2,000 Calories per MFP and not losing weight
fjm0534
Posts: 6 Member
I'm 58, weigh 270, height 5-11. I've been below the 2,000 calories now on most days: In 90 days, I've been over 2,00 calories 35 times. I don't get enough exercise on most days, like maybe 5 out of 7 days.
My plan has been to reduce my calorie intake until my weight starts dropping then get more active. But my weight has not budged. Should I reduce my calories, and if so, how far?
My plan has been to reduce my calorie intake until my weight starts dropping then get more active. But my weight has not budged. Should I reduce my calories, and if so, how far?
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Replies
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Do you use a food scale to weigh everything you eat, and then log it all, no skipping, cheating or forgetting? Start there.
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10634517/you-dont-use-a-food-scale/p121 -
Thank you for having an open diary. One thing I see, your logging shows foods added as "pieces" or cups, with few items posted as weight. Weighing is key for accuracy and it does make a huge difference, This may be one reason you are not losing. Hope you get more suggestions. Don't give up!13
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2000 on 'most days' - how are you recording those 2000 cals - are you using a food scale? are you recording absolutely every single thing you eat?
Exercise while not essential it is good for us also helps create calorie deficit which helps.
Have you not lost any weight in 90 days?
if so, then you are eating more than you think.13 -
You might first want to tighten up your logging, it's quite possible based on your diary you are eating more than you think. Check out these threads:
https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1234699/logging-accurately-step-by-step-guide/p1
https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10012907/logging-accuracy-consistency-and-youre-probably-eating-more-than-you-think/p1
I'd also add that if you are going over your calories 35 times in 90 days, that's alot. Before you start worrying about whether this calorie goal is right for you, you need to make a concerted effort to actually use it. So tighten up your logging, hit that calorie goal as close to all the time as you can get, and give it another few weeks. Good luck!17 -
Agree with the others. If you aren't using a food scale then get one. Also when I looked at the last few days of your diary you list red wine 1 glass (3.5oz). Are you sure it was only 3.5 oz? Most pours are 5+ oz depending on who is pouring so right there you could be consuming more than you think. Also if you are below 2000 "most days", what about the others?4
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Thank you for the above responses! I weigh or measure almost everything I eat. If I don't weigh it or measure it, then I will rely on the MFP database. I almost always go over my estimations but after four months of measuring I am pretty accurate now. Maybe the days where I have a 'calorie blow-up' there is residual???3
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Thank you for the above responses! I weigh or measure almost everything I eat. If I don't weigh it or measure it, then I will rely on the MFP database. I almost always go over my estimations but after four months of measuring I am pretty accurate now. Maybe the days where I have 'calorie blow-up' there is residual???
It is true that so called cheat days/ blow ups can take away any weekly calorie deficit - you need to log everything you eat on such a day so you can account for that.10 -
Thank you for the above responses! I weigh or measure almost everything I eat. If I don't weigh it or measure it, then I will rely on the MFP database. I almost always go over my estimations but after four months of measuring I am pretty accurate now. Maybe the days where I have a 'calorie blow-up' there is residual???quiksylver296 wrote: »Do you use a food scale to weigh everything you eat, and then log it all, no skipping, cheating or forgetting? Start there.
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10634517/you-dont-use-a-food-scale/p1
10 -
Thank you for the above responses! I weigh or measure almost everything I eat. If I don't weigh it or measure it, then I will rely on the MFP database. I almost always go over my estimations but after four months of measuring I am pretty accurate now. Maybe the days where I have a 'calorie blow-up' there is residual???
It looks like you're using a lot of generic/homemade entries created by other people. These can be incredibly inaccurate. For the stuff you're preparing at home, you should be creating your own entries. You've got some entries that look like guesses, like 2.63 slices of pizza or 1.3 of a fried pickle or .67 of a pastrami sandwich. You have lots of entries that are expressed in pieces. Weighing would be a more accurate way to log these. You have some days when you have foods logged, but 0 calories listed (pork sausage, waffles). If you're meaning to track these and they aren't showing any calories, this is counter-productive.
It really seems like your logging may be the issue here.
Edit: And, yes, "blow up days" could absolutely be part of the problem here. Many of us have no problem eating enough on "cheat days" or "blow up days" to keep us from losing weight even if we're perfect the rest of the time. And since your logging is so uncertain, you may have less wiggle room than if you were consistently eating 2,000 on the days which you stay on plan.16 -
The combination of not accurately weighing everything and going over your calorie goal over 1/3 of the time you've been logging is why you're not losing. Fix both of those things and do it consistently for several weeks.
