Down 71lbs now weight won't budge HELP!

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  • yirara
    yirara Posts: 9,390 Member
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    I'm with PAV8888 on this because even if you're not using a food scale and not tracking some things and even if your Fitbit is off (I really wish people would stop pushing this narrative, because a lot of us find them perfectly reliable), you have quite a disparity going.

    I get 30K steps a day and know from scale performance just how many calories that can burn, and I weigh less than you, OP. Granted, most of mine are at brisk pace, I don't know what pace your are at and that can affect your burns.

    Saying that, we're still talking margins here where you should be in a deficit, and that is my main point. Even with inaccurate logging and possibly less than ideal reporting from the Fitbit, you are still in a deficit, so something else is at play here.

    I strongly suspect that you have been eating at deficit too long and are experiencing hormone downregulation and also experiencing water retention from increased activity and raised cortisol.

    I also recommend taking a 2 week diet break while eating at maintenance calorie levels, and I recommend that you read the diet breaks thread.

    Yes, Fitbits are easily off with people who have a low minimum, but a high maxHR because custom maxHR are poorly implemented into Fitbits. Think about it: someone with a resting HR of around 50, a standing HR of around 80 and a max of over 200 walks through a supermarket. The HR will be quite high. Fitbit assumes that this person is working out like crazy and assigns massive calorie burns. I see that for myself. My Fitbit isn't too bad if I just sit around, but every little walk results in crazy non-existing calorie burns. If I were to trust my Fitbit I'd be overeating by about 2500kcal per week (despite having set a custom maxHR).
  • yirara
    yirara Posts: 9,390 Member
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    jennygutt wrote: »
    jennygutt wrote: »
    I'm with PAV8888 on this because even if you're not using a food scale and not tracking some things and even if your Fitbit is off (I really wish people would stop pushing this narrative, because a lot of us find them perfectly reliable), you have quite a disparity going.

    I get 30K steps a day and know from scale performance just how many calories that can burn, and I weigh less than you, OP. Granted, most of mine are at brisk pace, I don't know what pace your are at and that can affect your burns.

    Saying that, we're still talking margins here where you should be in a deficit, and that is my main point. Even with inaccurate logging and possibly less than ideal reporting from the Fitbit, you are still in a deficit, so something else is at play here.

    I strongly suspect that you have been eating at deficit too long and are experiencing hormone downregulation and also experiencing water retention from increased activity and raised cortisol.

    I also recommend taking a 2 week diet break while eating at maintenance calorie levels, and I recommend that you read the diet breaks thread.

    Finally! Lolthank you that's what I was trying to say I didn't know how to say... Even if my fitbit's saying a little more and my calories is a little more I would still been at of deficit... even if ibwas actually eating 1400 instead of 1000 cals and only burning 2500 a day instead of 3500 i am still at a deficit....but i plan to eat a little more and weigh and track hope to see some results.

    That doesn't make sense to me. Op was not weighing her food so she didn't have an idea of how much she was actually consuming she thought she was consuming 1,000, but that wasn't true. I think op consuming the calories MFP suggests and actually using a food scale will benefit her a lot. I think the mentality that she was not eating enough is not accurate because she was in fact eating more than a thousand calories. Not to say if op actually was eating that much calories if she was using a food scale would've been a good idea because it's not.

    Well you are correct I was not weighing my food I'm still not convinced I was eating more than a thousand calories. I know you don't know me and it's impossible for you to know this but I am OCD and very strict and very particular. If a package is listening had 16 crackers is 120 calories out literally counted out 16 crackers. I did not skimp on things. As a matter of fact I usually over estimated to be safe. If I got two tablespoons of sour cream I usually with track three to make sure I didn't go over. I always overestimate instead of under. And the only way you would really know and could take my word for that is if you knew me at all people that know me know 100% that I mean that but it's true I really do.

    But with that being said I am loving the scale weighing ideal I'm looking forward to be more precise and knowing exactly what I'm eating

    Love, if you are able to understand German I could show you a thread in another forum that I started some 5 years ago. I said that I was only eating about 1000kcal and that it's so strange that I'm gaining weight. Guess what: I was not. I was eating more than twice that amount, based on the weight I gained between that post and being at my maximum weight (75kg, 169cm). It's so easy to get it completely wrong.
  • gabriellejayde
    gabriellejayde Posts: 607 Member
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    Jennygutt... sorry you're frustrated. I understand both the frustration with a weightloss stall, and coming on here hoping to find an easy, probable answer.

