Not losing
niamhclem21
Posts: 21 Member
I am 43yesrs old and have hypothyroidism. I average 12-15000 steps a day and according to my Apple Watch I burn around 2500kcal. I am on 1700kcal a day and I’m not losing weight. I’ve been on every diet and I just don’t lose. I don’t always eat my 1700. I’m a nurse who works nights and days. I’m married with two kids and a dog. Can someone help me on what to adjust to lose weight?
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Replies
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I am no professional, however, I am wondering what metrics you are using to build your diet? I would suggest starting off by finding your BMR and BMI and then from there pick a BMI goal and adjust your diet to lose weight given about a 20% deficit to your BMR. Additionally, I would recommend getting in at least 3 resistance training sessions per week ( muscle mass burns calories at a rate of 6 calories per hour and fat only burn 2) if you can get an even mix of weight training, eating, and the cardio that you already have there should be absolutely no reason you can’t lose weight.2
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What is your activity level set at?
When you say “I don’t always eat my 1700,” do you mean sometimes you eat less or sometimes you eat more?
Can you make your diary public so we can look at your logging?0 -
niamhclem21 wrote: »I am 43yesrs old and have hypothyroidism. I average 12-15000 steps a day and according to my Apple Watch I burn around 2500kcal. I am on 1700kcal a day and I’m not losing weight. I’ve been on every diet and I just don’t lose. I don’t always eat my 1700. I’m a nurse who works nights and days. I’m married with two kids and a dog. Can someone help me on what to adjust to lose weight?
You're going to have to adjust your calories. Try 1500.2 -
@niamhclem21, how long have you been doing this consistently, while seeing zero loss?58ytw56s54 wrote: »I am no professional, however, I am wondering what metrics you are using to build your diet? I would suggest starting off by finding your BMR and BMI and then from there pick a BMI goal and adjust your diet to lose weight given about a 20% deficit to your BMR.
20% deficit to TDEE, not BMR. BMR (basal metabolic rate) is what you'd be estimated to burn flat in bed in a coma.Additionally, I would recommend getting in at least 3 resistance training sessions per week ( muscle mass burns calories at a rate of 6 calories per hour and fat only burn 2)
Per day, sadly, not per hour.
Plus one builds muscle at a very slow rate, if at all, in a deficit.
Strength training is very much worth doing for many reasons, but quick increases in calorie burn isn't likely to be one of them.
I wish it were otherwise, sincerely!if you can get an even mix of weight training, eating, and the cardio that you already have there should be absolutely no reason you can’t lose weight.
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Disregarding what 58ytw56s54 said ...(and thnx to Ann for tackling that correction)
For the original poster:- Have you lost any weight at 1700?
- How much weight are you trying to lose?
- How are you logging food? Food scale? Preparing your meals yourself?
- How long have you been at 1700?
This is a good thread to read (from the "Most Helpful" list)
https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1080242/a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants/p14 -
I also am hypothyroid. I finally lost.5 after a month of not losing. I only have 5 pounds to lose so that makes it harder. I have been tracking more carefully. I think that is the secret. And patience.1
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@AnnPT77 and @cmriverside I have been tracking for a month (weight watchers prior to this). I sometimes don’t eat all 1700 due to work. Apple Watch shows burn
If 2500 average a day. I walk a lot as dogs and kids. I use food scales and cook mostly from scratch. I work a mix of nights and days. I have lost 2lbs since starting 1700kcal 1 month ago. I use weights x2 a week. I want to lose 28lbs.
Thanks, I hope this answers your question s0 -
Half a pound a week is reasonable, with only 28 pounds to lose. A pound per week would be OK for a while. If you decrease your calorie intake by about 250, you should see a pound a week on average (over 4-6 weeks, whole menstrual cycles to compare weight at the same relative point in at least 2 cycles, if you have cycles).
Since you mention being hypothyroid, I want to make sure you've seen another really good thread here:
https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10767046/hypothyroidism-and-weight-management
It was written by an MFP-er who is a scientist in the hypothyroidism field, himself hypothryroid, and who lost weight himself by calorie counting. There's solid, science-based information, unlike a lot of nonsense published in some places in the blogosphere.
Your Apple watch - any fitness tracker, any so-called calorie calculator - is only giving you an estimate. Basically, it's the average for people similar to you. But each of us is an individual. Our actual weight change over 4-6 weeks (or whole menstrual cycles) yields a much better estimate, and it's an estimate in context of whatever our logging/activity practices are. It's cutomized/personalized.
Most people will be close to average in calorie needs, but some of us aren't, though it's rare to be far off.
I don't have an Apple watch, but I do have a good brand/model tracker that's quite close in calorie estimates for other people who've reported here. For me, it's off by hundreds of calories per day, 25-30% off - comparing results from 8 years of calorie counting with several years of fitness tracker estimates. MFP's estimate for me is similarly far off. That's unusual, but it can happen. It may not be obvious why.
