Losing Weight but Not Inches - Should I forcefully stay on track/measure more areas?

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  • kimondo666
    kimondo666 Posts: 194 Member
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    kitchen scale is better than measuring cups, it does not take long to weight food. You can also use measuring cups with kitchen scale. First put mcup on scale, tar it, then put food on mcup and weight it on scale with mcup - you get your food measured, also you can't target your fat loss. So belly can be last place that takes fat off.
  • AlexanderDaMota
    AlexanderDaMota Posts: 23 Member
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    Lietchi wrote: »
    https://www.sailrabbit.com/bmr/
    Damn, alright.
    I don't care too much to know the amount of calories I lose from activity for being sedentary at this current moment because I barely walk around the house, but I always wanted a physical device that can accurately calculate the amount of calories my body loses.

    I always guessed those arm band devices people have at the gym or maybe that chest bend athletes wear when training might be that device, but I don't know...
  • QuilterInVA
    QuilterInVA Posts: 672 Member
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    Raisin bran is no substitute for vegetables! You have need a better eating regime.
  • Lietchi
    Lietchi Posts: 6,135 Member
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    AlexanderDaMota wrote: »
    Lietchi wrote: »
    https://www.sailrabbit.com/bmr/
    Damn, alright.
    I don't care too much to know the amount of calories I lose from activity for being sedentary at this current moment because I barely walk around the house, but I always wanted a physical device that can accurately calculate the amount of calories my body loses.

    I always guessed those arm band devices people have at the gym or maybe that chest bend athletes wear when training might be that device, but I don't know...

    Activity or fitness trackers can be very useful, yes. I use one myself, a Garmin. But those don't measure your calorie burn either, they estimate it based on your personal stats, step count, logged exercise, etc. So monitoring your weight is still necessary to adapt if necessary, if the estimate isn't right for you.
  • AlexanderDaMota
    AlexanderDaMota Posts: 23 Member
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    kimondo666 wrote: »
    kitchen scale is better than measuring cups
    Funny I have one at home (I'm currently back with my family during this pandemic) but never felt the need to use it yet since I can measure everything fine with my measuring cups or whatever myfitnesspal's bar code has.

    Although, I don't know how to calculate steak if there's no bar code result... is it even possible for a consumer like me to calculate that?... 'No idea how. I'm in Canada, Quebec btw.
  • AlexanderDaMota
    AlexanderDaMota Posts: 23 Member
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    QuilterInVA wrote: »
    Raisin bran is no substitute for vegetables! You have need a better eating regime.
    You're right, I should eat veggies everyday like I did in the past, haha.
    Lietchi wrote: »
    Activity or fitness trackers can be very useful, yes. I use one myself, a Garmin. But those don't measure your calorie burn either, they estimate it based on your personal stats, step count, logged exercise, etc. So monitoring your weight is still necessary to adapt if necessary, if the estimate isn't right for you.
    "Fitness Tracker"... so that's wtf you call them, lol. I see, that makes sense.
    I was expecting too much of our technology. Plus it'd probably be expensive as hell if a device could truly calculate calories burned accurately. Thanks!
  • AlexanderDaMota
    AlexanderDaMota Posts: 23 Member
    edited August 2020
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    Now I'm curious to know if the Katch-McArdle Formula and the US Navy Seal Calculator is still the most accurate body fat measurement. ... Thoughts on TDEECalculator.net?
    https://tdeecalculator.net/

    From how it calculates an estimate of Ideal Weight, BMI Score, the TDEE with the Katch-McArdle Formula and Maximum Muscular Potential with Martin Berkhan's formula.
  • Redordeadhead
    Redordeadhead Posts: 1,188 Member
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    AlexanderDaMota wrote: »
    kimondo666 wrote: »
    kitchen scale is better than measuring cups

    Although, I don't know how to calculate steak if there's no bar code result... is it even possible for a consumer like me to calculate that?... 'No idea how. I'm in Canada, Quebec btw.

    That's why you use a scale: Weigh the steak raw, search in the database for e.g. "sirloin, raw" and enter how many grams the steak is. Log any oil or butter used to cook it separately. Then you know how many calories are in that steak (whereas if you select a more generic database entry like "steak 1 piece" you don't know if that steak was larger, smaller, different cut, cooked differently...).
  • AlexanderDaMota
    AlexanderDaMota Posts: 23 Member
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    Ah, awesome. Thanks.
  • AlexanderDaMota
    AlexanderDaMota Posts: 23 Member
    edited August 2020
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    I forgot to mention that I drink a table spoon of lemon and organic mother apple cider vinegar with water every morning (/after I wake up) before eating to help digestion/weight loss, but anyway.