It is highly unlikely that you will commit to even fewer calories if you're not willing to buckle down on consistency and accuracy with your current calorie goal. Unfortunately, people seem to think this will solve all of their problems with logging inaccuracies and it won't because they're unwilling to address the real issues keeping them from losing weight.13 -
I'm 58, weigh 270, height 5-11. I've been below the 2,000 calories now on most days: In 90 days, I've been over 2,00 calories 35 times. I don't get enough exercise on most days, like maybe 5 out of 7 days.
My plan has been to reduce my calorie intake until my weight starts dropping then get more active. But my weight has not budged. Should I reduce my calories, and if so, how far?
To the bolded, you're putting in 60% of the effort and expecting 100% of the results.24 -
Thank you for the above responses! I weigh or measure almost everything I eat. If I don't weigh it or measure it, then I will rely on the MFP database. I almost always go over my estimations but after four months of measuring I am pretty accurate now. Maybe the days where I have a 'calorie blow-up' there is residual???
Weigh everything but liquids for a little while, just to see. Don't rely on or trust the MFP database too much. There are a ton of erroneous entries there. Double-check everything.5 -
OK, again, thank you everyone for you responses. This is great to have this input. I will work on all of these things starting today.12
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Stephen_Lyons wrote: »At 58 years/270 lbs/5'11" your BMR is approximately 2100 calories. I would not recommend going too much under 2000.
I might recommend you focus on 2 things...
1. Focus on the quality of the calories that you are eating. Not all calories are equal. Cut back on the processed foods, sugar, high fructose corn syrup)
2. Don't wait, start exercising low-intensity now. Even just walking for 30 minutes a day just to get your body moving. Later work in 1-2 minute burst of speed walking/jogging. Even small decisions like taking the stairs everywhere you can. Every decision you make now can make a difference later.
Later you can focus on things like macro nutrients and gradually increasing the intensity of your workouts.
Good luck!
While the "quality" of calories may affect his satiety and health, it will not keep him from losing weight if he is at the right calorie level.11 -
Stephen_Lyons wrote: »At 58 years/270 lbs/5'11" your BMR is approximately 2100 calories. I would not recommend going too much under 2000.
I might recommend you focus on 2 things...
1. Focus on the quality of the calories that you are eating. Not all calories are equal. Cut back on the processed foods, sugar, high fructose corn syrup)
2. Don't wait, start exercising low-intensity now. Even just walking for 30 minutes a day just to get your body moving. Later work in 1-2 minute burst of speed walking/jogging. Even small decisions like taking the stairs everywhere you can. Every decision you make now can make a difference later.
Later you can focus on things like macro nutrients and gradually increasing the intensity of your workouts.
Good luck!
Logging accurately to consistently hit a calorie deficit is going to probably help more than arbitrarily eliminating certain foods and hoping that somehow results in a calorie deficit.14 -
Looking at your diary, it seems like you eat out a lot and also eat a lot of sweets, alcohol, processed foods, fried foods. I am all for flexible dieting and eating foods you enjoy, but if you are not preparing your own food most of the time then your calorie counts are a complete guess. The restaurant you go to may have calorie counts, but the cooking methods and amount of food used vary so much that it really is a guess.
If this has not been working for you for 90 days, then try something different. Prepare 80% of your food at home. It doesn't have to be complicated recipes if you don't like to cook. Try to make 80% of that food "real food" - meat, veggies, etc. That's 2,800 calories a week to play with fun foods. That could be one 1,000 calorie meal at a restaurant a week plus 250 calories of sweets/processed foods/alcohol each day. Try that for a month and see what happens.
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I noticed that you often log cookies from Starbucks but never any drinks, are you getting coffee/drinks from Starbucks as well? I also noticed that you log alcoholic drinks pretty much every other day, cutting these out completely would probably help you as alcohol is just empty calories.
As another commented said, there are many instances where something is listed in your diary as 0 calories. It's hard to tell if you are cooking your own meals or eating out a lot. If you eat out, restaurants are required to list calories but there is no guarantee of how accurate that is because the chef is probably not using exact measurements.
If you are cooking your own foods, it looks like you need to break it down. Some items I spotted:
Homemade - Fettucine With Creamy Red Pepper Sauce, 1.5 cup.
