Is it possible my body doesn't want to lose more?
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PrincessSlytherin wrote: »Your diary shows weighing food which is good, but you eat higher some days and lower other days. Does these calories at the the end of the week put you in a 'weekly deficit' according to what you set up MFP to lose weight?
In any regard, if you want to lose more weight you can. Consistency with your intake and your activities/exercise (if you exercise) is all you need.
I looked at my weekly deficit for the past month and a half and I have been under, although sometimes not by a lot. I go to the gym 5 days a week, and do roughly 30 minutes of cardio and 45 minutes of weight mschines. I track my calorie expenditure using fitbit.
When I started the gym I was concerned about severely under eating, so I was eating back my exercise caloroes. Should I try to limit those calories to 25% eaten back? I don't want to undereat, but I don't know how much my fitbit could be overestimating by.
The devices (like Fitbit) and calculators (like MFPs) don't calculate your calorie burn, they estimate it based on things like heart rate or movement that usually correlate roughly with calorie burn. They're usually pretty close for most people, but not for everyone. It's best practice to adjust your intake based on actual results. Your intake seems medium-low, but not dangerously low. It might we worth cutting back a bit for perhaps 4-6 weeks (as long as you don't have negative symptoms) and see what happens.
When you say that you "haven't been under by a lot" in the last month, I wonder if that kind of "different from population averages" issue might be a factor.
At 25 pounds to go, yes, that's "relatively little" left to lose. For most people, it gets slower, accuracy becomes more important (if one's going to calorie count), and the target loss rate (based on your actual results) should be slow. Certainly you shouldn't lose more than about a pound a week now, and half a pound would be fine. (I understand that you're losing little or nothing at the moment - all of this should be based on actual results).
I see that you had a pretty large, pretty fast weight drop back there around 2015.
Were you working out then, in ways that would've helped you preserve muscle? How is your body composition now? Since you've more recently been working out more, including weight machines, and apparently eating close to maintenance, are you seeing strength gains, and are you increasing the weight on the machines so that you keep challenging yourself (in a safe and moderate way, of course)? Do you avoid working the same muscles every day, since you're doing (it sounds like) the same general workout 5 days a week? (Rest is a necessary part of preserving/improving muscle.)
One thing to look at is your daily life (non-exercise activity): Is there any chance that either your life has changed a little, or that your energy level has dropped a bit? Non-exercise activity contributes a surprising amount to calorie burn. Sometimes, when we lose a good bit fairly rapidly, our non-exercise activity can subtly down-regulate and reduce our TDEE, so that weight loss slows. Fortunately, this is something we can influence.
Are there things you can do to increase activity more in daily life? It's that silly little stuff like taking the stairs instead of the elevator, parking at the far end of the lot, shopping with a handbasket rather than a cart when feasible, injecting extra movement into daily tasks (dancing in the kitchen while you wait for the microwave, for example
).
Life changes can also have made a difference. Some examples are seemingly trivial things like changing your office location so it's closer to co-workers and copy machine; moving to a house where you don't have a garden; etc.
Best wishes!
In 2015, the only exercise I was doing was running on a treadmill. This time around I purposely began incorporating weight machines. I have been slowly increasing my weights on the machines and have seen an increase in strength this time around. I alternate which muscle groups I work on the give my body a chance to rest. As for cardio, I am currently using the C25k app.
Other than increasing my intentional exercise nothing has really changed about my daily life, except that I have started calorie counting again.
Sorry if I just seem to be rattling off answers, but I wanted to answers as many of your questions as I could! Thank you for the insight.1 -
I agree with every post here. But I did notice you say that you're in deficit mode, but only by a little? Therein might lie your problem. Remember, it takes a 3500 calorie burn to lose one pound. If you're only under by "a little" it can take a VERY long time to see it on the scales. Gotta up the ante, more exercise or less food. ;-)
And a PS... if you're trying to lose and not losing while eating back your exercise calories... then maybe you should stop doing that? I never use those, that's what's making me lose weight. ;-)4 -
Ive been stuck at the same weight give or take 2 pounds for a year now. Logging and weighing my food... 1560 cal per day, 5'10 male. I just figure my body decided to stop losing. I do no exercise except walking due to health issues. I figure my medications are blocking my loss. I did lose around 40 pounds after I joined mfp May 2016, but just stopped losing. But I'm fine with it for now as I am not gaining and staying at 235 ish. I would like to be 200 again.. someday!2
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PrincessSlytherin wrote: »PrincessSlytherin wrote: »Your diary shows weighing food which is good, but you eat higher some days and lower other days. Does these calories at the the end of the week put you in a 'weekly deficit' according to what you set up MFP to lose weight?