    I won't reiterate what others have said, except personally, don't even factor in how many calories your fitbit says at all. Whether it's right or wrong doesn't matter, since you're not losing.
    I've lost 91 pounds in less than a year. It's come off fairly rapidly... except for one month where my weight pretty much just fluctuated a few pounds and that's it. I thought, "well, I guess this is just where my weight (170 at that time) is meant to be.
    Then I did 4 things:
    1. Stopped snacking. I had started grabbing a few snacks once in a while and although they were healthy, low calorie snacks, they added up.
    2. Started taking fiber. I had some constipation issues and clearing that up seems to have helped
    3. Started drinking a lot more water again. I had stopped for a while.
    4. I use the LIBRA app, and I started to really look and realized that I had actually lost some weight, it just wasn't a lot. but seeing that I had probably lost .25-.5 lbs a week made me relax a bit

    I hope that helps. good luck.
  • LivingtheLeanDream
    LivingtheLeanDream Posts: 13,345 Member
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    And yeah I once did a Fitbit challenge and did 45k steps, I literally did not stop moving all day so yes I do realise how much time you are spending clocking up those 30k.
  • GottaBurnEmAll
    GottaBurnEmAll Posts: 7,722 Member
    edited February 2018
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    yirara wrote: »
    jennygutt wrote: »
    jennygutt wrote: »
    I'm with PAV8888 on this because even if you're not using a food scale and not tracking some things and even if your Fitbit is off (I really wish people would stop pushing this narrative, because a lot of us find them perfectly reliable), you have quite a disparity going.

    I get 30K steps a day and know from scale performance just how many calories that can burn, and I weigh less than you, OP. Granted, most of mine are at brisk pace, I don't know what pace your are at and that can affect your burns.

    Saying that, we're still talking margins here where you should be in a deficit, and that is my main point. Even with inaccurate logging and possibly less than ideal reporting from the Fitbit, you are still in a deficit, so something else is at play here.

    I strongly suspect that you have been eating at deficit too long and are experiencing hormone downregulation and also experiencing water retention from increased activity and raised cortisol.

    I also recommend taking a 2 week diet break while eating at maintenance calorie levels, and I recommend that you read the diet breaks thread.

    Finally! Lolthank you that's what I was trying to say I didn't know how to say... Even if my fitbit's saying a little more and my calories is a little more I would still been at of deficit... even if ibwas actually eating 1400 instead of 1000 cals and only burning 2500 a day instead of 3500 i am still at a deficit....but i plan to eat a little more and weigh and track hope to see some results.

    That doesn't make sense to me. Op was not weighing her food so she didn't have an idea of how much she was actually consuming she thought she was consuming 1,000, but that wasn't true. I think op consuming the calories MFP suggests and actually using a food scale will benefit her a lot. I think the mentality that she was not eating enough is not accurate because she was in fact eating more than a thousand calories. Not to say if op actually was eating that much calories if she was using a food scale would've been a good idea because it's not.

    Well you are correct I was not weighing my food I'm still not convinced I was eating more than a thousand calories. I know you don't know me and it's impossible for you to know this but I am OCD and very strict and very particular. If a package is listening had 16 crackers is 120 calories out literally counted out 16 crackers. I did not skimp on things. As a matter of fact I usually over estimated to be safe. If I got two tablespoons of sour cream I usually with track three to make sure I didn't go over. I always overestimate instead of under. And the only way you would really know and could take my word for that is if you knew me at all people that know me know 100% that I mean that but it's true I really do.

    But with that being said I am loving the scale weighing ideal I'm looking forward to be more precise and knowing exactly what I'm eating

    Love, if you are able to understand German I could show you a thread in another forum that I started some 5 years ago. I said that I was only eating about 1000kcal and that it's so strange that I'm gaining weight. Guess what: I was not. I was eating more than twice that amount, based on the weight I gained between that post and being at my maximum weight (75kg, 169cm). It's so easy to get it completely wrong.

    The point is that it's not a generalized narrative that "Fitbits are off". You can track them to real world results and find if you're an outlier and calibrate them as needed.

    It's the offhanded comment that I find unnecessary and often unhelpful. Again, it's too generalized. There are a great many of us who find them useful because we know how to work with them.

    It's also generalized to conflate exercise burns based on one's own experience with another person's experience (even though I did that in this thread to demonstrate that OP's burns weren't out of the realm of possibility) because burns are dependent on a lot of different mitigating factors that most here aren't accounting for. I find this happens a lot in these threads, and it's a common trope on these boards to be dismissive out of hand without thinking critically about these inherent differences.
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,372 Member
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    OP do you enjoy walking those 30k steps each day? if you do then that's fine but honestly I've been there (sort of! I averaged 21k though), burn out happened to me eventually after about 2 years, my limbs were fatigued, started having joint issues and basically my body was telling me enough was enough. I took off my Fitbit and started doing 30-40 mins of purposeful exercise a day. I 'lost' 200 extra calories per day. So for me it was not worth hours of effort for 200 measly calories. The moral of the story is, less is more. I am not as hungry because my body doesn't need as much fuel so it was easier for me to eat at 1950-2000 calories. I also went on to lose a further 7lbs and that was me being in maintenance. So it doesn't always pay to exercise more and more. True story! :smile:

    I agree, I still aim for 15k if possible, but my 20k+ are over... because my legs just can't take it. Unfortunately, it's still hard for me to stick to my calories with 15k steps. I wish I was less hungry, but I definitely haven't noticed that.
  • newheavensearth
    newheavensearth Posts: 870 Member
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    yirara wrote: »
    jennygutt wrote: »
    jennygutt wrote: »
    I'm with PAV8888 on this because even if you're not using a food scale and not tracking some things and even if your Fitbit is off (I really wish people would stop pushing this narrative, because a lot of us find them perfectly reliable), you have quite a disparity going.