Homemade - Kung Pao Chicken, 0.25 cup
Thai Fried Rice With Chicken - Chicken Thai Fried Rice, 1 Cups
Homemade Vegetable Beef Stew - Beef Stew, 1.75 Cup
If you are cooking these at home, try breaking down the ingredients and measure each one as you add them. Once you complete cooking if you don't eat all of it, measure that portion of what you do eat instead of estimating by cups.8 -
Correct me if I am wrong, but it looks like a lot of your logging is just estimation based on things that are on mfb database just because they have similar names to what you are eating. For example, I see entries in a single dinner from 3 different restaurants which does not sound very likely, or homemade recipes that actually not homemade by you, so you have no clue how they correspond to what you are eating.
To give a simple example, I might have a homemade chocolate cake recipe which has no oil and no sugar and my serving is paper thin, so I can call this something like "L's homemade, chocolate cake, 90calories per slice". Then someone else might have a rich cake, complete with butter, syrup and frosting and cut 1 inch thick slices. This person's slice might again be called "M's homemade, chocolate cake, 500calories per slice". If you eat a slice of homemade chocolate cake your friend offered you, how are you going to log it? If you pick the first homemade entry, while your friend made something that is more like the second one, you risk underestimating a lot.
Try using entries by weighing single ingredients, using packaged things and again weighing, and if you eat out, it might be a good idea to intentionally overestimate a bit, since restaurant portions are not going to be that accurate in calories, and what you think is 1 portion might easily be e.g. 1.5.
10 -
Correct me if I am wrong, but it looks like a lot of your logging is just estimation based on things that are on mfb database just because they have similar names to what you are eating. For example, I see entries in a single dinner from 3 different restaurants which does not sound very likely, or homemade recipes that actually not homemade by you, so you have no clue how they correspond to what you are eating.
To give a simple example, I might have a homemade chocolate cake recipe which has no oil and no sugar and my serving is paper thin, so I can call this something like "L's homemade, chocolate cake, 90calories per slice". Then someone else might have a rich cake, complete with butter, syrup and frosting and cut 1 inch thick slices. This person's slice might again be called "M's homemade, chocolate cake, 500calories per slice". If you eat a slice of homemade chocolate cake your friend offered you, how are you going to log it? If you pick the first homemade entry, while your friend made something that is more like the second one, you risk underestimating a lot.
Try using entries by weighing single ingredients, using packaged things and again weighing, and if you eat out, it might be a good idea to intentionally overestimate a bit, since restaurant portions are not going to be that accurate in calories, and what you think is 1 portion might easily be e.g. 1.5.
This is exactly what I am doing. A lot of my entries that look like eating out or processed foods is because I assume those would give me higher estimates and it's easier to do. In actuality processed foods and eating out is a very small percentage of my diet.
Example: Chocolate chip cookie from Starbucks is really an all-natural chocolate chip or oatmeal cookie from my co-op. I just figure that the Starbucks cookie is going to be higher in calories/fat/sugar so it's an easy way for me to over estimate. .....and no I don't drink the coffee (blech) or the lattes or the ridiculously sweet drinks. I am a french roast coffee drinker.
I eat out 1-2 times a week and if I do eat processed food it's peanut butter, macadamia nuts, organic wheat crackers etc. No hydrogenated oils, no HFCS, no nitrites (unless naturally occurring), no nitrates. Except for a few indulgences I am low sugar/no sugar or low glycemic sugar (coconut).
......again this is great input. I will stay below 2,000 calories for 30 days and try to move more.0 -
I agree with Michael Matthews. Think in terms of "cheat MEAL" and not "cheat DAYS".2
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Correct me if I am wrong, but it looks like a lot of your logging is just estimation based on things that are on mfb database just because they have similar names to what you are eating. For example, I see entries in a single dinner from 3 different restaurants which does not sound very likely, or homemade recipes that actually not homemade by you, so you have no clue how they correspond to what you are eating.
To give a simple example, I might have a homemade chocolate cake recipe which has no oil and no sugar and my serving is paper thin, so I can call this something like "L's homemade, chocolate cake, 90calories per slice". Then someone else might have a rich cake, complete with butter, syrup and frosting and cut 1 inch thick slices. This person's slice might again be called "M's homemade, chocolate cake, 500calories per slice". If you eat a slice of homemade chocolate cake your friend offered you, how are you going to log it? If you pick the first homemade entry, while your friend made something that is more like the second one, you risk underestimating a lot.
