Under calories and no weight loss.

nayrc
nayrc Posts: 6 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Okay.
I’m on week 5 of Couch to 10K. I am in an active job and I’m always under my calorie target- sometimes by 3000 calories because of my activity- and I’ve lost 1lb in 4 weeks.
I eat healthily most of the time and don’t eat crappy carbs.
What am I doing wrong?
I drink lots of water and I’m always under my calorie goal.
Am I missing something?
TYIA

Replies

  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
    can you open your diary?
  • vallary14
    vallary14 Posts: 215 Member
    Tighten up your logging and weigh things, especially the calorie dense foods. I was surprised at how much more something can weigh than what the suggested serving would. Avoiding carbs like sugary drinks and snack foods can help people stay within their calorie goal, but carbs are necessary for health. Think whole grains, fruits and vegetables, they’re full of vitamins and minerals and fiber. Avoiding them and popping vitamins isn’t really sustainable. Probably not helping if you’re eating way under your calorie goal often. Give it time, you want to shed the weight in a healthy sustainable way.
  • gamerbabe14
    gamerbabe14 Posts: 876 Member
    edited May 2018
    Something is off in your equation, either you're not properly measuring the calorie in (easier thing to measure with a food scale) and/or you are over estimating the calories burned.
  • WinoGelato
    WinoGelato Posts: 13,454 Member
    How much weight are you trying to lose?
    What rate of loss did you select?
    What calorie target did MFP provide?
    Are you using a food scale?
    How are you measuring exercise calories burned?
    Are you eating back exercise cals?
    What are crappy carbs?
  • snickerscharlie
    snickerscharlie Posts: 8,578 Member
    ^^^This. We can only provide suggestions relevant to your actual situation if we know the specifics. :)
  • nayrc
    nayrc Posts: 6 Member
    Let me clarify a bit more.
    Yes. I weigh and measure all my foods.
    By “crappy carbs” I mean the white flours and less nutritious carbs which cause insulin spikes and troughs.
    By “healthy foods” I mean I’m not using calories on any old foods. I am mindful of what I am eating.
    By “under calories” I mean under my calorie goal each day.
    No. I am not eating back exercise calories.
    I look at MFP “goal calories” and try to stick just under that. Which means at the end of the day there is always less calories in than out.
    By “Under by 3000 calories”
    I mean in a day after how much activity is logged and food calories are deducted.
    I don’t work out my calories. I have a Garmin synced which records steps and active minutes.

    The only thing I thought it could be is that I am too far under my goal calories sometimes.
    Yesterday, for example, I only consumed 1400 when I was busy and just didn’t eat much when my ‘goal’ is 2200.

    Also I am not sure what “adjusted calories” really
    means. Maybe I’m misinterpreting that side of it.
    Could that be it?
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
    nayrc wrote: »
    Let me clarify a bit more.
    Yes. I weigh and measure all my foods.
    By “crappy carbs” I mean the white flours and less nutritious carbs which cause insulin spikes and troughs.
    By “healthy foods” I mean I’m not using calories on any old foods. I am mindful of what I am eating.
    By “under calories” I mean under my calorie goal each day.
    No. I am not eating back exercise calories.
    I look at MFP “goal calories” and try to stick just under that. Which means at the end of the day there is always less calories in than out.
    By “Under by 3000 calories”
    I mean in a day after how much activity is logged and food calories are deducted.
    I don’t work out my calories. I have a Garmin synced which records steps and active minutes.

    The only thing I thought it could be is that I am too far under my goal calories sometimes.
    Yesterday, for example, I only consumed 1400 when I was busy and just didn’t eat much when my ‘goal’ is 2200.

    Also I am not sure what “adjusted calories” really
    means. Maybe I’m misinterpreting that side of it.
    Could that be it?

    if your TDEE was 3000 and you were truly only eating 1400 cals the weight would be dropping off you.

    you say you have lost 1lb in the last 4 weeks, how long overall have you been trying to lose weight?
  • nayrc
    nayrc Posts: 6 Member
    Only seriously trying for these 4 weeks.
    I haven’t been angelic but I have only once been even near my “remaining calories” total.
    Which I thought meant if you ate to that you’d maintain.

    Here’s an example of my day’s calories goals and totals

    This calorie burn is a little little higher than normal but I am always easy under the total in green.

    I think I have to really spend this week figuring it out. And getting my scales calibrated!



    y8jb8faea37l.png
  • Kathryn247
    Kathryn247 Posts: 570 Member
    It will help if you make your diary public.
    What are your starting and goal weights?
    That calorie burn for those exercises seems really high.
    You said you were going to gets your "scales calibrated" - use the same scale at the same time of day, wearing the same thing (or nothing) for more consistent results.
    New exercise (running) can make you retain water, which can mask fat loss.
  • MichelleWithMoxie
    MichelleWithMoxie Posts: 1,817 Member
    so, you're running a marathon daily?
  • nayrc
    nayrc Posts: 6 Member
    I always thought the calories burnt in steps got added to your base calories you’ll burn just staying alive. .
    If that makes sense.