In any regard, if you want to lose more weight you can. Consistency with your intake and your activities/exercise (if you exercise) is all you need.
I looked at my weekly deficit for the past month and a half and I have been under, although sometimes not by a lot. I go to the gym 5 days a week, and do roughly 30 minutes of cardio and 45 minutes of weight mschines. I track my calorie expenditure using fitbit.
When I started the gym I was concerned about severely under eating, so I was eating back my exercise caloroes. Should I try to limit those calories to 25% eaten back? I don't want to undereat, but I don't know how much my fitbit could be overestimating by.
The devices (like Fitbit) and calculators (like MFPs) don't calculate your calorie burn, they estimate it based on things like heart rate or movement that usually correlate roughly with calorie burn. They're usually pretty close for most people, but not for everyone. It's best practice to adjust your intake based on actual results. Your intake seems medium-low, but not dangerously low. It might we worth cutting back a bit for perhaps 4-6 weeks (as long as you don't have negative symptoms) and see what happens.
When you say that you "haven't been under by a lot" in the last month, I wonder if that kind of "different from population averages" issue might be a factor.
At 25 pounds to go, yes, that's "relatively little" left to lose. For most people, it gets slower, accuracy becomes more important (if one's going to calorie count), and the target loss rate (based on your actual results) should be slow. Certainly you shouldn't lose more than about a pound a week now, and half a pound would be fine. (I understand that you're losing little or nothing at the moment - all of this should be based on actual results).
I see that you had a pretty large, pretty fast weight drop back there around 2015.
Were you working out then, in ways that would've helped you preserve muscle? How is your body composition now? Since you've more recently been working out more, including weight machines, and apparently eating close to maintenance, are you seeing strength gains, and are you increasing the weight on the machines so that you keep challenging yourself (in a safe and moderate way, of course)? Do you avoid working the same muscles every day, since you're doing (it sounds like) the same general workout 5 days a week? (Rest is a necessary part of preserving/improving muscle.)
One thing to look at is your daily life (non-exercise activity): Is there any chance that either your life has changed a little, or that your energy level has dropped a bit? Non-exercise activity contributes a surprising amount to calorie burn. Sometimes, when we lose a good bit fairly rapidly, our non-exercise activity can subtly down-regulate and reduce our TDEE, so that weight loss slows. Fortunately, this is something we can influence.
Are there things you can do to increase activity more in daily life? It's that silly little stuff like taking the stairs instead of the elevator, parking at the far end of the lot, shopping with a handbasket rather than a cart when feasible, injecting extra movement into daily tasks (dancing in the kitchen while you wait for the microwave, for example ).
Life changes can also have made a difference. Some examples are seemingly trivial things like changing your office location so it's closer to co-workers and copy machine; moving to a house where you don't have a garden; etc.
Best wishes!
In 2015, the only exercise I was doing was running on a treadmill. This time around I purposely began incorporating weight machines. I have been slowly increasing my weights on the machines and have seen an increase in strength this time around. I alternate which muscle groups I work on the give my body a chance to rest. As for cardio, I am currently using the C25k app.
Other than increasing my intentional exercise nothing has really changed about my daily life, except that I have started calorie counting again.
Sorry if I just seem to be rattling off answers, but I wanted to answers as many of your questions as I could! Thank you for the insight.
Mostly rhetorical questions, anyway.
Sounds like you're on a reasonable track.
It's not clear to me how long you've been really trying for loss, this round. If it's less than a month(ish) that you've been doing the weight machine work, you might still have some water weight (from muscle repair) temporarily masking fat loss.
It sounds like you're on a sensible track.
With slightly different details, I might suggest you think about a structured diet break (http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10604863/of-refeeds-and-diet-breaks), but it sounds like you'd been not trying hard to lose for a while, then re-started seriously somewhat recently.
If that's a correct assumption, I'd suggest you stay the course you're on for 4-6 weeks, possibly with a small calorie reduction.1 -
Depending on how long you've been trying (has this been a three year "perma-cut", you might want to look into the diet break thread posted above.
You mentioned Fitbit. And MFP logging. Favourite subjects of mine ;-)
Connect Fitbit.com to trendweight.com or continue using your libra trending weight as your weight when it comes to calculations.
