Help with a calorie deficit

ash1864 · February 2021

Hi everyone!

Need some advice as after trying hard since the start of the year, I've lost and gained the same 3lbs over and over again and it's starting to get me down.

I'm 28, female, weigh 13st exactly, and I'm 5"8. I eat well - exercise often, walk twice a day for at least an hour total with my dog and I've started doing at least 3-4 workouts per week (Chloe Ting).

Diet wise, I've tried a calorie deficit for the past month and I'm not seeing any movement. Yes I've had a few days where I've slipped up and eaten over what I should, so I definitely need to be a bit stricter with myself here.

Can anyone tell me how many calories I should be eating? MFP says 1560 calories which to me (as a conditioned serial weight-loss attempter ((have previously lost 3 stone in the past, from cutting down and exercise)) seems like a lot. When I was dieting before I usually stuck between 1200-1400.

I really want to see the numbers on the scale move because for my height, I am overweight and I am uncomfortable at the moment and have been for some time. Any thoughts welcomed, thank you!

sijomial · February 2021

Are you logging your food completely and accurately?
Using a kitchen scale?

Your diary is private and it often the diary that reveals common logging problems on both sides of the energy equation. Verifying you are actually eating the suggested calories is the first step.

PS - 1500 plus exercise calories doesn't seem a lot to me at all, I'm a bit lighter than you, far older than you and lose weight steadily at 2,000 plus lots and lots of exercise calories.

75in2013 · February 2021

Hi,

a few thoughts:

it could be that you're not logging your food acurately. You even mention "a few days" where you've slipped up.
are you eating back your exercise calories? You might be overestimating the calories burned. Most apps are very "generous" with their estimates.
maybe you are replacing fat with muscle. Try also using a tape measure additionaly to the scale. Sometimes the success doesn't show up on the scale.
my impression is that weight loss is more difficult for women for several reasons. Like your body storing water during certain times of the months etc. I can't really comment on that.
maybe your calorie goal is too high. Check https://tdeecalculator.net/result.php?s=imperial&age=28&g=female&lbs=182&in=68&act=1.2&bf=&f=1 and play around with the numbers.
If you don't see a movement why not go with 100kcal less for a few weeks and see how that goes?

ash1864 · February 2021

Thank you, I've changed my diary to public so it's there if anyone wants to look.
I would hope I'm adding things accurately as I've been using mfp for a long time but I'm sure there's room for improvement everywhere! I don't eat back exercise calories unless I'm really very hungry for whatever reason - but this isn't often. I think I'll definitely try a tape measure and being a bit stricter with myself. Thanks

callsitlikeiseeit · February 2021

The less weight you have to lose, the longer it takes and the more critical accurately logging - every day- becomes.

Another thing to think about is womens bodies hoard water. While I lose weight consistently on 1500 calories (and I'm 5'1 and 42), I really only show a loss on the scale one or two weeks of the month. The rest of the month it bounces all over the place. Drives me insane, for sure, but that is my body and nothing I can do will change that.

Measurements are sometimes a better indicator than a scale. I take my measurements around the first of every month.

While calories are king when it comes to weight loss, some have better success with playing around with their macro combinations (while keeping to the calorie limit). It can also help with satiety if that is a concern or issue.

And, its possible, you are simply eating at maintenance. The calculators are not infallible and based on averages. Reduce calories by 100 and watch for a few weeks to see what happens.

sijomial · February 2021

Thanks for opening - you wouldn't believe how rare that is from people seeking help.

Would definitely stop using spoon, cup or fluid ounce measures for solid items, they can be horrendously inaccurate. A spoon of (unbranded) mayonaisse can mean a little or a lot!

Are those eyeballed/estimated weights in grams or actual weighed amounts in grams?

Not seeing any drinks, don't you drink anything with calories?

If you have only been logging for a few days you really don't have enough data to go on, 4 to 6 weeks would even out normal weight fluctuations that have nothing to do with calorie balance.

ash1864 · February 2021

Thanks all! Great advice - I weigh pasta and rice and anything heavy carb related, but everything else is mainly eyeballed, something I know causes inaccuracy so I'll definitely invest in some better scales.

No I'm really bad at logging drinks. I drink a lot of water and at least 5 hot drinks a day (tea and coffee but no sugar only semi skim milk), and I SHOULD but don't always log alcohol even though I don't drink a lot during an average week.

Okay going to try again for a good month and see what my progress is logging correctly and being honest with myself ha.

sijomial · February 2021

Even dieticians aren't good at eyeballing.

Three big items that were a shock to me were breakfast cereal (my serving is much bigger than the serving size given on the packaging), peanut butter and cheese. Last two are both delicious and also calorie dense due to their fat content - sadly.

And alcohol calories can add up quickly - hic! :drinker:

wunderkindking · February 2021

You might want to also try measuring the milk in your hot drinks. Even skim milk is something like 80 calories per cup/8 ounces, and if you're doing more than you think 5 times a day that could be enough to take you from deficit to maintenance.

Could also not be, but the potential for there to be a couple of hundred calories(or more) across those five drinks is definitely there.

AnnPT77 · February 2021

ash1864 wrote: »

Thanks all! Great advice - I weigh pasta and rice and anything heavy carb related, but everything else is mainly eyeballed, something I know causes inaccuracy so I'll definitely invest in some better scales.

No I'm really bad at logging drinks. I drink a lot of water and at least 5 hot drinks a day (tea and coffee but no sugar only semi skim milk), and I SHOULD but don't always log alcohol even though I don't drink a lot during an average week.

Okay going to try again for a good month and see what my progress is logging correctly and being honest with myself ha.

Actually, it's the foods with fat that are the most calorie-dense, usually: Sugar is 4 calories per gram, fat is 9 calories per gram. (That calorie-dense foods include things that some people call "carbs", confusingly enough, even though they have some carbs but more calories from fat than carbs, like chips/crisps, pizza, cookies, etc.)

In your case, things like the Biscoff spread, salad cream, etc., would be good to be accurate about, and they're had to eyeball accurately for most of us. (Put the open jar on the scale, zero it, dip out the amount you want, read the negative amount on the scale: Quick, easy, accurate, no extra measuring spoon to wash.)

I get over 100 calories daily from actual nonfat milk in my coffee, so if you're drinking unmeasured semi-skimmed and a fair amount of coffee, that can be signficant. Alcohol is calorie dense, too: Around 120 calories in 5 oz of wine, and a normal unmeasured glass for most people is more than that 5 oz, sometimes much more.

I started losing weight at about your size (183lbs/13 stone, 5'5"), and lost most of 50+ pounds at 1400-1600 calories *plus* all exercise calories, so around 1700-2000 calories actual intake most days . . . and I was way older than you are (59-60 during loss, 65 now). I'm admittedly a good li'l ol' calorie burner for my demographic, but 1560 doesn't sound crazy to me, for someone lots younger and a bit taller.

Help with a calorie deficit

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