Seem to be in a rut....increased exercise, no weight loss

corysmithsmail
corysmithsmail Posts: 166 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I have been working out consistently for past two months. until last week I had set my calorie goal to 1200/day. I wouldn't eat my exercise calories back either. I decided I could probably eat a little bit more, so I changed my limit to 1530/day. (Well MFP set it to that since I changed my activity level from sedentary to lightly active.) I also have increased what I'm doing at the gym, lifting more weights, but still doing an hour of cardio.

I was losing weight regularly, but now it seems that it's stopping if not going up a point. I know I'm probably just being impatient, but should I just put my calorie limit back down to 1200? I know my logging is exact because I weigh every single thing. If anything it's over sometimes, if I eat fruits with pits/cores or bananas, I only weigh those things with the uneaten parts still attached and log the whole thing.
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Replies

  • jasondjulian
    jasondjulian Posts: 182 Member
    collectingblues wrote: »
    Increased activity and strength training can cause water retention, which will make it look like you’ve gained. And it can stay on for a while — I always see it stick around for six weeks.

    Give it six weeks or so, and then reevaluate based on what happens.

    ^ This. When I started a 3x/week weight lifting program my "weight" went up 7-8lbs. Also, going up "a point" is not unusual. It's normal. weight can fluctuate 2-5lbs throughout the day and so can your daily average. Look at longer lengths of time to get the real trend data... you don't lose weight on such a short scale as a matter of days. You need to look at it week by week or every few weeks if you aren't already.
  • LivingtheLeanDream
    LivingtheLeanDream Posts: 13,345 Member
    How long have you had this stall?
  • apullum
    apullum Posts: 4,838 Member
    If you were eating 1200 calories without including your exercise calories, then increasing your calories is a good idea. 1200 is an appropriate calorie goal for *some* people, and MFP intends you to either eat back your exercise calories or include activity in your goal, as you've done. We don't have enough information to tell whether 1530 is a good goal for you, but 1200 without eating back exercise calories is not an appropriate goal for anyone. You should not go back to that.

    As others have said, any time you increase exercise, you can see temporary weight fluctuation. This is normal. You also don't say how long you've been trying to lose, how much more you want to lose, or how long it's been since the scale has gone down. Weight loss happens more slowly the closer you get to your goal, and it's common to have times when it looks like you're not losing.

    The calories in that little bit of fruit still attached to the core are negligible. Unless you're eating truly massive amounts of fruit, don't worry about them.
  • steveko89
    steveko89 Posts: 2,214 Member
    How often do you weigh yourself and how much weight are you attempting to lose? If you're close to "normal"/"healthy" weight loss will slow and if you're only weighing yourself weekly or monthly fluctuations in fluid retention could be masking fat loss. I suggest trying to weigh daily and use a trending app to track your weight on a moving average basis. FWIW an increase in exercise, particularly weight lifting will cause the body to retain more water for muscle repair. Depending on your size, you probably could get away with eating more/above 1200 and still be in a deficit. This could also help with energy levels and reducing overall stress on your system.
  • thisPGHlife
    thisPGHlife Posts: 440 Member
    LivingtheLeanDream wrote: »
    How long have you had this stall?

    This is a super important question. I recently decreased my deficit to give myself a break. I had been losing fairly steadily and when I wasn't, my blips were usually only a few days. I was lucky. With increasing my calories I noticed a sharp decline in how much I was losing over a week and a half (I weigh daily so I can see my trend. It helps me not freak out if one or two weeks I gain it start the same.) Then I stalled a little and because of an extra tough workout on Saturday I gained almost three pounds. Today I'm back down but it looks like I only lost half a pound in a week when, if you go by my deficit, I should have 1-1.5 pounds.