Stick your past 4 to 6 weeks of Calories In (as logged on MFP) into a spreadsheet. How many calories in did you log for the time period?
Stick the calories out from Fitbit into the same spreadsheet. How many calories out did you log for the time period?
Look at your TRENDING weight change over the same period of time. How much of a weight change did you have?
Assume that 1lb of weight change corresponds to 3500 'actual' calories. This is not always accurate for many reasons... but it is a good working assumption.
Well? What is your % error?
You can now use this to adjust.
<example PMed>5 -
there is actually a theory that our bodies know best and so if we let it,.our body will self regulate. I cant say I buy into that completely but...27
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there is actually a theory that our bodies know best and so if we let it,.our body will self regulate. I cant say I buy into that completely but...
Are you referring to set point theory? The scientific theory, not the excuse people use in dieting forums? If so, it's true, but it's easily overridden. Refer to the "if we let it" part of your original statement.3 -
there is actually a theory that our bodies know best and so if we let it,.our body will self regulate. I cant say I buy into that completely but...
According to statistics I saw dated 2013-2014, 70.7% of the US population were overweight and 37.9% were obese. I'd say "self regulation" probably isn't working so well as a general theory.
Anecdotally, I topped out at around 270 pounds and 30+% bodyfat while I was letting my body "self regulate". So I don't think too highly of the concept.5 -
quiksylver296 wrote: »
well you have to eat only when you are HUNGRY...and most of us do not. in fact the book indicates we don't know what we feel most of the time...cuz WE ARE TOO BUSY STUFFING FOOD DOWN OUR THROATS..so the writer does have a point. if we only ate when we were hungry had emotional well being...exercised for health..then yes we would self regulate.
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quiksylver296 wrote: »
well you have to eat only when you are HUNGRY...and most of us do not. in fact the book indicates we don't know what we feel most of the time...cuz WE ARE TOO BUSY STUFFING FOOD DOWN OUR THROATS..so the writer does have a point. if we only ate when we were hungry had emotional well being...exercised for health..then yes we would self regulate.
This would make sense if hunger indicated that we needed more calories, but it doesn't. Certain meals can be higher calorie but not as filling. For example, I can eat a donut and be hungry again pretty quickly but that doesn't mean I won't gain weight if I eat more food and wind up consuming more energy than I need.8 -
janejellyroll wrote: »quiksylver296 wrote: »
well you have to eat only when you are HUNGRY...and most of us do not. in fact the book indicates we don't know what we feel most of the time...cuz WE ARE TOO BUSY STUFFING FOOD DOWN OUR THROATS..so the writer does have a point. if we only ate when we were hungry had emotional well being...exercised for health..then yes we would self regulate.
This would make sense if hunger indicated that we needed more calories, but it doesn't. Certain meals can be higher calorie but not as filling. For example, I can eat a donut and be hungry again pretty quickly but that doesn't mean I won't gain weight if I eat more food and wind up consuming more energy than I need.
I think you are missing the point. the writer suggest we heal ourselves emotionally - which takes far more work than exercise and counting cals - to begin to regulate our weight. healthy people don't abuse their bodies.
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quiksylver296 wrote: »
well you have to eat only when you are HUNGRY...and most of us do not. in fact the book indicates we don't know what we feel most of the time...cuz WE ARE TOO BUSY STUFFING FOOD DOWN OUR THROATS..so the writer does have a point. if we only ate when we were hungry had emotional well being...exercised for health..then yes we would self regulate.
"Exercising for health" is not self regulating. It is a conscious, directed decision/action on one's part to elicit a specific desired outcome or outcomes. As is maintaining a consistent caloric deficit to lose weight, or eating to a particular calorie goal to maintain weight.9 -
janejellyroll wrote: »quiksylver296 wrote: »
well you have to eat only when you are HUNGRY...and most of us do not. in fact the book indicates we don't know what we feel most of the time...cuz WE ARE TOO BUSY STUFFING FOOD DOWN OUR THROATS..so the writer does have a point. if we only ate when we were hungry had emotional well being...exercised for health..then yes we would self regulate.
This would make sense if hunger indicated that we needed more calories, but it doesn't. Certain meals can be higher calorie but not as filling. For example, I can eat a donut and be hungry again pretty quickly but that doesn't mean I won't gain weight if I eat more food and wind up consuming more energy than I need.
