carbs for three days, and on the fourth, more carbs.

I'm giving you options here because there is a... misconception that what you're doing is how to lose weight. It can be... But it's not something that can be done everyday for the rest of the year with consistent progress. Eventually, on low calorie diets, the body learns to outsmart what you're forcing upon it, and finds way to get you to give it what it needs. Furthermore, the scale is a liar! But hips are not. Hips don't lie. For example, I used to weigh 73kg (161lbs.), and now, I am up to 95kg (210lbs.), but am still able to wear the same clothes. In fact, the clothes from when I was 73kg now fit a tad too big. This is why it's important to train if aside from health, being happy in your own body is something you strive for. You should consider lifting weights. If you're a woman, women can lift weights. They won't get bulky or masculine. They'll actually get tighter and clothes will become more form fitting, but the exercise discussion should be left for another day.

As for IF, I sort of do it, but unintentionally. The truth is it's just one of those things that's a matter of preference. There's many scientific studies out their to support it's benefits, but many of these studies are done on people who led very unhealthy lifestyles, meaning, anything they would have done at that point to try and help them with their goals would have helped in some way. If one were to actually take the time to dissect such studies, especially ones on fit people who do IF, it can become rather fuzzy. But, hey, if you think it works for you and you like it, that's fine.

I hope I was able to help in any way. Everybody can give you advice, but at the end of the day, absorb what is useful, disregard what is useless, and add what is essentially your own.