Eating 1,500 cal a day with exercise and still not loosing weight...

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  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 31,967 Member
    leggup wrote: »
    ajsandham11 wrote: »
    heybales wrote: »
    ajsandham11 wrote: »
    heybales wrote: »
    ajsandham11 wrote: »
    Yes, hitting the gym twice a week, one 5k run and two rugby training sessions. I would stick to 1,500 cals no matter the cals burned.

    I was loosing on average 1/2 kg a week.

    0.5 kg x 7716 cal fat/kg / 7 days = 551 cal apparent deficit daily.

    If truly eating 1500, you would have been only burning 2050 on average.

    Perhaps you are very sedentary outside that activity.
    Perhaps that activity isn't burning nearly as much as I'd think.

    But I'd sure think you are burning more than that on average.
    Which means you were actually eating more than that on average.

    Your food logging is probably not that accurate.

    Once you get accurate, I'd suggest 250 deficit too, or .25 kg weekly, this close to the end.

    Out of curiosity, what amount of cals would you suggest? And if I workout, I don't add these cals on to the day?

    A 250 cal deficit would mean eating 250 less than you burn in the day.

    Are you burning calories in the workout?

    Yes, I have 1,500 cal plan and then typically lose 500 and still stick to the 1,500. Shall I be adding more to my cals

    Hm? This is not what your diary says. Your diary says that when you workout you typically eat back your workout calories. That's why it's also important to figure out if your workout calories are accurate :) Cardio tends to be most accurate: walking a mile is about 100 calories burned. (variance due to height, weight, age, hills, speed, etc).

    When you look at your diary summary for a day at the bottom (desktop) you can see total vs net calories. If you are net 1500ish but total 1700 it will say below it "you earned 200+ calories with exercise" or something like that. Fitness trackers often overcalc workouts.

    To the bolded: That’s a pretty broad statement.

    Some brands/models of trackers estimate some activities better than others (by differently using the kinds of data the devices can actual measure), and some activities are easier to estimate based on the data that the trackers can measure, among other things. It’s useful to figure out the likeliest-to-be-close method of estimating whatever specific form(s) of exercise one does personally, I think, if planning to log them manually on MFP, and if using a tracker as the source for that, it can be useful to know if it's giving a gross estimate (includes RMR, loosely) or a net estimate.

    Most of the good brand/model trackers seem to do a decent job of estimating all-day calories for the average person, and I’m living proof that they can *underestimate* all-day calories in that situation, not just overestimate them. Despite that, I think most people should test-drive an all-day synch of a device to MFP (if they have a device that synchs correctly), as it’s likely (not guaranteed) to be pretty close, and if it works it’s pretty easy and flexible vs. logging activities individually.
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 27,889 Member
    ajsandham11 wrote: »
    kshama2001 wrote: »
    ajsandham11 wrote: »
    leggup wrote: »
    ajsandham11 wrote: »
    I have been focusing on 6 days 1,300-1,500 and one cheat day to have a frozen pizza and crisps. it's really the only way to keep myself motivated to stay on course throughout the week.

    It is 100% possible to wipe out a calorie deficit with 1 cheat day. I'm actually quite good at doing just that myself, heh. Going through your diary time- are you using a food scale? Some of the items are a little suspect.
    • Yorkshire Tea - Tea, 500 ml Yorkshire Tea,50ml semi-skim milk 1/2 tsp(2g) unrefined sugar: is this a pre-packaged item? Otherwise, this should be tea and sugar separately with the sugar weighed.
    • Aldi - Xplosade, 500 ml: 146 calories: What an odd calorie count on a drink. Are you sure this is right?
    • Lidl - Vanilla & Yogurt Protein Bar, 45 g 194 calories: What an odd calorie count- are you sure this is right?

    In the past 3 weeks from yesterday (21 days):
    • Days with 1400-1700 Calories logged: 7
    • Days 1700+ Calories: 6
    • Blank Days/less than 900 cals logged: 8

    So--- in 3 weeks of data, you only logged 1/3 of your meals as between 1400-1700: that's 33%. Now- on days where you ate 1,700 calories, it says that you burned and earned a few hundred calories. It may benefit you to eat back a smaller % of your workout calories, particularly if you're getting any calories from lifting workouts. I typically eat back 90-100% of my workout calories if I am losing weight. If i'm not losing weight, I drop down the amount I'm eating back to 80% or even 50%.

    Here's your real problem, though- Blank days. In 3 weeks there were 7 completely blank days and 1 that was 800 cals, probably not all you ate. You said "one cheat day" but 8 days in 21 is more than twice a week. Without complete data it's hard to say. I suggest logging even your "cheat day" and then calculating your calories net for the week. If I know that I want to eat more on a Saturday, have wine, etc, I will eat -200 for Thurs-Sat (or workout +200) and indulge guilt-free.

