Sticking to calories but weight not going down?

Uisceuisce
Uisceuisce Posts: 37 Member
in Food and Nutrition
I started training 3 times per week for the past month at a gym, lots of strength and conditioning and I’m keeping my steps over 70K per week. I’m eating 1600 cals per day, 5’4 female. While I feel fitter, stronger and positive and in tracking everything my weight is not going down. Should I reduce my calories or wait longer?
Thanks

Replies

  • RockingWithLJ
    RockingWithLJ Posts: 243 Member
    It could be the types of foods you're eating. Once I starting getting in the recommended amounts of veggies, fruits, a variety of protein types and healthy fats into my diet, I've lost more on a 1800 calorie diet than when I was lower not incorporating those things..
  • quiksylver296
    quiksylver296 Posts: 28,439 Member
    janejellyroll wrote: »
    If you're logging 1,600 calories every day for the past four weeks, it's likely that one of two things have happened.

    1) You are making some logging errors that are resulting in you eating more than you think you are. This is pretty common. If you open your diary, we may be able to help you troubleshoot. Some common issues are incorrect database entries or inaccurate estimation of portion sizes.

    2) You are eating 1,600 calories and it isn't a deficit for you. While many people do find that MFP's estimate of their calorie needs is accurate, others do find they use more or fewer calories than it would indicate. If you have eliminated the possibility of logging errors and you're not losing weight, then you'll need to remove some calories to create a deficit.

    I would consider two to be a less likely option given the activity level you've indicated.

    This^^

    Do you use a food scale? If not, start there.

    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10634517/you-dont-use-a-food-scale/p1

    https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10697068/how-i-stopped-kidding-myself/p1
  • AwesomeSquirrel
    AwesomeSquirrel Posts: 644 Member
    I would give it more time. As women we also have the monthly cycle to take into account which can mask movements on the scale. I dropped 3 kg after my last period when I had been stalling for a month...

    In the meantime, do consider if you are making any of the logging mistakes mentioned up thread and correct as needed.

    I’d also like to check if you are eating some or all of your exercise calories back? Your thrice weekly gym sessions are not included in your MFP calories if you use the guided setup, you are supposed to log them separately and get extra calories. However many people find that those extra calories are inflated, so if you are currently eating back all of them you might consider doing only 50%.

  • yirara
    yirara Posts: 9,941 Member
    janejellyroll wrote: »
    If you're logging 1,600 calories every day for the past four weeks, it's likely that one of two things have happened.

    1) You are making some logging errors that are resulting in you eating more than you think you are. This is pretty common. If you open your diary, we may be able to help you troubleshoot. Some common issues are incorrect database entries or inaccurate estimation of portion sizes.

    2) You are eating 1,600 calories and it isn't a deficit for you. While many people do find that MFP's estimate of their calorie needs is accurate, others do find they use more or fewer calories than it would indicate. If you have eliminated the possibility of logging errors and you're not losing weight, then you'll need to remove some calories to create a deficit.

    I would consider two to be a less likely option given the activity level you've indicated.

    Third option: how often are you weighing, TO? If you only weigh irregularly you might be getting days with slightly higher water retention, which could be due to a bit more salt in the diet, hormonal fluctuations (ovulation and menstruation lead to water weight gain in many people), new workouts, less movement, higher temperature, a long road trip, anything else really.
  • Uisceuisce
    Uisceuisce Posts: 37 Member
    Thanks so much for all the feedback! I am weighing myself once a week at the same time in the morning just after waking up.
    I’m not logging the strength sessions on mfp but I am concerned that I may be eating back calories on those days. I have a scales and I weigh carbs, I’m trying to keep it to one carb a day at the moment to see if it makes a difference. I also dropped my cal count to 1300 on mfp in case I’m over/underestimating what I’m logging foodwise as I know there are calories in veggies as well as carbs

  • Lietchi
    Lietchi Posts: 6,827 Member
    edited August 2020
    You say you're tracking everything, but now you say you only weigh carbs?
    And what does "keeping it to one carb a day" mean?

    If I understand correctly, you are not tracking all of the calories you consume, so you actually don't know how many calories you are consuming. So there's an obvious potential cause for not losing weight that should be explored.