    I do weight the same time of day (first thing) wearing the same clothes. So that’s all okay.

    Maybe the calories are way out.?
    Not sure what the point of having fitness monitors are if they’re not accurate.

    I didn’t know you could make your diary public. Not sure I’d want to reveal all but that might be a great shout. Thanks!
  • ritzvin
    ritzvin Posts: 2,860 Member
    TavistockToad wrote: »
    1600 cals for 5000 steps seems like a lot?

    ditto. that is a pretty huge adjustment for ~5k-ish or less of walking/running - double check that. otherwise, +1 to getting a food scale if you don't (the error can be pretty massive on certain foods and add up quick).
  • nayrc
    nayrc Posts: 6 Member
    Thanks guys. I’m going check all settings in both apps and see what’s going on.

  • stanmann571
    stanmann571 Posts: 5,727 Member
    edited May 2018
    TavistockToad wrote: »
    1600 cals for 5000 steps seems like a lot?
    ritzvin wrote: »
    TavistockToad wrote: »
    1600 cals for 5000 steps seems like a lot?

    ditto. that is a pretty huge adjustment for ~5k-ish or less of walking/running - double check that. otherwise, +1 to getting a food scale if you don't (the error can be pretty massive on certain foods and add up quick).

    Except, that with how MFP and Garmin integrate, that's actually 2400 calories for 5000 steps.

    It's probably an HR version and the poster is likely un/under conditioned, and calories are going through the roof due to the way the algorithm integrates "moving calories" and HR.

    I would suggest taking about HALF of the 800 estimated for the bike ride and discarding the rest. Leaving about 2700 for food.
  • mbaker566
    mbaker566 Posts: 11,233 Member
    edited May 2018
    yeah the garmin adjustment seems off. even considering a weight factor.
    i might look at why the calories are so off in the garmin settings.
    also i see in your diary things like a medium avocado. weigh that. a "medium" whatever is not an accurate measurement.
    if you can, put everything on your food scale. everything.

    if nothing else, reduce the number of exercise calories you eat back. start with 50% and if you keep gaining, eat less. if you lose lots, eat a touch more
  • WinoGelato
    WinoGelato Posts: 13,454 Member
    OP did you answer the question of how much weight you are trying to lose and what rate of loss you've chosen?

    I agree with others that Garmin adjustment seems WAY off. But once you get that sorted, then you also need to look at your logging (as others have pointed out) and your expectations - if you have less than 50 lbs to lose, a rate of loss of 1 lb/week is appropriate, if you have less than 20 lbs to lose, then 0.5 lb/week is advised.

    If you don't have a lot to lose, you will have to be a lot stricter with your logging and also pay closer attention to the fluctuations to observe a slow downward trend.
  • nayrc
    nayrc Posts: 6 Member
    I have a significant amount to lose. Probably 70lbs which is why it’s so frustrating.
    Especially as my diet is drastically better and I’m am so active.
    I think perhaps the calorie adjustment is off. I can’t see any wrong setting in either app but will take the advice of sticking to 50% of exercise calories and see what happens.

    Thanks everyone!!
  • Gretaholden1
    Gretaholden1 Posts: 18 Member
    Also different body weights burn calories at different rates. If you google it you can get a more accurate calorie burn if you enter the exercise and your current weight. It doesn't do much for MFP's exercise log, they need to ad a temperary burn entry for people who want a more specific calorie burn. (You can google weight lose by body weight to find the burn rate) you may have to look at a couple of aps to find one.
  • ritzvin
    ritzvin Posts: 2,860 Member
    Gretaholden1 wrote: »
    Also different body weights burn calories at different rates. If you google it you can get a more accurate calorie burn if you enter the exercise and your current weight. It doesn't do much for MFP's exercise log, they need to ad a temperary burn entry for people who want a more specific calorie burn. (You can google weight lose by body weight to find the burn rate) you may have to look at a couple of aps to find one.

    The MFP exercise entries already do adjust for body weight.
  • ritzvin
    ritzvin Posts: 2,860 Member
    AnvilHead wrote: »
    TavistockToad wrote: »
    1600 cals for 5000 steps seems like a lot?

    Just as a data point: I'm male and weigh 200 lbs. I checked back through my Garmin Connect to find a ~5,000 step day. For 5,176 steps, it gave me 309 calories. Yesterday, for 10,020 steps, it gave me 636 calories.

    Female, ~115 lb. For pavement running, at a typical running stride of 0.94m, that would be ~4.9k, so ~3.1 mi -> my Garmin would credit me 220-230 calories (less if they were not all running steps)(it almost always gives me 72-74 calories per mile).
  • Derf_Smeggle
    Derf_Smeggle Posts: 610 Member
    edited May 2018
    Your Garmin and MFP are messing up your exercise calories severely. Something doesn't always work correctly between MFP and devices. Could be a setting in one or the other. Could be a flaw in the software that exports the data, or MFP's software that imports that exported data.

    Happened with me when I synced up my HRM/Samsung Health with MFP.

    Turn off MFP's link to your step counter/HRM, and manually enter in the calorie burn for focused exercise (like cycling).

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