    Thank for this :)

    The Yorkshire tea, I'll start adding individually but I don't have sugar it's just milk and the tea bag.

    In terms of the suspect calories. All the calories are what comes up when scanning on MFP and all cross checked with the packaging and they match...

    I'll start tracking cheat days too.

    Really appreciate your help ☺️

    Really the simplest explanation is that you are wiping out your deficit on your cheat days :(

    Nooooo! hahah, I thought it would be the case :(

    In real terms, do I have to stop my cheat day? No more monstermunch for me lol

    Log it and see!

    You may be better off with a cheat MEAL rather than a cheat DAY.

    I have neither - I try to exercise a lot every day so I can eat a lot every day and still have a calorie deficit. Plus I like to be active.
  • davew0000
    davew0000 Posts: 125 Member
    paperpudding wrote: »
    Terytha wrote: »
    davew0000 wrote: »
    It always surprises me that beer is never mentioned in threads like these. Surely not everyone is teetotal.

    Beer really messes up my deficits. Especially with beer snacks too.

    Speaking for myself, I'm not teetotal but beer is disgusting so I haven't had one in a decade.


    Myself too.

    I would find it really strange if I started a thread about not losing weight and neither my OP nor my diary evidenced drinking beer and somebody chimed in with Why is nobody mentioning beer? :*

    Feedback noted 😉
  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 33,937 Member
    davew0000 wrote: »
    paperpudding wrote: »
    Terytha wrote: »
    davew0000 wrote: »
    It always surprises me that beer is never mentioned in threads like these. Surely not everyone is teetotal.

    Beer really messes up my deficits. Especially with beer snacks too.

    Speaking for myself, I'm not teetotal but beer is disgusting so I haven't had one in a decade.


    Myself too.

    I would find it really strange if I started a thread about not losing weight and neither my OP nor my diary evidenced drinking beer and somebody chimed in with Why is nobody mentioning beer? :*

    Feedback noted 😉

    Yeah, I haven't had a beer in maybe ten years?


    Not something I've ever mentioned in the forums unless asked.

    It's a non-factor for me.
  • Latrellis
    Latrellis Posts: 75 Member
    I've found avoiding processed foods, take away, cheat meals help me control what I'm eating (and I don't care for that type either). At first I was just entering 1 med sweet potato, now I try to weight everything, watch my "bites", don't drink ANY calories (either SF soda or black coffee), now I log EVERYTHING. We're similar in height/weight, I eat 1800 calories and lose a lb per week (pretty active). I did have an entire month where I didn't lose anything, not sure why? It wouldn't hurt to add a few km a day walking - more muscle means you can eat more :)
  • heybales
    heybales Posts: 18,842 Member
    That would be great if merely walking added enough appreciable muscle to be able to burn more to eat more.
    Sadly it won't, if any.
  • Sportertje354
    Sportertje354 Posts: 50 Member
    edited April 2021
    ajsandham11 wrote: »
    ... one cheat day to have a frozen pizza and crisps. it's really the only way to keep myself motivated to stay on course throughout the week...

    That frozen pizza and crisps I would cut down on, either one a week, alternating, or both once every 2 to 3 weeks. I know it's harsh maybe

    Also maybe make ur own pizza, you have better control over the ingredients

    And Lays has oven baked crisps, less fat, or swap out the crisps for popcorn

    I ate crisps and store pizza for a while about once week, a bad habit I got into, and it caused fat gain, so that may be part of the problem

    Find healthier ways to motivate yourself, and maybe you are eating too little, or not enough of something that makes you grab for those: is it a flavor thing or feel you need to it? If the latter you may need to find healthier alternatives to fill the need your body is having, could be lack of carbs given your excercise?
  • springlering62
    springlering62 Posts: 7,413 Member
    Actually, some of the frozen pizzas aren’t that bad. I seldom eat them, but tried a Lidl frozen pizza after someone on nextdoor sang it’s praises in a thread about local pizza joints. I was quite surprised to find they had several good pizzas in both fridge and freezer case that were reasonable calories.

    I still prefer to make my own, though!

    Trader Joe’s now has a nice pizza crust with acceptable calories in their bread display at the entrance to the stores. Some Lavash breads also make good low cal pizza crusts.
  • debrag12
    debrag12 Posts: 1,071 Member
    I only eat take out pizza and drink plenty of ale (larger is crap). I don't eat more when I drink though. OP does drink beer but it's only been logged once I think. It's not a focus of OPs no weight loss.

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