Weekly Goals + Planned Workouts = No Change. Confused!

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Ripgirl
Ripgirl Posts: 172 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I am 5'3 and am down to 123lbs after having twins a year ago, my goal is to get to 115lbs.
I have followed some of the suggestions in the other posts, including re-entering my data into MFP now that some of the weight has come off.
No matter what numbers I enter in terms of weekly weight loss goals or number of planned workouts the result is the same - net calories = 1200/day and the software estimates I will lose 0.6lb/week. Why is this???
I understand that guidelines say that a healthy adult female shouldn't drop below 1200/day, and I don't want to slow my metabolism by not eating enough calories, however I'm not understanding why the program - no matter how much planned exercise I enter - predicts no more loss than .6lb per week. Talk about slow going!
Is it taking into account the 'last 10 pounds are the toughest' theory? It's basically telling me that no matter how much I work out, the result will be the same. While the exercise is always good in terms of overall health, this is not very motivating from a weight loss perspective. Any ideas?
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Replies

  • Ripgirl
    Ripgirl Posts: 172 Member
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    I am 5'3 and am down to 123lbs after having twins a year ago, my goal is to get to 115lbs.
    I have followed some of the suggestions in the other posts, including re-entering my data into MFP now that some of the weight has come off.
    No matter what numbers I enter in terms of weekly weight loss goals or number of planned workouts the result is the same - net calories = 1200/day and the software estimates I will lose 0.6lb/week. Why is this???
    I understand that guidelines say that a healthy adult female shouldn't drop below 1200/day, and I don't want to slow my metabolism by not eating enough calories, however I'm not understanding why the program - no matter how much planned exercise I enter - predicts no more loss than .6lb per week. Talk about slow going!
    Is it taking into account the 'last 10 pounds are the toughest' theory? It's basically telling me that no matter how much I work out, the result will be the same. While the exercise is always good in terms of overall health, this is not very motivating from a weight loss perspective. Any ideas?
    81265.png
    Created by MyFitnessPal.com - Free Calorie Counter
  • etrips
    etrips Posts: 22
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    frankly, who cares what the computer says, you KNOW if you work out more you will lose faster FACT, so just do it, and see the proof in the pudding as they say.
  • Ripgirl
    Ripgirl Posts: 172 Member
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    You're right, makes good sense. Just frustrated i guess with the progress slowing right down and reaching for an explanation that makes sense, so I can work around it and get this done.
  • SHBoss1673
    SHBoss1673 Posts: 7,161 Member
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    The deal is you have a BMI of 21. That's WELL into the healthy range (18 - 25 is considered healthy).

    Losing weight when you are in that range is a CONSTANT battle. You're body is probably thinking, "What the heck? I'm already fine right now, why doesn't she give me the energy I need to function normally?"

    My suggestion is maybe to look at your goals, ask yourself why you want to lose that 8 more pounds? Figure out how you came up with that number, and figure out if it is realistic for you to want that. Do you have area's you want to firm up? If so a caloric deficit may not be right for you. Toning at maintenance level is probably a better route. If you're really stuck, I would go get a Body Fat % test, concentrate on lowering your body fat % and increasing your percentage of lean tissue. That is a great way for someone to look better without ever dropping a pound, and as a side benefit, more lean tissue (muscle) will raise your base metabolic rate, allow you to eat more without gaining weight, and looks fantastic!
  • Ripgirl
    Ripgirl Posts: 172 Member
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    Thanks for this.
    8lbs is a guess - I really won't know until I get there what my ideal number is, recognizing that I am older and I'm sure my body has changed somewhat having twins a year ago, but up until a few years ago I lived healthfully and naturally in the 113-115 range. Right now I just know that once I gained weight that took the scale beyond 114-115 I have lived with the dreaded 'muffin top'. It seems to me that I am carrying these extra pounds around my waist and have been fighting to take them off since long before I got pregnant with the twins.
    I am doing a lot of core, abdominal exercises to try to strengthen and firm up but it is obvious that this 'muffin top' is a layer of jiggly, gooshy adipose tissue sitting on top of the muscle. Yuk.
    All of that said, it does feel good knowing that my BMI is in a nice, healthy range.

    The other question, however, was why this software tells me that my projected weekly loss is only .6lb. When I check in each day it tell me 'if every day was like today, in 5 weeks you'd weigh....' and reflects a more expected result (1.5lbs/week or thereabouts) yet when I re-enter my data I get that different result. Just curious.

    THANK YOU!!!!
  • SHBoss1673
    SHBoss1673 Posts: 7,161 Member
    Options
    Thanks for this.
    8lbs is a guess - I really won't know until I get there what my ideal number is, recognizing that I am older and I'm sure my body has changed somewhat having twins a year ago, but up until a few years ago I lived healthfully and naturally in the 113-115 range. Right now I just know that once I gained weight that took the scale beyond 114-115 I have lived with the dreaded 'muffin top'. It seems to me that I am carrying these extra pounds around my waist and have been fighting to take them off since long before I got pregnant with the twins.
    I am doing a lot of core, abdominal exercises to try to strengthen and firm up but it is obvious that this 'muffin top' is a layer of jiggly, gooshy adipose tissue sitting on top of the muscle. Yuk.
    All of that said, it does feel good knowing that my BMI is in a nice, healthy range.

    The other question, however, was why this software tells me that my projected weekly loss is only .6lb. When I check in each day it tell me 'if every day was like today, in 5 weeks you'd weigh....' and reflects a more expected result (1.5lbs/week or thereabouts) yet when I re-enter my data I get that different result. Just curious.

    THANK YOU!!!!

    Yes, it is a medical fact that the human metabolism slows as we age. And I'm sure you've already been told by a thousand people how much effect a pregnancy (especially pregnancies when you are over 35) can have on the body. That doesn't mean you can't lose the fat though. Remember, you don't have to have a high deficit to burn fat. It may not come off really fast at your size, but it will come off. And as for us 35+'s, it takes a tad longer then when were in our early 30s and 20s (don't I know it!) But I did it, and you can too!


    That "if every day was like today" thing is just a gadget. It just calculates your deficit for the day, multiplies by the number of days per week, and weeks till the (in X weeks you'd weigh), then divides by 3500 (3500 calories in 1 lb). It doesn't take into account any human factors or variances. I wouldn't pay too much attention to it.

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