Am I not losing as much because i'm not eating enough?
LaurenMT96
Posts: 184 Member
Hi, abit of background,I'm 22 and 5'7. i started this journey on the 1st of February 2018 at 259lbs. I've been there for a long time and finally had enough. I have PCOS so chuffed to have lost 47lbs to date. (212lbs current weight)
My question is, I have my MFP set to lose 2lb a week, the past few weeks I have only been losing 1lb a week and then a random 4lbs ;
27/04 - 221lbs -3
04/05 - 220lbs -1
11/05 - 219lbs -1
18/05 - 217lbs -2
25/05 - 213 lbs -4
01/06 - 212lbs -1
I have been doing this now for 18 weeks, previously i had consistent losses of 2/3lbs per week.
I do have a food scale and measure everything religiously, i also track my measurements every week, drink 4 litres of water and mfp has set my goal to 1200, i go over at the weekend but i work out my average for the week and its always around 1100 - 1250.
I have 2 horses so exercise alot with them at the weekend and doing 3x stationary bike during the week.
I feel like im doing everything right to lose 2lb per week but it just doesnt seem to be happening for me! Ive lost 47lb so far and want to lose another 40ish to get around the 170 mark, Has anyone else experienced this where you have lost quite abit of weight and it suddenly slows even though you aren't doing anything different?
My diary is now open so any suggestions are very welcome
My question is, I have my MFP set to lose 2lb a week, the past few weeks I have only been losing 1lb a week and then a random 4lbs ;
27/04 - 221lbs -3
04/05 - 220lbs -1
11/05 - 219lbs -1
18/05 - 217lbs -2
25/05 - 213 lbs -4
01/06 - 212lbs -1
I have been doing this now for 18 weeks, previously i had consistent losses of 2/3lbs per week.
I do have a food scale and measure everything religiously, i also track my measurements every week, drink 4 litres of water and mfp has set my goal to 1200, i go over at the weekend but i work out my average for the week and its always around 1100 - 1250.
I have 2 horses so exercise alot with them at the weekend and doing 3x stationary bike during the week.
I feel like im doing everything right to lose 2lb per week but it just doesnt seem to be happening for me! Ive lost 47lb so far and want to lose another 40ish to get around the 170 mark, Has anyone else experienced this where you have lost quite abit of weight and it suddenly slows even though you aren't doing anything different?
My diary is now open so any suggestions are very welcome
6
Replies
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That's 12lbs in, what, 6 weeks? Sounds like you're right on track.
Weight loss isn't linear... you won't loose exactly 2lbs (or whatever) each and every week. It's never that neat and tidy.
To your question... No. A low calorie intake has nothing to do with "too slow". If you were under-eating for a year, then maybe. But for a month? Nope nope nope.25 -
That's 12lbs in, what, 6 weeks? Sounds like you're right on track.
Weight loss isn't linear... you won't loose exactly 2lbs (or whatever) each and every week. It's never that neat and tidy.
Even more so since you're apparently a pre-menopausal woman(I judged based on your photo)
Fluctuations are totally normal. And at 47 lbs in 4 months you're right on track or a little bit ahead of it. That being said, the closer you get to your goal, the slower your loss will inevitably become. So you've got the "easy part" done. the good news is, you've gotten through 4 months, that's the hard part, as you're well on your way to instituting and establishing new habits and life patterns.
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@jjpptt2 Yeah suppose when you look at it like that, its so disheartening to put maximum effort in and keep seeing only 1lb, I've been doing this for 18 weeks so 4.5 months0
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Plug into a weight trending app. It will even out the fluctuations and give you a better picture of your weight loss over time: trend weight, libra and happy scale are all good.6
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LaurenMT96 wrote: »
My question is, I have my MFP set to lose 2lb a week, the past few weeks I have only been losing 1lb a week and then a random 4lbs
IT is pretty normal to lose at an uneven pace. Look at your trend over time, as jjpptt2 pointed out:That's 12lbs in, what, 6 weeks? Sounds like you're right on track.