    By the way: lowering your carbs will make you drop some water weight, but that's not 'true' weight loss (=fat loss).
  • Uisceuisce
    Uisceuisce Posts: 37 Member
    By one carb a day I meant brown bread/pasta/rice/oatmeal/potato with a meal.
    If I’m using say, a half a tin of 400g tomatoes, I log that as 200g of tinned tomatoes. Should I be weighing those out too?
    Will just focusing on CICO help with the fat loss?
    Thanks
  • Uisceuisce
    Uisceuisce Posts: 37 Member
    quiksylver296 wrote: »
    Uisceuisce wrote: »
    By one carb a day I meant brown bread/pasta/rice/oatmeal/potato with a meal.
    If I’m using say, a half a tin of 400g tomatoes, I log that as 200g of tinned tomatoes. Should I be weighing those out too?
    Will just focusing on CICO help with the fat loss?
    Thanks

    So, dietary fats are 9 calories per gram. Carbs and protein are 4 calories per gram. If you aren't weighing your fats, that's a problem - they're more than double the calories and will cause a bigger issue if you aren't accurate.
    Thank you, I didn’t know that, that is very helpful going forward
  • Uisceuisce
    Uisceuisce Posts: 37 Member
    quiksylver296 wrote: »
    Uisceuisce wrote: »
    quiksylver296 wrote: »
    Uisceuisce wrote: »
    By one carb a day I meant brown bread/pasta/rice/oatmeal/potato with a meal.
    If I’m using say, a half a tin of 400g tomatoes, I log that as 200g of tinned tomatoes. Should I be weighing those out too?
    Will just focusing on CICO help with the fat loss?
    Thanks

    So, dietary fats are 9 calories per gram. Carbs and protein are 4 calories per gram. If you aren't weighing your fats, that's a problem - they're more than double the calories and will cause a bigger issue if you aren't accurate.
    Thank you, I didn’t know that, that is very helpful going forward

    You're welcome! I am very firmly in the weigh everything/log everything camp.

    I can see this is something I really need to tighten up on. Thanks again for taking the time to reply, I appreciate the constructive feedback.

  • Mazintrov13
    Mazintrov13 Posts: 135 Member
    Reading this makes me wonder if when signing up to MFP there should be more instructions on how the app should be used? ie. using a food scale, using correct entries, eating back excersise calories etc. as I agree these questions get asked all the time
  • L1zardQueen
    L1zardQueen Posts: 8,753 Member
    Mazintrov13 wrote: »
    Reading this makes me wonder if when signing up to MFP there should be more instructions on how the app should be used? ie. using a food scale, using correct entries, eating back excersise calories etc. as I agree these questions get asked all the time


    There are those stickies at the top of the forums.
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 34,204 Member
    edited August 2020
    L1zardQueen wrote: »
    Mazintrov13 wrote: »
    Reading this makes me wonder if when signing up to MFP there should be more instructions on how the app should be used? ie. using a food scale, using correct entries, eating back excersise calories etc. as I agree these questions get asked all the time


    There are those stickies at the top of the forums.

    Which can be found in the "Most Helpful Posts" section of each of the forum's main topic areas. We call them "stickies" as a nickname, because they stick around permanently, rather than rolling out of sight as they get older without regular participation.

    ETA: There's actually some decent info in the app's help documentation, too - a little brief, but a start. I'm not sure most people ever read it. 😆
  • AshHeartsJesus
    AshHeartsJesus Posts: 460 Member
    Log everything! You will be super surprised how fast everything adds up!
  • spyro88
    spyro88 Posts: 472 Member
    I've had this as well and it can be really demotivating. Although MFP says I will lose weight on around 1500 calories per day, if I don't also exercise, I don't lose. I weigh everything I eat so I think in my case it may have slightly miscalculated.

    I did once notice that although I hadn't lose much weight, my body fat percentage was down by 4%. So it could also be that your body composition is changing but it hasn't yet affected your weight.

    Keep at it, maybe try an extra 100 calorie deficit per day and see if that makes a difference? Good luck.
  • Fit_Chef_NE
    Fit_Chef_NE Posts: 110 Member
    If you are relatively new to lifting, your body will be retaining water. I sometimes go through entire months with no change on the scale, but I'll lose two or more inches in that time all over. Start measuring your body with a tape measure. The measurements are what really matter.

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