Try using entries by weighing single ingredients, using packaged things and again weighing, and if you eat out, it might be a good idea to intentionally overestimate a bit, since restaurant portions are not going to be that accurate in calories, and what you think is 1 portion might easily be e.g. 1.5.
This is exactly what I am doing. A lot of my entries that look like eating out or processed foods is because I assume those would give me higher estimates and it's easier to do. In actuality processed foods and eating out is a very small percentage of my diet.
Example: Chocolate chip cookie from Starbucks is really an all-natural chocolate chip or oatmeal cookie from my co-op. I just figure that the Starbucks cookie is going to be higher in calories/fat/sugar so it's an easy way for me to over estimate. .....and no I don't drink the coffee (blech) or the lattes or the ridiculously sweet drinks. I am a french roast coffee drinker.
I eat out 1-2 times a week and if I do eat processed food it's peanut butter, macadamia nuts, organic wheat crackers etc. No hydrogenated oils, no HFCS, no nitrites (unless naturally occurring), no nitrates. Except for a few indulgences I am low sugar/no sugar or low glycemic sugar (coconut).
......again this is great input. I will stay below 2,000 calories for 30 days and try to move more.
Long-term, I think it will be more useful to log what you're actually eating instead of trying to log things that you think may be "worse" in the hopes it balances out.
Your co-op probably doesn't have lower calorie cookies than Starbucks. The basis of a cookie -- sugar, fat, flour -- is going to be the same most places. Using "fancier" ingredients, as your co-op may do, isn't going to change the calorie count in any meaningful way. So instead of choosing processed entries to account for the unprocessed food you're eating, I recommend just logging more accurately. Your body doesn't really process calories differently because the cracker is organic wheat as opposed to conventional wheat.
You're regularly eating things like licorice candies and gummies. These are processed. Now there isn't anything wrong with that -- it isn't going to stop you from losing weight if you're in a deficit.18 -
Correct me if I am wrong, but it looks like a lot of your logging is just estimation based on things that are on mfb database just because they have similar names to what you are eating. For example, I see entries in a single dinner from 3 different restaurants which does not sound very likely, or homemade recipes that actually not homemade by you, so you have no clue how they correspond to what you are eating.
To give a simple example, I might have a homemade chocolate cake recipe which has no oil and no sugar and my serving is paper thin, so I can call this something like "L's homemade, chocolate cake, 90calories per slice". Then someone else might have a rich cake, complete with butter, syrup and frosting and cut 1 inch thick slices. This person's slice might again be called "M's homemade, chocolate cake, 500calories per slice". If you eat a slice of homemade chocolate cake your friend offered you, how are you going to log it? If you pick the first homemade entry, while your friend made something that is more like the second one, you risk underestimating a lot.
Try using entries by weighing single ingredients, using packaged things and again weighing, and if you eat out, it might be a good idea to intentionally overestimate a bit, since restaurant portions are not going to be that accurate in calories, and what you think is 1 portion might easily be e.g. 1.5.
This is exactly what I am doing. A lot of my entries that look like eating out or processed foods is because I assume those would give me higher estimates and it's easier to do. In actuality processed foods and eating out is a very small percentage of my diet.
Example: Chocolate chip cookie from Starbucks is really an all-natural chocolate chip or oatmeal cookie from my co-op. I just figure that the Starbucks cookie is going to be higher in calories/fat/sugar so it's an easy way for me to over estimate. .....and no I don't drink the coffee (blech) or the lattes or the ridiculously sweet drinks. I am a french roast coffee drinker.
I eat out 1-2 times a week and if I do eat processed food it's peanut butter, macadamia nuts, organic wheat crackers etc. No hydrogenated oils, no HFCS, no nitrites (unless naturally occurring), no nitrates. Except for a few indulgences I am low sugar/no sugar or low glycemic sugar (coconut).
......again this is great input. I will stay below 2,000 calories for 30 days and try to move more.
The Starbucks chocolate chunk cookies are actually pretty low for a bakery style cookie.
I wouldn't be surprised if your co-op cookie was more caloric.
If you're eating out some place that doesn't have nutritional info, I highly recommend searching for the item along with the word Sodexo or Aramark. Sodexo and Aramark are the two major food distributors in the United States, so it'll give you a better idea of what you're actually eating.