I would say don't change a thing, except your mindset19 -
LaurenMT96 wrote: »@jjpptt2 Yeah suppose when you look at it like that, its so disheartening to put maximum effort in and keep seeing only 1lb, I've been doing this for 18 weeks so 4.5 months
I get it... but you're best bet is to adjust your expectations. The sooner you can accept slow and steady as successful, the better off you'll be.12 -
LaurenMT96 wrote: »@jjpptt2 Yeah suppose when you look at it like that, its so disheartening to put maximum effort in and keep seeing only 1lb, I've been doing this for 18 weeks so 4.5 months
I get it... but you're best bet is to adjust your expectations. The sooner you can accept slow and steady as successful, the better off you'll be.4legsRbetterthan2 wrote: »LaurenMT96 wrote: »
My question is, I have my MFP set to lose 2lb a week, the past few weeks I have only been losing 1lb a week and then a random 4lbs
IT is pretty normal to lose at an uneven pace. Look at your trend over time, as jjpptt2 pointed out:That's 12lbs in, what, 6 weeks? Sounds like you're right on track.
I would say don't change a thing, except your mindset
Just to reiterate, mindset and expectations are important as you transition from the easy lbs to the harder ones, especially when you hit the point where fat loss becomes masked week over week by normal weight variation and fluctuations from weather(yes, heat/cold and sun exposure impact scale weight), diet(sodium/carbs), and other normal variations.11 -
Thanks everyone, does anyone have any comments on my diary? Trying my best but im doing this on my own not had any doctors or nutritional advice, i always try to get lots of protein in, any suggestions?1
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I'd be thrilled to see a consistent weight loss every week. Unless you are in a true stall, 3+ weeks, I would just keep doing what you are doing. Congrats on your progress so far.5
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Thanks
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LaurenMT96 wrote: »Thanks everyone, does anyone have any comments on my diary? Trying my best but im doing this on my own not had any doctors or nutritional advice, i always try to get lots of protein in, any suggestions?
I can see in your diary there's a few things you don't weigh, like today vegetable soup 1 pot, Batts - Hoisin and Garlic, 1 half pack, Chedder stick 1 stick rather than weighing it.
I've noticed a lot of food labels say a pot contains a certain amount when actually it contains less or more. I'd start weighing everything instead of going by things like 1 pot etc.
I'd also suggest adding salt to meals as your sodium is very low especially with all the water you drink and more healthy fats maybe!2 -
The soup is just a tin of soup, i eat the full tin and it has the grams on the packet, the sauce is the same i use a full packet cooking for me and my partner so just half it and the cheese sticks are individually packaged also, im super precise with my food
Add salt?? isn't that bad ? or make you retain water ?3 -
Soooo....I'm not a doctor but as I'm on a weight loss journey I've done a TON of research on it. Eat less and exercise more WILL fail in time. It will initially be successful but over time your body will adjust to the lower caloric intake and reduce your BMR to account for the lower food intake. The science backs this up and isn't new. That said you shouldn't be down adjusted yet...I believe it will take 4-6 months.
I would strongly suggest looking into Jason Fung and the book the Obesity Code. And from that look into intermittent fasting. There's a lot of info on YouTube, I'd specifically look for Dr Fung's talks at the Low Carb Vail 2016 conference.
I've been doing IF since February and the change in body composition is real (as in the weight loss). I've dropped 4" off my waist and 23 lbs. I started at 262 lbs in August 2017 and quickly dropped to 245 ish pounds but was suck there for several months even though I was exercising daily and watching what (and how much) I ate. Since February I've lost another 25 lbs using IF. Honestly the big thing I like about it is that you get to eat a LOT more at each meal...though there are less meals.
You've lost a bunch of weight in a short time, congratulations and keep up the good work.71 -
What healthy fats would you suggest?0
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LaurenMT96 wrote: »The soup is just a tin of soup, i eat the full tin and it has the grams on the packet, the sauce is the same i use a full packet cooking for me and my partner so just half it and the cheese sticks are individually packaged also, im super precise with my food
Add salt?? isn't that bad ? or make you retain water ?