    If you look at my trend, I'm right on track. Your body takes time to adjust. My body is just starting to adjust after two weeks and I only changed calories. If you changed calories and workout it may take longer.
  • quiksylver296
    quiksylver296 Posts: 28,442 Member
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  • corysmithsmail
    corysmithsmail Posts: 166 Member
    I weigh myself every day. Honestly I think that is why I feel so discouraged, I try to hold off weighing but it's almost a compulsory act it feels like. I am 15lbs away from my goal weight. I lost 81lbs since April 2017. It just seem to have fallen off in the beginning without much effort. I was only counting calories at first. I thought that exercise plus counting calories would make it faster. But I hear others say that the closer you are to goal weight, the slower weight loss happens. But I didn't think that really applied to me, because my goal weight is technically still considered overweight at 160lbs. (I'm 5'5).

    The stall has only been a little over a week. What it boils down to is just patience I guess. :/
  • collectingblues
    collectingblues Posts: 2,541 Member
    edited September 2018
    Yes, you need to be patient, and consistent. Give your body some time to adjust to the increased activity, and the water weight. Reevaluate again in six weeks -- you can keep weighing yourself, but you need to understand that you may not see losses between now and then while your body adjusts.
  • quiksylver296
    quiksylver296 Posts: 28,442 Member
    Did you say you use a food scale?

    Check out this thread. It kinda sounds like you.

    https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10697068/how-i-stopped-kidding-myself/p1
  • corysmithsmail
    corysmithsmail Posts: 166 Member
    quiksylver296 wrote: »
    Did you say you use a food scale?

    Check out this thread. It kinda sounds like you.

    https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10697068/how-i-stopped-kidding-myself/p1

    I use a food scale for everything. Even the little things. I stopped using measuring cups awhile ago. I'm fairly confident on my logging accuracy.
  • nutmegoreo
    nutmegoreo Posts: 15,532 Member
    edited September 2018
    Yes, be more patient. My weight stalls for a week at a time regularly, then I'll get a day or two of bigger drops, then it stalls again.

    ETA: It generally becomes more pronounced when I'm weightlifting.
  • quiksylver296
    quiksylver296 Posts: 28,442 Member
    corysmithsmail wrote: »
    quiksylver296 wrote: »
    Did you say you use a food scale?

    Check out this thread. It kinda sounds like you.

    https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10697068/how-i-stopped-kidding-myself/p1

    I use a food scale for everything. Even the little things. I stopped using measuring cups awhile ago. I'm fairly confident on my logging accuracy.

    And you dropped your calories as you lost weight?
  • corysmithsmail
    corysmithsmail Posts: 166 Member
    quiksylver296 wrote: »
    corysmithsmail wrote: »
    quiksylver296 wrote: »
    Did you say you use a food scale?

    Check out this thread. It kinda sounds like you.

    https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10697068/how-i-stopped-kidding-myself/p1

    I use a food scale for everything. Even the little things. I stopped using measuring cups awhile ago. I'm fairly confident on my logging accuracy.

    And you dropped your calories as you lost weight?

    First 75lbs-ish lost I ate 1200 calories. Since last week, I raised calorie limit to 1530, but have been about 2-300 calories short of meeting that goal. So my calories have raised an insignificant amount I would say. I know I'm still in a calorie deficit.
  • quiksylver296
    quiksylver296 Posts: 28,442 Member
    corysmithsmail wrote: »
    quiksylver296 wrote: »
    corysmithsmail wrote: »
    quiksylver296 wrote: »
    Did you say you use a food scale?

    Check out this thread. It kinda sounds like you.

    https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10697068/how-i-stopped-kidding-myself/p1

    I use a food scale for everything. Even the little things. I stopped using measuring cups awhile ago. I'm fairly confident on my logging accuracy.

    And you dropped your calories as you lost weight?

    First 75lbs-ish lost I ate 1200 calories. Since last week, I raised calorie limit to 1530, but have been about 2-300 calories short of meeting that goal. So my calories have raised an insignificant amount I would say. I know I'm still in a calorie deficit.