Are you weighing your peanut butter and nuts? Macadamias are delicious, but you get deceptively few for 200 calories...7 -
Correct me if I am wrong, but it looks like a lot of your logging is just estimation based on things that are on mfb database just because they have similar names to what you are eating. For example, I see entries in a single dinner from 3 different restaurants which does not sound very likely, or homemade recipes that actually not homemade by you, so you have no clue how they correspond to what you are eating.
To give a simple example, I might have a homemade chocolate cake recipe which has no oil and no sugar and my serving is paper thin, so I can call this something like "L's homemade, chocolate cake, 90calories per slice". Then someone else might have a rich cake, complete with butter, syrup and frosting and cut 1 inch thick slices. This person's slice might again be called "M's homemade, chocolate cake, 500calories per slice". If you eat a slice of homemade chocolate cake your friend offered you, how are you going to log it? If you pick the first homemade entry, while your friend made something that is more like the second one, you risk underestimating a lot.
Try using entries by weighing single ingredients, using packaged things and again weighing, and if you eat out, it might be a good idea to intentionally overestimate a bit, since restaurant portions are not going to be that accurate in calories, and what you think is 1 portion might easily be e.g. 1.5.
This is exactly what I am doing. A lot of my entries that look like eating out or processed foods is because I assume those would give me higher estimates and it's easier to do. In actuality processed foods and eating out is a very small percentage of my diet.
Example: Chocolate chip cookie from Starbucks is really an all-natural chocolate chip or oatmeal cookie from my co-op. I just figure that the Starbucks cookie is going to be higher in calories/fat/sugar so it's an easy way for me to over estimate. .....and no I don't drink the coffee (blech) or the lattes or the ridiculously sweet drinks. I am a french roast coffee drinker.
I eat out 1-2 times a week and if I do eat processed food it's peanut butter, macadamia nuts, organic wheat crackers etc. No hydrogenated oils, no HFCS, no nitrites (unless naturally occurring), no nitrates. Except for a few indulgences I am low sugar/no sugar or low glycemic sugar (coconut).
......again this is great input. I will stay below 2,000 calories for 30 days and try to move more.
You've been at this awhile. Your results indicate that you are likely eating more than you think. Think of this as troubleshooting.
Instead of starting with the assumption that you are doing everything right and eating 2000 calories now, you should pay attention to your results and realize that it probably isn't the case. If it's not the case, then adjusting activity is not going to help you get the process correct. Question some of the assumptions you are making above. (Bolded). Nuts and peanut butter, for example are very calorie dense. If you are not weighing these, you could be off by a lot.
Doing the process correctly is the most important part of this. The process is guaranteed to work - if it's done right. It's what allows you to make correct adjustments as things change.
Instead of adjusting to errors you don't wish to correct, measure meticulously with a food scale. When you do, you'll find your answers. You'll get to the point where you really know what your intake is. If you try to counterbalance your intake errors by resorting to more movement (for that purpose), you are likely only going to introduce more error. You might get lucky, but it won't be because you are doing the process correctly. There is no way this process will not work. So weigh your food first and foremost. Whether something is "processed" or not is not relevant. It may be important to you, but it has no bearing on how much fat you'll lose. I would really work on getting your intake measured right before you introduce or change the movement variable.12 -
I'm 58, weigh 270, height 5-11. I've been below the 2,000 calories now on most days: In 90 days, I've been over 2,00 calories 35 times. I don't get enough exercise on most days, like maybe 5 out of 7 days.
My plan has been to reduce my calorie intake until my weight starts dropping then get more active. But my weight has not budged. Should I reduce my calories, and if so, how far?
One more thing, for reference. I started my process at 54, 5'11" and 240 pounds. I averaged about 2250-2400 calories per day and lost 50 pounds over about 7 months. If you weigh your intake correctly, it'll work.
It's important to measure intake not just for weight loss, but for maintenance. I've been in maintenance for about 11 months and the process is just as important now as it was then. I weigh almost everything.10 -
Op - the biggest issue i saw with your diary were all the entries for .5 service; 1/4 of a loaf etc....recommend finding entries that are weight based and then weighing food4
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Stephen_Lyons wrote: »Stephen_Lyons wrote: »At 58 years/270 lbs/5'11" your BMR is approximately 2100 calories. I would not recommend going too much under 2000.
I might recommend you focus on 2 things...