    Yesterday (as it's currently 6am), I ate at the caloric amount to lose .5lb/week, but now I'm urged to start training soon again. Possibly today or tomorrow.
    Of course, with the goal still being to lose fat of up to 10% Body Fat at least, if not more first before lean bulk for mass later.
    I'll start measuring more areas of my body every week instead of only my neck and gut so that I can keep better track of the changes in my body.

    ... What I'm concerned about is how to calculate the calories I consume on training days and rest days.
    I plan to buy a fitness tracker and find out what the best TDEE formula is along with it, but am I right to assume that I simply eat the calories calculated of a sedentary for rest days?
    And just to confirm again, on training days I eat the calories I lost/burn, right?

    At the moment I'll start Athlean-X's "perfect home workout" again which is a full body 3/week split program.
    Eventually I imagine I'll adapt my own home workout if possible with a focus to specific muscle areas. Unless I feel safe to go back to the gym, then I'll go back to a 6/week focused program that I create(d) myself.
  • DanaDark
    DanaDark Posts: 2,187 Member
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    There's quite a few things to mention here, so I guess I can list them.

    1. Fat loss is a First On Last Off system. And not everyone is exactly the same on where the body will store it. So, you measured your belly and lost inches the first 2 weeks, the second 2 weeks, probably lost somewhere else.

    2. There is internal fat as well. This sort of fat is actually more dangerous for us as it hangs on our organs and causes strain. Loss there might not be very noticeable but its health benefits immense.

    3. Water weight is a real thing. At 5'4", I can see the scale move 3-5 pounds across 24 hours from water alone. This is why it is vital to make all weigh ins and measurements under as close to constant variables as you can.

    4. Any increased exercise will cause water retention.

    Due to all the reasons above, it is possible to be perfectly on track and not notice any difference in the mirror or scale for weeks.

    Since you are picking up an exercise regime, you can either follow TDEE and just eat that throughout the week, or you can log your work outs and eat extra on days you exercise. Usually best to eat only half those calories back as at-home-online calorie counting of physical activity is sketchy at best.
  • AlexanderDaMota
    AlexanderDaMota Posts: 23 Member
    edited August 2020
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    @DanaDark
    That's very informative, thank you.
    I forgot muscle retained water, that's a great reminder. I'll measure several parts of my body as it's extremely apparent as a solution from the many who've suggested it.

    Is there really no fitness tracker/heart monitor/etc. that's as accurate as possible to a (not bad) decent estimate, or is just TDEE sufficient enough?
    Continued discussion of this topic, here:
    (https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10807805/fitness-tracker-heart-rate-monitor-chest-strap-to-know-calories-burned)
  • AlexanderDaMota
    AlexanderDaMota Posts: 23 Member
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    @harper16 @Deviette @Leitchi @zebasschick @deepsea117 @SnifterPug @kimondo666 @QuilterInVA @Redordeadhead @DanaDark
    Thank you all so much for the revelations and suggestions of eating at a unhealthy caloric deficit and to lower my weight loss per week, along with the scale calculation, ensuring the food entries are accurate and many other tools such as measuring every area, specific apps/links for resource into aiding my consistency.
  • SnifterPug
    SnifterPug Posts: 746 Member
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    AlexanderDaMota wrote: »
    @DanaDark
    That's very informative, thank you.
    I forgot muscle retained water, that's a great reminder. I'll measure several parts of my body as it's extremely apparent as a solution from the many who've suggested it.

    Is there really no fitness tracker/heart monitor/etc. that's as accurate as possible to a (not bad) decent estimate, or is just TDEE sufficient enough?
    Continued discussion of this topic, here:
    (https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10807805/fitness-tracker-heart-rate-monitor-chest-strap-to-know-calories-burned)

    I use the Myzone heart rate monitor (for exercise only, not all day). I have used it for some 6 years now. I've got some reasonably accurate BMR and NEAT figures worked out over the years and the exercise calories on top of those translate pretty accurately to what I gain or lose. So my conclusion is that the Myzone calorie calculations for exercise are as accurate as one can expect from a heart rate monitor.

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