Salt isn't bad although there are certain medical conditions that require people to limit it. You'll actually die without it! It only makes you retain water if you consume high amounts.1 -
LaurenMT96 wrote: »The soup is just a tin of soup, i eat the full tin and it has the grams on the packet, the sauce is the same i use a full packet cooking for me and my partner so just half it and the cheese sticks are individually packaged also, im super precise with my food
Add salt?? isn't that bad ? or make you retain water ?
You would be surprised at how much variance there is from package to package. For tinned soup, probably less so, but for cheese sticks, yes you should weigh them, at least at first.3 -
Grasschopper wrote: »Soooo....I'm not a doctor but as I'm on a weight loss journey I've done a TON of research on it. Eat less and exercise more WILL fail in time. It will initially be successful but over time your body will adjust to the lower caloric intake and reduce your BMR to account for the lower food intake. The science backs this up and isn't new. That said you shouldn't be down adjusted yet...I believe it will take 4-6 months.
I would strongly suggest looking into Jason Fung and the book the Obesity Code. And from that look into intermittent fasting. There's a lot of info on YouTube, I'd specifically look for Dr Fung's talks at the Low Carb Vail 2016 conference.
I've been doing IF since February and the change in body composition is real (as in the weight loss). I've dropped 4" off my waist and 23 lbs. I started at 262 lbs in August 2017 and quickly dropped to 245 ish pounds but was suck there for several months even though I was exercising daily and watching what (and how much) I ate. Since February I've lost another 25 lbs using IF. Honestly the big thing I like about it is that you get to eat a LOT more at each meal...though there are less meals.
You've lost a bunch of weight in a short time, congratulations and keep up the good work.
Ignore this. Fung is a quack, and the change to BMR with continued restriction is very minor.
36 -
While you won't stall your weight loss by eating less than you should...
You should be eating more. Based on the stats you gave and your activity level, your TDEE should be approximately 2700/day. A deficit of 1000 will put you at an average of 2lbs loss per week.
For a reference, I'm shorter and 20 yrs older than you, around the same weight, and I eat, on average 1600-1700 to have a steady loss.
While you CAN eat down to 1200, under eating will cause your body to cannibalize more of your muscles than average weight loss. That, in turn, will reduce your BMR and cause you to end up flabby even at your goal weight. Faster, lower cal, is not always better. You may see a temporary weight increase if you up your calories to where they should be, but that won't last and it won't be fat.6 -
stanmann571 wrote: »LaurenMT96 wrote: »The soup is just a tin of soup, i eat the full tin and it has the grams on the packet, the sauce is the same i use a full packet cooking for me and my partner so just half it and the cheese sticks are individually packaged also, im super precise with my food
Add salt?? isn't that bad ? or make you retain water ?
You would be surprised at how much variance there is from package to package. For tinned soup, probably less so, but for cheese sticks, yes you should weigh them, at least at first.
That is not necessarily true. I'm in the UK and shop at Sainsbury's and I've found that even items that you don't expect to be the correct weight per item in a package (like veg) are exactly the correct weight. I've been amazed more than once. I think those cheddar sticks if there is any variance it will be 1gr at most and the error in calorie tracking is much larger than this.
I never weigh prepacked items and I lose weight at 100cal deficit if at all (yes very slowly, less than 1lbs a month, I have very little left to lose) so my precision is likely very high (I keep a database and there are no missing calories in my calculations).
8 -
LaurenMT96 wrote: »What healthy fats would you suggest?
Avocados, Bacon, Olive Oil, MCT oil if you're really going for it.5 -
gebeziseva wrote: »stanmann571 wrote: »LaurenMT96 wrote: »The soup is just a tin of soup, i eat the full tin and it has the grams on the packet, the sauce is the same i use a full packet cooking for me and my partner so just half it and the cheese sticks are individually packaged also, im super precise with my food
Add salt?? isn't that bad ? or make you retain water ?
You would be surprised at how much variance there is from package to package. For tinned soup, probably less so, but for cheese sticks, yes you should weigh them, at least at first.
