Not losing weight but counting calories and carbs!
mlk1987
Posts: 23 Member
I have been in a calorie deficit, work out mostly cardio and a couple times a week Strength train .. watching carb intake I have pretty much been trying to lose 10-15 for the past 3 years.. Keto diet helped but caused other issues and I realized I cannot be on it .. I used to be able to lose 10 lbs fast now it’s been 3 years, gym memberships , dedication , hard work and I actually weigh more than when I downloaded this .. any advice is appreciated! I’ve never had my thyroid checked that’s the only thing I’m thinking that could be wrong ..
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By the way I am 31 , 5”10 , 165 lbs I used to always be around 150 and I was comfortable with that0
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I should add I did have my gallbladder removed 3 years ago! Not sure if that’s any thing to do with it0
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Sounds like you're not actually in a calorie deficit. Maybe you could recalculate your calorie intake and be very diligent in weighing and recording food.8
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I’ve been eating 1,350 a day and plus excersize which usually burns 200-500 cal this app recommends 1500 but I won’t go that high0
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Maybe I will try 1200 a day0
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Are you weighing all of your food and logging every single thing you eat? Unless you have a medical reason, stop counting carbs. It doesn't make any difference in actual fat loss.
Regarding exercise calories, this app overestimates usually. I would eat back half of the estimated exercise calories and see how you feel. But if you arent weighing everything in grams- slices of bread, olive oil, peanut butter, meat, rice,etc. than you are likely underestimating how much you're eating.8 -
If you're certain you've been in a calorie deficit for three years straight with no compliance issues then it's past time to get checked out by a doc. If you have 3 years of solid logging then that should help. Print it all out to take in with you.
Otherwise, it's tough to give suggestions with a closed diary and not many details. I'm guessing you've been through the stickied posts marked as "must reads" by now and followed the advice there (food scale, exercise calories, tend weight app, etc)?4 -
Yes three years of logging besides holidays and I always have a cheat day on the weekends maybe that’s doing it? But the thing is I used to do the same thing before gallbladder surgery and always lost even with a cheat day but I will try and set this tk public so maybe I can get suggestions0
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Also, so carbs has nothing to do with losing weight? I’ve heard so much debate on this!0
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Also, so carbs has nothing to do with losing weight? I’ve heard so much debate on this!
Weight loss is all just chemistry, there is no debate. You burn energy, and refuel with food. If you eat less calories than you burn you will lose weight 100% of the time. There was a thread once of a guy who ate fast food, breakfast cereal, high carb meals, and massive amounts of dessert but still lost weight because he was in a deficit.
Going low carb only initially helps you lose more water weight. This doesn't make you appear slimmer, so its irrelevant. Fat loss is what matters.8 -
Yes three years of logging besides holidays and I always have a cheat day on the weekends maybe that’s doing it? But the thing is I used to do the same thing before gallbladder surgery and always lost even with a cheat day but I will try and set this tk public so maybe I can get suggestions
Again, a caloric deficit is all that matters. If you arent logging your cheat day and know exactly what you're eating, you are probably wiping out any previous deficit and therefore not losing weight. Start weighing and measuring everything on your cheat days to get a real idea of what you're eating each week.5 -
I meant that if you're not losing weight then by definition you're not in a deficit. If you're really committed then weigh and record absolutely everything you consume.4
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Thank you all so much!! I will do all that’s suggested even on cheat days! I didn’t think it was possible to actually gain 3 or 4 lbs in one cheat day but 🤷🏼♀️I guess I have been ? Lol0
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You don't have much to lose and you have to be very precise. Get a digital food scale and weigh and measure everything. In your situation, cheat days can be a disaster. You may want to look at your weekly deficit and save calories for the weekend. However, you have to have some idea of how much the "cheat" is costing you, so log it as close as you can.5
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Thank you all so much!! I will do all that’s suggested even on cheat days! I didn’t think it was possible to actually gain 3 or 4 lbs in one cheat day but 🤷🏼♀️I guess I have been ? Lol
It's possible because of water weight from higher carbs, and an increase in the amount of food in your system. You have to eat 3500 calories over what you've burned in order to gain 1 pound of fat. If you've eaten somewhere over 5000 calories in one day, you may have gained a pound of fat. Otherwise, dont worry about it and itll come off in a few days.4 -
One thing that comes to mind is whether your measurements have stayed the same. If you’ve been exercises mich as you say, perhaps the weight is actually muscle gain.3
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Wait..I have tons a questions for the OP.
are you measuring your food. Do you weight it, with a food scale?
Do you exercise? do you record how much calories you burn with a hear rate monitor. It doesn't need to be accurate, it just needs to give you a base line, and here why.
If the scale is not moving, then exercise more, by burning off an extra 100 calories a day per week.1 -
Yes I do all these things I have a Fitbit that says I burn wayyy more than I consume I always keep a log on here of what I eat idk I guess I’ll have to just keep going0
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I excersize 5 times a week0
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I could be completely wrong and will most likely get woo'd here but if you remove your gallbladder shouldn't you NOT have a diet very high in fat?
I just recall reading something that said that in the last couple of days. No references, nothing, it was probably a random thing I scrolled past on Instagram, so yes, as mentioned previously - I don't actually know.
Other than that, it is probably as others have mentioned. Not tracking accurately.