    Nice. Between the increased exercise and the increased amount of food in your digestive system, that may explain your stall. Sounds like patience is the correct action to take!

  • corysmithsmail
    corysmithsmail Posts: 166 Member
    quiksylver296 wrote: »
    corysmithsmail wrote: »
    quiksylver296 wrote: »
    corysmithsmail wrote: »
    quiksylver296 wrote: »
    Did you say you use a food scale?

    Check out this thread. It kinda sounds like you.

    https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10697068/how-i-stopped-kidding-myself/p1

    I use a food scale for everything. Even the little things. I stopped using measuring cups awhile ago. I'm fairly confident on my logging accuracy.

    And you dropped your calories as you lost weight?

    First 75lbs-ish lost I ate 1200 calories. Since last week, I raised calorie limit to 1530, but have been about 2-300 calories short of meeting that goal. So my calories have raised an insignificant amount I would say. I know I'm still in a calorie deficit.

    Nice. Between the increased exercise and the increased amount of food in your digestive system, that may explain your stall. Sounds like patience is the correct action to take!

    Yeah, as I typed that response the light bulb went off. But I was hungry a majority of the time on 1200 calories. So I will just work on heightening my patience level. :neutral:
  • nutmegoreo
    nutmegoreo Posts: 15,532 Member
    corysmithsmail wrote: »
    quiksylver296 wrote: »
    corysmithsmail wrote: »
    quiksylver296 wrote: »
    corysmithsmail wrote: »
    quiksylver296 wrote: »
    Did you say you use a food scale?

    Check out this thread. It kinda sounds like you.

    https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10697068/how-i-stopped-kidding-myself/p1

    I use a food scale for everything. Even the little things. I stopped using measuring cups awhile ago. I'm fairly confident on my logging accuracy.

    And you dropped your calories as you lost weight?

    First 75lbs-ish lost I ate 1200 calories. Since last week, I raised calorie limit to 1530, but have been about 2-300 calories short of meeting that goal. So my calories have raised an insignificant amount I would say. I know I'm still in a calorie deficit.

    Nice. Between the increased exercise and the increased amount of food in your digestive system, that may explain your stall. Sounds like patience is the correct action to take!

    Yeah, as I typed that response the light bulb went off. But I was hungry a majority of the time on 1200 calories. So I will just work on heightening my patience level. :neutral:

    It's a good thing to slow down as you get closer to goal. It will give you the chance to work on eating habits that will help you maintain the loss. You've done well. Enjoy those extra calories.
  • quiksylver296
    quiksylver296 Posts: 28,442 Member
    nutmegoreo wrote: »
    corysmithsmail wrote: »
    quiksylver296 wrote: »
    corysmithsmail wrote: »
    quiksylver296 wrote: »
    corysmithsmail wrote: »
    quiksylver296 wrote: »
    Did you say you use a food scale?

    Check out this thread. It kinda sounds like you.

    https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10697068/how-i-stopped-kidding-myself/p1

    I use a food scale for everything. Even the little things. I stopped using measuring cups awhile ago. I'm fairly confident on my logging accuracy.

    And you dropped your calories as you lost weight?

    First 75lbs-ish lost I ate 1200 calories. Since last week, I raised calorie limit to 1530, but have been about 2-300 calories short of meeting that goal. So my calories have raised an insignificant amount I would say. I know I'm still in a calorie deficit.

    Nice. Between the increased exercise and the increased amount of food in your digestive system, that may explain your stall. Sounds like patience is the correct action to take!

    Yeah, as I typed that response the light bulb went off. But I was hungry a majority of the time on 1200 calories. So I will just work on heightening my patience level. :neutral:

    It's a good thing to slow down as you get closer to goal. It will give you the chance to work on eating habits that will help you maintain the loss. You've done well. Enjoy those extra calories.

    Exactly. I shoot for a 250 calorie deficit per day (0.5 lb loss per week). At 5'9, that means I get to eat ~2000 calories per day!

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