That is not necessarily true. I'm in the UK and shop at Sainsbury's and I've found that even items that you don't expect to be the correct weight per item in a package (like veg) are exactly the correct weight. I've been amazed more than once. I think those cheddar sticks if there is any variance it will be 1gr at most and the error in calorie tracking is much larger than this.
I never weigh prepacked items and I lose weight at 100cal deficit if at all (yes very slowly, less than 1lbs a month, I have very little left to lose) so my precision is likely very high (I keep a database and there are no missing calories in my calculations).
You've checked. She hasn't. She should.stanmann571 wrote: »LaurenMT96 wrote: »The soup is just a tin of soup, i eat the full tin and it has the grams on the packet, the sauce is the same i use a full packet cooking for me and my partner so just half it and the cheese sticks are individually packaged also, im super precise with my food
Add salt?? isn't that bad ? or make you retain water ?
You would be surprised at how much variance there is from package to package. For tinned soup, probably less so, but for cheese sticks, yes you should weigh them, at least at first.
Bolded for emphasis.7 -
So couple comments beyond (generally) good advice given.
Your body is already under stress with PCOS - so what is a reasonable rate of loss for a healthy body is likely not the same for you.
And you are beyond the point of 50 lbs left and a reasonable rate changing to 1.5 lbs weekly anyway.
So I'd suggest that needs to happen.
Because even a healthy body if underfed enough can start adapting within a month by slowing down your daily activity levels - an amount you'd likely not notice by movements, but could reach 200 cal or more of less burning daily.
It doesn't take nearly as long as a year for body to adapt, not according to studies on healthy bodies.
That body under stress can also have your cortisol levels constantly elevated, rather than just spikes from exercise.
That can mean retained water. That can mask fat loss on scale, but measuring inches should still show up something.
But that's still a good indication if body is under that kind of stress, perhaps diet is too much.7 -
I see an average of approximately 2lbs per week over 6 weeks. What do you see? Is it the uneven pace?0
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Grasschopper wrote: »Soooo....I'm not a doctor but as I'm on a weight loss journey I've done a TON of research on it. Eat less and exercise more WILL fail in time. It will initially be successful but over time your body will adjust to the lower caloric intake and reduce your BMR to account for the lower food intake. The science backs this up and isn't new. That said you shouldn't be down adjusted yet...I believe it will take 4-6 months.
I would strongly suggest looking into Jason Fung and the book the Obesity Code. And from that look into intermittent fasting. There's a lot of info on YouTube, I'd specifically look for Dr Fung's talks at the Low Carb Vail 2016 conference.
I've been doing IF since February and the change in body composition is real (as in the weight loss). I've dropped 4" off my waist and 23 lbs. I started at 262 lbs in August 2017 and quickly dropped to 245 ish pounds but was suck there for several months even though I was exercising daily and watching what (and how much) I ate. Since February I've lost another 25 lbs using IF. Honestly the big thing I like about it is that you get to eat a LOT more at each meal...though there are less meals.
You've lost a bunch of weight in a short time, congratulations and keep up the good work.
Ignore this. Fung is a quack, and the change to BMR with continued restriction is very minor.
I second the advice to ignore the Fung stuff. Fung is a crackpot and his pseudoscientific theories have been repeatedly disproven. He’s a laughingstock amongst evidence-based researchers. There is plenty of evidence showing that he’s way out in the weeds as far as how things work vs. how he thinks they work.14 -
Ignore this. Fung is a quack, and the change to BMR with continued restriction is very minor.
I second the advice to ignore the Fung stuff. Fung is a crackpot and his pseudoscientific theories have been repeatedly disproven. He’s a laughingstock amongst evidence-based researchers. There is plenty of evidence showing that he’s way out in the weeds as far as how things work vs. how he thinks they work.
As I'm fully open to being wrong...please provide sources. Seriously. I've struggled with my weight since my 20s and it's never been so easy, nor have a felt so good as it has been this time around to lose weight and change my body composition. I've seen a lot of scientific studies showing the positive benefits of fasting and data as well as my own experience with simply eating less and exercising more.