Also, if you work out TDEE and use that instead of MFP method you don't need to worry about eating exercise calories, which could be wrong anyway.3 -
BTW - why not a cheat MEAL instead of a cheat DAY? On one day I can quite easily consume 5000+ calories. Which makes all my hard work during the week go down the toilet.
HOwever, if I set a max calorie goal for one day, say 2500, I will eat normally all day and then have one nice big hearty solid meal of whatever it may be with all the sides and so on and still come in around the set target and not go absolutely stupid.3 -
Cahgetsfit wrote: »I could be completely wrong and will most likely get woo'd here but if you remove your gallbladder shouldn't you NOT have a diet very high in fat?
I just recall reading something that said that in the last couple of days. No references, nothing, it was probably a random thing I scrolled past on Instagram, so yes, as mentioned previously - I don't actually know.
Other than that, it is probably as others have mentioned. Not tracking accurately.
Also, if you work out TDEE and use that instead of MFP method you don't need to worry about eating exercise calories, which could be wrong anyway.
Needing to go low fat after gallbladder removal is a self-limiting thing - if your body can’t handle the amount of fat it will let you know through digestive upset. If you feel okay there’s no reason to avoid fats.
I agree that this sounds like a logging issue, mostly connected to the cheat day. The thing about cheat days is that your body logs them whether you do or not!7 -
So should I cut cheat days out all together? I find that a diet is not sustainable for me unless I have one .. also should I not eat back excerrsize calories at all? This could also be what’s causing it and I tried Keto with no gallbladder and I got really sick with digestive issues almost had to go to Er so I
I think maybe I was eating too much fat1 -
Sorry I didn’t read the comment before this that sounds like a good idea just a new calorie goal on days I want to have a cheat meal but I will say this one cheat days I only have 1 meal that day I just eat whatever I want and what ever I want sweet/chocolate/sugary after that but I only eat one meal a day on cheat days1
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One thing you might try is eating at your maintenance calories one day per week. That way even if you are slowing down your weight loss, at least you know you aren’t going backwards. The main thing is to log everything, even “cheat meals” so you know where you are and why.3
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I will try this! Thank you1
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Yes three years of logging besides holidays and I always have a cheat day on the weekends maybe that’s doing it? But the thing is I used to do the same thing before gallbladder surgery and always lost even with a cheat day but I will try and set this tk public so maybe I can get suggestions
I got to my highest weight a few years ago by eating reasonably during the week ... and losing a little bit of weight. Then throwing caution to the wind on the weekends ... and gaining a little bit of weight.
It took a long time, but gradually I put on more and more weight.
I have found that if I'm going to lose weight, I have to keep on top of it 24/7.
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To gain 4 lbs in 3 years you only need to be over maintenance by an average of 12 calories. Scary, isn't it? It's totally possible to have gained 4 lbs because of your cheat day. It is also possible that you weren't overeating on cheat days, but for some reason, your movement pattern throughout the day changed throughout the years in imperceptible ways. It's entirely possible you've been burning fewer calories per day than when you first started dieting (on top of the natural slow down in BMR people experience as they get older).
- Try tightening up your logging and weighing everything with a digital scale, including any oils, sauces, vegetables, fruits, anything you eat on your cheat day, basically everything. Make sure your week averages to a deficit, even if you choose to eat at maintenance on your cheat day.
- Learn to pick the right entries. Picking "fried eggs" is not accurate, it's better to log eggs, oil, cheese, and whatever else you add to your eggs. Some entries are added by users so these may not be accurate either. It's a learning curve, but after a while, you will learn to recognize the USDA syntax and pick those entries. It does get easier and becomes second nature.
- Fitbit may over-estimate calories burned for some people. For me, heart rate models are too inaccurate and inconsistent, so I use a non-hear rate model. If you wear yours on your wrist and do things with excessive hand movements or drive a lot, that could affect the calories you get too. Start by eating back 50% of your added calories then adjust later based on your results.
Last but not least, since you don't have much to lose, patience. Give yourself a few weeks before assessing your results.5 -
Sorry I didn’t read the comment before this that sounds like a good idea just a new calorie goal on days I want to have a cheat meal but I will say this one cheat days I only have 1 meal that day I just eat whatever I want and what ever I want sweet/chocolate/sugary after that but I only eat one meal a day on cheat days
Why not just factor in something sweet into your normal day? If you're eating back your exercise calories that would easily account for a chocolate bar or snack or having some sort of fast food in moderation?3 -
use a food scale for all foods (except possibly some liquids). food scale not measuring cups.
carefully select entries in journal sa there are many errors in there. also be careful about cooked vs raw weights. crate your own recipes never use those found in there (unless you are out and are guessing anyway).
honestly log cheat meals/days. calculate how much impact they have on your weekly goal (you can see if they just lower the rate of loss or wipe it out completely). And no a cheat meal doesnt mean free for all where you eat 2000 calories in one meal (well it can but those would need to be once I every few months not weekly or monthly). I make many "cheats" fit in my daily or weekly goal. i have chocolate daily and will save up or skip snacks one day to fit in a bigger meal (pizza, something i really want). a true over my daily goals meal would be maybe every 2 months if that.
https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10634517/you-dont-use-a-food-scale/p15
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