I think you are missing the point. the writer suggest we heal ourselves emotionally - which takes far more work than exercise and counting cals - to begin to regulate our weight. healthy people don't abuse their bodies.
All of the emotional health in the world isn't going to change how satiety works. Someone can eat when they're hungry and still wind up consuming more energy than their body uses.7 -
janejellyroll wrote: »quiksylver296 wrote: »
well you have to eat only when you are HUNGRY...and most of us do not. in fact the book indicates we don't know what we feel most of the time...cuz WE ARE TOO BUSY STUFFING FOOD DOWN OUR THROATS..so the writer does have a point. if we only ate when we were hungry had emotional well being...exercised for health..then yes we would self regulate.
This would make sense if hunger indicated that we needed more calories, but it doesn't. Certain meals can be higher calorie but not as filling. For example, I can eat a donut and be hungry again pretty quickly but that doesn't mean I won't gain weight if I eat more food and wind up consuming more energy than I need.
I think you are missing the point. the writer suggest we heal ourselves emotionally - which takes far more work than exercise and counting cals - to begin to regulate our weight. healthy people don't abuse their bodies.
I think there's an awful lot of context missing here, or an awful lot of assumptions are being made. Either way, what you're talking about (emotional health/eating) isn't, I don't think, what OP as getting at.4 -
janejellyroll wrote: »quiksylver296 wrote: »
well you have to eat only when you are HUNGRY...and most of us do not. in fact the book indicates we don't know what we feel most of the time...cuz WE ARE TOO BUSY STUFFING FOOD DOWN OUR THROATS..so the writer does have a point. if we only ate when we were hungry had emotional well being...exercised for health..then yes we would self regulate.
This would make sense if hunger indicated that we needed more calories, but it doesn't. Certain meals can be higher calorie but not as filling. For example, I can eat a donut and be hungry again pretty quickly but that doesn't mean I won't gain weight if I eat more food and wind up consuming more energy than I need.
I think you are missing the point. the writer suggest we heal ourselves emotionally - which takes far more work than exercise and counting cals - to begin to regulate our weight. healthy people don't abuse their bodies.
So every overweight/obese person is "emotionally ill/injured"?
I don't buy that any more than I buy the rest of that line of thinking.4 -
quiksylver296 wrote: »
well you have to eat only when you are HUNGRY...and most of us do not. in fact the book indicates we don't know what we feel most of the time...cuz WE ARE TOO BUSY STUFFING FOOD DOWN OUR THROATS..so the writer does have a point. if we only ate when we were hungry had emotional well being...exercised for health..then yes we would self regulate.
What book are you paraphrasing? It might help us to know what you're referencing.6 -
As far as I can tell, if I eat a 'reasonable' amount of food and am reasonably active, my body will sit at at a 33 BMI for all eternity. It's really really good at regulating me in the 200 pound range
On the other hand, if I want to have a 'reasonable' weight -- under 25 or lower BMI -- I have to eat below 1300 calories a day. If I eat my TDEE -- or what the calculators say it is -- I gain. I don't consider eating less than 1000 calories a day (and yes, I weigh and measure) to be 'stuffing food down my throat'.
Being a short woman over 55 sucks, but that's the brutal truth. I'm really hoping I can deal with this this time, but it's *kitten* infuriating.12 -
As far as I can tell, if I eat a 'reasonable' amount of food and am reasonably active, my body will sit at at a 33 BMI for all eternity. It's really really good at regulating me in the 200 pound range
On the other hand, if I want to have a 'reasonable' weight -- under 25 or lower BMI -- I have to eat below 1300 calories a day. If I eat my TDEE -- or what the calculators say it is -- I gain. I don't consider eating less than 1000 calories a day (and yes, I weigh and measure) to be 'stuffing food down my throat'.
Being a short woman over 55 sucks, but that's the brutal truth. I'm really hoping I can deal with this this time, but it's *kitten* infuriating.
Your body isn't regulating itself, your habits and tendencies are.10 -
If you are not losing weight, you haven't been trying. Your Libra chart shows that you know how to do it. So, there's no reason you can't do it again.
25# is about 15% of your current weight at 150 and that to me is a lot of weight to want to lose.
So, you will need the same dedication and resolve you used to lose the 1st 40#, which was or about 20% of your wt in 2015, to lose the additional 25# or 15% of your wt that you say you want to lose now.
You just need to get serious about and busy doing it.
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