Again fully open to new/different ideas/thoughts and have 20lbs-30lbs to go myself as I continue my weight loss journey.8 -
Grasschopper wrote: »As I'm fully open to being wrong...please provide sources. Seriously. I've struggled with my weight since my 20s and it's never been so easy, nor have a felt so good as it has been this time around to lose weight and change my body composition. I've seen a lot of scientific studies showing the positive benefits of fasting and data as well as my own experience with simply eating less and exercising more.
Again fully open to new/different ideas/thoughts and have 20lbs-30lbs to go myself as I continue my weight loss journey.
https://www.myoleanfitness.com/evidence-caloric-restriction/
https://www.dymatize-athletic-nutrition.com/en_GB/why-dymatize/blog/intermittent-fasting-fat-loss-and-better-health
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0261561417301255
https://www.myoleanfitness.com/intermittent-fasting-vs-traditional-dieting/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26384657
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27338458
None of that is to say that IF can't be an effective/successful strategy, because it most certainly can. But Fung is way off base as to why it can be successful, and he preaches a lot of magick and wizardry about it that simply isn't true, as far as the insulin theory and a lot of unproven 'health benefits'.
If it's working for you, that's awesome - stick with it. Many people (myself included) find that IF is a great help with satiety and adherence. But I think it's good to understand that the benefits are from those factors, not from some magical mystical sideshow sleight of hand in the body.19 -
Grasschopper wrote: »Ignore this. Fung is a quack, and the change to BMR with continued restriction is very minor.
I second the advice to ignore the Fung stuff. Fung is a crackpot and his pseudoscientific theories have been repeatedly disproven. He’s a laughingstock amongst evidence-based researchers. There is plenty of evidence showing that he’s way out in the weeds as far as how things work vs. how he thinks they work.
As I'm fully open to being wrong...please provide sources. Seriously. I've struggled with my weight since my 20s and it's never been so easy, nor have a felt so good as it has been this time around to lose weight and change my body composition. I've seen a lot of scientific studies showing the positive benefits of fasting and data as well as my own experience with simply eating less and exercising more.
Again fully open to new/different ideas/thoughts and have 20lbs-30lbs to go myself as I continue my weight loss journey.
It feels awesome and amazing when you find a way of eating that makes a calorie deficit easier. I don't think anybody denies that keto/IF is that way for some people (just like volume eating or plant-based eating or 6 meals a day may do it for others). That doesn't make Fung's underlying claims about *how weight loss happens* any more valid.
13 -
Grasschopper wrote: »LaurenMT96 wrote: »What healthy fats would you suggest?
Avocados, Bacon, Olive Oil, MCT oil if you're really going for it.
I would substitute nuts for bacon if you’re going for healthy ones. Bacon might taste good but preserved meats aren’t exactly healthy.13 -
mburgess458 wrote: »Grasschopper wrote: »Avocados, Bacon, Olive Oil, MCT oil if you're really going for it.
I would substitute nuts for bacon if you’re going for healthy ones. Bacon might taste good but preserved meats aren’t exactly healthy.
Each to their own. Non GMO bacon isn't going to be that bad for you...much better than 99% of the soy based "healthy" options out there for sure.
19 -
Grasschopper wrote: »mburgess458 wrote: »Grasschopper wrote: »Avocados, Bacon, Olive Oil, MCT oil if you're really going for it.
I would substitute nuts for bacon if you’re going for healthy ones. Bacon might taste good but preserved meats aren’t exactly healthy.
Each to their own. Non GMO bacon isn't going to be that bad for you...much better than 99% of the soy based "healthy" options out there for sure.
What are you talking about? GMO stands for Genetically Modified Organism and as far as I can tell is ONLY used to describe plants so far. I googled "GMO bacon" and nothing comes back other than a mention that it MIGHT be possible to genetically modify pigs and produce lower fat bacon. It doesn't exist today.
Do you mean uncured bacon? The main unhealthy part of bacon is all of the preservatives like nitrates that are in most bacon you buy today. You can buy uncured bacon which is much better, but I still don't know any experts that consider pork fat to be as healthy as plant fats like avocados/nuts/seeds. I would agree it isn't bad, just not as good as healthier fats.14
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