    I get 30K steps a day and know from scale performance just how many calories that can burn, and I weigh less than you, OP. Granted, most of mine are at brisk pace, I don't know what pace your are at and that can affect your burns.

    Saying that, we're still talking margins here where you should be in a deficit, and that is my main point. Even with inaccurate logging and possibly less than ideal reporting from the Fitbit, you are still in a deficit, so something else is at play here.

    I strongly suspect that you have been eating at deficit too long and are experiencing hormone downregulation and also experiencing water retention from increased activity and raised cortisol.

    I also recommend taking a 2 week diet break while eating at maintenance calorie levels, and I recommend that you read the diet breaks thread.

    Finally! Lolthank you that's what I was trying to say I didn't know how to say... Even if my fitbit's saying a little more and my calories is a little more I would still been at of deficit... even if ibwas actually eating 1400 instead of 1000 cals and only burning 2500 a day instead of 3500 i am still at a deficit....but i plan to eat a little more and weigh and track hope to see some results.

    That doesn't make sense to me. Op was not weighing her food so she didn't have an idea of how much she was actually consuming she thought she was consuming 1,000, but that wasn't true. I think op consuming the calories MFP suggests and actually using a food scale will benefit her a lot. I think the mentality that she was not eating enough is not accurate because she was in fact eating more than a thousand calories. Not to say if op actually was eating that much calories if she was using a food scale would've been a good idea because it's not.

    Well you are correct I was not weighing my food I'm still not convinced I was eating more than a thousand calories. I know you don't know me and it's impossible for you to know this but I am OCD and very strict and very particular. If a package is listening had 16 crackers is 120 calories out literally counted out 16 crackers. I did not skimp on things. As a matter of fact I usually over estimated to be safe. If I got two tablespoons of sour cream I usually with track three to make sure I didn't go over. I always overestimate instead of under. And the only way you would really know and could take my word for that is if you knew me at all people that know me know 100% that I mean that but it's true I really do.

    But with that being said I am loving the scale weighing ideal I'm looking forward to be more precise and knowing exactly what I'm eating

    Love, if you are able to understand German I could show you a thread in another forum that I started some 5 years ago. I said that I was only eating about 1000kcal and that it's so strange that I'm gaining weight. Guess what: I was not. I was eating more than twice that amount, based on the weight I gained between that post and being at my maximum weight (75kg, 169cm). It's so easy to get it completely wrong.

    The point is that it's not a generalized narrative that "Fitbits are off". You can track them to real world results and find if you're an outlier and calibrate them as needed.

    It's the offhanded comment that I find unnecessary and often unhelpful. Again, it's too generalized. There are a great many of us who find them useful because we know how to work with them.

    It's also generalized to conflate exercise burns based on one's own experience with another person's experience (even though I did that in this thread to demonstrate that OP's burns weren't out of the realm of possibility) because burns are dependent on a lot of different mitigating factors that most here aren't accounting for. I find this happens a lot in these threads, and it's a common trope on these boards to be dismissive out of hand without thinking critically about these inherent differences.

    This, and it seems a common thread and bias that it's impossible for Joe or Jane Average to have a high TDEE or high exercise activity burn without being an athlete. Some people are taller, heavier, are more proficient in their movements, so can eke out a few extra steps or reps in a given time span, and achieve a higher burn. For example I just plain walk fast and walk almost everywhere (often with a backpack), so I get more steps in and get a higher daily burn.

    Doesn't mean someone's lying or the Fitbit is always wrong.
  • geltner1
    geltner1 Posts: 85 Member
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    It's hard to know because there are so many responses, but has the subject of weight training come up? If you take a break, a new focus could be building some muscle tissue. This changes your body composition, of course, and probably will change your metabolism, calorie count etcetera . You have done so well. My compliments.
  • Muscleflex79
    Muscleflex79 Posts: 1,917 Member
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    Abadaba69 wrote: »
    It could have to do with going into starvation mode maybe as your calories are very low as it looks like you are burning way more than you consume. Just depends whether you believe that the body will store more to adapt. Some say this is myth...but I do believe that our hormones WILL react just as amusedmonk says in above post. And Cheryldumais above mentions a diet break...lets brain and body know that you are not starving. I like teethofthe..post above about eating a few more calories a day but tweaking your proteins-carbs and fat. Good luck Jenny.

    except 'starvation mode' does not exist...have you not seen people actually starving? they do not hold on to all their weight and/or gain.