Here's an even weirder thing, though: I'm severely hypothyroid (properly medicated for it). My tracker and MFP under-estimate my calorie needs. To maintain my weight, I can eat several hundred calories per day more than either of those estimates.
Individualized results really matter, and are a better personalized guide than a calculator or fitness tracker. Those latter estimates can be either high or low. It's rare for them to be dramatically high or low, but it can happen.
Best wishes for success!2 -
2 pounds loss in a month has you at a 250 calorie daily deficit on average. You can keep it up, and it may feel more sustainable to you that way. Or if you want to increase to 1 pound loss per week, you can cut an additional 250 calories daily on average.
Good luck!4 -
I would take my current rate of loss and be happy because you sound active and reducing calories to a level of unsustainability is not a good long term plan. Also would suggest a website or an app where you can look at your weight trend over time to better gauge your progress2
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I would take my current rate of loss and be happy because you sound active and reducing calories to a level of unsustainability is not a good long term plan. Also would suggest a website or an app where you can look at your weight trend over time to better gauge your progress
Ex: Happy Scale for iphone or Libra for Android.
In 2021, I lost almost 40 pounds. Some weeks and even months it seemed like I wasn't losing weight at all, but the trend graph in Happy Scale showed otherwise.2 -
So you are actually losing weight! You’ve managed a rate of loss of c0.5lbs per week, it sounds sustainable especially given your job and your activity. Keep at it, be patient, and the weight will go. Can I just suggest (I’m not being snide I promise) that you might have an unrealistic expectation of fast weight loss? It’s sounds to me like your first month has been a success!niamhclem21 wrote: »I am 43yesrs old and have hypothyroidism. I average 12-15000 steps a day and according to my Apple Watch I burn around 2500kcal. I am on 1700kcal a day and I’m not losing weight. I’ve been on every diet and I just don’t lose. I don’t always eat my 1700. I’m a nurse who works nights and days. I’m married with two kids and a dog. Can someone help me on what to adjust to lose weight?
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Hypothyroid, 45 year old female, 5' tall. I lose weight eating around 1500 calories per day on average. Some days it's higher, some lower, but that's the average.0
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@claireychn074 I guess I’m impatient and wishing I could lose like I was 21again. I’ve tried 1200kcsl and it’s not sustainable for me. You are right, im going to have to be happy with the tortoise approach. X1
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niamhclem21 wrote: »@claireychn074 I guess I’m impatient and wishing I could lose like I was 21again. I’ve tried 1200kcsl and it’s not sustainable for me. You are right, im going to have to be happy with the tortoise approach. X
You eat 1700kcal and you’re losing .5 a week! I wish! This isn’t “nothing” or even the tortoise approach, believe me. You got this.2 -
niamhclem21 wrote: »@AnnPT77 and @cmriverside I have been tracking for a month (weight watchers prior to this). I sometimes don’t eat all 1700 due to work. Apple Watch shows burn
If 2500 average a day. I walk a lot as dogs and kids. I use food scales and cook mostly from scratch. I work a mix of nights and days. I have lost 2lbs since starting 1700kcal 1 month ago. I use weights x2 a week. I want to lose 28lbs.
Thanks, I hope this answers your question s
Also hypo. Two things that I have found helpful in losing weight while hypo is making sure I take my levo away from coffee (so, for me that means 3 hours after my last meal), but I can see how finding that might be difficult on a varied schedule. But finding the best time for the levo helps keep the hypo from fighting against you.
The other thing that has made a massive difference for me has been watching the sodium intake. It may be a coincidence, but since I have been focusing on that, it has gotten a lot easier.0 -
I see you've gotten great answers.
I'll just add that I'm also hypo, have been for 30+ years, medicated. It isn't a reason to not lose weight as long as your medication is dialed in. That thread above that Ann linked about hypothyroid is good.
Stay the course. If on some days you can eat a little less, that will help. As everyone said, it's just a matter of how much of a deficit you can stand. Another 250 lower would likely result in faster loss.
When I was in weight loss mode I had a calorie goal but I didn't always hit it...I knew if I ate XXXX I was still in a deficit, maybe not as low as I had it set, but I was still under Maintenance calories. Find that number for yourself by diligent logging. I find that a weekly check of the entire week's calories is helpful. I'm not always AT my daily number but over the course of a week it is pretty close over time.0 -
Slow and sustainable might feel like the tortoise approach but don’t forget the tortoise actually won the race! 😀. I do understand - it’s so tempting to go fast and see that rewarding loss. But I’m a pig and I don’t want to suffer and I certainly don’t want a rebound. So slow and steady made sense to me, and you’re already acing it!niamhclem21 wrote: »@claireychn074 I guess I’m impatient and wishing I could lose like I was 21again. I’ve tried 1200kcsl and it’s not sustainable for me. You are right, im going to have to be happy with the tortoise approach. X
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