1. Focus on the quality of the calories that you are eating. Not all calories are equal. Cut back on the processed foods, sugar, high fructose corn syrup)
2. Don't wait, start exercising low-intensity now. Even just walking for 30 minutes a day just to get your body moving. Later work in 1-2 minute burst of speed walking/jogging. Even small decisions like taking the stairs everywhere you can. Every decision you make now can make a difference later.
Later you can focus on things like macro nutrients and gradually increasing the intensity of your workouts.
Good luck!
While the "quality" of calories may affect his satiety and health, it will not keep him from losing weight if he is at the right calorie level.
Hi kimny - I think we are both correct. You are absolutely correct that tightening up the logging will help, but if you look at the user's diary the types of foods/drinks that currently make up the calorie level are not setting the user up for long-term success. I think it is important that we provide our bodies the best fuel possible for energy, recovery, even just basic functioning. Especially important when eating to a caloric deficit.
it might be worth you reading the twinkie diet thread....9 -
Stephen_Lyons wrote: »Stephen_Lyons wrote: »At 58 years/270 lbs/5'11" your BMR is approximately 2100 calories. I would not recommend going too much under 2000.
I might recommend you focus on 2 things...
1. Focus on the quality of the calories that you are eating. Not all calories are equal. Cut back on the processed foods, sugar, high fructose corn syrup)
2. Don't wait, start exercising low-intensity now. Even just walking for 30 minutes a day just to get your body moving. Later work in 1-2 minute burst of speed walking/jogging. Even small decisions like taking the stairs everywhere you can. Every decision you make now can make a difference later.
Later you can focus on things like macro nutrients and gradually increasing the intensity of your workouts.
Good luck!
While the "quality" of calories may affect his satiety and health, it will not keep him from losing weight if he is at the right calorie level.
Hi kimny - I think we are both correct. You are absolutely correct that tightening up the logging will help, but if you look at the user's diary the types of foods/drinks that currently make up the calorie level are not setting the user up for long-term success. I think it is important that we provide our bodies the best fuel possible for energy, recovery, even just basic functioning. Especially important when eating to a caloric deficit.
OP hasn't indicated he has any concerns about his energy, recovery, or basic functioning. OP's concern is that he's not losing weight.12 -
Stephen_Lyons wrote: »Stephen_Lyons wrote: »At 58 years/270 lbs/5'11" your BMR is approximately 2100 calories. I would not recommend going too much under 2000.
I might recommend you focus on 2 things...
1. Focus on the quality of the calories that you are eating. Not all calories are equal. Cut back on the processed foods, sugar, high fructose corn syrup)
2. Don't wait, start exercising low-intensity now. Even just walking for 30 minutes a day just to get your body moving. Later work in 1-2 minute burst of speed walking/jogging. Even small decisions like taking the stairs everywhere you can. Every decision you make now can make a difference later.
Later you can focus on things like macro nutrients and gradually increasing the intensity of your workouts.
Good luck!
While the "quality" of calories may affect his satiety and health, it will not keep him from losing weight if he is at the right calorie level.
Hi kimny - I think we are both correct. You are absolutely correct that tightening up the logging will help, but if you look at the user's diary the types of foods/drinks that currently make up the calorie level are not setting the user up for long-term success. I think it is important that we provide our bodies the best fuel possible for energy, recovery, even just basic functioning. Especially important when eating to a caloric deficit.
Yeah... she said that:
While the "quality" of calories may affect his satiety and health, it will not keep him from losing weight if he is at the right calorie level.
Not all calories are equal when it comes to satiety and overall health, but they are totally equal in terms of weight loss, and that's the first place to look when a person is failing to lose weight as predicted. Generally over time, a person will learn which choices leave them more satisfied (and this varies somewhat from person to person) and in a better position to meet their goals, and sort of naturally gravitate to a more balanced diet. In these forums, we tend to see more success with people who approach it this way as opposed to trying to enforce specific dietary rules.12 -
I'm 58, weigh 270, height 5-11. I've been below the 2,000 calories now on most days: In 90 days, I've been over 2,00 calories 35 times. I don't get enough exercise on most days, like maybe 5 out of 7 days.
My plan has been to reduce my calorie intake until my weight starts dropping then get more active. But my weight has not budged. Should I reduce my calories, and if so, how far?
You're eating more than you think you are. You are eating more than 2k calories if you're not losing weight (assuming that the 2k calories target is based on your TDEE minus 20ish percent).
Get more precise at counting calories. Win.6
Let us know how it goes! 
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